Travel Wardrobe

Hello friends!  I hope you've had a good weekend!  It's raining here, but boy do we need it.  We've basically had a soft, steady rainfall for the the past two days.  Today, it has been so warm and humid that the windows in our house fogged up.

 I had to shop for some clothes before we went to Charlottesville a few weeks ago, and I thought I would share with you what I wore while we were in Virginia. 

Rhoda, at Southern Hospitality blog does a "Fashion over 50" post about every week.  She models her clothes, but I'm too camera shy to do that.  😉  Anyhoo, I needed some clothes for our trip; but the good thing is, I can wear these all fall and probably winter, too, since we often have mild winters here.

For starters, I got two new pairs of pants.  I got another pair of NYDJ jeans (middle) and a pair of navy jeans (left).   I've learned to appreciate colored jeans because they fit like jeans, but they're not denim, so they can look a bit dressier than regular jeans.  The navy jeans are Crown & Ivy brand, and I like them so much, I ordered a pair in black online.  I tend to wear black and navy a lot in the winter.

Sorry the lighting is all over the spectrum in these pics.  The lighting in our guest room is such a challenge -- not good for photography.

I got two Crown & Ivy blouses.  This checked blouse looks like black and white, but it's actually navy -- a dark navy.

I can never resist polka dots, hence the second blouse.  I really like both of these blouses, and they're very versatile.  They look good with a cardigan, or they could also be worn with a tee shirt underneath.

I also got a white button-down blouse, specifically to wear with this sweater my mom gave me last Christmas.  This color was hard to capture accurately; it looks red in the picture, but it's actually kind of a melon color, or a bright coral.

I bought this casual cotton jersey shirt with embroidered yoke and three-quarter sleeves.  It's very comfortable, and it was fairly cool to wear during the day in Charlottesville.  I found this little shirt at SteinMart, along with the NYDJ jeans.  I often find things at SteinMart that I don't see at the mall.

Got this navy blue, button-up sweater at SteinMart, and it works well with both these blouses.

Hal surprised me with this new red coat for my birthday in September, and I sure do like it.

I took it with me to Virginia, but it was wishful thinking to believe I would get to wear it.  It was about 91° every day we were there.  It was too hot to wear those little sweaters, much less a quilted coat.

I like the way the back is made with an elasticized bit in the middle for a more tailored, fitted look.

I got these navy shoes at a local shoe store before the trip, too.  I know -- they look black in this picture.  Sigh. 

I carried my black Clark's shoes that I got for $25 a few years ago.  I love a good bargain, and these are so comfortable.  I wore my New Balance 990's for all our walking at the presidents' homes.  I don't know about you ladies, but I have to have good arch support in my shoes.

Finally, here's the jewelry I wore.  I almost lost this bracelet because I didn't know the catch was loose, and it fell off my arm.  Luckily, I felt that when it happened.

My mother-in-law gave me this little pearl necklace for my birthday last year, and I've worn it a lot.  The charm bracelet I've had for many years, and it's very dear to me.  I realize this style of charm bracelet is not in fashion at the moment, but I still love to wear mine.  My sister has a pretty Pandora charm bracelet, but I think I'll stick with this one.

The charm on the far left is a Boy Scout God and Family charm, which I received when Will got his God and Family badge years ago.  The charm on the far right is an Irish claddagh charm.  I purchased this in Dublin on my very short trip to Ireland with Hal in 1999.  I just realized my charm is turned over backwards, so here's a picture I found on Wikipedia --

source

The claddagh is a traditional Irish symbol representing love, friendship, and loyalty.

Last, but not least, Hal gave me this necklace for our anniversary back in May; this year was our 30th.  It's a pearl, surrounded by blue and white sapphires.  I love pearls and sapphires ( my birthstone), so I've really enjoyed this necklace.  He also gave me the beautiful pearl brooch for our anniversary and the earrings for Christmas.  I have some very nice jewelry (courtesy of Hal) and a lot of costume jewelry, as well.  I enjoy wearing both.  😀  It's fun to mix and match.

I was thrilled to find some clothes that fit me and are flattering to wear.  Sometimes I have zero luck with that.  The other thing is that I got some really good deals on most of these clothes.  The blouses and the Crown & Ivy pants from Belk were all 25% off, and most of the clothes at SteinMart are supposed to be discounted  anyway.  I like to get good quality clothes, but I can't spend a fortune on my wardrobe.  It makes me very happy to find good bargains, and I'm willing to shop around for them.  I found a London Fog raincoat several years ago at Sam's Club, and I love it.  I've worn it for years, and it's held up beautifully.

Well, that's all for now.  I hope I didn't bore you silly.  :D  Do you have a favorite place to shop for clothes?  Do you like big department stores, small boutiques, or shopping online?  I'd love to hear from you.

I'm linking this post to "Metamorphosis Monday" at Between Naps on the Porch.  Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you have a great week! 

Hugs,

Denise