Black and White for all Seasons

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog

I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend,

and am so happy that you decided to join me today!

The summer season is coming to a close,

 and it's time to get back to business 

 It is always a bit of a difficult transition and a jolt for me,

 to move from the last, less structured days of summer,

 to quickly pick up the pace, once September arrives

The weather is still very warm and wonderful,

 and I am not ready to leave the summer behind, just yet

How about you?

At this time of year among bloggers,

there is always much discussion about 

preference for summer or fall,

 and how to bridge the seasons, wardrobe wise

  I thought I would straddle the line

 of the bridge season with this season-less outfit 

A black and white check lightweight dress

 in my favorite fit and flare style

  I'm leaning ever so slightly into fall

 with the attitude of the outfit 

Red accessories and a structured bag

 give the dress a bit of an autumnal feel, 

but this dress is just as at home in summer,

 with sandals and white or silver tone jewelry,

as it is now, transitioning to fall

I choose my coveted red vintage Bally bag

with a strawberry print scarf tied to the handle

I have been a scarf lover for many years,

and it is such a surprise to me that all types have suddenly become a huge fashion accessory

So glad to see it!

The creativity that has come from this boom is really incredible

 I have gotten many new ideas

 for ways to tie and wear my scarves 

Wearing red and gold tone jewelry

 in a mix of vintage and current pieces

 The red expansion bracelet,

 and red reticulated necklace of plastic arrow shaped pieces

are from the 1950's,

  whereas the gold tone square-round earrings are current

Classic black and tan toe cap half d'orsey sling backs

 with chunky heels to finish the outfit

 

I wore this dress for my Halloween post last year,

 with an orange cardigan and black and white accessories

Hope everyone enjoys their first

unofficial week of autumn!

 

Labor Day Weekend!

 Hello, and thanks for joining me on my blog today!

 

 Labor Day weekend is on it's way,

and with it, the unofficial end of summer

This dress is the star of a cool and simple

 end of summer holiday weekend outfit

 It is a navy blue and white striped jersey,

with short sleeves

The style is faux wrap, with a sash tie

 The top half of the dress is horizontally striped, 

and the skirt is diagonally striped to add interest

 It would be great if the warm temperatures

 would linger a little longer

In the Coastal Mid-Atlantic region where I live,

 we have what is known as Indian summer (sometimes),

 when the weather is just perfect

and the outfits are easy like this one!

Do you get this lovely transition period of weather 

between summer and fall where you live?

 It's not too hot and not yet getting that nip in the air

 that signals fall and requires thoughts of layering 

It is the time of year I love the most!

It is a favorite time of year for Roger also,

 as he is from central California

Indian summer here

 mimics the weather of the region where he grew up

A California boy, he only came

 to the east coast as an adult

His first year here with four distinct season

was quite a shock and a change

to adapt to!

 Sometimes we get this long glorious string

 of beautiful weather days in September and on into October,

 and sometimes it only lasts a few weeks

 I am hoping for the former this year!

 It seems everything suddenly changes

 once Labor Day weekend is over 

 It is the ending of vacation time for most 

 of the population en mass, with nearly everyone in a stir, looking forward to starting their fall activities

 And of course, take stock of their autumn wardrobe

 I don't do an official seasonal switch until mid October usually,  but of course, I am thinking about what fall fashion will look like

In a future post I might talk about the Pantone colors 

for fall and winter-it's an odd lineup! 

Anyway, for a bag with this outfit I chose this bright red

 fabric tote that converts to a fold over clutch

 It is is a very handy bag to have, as it can really be stuffed full, or it can look quite dressy when folded over as a clutch-

I will take one in every color please!

A few pieces of simple silver tone jewelry

include loop and knot earrings and a hinged knot bracelet

These were not purchased together, but years apart,

but they look almost like a set!

For shoes my red and white striped espadrilles with red ribbons this will probably be the last time I wear them this season as they are quintessential summer shoes

Roger and I are matching in red, white and blue for the holiday 

Hope everyone has a great long weekend!

End of Summer Style

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog! 

For a hot August day, as the summer season winds to a close,

 I chose this cool and lightweight sleeveless

 "V" neck jumper dress in white

 It is made of breathable cotton and has a skirt with godets,

 to make it even fuller, so naturally I love it!

 This skirt detail has been very popular

 for the past couple of years,

adding swish and swirl to the hem of many garments

Wearing a pink short sleeve crew neck 

 ribbed tee underneath

A few fun accessories make this simple outfit special

My round wicker handle bag embellished with seashells

 has been in heavy rotation this summer,

  and is always just right for a casual seasonal outfit

I am wearing a few dainty and breezy

 pieces of jewelry as accents to this outfit

 A gold tone hinged collar necklace, daisy shaped post earrings,

with a mixed metal three bar and chain adjustable bracelet

Adding a few more fun and cheerful accessories

 A bright pink braided hairband, 

and a floral print fabric ring buckle belt,

 in apricot, peach, pink and fuchsia

 

White wedge lace sneakers to finish this playful outfit

Hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer!

Are you looking forward to fall

and the change of seasons,

 or are you hoping to stretch out the summer

as long as possible?

You know which camp I am in!

  I tend to hold off all that is fall as long as possible,

 until the temperature cools,

and the leaves begin to fall

I get those of you on the flip side though,

fall is a fun season too, especially for fashion

See you in September!

 

Bright Coral and a Favorite Eyelet Blazer

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Rarely have I enjoyed wearing an item of clothing

 as much as I have this white eyelet blazer

 It is a classic cut that never goes out of style,

 and I have had this one for better than ten years

  I only wear it during the summer months,

but still, I feel like it was a very good buy,

 and I have definitely gotten my money's worth

  I  wear it several times during the summer season every year

Do you have any favorite summer pieces? 

