Lace with lacy necklace is so fine!

Lace is a current hot trend. Maybe you knew that or maybe you just love it and it’s a classic item in your wardrobe. I spotted this combo yesterday and just had to share it with you. This is a lace top with cap sleeves and this long necklace that adorns it is multi layers of fine chain in a delicate knot at the end. It was paired with a cotton jean jacket in olive green.

I just adore the mix of these two textures. They seem so right together — like bread and butter or peanut butter and chocolate. The lace is pretty on its own but when you add the chain necklace with the small round beads that repeat the circles in the lace, you just can’t help but love it even more!

I don’t know if I’d have thought to put this exact necklace with this lace top but when something is “right” it’s great to study it and understand why it’s working. For me, the textures are similar and friendly with each other and layering them together adds more interest to the outfit. My eye is drawn to it.

Two is better than one. Having two things with similar texture – one on top of the other – turns something that was good into something that’s much better! I also think the contrast in colors between the top and the necklace adds a certain tension that makes it pop as well.

Any ideas from you about why this works? Is this something you could wear?

my coveted, inexpensive necklace

Yesterday Erin and I were working in a client’s closet, putting outfits together for transition — this period we’re headed into where it’s not quite summer and not quite fall. I kept making outfits and saying, “You could wear this right now!” And Erin would say, “Well, not today.” True, it was over 90 degrees outside. But living near San Francisco where it can feel like a breezy winter’s day in August, I’m close to being right if we just drive about 10 miles south.

But here’s what I’m thinking about this morning. We purchased a wonderful necklace for this client and it is going with everything. It’s making all her transition and fall outfits come together beautifully. Our secret? It was on sale at Talbot’s and it looks like it could have come from Saks Fifth Avenue. My experience here at the Marin Talbot’s is that you have to shop early and often to score these items. Merchandise seems to fly out the door and then it’s not repeated.

I’ve had many clients lust for a necklace I wear a lot. It came from the Brass Plum department at Nordstrom. This is the junior department where things are very very inexpensive. I think this necklace cost me $19. I wish I had bought 10 of them and next time I spot something that great, I will! A sales associate in Neiman-Marcus recently mistook it for a Lagos rope necklace — which was only about $700 more. I didn’t correct him.

Do you have some favorite finds that cost you less? Do share!

I can’t resist. I was catching up on my reading this morning — last Thursday’s New York Times fashion section, particularly an article about scarves being the “it” accessory — and decided I had to add to the conversation. I’ve written about scarves a lot. I devoted a chapter to the subject in my first book, 40 Over 40. I’m going to share that chapter here. If you haven’t fallen in love with scarves yet, I hope this will convince you to RUN right out and find one that’s just right for you.

Here you go, “A Scarf is a Very Useful Thing” from 40 Over 40.

The French woman knows that a scarf is more valuable than rent money. It’s hard to believe that across a mere ocean is a land of women in terror of them. How can that be?

Maybe it’s the bad rap scarves have gotten in movies.

Let’s clear this up right away. As far as I know, only one person has actually died from wearing a scarf and that was Isodora Duncan, the dancer. In the final scene of Isodora, starring Vanessa Redgrave, she’s riding carefree and drunk in an open Bugatti sports car, when the ends of her long red scarf wrap around a gleaming spoked wheel and she’s strangled instantly.

And, of course, if you rent Basic Instinct you’ll see in the opening scene that an Hermes scarf is an accessory to a violent crime involving an ice pick. That’s really too bad. Scarves shouldn’t get such a bad wrap like that. They are benevolent by nature and only dangerous in the wrong hands.

Consider these wonderful things that only scarves can do:

1.  Keep the neck warm as fall leaves fly and winter beckons. Traditional Chinese doctors will advise keeping the neck covered to keep external pernicious influences from entering the body in the back of the neck, especially the wind.  The scarf is preventive medicine.

2.  Contribute to the longevity of suit jackets and blazers by protecting the neckline when worn inside along the collar. Saves money that would’ve been spent at the dry cleaners.

3.  Two scarves packed in a suitcase provide variety and entertainment to travel outfits in neutral colors like black, navy, or camel. Tie a scarf to the handle of your generic black suitcase and spot it instantly on the lugguage carousel at the airport.

4.  A scarf is good for hiding salad dressing tracks on a silk blouse.

5.  In the hands of a romantic, a scarf can be a creative tool in the bedroom.

6.  A scarf framing a woman’s face in luscious colors can give her more confidence, intrigue, and allure than a doctorate degree from Yale.

cotton dragon scarf for summer outfits

I doubt the instructional videos in scarf departments in large retail stores is inspiring anyone. They’re boring and dorky. What you need to do is watch some movies on Saturday night with show-stopping scarf scenes.

