It's a Lacy, Colorful, and Striped Week in Fashion

For July, the weather in Chicago has been amazing.

Very little humidity, great for keeping the frizzy hair at Bay.

Shopping on Michigan Avenue in Chicago is so much fun.

From the ridiculously cheap to the most opulent expensive.

The thing about Chicago, the weather literally changes every 30 minutes.

So, it's good to be prepared for anything.

When it's hot, restaurants can be freezing from the A/C.

Today, I wore my new black and white crop jacket that I bought

A few days ago at H&M for $15.00, no joke.

The white jeans are by Adriano Goldshmeid, rolled up.

The sandals are by Via Spiga from a few summers ago.

The belt is a great woven and mult-colored and bought in a Peruvian market.

There are 5 left that I brought back from Peru for sale.

The weather has been great for having fun with summer styles!

Here are a few other outfits worn while here!

Skirt by SportMax

Lace top by Inc.

Shoes by Coach.

Shorts by Old Navy

Crop Top from Urban Outfitters last summer

Summer is my favorite time of year. Warm weather stirs the creative juices!!!

Have a wonderful day!

Is the LAGEN LOOK for you?

June 30, 2014

 THE LAGEN LOOK SEEMS TO BE CONTROVERSIAL FOR A LOT OF WOMEN

OVER FIFTY

The LAGEN LOOK is from Germany.  It entails lots of layers, styled in a way that is unique to each woman. Many women who are PLUS sizes like the look because it is "blousy" and loose. The right accessories make each woman look like a unique piece of art.

Other women, on the other hand, don't like the look because they think it makes them look heavy. The clothes are bulky and it is a lot to carry off unless you are very tall and thinner. The key, I think, is not to add too many pieces together, or then it looks a bit "clown-like". 

The dress I am wearing is by Tulip, a company that is known for it's LAGEN-Like look. My size is smaller than average so you wouldn't think a big and loose dress would look good. But, as seen here, it can look really cute. The length is great, just mid-knees and almost below, and it is so comfortable. Literally, it's like wearing pajamas.

I am wearing a T-shirt underneath because the arm holes come

down a bit too low. When I wear it, I get so many complements.

A long necklace would add a nice touch and give a really "artsy"
feel but necklaces have always felt too much for my petite size.

Here are a couple of REAL LAGEN LOOK outfits. These are the classic look and as you can see, they are quite unique.

Personally, these outfits would be too much for most women to carry off. One piece of each outfit would look great. For example, the tops on both outfits are very cute. However, with the big pants, it is easy to see how someone would look very BIG.  If someone is on the PLUS side to begin with, it's just too much fabric!!

From the feedback I get on Facebook, at Fashion Over Fifty, most women do not like this look. Several of the Fabulous Fashionistas wear this look and most women find them somewhat of a caricature of older women. 

The key is to have fun, but to stay chic. If you were to wear the blousy pants, a more tailored top would look better. Even if you are PLUS size. Or, either of the tops with a more tailored pant would be much more stylish. 

Some nice stores that carry the Lagen Look are Bryn Walker, Layered, Jana, and Kati Koos. The stores are not located throughout the United States, but they all have on line shopping. If you are interested in websites, just message me, and I will send them too you. You might want to try and Google them first.

What do you think?  Your opinions are welcome.  Remember have fun with your clothes but you don't want to overdo a good thing!!!

It's a Johnny Was kind of Day!!

WHO DOESN'T LOVE THE BEAUTIFUL  FABRICS AND  PRINTS by JOHNNY WAS?

It's summer. After this past winter, the worst in many places, nothing feels more like summer than
Silk and  Floral Prints. Nobody does it better than Johnny Was. This morning I received a notice on Facebook that a 20% off sale was starting.  Errands had me near Santa Monica where there is a Johnny Was store.  The greatest thing ever-.BOTH sales associates were OF's (over fifties). That scores big points with me.  Another great thing about their line is that almost everything is Ageless!

So, today was a field trip day.  Off to see the lovely sales associates at Johnny Was

This is beautiful Emily, a stylist and costume designer along with being a Sales Associate. Boy is she busy. Notice how chic she is with her matching Tory Burch shoes.

