Royal Inspiration

From Spain’s Queen Letizia to the Duchess of Cambridge to Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, I enjoy watching the styles (and evolution of styles) of women who occupy some of the highest public positions in their lands.

Here are some links:

Queen Letizia:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/brands/best-spanish-brands/

http://www.queenletiziastyle.com/blog

Duchess Catherine:

http://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/news/g8421/kate-middleton-style/

plus a blog I've watched for many years:
http://katemiddletonstyle.org/

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/the-official-prince-william-catherine-kate-thread.642321/

Queen Maxima:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/805847/Queen-Maxima-fashion-moments-style-photo-pictures-The-Netherlands-Royal-Family

Princess Victoria:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/crown-princess-victoria-sweden-style-best-fashion-looks/

Queen Rania:

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/queen-rania-of-jordan.412054/page-2

Overall:

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/royalty-fashion-thread.904519/

Gala Celebration of Love

A dream wedding, and accompanying events, were hosted by my dear friends in Amsterdam. Truly the party of my lifetime! They brought together a group of like minded, fun loving, successful people from around the globe. Various festivities ensued for four full days, with some fringe activities before and after. The wedding and reception were truly unforgettable -- worthy of royalty -- and they took place in an exclusive, fantastic private club on the Dam Square, across from the palace.

But what to wear? Since I lack the self discipline that I needed to lose ten pounds, I didn't look my best. Hubby looked fantastic! Here's what I ended up wearing to the ceremony and reception:

Enjoying the festive occasion, filled with love!

I bought this rose-coral dress from Alexander McQueen's spring-summer 2012 collection, and am quite pleased with it. When I've lost those ten pounds, I'll be truly delighted to wear it! The dress is paired with my Prada "dark nude" patent pumps, which are low-heeled with a platform and quite comfortable. A local artist in Hawi crafted my multi-strand pearl necklace. The cape is also by McQueen ... from his final collection, so I treasure it. I carried my vintage Bally quilted gold leather bag, and felt pretty good about how it all came together.

I could have worn a belt, but I didn't want to emphasize my waistline. I continue to look for a great belt, but it's a low priority effort. One of my favorite looks for this dress accessorizes it with navy, so great navy accessories are also on my radar.

Occasions: Wedding in Amsterdam

My dear friends are getting married in Amsterdam in a few months, so Peter and I will fly to London to check on business interests and catch up with friends, before taking the Eurostar to Holland for the wedding.

Today I decided what I'll wear to brunch, or another dress-up event (but not the wedding). In 2008, I bought a vintage 1980s skirt suit by Janice Wainwright from a lovely woman in the U.K. She wore it once, with a big black hat, to Ascot -- and possibly a second time. It is three pieces, jacket, skirt, and long scarf, made of silk twill that is about the same weight and texture of fabric as my Hermès scarves. The cut is fabulous, with padded shoulders, 3/4 length dolman sleeves, and kimono-like paneling on the jacket. The skirt wraps around in the large dot pattern, but has a black silk handkerchief overlay as a front panel.

Here's the only photo I have of it, from her listing:

1980s vintage silk three piece skirt suit by Janice Wainwright

If I wear the scarf as a sash around my waist, I will tie it in the back, allowing to drape and somewhat mirror the draping black panel on the skirt's front.
Even though the label says "dry clean only," I'm considering a delicate hand wash in cold water. I'm worried about the harsh dry-cleaning chemicals on thirty year old fabric. Plus, I love my Hermès scarves after I hand wash them. They're softer, cleaner, brighter and feel better when I wear them. I am a bit worried, because of the assymetrical design elements and custom construction of the outfit -- but it probably will hold up better because of those factors.

I asked the seller to tell me her special memories about the dress, and she replied:

"I wore the black and white outfit, with a very large black hat (which I still have) to go to the Derby the year my husband hired a box to entertain friends and business acquaintances. I don't think he ever quite got over what the day cost him - because he never did it again! Ah, those were the days.

Best wishes,

Marie"

I tried it on moments ago, and love the look! Now, I need to decide about shoes. Fun!

Travel Wardrobe for Frozen Europe

Using Polyvore to plan capsule wardrobes, such as those for a trip, is one of my favorite online recreational pursuits. I've been planning and editing a draft travel wardrobe for my upcoming trip, but need to adjust it to account for record low temperatures. I just tried on a pair of warm winter boots buried in my closet to substitute for the regular boots I planned to take.

Also, I decided to take a dress on the trip. Searching my wardrobe, I decided to take this vintage Janice Wainwright black crepe long sleeved dress from the 1970s that I bought in 2003.

