We’re a fan and we’ve followed India Hicks on Instagram for some time now, even before she launched her new lifestyle business. Friend and client is now on her team, and one of the first things we bought was this charm on a cord that’s engraved with the words ‘get your hands dirty’.

Exactly our thoughts here at every day dress. We’ve shared too that Donna Karan’s My Journey was on our nightstand. As fashion, design, food, and women here are almost always intertwined, here’s a passage from the book that’s been on the brain:

Essential list of what one needs to do in life:

1. Fill your own gas tank.
2. Buy your own groceries.
3. Make your own bed.
4. Do your own laundry.
5. Cook your own meals.

While these might not be absolute, we all love to have help and restaurant nights out for sure, it’s essential we are sufficient to ourselves and those we love. Simply, get your hands dirty. India Hicks and company, wishing you much continued success. Love wearing those words on a cord.

Every day dress, always a good thing to get your hands dirty. 🙂

For a fundraising luncheon on Friday, wore a high collared, long-sleeved, over the knee silk print dress, with new over the knee black leather boots.

Second daughter thought the look was no fun, we here we’re okay. Not sure if it’s the fifth decade, yet we’re kind of feeling like all covered up is the way to go, and even sexy in an offhand way.

Spent internet hours deciding on which over-the-knee boots to have express shipped in, these are a tough thing to get right women and we just went for it. Most of them are designed for a 5’11” frame legs up to the arms. Not happening here, no way, so just decided to own it and ordered the block heel #walkable boot from Gucci. We looked at them all, way way too much, and this was the pick.

Every day dress, all covered up. We like to inspire women to feel good in what they wear, and to sometimes go beyond.

Dress | Worth New York

Boot | Gucci at NET-A-PORTER

Bag | Louis Vuitton

Promise we won’t turn this blog into food only, we’ve been a little shy on the outfit posts while we’re sweating it out in the gym. 🙂

Chicken Pot Pie doesn’t necessarily count for double points in the looking svelte department, yet it sure can comfort a Sunday night family dinner. Next night we served up a variation, all takes from the weekend trip to the farmers market. Roasted sliced chicken from the day double batch the day before, lightly pan-fried to warm it up, sliced home-grown radishes and cooked beets all on top of a bed of greens. Local delicious chèvre from First Light Creamery spread on medium sliced toast balanced it all out. We couldn’t let the scooped out pulp from the jack o’lantern sit unused, so roasted those seeds up with a little butter and kosher salt. So sweet.

Professionally we’ve been outfitting our clients in things like a Firecracker Red Crepe Jersey Sashed Jumpsuit, a Breen Shocking Pink Doubleface Neoprene Jacket, or a Vicuna Suede Laced Wrap Skirt so on our downtime we just can’t seem to shake the blue jeans black sweater combo.

We’ll get there, gorgeous clothes are simply an outfit away.

Happy Wednesday all, and every day dress, blue jeans and black sweaters or not. Back to the office today and big event on Friday, WNY Women’s Fall in Fashion luncheon at The Buffalo Club, for sure there will be lots of gorgeous clothes, stay tuned.  🙂

 

At times, it’s in the details; as noted, on Monday we went back to the trainer/gym after a five month hiatus. Hey, we we’re traveling, parenting teenagers, working, living, cooking. Mortifying, he weighed, measured, (even the neck!!), and calculated body fat percentage. Ouch.

Went home that night with two figures, weight and body fat, and sat on the couch lol and googled what was normal, average, for a fifty year old woman.

Well, hello there. We are overweight. Not overdressed, over-loved, over-shopped, simply bordering here on scary stuff, overweight.

Good food and great wine doesn’t discriminate, that stuff loves everyone.

Soooo, instead of getting all freaked out and crazy we’re simply taking note of what’s going on, it’s been a way fun ride, and stepping it up in the gym and dialing it down at the table. Crazy stuff never seems to work here for us, it’s more about slow and steady and more often than not there’s a bump in the road.

We’re not giving up on our farmer’s market trips, or converting to eating anything frozen or pre-measured, no way in hell. Cooking cooking cooking, moving moving moving, and lifting kind of heavy weights two times a week. 10,000 steps a day? That’s a given.

