A Few of My Favourite Things

Travelling to and from France every six months has got me to thinking about going back and forth with just a carry-on. The problem is my favourite things take up more space than a carry-on allows and having two of everything might be economically challenging.

NICE: Here goes an analysis of what I should actually be doing with those favourite things.

Cobalt Smythe "Duchess" blazer
Photo Source: ShopSmythe

Cobalt Blue Smythe Duchess Blazer: Having two is economically prohibitive at this time. I wear it as my travel outfit. Problem: it looks best with jeans and I like a more comfortable pair of pants, which necessitate my black blazer. This in itself is ironic because I have more than one black blazer but my lightweight single-button Sandro blazer (purchased in 2016) travels best. So now I'm taking back two blazers.

LBD Photo by JoyD.

Little Black Dress: I cannot tell you when I bought this because it is so long ago now, I have forgotten but it still is my favourite LBD. I have purchased others but they have not stood the test of the fickle time of fashion. This one has. And I still fit into it. It still gets me through the most basic luncheon to a gala event. I can't leave home without it.

Little Navy Dress: I should leave one of these two dresses behind. Last year I didn't bring my navy one back to Canada and I did go looking for it a few times before recalling that it was in France. It's a MaxMara dress I bought ages ago in a consignment store in Calgary. Perhaps this year I should take it back and leave the LBD in France. It's a thought.

Dark Blue Denim Jeans: Like my LBD, my dark blue denim jeans take me everywhere and look great with my Duchess cobalt blazer. They come back and forth between France and Canada and accompany me on every vacation, whether a weekend or two weeks. The pants I'm wearing are more flexible, black and white check, stretch that travels well.

Linen matching top and trousers: My latest purchase when I visited Arcachon at the end of September was a linen matching top and trousers. Funny . . .  the label says Orto Botanico Italia yet I have not found the clothing company online. Perhaps I have not tweaked in on the word/tag that needs to be used to get me to their site. I see this outfit as a "lounging" or "hostess" outfit as my mother called them - simply comfortable clothing that looks elegant yet casual.

What do I leave in France? It would seem from my analysis that the little navy dress or the LBD should stay behind. The linen top and trousers are a possibility as well since I will be in Canada for the winter and a linen outfit in the winter seems incompatible.

NO THANKS: Well, after having written all of that, I have decided to leave the little navy dress in France.

One more thing to add: I need my denim jacket!

Photo by JoyD.

Yet another thing to add: A white Burberry shirt. Two or three years ago I tried to return a Burberry shirt because the metal appliqués were falling off. I called the location in London and the person I spoke with told me to send the shirt to their address in London with an explanation of what I wanted done. I did that. The package was returned to France - return to sender - without ever being opened. I was annoyed but not enough to pursue it and so I am taking my Burberry shirt back to Canada to see if I can get the collar replaced by a wonderful seamstress I discovered a couple of years back. The story is too long and I only get frustrated when retelling it and so here is a photo of the collar I need replaced. I probably would never have tried to return it if it was a cheaper shirt but it was a Burberry shirt and well, I don't need to relate the price because it is after all a Burberry shirt. I'm not so fond of Burberry anymore.

Photo Source: Lyst (Retrieved Oct. 31/17)

I will be taking my Harris Wilson camel coat back to Canada with me. I left it in France last year when I bought it because I had a coat to wear and did not want to take two. As it turned out the weather was wonderful during October in France this year and I never did wear it this year. I will have better use of it in Canada.

NOTE-WORTHY: And then there are four scarves and my pyjamas. 

I'm good to go!

ITSO . . . In the Style of . . . Queen Letizia

Closet Content Analysis: Repeat Basics for a New Ensemble

NICE

A recent anonymous comment motivated me to do a little research on Queen Letizia of Spain. In my 30 second assessment it appears as if she and Duchess Kate share a similar "look".

Photo Source: Getty Images NurPhoto
from queenletizastyle

The most recent audiences as reported and illustrated by www.queenletiziastyle.com. shows the queen in skirts and tops and dresses. I enjoy the website because it will comment and have photographs of outfits or pieces she has worn before. Another similarity to Kate Middleton. There is something endearing about the fact that they are comfortable enough to wear repeat outfits in a world assessing them every time they walk out their doors. The recent post shows a white tweed dress she has worn on three occasions in 2017 and 2018. Check out queen letiziastyle.

