twenty-one-day challenge

black Eres swimwear, photo by @maxyny
Eres swimwear, absolute favorite

I’ve been here, there, and everywhere, not really sure where to really land. Is it food, or clothes, or style, or simply life?

I used to be pretty fearless and fairly consistent with what we would throw up on social media, particularly the blog here, and now fearless the word is one of our zillion passwords yet not how I’m currently operating. 

Anyways, I’ve been keeping on, kind of walking the walk, for sure making the bed, showing up, getting dressed, making dinner. No real blog record, we kind of got lost in the weeds, and that happens. 

For sure I have goals, and I’ve been asked to write a mission statement, as I’ve called in some professionals for a bit of an overhaul. So here goes wear good clothes, eat great food, love those around you. Pretty simple, yet it took years to get here, with roundabouts all over. If pressed, and honest, my ultimate goal would be to write a book.

Williams Media, the professionals on board, have also challenged me to get back to the basic premise here at every day dress with a three-week posting schedule, Monday through Friday, of what I’m wearing and what I’m eating. Writing and photos all about clothes and food! If I had one last day on this very sweet earth, I would so want to be wearing a really good outfit while enjoying a really fine meal, heaven on earth, I love you all. 

starched white shirt, really a city thing, yet wore it boating, sleeves rolled up

You see, when you’re running on empty the probably best way to refuel is to be solidly consistent. I’ve been challenged, and I just might fail, so be it. In the meantime, I’m going with daily outfit looks as I’m all about clothes, and daily food pics as I’m really at the heart of it all about clothes and food, and not necessarily in that order. 

Williams Media, challenge accepted.

lunch at Cabbage Key, Dolce & Gabbana phone case (last year’s version, similar here), Oliver Peoples sunglasses, Stella beer 🙂
started with the raw bar, and maybe there was a second Stella
I always go with house special, here you see Famous Black Beans & Rice with Blackened Mahi-Mahi
frozen key lime pie did not stand a chance
‘the bar with the money on the walls’
bes$t friends, with a black sharpie
dollar bills on the ceiling
if you too love clothes and food, come on along for the ride, should be fun

Every day dress, twenty-one-day challenge. If you too love clothes and food, come on along for the ride, should be fun. xoxo

ps. does this count? hyper-linked clothes and accessories and food.

out for a while

To cap off summer shenanigans, thank goodness as it’s been a long one, husband and I did a two-day getaway at The Red Horse Inn before hitting Greenville SC for Furman University family weekend.

we stopped at a small Amish store and bought ham off the bone, hot pepper cheese, a jar of mustard and mayonnaise and a loaf of bread

Hiking the foothills of the Blue Ride Mountains and making grilled ham and cheese sandwiches in the petite cabin kitchen were the activities, perfect. The new terrace of the main house was a great spot for a glass of wine or two.

denim shirt with wide legged navy pant

new season square toe lace up boot, a season or so ago bag

Yeah, we’ve been out for a while, and looking to get back in. Two life changes, a marriage and somewhat of an empty nest after sending youngest of six off to Providence College this fall and just gotta say the tank feels low. Things that got us going like writing, and cooking, and even dressing haven’t had the same pull. That’s a problem, as we named this site every day dress, not only to talk about clothes, but more about the idea of getting up, showing up, taking risks and putting yourself out there, and to perhaps help inspire a few women to do maybe a little of the same.

Simply putting this post up on this first day of October feels awkward, as we’ve fallen off the habit, kind of like the first day of school or the first day back at the gym after a too long hiatus. We know we like it, and that it’s good for us, it’s just that we’re out of the routine.

In talking with a client today she reminded me that research suggests it takes thirty days of regularly doing ‘a thing’ to make ‘a habit’. So here we are, with an awkward feeling post, hoping to get back to regularly writing, cooking, dressing.

All I can say is every day dress. xoxo

 

where we’re at

late summer quick chicken with tomato garlic compote | all vegetables from farm share

2000 miles via auto and air and 8 states in 7 days and now we’re back in the studio and making dinner at home, woot woot.

today in the studio trying on plaid, these are size 6

love this look 

leopard and plaid denim and red pumps, yes please

I’ll be in the studio until the morning of September 11th, and for the record kind of all about these plaid denim pants.

Hoping everyone out there is hitting their stride with all new season stuff: back to school, back to work; and the world spins on….

molasses cookies with vanilla and sea salt caramel ice cream, why not, still summer, still living, this was desert for 3

kitchen goods | me

clothing items | Worth New York 

xoxo

fading summer

We’ve been moving 5th child into university the past few days, and we’re all lingering about, hanging on, fading summer. She opted out of her dorm room last night, and we we’re three in a bed, priceless.

It’s been a summer for the record books, husband and I basically checked out of professional life for two straight months, (him, not so much, me, 100%), and late this afternoon we fly home.

dress | Worth New York

Tomorrow first thing I’m back into styling, and I’m going in cold. Simply gonna jump, no time for slow immersion, stunning new fall clothes arriving overnight air to studio, and late afternoon client appointments.

Thank you, Michele, for reaching out and inviting us to visit and reminding me how lucky we are to dress amazing women in beautiful clothing.

