It happened to me . . . at the age of 57 . . . my Diane Keaton moment. The good thing is I was only in front of a full-length mirror in Nordstrom and not in front of the Oprah audience and the billions of viewers watching at home on their TVs. I can still see it: actress Diane Keaton comes out to share a chair next to Oprah (many years ago, but that memorable!) and she’s in a black turtleneck, a full skirt and wide belt, and of course, her gloves. She’s looking fab except for one thing. The turtleneck is clutching her neck in a most unflattering way. Any time she moves, the loose skin above the super sleek, super tight fabric of the turtleneck crinkles and wrinkles like crazy! Her neck has the texture of a piece of paper that’s been wadded up tight, thrown away in the trash and then pulled out and tried to make smooth. No, actually, much worse than that. I cringe. I imagine her people backstage, watching on the monitors saying, “Oh my gosh! How did we let that happen?!!!??” It made her look 10 years older than she was.

I was reading the NY Times Style section yesterday and there’s a big article about Eileen Fisher trying to re-brand herself from frumpy to fashionable by listening to younger people and trying some fitted pieces in her line as well as adding leggings (must you?). Anyway, just had to report that this past summer, I was shopping with a client who has dropped about 4 sizes due to a brain aneurism (don’t try this at home, folks . . . and she’s doing just great!!!!). With the weight loss, there were more fashion possibilities open to her. She’s never worn a skinny jean but I found one the sale rack as we were shopping for new clothes that fit her new body. She tried it on, it looked great, and the label said . . . Eileen Fisher! Quite surprising as I, too, only think of that brand as a loose, flowy, elastic-waisted product. The pants were so fabulous that a week later, I insisted we try and find another pair. She was thrilled when we did and is still wearing them into the fall. They’re pretty fine, not like a coarse jean, so they won’t work in December. But I’ll be back to see if she followed through in her fall line and provided more choices. So three cheers for Eileen Fisher!

Okay, yesterday I was shopping with a client and at the register, both she and the salesperson asked me for my opinion on wearing white after Labor Day. Now, remember, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area which is different longitude and latitude than Los Angeles, Palm Beach and Dallas. (The further south you go, the more white you see.) Okay, so here’s my rule of thumb: It’s okay to wear white until the light changes. Yes, there’s a day, somewhere in September or so when you walk out the door and something feels different. It could still be warm outside but the sky doesn’t have that “summer” look anymore. There’s been a shift. Oh boy, this is harder to explain in writing than I thought! I need to talk to an astronomer who might be able to back me up on this.

I’m loving all the “travel wardrobe” comments and now I just have to jump off to the subject of wardrobe malfunctions and other mishaps. Helen’s story about the spilled latte (yikes!!!) and having to make an attempt to hide the incident on her travel outfit (good save, Helen) made me stop breathing for a minute. I hate when that happens!

So, the suitcases have been unpacked and here’s the packing verdict. I so did not need the “casual chic” dinner outfits I’d had planned to wear. After most days of hiking straight up the Canadian Rockies, dinners were mostly casual. But the poncho I almost didn’t put in (and am wearing in this wonderful ball room of the Banff Spring Hotel) was such the go-to piece as it was pretty cold. The summer pants I thought I’d wear every day (and kick myself for packing any others) were ones I never wore. Too thin. The extra pair of tennis shoes I brought in case my others got drenched and didn’t dry out in time for the next hike were also not touched. Neither were the dressy heels that were going to make the casual resort chic outfits look more spiffy.

Okay, in the travel vein, here is part two of the confessions of a traveler who thinks a lot about “just in case” scenarios. I have a orange mesh pouch that is the shape of a business sized envelope but about 20% larger, purchased at one of my favorite places of all time, the Container Store (she says while viewing one of the most gorgeous sites ever in the Canadian Rockies!). This pouch is ready to go for any trip and contains the things that I need (or might need — you know, just in case) while in-flight only. When I get on the plane, I pull it out of my purse and stuff it into the seat pocket in front of me and pull from it the things I need as I need them. Inside the pouch are the following: a handkerchief (that belonged to my grandmother); a compression sleeve (that I have to wear on my left arm during flights); a pair of reading glasses; a pen; ear plugs; eyeshades; a blowup neck pillow; a pair of thin wool socks; “No Jet-Lag Homeopathic” tablets; mini toothbrush and toothpaste (essential for long flights); a few cough lozenges; a tiny Advil packet; iPod. There you have it. What else could a girl need?

I know, we’ve talked about traveling before–and talking about it and doing it are two different things. I certainly am happy to help clients pack for a trip with outfits that will all fit into a carry on bag. That doesn’t work for me. I try to fit all my books and magazines in my carry on bag. This time, my suitcase, which was checked, even held some overflow books. I can’t help myself. (Wait until I tell you about the one I bought at the airport! More on that next time.)

I’ve been meeting a deadline–big writing project–and now I’m coming up for air and letting my neck and shoulders do things other than sit in front of a computer screen. Okay, what do you do to rejuvenate? I think it’s hard when you’ve been full steam ahead on something and then, after turning in the project, you face a different speed altogether. I almost want to create a mastermind group just focused on rejuvenation. I think it must be a muscle that can be strengthened and developed. Any ideas?

I am very sad that the fashion magazines  are so thin these days. I feel badly for the publishers of my “visual candy” who are not getting their advertising dollars and are many, many pages less than normal. But, the consequence of those thin publications is that I find myself reading them more! Before when they were so fat, I would start a magazine, put it down, and maybe it would get buried by the daily newspapers that I read first. But now, I pick up the magazine and might read it through, start to finish, and love it. It’s a weird outcome, I know, and I’m not suggesting I hope it stays this way. Just now and until the economy recovers more robustly, maybe I’ll get more reading done!