All posts filed under: fall fashion

fashionista or sarah jessica parker?

One word, which took me a while to get used to, is none other than the word “fashionista” and after looking it up in the dictionary to get the true definition of it, I discovered that EVEN this word’s meaning has evolved through time as a result of shows like “Sex In The City” and Sarah Jessica Parker. I am certain that most any woman is aware of the show, the movies and Sarah Jessica Parker and of course there are some of us who admire her style and others who question it.  But I must say, although eccentric and sometimes over the top, her sense of style is most unforgettable and  a challenge for most anyone else to pull off. So, here is hoping we can duplicate her conservative look as a woman over 40 and do our best to avoid the rest.

there are jeans and then there are j-brand jeans

Wow, I never thought I would consider looking at jeans over the 100.00 mark, but I guess we all need to raise the bar “sometimes” to feel good about ourselves while trying to look good.  I wonder if  being over 40 has something to do with it. Anyway, the truth of the matter is, women over 40 and sometimes under 40 have trouble finding a good pair of jeans. What I mean by that is, ones that fit, those that compliment “one’s assets” and feel fashionable at the same time. So while in search of  “THOSE JEANS”, I came across J-BRAND Jeans‘ website. I decided to find  a local retailer who carries the line and took a trip to check them out. I know what you are thinking, pricey buggers aren’t they? But, in my opinion, jeans are an investment and can be worn for more than one season, so if you were to consider buying a pair say for 200.00 divide that into 24 months = that is 8.00 a month  and believe me women …

burberry london coats wish list

When I am ready to shop for coats, I often look through what’s been dubbed “in Style” for that particular year and then check out my old favorite Burberry London coat website for their selection and make my choices, then I head out to department stores which carry similar styles at a much more affordable price range and try to duplicate them for everyday wear. Although, like many women, I love quality work and have an expensive taste for most things, but when it comes down to it, I also know that I don’t  necessarily need to own the most expensive clothing lines to look my very best. So, I have included photos of my favorite Burberry London Coats from this Fall season and if you can run out and purchase them, then more power to you, but if not, then feel free to visit your local shopping malls or department stores and boutiques and see if you can duplicate the best of the best in coats. Also, if you want to share your findings, …

in honor of the color pink

One of my favorite color is pink. It wasn’t always like that but after Victoria’s Secret introduced us to the color pink with their beautiful shopping bags, pink was quickly added to my favorite color chart. The problem with pink is that if it isn’t the right shade or incorporated with the right accent colors, it almost looks unappealing. I know most women in the U.S. shy away from it because as a child they were forced to wear pink and when they had daughters of their own, all the gifts included the dull, traditional pink color. What has happened over the years however, is that the color pink has taken on a whole new look. We have so many variations (or hues) of pink that it is almost a sin not to consider the color in home decors, clothing lines and now even appliances, motorcycles and sometimes hair color. My favorite shade or hue is the cherry blossom flower colors pictured here and I must admit I use the color throughout my life proudly. …

full length boots for the curvy calfs

I have always shied away from buying full-length boots because of my shapely calfs. Each fall I enjoy looking through the selection at the department stores and shoe boutiques and envy the women that are able to zip up the zipper, while stuffing their jeans in them. This year I was determined to find some boots that were either made out of stretchy pleather (which I am not a fond of) or gamble on asking for wide calf boots. Some of the clerks just looked at me when I did ask and others pretended they didn’t exist. So I walked away feeling somewhat dumb for my “uncool” question and decided to once more forget about buying full-length boots. On Thursday I had driven up to Roseville, CA to visit my mother-in-law and decided to try once more at the Roseville Galleria and sure enough the sales clerk at Macy’s knew exactly what I was talking about and was able to bring out four pairs (only 4 unfortunately) of wide calf boots. I was besides myself …

in search of fall colors in san francisco

One of my favorite activities is walking. Of course I do it mostly for exercise but when I am walking in a more leisurely pace, it is so I can just take in the outdoors. Fall is especially a wonderful time to take a leisurely walk, because if you happen to live in a city where the leaves turn color, it is probably one of the most rewarding walks you will experience (at least for me).  However, in San Francisco we are not fortunate enough to experience the fall colors because, outside of the parks, we are mostly treeless and the type of trees we do have, they do not change colors. When I worked at Stanford University six years ago, I had the pleasure of walking the campus every morning before work and in the Fall, I was able to enjoy the colors while I shuffled through the fallen leaves.  As a matter of fact, there are benches strategically placed along tree-lined pathways and if you are bold enough to sit on one of them on …

oh stop it halle berry

I am not a jealous woman nor envious but sometimes I just want to say, STOP IT “celebrity” you’re making me look and feel bad about myself. Yes, you might think this is childish but reality is that most women in their 40s have as much insecurities as teenage and girls in their 20’s. It’s that whole, body deciding what shape it should be, sometimes no matter how much you exercise or diet, and then there are the wrinkles and the gray hairs sneaking up on you and the pre-menopausal state taking over. Shall I go on? So, when we pick up a magazine or look online and see, in this case, Halle Berry, in all her beauty, we tend to second guess ourselves, physically that is because God knows what her personal life is like, and suddenly become sad (at least in my case). I am not sure if she has had plastic surgery or a nip tuck or whatever and frankly I don’t care. I do appreciate the end result and in my own …

french linen, laundry bags and throw pillows

Now here is a concept I am growing to love these days. French linen bags and pillow covers being introduced in the U.S.  I have seen them pop up here and there in the past, but not to the extend I notice them more in stores these days. I like it and have included some photographs  for you to ponder over as well. Just in case you are wondering, these items are available at Restoration Hardware and Neiman Marcus and I am almost certain at your local boutique designer stores. Let me know what you think?

sweaters for fall 2010 women over 40 can wear

Once the official transition takes place from Summer to Fall, meaning past the month of September to mid-October, I begin to feel the need to rearrange my closet in order to get a visual of all my sweaters. Then I go through them and decide which to toss and what to recycle for the upcoming fall season. At the same time, I shop online for the sweaters I would like to have and make my list in order to check them out at the store. One of my favorite stores, and this has been on and off, is Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor Loft. The reason for the on and off is that for a while there it seemed the store or the company had lost it’s touch and appeal so I stayed away from it. But now, this year that is, the items on their online catalog (at least in picture) look great. That’s another thing, what looks good on print doesn’t necessarily look good in the store, so with list in hand I plan to …

ankle boots for the woman over 40

Since through my research I discovered that ankle boots were okay for the woman over 40 to consider incorporating in their fall 2010 wardrobe (wow, a mouthful) I, of course couldn’t be happier since I am unable to wear full length boots, thanks to my shapely calf muscles (Believe me I am not complaining). But choosing the right ankle boot is a challenge for me of course, because  I don’t like it to be over the top, too bulky or the wrong heel style and I need it to compliment my wardrobe rather than overwhelm my style. Yes, I am aware that with slacks, you can pretty much pull off any ankle boot, but this year I really want to explore the option of wearing it with skirts. So here are my choices based on what I found online and one of these days, when we actually get our first rain fall in California, I will go try them on to see which one works best.