sometimes a collar

IMG_8545IMG_8561IMG_8557It’s summertime and the living is easy. Spontaneous invites crop up, and we all like to live and dress casual. Sometimes a collar says we’re so happy to be here and so happy for the invite.

Writing this post from central CA while the photos were taken in upstate New York. Totally camera and tech and internet challenged here so kind of have to rely on some of the old stuff. Fourth daughter says mom theres’ no way you can blog from in iPhone but now that’s the only game in town. Casual here, casual back east. Wherever you may be, sometimes a collar makes you look dressed.

Here at every day dress we’re delighted when we’re served. Steaks on the grill or peanut butter and jelly, we are happy, thank you.

Last pop-up invite wore a striped collared shirt with same day blue jeans. Other guests said ‘my, you like nice’.

Every day dress, sometimes a collar.

stay true

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Like most women towards the end of July, days can be filled with travel, family, family, and travel. Schedules are hard to nail down, and usually time is not our own, and the place you land at the end of the day is probably not either.

All great and wonderful stuff. One way to keep it feeling good is by staying true to what makes you work for yourself and others.

NYC was Wednesday and Thursday. Family wedding with kids and dates and overnight guests on Friday. First flight out to LAX Saturday morning. Hollywood CA Saturday and Sunday, oh boy. Now were in Santa Barbara and this guy just doesn’t sit still.

To keep carrying on gym workout first thing at the W hotel did the trick.

Love my man, love my family, love my life. Stay true to what makes you work for yourself and those you hold close.

Every day dress, stay true.

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Sometimes it’s that what we find challenging is that what makes us really grow. Life and work have picked up the travel calendar, six kids, almost can’t call them kids anymore, the four of them in big cities are really young adults, a husband that is restless, and growing a fashion business can kind make you be on the move.

Travel? Once you get there all is good. It’s the getting ready and getting out of dodge that’s the big work.

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Woke up Tuesday morning out in the country and really didn’t want to go anywhere at all. Got the virtual office thing down but when you’re wanted at the home base for laundry and dinner detail and then the next morning in NYC for work stuff you’ve just got to move.

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Put off the details by cooking sauce and meatballs the hottest day of all July. Then packed it in the car with the dogs and the gear to serve it up later. Somehow making dinner for the family makes everything else feel okay. You know that procrastination thing? Anything but the hard stuff and the hard stuff here was packing and going.

Did the dinner thing, went to bed, set the alarm, 3 am, got up and got out of dodge.

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Here’s the fashion details: white denim all the way, corporate trip yes but it is July. White denim dress for travel out on Wednesday with a black jacket. White denim jeans with kind of sexy black silk blouse for dinner Wednesday night, no photo, don’t we all dress for dinner? And white denim skirt and silk blouse and cashmere wrap for office meetings the next day it’s always cold when they crank the air conditioning.

Handbag above not really relevant to this post but thinking it is really gorgeous. 🙂

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Shoes were black. Black Aquazurra for travel, you can really walk anywhere in those and black low heeled boots for dinner out. Have resolved that any shoe that is worn or packed when traveling needs to be able to move in.

Eden, Buffalo, NYC. Next up, Saturday LAX.

Every day dress, travel.  What we find challenging is really what makes us grow.

 

 

group like things

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IMG_8613IMG_8616IMG_8620IMG_8622IMG_8626IMG_8631Friday night and we’re in the country and I’m hanging with my two youngest daughter’s, you know, group like things. 🙂

Worked all week with luscious Fall clothes and now it’s time to get away. Snapped these photos quick upon arrival before 45 minute hill walk with the dogs and here’s what I’m thinking: even though it’s so simple we are all so busy it’s sometimes so easy to let it go. Life is so much easier when you group like things.

Plants of one species like to hang together and look their best when grouped. Only took me 30 years to finally get the Portmeirion in one place all together and now it sits nicely out at the country house above the stove. Been kind of collecting that stuff since the age of nineteen, lots of breaks along the way.

Clients have told me all week that it’s tough to make sense of their wardrobe and they kind of forget sometimes what they have going on. Here’s the simple every day dress solution: group like things. That way you know if you need some new stuff to fill in the holes.

Every day dress, grouping like things, out in the country after a great long work week.

 

 

accessories and dinner

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Shameless self-promotion post: selfie of accessories during Fall Trunk Show. Dress is seasons old, belt and fur tried on from the new collection.

When at home always LOVE a good apron. 🙂 This belt looks great while being useful. Stashed the iPhone in the right zip pocket, plugged in the head-set, and there you go, hands free talking forever.

Popped the fur on, and while fur isn’t for everyone, this one has stretch, can you imagine fur with stretch? Genius.

Maybe wouldn’t wear them both at the same time, but maybe might.

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Worked off-site all day. Moms with older kids know this, moms with younger kids probably can’t yet imagine it: when you cook for others eventually they cook for you.

Second son made dinner tonight, soup to nuts, happy day.

Every day dress, accessories and dinner.

denim and linen

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Since the age of about seven have had a love affair with denim. It’s got to be the quintessential American fabric.

Linen, in the summertime, is quintessential, as well.

Paired together, denim and linen, and you’ve got an easy and workable summertime look. Denim skirt and linen shirt, both in dark indigo. Skip the camisole underneath, its way too hot and instead do a lacy black bra, La Perla we like, and you’re good to go.

