What I wore today--featuring Stuart Weitzman Arlington Boots

Confession time: I read a lot of preppy style blogs, but I'm not really the Southern Prep/All Lilly All the Time/Pink and Green type. I'm more the "High WASP" type that LPC blogs about.

I grew up in New England where you wore Lilly in the summer--maybe because it reminds you of family vacations to places where it's warm all year round. You would break out your sun dress printed with monkeys drinking piña coladas and your husband would wear four-paneled Brooks Brothers "Fun" pants. You were on vacation, and this is how you signaled to the world that you knew how to enjoy yourselves.

But my people did not live where it's warm all year round. We deal with serious amounts of winter weather. The verb "to summer" only has currency in places where summer is a brief respite in an otherwise chilly climate. And therefore, I have an atavistic love of cotton turtlenecks worn under wool sweaters, plaid, camel hair coats, duffle coats--basically, the whole L. L. Bean-cum-Brooks Brothers vibe.

I try to fight it. I try to be Prep With an Edge, as blackbird puts it. But as soon as it gets near Christmas, all bets are off. I pull out my Christmas socks, jewelry, and scarves. I go mad for plaid. I even start trolling the internet for the Winter Wonderland prep wear of my childhood. Does L. L. Bean still make Norwegian sweaters? Where are the Tyrolean jackets and Fair Isle sweaters d'antan? Mostly gone.

Which is maybe just as well. I went to a holiday boutique recently in Lake Forest, Illinois, which is the epicenter of preppiness in these parts. And I ordered myself a pair of these.

Needlepoint loafers by By Paige

And in my internet trolling, I came thisclose to ordering myself a pair of these

Beachcomber Corduroys at Castaway Clothing

And if I had, I probably would have worn the loafers with the cords. No, really.

But then I noticed the cords were bootcut. Pffft! I might have standard boring preppy taste in preppy holiday attire, but I draw the line at buying a pair of bootcut cords, because hello? Out of style. OK, I realize I'm being ridiculously inconsistent.

Anyway, today's outfit was an attempt on my part to show you my new boots, which meant wearing a skirt. And I picked out one that is plaid, and warm and cozy, because this morning, it got below freezing for the first time this season. And then--well, I tried to rein in this Christmas-crazed tradition-loving northeast prep part of my personality, I really did. You can let me know whether you think I succeeded.

Fuzzy black watch plaid skirt, Talbot's last season (similar), navy cotton Bailey cardigan, Vineyard Vines, gray scoop neck t-shirt, Gap, gray wool blend tights, Vermont Country Store, black nappa boots, Arlington by Stuart Weitzman

Here's how Talbot's styled the skirt last year.

See how fuzzy?

Gold pendant and eBayed Hermes bangle. Hey, at least I'm not wearing pearls.

Here's a back view of the boots--sorry about the graininess. I was trying to show the elastic.

For outside, I added my Brooks Brothers leather trench and some Nordic glittens (what J. Crew calls fingerless glove/mittens) I found these in Lake Forest, which means they're preppy.

It's not every day you see a Chanel bag combined with mittens!

Sigh.

I've come to the conclusion that if I think I've escaped my roots? I'm sadly mistaken.

My Sunday Worst

Worth dress in Deep Flint, ancient Caligarius black kid Chanel-style slingbacks with black patent toes; Chanel bag; Hermes bangles (eBay); Chanel necklace

Here I am in my Sunday-go-to-meeting best, except ... not so much.

What we're seeing here is the problem of picking out dresses by trying on other styles in the size you'll need. That's what you have to do when you buy stuff from a friend who is selling clothes for The Carlisle Collection, Doncaster, or Worth New York, and doesn't have the dress in your size.

I mean, yes, it fits. My hips, tum, and bum are all adequately covered. There are no unsightly bulges.  But the combination of the jewel neckline, the color, and the fabric makes the Balcony All Too Apparent.

To divert attention from The Balcony, I piled on tons of high-end accessories and jewelry, but they fail to disguise the failure that is this dress on me. They are, at best, a stop gap. What this dress really needs is a cardigan. Maybe even a coat.

Oh, and by the way. My legs are bare. See what I mean about pantyhose? I'm so pale, I look frostbitten. I went without hose because I was going to be wearing a choir robe, and I thought I'd get too hot with hose on. I carried a pair with me, but I never got around to putting them on, which was too bad for innocent passersby.

Not an Arm Party; more a chance meeting of like-minded friends. Ebayed Hermes bangles and my old Baume & Mercier watch.

