Let’s talk color for Spring. For 2021 two colors were selected as the colors of the year. The colors are Ultimate Gray and Illuminating (yellow).
I have always felt that color communicates a lot about who you are. Whether you wear it or decorate with it you are making a statement. 2020 was certainly a gray period. But, gray is the perfect neutral. It is serious, strong, stable, practical. If you only used the color gray, it would say you are neutral about life. For months we have all been in a neutral corner. And now along comes Illuminating. It is warm. It is bright. It is the light at the end of the tunnel. Let the sunshine in! Imagine a bright sunshiny day! Optimism abounds and you start to feel “up”. And we all agree, we need to feel “up” again. So, add some Illuminating to your wardrobe and your home and balance it against Ultimate Gray.
The other colors for Spring-Summer 2021 follow. The color palette is a great mix of highly wearable colors, and the core classics are just that-They are classics that transcend seasons and give you a great base to bring on your own creativity.
Last year on this day I wrote a blog that I titled 20/20 VISION. I was wondering back then if it would be possible for everyone to have clear vision in the upcoming year. I cited the words of the Johnny Nash song “I Can See Clearly Now”. Well, the whole world turned upside down this year. No one was seeing anything clearly. Too bad Johnny Nash is no longer with us to write another feel good song.
I am sure for most of us this year has been a blur. Many days have just blended together. When asked what day it is you can answer “It’s Blursday”. When I first heard this I thought, that is perfect! It does not seem like a rear view mirror could properly downsize all of the horror of this year. Nothing could possibly be worse than what I’ve gone through and what I am still going through. Taking everything into account I’ve decided that I, as well as everyone else, needs to keep moving forward. I can move forward with less fear and less worry because I have already lost so much. Is it possible to be positive? Is the human spirit strong enough?
We have to keep planning. Yes, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. But we need to keep planning. If it goes in a different direction perhaps it can lead to something good for you. When in doubt, PLAN. Someone calls and says, do you want to go to the park? My mind says, “No thanks”, but out of my mouth comes “What time”? My subconscious is telling me to PLAN.
We all need a season of adventure. I know this is what my husband would want me to be thinking about after the last 9 months and I am really trying.
Here we are almost at 2021. I wish you all a blessed New Year. I wish for happiness and good health for you and the planet Earth. And as I say every year at this time, I hope that each day surprises you with something wonderful. Stay well.
Artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg created an art installation in Washington DC. It was a field filled with white flags. Each flag represented someone who died of Covid-19. The exhibit opened on October 23 and closed on November 30, 2020. The exhibit was titled “In America How Could This Happen”. Ms Firstenberg would update the total number of people who had died and add a white flag to represent their death. On the weekend my friend was at the exhibit the total was listed at 263,525. Less than one month has passed and the total is now 319,763. I wish I had seen this. There was an article in National Geographic by Sydney Combs about the installation. Quoting Ms Firstenberg, “look at a single flag…now conjure up a story. Think of it as a school teacher who just lost her life.” She paints a picture of all those stricken by that death. “Try to hold all of that grief-and then look up and multiply”, she said referring to all the flags. The article goes on to talk about how people across the country, including artists like Ms Firstenberg, “are doing what they can to humanize statistics and create spaces for mourning”.
For those of us living with the death of one of the 319,763 souls there is no way to be consoled. It is almost 9 months since I lost my husband. 264 days. 6,336 hours. Everyday I have to hear how many more people have died. Everyday I get to think about how I could not be with my husband as he died, how he could not have Last Rites, how there was no wake, how there was no funeral, how we did not get to celebrate his life. Everyday I get to think about the hole in my heart, the hole in our family. Everyday I get to think about how much I have to tell him about or wonder what his opinion would be about something. I just always thought we’d have so much time. We had so many more plans of what we wanted to do.
My friends and family have been tremendous support for me. I was fortunate enough to get a bereavement group specifically for Covid families. From that group I still have weekly zoom conversations with two women with whom I have formed a bond. We refer to each other as “grief sisters” or “covid widows”. We three understand exactly what each other is feeling.
