on four letter words

When the mood strikes and usually among the same blood line, we here at every day dress can throw down four letter words with the best of them. You won’t see them digitally, in print, and hopefully never hear them at the dinner table.

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That said, there are some four letter words we just love and use regularly: food, real and good food; and wine, usually good wine and often enough fine wine. Butter counts too as we kind of weirdly believe that butter is love.

A couple four letter words it’s taken us about 49 years to get over: diet, lose. Those have occupied way too much head space and have never gotten us to any good place. Still get sucked in, loving fashion and great clothes always makes you want to be thinner, those two words just always lead down the wrong path. While clothes invariable look better on stick thin women, it’s so much more fun to embrace lifestyle too and know that undressed women perhaps look and feel better with a few well deserved curves.

As recently as 18 months ago 35-year-old male trainer that put me through really heavy weight training workouts knew my desperation with always wanting to drop 10 pounds or so. He recommended the banana diet. Yes, 30 freaking bananas a day. Being a believer in all things  actually tried it for about an hour and a half on a cold winter day while out skiing with the family. Result? Disaster and four letter words, not the good ones like real food and good wine, but the rough ones hurled out at two teenaged daughters when getting on the chair lift on a crisp beautiful morning was more complicated than usual. Way to set a good example. Those four letter words were so not right and were set up by some unrealistic diet plan. That banana thing I think was the turning point. Never again. Took that chair lift up, skied down the mountain, and fueled the body with what it needed and one of the paradigms of every day dress: eat some protein at breakfast.

Fashion and fitness magazines always have ways for us lose, diet, or move ourselves down a couple of dress sizes and they always promise it will happen fast. Now even the really good ones like Town & Country and Harper’s Bazaar have entered the email feed with ways to lose. While obesity is a huge health problem in our country and heartbreaking to see in children, that’s an entirely different conversation than what you’ll find here. We’re talking about moving our bodies as much as we can, walking over driving, stairs over anything that requires power to get you up or down, and knowing that life is abundant and setting yourself up with wishful restrictions is not much fun.

Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food is a slim book that’s kept on the nightstand to circle back to when the pull to believe in some magical diet plan or how to lose weight fast comes calling again as it does and will. His premise is sound: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

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Every day dress on four letter words, yes, sometimes it’s just the best way to express yourself, and usually only among intimates. On our favorite four letter words, food and wine? Yes, and often, and probably for both like Mr. Pollan says, not too much. 🙂

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Still in CA, heading back east tomorrow, Sunday, and jumping right back into helping women look and feel great with beautiful clothing. Trunk Show August 6th through August 13th.

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Wishing everyone a great weekend with some good, real food. And, if you like, some good wine too.

 

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.

 

 

love what you do

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It’s quite great when you love what you do. One of the things that gets to be done with the real job, the one that actually sends a 1099, is write. Write about what you do. Today wrote this:

Do you…
love what you do
enjoy being around fun and interesting women
like to set your own schedule
like to determine how much money you make
love to wear beautiful clothing
enjoy helping others look and feel great
seem intrigued by the idea of a home office
have time for yourself?
You can have all these things and more
Fall In Love 
and 
Love What You Do
in 2014
To learn more about being around the beautiful world of
Worth New York
call | text | email
Rebecca Collins
Director of Business Development
716-445-3033
call | text | email
today
by August 2014
you will
Love What You Do
So there you have it. That’s the real job stuff here at every day dress. Love what you do.

fringed, and guilty

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As fringe is a happening trend now and into Fall Winter 2014, recently added these fringed black Valentino boots to the footwear rotation. Actually, asked the husband to treat, and as there was really no heel involved, he said yes.

Plan on debuting them this Saturday night, every few years or so good friend and I host a country barbeque for a mixed bunch of town & country folk. Guest list is always fun, and diverse.

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She’s completely social and loves lunches, dinners, group exercise classes, cards, travel, opera, has joined a running club, etc., keeps a good calendar and keeps good track of RSVP’s. She plans ahead, makes and keeps social commitments, and from what I know of her always replies to other invites in a proper and timely fashion. LOVE her.

