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.

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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.

60’s: Lots of knitwear. Crochet stitching . Psychedelic floral prints. Straw bags.

70’s: Perfect Denim. Skinny rib shirts. Exaggerated collars.

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.

Seen at H&M

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Seen at Bloomingdales

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I have mentioned in previous blogs that I consider Nordstrom The Mothership for fashion. I love this company!

Nordstrom NYC Flagship store opened October 2019 on 57th and Broadway. With all that I had going on, I did not have a chance to get to see the store before now. Yesterday we went to see it. When we walked in the door, my husband smiled at me and said “you are actually glowing just being here”. I reminded him that this is the Mothership. And this NYC store does not disappoint.

The women’s store is on the east corner of 57th street, men’s is on the west corner. The women’s store is 7 floors. Entering from the street brings you into cosmetics and accessories which is the 3rd level of the store. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a serious accessory addict! This is the first thing that I looked at in the store.

This store was talking to me! I was interested in finding a pair of mismatched earrings. A sales associate found a pair for me in their inventory on line and they are being shipped to me. Success!!

We then went floor to floor to see what was happening and I was enthralled with all of the eye candy. It is a magnificent store.

Here are some photos of the fabulous displays that could entice anyone to make a purchase.

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This one from Comme des Garcons needs a manual to explain how to wear it!!

This last photo sums up the season. COLOR. PRINTS. ACCESSORIES (Bag, Scarf, Sunglasses). BREAK OUT OF THE BOX!

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Hard to believe this year is ending and a new decade is ahead. Is it possible that there will be clear vision in the upcoming year? We live in a tumultuous time. Will the country pull together in 2020? It is very hard to see how divided our country is right now. I hope that things change and that the children of the 20’s feel more united.

I hope that we will all be humming this Johnny Nash song:

“I can see clearly now the rain has gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It’s gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day… I think I can make it now the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared. Here is that rainbow I’ve been praying for. It’s gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day. Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies. Look straight ahead there’s nothing but blue skies. I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind It’s gonna be a bright (bright) Bright (bright) sunshiny day….”

Wouldn’t that be great? How do we get here? One needs to pay attention. Leave space for change. Step out of line for what you believe in.

My hope is that you will have surprises in your life this year. Let yourself be surprised.

And as Tinkerbell says, “All you need is faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust”.

Here it is…THE color for 2020. And a beautiful color it is! Everyone looks great in this shade of blue.

Leatrice Eisman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute says “We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on. Imbued with a deep resonance, Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.”

WOW! Yes, color can do that. Think about how you feel when you see a certain color. Think about how you react to someone wearing a particular color. Color impacts on how we feel and respond to everything.

The Spring palette for 2020 is very pleasing to the eye. I am looking forward to incorporating these colors into my wardrobe.

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It’s gift giving time again. This year I would like to recommend three books. All three are “boosts”. They promote optimism. Each of these books gives us something to think about and hopefully makes you feel more optimistic about the days ahead.

The first book is The Daily Better written by Henry Edwards. Henry is a friend and, I have to say, he is a very optimistic person. Henry has selected 365 reasons for optimism. You can read one a day. Before the birth of this book Henry would write thought provoking posts on Facebook insisting that there was so much to be optimistic about! I wish him the best of luck.

The second book is written by someone I feel like I know! Hoda Kotb’s newest book is I Really Needed This Today. This book is really special. It too is a book that can be read each day. It is a collection of quotes penned by many people and they are meaningful to Hoda. As she shared them on the Today Show or Instagram she found that lots of people shared her awe and felt inspired. Since I bought the book I have been reading the quote of the day with her comments and I have been getting a daily boost! Its a great way to start the day.

The third book was selected by Barnes&Noble as Book of the Year. It is The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It is an illustrated journey of four unlikely companions. It is so life affirming and is truly a beautiful book for all ages. One of my favorite lines in this book is “Is your glass half empty or half full? asked the Mole. I think I’m grateful to have a glass, said the Boy”. Yes, let’s be grateful to have the glass.

