lifestyle Archives • Page 7 of 9 • Every Day Dress by Rebecca Collins

pull it in

November 1st, and we’re headed straight to holidays. Time to pull it in, clothes, time, work, house. A week or two ago out in the country decided to pull in the geraniums and give a try at overwintering them down in the cellar, just like my grandmother Lottie used to do. Cut them down by half, uprooted them, shook the dirt off, and down they went.

It’s not just the cost of buying new plants next Spring, it’s also the time, energy, and full day I’d love to save in actually going out to get them. As you move along you know what you like and what you need so if I can just put them away, half of the lot covered in brown paper bags and the other half hung upside down from the rafters, I’ll be all set come mid-May in 2015. Will have to drive out and mist them from time to time, not really a big deal.

Fashion wise, it’s been such a spectacular Fall that I have yet to fully plan the Fall Winter wardrobe. While I know the big guns are already all about Spring Summer 2015 and beyond, this is the every day and like I tell my mom I’m often not sure what’s happening even tomorrow night. So, I’ll be about pulling it in and putting it together this weekend. Laptop and Lookbooks in hand, all set. Good place to start might be this Burgundy cashmere sweater and bucket bag. Will go quite nicely with a glass of Pinot Noir, snowflakes flying as I write.

Every day dress, pull it in.

sweater and bucket bag | Worth New York Fall Winter 2014

fashion lifestyle

fun at work

Feeling that there’s a super magical power in a good sweater and a silk scarf. Monday comes and it’s fun at work.

Not wanting to bore you but this cashmere crew has been the total go-to for weeks now, added the silk scarf to at least look more ‘dressed’.

Colleague Erika has it going on, she’s in heels and a jacket. 🙂 We’re in trunk show mode and days can get downright busy.

Her client Suzanne, while she liked the raspberry jacket, really wanted to know more on the scarf, says she has tons and just never really wears them. Showed her how to tie one on, kind of explaining that the less precious it looks and the more kind of effortless, the better. Oh, we have fun at work.

Every day dress, hope you’re all having fun at work this week.

fashion lifestyle

about face

Lots of commentary going around about one of our favorites (maybe Bridget, maybe Renee): thinking that what we all do requires time, money, and choice, and that we, as women, should value that option and leave well enough alone. And, when getting down to the nitty-gritty, why not support (or simply just not critique), what one of us might feel important, or necessary.

Really don’t want to get too deep here, it’s just that I’ve been working with women since the age of eighteen; let’s all feel good in our skin.

We’ve all seen it, sometimes great, sometimes too much, and sometimes you just can’t tell.

Every day dress, about face, keep the faith.

lifestyle

lulu, in provence

In keeping with the kind of dress and cook thing, had the divine pleasure of meeting Madame Lucien Peyraud, Lulu, last month, while wine tasting in Bandol, France.

She has cooked for family and friends for well over fifty years, at Domaine Tempier Vineyard. Better yet, she’s blended marriage and kids and cooking and working and loving and even sailing all together to create a wonderfully rich life. Husband and I stopped in on our exact 27th wedding anniversary and without saying a word her daughter called her in from the back room to sign the only English cookbook on the premises. And, she was dressed in a dress. 🙂

Lulu’s Provencçal Table, by Richard Olney with foreword by Alice Waters, (the woman who really kind of introduced me to great good food some seventeen years ago at Chez Panisse), is a sweet little keeper of food and lore all taking place in the beautiful French countryside.

Lulu in Provence, you make my heart sing.

Every day dress, dress and cook, continues. For the record, wore a has seen many seasons Roberto Cavalli dress. Nothing like a good throw-on.

fashion lifestyle travel

lunch for two, dinner for six

When fashion week is going on in the big city and you claim you’re a fashion and lifestyle blog and you’re home working, you kind of have to default to the lifestyle stuff, how in the world else can the content be the least bit interesting? There are tons of blogs and social sites out there reporting on all that’s happening, and we’re home watching.

We’ve talked about this before, this is an every day site, accessible to all and existing to inspire to find the good and the style in the every day of every day.

