Tag Archives: fashion

New Year Countdown

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christmas-2008-part-2-0642On the second day of Cathy’s New Year Countdown, it’s time to do your part for the economy: Get out there and spend your Christmas money. On yourself. Look, you were good all December. You got everybody everything on their lists and you did it within your budget while ignoring all temptation to treat yourself. You resisted the pull of those luxurious cashmere sweaters that felt so good, those fabulous high-heeled pumps that called out your name, that gorgeous jacket you accidentally tried on. But your job as a giver is done now! It’s over. You did good and everybody’s happy. Time to reward yourself. And, listen, all this talk about sales and bargains and slashed prices are true right now. Go shopping this weekend and I promise you can get about three times the value for your money. Really. I promise. If you don’t believe me, check out Web sites such as http://www.gap.com/ and http://www.victoriassecret.com/ and see for yourself. Actually, Gap’s Web site is one of the best for online shopping. You can bundle orders from Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic for one $7-shipping fee; you can return (most) items to the stores; and right now, with up to 80 percent off on online purchases, Gap and friends are practically giving their things away. Do not miss out. And check back tomorrow for Day No. 3 in Cathy’s New Year Countdown. (I know I was calling this the 12 Days of Christmas Countdown Part 2, but I’m ready to move on.)

12 Days of Christmas Countdown

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new-fireplaceWelcome to Day No. 2 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown. It’s Christmas Eve — time to get those stockings up. And if you still can’t find them (when christmas-and-new-years-2006-07-01826you unpack the Easter decorations in a couple months, they’ll be there as wrappings for your china eggs) but don’t want to brave the crowds to buy replacements, try this incredibly stylish alternative my friend Marlene does at her house. Can you see what she’s used in place of stockings? Look closer. She’s got Santa hats up around her fireplace — turned upside down, they’re the perfect Christmas “stocking.”  Fabulous idea! But then, she’s that sort of stylishly fabulous person. I think she just lets me be her friend for comic relief. Check back tomorrow for Day No. 1 in Cathy’s Christmas Countdown.

And check out my rant about ugly mother-of-the-bride and -groom dresses at http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20081224/SW/812110271/1085. I hate it when women feel as if they have to wear these dowdy, shapeless and outdated dresses when their children get married. Yuck! We deserve better! Anyway, that was my subject in my Fashionably Speaking column in the latest issue of Shoals Woman, one of the magazines published by the TimesDaily newspaper in Florence, Alabama. Read it and see if you agree.  And have a wonderfully Merry Christmas Eve today. Hope all you’re shopping’s done, your baking’s finished and family and friends are not stuck in airports somewhere or negotiating icy roads and arrive safely.

Christmas Parties

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249852310113_0_albI’ll admit that I usually spend December evenings curled up on thenew-kiss2 couch watching Bing Crosby movies in my pajamas and eating the best part of Chex Mix — the burned crunchy bits at the bottom of the pan, but the invitation to a Christmas party in Huntsville, Alabama, for this past Saturday night said dress to impress. Marlene, the hostess, wanted a glam cocktail party, so my husband and I tried our best. How do you think we did? My husband always looks so spiffy in a suit. For the party, he went with classic all black and since he couldn’t find his Christmas tie, he substituted his Beatles one for a festive touch. My dress was a two-year-old (three? four?)788272310113_0_alb black halter from the sadly now-defunct Parisian’s, with the added feature of not being tight or binding in any way — my only prerequisite for party clothes. All I can say is, new-marlene“Damn. We look good!” Marlene kept the festivities to proper cocktail hours so we could go out to eat or whatever afterwards, but before we did that, John and I stopped by my daughter and son-in-law’s apartment for a quick snuggle with almost 9-months-old grandson. Good company, good food and good baby time to top it off. Could it get any better?

12 Days of Christmas Countdown

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christmas-and-new-years-2006-07-0181Happy Day No. 11 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown. Let’s face it, as mom and CCO — chief Christmas officer — of your family, things are a bit hectic right now. So pour a cup of coffee, take a break and help Michelle Obama decide what to wear for the inauguration balls. Well, not really. But at http://www.zentrend.com/mobama-style1.html you can vote for your favorite among 12 designer sketches for Obama’s inaugural gowns. A couple of them even include designs for the First Daughters — adorable! Slip on your cyber stylista shoes and have some fun before it’s back to baking and decorating 15 dozen Rudolph sugar cookies. Just like you did last year. Tomorrow in the 10th Day Before Christmas Countdown: A super shopping tip to save you money and time.