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Fashion note: while it’s fun to show a little lacy black bra underneath a sheer top, showing a white garment tag is not. Missed that, photos of your backside reveal details. White garment tag will be carefully snipped out.

Denim and linen, dressed up a little in an asymmetric skirt shape and dressed down in an easy linen shirt. Every day dress, on the streets of Boston MA, summertime 2014.

For a First Look at Fall, meet me at The Buffalo Club, Tuesday, July 15th through Friday, July 18th. Call text or email for your personal consultation. Personalized fashion for your distinct look and lifestyle is the best.

Rebecca | 716-445-3033| rcollins@worthnewyork.com.

Denim Skirt Linen Blouse | Worth New York

Sandal | Valentino

Bag | Louis Vuitton

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new hampshire for the weekend

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So much fun to fly away and then road trip for the weekend. Thought we needed some face time with two daughters living in Boston MA. Flew in late Friday afternoon, they picked us up, off we went, six of us, for some rest and relaxation, to Wentworth by the Sea Hotel and Spa.

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The public and private gardens in New Castle NH were beautiful. Made me think briefly about what I do all day long in upstate New York, perhaps there’s more digging to be done. 🙂 Didn’t take many photos, only had the iPhone, and we were busy. 🙂

Wore this new pant shape, one of four daughters gave it the thumbs up. The oldest, she thought they were great, the three others not so much. Some things take time, right?

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Back to work tomorrow, Monday, with the Fall line and thinking this shape will be big. So many women love something new, why not luxurious leather culottes to kick off a new season?

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New Hampshire for the weekend, leather in upstate New York for the week ahead. You’ll find us at The Buffalo Club, Tuesday, July 14th through Friday, July 18th. Call text email, Rebecca, 716-445-3033, rcollins@worthnewyork.com.

 

savory and sweet

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At the eleventh hour husband asked for a spread for his political fundraiser held at his Buffalo office proper. He wanted to net for the candidate more than what was gifted so obviously we obliged.

Kept it super simple: savory and sweet. Cooked off four whole beef tenderloins, sliced them up 1/4 inch thick, bought about a dozen baguettes, whole grain and white, spread them with truffle butter, topped off with arugula and shaved parmesan, sandwich picked them in thirds, sliced on the diagonal, all good to go.

The sweet was miniature strawberry tartlets with fresh dolloped fresh whipped cream. Homegrown strawberries from the Eden valley. Pate Brisee from the kitchen counter top food processor. Whipped the cream and transferred it in a chilled bowl.

Home stocked the bar with boxed wine glasses, a case of Montrachet, a case of Rose, some Cabernet and Pinot Noir. Some bottled beer, leftover from a weekend or two ago, a bottle of vodka, some mixers, and all set.

Savory and sweet, two things, that was it. A sandwich and a tart, haha, is there anything else?

Every day dress, savory and sweet, now a caterer as well. 🙂

 

pop-up clam bake




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So it’s summer and while most of us might be working it’s fun to be spontaneous too. Last weekend decided rather quickly to ditch the country place for the day and to drive to ski town, Ellicottville NY, for their annual outdoor music, fireworks, rodeo et al festival weekend.

We had to eat, couldn’t break that solid routine, so stopped at the local grocery without the slightest idea of a menu in mind and bought what looked good. It was Saturday, so the live lobsters they brought in for the weekend were priced to sell. Scooped up all seven that were left. There were eight of us so rounded it out with a bag of clams, some t-bone steaks, haricots vert and sugar snap peas, and an arugula and spinach salad. Food heaven. Had the ramekin butter warmers stashed away but no crackers or picks so we simply used some pliers from the basement and a rubber mallet we found to pre-crack the claws. Add some good white wine and some nice dark beer, pop-up clam bake indeed.

Okay, so that was the lifestyle piece. Now for the fashion: had this fun fringed donut stashed away too. Bought this piece several years ago and wore it all the time until I wore myself out. As it was cold that night and fringe is all around us, popped that thing on too and it felt great.

Here’s to Summer 2014, good times, good food, good clothes, and fringe.

Every day dress, eat and wear the good stuff. 🙂

All photos iPhone, it’s been quite crazy good busy.

white and chartreuse

IMG_8604A total favorite color combination going on right about now, early July, bright optic white and Chartreuse. Wikipedia calls Chartreuse a color halfway between yellow and green that was named because of its resemblance to the green color of one of the French liqueurs called green Chartreuse, introduced in 1764. 

Louis Vuitton, maker of the bag, calls this color pistache. Or, according to internet research, chinese pistache: a tough colorful tree. While we’ve never been to Texas, and would love to go, it’s said that after a sizzling summer North Texans crave the first signs of fall, cooling rain showers, much like we had all day today in upstate New York, milder evening temperatures, yes we have that, and a changing landscape.

As we are about fashion and lifestyle, and fashion and life are ever evolving, fashion now and for Fall 2014 is a bit about a bright bag. Chartreuse, got it. When considering the foliage of the Chinese Pistache tree that pick so it’s said is tough and colorful and resistant to drought. Kind of liking that analogy, so the bag is resistant to trend or ‘it’ status?

Geranium? Thinking come August that will be right on. A bright bag set off of all white or black or black and white or really any color combination at all makes a strong statement.

When we’re not in the office we’re out in the garden: weeding, deadheading, watering, pruning. Skin is way too tan, nails way undone.

Every day dress, early July, white and Chartreuse, wish I had a photo of the white and Chartreuse hydrangea from ski country house, they are just about peak.