Archives for July 2016

July 2016 - Page 2 of 2

Chic Sightings: Navy Columns with Shades of Green in the Capsule Wardrobe

I had a few of these ideas lingering in my head, and I've FINALLY figured out how to present them in a somewhat unified manner. What unites all of these outfits is that they're based on the simplest navy "core," either a dress or a matching tee shirt and pants. The key, to me, for wearing accent colors successfully is to give them a sense of looking intentional, rather than just grabbed at the last minute. While you might not want FOUR pieces in your accent at one time, wearing 2 or 3 green items - shoes, jewelry, bag, or sweater - makes it look like the green was a purposeful choice on your part. Plus, it lends a sense of balance to your ensemble!

Using a hoodie and canvas shoes gives your dress more mileage than it might get if ... View the Post

Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Branch of the Seine by Claude Monet

It's hard not to love something this beautiful:

The Last Laugh

She's been saying for ages that the photographs of the structure don't look right, and that there are integrity issues. But did they listen to her? (you know the answer to this, right?)

So she's flying in to do an in-person inspection, and recommend what needs to be done in order to make the entire rig safe for workers.

They won't be thrilled to see her, but she will only need to be there a couple of hours...

There are some amazing restaurants on the mainland. and she's flying a really LONG way. So she plans to stay for at least 3 days. Nobody's going to question her, after all.

Not only does she find the ... View the Post

I REALLY Need Your Opinion…

First, something pretty, just down the street from my home, on Michigan Avenue:

As I return from my sabbatical, I realize that I need to limit my number of blog posts to 5 per week. I've been doing 6, most of the time, and that generally requires me to either work a few long days, or work on weekends. That's becoming unsustainable, both for my physical and mental health.

So, my question is this:

Would you rather have me post on Monday through Friday?

or Tuesday through Saturday?

It's pretty much all the same to me, but I want to do what the majority of you find most enjoyable and compatible with your reading habits.

Even if you've never commented before, you can comment anonymously, and just leave a comments of Monday-Friday, or ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Owl on Ginko Branch by Ohara Koson

Just wonderful:

While the vast majority of this painting is in shadings of beige and black, there are a couple of glorious accents of russet and olive...

She Works Nights

Someone has to monitor those data servers - they run HOT, and they have to be watched 24/7. She loves the night sky, so she took the job...

So she works for 5 minutes, and then looks out the window for 5. It keeps her moving around, and she's learned a lot about the night sky.

Now that her company has grown, she's called on to work with people in other offices. Still at night, when the regular staff is at home, and just the emergency teams are in place.

Everyone marvels at how well she does during the night - never sleepy, never a dip ... View the Post

Chic Sightings: Black and Pink in the Capsule Wardrobe

Everybody says that a little black dress (LBD - it even has its own acronym!) is a capsule wardrobe essential... and for me, that's certainly the truth! But of course I'm not going to tell you to wear black, NOR am I going to tell you that you must wear dresses. That said, I've seen a lot of black dresses recently in downtown Chicago, and some of the freshest looks have paired their black with pink!

If you own an amazing handbag, it's well worth building at least one entire outfit around it! And if you're going out after work, a few pink touches make your work-wardrobe black dress more than appropriate for a romantic dinner:

Maybe you feel like you want to straddle that fine line between wearing a dress and NOT being too "dressy." A ... View the Post

Vacation Report, and a Few Extra Thoughts and Goodies

I'm back! Both back from my vacation, and back from Florida... both were quite lovely. I must admit that I missed blogging A LOT, which didn't surprise me; this is one of the great jobs of all time...

Just as a reminder, this is what I packed for my 8 days in Central Florida. At the last minute, my black shirtdress was supplanted by a red linen dress. For the 4th of July weekend, a red dress is never a bad idea!

I was very happy with what I packed. Unlike what you might see in more "beachy" locations, central Florida is a place where you'll see quite a few people wearing black - head to toe, even! So I didn't stick out too much like a sore thumb.... And my silk shorts are perfect - absolutely perfect. They were quite the splurge, but ... View the Post

12 Months, 12 Outfits in 6 Capsule Wardrobes: July

In the world of "fashion," summer is pretty much over! It's a good time to grab a couple of tee shirts (which you will of course continue to wear well into the colder weather), as well as another pair of shorts for your capsule wardrobes. A pair of sandals purchased now will definitely be a starter pair for NEXT summer, and a pretty pendant will be useful for years to come... Remember, these are our starting points for the 6 capsule wardrobes we're building:

I just NOW noticed that I chose TWO scarves with "voyage" in the title. Do I think about travel ALL the time?

Note that the pendant is "square-ish," and turquoise blue, and intricately detailed, like the elements in the scarf? This sort of coherence of style just tickles the ... View the Post