Start with Where Sleeping Dogs Lie, a movie starring Sharon Stone and Dylan McDermott. The first time we see Sharon she’s headed for her white convertible wearing a white (probably Chanel) suit, white baubley bracelet and a long white chiffon scarf  that trails down her backside. It’s unlikely that many will wear this look for day, but it sure works for evening and it’s easy. She drives away with the top down, but the windows are rolled up. She’s seen the movie, Isodora.

In An Affair to Remember, Deborah Kerr works a similar look. She wears a lovely white ensemble, a sheath dress and matching white coat, white gloves and a white chiffon scarf floating away from her hair as sheer as jellyfish while she slaps a quick, witty, brilliant remark on Cary Grant that leaves him speechless.

The Best Scarf in a Motion Picture shows up at the end of Bodyguard. Whitney Houston and her entourage are in her private plane and about to take off when she orders the pilot to stop. Whitney descends from the plane and runs across the tarmac into Kevin Costner’s arms. The camera spots the black and white snakeprint scarf that’s wrapped around her head and spins around from overhead, showing it from every angle with the theme song swelling in the background: “And I-I-I will always love you-ou-ou.”

Your scene shouldn’t be without a scarf. Maybe you bought a lady-like fitted suit last month.  Line the inside of it with a scarf like Fionna does in the scene from Three Weddings and a Funeral where Hugh Grant ends up at the table with all his past girlfriends.

Maybe you have a short knit plum colored skirt and you plan to wear a lime green shirt with it. A scarf mixing these colors will add dash to your outfit. Need to see it? Check out Uma Thurman in The Truth About Cats and Dogs where Uma’s character, as brainy as a bag of nails, is sharp enough to don a kicky neck scarf for a bohemian look that also keeps viral riff raff out. Two thumbs way up.

If you’re planning a frugal fall in the fashion department, it’s especially wise to know that what you purchase will really get used, worn, be delightful and enjoyable. Otherwise, you’re not getting enough pleasure from it. Fashion should excite us or help project qualities we want advertised in the world. Otherwise, why bother? Don’t spend your money on something that doesn’t DO something for you besides just covering up your body.

I purchased a necklace from the Carlisle collection this spring didn’t wear it right away. I wondered — oh, did I make a mistake? But then I started pulling it out and working with it. What makes me feel great is that I now have worn this necklace at least three different ways and I think that’s a good standard to go for. Whatever you buy, can you wear it three ways? In times like these, it feels extravagant to purchase something that can only be worn one way — unless it’s a wedding dress!

Yesterday I took some quick shots with my iPhone camera, hence the graininess, but I wanted to share this idea with you in pictures. Here goes!

Necklace sits inside layered black shirts -- one satin, the other a crinkly fabric.

Necklace gets dressed up with satin jacket

Necklace perks up a jean jacket

In the first picture, my layered shirts were worn with skinny legged dark wash blue jeans and cute heeled sandals.

Worn the second way, it’s more dressed up with this black patent belted blue satin jacket with the shirt contrast, worn with black dressy pants and suede dressy flats.

Worn the third way, the necklace is paired with a t-shirt and a print skirt on these last days of summer. Great for the wine country.

The necklace is such a unique piece that I want to keep everything else rather simple so the Gray Beauty Bundle below adds enough but doesn’t distract from the unusual necklace.

It consists of two pearl bracelets worn on the same wrist as the 4 silver bangles with dainty flower detail. The ring is black with lots of sparkle material that reads a soft gray. The purse is a handled small bag in a shiny charcoal leather. The watch is black faced with stainless steel band. The Beauty Bundle can work with all three outfits. Now, because I can wear it 3 to 12 ways (most likely!), I certainly feel confident about my purchase.

What do you wear three ways?

Gray Beauty Bundle ties it all together

back-to-school tips

I love August–it’s back-to-school time! I stroll along the aisles in the local drugstores and check out all the pencils, pens, notebooks, binders. It all holds such promise! And I always walk away with something — after all, I’m enrolled in the school of life and there are lessons to be learned everyday!

My current favorite thing is this 3-hole punched pencil case that could go inside one’s binder, but I use it as a stand-alone. It is perfect to hold all my current makeup tools and products. Because it’s not a giant makeup bag, I’m not tempted to overload it with a shadow I use once a month or extra tools that I don’t really need. It just has my current “daily face” necessities. I imagine it could hold jewelry that you take on a trip, sewing supplies, and . . . well, your thoughts?

Leslie Lawton, a local jewelry designer, sent me a reminder of this popular annual San Francisco event.

