Summertime in upstate New York is pretty outrageous. Fresh, soulful, abundant.
We have made a move to the country.
Still working, growing, doing, simply different simple place.
Every day dress has made a move to the country, with minimal city-side stops in between, June to September.
The end of the school year brings with it so many times that call for a dress. Sure, pants or a skirt would do, and sometimes quite nicely. Simply being a little old-school here thinking that graduations, moving up ceremonies, bridal showers, engagement parties, milestone birthday celebrations, special cocktail parties, a dress is best. A dress shows intent on the wearer’s part that something significant is taking place, and that you’re honored to be there.
For youngest daughter’s 8th grade graduation followed her lead, haha, and wore a white dress with a nude shoe. Not completely white, didn’t want to appear as I too was hoping to graduate, but white with some strong pattern. The nude shoe actually a nude suede shoe boot, with this getting older thing always try to keep it looking modern.
Given the choice by her Catholic school of wearing any pastel colored or white dress with any colored shoe, we chose a simple white ponte with fitted bodice and slight a-line skirt, and a classic patent nude pump. Felt confident that years from now she could look back and feel appropriately dressed.
My work with women young, older, and in-between continually reminds me that most want to look and feel their best and to know that what they are wearing for any given occasion is appropriate and good-looking. For end of school year happenings, think about a white dress and nude shoe. Classic.
Every day dress, mother daughter, white dress nude shoe.
Saturday night in June with plans to have good friends out to the country for wine and casual steaks on the grill.
When you’re a parent your mood can often be determined by that of your children. One of six going through a rough spot. Feel the pain. Wanted to cancel the get together and wallow a while and simply pull weeds for hours on end in the garden.
Having a strong partnership with those around you is always a good thing. Husband said he could go either way, he understood, but was looking forward to our friends visit.
After coffee and clarity decided to stay with the plan. Friends visited, started with a nice Rosé, moved into Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, a California Cab, finished with a campfire side glass of port. So better than solitary wallowing and weeding.
Food and table simple. Local asparagus and tomatoes roasted in the oven with olive oil and kosher salt. Yellow beets and farm fresh eggs boiled, peeled, and plated. Kale caesar salad, sliced strawberries and drop cookies. Table was a compilation of things acquired over the years; a tablecloth bought in Calistoga CA, linen napkins from Italy, steak knives from a winery in Napa and the canning jar that held the lambs ear and garden flowers from late grandmother’s cellar.
Thank you friends, so glad we stayed with the plan. Love to all.
Life is busy and complicated and sometimes a pair of blue suede shoes can be quick fix. Not a solution, is there ever really one, but a nice little pick-up to move you through the day.
Saw these and thought they were the right pairing for the cutout dress. Wedge heel grounds the look, enough visual angles with the dress so opted out of any kind of pointed heel with zippers or straps. Kept the makeup and nail color neutral, the dress makes the statement, no exclamation points or jewelry needed.
Every day dress, thinking we could all use some blue suede shoes now and then.
Blue Suede Shoes | Aquatalia
Dress | BCBG
City summer street style for us has been low-top sneakers or flat sandals with white or light-colored dresses above the knee. A little jean jacket if you’re in your twenties or a little motor-inspired cardigan if you’re not can get you places fast and easy. Even the granny’s got on flats and the dress a little above the knee.
Every day dress and we’re keeping it low and above the knee for active runaround city street style.
Our little spot out in the country feels like endless acres. Used to obsess about leaf, plant, color contrast, and combinations for the annual pots, but no longer, way too many other things to do.
One color this year, and make it red. Red geraniums. Those pots always take more plants, potting soil, water, and time than you ever expect. Plan on almost double.
Spent the good part of the day potting up geraniums. Happy to do it.
Two weeks ago Friday husband and I hosted about 32 for oysters etc. and cocktails in Washington DC. Mixed company: family; all ages, graduate students, college students, lawyers, bankers, entrepreneurs, mostly Ethan’s fraternity brothers from Wake Forest. Location: Hotel Monaco, outdoors. Occasion: Law School Commencement, Ethan.
