hats Archives

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Shōsetsu – Small Snow

November 25, 2022

No, you are not getting a Black Friday post from me.

You're not getting a gift guide, nor anything that bosses you around about spending money.

Let's think about the absolute beauty of snow. One flake at a time, or piled up making everything pristine and lovely...

(I don't drive, nor do I shovel - I have the love of snow that a small child has!)

If you admire the geometric beauty of individual flakes, Alexey Kljatov is your man. Follow him on Instagram for an occasional dose of awe...

Let's bundle up!

I understand that wearing a range of 1 color is quite the "in" thing right now. Have you heard that?

Nordstrom Rack has a ton of really nice cashmere accessories - Portolano is very ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Rittō – Beginning of Winter

November 7, 2022

If it's REALLY the beginning of winter, we will need something warm! I have to admit - I have 2 vests (pink and black) and I wear them a LOT - they're just enough warmth to get me down the block to the drugstore or other "near" errands...

If it hasn't snowed or rained, there's no reason that you can't still wear white jeans. I'm sure someone, somewhere, still feels the prohibition of "white after Labor Day," but we don't accept those limitations!

This next outfit has just a hint of the holiday season...

These really EARLY sunsets can be hard to take...

If you have a favorite accent color, a vest in that color can be both useful and fun!

Maybe if you lie in a snowdrift wearing a white ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Kanro Cold Dew

October 10, 2022

Last Friday, about lunch-time, the temperature started to drop. Just like that - we went from "well, it may warm up later" to "don't forget your gloves..."

It could bounce back, but I have a hunch that autumn is really here!

Are your options for layering warm clothes ready for this sudden arrival?

Some of us wear classic colors - there's no combination more timeless than navy with red...

Just because your favorite neutral is grey doesn't mean that you MUST buy a grey coat or vest...

Frost can be beautiful... it's like a sugar glaze on everything.

If the primary purpose of your casual outerwear is to attend sporting events, why not wear the team colors?

I love the style of this ... View the Post

Japanese 24 Seasons of the Year – Shūbun Autumnal Equinox

September 23, 2022

When the days get shorter, I start checking to make certain that I have a nice jacket, as well as the necessary bits and pieces to stay warm!

Today's heroines don't all have heavy, wooly scarves; sometimes a silk scarf is enough!

And all of your colors don't have to match perfectly...

Blue skies and golden leaves...

You're never too old to wear a fun hat and mittens!

And it's never wrong to stock up on navy essentials:

The angle of the sun on autumn afternoons makes everything look better, doesn't it?

If you love pink, wear pink! You don't have to match the trees...

And remember that something as simple as brown buttons can make everything look ... View the Post

November 2021 – Six Scarves, 12 Months, 12 Outfits

November 3, 2021

I'm sure we all have different experiences with this right now, but Chicago has finally gotten to cold weather. Real, honest to goodness "gloves and scarves" cold...

No need, quite yet, for waterproof boots, but that will be soon enough!

Even though the cold weather season gets shorter each year, it still arrives, and we either have to be prepared to dress for it, or prepared to stay in OUT of it...

So let's look at coats...

This first wardrobe has ZERO purple, so far. Purple is terribly hard to find - I look for it all the time, and one is more likely to find burgundy or maroon or lilac or almost anything but TRUE PURPLE.

Just sayin'...

But it's a coat - if you wear it fastened, it doesn't much ... View the Post

Merry Christmas! A Sneak Preview of Next Year’s Six Scarves!

December 25, 2020

First, and most important of all, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, may your day be peaceful and full of love, and may your holiday of choice be delightful!

SO... I've worked quite a bit this year choosing scarves. I started with my tally of the color palettes that have been most requested, and then the scarves that have been mentioned to me the most often.

First up, these were the "neutral combinations" which you asked for most frequently in the last year:

So after choosing these six "palette cores," I went back to the list of the most popular scarves and made everything work together. I think...

First up was black and grey - and many of you wrote to me asking ... View the Post

Adding Accessories: Portrait of the Countess de Martel de Janville by Boldini

July 7, 2020

Our heroine needs to go shopping, again!

After she picked up a few more garments, she was left with just the accessories with which she had traveled. This isn't a bad bunch of pretty things, but she might want a few more things:

She sorted her wardrobe out into a number of outfits, and then decided to very methodically get accessories for each outfit in turn.

To start, she went completely off the rails for a pair of earrings that she could NOT resist:

Well THAT was fun! The next day was quite warm, and she realized that she wanted a good hat!

Masks! Even in a city that's beginning to reopen after the quarantine, one still needs a mask. She decides that she might as well get a few that look good ... View the Post

Packing Accessories for a Cruise, in a Navy, Blush, Grey and White Travel Capsule Wardrobe

February 6, 2019

Monday we chose some clothes for our heroine to pack on a springtime cruise to Italy and the islands near there; we used this lovely painting as our inspiration:

We left her with these clothes:

So let's start with shoes! They're always the most difficult thing to pack - they take up a ton of space, and they make a great deal of difference in the appearance of an outfit. Dress shoes especially...

The dresses she is packing - and the navy skirt - can be worn with any of the 2nd layers. The lace jacket is quite dressy, and of course the denim jacket is quite casual. What shoes will work?

(of course, lots of tops can be worn with the navy skirt - I'm just using the navy top for illustrative ... View the Post