Wardrobe Basics for a Month Away & a One-Week River Cruise

Our 7-day river cruise is turning out to be an entire month of travelling. There are friends in Paris, Macon and Lyon to visit before we continue on to Germany. We leave from Passau and travel down the Danube on my first river cruise. I'm not fond of the big ships and many have told me that they have enjoyed the river cruises more so than the ocean cruises. I will see. 

My first advantage is that I will be visiting friends and so laundry will not be a problem. As well, in Germany, if needed, I will be able to leave some clothing behind at a friend's home before the river cruise. Having strategic placement of friends through France and Germany will make packing an easy job.

This year black, white and beige will be the base of the travel wardrobe. It's two weeks before we are off but it has been difficult to plan for sunshine when our "Port" has been overcast and rainy for the past two days.

My husband's bone of contention is the "jacket" requirement for the captain's dinner on the river cruise. However, I am hoping that he will have opportunity to wear it more often than that. 

For him it's shorts and t-shirts, a pair of blue jeans, his North Face jacket and this time, a "suit" or whatever combo he puts together for a more formal dinner. Shoes will simply be his black leather sandals but now he has to consider taking a pair of loafers.

For me, it's a little more complicated . . . 

Wardrobe basics for a Month Away

2 pairs linen pants: one black, one white. I'm leaving behind the camel coloured linen trousers and taking one pair of beige shorts instead.

Three pairs of linen pants in the necessary colours. Photo by JoyD.

1 pair skinny jeans
2 pairs knee-length shorts: one black, one beige
5 t-shirts: 2 white, 2 black, one colour (Pantone 2016 Spring Colours: this year for me - peach echo)
2 cotton shirts: 1 black, 1 white
1 black blazer
3 dresses: 1 LBD, 1 geometric print (black & white), 1 floral print (pinks with turquoise)
1 black sport jacket
1 tan all-weather "car coat"
1 shawl (camel cashmere heavier weight)

Cashmere Shawl (heavy weight) purchased at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver. Photo by JoyD.

Square Equestrian Motif Scarf.
Photo by JoyD.

3 scarves (1 square white, red & black; 1 patterned colourful with peach, pink & turquoise; 1 rectangular, red, blues, & black). I intend to buy more on the trip.

Pyjama set including t-shirt and capris with bed jacket (functional and modest as a houseguest)

5 pairs of Shoes: my black and white Semler sneakers, beige Jimmy Choos, beige loafers (walking shoes), black loafers, beige sandals and these don't count - rubber flip flops for in-house wear. I will be buying shoes along the way - that is a given. 

The loafers with the tassels will be the ones I am taking since the centre ones are now delegated to the garden and the ones on the right are in Canada.

Three Pairs of Beige Loafers. Photo by JoyD.

Underwear for 7 days - there will be time and opportunity to wash along the way. Panti-liners also help stretch the wearability. My husband's trick for underwear is to take all that should be thrown away and he does just that - wears it, throws it away and then buys new as he needs.

This is my basic start for packing, I'll let you know what I actually took (with a "wearing" analysis) and what I bought along the way.

Linen loose top and draw string pants purchased in Italy ages ago. Photo by JoyD.

I'm already thinking of adding my "Italian linen combo" to the basic plan . . . and then there's my jewellery favourites, although that's another "buy along the way" that's necessary when you don't take any with you. The hat is in Canada. Thank goodness.



And of course, I must take at least 2 Armor-Luxe striped tops, this one which is white and black and another that is black and white.

Armor-Luxe, white with black stripe pullover. Photo by JoyD.

The packing has already begun . . . 

Packing my Armor-Luxe striped pullover with my wide leg black linen pants. Photo by JoyD.

Purple Lug bag. Photo by JoyD.

I forgot to talk about other bags . . . and maybe these loafers would be better? What did I say about adding to my basic list?

Lancel Shopping bag. Photo by JoyD.

I do need a small bag for dinner . . . 

Lancel mini bag purchased at the Lancel factory outlet store in Romans-sur-Isere. Photo by JoyD.

I have the jeans, do I really need a skirt?

Blue jean skirt. Photo by JoyD.

. . . . . .

