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Observations in Fashion

Great Travel Outfits—The Fall/Winter Edition

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Knowing exactly what to pack for a trip takes some practice. There is much to consider when  planning your outfits for a vacation or business travel. Weather, activities, and comfort are a few line items to contemplate. The fact is the more time you take to plan what you will be wearing the more seamless your journey will be.

Your style is important but so is comfort. The other sometimes overlooked factor for consideration is confidence. You don’t want to land somewhere and look like a tourist. You want to blend into the culture and feel as though you fit right in. 

Before you begin packing for your next trip reach for pieces that are practical (easy to launder and wrinkle resistant), can be layered and worn with other items you have packed.

What you need to pack is simple—cardigans, pants with a little stretch, scarves that can also be worn as a wrap, tee shirts and knit tops in soft fabrics, boots with a thick sole for walking, and of course a great cold weather coat. Here are a few outfits to get you started.

Your packing list should include a fabulous winter coat, comfortable jeans, an oversized sweater, and easy-to-walk in ankle boots.
PS-Don’t forget your gloves!
A knit dress is an essential piece of clothing during the colder months of Fall and Winter. They are wrinkle resistant, forgiving, and so easy to wear.
This travel outfit is perfect for many occasions.
When you choose your travel outfits consider packing knits and woven fabrics with a bit of lycra. Adding splashes of color is also worth adding to your packing list.
Combat boots with a thick Vibram sole are indispensable if you plan on doing a lot of walking. Another piece to pack would be a sweater jacket as they can be easily worn as a layering piece underneath a coat.
Pack plenty of knit tops in different colors, plush sweaters, and good walking boots.
This outfit will work seamlessly on your flight and on the ground.

Eat well, laugh a lot, and travel chic!

A Life In Heels And A Few Regrets

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On July 1 of this year Debbie Harry turned 74. As the lead singer of the New Wave band Blondie, Debbie was not only known as a punk icon but she was also a prodigious trendsetter. In her memoir Face It, she writes about her decades-long life as a struggles and successes as an artist.  But when asked by a reporter about any regrets, she insisted, “The only thing I regret is I can’t wear heels anymore.”

As much as I enjoyed the NY Times piece about Debbie Harry, it was this declaration that resonated.  “The only thing I regret is I can’t wear heels anymore.” It’s worth mentioning that her rock star, life story presents a rich assortment of much more promising contenders for life’s regrets but no.  Debbie’s only real regret is that she can no longer wear heels.

I empathize.  Heels are the fashion staple that make us taller and give us slimmer silhouettes, longer legs, and a youthful, sensual feeling.  Giving up heels is an acknowledgment that we have reached middle age. 

In reality, we enter middle age sometime in our 40s.  But it isn’t until our 50s or even 60s that the realization sets in.  When it does, we begin reassessing our wardrobes and mourn the days of our youth when we could wear our skirts shorter, our tops tighter, and our heels higher. And so we reluctantly begin a wardrobe makeover. We wonder how we were ever able to to balance our bodies on sky-high heels for hours on end for days on end.

When I look at my own wardrobe, I take inventory of all of the heels I no longer wear that sit dormant in my closet collecting dust. I have given away many in recent years. But I still have quite a few that never see the light of day or the darkness of night.  Like some of you I keep them because I think I will wear them again but most likely will not. However, I do still have a few standouts that I will slip on but only occasionally. 

Actually I wore a pair out to dinner the other night. I ate, I drank, I danced and just like I did when I was young my heels were the first thing I took off when I got home. I have several regrets in life.  But that night my only regret was too many glasses of champagne.

Eat well, laugh a lot, and be chic!

The Next Time You Fly Get Your Beauty Sleep With These Tips

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Traveling is a favorite hobby of mine. Through the years I have mastered maneuvering swiftly through TSA security checkpoints and packing for a lengthy vacation in one carryon. But getting a little shut-eye on a flight is a little trickier.

Mastering sleeping or even napping successfully while flying is not easy but here are a few tips to help you get your zzzz’s on your next flight. 

~Get a good neck pillow. I have tried many and my favorite is the Trtl pillow. It looks more like a wrap scarf but has a hidden neck support. The other great thing about this pillow is it takes up very little space and no inflating is required.

~No matter whether I am flying during the coldest moths of winter or the hottest months of summer I always take a travel scarf with me. Here’s the thing; airplanes can be freezing and wrapping yourself in a big scarf can help you snooze a little better. 

~Regardless if you are at risk for blood clots or not wearing compression socks will help with circulation and prevent your feet from swelling. How do they work? Compression socks steadily squeeze your legs helping your veins and muscles move blood more efficiently.

~If you are serious about getting some shut-eye pick up an eye mask—a good one. Simply closing your eyes will not shut out all of the light.

~Earplugs are a good idea as well but not the ubiquitous squishy ones they hand out on flights—those always fall out. As far as the humungous noise cancelling headphones they work nicely but they are bulky. I like these by Hearheed they will not fall out of your ears and are made of soft and malleable silicon.

~Download Headspace. I swear by this meditation app! It has an exercise for daily meditation that helps with anxiety, stress and other issues. It is their featured sleepcast which I find extremely helpful  at home when I have trouble sleeping but when it comes to getting my zzz’s on a flight I find indispensable!

~Don’t forget to take your melatonin. We produce melatonin naturally but flying through different time zones will mess with your melatonin levels. Take it orally and it will signal your brain that it is time to sleep. Pop one when you are ready to call it a night.

~Alcohol is a no-no but if a glass of wine or a martini is going to help you relax then have the glass of wine or martini. Just remember one is better than two.

Sleep well, laugh a lot and be chic!