Forever Chic Style

  Dressing for Success        "Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman" Coco Chanel On a wintery day in the Pacific Northwest, I thought I would write about my favorite athletic wear - Lululemon .   I wear Lululemon   365 days a year.  Yes, I do!  Why you ask? Because the apparel is created of the highest quality fabrics, in an array of beautiful colors, styles and designs, super comfortable and made of dry-fit or sweat-wicking material.  They never pill, washes well, and keeps for years. Furthermore, these numbers remind me daily to work out and get moving! More importantly, Lululemon makes you look and feel great.  As Billy Crystal once said on SNL, "It is more important to look good than to feel good. "You look marvelous."   My Daily Routine    "The joy of dressing is an art." John Galliano When I wake up in the morning, I slip into a pair of Lululem...

  New Day, New Dawn, New Life "Give a girl the right set of boots, shoes, and she can conquer the world." - Marilyn Monroe January 2021 is here.  Yes. We have patiently waited, been thoughtful, diligent and now the year is upon us.  Wishing happiness to all of you as we battle on.  The end is nearing for the virus, which brings smiles to everyone.  It is an exciting time with revitalized energy coursing through our veins.  An era of promise hope and  much more.  Get ready to soar, achieve your dreams and spread goodwill toward others.  "What good is the warmth of summer with out the chill of winter?" - John Steinbeck Along the path, winter has arrived.  Rain, snow, sleet, and hail in the mix for some and in the future for others.  What I love right now?  Over the knee boots.  A must for the cold days of winter.  Here are my favorites for a winter wonderland of fashion.  Even if you are working from home, there is...

  Tis The Season to be Merry The jolliest time of the year is upon us.  Let the shopping and merriment commence.  Of course, this  HO HO HO holiday will be unlike seasons past and instead will include the necessary precautions.  However, we can still enjoy the festivities with a new spin.  Our plans will be the opposite of last year, yet the joy of giving will remain intact.  In a way, it reminds me of Cindy Lou Who from the story, cartoon, and movie, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (2000) .   All the Who's down in Whoville were merrily singing on Christmas Day without ribbons, packages, boxes, and tags.  They were happy without the usual trappings of the holiday.  The Who's knew the importance of the holiday does not come from a store.  It comes from the heart.   The Grinch's heart grew three times this day.  The Grinch came down the mountain top and delivered the stolen gifts with a greater heart and an underst...

Baby It's Cold Outside "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." Ralph Waldo Emerson The damp, dreary, wet and snow filled days are upon us for the upcoming months.   The change in the air is palpable along with early darkness falling across the land.   2020 has indeed been the craziest year for everyone with the horror of Covid, lockdowns and a roller coaster election.   After a nail-biting, hair-pulling, stress filled election this week with no clear resolution, it is best to remain steady and calm.   Life is indeed a wild ride with ups and downs, twists and turns.  You would not want your life to be dull, would you?  This year, more than any other year, in my lifetime, 2020 is one of complete societal pandemonium.  If someone had told me on New Year's Eve, that everyone's life in 2020 would be completely turned upside down, we would have looked at them and thought they were off their rocker.  Or maybe had imbibed a...

  The World of Confidence "Get your game face on!"  There are no ugly women, just lazy ones." -  Helena Rubinstein, Founder of Helena Rubinstein Incorporated If you are like me, you love to wear makeup no matter what you are doing daily.   A dusting of eyeshadow, liner, foundation, eyebrow pencil, mascara and a strong lip always commands attention.  In the days of Zoom , MS Teams, the power effect from taking more time with your makeup is essential. After all, it is "lights, camera and action" for many these days when the cameras are on.   Do you not want to appear confident, fresh and in control?   Yes, it is easy to abstain from applying makeup, in our current land, but are not you worth it to focus on your assets for YOU!  I guarantee you will feel better about yourself, self-confident and ready to take on any task.  It is fascinating that those who stand out these days are the ones making the effort.  It is okay to b...

  What I Love This Monday? YSL - Tattoo Lip Stain The end of October is finally here with Halloween as the finale to this month.  Hopefully, everyone is having a wonderful season filled with pumpkins, beauty outside, fireplaces going, warm clothes and so much more.  Halloween will be different this year, but we can still celebrate in our own unique way.  Lately, I have been thinking about lipstick and how I love to wear color daily.  Masks have prevented us to see our beautiful smiles though the eyes do give you away when you grin with enthusiasm.   Thus, lipstick may not be something you are wearing.  What if you love to wear lipstick?  In thinking about masks and lipsticks, we need a solution that does not stain.  I have found that YSL has a terrific lip stain that lasts and does not rub off onto your mask.  As you all know, regular lipstick rubs off and suddenly you are dealing with a mess.   I like to drive without a ...