And speaking of Washington, D.C. style, did you see the photo of Linda Johnson Rice, of Chicago — president and CEO dc-dress-001of the company that publishes Ebony and Jet magazines and friend of the Obamas — on the first page of Sunday’s New York Times’ Style section? Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/fashion/14secretary.html And here’s the thing: I have almost exactly the same dress. At least, I think it is. I’m pretty sure it is. The neckline and straps are a bit different but the pattern’s exactly the same. dc-dress-0022Don’t you think? It’s a Weston Wear dress I bought this past summer in Birmingham, Alabama, to wear to a wedding — and here it shows up in the New York Times Styles section. On a publishing magnate. On a friend of the President-elect. A dress that I personally have in my closet. I mean, this woman is smart and gorgeous and rich and powerful and knows the upcoming First Family and could presumably wear anything she wanted to and she and I picked out the same dress!!!! I am absolutely stunned. Does this mean I have somehow acquired a sense of adult style? Can world domination be far behind??? And as a side note, this only further solidifies my belief that we Americans finally and with much wishy-washiness have chosen a good team.

Holiday Fashion

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Purse contents cleaned up for photography purposes, since I also usually carry: Cell phone, digital camera, water bottle, lipstick of the day and tons of receipts, papers, brochures, tickets, coupons, etc. But decided to impress you all with appearance of a clean and organized bag. Has it worked?

Another item on the December to-do list marked off: Switching handbags for fall’s orange to winter’s red. Listen, for me this marks a major style accomplishment. If only I were one of those fashionable women who coordinate bags with outfits — the kind for whom it’s second nature to reach for new purses whenever they change clothes. But, no. Please don’t get me wrong. I love handbags. Who doesn’t? I head for the purse section of any store and always have a wish list of new ones I can’t live without — even if 99 percent of those remain on the list instead of in my closet. But it’s fun to look! However, because of general laziness and fear that I will leave my glasses at the bottom of a purse and never find them again, I stick to the basics and carry one bag a season, with occasional forays into a small messenger bag for hands-free shopping and a compact clutch for the (rare) times husband and I eat out somewhere that does not serve free chips and salsa before dinner. This spring and summer, I had a beautiful green bag younger daughter gave me for Mother’s Day and I only gave it up for orange a couple months ago. But the orange purse is starting the clash with all the reds and greens this holiday season, so I changed to this three-year-old soft red bag — one of my favorites because it has a cell-phone pocket that my cell phone actually stays in, thereby cutting the search for a ringing phone by at least a couple minutes.

Christmas Gift Projects

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carolyns-scarves-005My younger daughter Carolyn is a master at recycling and reusing when carolyns-scarves-004it comes to making gifts. She is so creative and talented — proof that genetics skips a generation because she did not get those characteristics from me. Inspired by Natalie Chanin’s how-to guide “Alabama Stitch Book,” Carolyn’s latest project is making these tea towels* from thrift-store T-shirts. She shops for the colors she wants, then cuts out the solid pieces of fabric from the shirts and plans her embroidery and reverse-applique designs. We recently spotted towels just like this in a Birmingham gift shop for $25 — she’s got less than $1 in each towel and the embroidery goes fast, so making them is definitely a money-saver. Plus, I think it’s her therapeutic stress-relief. These are so wonderful that I’m counting on her to make my old age rich and comfortable. Isn’t it nice to know that your children will take care of you?

And if you haven’t seen a copy of Natalie Chanin’s book, you’re missing out. It would make a wonderful carolyns-first-bandana-0021Christmas gift for any crafters on your list. Natalie is a fashion designer who returned to her northwest Alabama roots several years ago. Her company specializes in gorgeously hand-quilted clothing made from recycled fabric. Check out her Web site at http://www.alabamachanin.com/ to learn more. Carolyn’s first project out of “Alabama Stitch Book” was this past year when she tried her hand — literally! — at making this bandana. She’s gone on to make several for family and friends out of old and vintage T-shirts, including one she made for her sister, Liz, from the blue T-shirt Carolyn was wearing on the day Liz’s first baby — Nolan Thomas Behel — was born. I remain in awe of my children’s talent and imagination. Who would have thunk it back when it was a struggle to get them to finish their homework???

