I think that fragrance is such an important addition for everyone. I feel bad for anyone with allergies because I think fragrance communicates something to those around you. Of course, one has to be careful that  your fragrance does not enter a room before you do!!

I started to wear fragrance in junior high. For anyone growing up in the 60’s  I bet you can guess that it was Ambush!! After that, in high school, I graduated to Shalimar by Guerlain and that became my signature through college. After graduation I started to experiment with a variety of fragrances. I kicked it up a notch with  Opium (Yves St Laurent), Dune (Dior), Pheromone (Marilyn Miglin) and Sublime (Jean Patou) This was when I started to pay attention to top notes, mid notes and base notes. I found my preference ran to scents containing Bergamot, Vanilla, Lavender, Mandarin Orange, Sandalwood and Amber. Knowing this made it easier to make decisions on fragrance and not buy something that would wind up giving me  headache! If you ever have an opportunity to go to a perfumerie the one on Capri in Italy and one in Paris are both worth checking out.

In the early 90’s while traveling in London I discovered the Jo Malone fragrance line.That company was not yet in the United States (since 1999 they are an Estee Lauder company). My friend Jane and I spent a lot of time at Harrods checking out all of the very different scents offered…Cassis and Wild fig, Lime and basil, Nectarine and Honey!!. This is when I discovered the fig scent and it was added to my list of favorites.  I was really happy when the line finally got to the US.

For the past few years my scent has been Donna Karan’s Cashmere. I was wearing it when I met my husband and it is his favorite. The best way to get the most mileage out of a fragrance is to layer it…shower gel, lotion and then a spritz!! This sure can get expensive, but it is worth it!!

A great discovery for daytime, in particular, is the Philosophy line. My favorite place to purchase it is at QVC because they offer sensational pricing for duos and sets that include additional products. You can purchase super sizes on your favorites when they run promos or specials. Right now I am crazy for Sweet Vanilla Fig. Fresh Cream is another nice scent as is Pure Grace. All Philosophy products are  so clean smelling. People standing behind me on line have asked what the scent  is!!

Experimenting with fragrance can be a lot of fun. It brings out your individuality, makes you feel great and keeps you feeling young!!

We all know that life is one big transition. I think one of the biggest passages is when parents become your children.

Tom and I were married in 2012 (16 months after we met). It was a wonderful celebration- church wedding and all with both of my parents walking me down the isle. So many people were Wow…look at her parents!!! They were a striking couple with high energy. Dad and I had a father-daughter dance to “Unforgettable” and people were amazed watching a 90 year old twirl me around the dance floor. Three months later (almost to the day) he was diagnosed with cancer. So began a 2 year (almost to the day) journey to his life’s end. We were there just about every weekend and all vacation days through 2 surgeries, taking care of medication, appointments, fixing meals et al. During this time my mom started to loose short term memory which was probably God’s way of getting her through losing the love of her life since 1945.  I try to see something good coming out of tough times. Through all of this, my brother Bob and I have become closer than we ever were. I now consider him right up there in the best friend category and I have also gained a new appreciation for my sister-in-law Joyce. Things are starting to get back to normal now…a new normal. I retired 6 weeks before my Dad passed away. Mom is now settled in assisted living and enjoying all the activities which is so much better for her than hanging out with us all day!! She is living one town over from us and we visit several times during the week. And now we get to have dinner with my brother once a week when he comes to NJ to see Mom!!

You are probably saying, Elaine I thought this blog was going to be about style…I’m getting to it!!

My mantra is Get up…Dress up…Show up. When there are times that you feel like your energy is running out, one way to help yourself out is to care about what you are wearing!  Sound shallow? Try it!! It works. See how much better you feel when someone compliments you. When we moved mom into assisted living she was not exactly thrilled with the arrangement. But I kept arranging her closet for her and suggesting she wear outfits she always enjoyed wearing…and you know what? She started a trend among the women at her residence to pull their outfits together! I started seeing more scarfs and jewelry!! One of the people there said if Ralph Lauren ever needed a 90 year old model it would be my mom!!

So…my point is that fashion plays an important part in every day living.  As Bill Blass said, “When in doubt, wear red”.

It has been one year since I retired and I have decided to try blogging!  My friends have always asked my opinions on fashion, where they could find something etc.  After 40+ years in the fashion business working in buying, merchandising, sales and planning I guess I do know something about it!

I’ll be posting about fashion and products that are of interest to me and hopefully will be to you. I will also share my ideas on where to find various fashion and beauty products as well as interesting things for your home.

More to come!!