For dinner in at dear friend’s home Saturday night wore sleeveless blue velvet. Sometimes it’s fun to do the unexpected and get kind of overdressed. Three bangles on the left arm dressed it down. A little exposed shoulder this time of year is easy to pull off, Donna Karan tells us in this month’s Porter magazine ‘Women have all different kinds of body issues, as do I, but the one asset for every woman is her shoulders; they never gain weight, and never get wrinkles, guaranteed.’ Donna, you are a true fashion heroine.
Barbara and Bill, so much fun to break bread with you and friends. Thank you for keeping that good tradition alive, dinner in, complete delight. xo
As it’s white white white all around without a let-up in sight, decided to dig into the archives.
For travel, and really every day, picking a neutral and building your wardrobe around it is a good thing. We like to move quick and light, so black here it is.
A great black dress, black tank, black jeans, black shoes, and a black leather jacket will take you miles, and span seasons. Yeah, we list this site as fashion and should probably write and wear with more color, it’s just that there’s so much going on around all the time that sometimes the simpler the better.
We follow some really great fashion blogs. There are days though that instead of inspiring it’s a visual economic energy overload. Many women love new things, and we love new things too. Better than a constant replenishing though is having things you can count on, that work hard to get you out the door, where you’re going, all while looking good and appropriate.
So, for you it might be blue blue blue, or pattern pattern pattern, or even a mix-up. Love getting clients in things that they reach for over and over. Maybe you pay a little more up front yet each time you outfit repeat that cost per wear goes down down down. Colleague likes to say the most expensive piece of clothing in your wardrobe is the one you never wear.
Writing this wearing what else, black black and denim while working on Spring Trunk Show invites with snow all around.
Good news too, we’re investing in much more than the clothes we wear: hired a fashion minded young women to come in two or three times a week. She’s a full-time student, works two other jobs, and jumps in while we both learn while we go. Working, learning, and moving forward with other women is a good place to be. Note her work on the side bar, Instagram is updated, archives are organized, top posts are there, clients can actually book an appointment, and Twitter we so need to work on, she says I’ve just gotta do it. Thanks, Alexa.
Oldest daughter working from home today, looks like we have a staff!
TGIF everyone. Hope you all have a few great things in that closet of yours that you wear over and over. Makes the day so much easier.
Not a new idea in any way, yet now a scarf just feels so right. The silk twill kind of thing that might make you think of a man’s tie.
For an 8:30 am board meeting, some work at home, and then some work out in the field, wore what I really feel most comfortable in: grey jeans (yes, even to a board meeting), black turtleneck, black jacket, and a silk square at the neck tied on any which way. Ten years ago, maybe even five, would have never worn jeans to a board meeting – it’s good to feel good in your skin.
While out in the field at a colleague’s Spring Trunk Show, had to try this great raincoat and matching hat: downright adorable, Nancy, this has your name all over it.
And while the skinny jean can get you up and out, feeling a little over skinny: these pants here are definitely on the Spring Wish List.
One blog that has it going on and is a daily read: Preston Davis and Keep it Chic. Yesterday she was all about a navy bag, this one here is looking pretty chic, tried that on at colleague’s Trunk Show as well.
Every day dress, a scarf now.
all clothes and accessories (except for the jeans) | Worth New York
A little spirited relief from shoveling snow this Tuesday: we like to bookend our days with coffee first and wine last. Don’t let these photos fool you, it’s winter and when it’s dark it’s a nice glass of red, simply creating some visual interest. Just can’t seem to get away from it, and really, why?
So to break it up, lots of water in between. In fact, trainer has recommended going one to one: every coffee or diet coke or wine gets matched with a big glass of H2O. Cutting up a big pile of lemons for the water break is good, too.
Lunch-time post, check, really trying to get better here. Every day dress, bookend(s).
For client and colleague meetings, doing inventory and shipping out samples wore the same outfit two days in a row, kid you not, a week or two ago. White blouse, leather pant, flat shoes. Gave it a little personality with Chien cuff and fourth daughter’s old JCrew socks. Casual, yet still dressed, had to move a lot.
Love this shirt as there’s no (dry cleaning) turnaround, machine wash on cold, hang to dry, perhaps lightly steam. Added it to the wardrobe in black too, we all know how useful a great black shirt is.
Now that I’ve figured out we’re all about great clothes and good food, here’s some pics from last night’s dinner:
Back to work now, prepping for Spring 2015 Trunk Shows and searching for a new stylist in upstate New York, with good focus on Saratoga Springs. Beef Stew on deck for after hours tonight, cold, snowy, and winter storm advisory here in Buffalo.
Have a great Monday. Every day dress, no turnaround.
When things work well, do it twice. Fifteen years ago husband and I built this house, where most of these blog posts come from, we now all call home. Outrageously expensive, all-consuming; every single floor board, door handle, faucet, window frame, stone countertop, light fixture, light switch, each piece of wood trim, you name it, we picked it. While we might not ever do that kind of thing again, never say never, going through an experience like that reaffirms that when things are good and work well, do it double.