Another more casual style I found on the website and one fitting for a summer evening is an ensemble that is easy to duplicate. The website also shows Queen Letiza Looks for Less - love it. The pin-tuck shirt style is tailored with long-sleeves and a standup collar.  You can easily find something similar if you check out the Gap or Banana Republic retail websites. But make sure you look for fitted shirts and not those one-size-fits-all varieties that pin-tuck is often used on. I had a fitted pin-tuck front shirt in white with a "man's shirt collar" more years ago than my closet reveals for it is no longer there and I have long forgotten about it until I saw the Queen Letizia photograph. It's items like that, one wishes to have kept . . . maybe not. 

Photo Source: Romwe.com

The trousers have more detail but if you are going to spend more money on something, a pair of pants like this would be your choice over the shirt. The QL style website links us to Romwe.com where a similar look is being sold for $9.00 US. I have bought linen pants from a grocery store in France for about that price but the furthest I venture out with them is to the market. They don't fit well and the seams are sewn with long stitches that save thread. Romwe is selling a polyester version and my first thoughts are No Thanks to the polyester but Note-Worthy to the style. 

Queen Letizia was wearing smooth leather camel pumps with block heels. Nice. Hers are from a season past but the  Hugo Boss website has a pair of black velvet pumps that are similar. 

Photo Source:
Queen Letizia Style
March, 2017

Photo Source:
Queen Letizia Style
December, 2016

Photo Source:
Queen Letizia Style
November, 2016

Queen Letizia's style befits a contemporary queen and we can also learn a thing or two from her. The QL style blog does a nice job of cataloguing three looks with one clothing item and it's worth repeating here. Change the shoes, the skirt, and the pants -  the look stays elegant and the style says this woman has her priorities in the right place. 

ITSO . . . In the Style Of Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham's style is one of my favourites to research. Even with her, there are some No Thanks looks that make one wonder, "what were you thinking?"

NOTE-WORTHY  

Wide Leg Trousers. It is interesting that Victoria Beckham often wears either skinny skinny jeans or loose over-sized wide leg pants. I like them, even though you do not see them often on the streets. I personally am not fond of turtlenecks on myself but I love the casual look and the warmth portrayed. Although when you notice the snow on the street, what the guy behind her is wearing and that it was February, you want to say, "It's not that warm, Victoria."

Victoria Beckham, New York City, 2017
Photo Source: StyleBistro

Victoria Beckham, New York City, 2016
Photo Source: StyleBistro

NICE

Photo copied from: designerzcentral.com

Pencil Skirt and Over-sized Sunglasses. This photo keeps recurring when I search for pencil skirt - Victoria Beckham. I don't know the original source of the photo nor the year it was taken but it demonstrates to me, the Victoria Beckham look I love. 

The oversize sunglasses are another signature look that some might consider overdone. If she is in an airport, one does wonder why in the world she would be wearing them.

Designerzcentral.com called this look classic simple and that is my constant and never-ending goal for the look I want to portray. Compare it to the two "No Thanks" looks. There is no contest; the leaner slimmer look of the pencil skirt makes her appear in control, self-confident and successful. The other skirts illustrated here under the "no thanks" heading, seem disproportionate for her figure, the pink is too cutesy and the aqua just looks wrong.

NO THANKS

The Chunky Wedge and Matchy Matchy. Not my favourite look for Beckham. For a woman who can pull off the strappy stilletto sandal as a normal walking shoe and has made it a signature look, this shoe just doesn't live up to what Victoria Beckham should be wearing.

The second "No Thanks" look is the masculine big shirt with a skirt made of a fabric that looks like something from a tacky 1980s bridesmaid gown. Even her signature strappy sandals cannot save this look.

Victoria Beckham, New York City, 2015
Photo Source: StyleBistro

Victoria Beckham, New York City, 2016
Photo Source: StyleBistro

Fall to Winter Transition

Cool Choices

October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces. 

