Soft Pants v. Hard Pants

  A friend told me that her sister — lucky enough to retire at a relatively young age — once said of our workplace, “I don’t know how you do it. Wearing those hard pants all day.” You might be thinking that “wearing hard pants” is a euphemism for unpleasant or difficult work, like acrimonious … Read more

Casual Friday: Professorial Tweed

But this tweed jacket is totally safe because I wore it a lot last winter. I often wear it with a white or cream colored blouse and jeans, but this crisply-patterned blouse is a fun alternative. A brown tweed jacket like this also looks good with pale pink or lavender (a blouse or sweater) and … Read more

Like Mother, Like Daughter

  A dear friend of mine recently read French Twist: An American Mom’s Experiment in Parisian Parenting and told me she was suprised to learn that French parents discuss clothing with their children – and even believe that teaching them style is part of raising them. Her surprise surprised me because I assumed that her … Read more

The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, Remixed

Let’s take a look at details.   A different sweater and accessories create a more relaxed, but still professional, look. The key to wearing a sweater over a dress is that the sweater must be cropped so that it hits at or above your natural waistline. A design that is cinched at the waist, like … Read more

Am I Too Old to Shop in This Store?

  The Dainty Sianos, too, were no longer available through the Doc Martens website, but on the off-chance that Doc Martens retail and website inventories were not integrated, I called the Doc Martens store in Georgetown. Bingo! They had the shoes and so I paid for them by phone and told the clerk I’d come … Read more

About Animal Prints

      And it reminded me of something. Something very pleasing.     An abstract animal representation!   But let’s leave the free association aside for now, and make sure you have a little leopard on hand.   Trench coat: Tory Burch; Scarf: Ann Taylor; Shoes: Camper; Red blouse: Anthropologie; White pants: JCrew; Leopard-print … Read more

Casual Friday: Smart Jacket

  Let’s see if a closer look shows what I am trying to convey.     I bought this a couple of years ago on Gilt and when I think back on it, the pictures on Gilt utterly failed to show how the jacket was fabricated and constructed. I was very surprised when it arrived. … Read more

The Virtues of White Blouses

  No list of wardrobe essentials is complete — or reliable — if it doesn’t include the white blouse. I am going to go one step further and advise: no wardrobe is complete without a few white blouses. I recommend poplin blouses with long sleeves, short sleeves, and no sleeves as well as a variety … Read more