Photo: Arabe Datsh - another good recipe for bread pudding. |
vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
Photo: Arabe Datsh - another good recipe for bread pudding. |
Are you surprised by my choices? For a moment let's think outside the box. |
2) Easy to machine wash and dry
3) Soft fabrics - I like cotton, linen, rayon, or a blend of these cool textiles for spring and summer. A little spandex is fine. She also has a part wool, part rayon knit dress for winter.
4) She prefers loose clothes, so I usually order her a size large. Although my mother isn't large in weight or stature, the large size often fits her upper body better, the reason is a mystery to me.
5) Dress lengths that won't trip her - At Old Navy, I must judge whether to order her dresses in petite or regular. She is petite in pants, yet ON dress styles aren't consistent in sizing. The 4 dresses at the top of the blog are called mini swing dresses, therefore I ordered her the dresses in regular as opposed to petite sizes, with the anticipation they'll fit her slightly above her knees -- not as the minis shown in the photos. If I'm wrong ON offers free returns or exchanges.Frequently clothes made expressly for seniors look dowdy and old-fashioned or like bedclothes. Their greater cost is also puzzling.
There's absolutely no reason for an elderly woman (1) to look frumpy, (2) to adorn ill-fitted clothes (3) to sport clothes resembling pajamas and slippers, or (4) to pay significantly more moola for them than younger women.
Just like my clothes, my mother's dresses can be dressed up or down, and for the price of one dress at a senior apparel shop, at Old Navy, we brought an entire wardrobe of more attractive everyday dresses to wear over all 4 seasons!
Zendaya Photo: Theo Wargo/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty. My favorite dress of the evening! The rest of the photos are courtesy of Getty. |
Sometimes celebrities wear gowns to media events that stand out over what would be thought appropriate off the red carpet and frequently the dresses are creative, risquè, and attention-grabbing. In other words, achieving their goal!
I've never met a human being who doesn't have personal quirks. In the context of today's blog, I'll define a personal quirk as a habit or attitude that's neither right nor wrong but peculiar to the person who has it.
My personal quirk is if I have a day I'll stay home and see no one I still like to shower; get out of my pajamas and houseshoes, and dress for the day. Even during the pandemic when there wasn't a chance of a surprise visit from a neighbor, family member, or friend, every single day I showered, dressed in a t-shirt, leggings, and ballet flats, then sat in my apartment. Day after day! Despite whatever worry, uncertainty, or inactivity going on in the world, I'm in a better frame of mind and more productive if I dress for the day. Another personal quirk of mine, I cling to a casual smart style. To me, loungewear and sweats look sloppy and too much like pajamas. I don't own them!
The shoes I wear in my apartment and perhaps to go down to the mailbox or laundry room are often rejects -- ballet flats I bought for walking on the street, but as it turns out, lack arch support. So the soles of the shoes stay clean. My rejected flats that are not supportive enough for pounding on concrete are fine to wear inside my home. It's a savvy way of repurposing a mistake!
However if unlike me, you don't have mistakes to give a 2nd life to, these Amazon Essentials Ballet Flats fit the bill! Cozy and made good enough at a cheap price to hold up long enough to get your money's worth. Not to mention, they elevate your style over wearing houseshoes all day! You could even step outside on concrete in them if you must ... like on a patio or down the block to fetch something.
Once upon a time, I thought of Eileen Fisher's clothing as fashion for older women, but it really isn't true. It's merely the opposite of trendy fast fashion. You pay more for staple versatile pieces that you'll wear for years to come.
The good news is both the merchant and the department stores that carry Eileen Fisher offer special sales on the clothes. Periodically you'll also score a piece at T.J. Maxx by browsing its The Runway section!
Eileen Fisher also takes back clothing you no longer want to wear. You get $5 and depending on the condition, the fabric gets recycled or the clothes cleaned and resold by the merchant online as second-hand or third-hand clothing under the "renew" tab. Worth a browse to possibly pick up a bargain. I've never heard of a designer so committed to recycling and repurposing its apparel.
Buying the right pieces that last and ones you'll repeatedly wear, plus catching a sale or gently worn article is how to spend less for a garment you'll own forever.
All Photos taken by Carolyn C. |
Carolyn has given me permission to share her photos of Trinity Church and the South Street Seaport. This is where New Yorkers who live in Manhattan go when summoned for jury duty. The court houses which make up the Southern District of New York sit several blocks away.
Although I'm not a big fan of multiple ear piercings for myself, I know where I'd go if I were. Full disclosure, I got my ears single-pieced when I was 22 years old because I looked in my car mirror to change lanes on my way home from work one day to see that I had lost another clip-on earring. That is what it took to get me to pull into a shopping center, enter a high-end store, and have my ears pieced on the spot. Definitely, a sensible move if you don't want to continue losing earrings.
Nowadays multiple ear piercings are trendy, but I don't want to work that hard, or have to buy so many earrings! However, if you don't mind buying and putting in all those extra earrings on in a given day, having your piercings done by Maria Tash is the smart way to go. It's costly, yet anytime you decide to permanently alter your body THE SAVVY SHOPPER recommends paying the piper to have it done properly by a well-trained professional. It's safer and you avoid mistakes when putting holes in your flesh.
At Maria Tash, you 1st meet with a stylist who examines and measures your ears and then gives you advice and suggestions to make sure your vision matches the anatomy of your ears. The locations of the piercings are determined along with you and marked with a special pen before the needle goes in, so the piercings are personalized, even, and precise.Every client heals at a different rate. Healing times also depend on the piercing location. The chart below gives you an idea of approximately how long it takes for ear piercings to heal.
The bag is available in 5 sizes: Nano (5.25 x 4" x 2"), Mini (6.75" x 4.5"), Small (9.5" x 6.25" x 4.25"), Medium (11.5" x 7.75" x 4.75") and Large (14" x 8.25" x 5.75"). |
Now there are 2 versions, the Original Puzzle bag and a redesigned version called the Puzzle Edge bag. Here's the difference: (1) The Original Puzzle bag is made of several pieces of leather that are separately hand-sewn together, and it takes longer to make while (2) the Puzzle Edge bag has fewer pieces of leather that are folded into the same iconic cuboid shape for quicker production. (1) The Original has visible black lines where the seams are sewn together (2) while the Edge with leather folds doesn't. (1) The Original bag has metal feet and (2) the Puzzle Edge omits them. I don't know about you, but I favor bags with metal feet to protect the bottom of the bag. Why remove them?