* Tea towel — a Southern term for a pretty cotton or linen towel used exclusively for drying delicate dishes and silverware

Iron Bowl

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iron-bowlToday is Iron Bowl Eve in Alabama. You have to choose sides — no more-iron-bowlexcuses. And even though today also is the first official day of Christmas shopping and we women throughout the state are eager to start wearing the snowpeople sweaters and angel earrings and candy cane-embroidered pants we put away this past January, we have to wait three days more. Today and tomorrow are for wearing crimson and white or orange and blue, and then Sunday (and perhaps Monday if you want to rub it in for co-workers) is the day for the winners to wear their colors proudly and triumphantly and the losers to look ahead to 2009. Read more about it at http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20081128/ARTICLES/811280301

Like many Alabama families. we’re a house divided. I try to remain neutral, unbiased and completely objective. Sort of. Younger daughter Carolyn is rabidly anti-Alabama. It stems, she explained this morning, from when we moved here to Alabama from Tennessee. She started third grade here and on her first day, everybody in her class demanded to know whether she went for Alabama or Auburn. The Alabama kids seemed especially intensely scary, she says, so she chose Auburn as the safer option and has never wavered. Older daughter Liz with her husband Jason and eight-month-old Nolan are blissfully unaware that this is a major football weekend. Husband John Pitts is totally focused on the Ole Miss/Mississippi State rivalry that culminates in the Egg Bowl, which is a big story, too, at least to those folks who live in Mississippi and we who claim honorary Mississippi citizenship.

Anthropologie

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huntsville-102908-014My favorite shop in the whole world is Anthropologie. I love huntsville-102908-015this store and I’m not really sure why. I immediately go to my happy place as soon as I walk in the door — in fact, this is my happy place. I mean, the clothes are far too young and funky for my post-menopausal body and I know I look ridiculous in the Cream-of-the-Crop Top paired with the Can-Can Pencil Skirt and coordinated with the Sylvan Scene Cardigan, but shopping hope springs eternal. Somehow, Anthropologie makes you believe. And then there’s the other side of the store: A sort of huntsville-102908-016eclectic and hip yard-sale jumble of linens and glassware and kitchen goodies — all those things you never knew you huntsville-102908-0171needed until Anthropologie gently waves them under your nose and says, “Hey! You are just the right person to take home this Pitch Pine Sugar Bowl” and even though you do not even use sugar ever at all, before you know it you are at the cash register trying to remember if you’ve already signed up for an Anthropolgie card. This happens to me time after time. Is it something in the store’s oil-diffused air? Has Anthropologie perfected an undetectable form of consumer hypnotism? I don’t know. I think I need to go again to figure it out. And again. And again. And … Check out the Web site at http://www.anthropologie.com/

Baby Holiday Fashion

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Seven-months-old grandson Nolan Thomas Behel was a Pirate Baby for Halloween — that’s his mom, my older daughter, Liz, demonstrating a pirate hook. Nolan seems to love dressing up (read “not mind”), so I think we’ve got some fun times ahead of us. And now that Halloween’s over and we’re into November already and we’re speeding into the holiday season, we (read “Grandma”) can legitimately start thinking about Christmas wear. (Sorry, Thanksgiving, for shortchanging you this year.) And of course, as a new grandma, I’m thinking ahead. I snagged this adorable Christmas onesie at Baby Gap earlier this fall as soon as I saw it. I love the cap. Who could resist? Definitely not me.

Fall Jackets

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One of the best things about fall here in Alabama is wearing jackets. I love jackets! I feel more pulled together when I’ve got one on, plus, it hides the dreaded middle-age pooch that persists in hanging around no matter how many crunches I do or chocolate-covered creme-filled Krispy Kremes I give up. Since my usual cold-weather outfit is a simple and lazy turtleneck with jeans, jackets jazz things up and help me look less basic. Shop for great jacket deals in the early spring as retailers get rid of their winter stock. That’s how I got these three great finds. One of my favorites is the orange embroidered wool. As soon as the temperature gets down to the 50s and 60s, I pull it out. I wear it so much I’m sure everybody gets sick of seeing it. But I don’t care! I feel happy as soon as I put it on. I got it on sale at Audie Mescal women’s boutique in Tuscumbia, Alabama, two or three years ago. The soft green quilted jacket is a velour-like brushed cotton in such a pretty shade. It’s from a clearance rack at specialty store Marigail Mathis in Florence, Alabama (http://www.marigailmathis.com/). I also lucked up on a near-matching long-sleeved green T-shirt. But the best buy is this fantastic gray jacket from Theodora women’s shop in Homewood (Birmingham), Alabama. I coveted it all season two years ago but could not pay the $300 or so price. I guess nobody else could, either, because I found it on the sale rack at such a discount that I bought it immediately before the store owner changed her mind. Score!