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The last days of the year are usually jam packed with activity- more shopping, more gift-wrapping, decorating, travel, work, play, family, friends, endless food and drink. Taking time out to walk and reflect invigorates the body and soul for all that is happening.

Simple clothes during the day make it easy to move from one thing to the next when your day is full. You all know my love of skinny jeans and black. Can’t help it- always so easy. Flat boots, these in brown suede and with a rubber sole, look good, feel good, and you can walk forever in them. An interesting long coat instantly dresses the whole thing up. No sneakers or yoga pants in this combination.

Take time out to feel good. Nobody does it for you, do it for yourself. Every day dress walks for miles in Sonoma, CA.

white coat | SabineSommeregger, suede boots | Tod’s

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Every day dress wishes everyone a day filled with the love of others, the magic of the season, and the wonder of this beautiful world. Believe and it will be.

red and black sweater coat Worth New York

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Much like an outfit you wear to an important event, the card that is sent during the month of December, or January if that is your thing, will probably make a statement to those that pay attention. Every day dress pays attention to clothes and cards, and has for years.

Handmade coordinating embroidered outfits for two boys two girls, matching dog, professional photographer, grosgrain ribbon on the side, check. Repeat until fifth child comes along always make sure the stamp and pen color match the theme, check. Add the fifth, and then the sixth child to the composition, which always will now call for a horizontal image, keep the professional photographer on site, check. Every odd year or so add the youngish and good-looking parents in the mix, check. Travel to Durango CO, book the local photographer for the family photo, set prop includes a real Durango, and in the end resort to photoshopping sixth child that would not trade  Reese’s Cups for a smile. Build a big new house and pose family in front, again, in matching outfits and cashmere sweaters, oh boy, while oldest is starting high school, with paid photographer again, check. Hope you can all see I am totally making fun of myself. Travel to Hilton Head SC, party on the beach with kids, set the camera up and hand to a brother-in-law, best christmas photo ever, check.

Kids go off to college, back in town for Thanksgiving holiday, go to local ski town on black friday, take the picture not knowing how to use the camera, image is blurry, send out hundreds anyways, very picky neighbor says he thought that was the best one ever. Kids home again last year, decide enough is enough and not to do the photo card, they beg after years of complaining, hire a professional photographer again for a 9 am shoot, pass Visine around to all older kids as they have just rolled in, check. Ribbons, engraved messages, thermography, gold pens, silver pens, red pens, calligraphy, lined envelopes, matching handmade outfits and matching stamps, check all that.

This year, can’t get my arms around the thing, think about it for months, take the photo of all six on Thanksgiving Day, even look for a card last-minute while in NYC last weekend at all the best shops. Nothing. Get distracted by work which is a very good thing, host a very successful pop-up sample sale. Get distracted by very real current events, not a good thing at all, and decide a Christmas card would be nice. Kids are asking for photo card again, but decide to do something different as the chosen image has already been shared all over Instagram by three youngest daughters. Happy they are proud of the family photo. Go to local whole and organic food co op and purchase assorted hand silkscreened in Buffalo NY cards, practically empty their entire shelves, check. Travel to post office with intent on purchasing some good looking holiday stamps, line is way too long. Use the self-service kiosk and stamps are printed pronto, check. They look fine on the outside of the envelope. Fine too that some of the greetings will have to wait now until December 26th or so.

On the morning of cross-country flight to CA wake up at 5 am and write off as many as possible before 10 am departure. Pack the rest in the carry on, write the entire flight, with air travel delay and traffic get into San Francisco for the party on time but for same day postage, not. This was Friday. Hand the cards to hotel staff Saturday, say thank you and think, oh, well, these are modern times and this year I’m all for change and modern greetings.

Like the card the holiday wardrobe is different, too. A lover of dresses and not one is packed for this trip. Wore a pair of black jeans with black biker boots on the plane.  Packed two more pair of jeans and a pair of new black stretch satin tuxedo pants, not the matching jacket as that is way too fancy for Sonoma, two more pair of boots, one pair black Louboutin heels, silk camisoles, silk blouses, sweaters, and casual jackets. Left all the east coast dress up clothes home, back east.

Every day dress is now in Sonomo CA for Christmas. Wishing everyone a modern holiday. xoxo

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Every day dress has had every good intention of posting fashion and lifestyle pieces since last week thursday. Plenty of opportunity- sharing of holiday party and fashion photos, in and out fancy travel to NYC, more party photos, upcoming travel and packing tips for CA, holiday shopping ideas- not so high on the list right now.