My advice to anyone reading this blog is the following: in our presence NEVER talk about how the death total from this virus could have been so much worse than it is and NEVER say how such a large percentage of people only had flu-like symptoms. Be filled with gratitude if someone you loved recovered from whatever they suffered from. Consider yourself incredibly fortunate if you were not impacted in any way by this virus.
Our loved one’s place can not be filled. Please show respect for all those who have died by wearing a mask and getting a vaccine as soon as you can.
Since Joy seems to be in short supply this year, I thought perhaps some shopping could help. Writing about fashion finds and products of interest is a creative outlet for me that I find to be restorative.
In a “normal” year, by now I would have written several blogs about what you should be adding to your wardrobe and what you simply could not live without. Boy, this year has certainly crushed all of that. But, there are still things you can add to your closet even in these shelter-in-place times.
First things first. For the most part you are being seen waist up. Let’s call it dressing for the zoom. You need to make sure that you do give some attention to what you are wearing. Determine what your best colors are. What are you wearing when you get the most compliments? Figure that out and then you and your zoom callers will be uplifted. You can even add something with sparkle and perhaps some daytime sequins to really get festive. Even though you may be drinking wine in the happy hour time or coffee if it is a morning call, don’t forget lipstick. You remember lipstick, right? We would never leave the house without it, but now we don’t want it to be smeared all over our masks. But, having it on for a zoom call is a must do. I found just the right product. It is from Tarte cosmetics. It is Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip. It smooths and plumps your lips. It adds moisture to your lips and gives you a mirror shine that is not sticky. It is available at QVC, Sephora, and Macy’s.
There are days when you can venture out for a proper socially distanced lunch. This might be either in the park or at a restaurant that is accommodating what we need by giving us outdoor seating under a tent with heaters and cross ventilation. But, let’s admit it, now that it is December even with the addition of the heaters it can get pretty chilly. So, your outerwear needs to be just right. Puffer jackets continue to be best sellers along with Sherpa -Teddy Bear knits. I ordered a very well priced sherpa jacket that reverses to polar fleece from Susan Graver at QVC that is very toasty. Pop on a knit hat and a pair of fingerless gloves and you are ready for lunch.
The holidays are upon us so ordering gifts is a high priority now. For the women on your list I would recommend body lotions and bath products. Giving a beautiful scent can turn the shower or bath experience into a mini escape which is so well deserved. I have two favorite brands in this category. Philosophy has been a favorite line for me for many years. My favorite scents in bath and lotion are Gingerbread Man, FreshCream, Sweet Vanilla Fig, Apricots and Cream and Lemon Custard. Another line I am now using is Korres Olive Oil products. My favorite in this line is Olive Blossom. I got hooked on olive products after being in Greece in 2019. For skin care I recommend Rodan+Fields. Their multi function eye cream is sensational.
The mainstay of my gift giving searches are for my favorite little humans (AKA- my grandchildren). Of course I rely heavily on my daughter-in-law’s suggestions but I have a couple of extra gifts this year that were not on their list. One is PicassoTiles which are magnetic 3D building blocks. (available on Amazon in a variety of sets) I can’t wait to see this. It should arrive soon. This may drive my daughter-in-law crazy because there are so many pieces. I also found stuffed prayer animals for the two little ones. Press the tummy and prayers are recited. I got these at The Catholic Company on line.
Books make great gifts. I have several suggestions for a variety of tastes. Waves of Hope by Ronald EdwardNegra is a true story about Agnes Negra who was a wave of hope for so many families of prisoners of war in WWII. She would listen to her short wave radio and pass along information to families of servicemen. It gives me goosebumps to think about how a family felt when she would give them information. The story is so well done. (available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble). For a mom, I recommend Octopus Mom by Jill Goldberg. This book is a complete delight. Some days I think my grandchildren believe their mom is an octopus. I gave this to my daughter-in-law and she and the kids loved it (available on Amazon). A fun “chick book” is Girls Who Wear Glasses by Jennifer Inglis (available on Amazon). And last, but certainly not least is Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty (available on Amazon). I am in the process of reading this one. It sounds like a book I can use right now to help me find my purpose and shift my focus after all I’ve been through this year. Tom would like knowing that I’m going to work on getting my mojo back.