The ruffles and bias cut skirt, with a few ruffles along the bias seams, transform an otherwise practical dress to special status. I need to add a belt. It's a lightweight wool, and requires a full length slip underneath.

My color palette is black, grey, white, purple and red. I think it's going to work well. I'll take a few scarves to complement the separates, and a few pieces of jewelry -- including my red floral skull scarf and red heart Swarovski necklace with the gold heart bail.

I think I'm in a Valentine's Day mood! Of course, I'll take a few of my "everyday" necklaces.

Here's how the travel wardrobe is shaping up. Quite a few of these items are the actual pieces I own, but a few of the basics (turtlenecks and suede boots in particular) are generic versions of items I own. I will take only one pair of boots, but haven't decided which. Also will take a warm black quilted rainproof jacket and gloves. I need to hem two pairs of pants (in process) and shorten the sleeves of my black leather/knit jacket, and find a belt that works for the dress. A belt for the pants is already packed.

Another important activity, that I should finish immediately, is the recording of my Spanish refresher CDs into iTunes and on to an iPod. Tear me away from this computer!

p.s. Here's the post-journey debriefing -- what I actually wore while in Spain and Holland:

Scarves

On my way to Amsterdam, I had some time to kill in O'Hare Airport. I was wearing my favorite travel outfit, a scoop-neck, 3/4 sleeve knit tunic in an oatmeal color, black leggings, my unbeatably comfortable NAOT Matai Maryjanes (in which I can walk on cobblestones for ten hours without any discomfort), soft black socks, and the Alexander McQueen scarf that -- surprisingly -- I've received the most compliments on of any I own. It's made of 90% modal and 10% cashmere, with fringed edges, and is a very generous 52 inches square.

When it's rolled up and draped around my neck, there's no indication whatsoever of those engaging skeletons, unless I unroll and unfold to reveal them. Between flights, while sitting in the Red Carpet Club, I worked out a new (for me) way to tie it. Nearly immediately I began to receive compliments, and they never stopped.

Tonight I played with other scarves, and was able to replicate the same wrap and tie method that I devised, this time using my Folklore scarf:

I'm not sure about the pearls; they're really only for the photograph. Feeling quite capable, I grabbed another, my cream colored Armoured Skeleton and Rope scarf, and fiddled around a bit more, for these two looks:

and this version, which I prefer, and which shows off a bit of the McQueen Tartan that's in the shields on the scarf:

Now I've just got to improve my skills as a photographer! Being able to focus would be a good start!

Losing Weight

Since the first of August, I've been limiting my calories to basic nutrition, with a few treats, and exercising a bit more. Tracking it all, using the fantastic and free iPhone app LoseIt, has helped me to remain disciplined about not snacking or grazing when bored. Since August 2, I've lost 5.4 pounds. I can tell that it's not water loss, and I am thrilled!

To reward myself, I learned how to tie this knot in my fabulous Folklore scarf from Alexander McQueen:

I'm preparing for another long journey next month that includes a semi-formal wedding weekend in Maine, followed by a week in Amsterdam, a week in South Africa, and a long weekend in London. I have been playing with Polyvore to plan my outfits. Such fun! I haven't finalized my travel wardrobe yet, as I am learning the limitations and possibilities of Polyvore. Where unable to find the exact item of clothing I own, I search for an equivalent one in style and appearance -- and often these equivalent items cost much more than my original items. I think that I am a careful and savvy shopper who gets a lot of value for money well spent ... but perhaps I'm just another addicted consumer.

I think I have the wedding outfit decided (minus jewelry, and that will determine choice of wrap), and a good idea of what I want to wear while I'm living the city life in Amsterdam and London, but challenging style choices remain. Today I will try to decide on the jewelry I'm going to take. At the moment, I'm wearing two pretty 18-inch cultured pearl necklaces (7 to 7.5 mm) that I tried on earlier; they probably are too sedate, although I have decided to begin wearing them again. The wedding guests have been encouraged to display their finest bling. Since I'm traveling on to Europe and Africa, I don't want to carry valuable pieces. I have a rhinestone rope, vintage 1920s, that I may take ... although it is virtually irreplaceable, and thus just as valuable as my "real" gems.

Also, when I peruse my closet for travel items, I come across more options for Africa, including an attractive sturdy khaki skirt with large pockets, and several other safari-style garments. We will camp in an elephant park for two nights, but I can't justify having the skirt for that. The marketing for the Cape Town hotel features Eastern European looking babes in sexy, chic clothing ... so would my skirt just be dowdy, even with a crisp white blouse? And will my Teva hiking sandals do the trick with socks on -- or do I need sturdier shoes? It will be spring when I'm there.

