Angel Hair Pasta, barbequed chicken, and a Caesar salad make for an easy summer meal.
Continue readingAngel Hair Pasta
On the Road
Here it is the half-way point of the year and I’m not quite sure how we got here so fast. We’ve been on the road.
Sixteen of us gathered in Mont Tremblant to cheer on second son Maxwell while he competed in the 70.3 Ironman. It was an achievement on so many levels: he doing the triple athletic crown, us doing the summit get together.
There were times husband and I couldn’t string together a full sentence or think a clear thought, we were organizing and hosting all of it. Every moment as they say priceless.
Anyway, back in the USA now and trying to prep the country house for 4th of July activities. Went to two nurseries and almost all plant materials are gone, picked up what I could and decided I was just going to go for it. We have the full property to get ready for guests by the coming weekend, it’s full tilt go time. I know I do most of it for my own satisfaction, I also know that when family and friends arrive they expect the full experience, again, my total doing.
Here’s my thought: go with your gut and gather supplies in a color palette you know and love. When time is of the essence it’s hard to try new things. I chose red, blue, yellow, and chartreuse, all colors I wear on my body when not wearing neutrals. I chose the best plants they had on hand and leaned into making good things happen when I was deep down feeling anxious and stressed.
Anxiety and stress won’t get those plants in their pots. Head down, and dug in.
Home or away, it seems we’re always on the road.
White Denim in January
A white tee or bodysuit paired with white denim is an easy base layer for January. Add a favorite knit or leather and presto, you are dressed.
Continue readinga good formula
Monday’s can be tough, although I used to love Monday’s when the kids were little, and they all had to go back to school. It was a formula then, and a formula now to make the day a little easier. Jeans and a tee, and chicken for dinner. Kids are grown, youngest two in college, […]
Continue readingdress over pants
One of my go-to style tricks is to start the day with a black bodysuit and black skinny jeans and runaround everywhere and get stuff done. When it’s time to leave the house, office, or studio and face the world outside simply layer over top: a jacket, a knit, or even a dress, add some […]
Continue readingadding some color
We’re still down south, heading north in a day or so, and if there is any place to add more color to your wardrobe it’s most certainly in a resort location. I’ve been so tempted to pick up some Lily, just haven’t done it yet. These shots were taken quickly before we left town, with […]
Continue readingday 20+, checking in, checking out
Came for the weekend, staying for twelve plus or so. Husband says every day can be a Saturday, not quite there yet. We’ve been checked in at downtown Greenville SC Springhill Suites, and have yet to ride those cool retro bikes. Peloton yes, every morning in the hotel gym, and outdoor steps 12,000+. Bought a […]
Continue readingday 18, need new pants
So, a few nights ago spent way too long in the closet packing for spontaneous weekend getaway. I decided very last minute to join husband for trip to see third daughter’s college theatre performance. That was Thursday for early morning Friday flight. Once in Charlotte connecting flight delayed, so we simply decided to rent a car to get there in time. Ended up packing the usual, two dresses, a black sweater, white jeans, black jeans, grey tee. Wore the usual, black silk blouse, blue denim, trench, it was raining. Packing drives me absolutely crazy. The ridiculous thing is that it always comes down to the exact same stuff. I’ve been asked repeatedly to do a packing post, and not sure why I hesitate. I guess it’s just that I dread the whole ordeal, and sharing the process seems so very personal. I get it done, and most always in a carryon, yet I sit on the floor and wonder why oh why. Once I get on the plane all is fine, it’s just throwing stuff in the bag that freaks me out.
While on said plane, I did a complete virtual wardrobe overhaul. Kind of fun as it’s just virtual and you can delete items at will. In the cart were wide leg white linen pants, and black cotton straight leg trousers, thinking and knowing I will totally hit send on those two.
Transitioning between seasons can leave gaps in the wardrobe for sure, and that closet sit-down when trying to get out of town was no fun at all. Pants are the hardest thing to get right. They require try-ons and most often some alterations. I think if you find some you love, buy in multiples.
Every time I travel, I buy a new pair of jeans, always trying to get them right. I have stacks of jeans.
In the meantime, here are some photos of my current other favorite pair, shot by my son, and of course paired with white stretch cotton blouse.