Overweight, over what? See ya.

all photos | what’s happening this week so far in the kitchen

Keep the faith, always. xo

Quick post, it’s Monday and we’ve got a sick one at home :(.

For the next week or so we’ll be back to Essie Wicked, one of our dark favorites for short nails.

Nothing quite beats the white silk blouse blue denim jeans black leather jacket when you need to be dressed in five minutes or less.

Went back to the gym today after about five months off, wicked wicked wicked, we’ll be sore tomorrow for sure.

Happy Monday all.

 

 

Yesterday was a wrap for our October trunk show, we’ll be back again the second week of November if you missed us.

We had some magic happening in that room of ours, beautiful women interacting with beautiful clothing. Second daughter and her friend came by and of course they were looking for the wine, it was 10:30 am on a regular Thursday. We poured some wine for them and then continued right on with our afternoon clients. Clothes and spirits were flying.

Also on our calendar is a street style runway show to benefit WNY Women’s Foundation on Friday November 6th. One of the looks we’re playing with is a featherweight long bronze taffeta skirt, white stretch cotton french cuffed blouse, aka one of our favorites Carolyn Roehm, and then mixing in a biker inspired suede belt and leopard cashmere scarf at the neck.

As mentioned we’re reading Donna Karan’s My Journey. Love how she writes about leaving her office to run home and make dinner for her daughter and husband. Love that our work allows us to do the after school pick-up, put some chickens in the oven and then run back downtown for the pack-up.

Every day dress, where the magic happens, a very good day.

Picked these one size up black jeans a few years ago in some international airport before a long haul flight back home. Needed to change into something fresh and comfortable quick, and they fit the bill. Wore them again yesterday, needed something that fit, lol.

Always tell my girls and clients that a five or ten pound swing happens, so be it. Sometimes up, sometimes down. Oldest daughter put on fifteen when she was living in Spain and eating tapas, she’s now down. We here have gone up, when you are traveling all over and eating and drinking with reckless abandon, stuff happens.

Good thing we kept those jeans. And the sleeveless belted jacket? Bought that several seasons ago as well. Reading Donna Karan’s My Journey and like she says women rarely gain weight in their shoulders so show the shoulders I did. They might be a little rounder, that’s okay.

A column of black, while not original, gets you out the door.

Every day dress, keep those things. 🙂

Have a great Thursday everyone.

Okay, Monday mid-afternoon and we haven’t updated the bloggie regularly. We’ve been working towards smart and here’s what we’re up to:

• went shopping to stock and decorate the new digs, picked up gourds, kale, pumpkins, flowers, lightbulbs, and Good & Plenty, of course.
• everything you see here, we moved in ourselves, desk, chairs, bookshelves, mirror, rolling racks, router, printer, women power, for sure.
• no shame in wearing flat brogues with a menswear inspired shirt-dress. On those days when you’re on your feet all day, we’re working towards smart. 🙂
• we’ve got a hint of pink going on, breast cancer awareness, always.

We’re mid-way through our fall winter twenty-fifteen trunk show, and we’ll be back at it again November 6th through the 13th.

Every day dress, working towards smart. Still using the iPhone for pics, even though we found the battery charger we couldn’t find the camera.

Wishing everyone an awesome week.

While it might be a beautiful world to have the gardens and prep the meals (not to mention her interiors yet’s that’s an entirely different chapter) that our #lifegoals tastemaker Carolyn Roehm puts out, we’re happy right now with simple things.

Husband and I planted a row of hydrangea late spring, 7 plants in total. We tended them off and on all summer and kind of thought they were on the edge. Last weekend spent one day at the country place to put away all the seasonal furniture and there they were: looking established, great, healthy. Beautiful and simple. Cut some stems and brought them back to the city house.

Food has been simple too. Baked fish, roasted zucchini and tomatoes, spinach salad. Photos taken with the iPhone, food was way better than it looks, couldn’t find the battery charger for the digital camera,and the battery was toast.

spinach, mandarin oranges, blue cheese, walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette, super easy

First day at the new office, what a whirlwind.

Every day dress, happy right now.