These days I think that everyone needs some help to be optimistic and hopeful. Reading any or all of these books will help. Great gifts for the holidays or just to give someone a boost.

Enjoy. Happy Holidays.

And just like that! It’s really Fall. Temperatures are dropping. I had to put the sandals away and start pulling out the sweaters, checking the outerwear, and organizing my fall/winter scarves.

I am loving all the spicy fall colors. We spent a week leaf peeping at Lake George and we thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the golds, russet reds and browns mixed with green.

The biggest thing to talk about are prints. Animal-Camo-and Plaid Oh MY! Animal prints continue to be represented in every category of merchandise. There are a few new color grounds that are now included in this category.

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Camo prints are also showing up on a variety of ground colors. Of course the most popular continues to be the olive green combinations. But don’t be surprised when you see blue, copper, gray and pink ground colors for the camouflage prints. You’ll see pants, pull-over tops, jackets and fleece items.

Designers were Mad for Plaid this fall too. There are plenty of skirts, shirts and pants, but the biggest silhouette for plaids are jackets. Blazers are having a definite moment and it is perfect in Plaid. You can jump in on this by shopping at H&M if you just want to get the look without paying a high price.

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An on-trend look for fall is “Utility”-Boiler Jumpsuits, also referred to as Flight Suits, and utility pants are seen everywhere. Retails are all over the board. The silhouette is not for everyone. Long legs are a big help to carry off the look.

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Sweaters are, of course, guaranteed purchases this time of the year. There is a lot of variety in sleeves. Ballooning sleeves are very popular. Fair isle patterns are again popular and look very fresh when the pattern is a rounded yoke that continues over the shoulder and upper arm.

Don’t panic if you are a floral girl. There are lots of florals for fall and they have taken on a Victorian twist.

As I always say, shop your closet first. Trends resurface and you may find something you have saved! Paired with your classic pieces you can invent a current look for yourself. Enjoy the season.

Labor Day signals the end of summer. Did that go by quickly or what?

Now I start to think about Fall. I love this time of the year as the temperatures drop and all the fall shipments are dropping into the stores!

This blog will give you the colors of the season. This report comes from the Pantone Color Institute and highlights the top colors that designers showed at NY Fashion week. There are 12 stand-out colors and four neutrals. The buzz words for the fall palette are bold, strong, confident, relatable. Leatrice Eiseman (Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute) tells us “This palette of versatile hues builds a sense of empowerment and confidence, enabling the wearer to choose the colors that best reflect his or her mood and persona.” And isn’t that what dressing is all about?

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Here is the continuation of European Portals 2019

Olympia, Greece

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Athens, Greece

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Mykonos, Greece. Mykonos had the BEST assortment of doors!! And so colorful!

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Ephesus, Turkey

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Rhodes, Greece

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Crete, Greece

Naples, Italy

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That wraps up my photo journal of European portals 2019. Always look for those open doors and gates and experience what lies beyond.

As many of you know, wherever I go I photograph doors. I find it very intriguing. Doors are passages. You are either coming or going into the space beyond the door. What lies beyond the door? An opportunity for you? A new experience? Insight into the people beyond the door?

In another blog I wrote about the colors of doors and what that represents. Red- welcoming. Orange-you are social. Blue-your world is ordered and controlled. Gray-you prefer compromise. Green-you have traditional values. Brown- you are warm, reliable and stable. Yellow- you are positive and logical, but also creative. Turquoise-speaks to emotional balance, a romantic dreamer. Pink-hopeless romantic. Purple-you are comfortable with risks. Wood- you are generous and down to earth.

Here are photos of some of the doors I photographed on our trip this year.

Saint Malo, France

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Paris, France

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

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Montenegro

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Zadar, Croatia

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Split, Croatia

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Korcula, Croatia

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Corfu, Greece

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Sicily, Italy

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Part 2 will be Olympia Greece, Athens Greece, Mykonos Greece, Rhodes Greece, Crete Greece, Naples Italy and Ephesus Turkey