Off to Artomatic

Off to Artomatic on Saturday! Artomatic is a wonderful even where an entire office building is taken over (this year in Crystal City) in order to display work from artists using different media. The art we saw was so interesting we only made 2 floors of the 8!  But we were rewarded with fabulous and interesting works and installations.  The wonderful part of Artomatic is that any artist who pays $110.00 can have a space to showcase his/her art, so even artists who have never shown before get a chance to display their work.
    Dress had to be very casual since we walked for hours; comfortable shoes a must!  My shoes are by Blowfish, very comfortable criss-cross wedge sandals. Casual Old Navy tee, and Land's End pants in khaki (flat front, side zip with no pockets).  Bag is Prada quilted navy tessuto with chain straps.

Gucci watch. Cluny Grey gemstone necklace featuring aquamarines, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and 14 karat gold-filled accents. My favorite necklace is this Portuguese cross, a Christmas present from my husband when we were in Portugal. 

Perfume: Fracas

Nail Polish: Essie, A-dor-a-bal

What I'm Wearing

The shorts are new for me. I'm not sure how  feel about them yet, but after wearing them a few hours, I've found that they are quite comfortable.  I'm trying them out for our trip to Paris.  We'll be taking my grand-daughter to Euro-Disney and I'm thinking that it is going to be too hot for long pants.  And you know how I feel about crops!  These have a cuff and seem a little dressier than most shorts. I'm wearing them today with a turquoise tee from Old Navy, my favorite Franco Sarto snakeskin sandals, and my Hermes Andalucia scarf.  David Yurman watch. Cluny Grey mixed gemstone necklace.

I find that I often wear my hair in a ponytail.  I wear a high ponytail although I've read that at my age, one isn't supposed to.  But it's the most comfortable for me and I think looks better than a lower ponytail (which also bothers the back of my neck).

Below, in keeping with being truly realistic about what I wear and how I look, I have not done anything to the photo below. (I see some messy eye makeup!)

  Estee Lauder Fresh Air foundation; Armani blush in #10; Estee Lauder lipstick. Underneath, Estee Lauder Daywear moisturizing cream with SPF 15. And yes, my hair needs trimming badly!

How to Look Slimmer for Summer

On my way to do errands. I'm on a diet, trying to do Weight Watchers online. The best part is the being able to keep up with what you eat online and have the app automatically gauge points for me. The hardest part is to get exercise. I get busy and forget to take a walk or do something active. I've got to work on that! Today, I'm wearing very inexpensive clothes. I've had the pants for about 4 years; they are from Land's End and are their side-zip flat fronts that they unfortunately don't make any more (why!?). The tee is also from Land's End. Although the quality of their clothing has sadly decreased lately, I do like their tees that are fitted. They are more slimming as long as you order the right size. The important thing is to wear a bra that fits and to keep everything smooth that you are wearing.

Watch is David Yurman; shoes are Franco Sarto. 

Rutilated quartz bracelet is a Cluny Grey.
I've found a new go-to nail polish that I am loving. It's from Essie and is called A-dor-a-bal. It's a soft, clean but not bright white colour that looks great for summer!

Capris: Please, Just Say NO!

It's that time of year: the time when many otherwise chic, sensible and even elegant women feel the heat and decide to wear that which is lovely on almost no one! I speak of course of cropped pants and/or capris.  I've had a longstanding animosity for what was known in the 'fifties as "pedalpushers" probably because I was so skinny in grade school that my mother would not let me wear shorts, but instead put me in cropped pants.  They usually just covered my kneecap in a very awkward way and sometimes made sitting and other movement problematic because they were binding there - that is, until I had worn them for several hours and they had stretched out or ripped and were even more unsightly.

  I am (just last week) 61 years old, and well aware of the changes time has wrought: no more shorts for me outside of my house and the beach. Cropped pants would seem to be a good alternative to the hot summers here; they would cover my upper legs and yet be cooler than long pants.  I understand why women want to wear them.

  But if you look at the evidence, better to suffer the heat or put on a simple short dress than wear one of the most unbecoming garments ever constructed.

  Above, a young, very pretty, very thin model wears cropped pants and looks, well, okay. Now if you were going to say that she looks fabulous (which she does in face and body), stop and really think about what she is wearing.  Yes, she has long legs and thin ankles - a must for wearing cropped pants.  But look at how disproportionately wide her hips appear in these pants! She would look much sexier wearing shorts or long pants.

  

Above, three chic women who don't look all that chic thanks to the crops.  Cameron Diaz looks ready for the office from the waist up, and ready for the gym shower room from the waist down.

  I adore Gwenyth Paltrow but I have never, ever seen her look worse! If she looks like this, just think how you will look with that 20+ extra pounds you've put on in the last few years.