Here's a close up of the Hermes bracelets, which I eBayed a while ago in two separate auctions. See how they go together? Let me tell you, finding two coordinating bracelets is quite a coup.

The moral of the story? Even when the Balcony is a matter of deep concern, the way Hermes coordinates the patterns on their printed bracelets continues to be a great satisfaction to me.

Balcony or no Balcony, we'll always have Hermes.

Trip report: England; Day 1

Thanks for the good travel wishes! We arrived safely in London and have already toured our first historical site. More about Hatfield House when I've managed to email my cell phone pictures to myself.

What I really wanted to report on was the success of my travel outfit. I had a brainstorm when I was packing when I realized that some of the clothes I was bringing to wear as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral would also be great to wear on the plane and during our first stately home visit.

No one would play along and take a picture of me, but my husband and daughter both complimented me on what I was wearing. My daughter said I didn't look like I was going to be traveling, which given the state of modern travel, is high praise.

Inspired by MaiTai's recent posts on visiting New York, this is what I was wearing:

a gray Banana Republic crew-neck t-shirt with silk trim banded at the neckline
 in case I spilled something on myself on the plane

black Eileen Fisher pants
 with their elastic waist and knit fabric, they're almost as comfortable as sweats--perfect for sleeping on the plane

thin black cashmere Leila Rose cardigan
in case the plane was chilly. And it was.
 
black Chanel Cambon ballet slippers
as comfortable as slippers and just a little dressy, with the patent leather CCs

black Chanel Cambon wallet-on-a-chain
I bought this last spring for this trip because a WOC is so perfect for travel. I could carry my money, passport, boarding pass, pen, lipgloss, gum, and a comb and know that my pocket won't be picked and I won't lose anything. It might be a little matchy-matchy with the shoes, but hey, I'll risk being too pulled together any day.

black and white Hermes Bolduc silk jersey scarf, folded on the bias and double knotted off to the side
This was to add a little pattern and texture to a very plain outfit. And a scarf can help keep you warm (although I had to take it off during our tour of Hatfield House, where, due to the fact that I had nowhere else to put it, I knotted it onto the handle of my WOC. How very Babe Paley of me.)

I only managed to sleep for a little while on the plane, and so,

as dear Samuel Pepys would put it,

to bed.

Poppy gets campy.

Mr. Buxom and I are on our way to Hancock, New York to watch our kids in their end-of-session performances at French Woods Festival of the Arts. (I'm linking to them because if your kids are performers or are interested in the arts, it's an amazing camp. They have musical theater, drama, dance, circus, orchestra, jazz, rock, DJ'ing, filmmaking, you name it.)

And let's get real. Overnight camp--with both kids at once? Not too shabby. I mean, they could be making me those ashtrays out of little tiles that my generation was making back in the 60s and I'd be all "Kids, these are the greatest ashtrays in the history of EVER." And I don't even smoke. But when your kids have been gone for six weeks, you can be patient and supportive and loving like that.

Obligatory fashion post: I look like dog vomit today. I mean, we're driving from Chicago to the Catskills so my primary concerns are practicality and comfort. But why did I wear a brand-new white t-shirt when I was obviously going to hit a bump in the road and splash McDonald's coffee all over my balcony? (It happens every time we're on a long road trip. Honestly, I should keep a lobster bib in the glove box.)

Ugh! And to the coffee-spattered t-shirt imagine, if you will, an ancient pair of cargo pants rolled up above the ankles and a pair of embroidered grosgrain flip flops with martinis all over them. What a knock-out ensemble.

Luckily for me I'm a blogger, not a celebrity, or the Fug gals would never let me hear the last of it.

And hey, people who tell you that you can totally upgrade your outfit with great accessories are full of it. I was wearing two AWESOME Hermes bangles, and I was carrying a fabulous Chanel bag, yet when I passed my fellow travelers in the rest stops on Route 80 in Ohio, they invariably averted their eyes.

The lesson? Even a Chanel bag is powerless in the face of a pair of baggy cargo pants.

BTW, the lippie is Chanel's Rouge Double Intensité in Rose Morganite. It's from the Fall, 2011 collection. The good news is it's not a limited edition and will be added to their permanent line. It's a lovely slightly browned pink in a double-ended wand. You apply the color and let set for a minute, then top with the gloss. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up--it's lovely and lasted through a delicious Indian dinner and lots of New York State Riesling.

Have a great weekend! (And try not to spill coffee on your balcony.)

Today's outfit

Just back from lunch with friends at RL in Chicago. It's a beautiful day! Too bad this picture turned out so dark.