Then there is Tammy, who is another lovely and so put together Sales Associate. Notice how her scarf and tunic match.  The possibilities with this combo are endless.

You could wear the skirt as a belt, as a shawl, wrapped around as a skirt, you name it. Such a comfortably chic way to do warm summer days.

Then, there's me!  Wearing my favorite Capri jeans by Adriano Goldshmeid. You can find these " ex-boyfriend Capris on eBay all the time. I have them in a couple of sizes depending on the look I am going for. The tunic is a few seasons old Johnny Was. It's so cool, it's great on warm days!!

Then, the hard part. Which scarf to choose. Each one is more beautiful than the next. So, I chose the easy route. Navy blue to blend with the jeans. Navy blue and turquoise are so great together. The scarves are usually $86.00, but they are on sale For 20% off making them about $70.00. Not bad for such a large beautiful all silk scarf!!




Here are just a few other Johnny Was things on sale for 20% off. They also carry Plus Sizes.
If there isn't a store near you, you can order online at JohnnyWas.com

Chanel "Knocked-Off" The Skirt I Found in Carmel By the Sea

I found a cute little hippie chic store on the main street in Carmel. For 100.00 I bought a white skirt. Every year I buy something white because I am so sick of black, but then I never wear it.   Well, this year I decided to break that habit and I wore it to a Charity Event in Beverly Hills.
Of course, I was the only wearing white. Good thing I'm not self-conscious!!

A few weeks later the Resort collection came out for 2015.  I was so surprised when I found this skirt in Chanel's Collection.

The funny thing is that if I didn't laboriously blow dry my hair, my hair would be exactly the same as this model's. Why anyone would want this bushy mess is beyond me.  But, if I had worn a mustardy sweater/jacket, we would have been like twins.

I'm so glad that Karl Lagerfeld likes my taste!!!

Carmel by the Sea. What a gorgeous Coastline, and what a Good Fashion Find

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TREASURES YOU MAY FIND ALONG YOUR TRAVELS!!

Wow. The first year of college for my son just flew by.  Empty nest hit me so hard.
All winter, I was so depressed, I barely left the house. It did give me a lot of  time to blog and write and create, which is something I wouldn't have normally done.  Who knew one could be so creative when one so depressed?  Anyway, it was so good to be bringing him home. Boy was he missed.

We headed home on the Coast, known as Big Sur. Going to Los Angeles via Big Sur takes about 2-3 hours longer than if you take the short route down the middle of the State. Nonetheless, both of our kids came even though they just did it last August.  They love the California Coastline.  How fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful area, and how great that they really appreciate it. It's the first time I had done it in about 35 years and all I can say is, Thank Goodness they put in guard rails along the edge of cliffs. The last time I remember being very nervous.

The trip is almost too long to do in one day without really rushing, so we decided to stay overnight in Carmel by the Sea.  No, we didn't see Clint Eastwood.  He hasn't been the Mayor there in a long time. But, if you ever want to retire in the cutest, most charming, place, Carmel is the place, if
you are very very wealthy. That counts us out!!

When we arrived in to town,  they dropped me off  somewhere in the middle  so I could of course scope out the fashion scene!! It was almost 7:00 p.m., and most of the stores were closing if not closed!  I did manage to find the Hippy Chic Scarf Boutique and got a good sense of the store because that would be my one stop the next day!! From there, I went to a Cafe and asked the address so they would know where to pick me up. They DON'T USE ADDRESSES!! Go on.

What city in the world doesn't use addresses?  I feel sorry for the Mailmen.  Anyway, they picked me up at the Corner of Ocean Ave. and Lincoln.

The following day, I got dropped off in front of the Hippie Chic Scarf store on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Lincoln and rummaged like crazy. Since starting this blog, my tastes are expanding.

Before this blog, never would I think of buying anything loose fitting, but I found this big white flowy dress that was on sale. I also found a cute, white, typical skirt that I would have worn in 1971, some things never change. The owner of the store was terrific, and she loves to shop because I later found out she had two shops on the same street, both crammed full of merchandise. This is the owner, and she is really a kick. 