For the show wore black jeans and black silk blouse with white scarf, so very original. The Furman Theatre production of John Proctor is the Villain, a new play by Kimberly Belflower, was outstanding, and so relevant to the world around us. I laughed, cried, and was emphatically moved, in all three two hours runs. Here’s a screen grab of some of the cast, our Elizabeth second from left. She too likes to wear black. 🙂
Every day dress, clothes: plaid pants, white blouse, navy tweed cardigan, and need/want new pants.
Day eighteen, maybe. It’s now Monday, was supposed to fly out yesterday, that flight cancelled, and today’s flight cancelled too so who knows. One day runs into another, check.
day seventeen, moving forward
Wow, putting yourself out there in the social stratosphere can feel pretty overwhelming at times. Even on the best of days there’s second guessing. On hard days it’s really hard. Talked with my twenty-six-year-old daughter this morning and she said ‘mom, I delete my Instagram app now Monday to Friday simply so I can focus on getting done what I need to get done. Then on the weekend it’s just that much more fun to kind of scroll through and catch up with everyone’. I say smart girl.
Are our lives really that interesting? Is there oversharing? Where’s the line? And what about me posting pictures of myself? Crazy!
Anyways, here is where we are, and this is what I do so moving forward. I sell clothes. I style clothes. I wear and style clothes. I wear clothes to sell clothes so therefore the posting. Sometimes all I want to do is wear old jeans and my kids’ old college hoodies, and I do. I also believe women feel better when wearing better clothes. We can do better work when we feel good in our skin. I think we all can spend way too many hours staring into our closets wondering what to wear and I try and help with that.
These photos were taken by my second son and he too has a fear of sharing, and he’s in the very social generation. He documents trips and moments and life with his camera and for all of us it’s like pulling teeth for us to see his work. I try and tell him, ‘progress, not perfection’. I think it’s slowly working. Moving forward with one small step at a time, even when that one step can feel so overwhelming, bring you to your knees, or maybe even a complete standstill.
So here I am, wearing clothes from my current trunk show, photographed by my son, and he shared his work. Inside I’m smiling.
The outfit is a riff on uniform dressing, army greens. Some of my clients would object as the colors aren’t exact. I’m okay with it. The voile blouse has soft jersey insets and an edgy concealed zipper front. I think this is genius for women that have trouble with blouses, no gaping and pulling like you can get with a buttoned placket. The pants have front and back pockets, light gold hardware. Most of us love a column of black to get out the door, this combo just edges the look up a bit. Shoes are old Gucci, and love the block heel, so much better for on-the-go.
Besides selling and styling clothes I like to cook. The other night was scratch chicken noodle soup. No photo, camera battery dead. It’s got to get warmer out there soon.
Every day dress, clothes: dark olive on olive, food: scratch chicken noodle soup.
Day seventeen, moving forward, and check.
Trunk show now through Monday, April 29th.
day 10, a clean palate
In an effort to minimize, so far to go with that concept, for new house down south furnished in a flash I stuck with a color palate of white, grey, and dark brown, or one of my favorite words chocolate. Mostly white and grey, and we moved fast.
At Rooms to Go we picked up two white leather pieces, a sofa and a loveseat. The rest of the haul came from Restoration Hardware, and not embarrassed to say Restoration Hardware Outlet. Husband likes to move fast, no time to wait for special orders.
First night in the new house we slept on a mattress on the floor, and second daughter Booie slept on a yoga mat on the floor. In a land of plenty it was fun in a weird strange way. Booie and I also spent a night with no power, and that was fun too. Candlelight and early to bed.
Kind of like building a wardrobe based on a cohesive color story, furnishing this place with limited choice made it so much easier to make decisions. Of course, you always need to mix things up or throw in a curve ball, hence the Hermes orange cushions for outdoor seating area. Really like that little pop in what is otherwise Zen-like and serene.
Today’s work outfit was tone on tone too. Black cashmere V-neck, black leather skirt, soft white scarf, taupe suede boots, keeping it all in the same family made it so much easier to get out the door.
Every day dress, clothes: neutrals, interiors: mostly grey and white, food: Prosecco in the office and take-out for dinner.
Day 10, check.