If you google 20 40, you get a bunch of results about vision. Here we’re talking about what was worn. Oldest two daughters, both in their twenties, wore minimal, modern dresses of the same designer. Every day dress, on the short end of forty, tweed boucle and red leather.
It can be a fine line sometimes on what to wear. Like vision, it can kind of sneak up on you about what’s needed and when. 20 40, stretch printed neoprene for the twenty year olds, tweed boucle sheath dress for short end of forty.
Every day dress, 20 40.
Last Friday in May, not yet the weekend, and there’s always so much stuff to do. One way to get through it is to put on your boots. Patterned silk shirtdress with leather wrap belt, done.
Yesterday’s New York Times ThursdayStyles had a great little article, New Footprints, about the fashion significance of sneakers and included the fact that Karl showed sneakers with each one of his spring couture and fall ready-to-wear looks.
Yes, sneakers are chic. Wore them with a dress to oldest son’s law school commencement two weeks ago. That was on a Sunday afternoon, outdoors, on a lawn, with the family, and we walked miles through Georgetown.
During the work week they’ve been pulled off a few times too. Have to admit that at times they feel a bit too casual even though they make it easy to get stuff done.
So, on with the boots, and flat ones at that. Paired with a dress, the look goes anywhere, probably not the courtroom though.
Let’s not forget Dior showed boots with Cruise recently in Brooklyn.
Every day dress, stuff to do, dress with boots.
Dress and Belt | Worth New York
Boots | Dior
Sunglasses | Persol
Runway showed silk blouse untucked, worn as a tunic, and a scarf tied at the neck. Great look.
Decided to tuck the shirt in, rolled up the sleeves, and added a small grey snake-skin belt, black suede shoes, a ring on the pointer finger, not the usual, standard watch and two bangles, and bright pop of color with the bag. As ready to wear pants are always too long, hemmed these just above the ankle and nixed the small cut-out v on the outside. Hemming is a DIY project, that home economics class in the 6th grade continues to be of value.
Make it your own, the clothes you wear show some of your personality to that big outside world. This look worked for a lovely lunch with a dear friend, meeting with a colleague, and cooking dinner for five. Daughters and I talk about how your look for the day can make or break your mood.
Every day dress, make it your own.
While it would be easier to wear a complete column of black, changing it up a little makes it a heck of a lot more interesting.
Several women I dress love a twinset, and for good reason. Practical, conservative, and not as straight up as a jacket. Here’s more info on the twinset lifted right from Wikipedia:
The classic twinset is knitted in wool or cashmere, though modern interpretations can be knit from synthetics such as acrylic. The under-sweater is usually worn tight-fitting, with the cardigan unbuttoned to reveal accompanying jewelry, most typically a string of pearls.
Twinsets have been associated most closely with women’s work wardrobes during the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in secretarial work or teaching, but were occasionally viewed as too casual for more conservative workplaces where dress suits were preferred. However, their popularity was largely driven by Hollywood stars such as Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, and Audrey Hepburn who were frequently seen wearing them on and off the set.
The twinset is often chosen by costume directors and designers in the modern film industry to portray a character’s conservatism or frumpiness. For example, Joan Cusack in the 2004 film School of Rock wears a grey twinset with pearls, intended to indicate how conservative she is. On the other hand, interest in the twinset returned thanks in part to the pink set worn by Elizabeth Hurley in the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
The twinset, in a variety of lengths and sleeve styles (set-in or raglan, short- and long-sleeved for both cardigan and pullover), has remained commercially available to the present day through numerous design houses, manufacturers and retailers. Its current appeal is to older women and to “retro”-styled younger women drawing from ’50s and ’60s-inspired influences such as the AMC drama Mad Men.
Here’s a look worn a week or so ago on the porch of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford PA. Guests dressed a bit for breakfast so conservative in the morning would be good. And, the word ‘Resort’ kind of calls for a color, aqua and clover work. Couldn’t do the pearls but mixed in the Rockstuds instead. Yes, again the skinnies are a little tight, this travel thing can get the best of you. All okay, pushing back from the sticky buns and getting the body moving a little more. Lots of weeds to pull in the garden this time of year. 🙂
Every day dress does a twinset, a little unusual but felt kind of fun.