I’m still working on gifts for the rest of the family. I’ve gotten several thing already but they may read this and I hate to spoil any surprises. Of course as Tom would say, my boys like anything green!! I know that, but I still like everyone to have packages to open and not just an envelop.
Wishing you all a blessed holiday and let us all look forward to 2021 and a vaccine. That will be the greatest gift of all.
In all of my years I have never experienced such feelings of angst and uncertainty. I know that you know I am mourning the loss of my husband to Covid. That much I do know. What I don’t know is what my life will be like going forward. It is almost impossible to even think about it while we are in this Pandemic. We have always had a very active social life. It is almost at a standstill now. Fortunately I have family who are not too far away and I do have lots of friends. We are mostly having lunch and, as everyone is experiencing, that depends on the weather. Strange that everything depends on if the sun is out or at least that it is not raining. The addition of this weather dependency adds to my sadness. I know that Tom would like me to be out-and-about and I suppose that it would be easier for me if that was happening. Many people volunteer thoughts on how grieving should progress. They have no clue what this feels unless they have first hand experience. In addition, another dimension is added when your husband has been “stolen” from you. There is no escaping the horror of my own experience. TV shows are now coming back on for a new season and the hot topic is, of course, Covid. I have had to switch channels because it is too much to take. It was just hitting too close to my experience.
None of us know how long this state of living in limbo is going to go on. Every day there are new statistics to digest. You get to see what the rate of positivity is in your area and the rates for hospitalization. A vaccine is on the horizon and it is giving people hope. The elections are finally over and with that I am hoping that everyone becomes more civilized and returns to treating each other with respect. The line “we are all in this together” is right up there with “the new normal” for being incredibly annoying to hear over and over again. It is really sad when you are not “in this” with the person you want to be with and nothing will be “normal” for quite a long time.
There is nothing anyone can do right now. Let’s just hope for a mild winter so that we can get out for exercise and lunch! With any luck the restaurants around me will keep their tents up with the outdoor heaters so that we will be able to spend some time outside with our friends and family.
Well, here we are starting another season. It is amazing that we are entering our 3rd season of the Pandemic. Spring and Summer were both one big Groundhog Day. Everyday was a repeat of the previous day even with changes in the temperature. Now we will be sliding into cold weather even if we are not ready for whatever that brings. Will we be going out? Or will we be living semisolitary lives in our own homes? All of this is unknown at this point. But, come on, humor me and look at the planned colors for fall. I don’t know how many of you have done any shopping during the Pandemic. I’ve probably done enough for all of us. Shopping was an escape for me from my misery. Tom would be very happy that I did not let the fashion industry down by not contributing. It actually makes me feel bad to think that some of what was going to be trending for Fall will not even be getting a second look if people are continuing to be home and work from home.
But, even if you are home and living in a more relaxed style of dress, color can still give you a lift. So, you might as well look at the colors that will be around you either in stores or seen if you are shopping online.
From the Pantone report for Fall/Winter 2020 these are the top 10 colors as well as 4 classic neutrals. The last 4 colors are the classic neutrals. From what I’ve seen the big hits for fall will be golden hues and shades of copper as well as the many shades of olive that are now always represented in the palette each season. Classic Blue will continue to be strong (it is, after all the color of the year for 2020). It is usually at this point that I tell you to have fun getting ready for a new season. But, it is 2020 and nothing much has been fun. I hope that some of these colors will lift our spirits.
Retail. What does it look like after the Covid Virus has taken over the country since March? Anyone following my blogs knows that I took a significant hit from this virus. I said that Tom would want me to continue blogging once I got myself to a point where I could begin to think again. I thought the first blog should be about what retail looks like after being shut down for so long.
A friend and I ventured out to the mall after they opened up in NJ to do a quick spin through a couple of stores to see what was going on. My first stop was to the Mothership (I always refer to Nordstrom as the Mothership). It was eerily empty and low on merchandise. Part of the first floor was a staging area for the online and curbside pick up shopping. Staffing was light but very helpful and conscientious about the handling of merchandise. A selling associate told me to feel free to try anything on but give it back to her if I was not purchasing it because it would be quarantined overnight. What struck me the most was the assortment of merchandise. There was everything from sweaters and carcoats (no time for in-season markdown sales) to summery looking dresses. They will be getting all set for the Anniversary Sale that is coming up. I will return for that. I haven’t missed one in years. Did pick up two incredibly priced items. I almost consider it stealing…a great coral poncho top and a beautiful gray hombre scarf. I have to admit that I had been doing some online Nordstrom shopping already just in case I get to go out.