So, here’s what’s been happening: husband and I have decided there’s been much too indulgence in the French trinity of bread, wine, cheese. Cutting back on all but heck no not eliminating. And back to the gym, this new trainer is all about push-ups. Politely asked the trainer that in addition to the body we could focus on the chin, arms, abs trinity, ha.

Lunch for two inspired by NET-A-PORTER video of some fabulous stylish London woman prepping a salad with one egg for the protein part. Oh, it was beautiful, and sometimes think that vegetables and one egg could do it for lunch but have now lived long enough and have kind of learned that maybe there’s more. There’s always so much to do after lunch: work, house, pick-up, laundry, garden, dinner, clean-up, dogs etc etc.

When it’s just two, greens and a piece of cod, quite nice.

When it’s six you need to mix in some rice, and some tortillas, and a pile of cheese. Vegetables still there, and green peppers are prime now, so sauté those separately from the onions and then stir them all together when both are at the right doneness.

Every day dress, lunch for two dinner for six. Fashion coming back soon, off to France again this coming weekend. Oh, trinity, bread, wine, cheese.

fashion food lifestyle

obey all the rules, not

Last week Friday for a friend, a colleague, and a friend and a colleague, agreed to wear some fun new Fall stuff for their Fall Fashion Update. Second son DJ’d, and two youngest daughters were there too. Family affair, just how we like it.

Seems like so many rules going on now: eat this, don’t eat that. wear this, don’t wear that, keep on top of your social media, not. We’re going with what we can when we can.

Wearing some Helmut Lang for all the friends. When asked to show some stuff for others they can have their way. The red was good, first choice probably black, haha. Black stretch leather skirt, total score.

Every day dress, obey the rules, not. Hope you’re all having a great weekend and doing what you can when you can. 🙂 It’s been a downright busy back to school week.

Helmut Lang jacket and skirt | at Tony Walker & Co.

fashion lifestyle

tried and true

Simple post here: while the husband is off in Newport RI and Boston MA getting twenty-something daughters prepped for the new school and work year, we stayed upstate, (teenaged daughters and I), and spent just about every cent we had on their back to school stuff.

One thing we came home with that always brings pleasure and satisfaction, a new stack of dish towels. Tried and true and maybe a bit pedestrian but when you feel like so much is going on all around you there is a feeling of well-being when opening the kitchen drawer and finding freshly laundered and ironed dish towels. No fabric softener here, we want to the real deal. Like scented candles on the dining table, some things are left better undone.

Every day dress, tried and true and finding order in the kitchen by bringing home new towels.

Wishing everyone a safe Labor Day weekend filled with rest and relaxation.

Kitchen Towels | Williams Sonoma

food lifestyle

on the edge

Totally on the edge right about now, wanting everyone to get back to where they need to be come September 1st. Have had this feeling every end of summer since having a couple of kids, simply wanting everyone to get through the swimming, boating, driving, flying, (drinking), safely, and to resume work, study, play.

Last weekend we tucked in about 34 adults for food and drink at the ski house for husband’s office weekend retreat. Dina’s Restaurant, thank you, food was out of the park and you took the edge off of being on the edge.

Every day dress, honestly, a little on the edge. Be safe everyone. xo

food lifestyle

throw it all in

With Labor Day weekend on the horizon it could be a good idea to throw it all in. When driving somewhere it’s so easy to toss stuff in the trunk. Had a great summer, kind of looking forward to some sort of schedule.

Throw it all in, Summer 2014, just about a wrap.

fashion lifestyle

off duty travel

Seems the more you go, the less you need, especially off duty. For west coast on the go trip, essentials included:

Cashmere wrap and silk scarf, blue jeans and white jeans, denim skirt, black blazer and black workout jacket, black boatneck sweater, white shorts and black exercise pants, tanks and tees, mostly on the black side, one pair of sandals, two pairs of sneakers but really only needed one, one pair of black boots. One bright handbag, and most important, handsome husband and two teenaged daughters.

Started in LA and drove up the coast and flew out of San Francisco. Temperatures ranged from 102 to below 60. Really into this carry on thing and keeping it light. Such a drag to haul so much stuff all over.