  Fall Beauty - Barbour Lightening, rain, cold, wind and hail came down today.  However, following with blue skies, sunshine and roadsides lined with glorious trees that are filled with sublime yellow, red, and gold leaves.  Fall is simply mind blowing in the Pacific Northwest.  The awe moments are memorable and make fall one of the best seasons.  We need these magnificent breaks in the weather to remind how spectacular and blessed we are to be alive.  Even watching "Charlottes" maintain their webs throughout the changing weather is divine.  Charlotte's are of course spiders that flourish during the change in weather patterns.  There is nothing better to see raindrops sparkling on webs spread randomly between the fading plants.  Enough about the weather.  Instead we need to think about being warm.   My new favorite brand is Barbour which has been around since 1894 and are based in the South Shields, England.  The brand is ...

  Classic is Key L'Agence Recently, I cleaned out my closet and donated seven bags of apparel.   The items ranged from high quality constructed blazers that I have owned over a decade along with other clothes that no longer fit.  It was difficult to let go of so many beautiful and well cherished pieces.  However, I know someone out there will love the blazers, skirts and suits that were donated.  They will be used rather than languishing in my closet and collecting dust.  At the end of Finding Nemo (2003) .   Nemo and his pals state, "Now What?"   When you are done purging the aftermath in a wardrobe can be unnerving.  You may find yourself in Nemo's predicament and think  "Now What?"   "Where are my blazers for those occasions I need them?" Of course, over the last 8 months we have been primarily house bound and without need of fancy apparel.  For me, I have lived in shorts, tees, jeans, cashmere pullovers, tennis s...

  What I love this Week? - Red Lips for Fall & Winter I have been remiss in writing for the last several weeks.   A holiday writing break for me.  I enjoyed a spell in Lake Chelan with friends, walks with my husband, time with dear friends (masked) and reveled in the change from summer to fall. Moreover, the beautiful trees with orange, gold and red, along with brisk air and many Charlotte's intricate spun webs in the garden filled my heart and mind with happiness.  How can one not see the beauty in the world?    Now, I am back and ready to share my favorite things once again to my readers.    There is so much to be grateful for every day.  Don't you think?   It is easy to get caught up in the ugly and hate that unfurls like wildfire in our country.  Isn't it better to fill our minds with love, hope and kindness?  Everyone seems on edge perhaps from the lengthy uncertainty of Covid 19 or the increasingly ugliness of ou...

  What I Love This Week -  Ray-Ban Sunglasses My well-loved polarized Ray-Bans are scratched from constant wearing and setting them down.  Apparently, I should have put them in their case more than I did.  One day while driving, I noticed that the scratches on the lens were bothering me.  Upon a recent trip to my favorite store, I spotted a new pair of shades.  I tried them on and the rest is history.   I love these retro sunglasses.  They fit perfectly and have the polarization that is a must.  Why?  A glass surface is horizontal, the light reflects horizontally.   With polarized sunglasses, the surface filters out the horizontal light waves and protects from harmful UV rays. For example, wear a pair of sunglasses without polarization and investigate a river or lake.  You will not see the fish swimming clearly.  With polarized sunglasses you can see the fish with an eagle eye.  Thus, my fascination with wea...

  What I Love This Week -  Shady Lady Pajamas - So Pretty On a recent visit to Nordstrom for my favorite lingerie detergent, which they are out of and waiting shipment from manufacturer, I noticed a new pajama brand -   Shady Lady!  I love the fun prints, soft fabric and the Lily Pultizer like vibe.  The tiger print, animal pattern with monkey's and cheetah's reminds me of the jungle or somewhere warm and lush.  Perhaps with an ocean or pool near by.  In my dreams - right! As you all know, it is difficult to find elegant, classic and gorgeous pajamas.  Either the fabric screams child, or are in boring frumpy patterns or heavy fabrics.   I personally would like pajamas that are flattering, sexy and crazy fun.   The same for robes.  Why has everything become so dull and monochrome? Let's bring back glamour and excitement.  I did ask if they anticipated a fall and winter shipment with long sleeves.  After all,...

  What I Love This Week -  Perfume - Scents, seductive, fresh and oh so beautiful Lancome's Le Vie est Belle Eau De Parfum (Life is Beautiful) is lovely and unforgettable.  Have you ever worn a perfume that receives lots of comments?  I personally love this scent.  And, yes others do comment.   The name of the perfume constantly reminds me that life is indeed beautiful.  Life is a gift.  It is to be cherished and and should be enjoyed.  Don't let Negative Nelly's ,  Angry Annie's or Righteous Rita's  ruin your day. Avoid those that do not lift your spirits or make you smile.  Seek out laughter with others either online or in-person.  Spritz on your favorite perfume.  Put on something pretty and start the day with the knowledge that your life choices and decisions matter.  You are special.    Lancome's Le Vie est Belle Eau De Parfum   has floral notes of sambac, jasmine and Tunisian orange...