After Nordstrom I wanted to see how a fast fashion store looked so we headed over to H&M. Much of the same situation there-sweaters and winter merchandise that had not had the time to be sold as an in-season markdown. I did find a couple of shift dresses I had been eyeing online. Fabulous printed rayon, bold floral and a perfect green palm leaf print. I had seen them online for $24.99 but I got them for $19.99. Great swimsuit coverup should the occasion arise. H&M is very open with their signage for sales.
From here I looked at Macy’s. Again, a mix of seasons.
Another day I went to Chico’s and Soft Surroundings to look at specialty stores. In both stores I found the mix to be much more focused and more seasonal. The first four photos are Soft Surroundings, then a shot of the Chico’s window.
Being a real shopper, it is heartbreaking to see what the “brick and mortar” retailors are going through. I think the online stores must be out of their minds with the increase in business from necessity, boredom and anxiety brought on by the pandemic. Only the strong will survive and unfortunately commercial real estate will also be dragged down with them.
This personal purchase I made online from Nordstrom. Little Words Project about sums up my feelings for 2020 and I’m sure the retail community shares my opinion.
Get Up, Dress Up, Show Up has been my mantra for years. It has carried different weight at various points in my life. The last 2 months have been the worst in my life. That may sound a bit dramaic, but for those of you who might not know, I lost my husband to the Covid -19 virus on April 2nd. To put it mildly, I don’t feel like my life will ever be the same. I want that more than anything, but its not going to happen. I have to shake myself into preparing for a “new normal”. Is everyone sick of hearing that right now? Everyone has to make huge adjustments now with this pandemic and what may happen in the aftermath. But for me, its not just wearing a mask and waiting for restaurants to open. I have lost “my person”. Tom was everything to me. He was my love, my husband and my best friend. The plan was to take care of each other as we got old. We used to laugh at the possibility of one of us losing our memory. But Tom’s response was, well then we’ll get to fall in love all over again.
Tom was the most positive force in my life. There was nothing that we could not achieve together. Everyday was a great adventure and a cause to celebrate life and each other. Those of you who follow my blog have seen the wonderful times we had traveling either to Europe or on the road in the USA. We enjoyed traveling with friends and traveling by ourselves. Everywhere we went we met people and would wind up making new friends. Our life was wonderful and filled with love.
Now I have to figure out how to find joy in my life. I have written this blog for 5 years and have loved writing it. Tom loved seeing me get involved in the topics I was writing about. He would always read my blog before I published and make his comment which usually was “this is really good!”. He loved that I wrote about our travels but he also loved my fashion and color blogs. He said “I know you are helping other women see a new trend or get their colors right for the season”. He was my best fan.
What I’m getting to here is that as frivolous as some of the themes I write about have been, I am going to continue to write about them. As stupid as it may sound, it gives me joy to share my thoughts on fashion, color and places to visit with you. I know that Tom would want me to continue and not be so sad all of the time (that’s all I am right now -SAD- all of the time). I will also write about family relationships and friendships as I have in the past. I think grandparenting will become a point of interest for me to share with you.
My mantra continues to be Get Up-Dress Up-Show Up even though at the moment (as we are still going through the stay-at-home period), my “dress up” is wearing Tom’s shirts around the house and spraying his cologne. I suppose I will get my mojo back. I will get through this in time… I will never get over it.
How did all of this happen to us? Tom was feeling fine when the doctor said, after his routine stress test, that he wanted a CT done to see if he might need a stent. We scheduled it right away because we had another European adventure planned for June. The CT was scheduled for 3/10. Tom had a really bad allergic reaction to the dye and had to go back to the hospital for IVs of Benadryl and prednisone to get the dye flushed out of his system. He was admitted for 2 days and then I brought him home with oral medication. Days passed and at first I thought he was improving and just had to shake this. As days passed I could see that this apparently was not the case. His doctor wanted blood work done and by this point you know what was going on in the hospital. But he had to go back. He was really sick. On 3/27 he was taken to the hospital for the blood work and we found out he had pneumonia and the Covid-19 virus. I think it is safe to assume he contracted the virus on the trip to the hospital to treat the allergic reaction. On 4/2 the love of my life and my best friend died.