Clothes

Two-year-old Lafayette 148 white tunic with embroidery and clear sequins

Ancient NYDJ bootcut jeans

Accessories

Tory Burch gold/bronze Prescot flats
Chanel Blanc Fonce 226 reissue with gold hardware

Jewelry

Hermes bangles in white and yellow gold
YG Michael Kors watch

and my favorite new lipgloss: Guerlain KissKiss in Figue Plaisir

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

30 Days to 10 years younger--10 minute tips. Tip 9: Loop on a scarf

You do realize that big square silk twill print scarves (read: the classic Hermès carré) are out of style and very lady-who-lunches, right? Which means that even if you've coveted one of these iconic scarves for years, this is not the year to buy one.

Mind you, this is not to knock Hermes scarves. I love them. I own some. But they're not the current look. So for the moment, mine are staying in their iconic orange boxes, except for when I take them out and gloat over them like Gollum with his ring.

In case you haven't noticed, the current scarf look is:

• long and narrow, while the classic Hermes is square
• textured, while Hermes is smooth
• interestingly woven, where Hermes is a tight even twill
• gauzy, while Hermes is opaque
• arty/bohemian, while Hermes is traditional and bourgeois

These long, gauzy scarves are not only young and hip, they'll cover your neck, which, if you're over 40, might not be your best feature. So. Somewhere in your collection of scarves you should have something long enough to wrap around your neck a couple of times.

If you don't, I'd advise you to get one. In fact, get two. One for all of your winter clothes, and one to bring you into spring. Say, a dark to medium toned one with an interesting texture, and a livelier one featuring a lovely color or two, maybe some metallic fiber in the weave, some sheerness, some interesting trim--in short, something novel.

The great part of this suggestion is that picking up a couple of scarves really will take you ten minutes. These scarves are available all over the place, from Barney's to the guy with a pushcart on the sidewalk selling scarves for ten dollars.

Right now I'm wearing the heck out of a purple scarf with silver lame threads that I bought for my daughter. It cost $20. It reminds me of this Tara Matthews $550 number from Net-a-porter.

Yes, that's $550. See? If you want to go nuts, you can buy a scarf that's even more expensive than an Hermes--which will just show the people at Hermes, won't it?

Just for fun, let's have a look at some insanely expensive scarves. It'll give you a feel for the best that's out there.

Barney's is showing some beautiful double-layered silk chiffon scarves. They're also massive--52 inches square--with gorgeous prints.



This is the Swash 26 "Fruits de Mer" scarf. At $410, it'll have Hermes sitting up and paying attention. This little thumbnail doesn't do it justice, so click here to see the print up close.


Another Barney's scarf I love is this multi-shade scarf in a palette of neutrals. This kind of print would be a fantastic way to get through the last couple of months of dreary slush--a wonderfuly transitional piece, because of its lightness and texture. Handmade in Nepal for Arman Diradourian, it's $225.


Saks has Alexander McQueen's purple leopard print chiffon scarf.

I don't really need to say anything here, do I?

After all,

purple
leopard print
chiffon

pretty much says it all.

Unfortunately, it costs $380.

So. Onwards.


Banana Republic has this wool/silk ombre scarf in a gorgeous shade of green for $59.50. It also comes in shades of yellow and a nice neutral putty shade.














Bluefly has everything from $189 silks from Diane Von Furstenburg to this interesting silver chevron knit fringe scarf from Sayami for $27.







Anthropologie has a great selection of scarves, and, for a piquant change of pace, their prices are better than I thought they'd be.


The "Shadowed Vine" scarf on the left is $28. I love how they show it on top of the ruffled, textured blouse.



Their "Sky Rockets" scarf on the right is $38. I love the pink mixed with coral. It also comes in purple.


Now that you've seen some high-end scarves currently in stores for spring, you have an idea of what to look for at the affordable store of your choice. The Gap, Old Navy, and Target all have scarves, not to mention the huge selection availabe at T. J. Maxx, Marshall's, and Nordstrom Rack. Not to mention the kiosks at the airport, and the aforementioned guy with a cart on the sidewalk.

Trust me--there's a scarf out there you can afford. Just don't make it a printed silk square.

Because no matter how classic, ladies-who-lunch, French, or Grace Kelly you might think you look in it ...








You'll probably just end up looking like an old queen.









Elsewhere:

Audi of Fashion for Nerds uploaded a video on how to tie long scarves. To see it, click here.

Bloggers discussing Hermes scarves include Meg Fairfax Fielding at Pigtown Design and Natural History of Passementerie.