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

A Closet Content Analysis: Fall to Winter Wardrobe

NEED

Here on the Canadian prairies, now that it is the end of November, it seems too late to write a post about fall to winter transition. It is winter and has been for the past month; however my closet still does not have all the elements necessary for a winter wardrobe.

The trans-seasonal Pieces (always in the closet):

Wool Blazers/Cardigans for cool summer nights and cold winter days depends on what you wear underneath. 
Jeans
Cotton shirts

“When Josey woke up and saw the feathery frost on her windowpane, she smiled. Finally, it was cold enough to wear long coats and tights. It was cold enough for scarves and shirts worn in layers, like camouflage. It was cold enough for her lucky red cardigan, which she swore had a power of its own. She loved this time of year. Summer was tedious with the light dresses she pretended to be comfortable in while secretly sure she looked like a loaf of white bread wearing a belt. The cold was such a relief.” 

― Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen

Winter closet additions:

Wool dress pants
Cashmere, wool and blend sweaters
Heavy knit sweaters
Tights
Scarves and Jewellery to bring colour and sparkle to the black, grey, navy and browns of a winter wardrobe
A party dress or two for the Christmas and New Year's celebrations

New: Red heavy knit snood


Need:

• lightweight merino wool tops
• something more fashionable to wear on my head; something that won't plaster my hair to my scalp and then when I take it off won't lift segments of my hair up and out with static electricity
• a lightweight hooded jacket aka parka that I will be warm in but does not weigh me down like my sheepskin jacket does

Stay happy and be grateful even when the wind is blowing and the temperatures fall.

People don't notice whether it is winter or summer when they are happy.

―  Anton Chekhov 

August to October Trip to France

Clothing is the least of my concerns.

2017 has had a couple of blips in my life, more my husband's life and there have also been several blips in our friends' lives. It has been a very unsettling year. However through hope meditation and a focus on being well, we are dealing with it and as part of dealing with it, we are attempting to resume something of our normal life. That includes spending time in our house in France. This year it will only happen for 3 months, not 6 and those 3 months include summer and fall.

With each trip, I vow that I will only take a carry-on but it hasn't happened yet. This time we are traveling through the United States and I would like to limit what I take and make sure that none of it is questionable. There are some health food supplements, protein powder, Chaga mushroom tea, and ground hemp hearts that are innocent but could be questioned and although there is definitely not a problem, it seems that airport security is not always consistent. That being said, protein powders have been confiscated. I suppose the worse that could happen is that they take it as they did from a friend who was entering Australia. Aggravating perhaps but not unbearable. I don't think I'll have a problem, after all, I am in transit. The "but" is that the agent will ask me about food and I will have to say yes and . . . well, you get the picture. I think I will just wait and buy what I need in France.

So you can see that clothing is the least of my concerns on this trip. I have a summer wardrobe there already and a couple of pairs of jeans and trousers, along with a blazer or two, should get me through the cooler autumn weather. Or as a friend reminded me, "If money can solve the problem, you have no problem." - Ain't that the truth - just ask me this year.

Of course, I can buy whatever I might need however that conflicts with my downsizing efforts this year and I can just imagine myself thinking that I shouldn't buy something because I have one, albeit halfway round the world.

That was a fairly long-winded preamble to my fall travel list to France but the following list might help you plan a two-week vacation to Europe over September and October. The weather is usually pleasant on the continent, even summery by cold weather climate standards.

Traveling to Europe in the Fall

The Basics

Clothing to pack for September and October (I am making an assumption that underclothing is included and your choice, although it is not part of my list - I once received an email admonishing me for not listing underwear.)