Dishwashers? Absolutely. In the thirteen or so years we’ve been tucked in have probably pushed out 9,490 meals or so. And most of those have been for six or more, most often eight. That’s a lot of cooking and a lot of dishes. Double dishwashers, such a great thing. At first they were Miele and hidden behind matching cabinet doors. For the first eight years, perfection. Then they started acting up, needed service, and one needed to be replaced. In went another foreign brand, only one, the other one was still okay. Never felt the new replacement was that great. Then the other went down, and as there was no love affair going on with the new one that was ordered online, and we were downsizing with the amount of kids that were living at home, never replaced that first original one, until recently.
Cut to the quick, I guess the point of all of this is that if you enjoy being a home cook, and if you have the option and opportunity to place double dishwashers on either side of an extra-wide and extra-deep sink, go for it absolutely. These things give really unbelievable pleasure. 🙂
Now, one more thought: if you’re gonna roast a chicken, why not two? Stuff them with lemons, and garlic, and thyme. Cover with butter, and salt, and pepper. Surround with sliced onions, carrots, and potatoes. Dinner that night, and lunch, the day after that. Pleasure, again.
Tangent, and this could be an entirely separate post yet I digress: have read and explored a bit about blogging and realize there aren’t really any best practices followed here.
No regular posting schedule, haven’t hired anyone to help with the technical stuff, really no involvement with other fellow bloggers, not a lot of engagement with readers. No marketing plan.
On the upside, and there’s always that, have thought about the voice of every day dress, and that it’s a love of good food and great clothes, and sometimes great food and good clothes. It’s passionate, comes from the heart, and is grounded in family. And that it’s fun to write, and share, and possibly inspire.
So, in the spirit of always learning, and growing, and trying and doing better, challenging myself to be a bit more consistent, without too much discipline. Love having a space and no one to answer to, no deadline, no subject. Yeah, there’s discipline in this life for sure, and now looking for a little more here.
Thank you, dear readers, truly feel that each day can be better when there’s thought and care given to some pretty fundamental basics, good food and good clothes. Thinking the tagline might be re-written to show some of this. Fashion, per se, seems a bit high-reaching, especially when I also find dishwashers so darn interesting. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, and happy 49th Super Bowl Sunday. California Pizza’s tonight, doing it double.
Winter weather, late January, and working from a home office often keep the same dull daily outfit in heavy rotation. Can’t help it, all I really want to do is hibernate for a while and eat leftover carrot cake, not even really venture out to the grocery.
Grocery we must, so to keep it interesting, into the lingerie closet we go.
Great lingerie is fun to pick up while traveling, doesn’t take much room to pack back and doesn’t slow you down while exploring city streets. When buying shoes and boots the best thing to do is charge/send. 🙂
With Valentine’s on the horizon and the upcoming and anticipated release of Fifty Shades, let’s all keep it interesting, same daily outfit or not.
Sixty years and two days ago dear husband arrived in this world. Celebrated, of course, with family dinner at home.
No Rolex, or fancy cocktails for a hundred or so, simply flew two Boston MA girls home for his surprise.
Osso Bucco was a whole day affair, that with work and all. Thankful for good clothes, never had a chance to think about what to wear. Printed silk blouse (black lace bra underneath, something needs to be fancy), sleeves rolled up, ubiquitous blue jeans and flat black boots, good to go.
Went without the cliché of fresh flowers, this was a man’s party, and put three small pots of ivy down the table. (So much less than fresh flowers too, being January and broke and all). White tapers, this time no votives.
You’d think with a milestone like this for the man I love deeply I would have it together a bit more. Knew what I wanted and needed to do, took a deep breath, anxiety and all, and went forward. Had visual memories of three photos from recent travels, at 4 pm dropped them in a thumb drive, headed to Kinko’s FedEx and printed them out, and then to Target, I know I know, to grab a frame. Here it is ready for the red room, haha.
This is how it looked at 5 pm, and dinner was at 8: carrot cake baked, cream cheese frosting on the counter, haricot verts blanched, veal shanks wrapped and on a tray, onions out for the risotto. One great thing about doing things time and again is that you don’t really have to measure things like chopped vegetables: simply feel the amount needed for onion, celery, carrots, tomato, garlic. Spinach and artichoke dip to go with the champagne, and caesar salad for some more green.
Green continued with wine bottle-shaped sugar cookies, hand embellishment with his birth year as vintage. 🙂
There were eight of us plus one, second son’s girlfriend, always make room for more love at the table.
Happy 60th dear husband. 1955 was a very good year. xoxo
Posting pause due simply to every day life: work, runaround, dinner, rest. Sunrise at 7:39 am, sunset at 5:15 pm, high daily temp of 28°. Gotta love these nights.
Digging into the work week proper and every day dress stuff: make the bed, put on some make-up, get dressed, walk the dogs, spend time with those you love, make some dinner, light some candles, enjoy a glass of wine.
Mid to late January and loving these stay at home nights.
Entire weekend was spent in blue jeans and a cotton t-shirt, a sweater layered on and off. Stepped it up a bit for Friday night spontaneous dinner out (isn’t that the best kind?), and switched to black jeans and a black cotton turtleneck. Quick statement was a short faux leather jacket, second quick statement, jeweled up new bag worn cross-body. Usually only like to make one statement at a time, so cold decided to just go with two.
Most heartfelt statement, peace and love to Paris France.