I keep asking myself how is this possible? How could he be gone? We were talking about how we would spend the “shelter-in-place” period that we heard was coming and everything was closing. We actually loved being home without anything scheduled. We would plan a “snow day” every so often just so that we could be home and relax. Tom said to me “as soon as I start to feel better we’ll plan “our” time”.
Now I just keep thinking about our years together and I am filled with such pain that I just don’t know what to do with myself. There are couples, and then there are COUPLES. We were a COUPLE-capital letters, bold type, underlined. We enjoyed every minute of our life together. He made me laugh every day. He brought out the inner child in each of us and we found wonder and joy in everything we did. Every time I walked down the stairs when we were going out he would tell me “you are gorgeous”. I would tell him to clean his glasses and he would say I just needed to get used to the fact that I am. Every day he woke up happy and ready to start the day and the first thing he would say was “Hi Honey!”. When he was in this sick period I said, we’re not having a very good week are we…and he said every week is good that I’m with you. Was I living in a dream or what?
Tomorrow is one month since Tom’s death. There would never be enough years for me to be with this man and I was robbed by this insidious virus. I am grateful to the nurses who took care of him. They were compassionate and knew they were filling in for family who were not allowed to be there. They made sure he always had his phone so that we could talk frequently and he could see his kids and grandchildren on FaceTime. Right before he was to be intubated on the day he died, his nurse got me on the phone and lowered his mask and we were able to FaceTime and tell each other how we loved each other and he told me to tell the kids how much he loved them. I think he knew he was not going to make it. I told him not to be afraid. I hope that he flew right into the arms of God.
Ahhh, can you feel Spring coming? Time to think about refreshing your look and your closet. Here are trends for spring that will continue into Fall.
There is a lot of conversation of “Back to the Future”. All of the fashion magazines are talking about 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s influences. Having been interested in fashion for each of these decades I can say the fashion community has picked the best of each decade to make it work again for 2020.
80’s: Slouchy suiting. Polka Dot prints. Hot pants and microminis (oh boy, remember them?) Flats and low heel shoes.
90’s: Knitwear-ribbed turtleneck tops, cardigans and dresses. Square toe boots will follow square toe sandals as we move along through the year.
A major trend is romantic flowy dresses, lots of lace and mesh and crochet. Prairie was a trend back in the 80’s. It is returning with the help of and inspiration from the movie Little Women. Victorian styles and prints will be prevalent through the year.
The Puff Sleeve: there is no stopping this trend that became popular last year. There are really big sleeves on dresses and tops but there are also more wearable styles coming up. The volume draws the eye up which is flattering for many body types.
Soft Power Suiting: There are tailored coordinates -blazers, vests, pussy cat bow blouses worn with pants and skirts. In this category we can also talk about shorts of all proportions. Shorts are a great alternative to skirts. They can be worn as “a suit” with a matching fabric or print jacket or vest. Shorts of all lengths will be around all year. A very good suggestion that I read in Bazaar is if you are going for soft dressing in pastels, it is best to do the color head to toe. Perfect accessories for this category are top handle handbags, leather mules, quilted sandals, heeled loafers, layered chains at the neck, statement cuffs.
There is a lot of color coming. There is colorful leather both real and faux. For spring you will see deep violets and blues and greens as well as neutral colors. There are also glowing colors covering the rainbow. Valentino is showing gorgeous dresses and gowns in neon glowing colors.
There are a few accessory trends surfacing that are worth noting. 1)Daytime clutches-ones with handles, ones without. Some ae structured, some are soft. The clutch is not just for evening. 2) Scarfs worn on heads as well around the waist as a belt. 3) lots of brooches on lapels. 4) oversize aviator frames for sunglasses.
Continuing are camo prints, tie dye, and safari themes for animal prints as well as safari jackets and utility styles for pants and jackets. Denim is everywhere.
Here are a few pictures for pre-spring. More to follow.
How To Wow Now 
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