November 18, 2014 It could happen to anyone of us - you're minding your own business, and then... you see it. The garment that makes your heart sing. Something that you admire aesthetically, that looks perfect on you, that is beautifully made, from gorgeous materials, and that will last the rest of your life... But OWWWW... it's expensive. The biggest question to answer: can I wear this wondrous garment frequently enough to make it worth the purchase price? I'm NOT going to say it's an investment, because only in a few cases will you be able to sell something for more than the purchase price, which is the technical definition of an investment. But in a way, if you get more joy from something, and it enhances your image, ... View the Post
black Archives - Page 42 of 60
How to Choose an Etro Paisley Scarf
November 15, 2014 If you're looking for a scarf investment that can rival Hermes, don't overlook the beauty that comes from Etro. I bought an Etro scarf for my honeymoon (in pink and black chiffon...) and I will treasure it forever. Etro pretty much OWNS the idea of paisley, and they make them in as many color combinations as you can imagine... So how do you choose? Maybe take a look at the sweaters or shirts with which you would hope to wear your scarf, and work backward from there.
This scarf is particularly well suited for autumn, and for the winter holidays. You can wear the muted green (or brown, or tan, or black), or you could bust out with a bright red. The earrings just sort of felt like they wanted to be ... View the Post
#2 How to Choose an Hermes Scarf: Sous l’Egide de Mars
November 12, 2014 Yesterday's post was so much fun that I thought I'd take another pass through this idea: building little outfit vignettes in order to facilitate making an expensive and/or important personal style purchase. These ensembles here don't necessarily have to be about buying a scarf - I'm thinking of undertaking this exercise for the purchase of winter coats too... This scarf is called "Sous l'Egide de Mars", which means (more or less) under the aegis of Mars. It's lots of pieces of armor, as near as I can tell, and thus is all about war. Still a madly pretty piece of work, as their scarves always are.
As always with me, I'm starting with a simple outfit in a solid ... View the Post
Travel Capsule Wardrobe – Packing with Scarves: Missoni #2
November 5, 2014 After Friday's post about a Missoni scarf, I received an email with this picture - another really lovely combination of colors...
There are a lot of possibilities here, of course. One could concentrate on the beige, ivory, and periwinkle, but I chose to work with the brighter shades apparent in the scarf.
In my vivid and bottomless imagination, I pictured this protagonist as someone who had to travel for work, but who's work is something rather creative; she's one who likes to wear things a little bit bold...
While many of the garments are relatively simple and classic, the accessories are anything but! And the dress... I personally love ... View the Post
Start With Art: Flowers from Rosablue – a Four Pack for Business
Turns out that this beautiful thing is from Rosablue, who prints her own fabrics...
Beyond the very obvious black background, there are quite a few colors in here that could come to the fore in a color scheme. How about black, white, and the orange and green? Or black, pale green, pale blue, and soft pink? But for today, I've chosen these colors:
As a woman in search of a red duffle coat, I'm drawn to all red coats right now, so that seemed a reasonable place to start. In my mind, the person in this vignette is heading out of town for a day of two of business meetings in which the people being visited have to do the impressing - her job is just to sit quietly and evaluate ... View the Post
The French 5-Piece Wardrobe + A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Avoiding Boredom
October 16, 2014 Let's say you have A Common Capsule Wardrobe in black and grey, and you're happy with it. But you're concerned that you're going to get bored by wearing so many neutrals all of the time... So one day you're browsing through the internet, and you find a whole LOT of lovely, bright, good-quality blouses, shirts and sweaters at a good price. You might have always wanted to try these brands, but always been reluctant to purchase their items at the full retail price. (the site is The Outnet - lots of pretties at prices that still aren't small, but which are a ton better than the original retail!). After a bit of thought, you choose to, for one season, indulge your affection for every bright ... View the Post
The French 5-Piece Wardrobe + A Common Capsule Wardrobe: Shades of blue, with Black and Grey
October 15, 2014 We looked at using a variety of shades of pink as an accent in a capsule wardrobe (post here), and it was something that everybody either seemed to love or hate. So I'm going to see what response is to shades of blue - that very particular muted blue that you see in blue onyx. A note about this scarf - it's from Hermes, and it's in their usual amazingly lustrous silk twill, but it isn't a square - it's a very long rectangle with mitered ends. Per square inch of silk, these scarves are MUCH less expensive than the squares, and for many people, they're a lot more versatile style. If you've never been interested in a square scarf, then these (called Maxi Twilly), are at least worth ... View the Post
Denim Shirts in Paris – 12 Versions
October 7, 2014 As I mentioned Saturday, I saw lots of denim and chambray shirts in Paris - they were worn in an amazing variety of ways... Most simple is wearing these shirts with black. This can be a nice relaxed "out for the afternoon" outfits with pants and flats, or much dressier, with a pretty skirt and clutch bag. Sleeves can be rolled, collar stood up in back - anything that personalizes your shirt and makes you happy!
A collarless chambray shirt can be a nice counterpoint to a dressy skirt. Where something lacy or floral might go WAAAAY over the top, these outfits look like you mean to be dressy, but you're not getting carried away. (and look - NO ... View the Post
Packing: A 5-Pack Would Have Worked…
September 30, 2014
Or, in my world, 8 = 42...You might remember my excellent travel outfit:
I had this outfit on for an eternity of time, and I don't regret a thing! It was ideal, and I will almost certainly wear something very similar for future trips. But my suitcase was TOO MUCH STUFF... I'd have been well-served to have just packed this:
I understand that this seems like amazingly little, but I need to remember something really critical about my trips to Europe - especially my trips to Paris:
I SHOP!!!
I shop a lot. I start shopping the second or third day, and I tend to wear my purchases almost immediately. Thus, I leave things in my suitcase unworn, and I ... View the Post
A 4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe in Coral, Turquoise, Black and Grey
September 25, 2014
Please bear in mind that I prepared this post before I left for my vacation, so some of the links might be dated...This is a great, unique, way to accent black and grey; coral and turquoise are often found together, and there's some AMAZING jewelry available (usually in warmer weather) that combines these two colors. But of course we don't wear real coral anymore - it's pretty endangered...
In both of these Cores of Four, I chose high-necked tee shirts to go with v-neck sweaters. This way, if you want to layer the grey tee under the black sweater, (or vice versa) it will show nicely. These little details can make a lot of difference in how versatile your clothes can ... View the Post
Six Pack Travel Capsule Wardrobe: Black and Bone – All About the Coat
A Trend to (Maybe) Try: An Upgraded Sweatshirt
September 15, 2014 One of the joys of having all of our core basics covered in our wardrobes is that, if a trend happens along that holds some interest and appeal, we can give it a try! This year, sweatshirts with some sort of enhancement seem to be everywhere. I've seen jeweled, beaded, embroidered, textured, and printed ones - some of them very beautiful. These can be worn with nice trousers and good-quality leather shoes on casual Friday in most offices. However, be careful, because some of these sweatshirts, while very lovely, are BLINDINGLY expensive. Happily, there are also very similar products available at more reasonable prices. Just check to be sure that your new purchase is put ... View the Post
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