Used to be like that. Now kind of guilty of being orderly underneath but much more spontaneous.  Full time job squared, lots of kids, man I love to be around, and a couple of houses will do that for sure. Big groups here at every day dress are a normal thing now and the feeling is with practice and patience and some up front planning it will always work out and there’s always room for a few more.

Guilty too in that I’ve been one of those very last-minute RSVP’s. Not nice, I know. 🙂

We make a good pair. She keeps me on task about how many bartenders and what time are they are showing up and like how much are we paying them? And what are the tablecloths and what are we putting on those tables?

So, friend, looked at tablecloths last night and even though we always like the real deal thinking we’ll go with red and white plastic gingham? The real deal will blow our budget and it is a barbeque, right? And potted low ferns for the tables? Saves us from cutting and arranging and watering fresh flowers and those ferns will look great around the house and on the porch after the shindig.

And the fringed boots? Those will go with I think a white dress and come fall I’ll pair them with something like this:

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Fringed, and guilty. We’ve been scrubbing floors, pulling weeds, painting the coop. 15 dozen chocolate chip cookies now on deck.

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Every day dress, 106 or so for wine beer booze and barbeque this Saturday night, no problem, all will be fine.

Fringed Boots | Valentino | NET-A-PORTER

Blanket Wrap Coat | Worth New York Fall 2014

 

move to the country

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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.

stay with the plan

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photo 7Saturday 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.

 

 

pot me up

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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.

Every day dress, pot me up. Happy June 1st everyone.
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20 40

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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.

 

downtime

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For this Memorial Day weekend, choosing some downtime. Downtime not really . House will be full in several hours, all six kids home and dinner out tonight for ten, eight of us plus two dates.

Downtime as in pause, remember, reflect. Remembering the men and women that gave their lives while serving. Yes, amid a flurry of family activity will pause  throughout the weekend to reflect on our many blessings and to remember those that came before and served in the highest sense. Every day dress honors all Americans who have died while in the military service.

For downtime on a Friday afternoon, wore new distressed DL1961 Amanda skinnies, a heather grey flannel easy cowl pullover (44 degrees here in late May), and Tory Burch sandals. Chanel 657 Azuré Nail Colour is a current favorite .

Wishing everyone a time to pause, remember, reflect.

xoxo

Jeans | DL1961

Sweater | Worth New York Fall 2012

Le Vernis Nail Colour 657 Azuré | Chanel Summer 2013

Don’t worry mom, I know that both you and Tim Gunn don’t approve of the jeans. They will undoubtedly end up in one of three daughter’s closets this weekend. Fourth daughter doesn’t yet fit. 🙂 Funky nail colour? That will come off after a weekend of gardening…

 

the details

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Lifestyle post:

The small stuff is often the big stuff. Villa in Italy? Absolutely gorgeous; six bedrooms, two kitchens, three fireplaces, infinity pool. After surveying the accouchements though felt we were missing something. Difficult to learn all that you can about an area and its wine while drinking from small ancient two ounce glasses. Three fireplaces, yes, but nothing can replicate the glow from candlelight on the dining room table. Linen or cloth napkins? Completely necessary.

First shopping outing was a dozen linen napkins in charming Monticchiello. Without a doubt, an even dozen. No credit card here so handed over euros. Happy to do so. Napkins came home in the checked luggage and will always remind us of communal festive dinners.

On the way to train station in Chiusi to pick up late arriving couple stopped in at small local wine store to check out appropriate glassware. Riedel? I’ll take eight, no, on second thought make that twelve, we might lose one or two. Everything we drank was infinitely better in those glasses. Shopkeeper had breathtaking local handmade candles as well. Picked up two. Add a few bottles of wine and we pretty much made her day.

Warm and charming housekeeper took care of us well. At the end of the stay couldn’t seem to part with our memorable goods and housekeeper was happy to help with shipping details. Handed her all necessary details without question. Double kissed her goodbye and now, ten days later, glasses and candles have arrived. Thank you. Shared fine meals continue.

What you do to enhance each day is totally worth thinking about the details. Two oldest daughters sharing an apartment in Boston MA now cook for one another, light the candles, enjoy a glass of wine together, and use real napkins. Couldn’t be happier.

When traveling, especially by auto, take the good glasses. It does make a difference.

This is small stuff, but really, big stuff. Every day dress.