• 2 pairs of skinny jeans: blue and black
• a coloured blazer that can be worn with the jeans or that matches a dress or skirt that you also are taking
• an LBD (aka little black dress or a little beige dress  - add a scarf or signature necklace to change it up a bit - although that is only for you, no one else cares)
• 4 to 5 tops of varying weights - mornings and evenings can be cool, although afternoons can be summer-like. Make sure they are hand-washable.
• a cashmere shawl (to use as a blanket on the plane and to use for cooler evenings)
• flat walking shoes
• a dressy flats or heels
• walking shorts - style and length will depend whether you are mostly in the country or the city
• hiking or running shoes but only if hiking and walking is part of your itinerary - I won't bother listing those items specific to any hiking, running, or sports activity since you know what you need better than I.
• a longer Gortex jacket or rain gear of some kind
• a small purse for going out at night
• a carry all — whether purse, backpack, or some other bag for long days 

That's a good start but I can guarantee you that you will want to take more. Curb your enthusiasm. 

Oh yes and take photos of your contents particularly if you are a designer kind of gal or guy; you never know, your bag could be the one lost.

Summer Clothing in a Cold Climate

There are many jokes about the length of summer on the Canadian prairies. After two days of 30+ degrees, you will hear - so did you enjoy the two days of summer? With that attitude it is difficult to spend a significant amount of money on summer clothing. It seems that what we need in Canada are transition pieces and advisement to stay in air conditioned interiors during the few hot days. Of course we don't want to do that.

This year seems to be different, spring came early and summer feels like it has been here for awhile and is likely to stay for a good while longer. Although it is raining and quite cool out there today. However, it is I who is in transition and in something of a dilemma with my summer closet. All my summer clothing is in France. This year I won't be leaving Canada until August and will only be staying in France for 3 months. I have been caught unprepared yet I have no desire to buy any summer clothing.

It so happens that much of what I found in my closets is either too big or too small, stained or ripped. Remember, I am the one who expounds the perfect fit as being the most important attribute of clothing and keeping clothing in an impeccable state. I dug through my possibilities and found the following:

NICE, NO THANKS, NOTE-WORTHY and NEED

NICE

• 1 pair of blue & white striped capris that fit perfectly
• 1 pair of creamy coloured capris that also fit perfectly
• 1 pair of white linen pants that are big but have a drawstring waistband. They feel like wearing pyjama bottoms but because they are linen, they have a "look" - that summer resort kind of "look". I have never been on a yacht but they remind me of the kind of loose linen pants you would wear as you look out at the sea. Sigh.

NO THANKS

• 3 black short sleeved t-shirts that are too tight - probably 10 pounds too tight
• 3 white short sleeved t-shirts that fit but are all stained (no other choice but to wear while gardening)
• 1 pair of beige cargo shorts, stained and too tight - probably 5 pounds too tight (reserved for gardening)
• 1 pair cargo capris in good shape and they fit but too dated (reserved for gardening)
• 1 "golf t-shirt" style black dress, too tight to wear outside of the house

I appear to be well outfitted for gardening.

NOTE-WORTHY:
Transition clothing I brought with me from France:

• 1white linen shirt that can be worn over a tank top or t-shirt or on its own
• 1 black and white striped Armor Luxe pullover, 3/4 length sleeve
• 1 turquoise and white striped Armor Luxe pullover, long sleeve

NEED: There are too many items to list. I may have to go shopping.


Update - June 21 - 
NOTE-WORTHY: Surprising what you find when you start looking. I may not go shopping after all.

Summer Work Style: Casual Choices

Closet Content Analysis: 

Casual Separates for Easy-Going Office Wear

NICE:

"Informal but pulled together" or "casual elegant" are probably the best style profiles one can choose for the summer. A t-shirt under a jacket or blazer with a skirt, pants or knee-length shorts can be the outfit of choice for any office job.

NO THANKS: 

Especially in the summer, many will dress too informally and then be caught embarrassingly underdressed when an unplanned meeting with an important client arises. I do know of some young execs who wear jeans and a tank top to the office during the summer and dress up if they have a meeting. In fact one young corporate type claims to keep a "suit" at the office specifically for such occasions. Comme vous voulez (as you want).

NOTE-WORTHY: 

If you work in a professional office you need to be well-groomed and well put together. Designer head to toe is not recommended unless you are in the fashion industry. Bank employees, depending on who their clients are, need to be particularly mindful. If you are serving a couple worried about mortgage payments, you will dress differently than if your clients are corporate entities with nose-bleed high assets.