Today I am styling the eyelet blazer with a bright coral,

 sleeveless fit and flare midi dress in a linen blend 

 Coral and white is a fresh summer color combination,

 and coral is one of those very versatile colors

 that looks good on just about everyone

What is your favorite summer color combination?

The pattern of the eyelet on the jacket is unusual,

 with large and small cutouts in the shape of stylized flowers

My bag is a combination of white and wicker

Wicker is a material that just shouts "it's summer",

and always looks right during the hottest months

For jewelry I chose a sweet 1950s vintage necklace

in a ring of reticulated coral flowers

 with green leaves and tiny decorative pearls 

 Also wearing gold tone knot loop earrings

 and a gold tone bow bracelet

For shoes, wicker and white sling backs with bow detail,

 to go super matchy matchy with the bag!

Another wear of this favorite blazer,

is from spring 2024

Under the jacket is a large scarf worn as a blouse

Hope you are enjoying your summer,

 and have a great week!

 

Icy Pastel Blue Lace Jacket, to Beat the Summer Heat

Hello, welcome, and thanks for stopping by my blog, today!

 Clear, icy pastel blue and white

 is a great color way for summer

It is hard to look cool, collected,

and professional, during a heat wave!

This outfit was a good solution for me

What are some of your wilt-proof hot weather strategies?

The blue and white lace blazer is unlined, so ventilated,

and I am wearing a cool, breathable cotton top underneath

White ankle length straight trousers on the bottom 

Carrying a classic off-white envelope style bag,

 with reptile texture

It has a chain strap to wear crossbody or as a shoulder bag,

 but I am carrying it as a clutch today,

 with the chain tucked inside the bag

For jewelry and accessories,

 I chose silver tone and white

to complement the outfit

A chunky dome bracelet, flower shaped post earrings,

 and a hairband covered in small white faux pearls

I chose white openwork ankle strap kitten heels

to finish the look

I guess you would consider these sandals?

This Mallard has the right idea today

wading in the cool surf!

Her are some bright coral orange,

 sun loving Lillies in the garden

Stay cool and hope you have a great week!

 

Paint Drip Dress as Skirt

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Today I am experimenting with a little light layering over a  beloved sundress that I just can't let go 

I don't wear this cheeky, brightly colored

paint drip sundress alone anymore,

 because the bodice is very low and bare

 I have styled it with a blouse underneath,

and a buttoned up cardigan over top 

Today, I thought I would experiment with this

 lightweight, bright blue elbow sleeve blouse over it

I like the way this option turned out,

 but it is a little fussy with the blouse 

tucked under the belt

 I probably won't wear it like this again,

but there are many more options!

I am so enamored with the multi-color paint drip print,

 I am considering cutting and sewing it into a skirt

Do you even modify your most loved pieces

that just don't suit you for some reason anymore?

Carrying my 1960s vintage yellow mod handle bag

to pick up a color in the dress

Wearing some more yellow and white accessories

 The white crinkle wired scarf is fashioned around my neck,

 sort of like a necklace

 For jewelry, a bracelet with a double row of yellow oval discs, and a pair of white enamel flower shaped earrings

 I chose these white double strap sandals for this outfit

 I especially love the silver cylindrical heel, 

 and the neat row of square rhinestones decorating the strap 

Here is a previous wear of this dress, from spring, 2023

I have a fairly similar color scheme in this photo, too!

The deer on the island where I live are so cute

and generally no problem at all 

Except for one little thing-they favor chomping down

on many varieties of summer flowers

in the neighborhood gardens

We have to be very vigilant

with the harmless deer-proofing

to keep them at bay!

Hope you stay cool, and have a good week!

 

Y2K Denim Dress

 Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog today!

I have really been reeling through the decades

 the past couple of weeks with my outfits!

 Last week I posted a 1940's look 

and this week I am wearing a retro Y2K dress

This light wash denim dress is from Lucky Brand

 It's hard to believe it has been in my closet since

 the early 2000's! I wore it a lot back then

and have many happy memories from that time wearing it

It is such a cute dress with lots of fun details

and an adjustable waist with a sash belt

 I think I will pass it on,

 because a lot of women in their 20's now are really into Y2K

Many of them love thrifting and buying second hand fashion

for it's uniqueness, the fact that a lot of these items are

 much better made than what is being turned out today

and to limit consumption. And also to save money

I am very happy to see a new generation

  joining this movement!

 

I have heard that if you wore a fashion the first time around    you are too old to wear it when it comes back around

I do not subscribe to that fashion rule

 For one reason, trends are cycling back so fast

with fewer and fewer years in between

 and for another, with the right accessories classic items can certainly look modern again

 What do you think about this fashion rule?

This is one of my favorite new bags

 I got for Christmas last year

 I just love the bold red and white stripes

and contrasting navy blue handle

A few accessories for this casual outfit

A red and white striped seersucker headband

with an asymmetrical bow, and some silver tone jewelry

 Silver tone seemed right

 with this light wash of denim 

Adding an interesting scarf around my neck

 This one has four quadrants with two different patterns,

 a large and small polka dot, and a large and small paisley print

Wearing my white lace sneakers

 to finish this casual look 

 Out shopping I have been noticing back to school banners everywhere. It makes me a little sad for the K through 12 kids who are reminded already of their school supply list and new clothes for the fall academic season so soon!

Hope you are enjoying your summer!