If you love fine crafts, this is the place to be next weekend. I’ve been there many times. I’d always go to check out my favorite wearable art designers but you’ll also find fine photographers, ceramicists, printmakers, leather workers, glass artists, furniture makers, fiber artists, and of course, jewelers. (Leslie is in Booth F 810)

The Contemporary Crafts Market
Saturday March 13th and Sunday March 14th
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason
Buchanan at Marina Boulevard
San Francisco, CA 94123

Here’s something Leslie said that I so agree with. When you read it, ask yourself if you’re a woman who is willing to be seen. Here’s Leslie:

“The beauty of art to wear is that the visual ideas don’t wear out. They become timeless – treasures you want to wear and wear and wear. In a world that is becoming ever more commoditized, this kind of style has real meaning. The art you wear isn’t superficial. It expresses your essence. Your choices tell others who you are, that you’re willing to be seen, that you’re proud of yourself. This actually takes a surprising amount of courage. I’ve seen women shyly put something on and literally start to glow. It’s a beautiful thing.”

I can’t watch the Olympics without reliving fond memories of being in Vancouver a year and a half ago. I went there to do some radio and TV spots for my book, Fashion Makeover. Everyone I met was so great. One couple really stood out. I was in the green room of The Fanny Kieffer Show in the Shaw Tower. I couldn’t help but notice the striking woman in white linen pants, an orange shirt and the greatest handbag. She just looked . . . joyful! She and her husband were there to talk about healthy food and healthy living. Of course, her handbag drew me in and that led to a great conversation.

Doug & Diane met as Olympic athletes

Turns out Diane and her husband, Dr. Doug Clement, met each other as athletes at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. They’re passionate about great food, good nutrition and exercise. All the good stuff. Here they are in the green room. I’m pulling their book out again. It’s called Start Fresh, Your Complete Guide to Midlifestyle Food and Fitness. They were so inspiring and I’m so happy I met them.

I’ll be in Vancouver again in May for the Association of Image Consultants convention where I’ll be teaching a course. It will be fun to revisit favorite places. Watching the Olympics is making me itchy to get there again! And seeing this picture of Doug and Diane makes me want to follow their advice. They are radiant!

cocktail doesn't have to mean nighttime

There are plenty of things in awards shows that will take your breath away. Like plunging necklines, busy prints on dresses that should have stayed at home in the closet (Tina Fey), and poor fit. But wait, let me take off my cynical hat for a moment and also mention the totally breathtaking women in gowns, men in evening wear and diamonds, emeralds and rubies that dazzle and delight the eye.

I am so happy to NOT be on the red carpet having my outfit, hair and makeup picked apart. Don’t you wonder about how they handle perspiration? There’s so much one could fret about so hey, hats off to anybody who even attempts it!

But let’s talk about some great fashion takeaways for us ordinary, none-actress types that are inspired by the recent Golden Globe and Sag Award’s shows.

Here are my top 5 Award Show Tips & Takeaways Plus One Clunker

1. There were lots of women in pale gowns (big color direction for spring fashion 2010) and I noticed the women had barely there, pale nail polish that kept the focus on the dewy gowns. Good call!

2. I’m loving the bangle bracelets that lots of women are wearing. Toni Colette at the SAG awards wore double bangles on the same arm. They were different metals, different scale but they had one thing in common and that was the turquoise stones which were in both bangles and of the same tone. When mixing bracelets on the same arm, look for one element that ties them together. Good call, Toni!

3. Julia Roberts’ outfit hit some of the best-dressed lists. Her Golden Globe dress was modest, short-not-long, and black. No big areas of skin were showing. She wore a chunky pendant necklace that followed the line of the dress and it had lots of gold in it which picked up the golden highlights in her hair. That necklace was a perfect frame for her face. She’s no longer the ingenue and I really liked how she wasn’t trying too hard. Everyone out there–go find a necklace that repeats the color of your hair and wear it with everything!

4. Chandelier earrings adorned lots of ears as did long pendant style drop earrings. There’s nothing that says “glamour” more than long, dangly earrings. However, for any woman over 40, before you go for these earring types, check out that pierced hole in your ear. Is it a pricked hole or has it become a slit instead? It’s very aging for a woman to wear an earring that looks like it’s hanging on for dear life. Either get it surgically stitched up, start again by piercing a hole higher up on the lobe or wear an earring that has a base that covers the slit.

5. There were many beautiful cocktail rings adorning fingers and I think this is a terrific way to be polished and accessorized without a lot of fuss. The ring in the photo belongs to a colleague of mine. She was wearing this at a recent conference and is an example of a great way to wear a large cocktail type ring in daytime settings. Notice it isn’t sparkly or pointy. I say “think rings” for style this spring.

The Clunker: Mariah Carey had a breakout role in the somber movie, Precious. I wanted to celebrate her performance but golly! it’s hard to take a woman seriously when her globes are displayed the way hers were in a dress with an extra-wide, plunging neckline. Did her chest really need the additional product on them that made her breasts look shiny and polished? I understand the element of sexiness, but this was way past sexy. She played a character in a serious movie that told a difficult story. I think she should have worn something a little more respectful and restrained to honor her work in the film.

But that’s just me. Your thoughts?