Anne Fontaine Levana shirt
Photo Source: Anne Fontaine

NEED: 

Everyone needs a relatively simple blouse/shirt. In the summer, the tailored shirt can be replaced with a good quality dense cotton t-shirt. The fabric weight is important since you do not want a see-through gauzy fabric unless of course, you wear a simple camisole under it. But that just adds to the bulk, so go for an opaque finish and you will feel cooler. You can finish dressing in record time and you look more professional in a tailored shirt or blouse and pants, skirts or knee-length walking shorts. Even if it is casual Fridays, you need to look professional and a pencil skirt instead of pants or walking shorts accomplishes that.

Striped Smythe Blazer. Photo Source: Lyst

NECESSARY: 

A blazer is necessary. Everyone has a simple blouse/shirt and skirt, pants or walking shorts. You can finish the look and crossover to professional with the simple addition of a blazer. This Smythe blue-striped Duchess blazer would be perfect for the summer. It's on my wish list.

Check out what I have written before on the topic of "casual clothing":
Comfortable Casual or Business Attire
Summer Office Wear - What is Too Casual?
What is "Comfortable Casual"?
Knee-Length Shorts at Work and Play
Defining Casual Clothing
What Kind of Comfortable?

ITSO . . . In the Style of . . . Carolina Herrera

Photo Source: BusinessOfFashion

NICE

My favourite Carolina Herrera look is a pencil skirt with a white shirt. Actually it is the white shirt that is her trademark.

I love the look of the slightly upturned collar and the 3/4 length sleeve. Whether comfortable casual at leisure or business casual and covered with a jacket, the white shirt works and it is so, in the style of Carolina Herrera. 

On redbookmag.com Herrera offers Rules for Perfectly Simple Style" and rule #2 is that the white shirt is a "vital" item. She advises that with trousers, a man style fit is acceptable, but with a pencil skirt, it should be fitted. She also claims that for her the white shirt is like a "security blanket". Rule #5 is that "accessories make the outfit" and so it has to be if you are wearing a lot of white shirts and black bottoms. 

Elegance isn't solely defined by what you wear. It's how you carry yourself, how you speak, what you read. 

- Carolina Herrera 

Her Spring 2017 collection is predominantly black and white, with a few florals and metallics to break things up a bit and of course, she comes out to take a bow at the end in a white shirt and black skirt. Predictable yes, but always elegant and dependable. 

Fashion has always been a repetition of ideas, but what makes it new is the way you put it together. 

- Carolina Herrera

She has said many things in respect to clothing and fashion that I truly believe and so I shall respectfully leave the last words to her . . . Thank-you Carolina Herrera, we need to hear those words.

Always choose style over fashion: wear something that makes you look beautiful. 

Attention to detail is of utmost importance when you want to look good. 

It's important to find what really suits who you are, because style isn't only what you wear, it's what you project. 

Max Mara - what an opportunity!

Closet Content Analysis: Unexpected Find #2

NEW and NICE

Max Mara Camel Hair Trousers
Photo Source: Lyst

The liquidation sale of the Max Mara store on Cours de L'Attendance in Bordeaux began April 20th and will continue to June 20th, 2016. I had no idea about the liquidation but needed to go to Bordeaux to buy coffee at the Nespresso store. I had to walk past Max Mara and there it was, a "liquidation" storefront. Unfortunate that the location is going out of business but I got lucky. Max Mara makes a particular camel hair pair of pants that are classic. As my friend Aiden Joelle can attest, I have been trying to replace a pair of camel trousers for the past three years. I have told her that if she sees them in my particular size, just buy them and I will gladly reimburse with interest. It never happened.

The key was to think "winter" even though it was May. It was obvious that the store was liquidating last year's stock from summer, fall and winter. What luck! I found the trousers that have eluded me for the past three years.

There is advantage to having a "replacement clothing" list and being prepared to buy off-season. I can now check off the camel trousers. My next "discount" shopping trip will be to Romans-sur-Isere where I hope to cross off more "classics" on my list - navy blazer, royal blue Lancel purse, white shirt. Marques Avenue is not as good as liquidation but it is a darn sight better than designer storefront retail.

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.

. . . . . .