Here’s my suggestion on how to get through times like this: always move back to basics. Repetitive but helpful. Make the bed, get out of the exercise clothes, have protein at breakfast, put on some makeup, walk the dog(s) or walk for miles, make dinner for those you love, light some candles, enjoy a glass of wine, celebrate the good, keep the faith.

Photos shown are from cooking class in september in italy. Learned how to make fresh pasta with truffles that were harvested that morning.

Sandy, all the way around, rest in peace.

Every day dress focuses on the basics.

 

 

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Okay, so everyone is all dressed up and running around doing a zillion things? It’s that time of year. Every day dress is pleased to report on some very satisfying last weekend activity: wore the exact, and I mean exact, same outfit two days in a row, both saturday and sunday, blue jeans, grey sweater. Spent time making eggs and pancakes, both days, hanging with husband and two youngest daughters, and weeding the garden. Yes, weeding, in december, in buffalo, ny. It was a great weekend.

Felt a little overwhelmed by all that will happen in the next few weeks. You know, all that crazy stuff that we all do year after year. Crazy great like blogged about before but all the same crazy great stuff. To beat the heat decided to stay in and make applesauce to go with sunday night’s dinner. Couldn’t even think about going out to the grocery so took a drawer full of apples, cored and quartered them, dumped them in a pot with 1/2 cup water, boiled, stirred, mashed, processed through the good old food mill and put leftover cinnamon sugar in them and it was love for dinner. Simple food, light some candles, and nobody wanted to leave the table. Buttered noodles, haricots verts, the other white meat, and we sat there for some blissful hours.

Have a lot to do the next two weeks? Maybe try wearing the same thing for a few days in a row and make something like good old-fashioned applesauce. Puts everything in a bit of perspective.

Tomorrow, like today and yesterday, back to the endless check list. Naughty or nice? I’ll take a little of each.

Every day dress makes applesauce and wears the same outfit two, or even three days in a row on the weekend, in december.

 

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Everyone is super busy right about now and fast glamour can help you pull things off. Picked up this great silver fox collar while on business travel this past week. Wore it over a dress for meetings and here it is over a luxurious zip-up hoodie, fabricated from super soft suede.

Are you anti-fur? If you like the look simply go for a faux version. Agreed, this look is not for all but if you are juggling work, family, office parties, home parties, shopping, in-laws, out-laws, travel, card writing, baking, decorating, dog walking and more– a fabulous collar could be just your thing to add some glamour to your every day wear.

This dressed up version of a sweatshirt is so great. Black suede front and back, ponte sleeves, double zip, double entry pockets, and jersey knit lined- it could not be better looking or more comfortable. Picked that up in secaucus nj as well. Work trips are fun.

Red lipstick can certainly add fast glamour. You probably have that in your makeup drawer already. Why not put it on when you are out to walk the dog(s)?

Every day dress tries fast glamour on the first friday in december.

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for reading. We are getting close to 20,000 site views. You can join this party by subscribing to my blog by email- fill out the column on the right and you will be notified with a quick email when there is a new post up. Thank you.

Hematite and Zinc Fox Donut | Worth New York Fall 2012

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Every day dress is in secaucus nj for some fashion preview and enrichment training. Totally looking forward to the next twenty-four hours. Brain craves new things.

Couldn’t sleep after driving all day so decided to share some lifestyle news- have always been intrigued by dermatologist and nutritionist Nicholas Perricone MD.  Several of his best-selling books occupy significant space in and by the nightstand. Always seem to revisit them, must be the forty  getting closer to fifty thing. Love the food he recommends on his three-day face lift diet, what’s not to love about eggs, berries, greens, and salmon, so decided to give his skin care and supplements a whirl too.

Decided to do this because it’s adding things to the day, not restricting. Adding skin and body supplements and concentrating on eating delicious and healthy anti-imflammatory foods with moderate red wine, yes. Following some super strict plan that basically sets you up for failure, no way. Have never been good at that.

Three days down, twenty-seven to go. Not a bad way to move through the very busy month of december. Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, yogurt, turkey, and salmon, enjoy a glass of red wine, add some skin and body supplements, a new face cream or two and life is good.

Thank you for reading. Every day dress wishes everyone health and wellness.

For more information on Perricone MD, click here.