Every day dress, fading summer all around.

xoxo

waiting on spring

brunch at The Obstinate Daughter | community table 

Six years ago today we put our first post up here, and if we’re completely honest with ourselves we’re looking to reclaim some of our mojo. It’s kind of funny, no one is really out there waiting for a new entry. Yet when we don’t write I feel anxious, and let it go for a while, and then feel more anxious, and then it feels even harder to get back to it. Kind of like the gym, when you’re in the habit it’s a daily do, and you feel better, even when you don’t.

yeah, that’s me styling oldest daughter, pink bag, pink charm, pink scarf, floral shoe 

So, here goes: writing and posting here keeps my brain engaged, even if it’s simply content about food and clothes. We’ve had a love affair with both for as long as we can remember, and we’ll need to be fed and dressed for as long as we’re here so content continues. If you’ve been a reader for a while thank you, I like sharing my space.

Several years ago through my professional work with Worth New York I heard Tom Black, entrepreneur and wine collector, speak. Motivational, yes, and since then I’ve subscribed to his Success Quotes for Daily Living. Yesterday, this landed in my inbox:

Ignore all hatred and criticism. Live for what you create, and die protecting it.  – Lady Gaga

And with that, we continue. Every day dress, and every day cook. Food and clothes, in any order, with as much style as we can gather.

of the several group photos this one’s a favorite, as it shows love, laughter, movement, and no perfect posing

Photos here are of recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina. Easter Sunday we brunched at The Obstinate Daughter, Sullivan’s Island, and did a beach walk afterwards, thank you, Lucy. There were eleven of us in total, now ten of us are back in the northeast and we’re all waiting on spring.

Every day dress, waiting on spring.

an easy dress

Recent Instagram posts feature a dress and a tee by JCrew, a brand I haven’t worn in years. JCrew used to be our family go-to for outfitting five of our six kids, one just didn’t get it and still doesn’t and probably won’t ever, talking about you, Booie. As it often goes we’ve circled back. During holiday time oldest daughter and I stepped in to their Madison Avenue boutique and picked up some sweaters, one cashmere, one not, and both of those sweaters have been regular players in each of our wardrobes. The recent purchases they made quite easy, with an email online thing offering a discount of I think 20% or 30%, so picked out a few things and hit submit. The box with a few tees, a dress, and a pair of sunglasses arrived a few days later.

Their tees don’t need any double thinking, they can be worn out, to they gym, and for coffee in the morning, and really don’t impact the clothing budget or the overall aesthetic. A dress, however, can be a game changer, and a commitment. Wasn’t sure I was going to keep it or not, and threw it in the carry-on for little Florida getaway.

Late yesterday afternoon we headed to St. Petersburg, and the dress offered the ‘what to wear’ solution, thank you, JCrew. In my idealized world I’d be living in the Tuscan countryside and wearing Cucinelli, yet in the now we’re living in upstate New York, wearing most often Worth New York and W by Worth, and traveling wherever, and life is good.

So, we kept the dress, because it was easy. And wore it with leather. A dress is one and done. We’re heading home tomorrow, and moving into trunk show mode. Here we come Worth New York and W by Worth, we’re so looking forward to our women and some new season spring clothes. Trunk dates: tomorrow, Friday, February 23rd – Thursday, March 1st, and Tuesday, March 6th – Monday, March 12th.

An easy dress, and so many good dresses to come.

xo

 

 

 

oh those days

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Hotel room in San Diego, seems like ages ago, yet not even two weeks. Back at work, snow showers and 12 degrees here in Buffalo, oh those days.

One wardrobe and travel item that stays constant: Louis Vuitton Keepall. Bought mine at Louis Vuitton Paris Saint Germain des Prés, probably six or seven years ago. Even had the luggage tag monogrammed while sister and I drank fancy water in a somewhat private room. It’s a good go bag. Cabin friendly and can easily hold a week’s worth of stuff, if you pack strategically, and if not it can hold a week’s worth of shoes. 🙂

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Every day dress, oh those days. Happy back to work week everyone.

KEEPALL BANDOULIÈRE 55 | Louis Vuitton

lulu, in provence

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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.

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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.

 

phone home

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Kids think we’ve been out of touch: after a quarter century or so of doing it all every day, feeling okay with not always phoning home. After putting down a good solid foundation why not take off for a while, good for us, good for them. We’re here barely speaking the language, they’re home figuring stuff out without us.

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For visiting French provincial hill-top villages, wore the same black jeans as the day before, black tank for when it was hot, flat boots, and of course, like the women of France, added a scarf.

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New black leather quilted jacket came out later, love this new piece and it will get plenty of wear, maybe another quarter century? and it goes with absolutely everything. Fun to throw over a dress too.

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Love in France, celebrating twenty-seven years of marriage, yes, we will phone home, and we’ll be back at it with you all sooner than you think. 🙂

Quilted Black Leather Jacket | Worth New York Fall Winter 2014

 

in France you don’t need much


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When you’ve put together a pretty good wardrobe it doesn’t take much to out-of-town and get yourself overseas. A couple of caveats: everything you take you must be able to carry yourself, and every shoe you pack you must be able to walk cobblestone streets, country roads, miles and miles, and up and down stairs.

Pick your neutral, whatever it is, and build on that. This trip, plenty of black and denim. Black jeans, black skirt, black dress, pretty much core. There’s a half-dozen tanks and tees in the bag, white, grey, black, a white cotton shirt, black leather jacket, black blazer, silk scarf, and two black bikinis. One pop of a camo print dress, all black shoes and boots, a couple of  bags and a cashmere wrap or two and we’re good to go. Even the workout wear is based on black so it can be mixed in with the street stuff.

No over thinking, no time for that, when in France you don’t need much.