Posing and Taking Photos of Myself

Today I found this post by Imogen with a few tips about posing for photos.

I wish that I looked like this model (below), so that I wouldn't need to worry about photos. I find that I mostly dislike how I look in photos; this wasn't true ten years ago. It seems that I may also need to reconcile my feelings about cosmetic surgery...

My favorite outfit from Alexander McQueen's Resort 2012 collection is here. I'll try to acquire it at end of season sales. Wish me luck!

I love the look of the entire collection, actually!

What I Wore in England and Cornwall

Here's what I took to England and Cornwall:

And a few outfit shots. First, my Chanel jacket with lots of pearls, worn to Afternoon Tea at the Lanesborough Conservatory. Such a disappointing tea, extraordinarily overpriced.

Quite unexpectedly, we were invited to the Mehndi Lunch of a Pakistani Muslim groom and Indian Hindu Bride. This was held at the Royal Aeronautical Society in Hamilton Place near Park Lane. We were told that friends of the groom wore red, and our connection was to the groom, so I wore this outfit (being unprepared) but with my red jersey shirt, instead of the white one shown in my “tryout photo.” We walked the half mile from our hotel, and my feet were killing me! Never again will I walk in heeled shoes that haven’t been tested.

Here, I'm dressed quite casually for breakfast at our hotel in Bath ...

For our special day at Avebury and Stonehenge, I was able to wear my Alexander McQueen skull scarf with my red tunic and black leggings, both by Eileen Fisher, along with my favorite Naot ‘Matai’ shoes.

Seven Basic Pieces

These items of clothing, plus a few accessories shown here, form the core of my travel wardrobe:

1. black ponte pants (by Not Your Daughter's Jeans)
2. black straight leg jeans (also NYDJ)
3. white v-neck top, 3/4 sleeves (by Carole Little)
4. black long sleeved turtleneck (by Carole Little)
5. short, straight black knit skirt (by Ann Klein)
6. black and white graphical print dress (by En Focus Petite)
7. dressy black vest with lace overlay back (by Charles Gray - London)

In the photo are my seven basic pieces of travel clothing, a couple of scarves and a bag.

So far, I've added my lipstick red silk chiffon scarf (by Laura Ashley), and my Alexander McQueen silk chiffon skull scarf, along with a vintage quilted leather Bally bag with a woven leather and chain strap.

Better photos will follow!

On my Wish List, In my Dreams

If I had an unlimited budget, I would buy Jan Hilmer's Lily Hooded Jacket without hesitation. Beautifully cut, it is a glamorous and useful outer garment for traveling to England and Cornwall! A hip jacket to wear in London, it works as a practical coat in the country as well.

Also, since last year, I've been lusting after Alexander McQueen's celtic lace leggings, but I never submitted the final purchase button. After all, I'm only one year shy of age sixty! Since I'm age nineteen in my brain, usually I go with that. But my fear of being viewed as a foolish older woman desperately trying to look younger prevented me from completing the purchase.

Perhaps if I lose ten pounds I'll become more courageous. :-) I think those leggings are fantastic! I most definitely would have worn them in my twenties and am attracted to them in the same way today.

As of this week, however, I never may be able to own them. They've been sold out since February at Alexander McQueen boutiques; the last retailer I could find that sold them was Nieman Marcus. This outfit (includes the leggings) has been on my wishlist at NM, and now the leggings are unavailable.

It's probably obvious that I'm experimenting with polls within blog posts. Please humor me, answer my poll below as well, and feel free to leave a comment if you have more details. I'll report on the answers in a future post.



What Shoes to Wear with the Leather Jacket and Lace Leggings?

Once I reached age 36 or so (23 years ago), I began to wear lower heels and actively seek comfortable, chic, supportive shoes. At home I wear orthotic but attractive sandals with good arch support and cushioned footbeds. This limits my footwear choices, but makes a huge difference in preventing a tired and aching back and legs after a long day on my feet. Typical "slippahs" (flip flops) are worn by most folks in Hawaii, but don't work for me.

Christian Louboutin's footwear earns consistent rave reviews for sheer beauty and perfection in design, but also for comfort while walking and wearing his breathtaking designs. Of course, I never could wear heels as high as the model wearing the celtic lace leggings and Victorian bustle dress above. However, I'm pretty sure that I could handle these Sexy 85 open toe pumps from the master himself, and I'm very sure I can handle his 70s. Perhaps it's a dream, but I've set my intention to find a bargain price for the perfect pair of Loubies!

Perhaps the real question should be this: With the gothic influences in these two pieces, am I trying to channel my niece Shannon? Hmmm .....
;-)

Alexander McQueen