ITSO . . . In the Style of . . . Judith Richardson

Nice

Teenflo top under Lida Baday suit, 2011.
Shoes: Jimmy Choo. Necklace: JoyD.

Charles Le Pierrès and Judith Richardson first started their design life for women's wear twenty years ago under the brand Teenflo but have since morphed into Judith & Charles. Of course, I am enamoured because theirs is a Canadian brand with an international reputation. The name change was necessary since the word "teen" is not what one is looking for when one is in "classic" buying mode. However, a young sales associate at Holt Renfrew in Calgary brought me a top that was perfect with the suit I purchased. It's the cowl neck off-white top in the photo with the Lida Baday suit. It carried the name, Teenflo, in 2011. Even then I found the classic styling and the name incongruous. By the time the Spring Collection for 2012 was ready, the company was rebranded into Judith and Charles. Smart move.

Judith Richardson and Charles LaPierres of Judith & Charles.
Photo Source: Vancouver Sun

The clothing they produce reflects the style of Judith Richardson because every piece I see on a model, I also envision on Judith Richardson.

In 2014, Michele Marko in the Vancouver Sun, summarized Charles LaPierrès' description of the clothes they make in the following way: 

La Pierrès describes their collections as chic modern or modern sophisticated, an esthetic that fits their working woman and stylish urbanite clientele. He’d rather not use the word classic which for him evokes stodginess.

“The pieces are very subtle. They keep evolving. They’re very fresh,” he says. But he acknowledges there is also a timeless quality to them. 

(Retrieved April 12, 2016 from the Vancouver Sun)

His description of the line sounds pretty "classic" but for me the last thing classic connotes is "stodgy". I also see the clothing as "adaptable" which doesn't sound very appealing either. I can see a 20, 35 or 60 year old wearing many of their pieces. So, yes, it is definitely "modern sophisticated" or "chic modern" or any one of those three . . . modern, chic and sophisticated. And that top I bought in 2011 can still be worn in 2016 with the feelings of modern, chic and sophisticated.

Photo Source: Judith & Charles 
This collage was made using http://PhotoCollage.com

In the Garden: First Week Back

It has been a week since I have arrived in France and the only clothing I have worn for 80% of the time are my gardening clothes. It's a jungle in my garden. Our neighbour mows the grass areas while we are away and we pruned before we left. However the warm winter allowed the weeds and other unknown plants to take root amongst my irises, daisies, roses and peonies. We had a tree cut down in February and that has left a bit of a mess even though the tree cutters did a fabulous job at cutting wood for our fireplace and mulching the twigs for ground cover. We left the stump waist height to be the centre of a future garden "bar".

I have no special "garden work" attire. What becomes my garden clothes are rejects: things that have a tear beyond repair, a mistake with bleach, frayed ends, pilled polyesters and stuff I wouldn't dare being seen in public. 

Speaking of daring to be seen in public . . . on the first Saturday of the month in May, there are those who choose to celebrate World Naked Gardening Day. No not me. And yes they weed, plant and trim in the buff. Yikes! It's a scary proposition with all the creepy crawlies one disturbs when pulling weeds, snipping, digging up the soil, and transplanting. Not to mention all that buzzes and bites, albeit only occasionally. There are places I prefer not to be bitten and places I prefer to keep covered if not for modesty for health reasons. I suppose one does not have to worry about  the gardener's tan lines after the fact. 

The only true gardening clothing item I own is a pair of rose gardening gloves. With their rubberized palms and fingers, they are meant to protect the hands from thorns but in fact I find them the perfect all-round-work-in-the-garden glove. For actually working with the roses I hope to purchase the gauntlet style that protects up to the elbows.

Photo Source: Manufactum

One trip to the hypermarché and dinner at my neighbour's forced me to wear my usual comfortable casual look in France - linen cropped pants, a striped Armor-Luxe "pull" and my new Semler sneakers. I'll definitely be packing these for my vacation to the east of France, Germany, Austria, Hungary and my river cruise on the Danube. But that's another post. 

Packing my Armor-Lux "pull" and black linen pants.
Photo by JoyD.

Semler sneakers purchased at Traxx
Photo Source: Traxx.