  Who is thinner than Victoria Beckham with her invisible hips?  Still, not a good look for her either.

Perhaps one of the worst aspects of cropped pants is that they are heavily advertised to, well, heavier women.  The result is not pretty or chic. And if you are dressing to look slimmer, my first tip is to avoid cropped pants.

  Above, she needs balance for those hips, even though she has worn high heels and does have good looking ankles.

Below, if you are an apple, stay wwwwwwwwway away from cropped pants.

These casual cropped cargoes are good if you are on an archeological dig; otherwise, just say no!

Above, these cropped pants stop at the worst possible point on this plus model's heavier legs; she's compounded the squat look by wearing flats with crossed straps that hit right at what should be the thinnest part of the ankles. Yes, this is a fashion problem. Imagine how much better she would look with long pants and even a low heeled pump.

Above, while a bit longer, these crops are wide at the bottom so that they will soon wrinkle and flare out above these flat thongs.

  Cropped pants are not always terrible. If you look below, you see some cropped pants that actually look chic, but note that they are really what some would call "ankle" pants rather than cropped.  The pants stop at the smallest part of the ankle - good if you have pretty ankles and wear the right shoes.

The right shoes are usually heels although not always. Below, since these pants are longer and the model is very thin and tall, she can go for flats. Notice though that while her sandals have crossed straps, they are well below the small of the ankle.

Above, yes, it's one of the Olsen girls; keep her in mind the next time you decide to try on cropped pants if you are under 5'6" and weigh over 130 pounds.

  I realize that some of you may think I'm harsh, but remember, I'm talking about what looks good on a woman over 50, and what will look chic.  I have sweats I like to wear (and often do), but I don't try to accessorize them and think I will look elegant.

  Do you have a picture of yourself in cropped pants that you think looks great? I'd love to see you!  Please share!

Dressing Slim: The Tops That Work

Fashion changes constantly of course, although it reverts to styles that were once in fashion years before. If you don't believe that's true, just wait until you're over 50, and to your surprise you will find that "something old is new again." Happens all the time. Of course, vintage is recognized as vintage because there's always a different take on the fashion: the material is very different, the colours are modern, the style is old but the length changes. This is why I cannot pass off the mini I got married in (the first time) for those that are in style now.
Of the newer styles, one that I almost passed on that would have been a great mistake is the Empire waist look, both in dresses and tops. Why was I going to pass on it?
First, because I remember wearing the Empire waist dresses in junior high - not my favourite time period (circa 1965). Secondly, I associate a lot of the Empire waist with clothing worn during pregnancy - not my favourite look either.

But I was wrong. Instead of making a woman look like she's pregnant or has a gargantuan tummy. the Empire waists today are cut subtly and naturally and give a pleasant shape to the body, often emphasizing a good bustline and making the most of a small one, and hiding a multitude of faults, including a protruding tummy and wide hips.

The tops (such as these from Anthropolgie, a favourite online store) have shape and give shape to a thickening middle. The long tunic you see above also have the virtue of de-emphasizing large hips and tummy. In a solid colour with good tailoring details, you will look fashionable and slimmer!
The second top perhaps really isn't an Empire, but has the same look in many ways. Its shaped with darts that lead the eye to the center of the decolletage ; its lacy neck is feminine and sexy rather than froufrou and it's almost 3/4 length sleeves hide the upper arms (which are sometimes a bit less than beautiful on some of us). Just make sure that it is not too low!
The cummerbund top (to the left) has the flattering (and usually slimming) V-neck, and sleeves that aren't skin-tight. The Empire waist is subtle, and the vertical lines of the bust area both lead the eye to the bustline and give the illusion of slimming. The blouse is cut so that the waist is shaped - which means that it will give you some shape instead of hanging like a square cut boxy tee. The wider sleeves give a feminine look, but once again without being froufrou.
The great thing about these, too, is that they work for any age. Even if you are over 60, you can still wear these tops and look age-appropriate.
Finally, dresses with an Empire waist can be even more slimming than the tops. Be careful about the length however since a too-short Empire dress can make you look like a sausage with a bit of twine tied around it. A longer length or below knee length is usually best if you are over 40, and wearing the dress with boots is even more flattering.
Also pay close attention to the neckline: low necklines with a V or a higher neckline look good. Both the red and brown Empire waist dresses here are flattering to the slightly overweight figure. However, the fuschia dress with the square cut neckline screams, "WIDE". If you're even slightly overweight or busty, run screaming from this one!
By the way, the best way to look slimmer? Get slimmer! Start your diet today, and start exercising, too.

Note: all the clothing on this entry from Anthropologie.com.


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