I made my two purchases for about $165.00.  The skirt was $100.00 and the dress was on sale for about $60.00. Tax was lower there for some reason, but that always helps you feel better when you buy something you don't really need.

 So, one night a couple of weeks later, there was an outdoor Charity Event in Beverly Hills. Not one to conform to the norms of fashion, it was time to break out the old/new Hippie Chic skirt. Paired it with a lace blouse from H&M,(get so many complements on that blouse for $17.95), and an old white leather jacket I have hardly ever worn.  I also wore my new Coach shoes, which are the greatest. The front of the shoe is white and the back is luggage colored leather. Those were the most expensive things I wore and they were about $165.00.

Voila, here is the outfit.

The next week or so, I was doing regular research for my Website/Blog/Facebook page and was 

scanning through the Resort Collection that was just coming out for 2015. When I got to Chanel, I was so excited . Karl Lagerfeld has taken his inspiration for this season from, you guessed it, the 60's. Throw in some Modern Lagen looks, and a portion of  his collection is very colorful and Bohemian, in a good way. Compared to last Spring, when skirts barely made it past the important part, this is a very sophisticated line which ALL AGES can enjoy. Scanning further, I was so happily surprised to find the following:

 

Wow, different, but similar. The funny thing is that my hair looks exactly like the models if I 

didn't blow it dry!! All I needed was a mustardy colored sweater/jacket and we could have

been like Twins!! Of course, Chanel is more so much more Sophisticated, but it's so darn close that

I am just fine with the $100.00 knock off.  Actually, I think Chanel knocked off my skirt!!

Here a few more of Chanel's Resort look for 2015. 

How to find great STYLISH Bargains in Mid-town Manahattan for ONE THOSANDTH of the Cost of the Real McCoy

There are Some Great Bargains in Midtown Manhattan  

Have you been following the accessories this spring? Dior has a necklace with only two "pearls" on it the size of golf balls. Obviously not real pearls. so I guess the effect is what Karl Lagerfeld is going for.


Along the Avenue of the Stars in Midtown there are a ton of stores with semi precious gems if you like to make you own jewelry, which I do.

However, if you travel a bit more toward downtown to the "Watch District" you will find lots of stores with great fake jewelry, probably from China. The necklace you see on me, along with the earrings, were a total of $14.95. Probably wouldn't wear the earrings with the necklace, but for purposes of demonstration, you can see all that you get. The bottom photo is of a three stranded
necklace originally I was going to take them apart and try to copy Chanel's latest accessory that is a
necklace with only one pearl at the end of a metal neck piece. Or as you can see from the photo,
lots of obviously not real pearls were used in fun ways that I was thinking of making, but just never got around to it.

Moral of the story: Ask any local where the watch district is. (The area where everyone gets knock-off designer watches for nothing!!). Around that area are lots of stores that carry great accessories for SO inexpensive, it feels like Christmas when you walk out. You can buy birthday presents, holiday presents or just a present because you like someone. If Karl Lagerfeld can do it, so can you!!

MY FAMILY SHOPPING FOR FLOWERS AT THE LA FLOWER MARKET ON MOTHER'S DAY

OUR FAMILY TRADITION IS TO GO TO THE WHOLESALE MARKET IN DOWNTOWN LA TO PICK OUT FRESH FLOWERS AND A TREE

The prices you pay when  you go to the Wholesale Mart for flowers in LA is CRAZY cheap.
It's a madhouse down there on Mother's Day as you might imagine. Everyone is scrambling to get flowers for their moms, wives, sisters, you name it.  It's really a lot of fun too. Every one is in a really festive mood, so it is a great thing to do on a Holiday.

They also sell Trees. Everything from Ficus to really exotic. You can find good trees at Home Depot sometimes, but at the Mart you have a much better selection and there are so many varieties.

So, it's at Wall St. and 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles.  If you are a mom, or you have
a mom, try it on Mother's Day next year.  You have to go early though because everything closes by about 12 noon.