Traveling in Unsettled Times: Attitudes and Decisions

I will be returning to France next week and every casual conversation with acquaintances has included a question something like this: "Aren't you concerned about traveling in Europe and living in France specifically?" I usually respond with a Canadian example of how I feel about where I live in France. I make reference to the FLQ crises in Quebec during the 1970s when European relatives called our home, or so my parents have told me, and asked if we were OK? My family lived in Manitoba. I live in small town France and Paris is six hours away by motorway. As for traveling the rest of Europe, as I will in June, of course I have thought about it but it hasn't stopped me from making plans. I then tell the "story" of some unknown fellow who dreamt that he would die the next day as a result of his work in a mine, so he called in sick. I don't remember the details of the "story" but he died at home and so with an air of indifference, I make the comment  "when your number's up". That being said, we never put ourselves in any known or anticipated risk. Voila. Life is what it is and I will not live in fear or restrict my rational choices.

From another perspective, we have friends who have chosen not to come to visit us in France this summer. I am sure there are many who have decided that they could spend their vacation dollars in a place that would be less stressful in their minds. That's rational for them. I wonder how I would feel if I did not own a home there?

I am looking forward to going back and really I don't think about the whole terrorism thing very much. In fact security is at its peak and when you have nothing to hide, it is as safe as any other time. In fact there are those who claim it is the best time to travel. There are bullies at all levels of society and I hope that their motivations will change over the years to accommodate a pluralistic world society including religious, cultural, psychological and physiological variations.

Clothing is one small element to consider in cultural understanding and I admit that I do have trouble with clothing that obliterates and masks who and what you are. That being said, I have had wonderful opportunities to enjoy the company of those who are celebrating, albeit perhaps celebrating in what technically would be called a "mask", their clothing, hiding their maleness or femaleness. That which I have "trouble" with is more the total coverage of the body by women and men too (if they did it) for whatever reason. Yes, I can understand, at least academically, why they cover themselves from head to foot but . . . to cover up one's face in a time of necessary transparency seems ominous. If you want to cover your face from strangers, particularly men in the mall while shopping, fine, but to insist on it with government immigrant officials, police officers or airport security may suggest you are hiding more than your modesty (at least that might be what someone raised in a democratic and tolerant place might think). 

Understanding has to be reciprocal and so I hope others are as patient with us as they expect us to be with them. My Libra-ness is coming forth, needing balance and other such things, because I recognize the point of view by some that Canada has a "pushover" disposition and is a haven for those with sinister thought - I suppose that side develops because it is considered a peaceful and respectful place to live and visit. 

I could debate with myself longer; however a clothing blog should not be the place to vent about politics or religion or those things that are basically out of our control - other people's thoughts and philosophies particularly . . . I promise the next post with return to a more frivolous topic and one that I have complete control over. 

Traxx: Amazing Shoe Store in Saskatoon Saskatchewan

Closet Content Analysis: Unexpected Find #1

NEW and NICE

I've driven and walked by the Traxx shoe store many times and have never ventured in. I had the impression that all they carried were hiking boots and "comfortable" shoes. It was conversation at a dinner party last weekend that inspired me to visit the store. Yesterday for the first time, I walked into Traxx and left with a pair of "comfortable" Semler sneakers but found much more. I believe the family run business's original goal was to provide hardy and comfortable footwear for all reasons and seasons but it has certainly evolved. Now they carry it all, from very fashionable funky $400.00 stilettos to $400.00 hiking boots. Who knows, perhaps those stilettos are more comfortable than over the top designer brands. I recognized some of the brand names but not of the stilettos.

The Traxx online presence is as successful as their storefront. The left hand sidebar on the website's home page lists the brand names of the shoes they carry. This is most convenient when you have fallen in love with a particular shoe and know what you want.

I am still a face-to-face shopper and I don't believe that I would have ever bought the Semler sneakers from the pictures I saw online. I had no idea about the German-made Semlers and only bought them because they were 60% off from the original $305.00 - all leather, including lining, and obviously excellent craftsmanship.

Photo Source: Traxx, Saskatoon, SK Canada

Photo Source: Traxx, Saskatoon, SK Canada

Loving my new Semlers!