Historic Virginia Garden Week

If you are looking for a road trip in a few weeks, consider making the trek to Virginia for Garden Week.  Held every year in April, the Garden Clubs around the state open some of the most treasured houses and gardens for public view.  Get a rare glimpse into these extraordinary and in many cases, historic, venues.

In the northern part of the state, you can tour Middleburg..........

There will be four properties open and the National Sporting Library and Museum on Sunday and Monday, the 22nd and 23rd.

You can tour Lynchburg on the 24th.

Hit Richmond on the 27th:

I'm planning to visit Charlottesville on April 22nd:

There is a fantastic web site that you can use to plan your tour.  Tickets can be bought in advance or at the venues.  Pack your bags!

Poshmark - Great Fashion Deals for Less

If you have not shopped Poshmark let me enlighten you!  It is a great source to find new clothing with or without tags, gently used clothing, for a whole lot less.  I don't shop on Ebay too much but have found some great deals on Poshmark. You can shop by brand, size, color, condition and if a seller misrepresents something you can return it.  You can download the App to your phone or shop online.  Highly recommend it.  Here are a few Derby Day pieces you could add to your closet just in case you are still shopping....

This Vineyard Vines classic shift is currently listed for $47.

This Vineyard Vines NWT dress is currently listed at $115.

This dress is currently $60.  Adorable!

(Strapless Dress)

Find your size, your colors, your budget, your brands and shop from your home. It's a great way to find some deals on clothing and accessories.

Fast Fashion - Just Say No

Last week I blogged about Early Spring Picks and included a few photos of cute and very inexpensive tweed blazers from Zara.  Well, I drank the koolaid and ordered three and it was an experience I don't need to repeat.  They were awful.  Nothing was worth keeping even for $50.  You get what you pay for and for less than $50 what should I have expected?  These would hold up maybe through two or three cleanings.  The fit was terrible, the lining was terrible and they looked nothing like they did online.  At least they offer free shipping and free returns.

My question is this?  Is this what people really want?  Am I truly in the minority when I don't want to pay $50 for something that won't last through two seasons?  

There's an interesting article in the New York Times about H & M and how the company is sitting on billions of dollars of unsold clothes as people aren't buying. It's just overkill and obviously the market is saturated.  Read it here.

J Crew also seems to be following the fast fashion trend as they continue to dumb down their brand and get away from what they do best which is create well-made, preppy-like clothing that fit well.  Their new cheaper bathing suit line and their very cheap undergarments are sad examples of how they are destroying their brand.  I hope the ship hasn't sailed yet.  It's one of my favorite brands, or at least it once was near the top of my list.

But other retailers are not following this sad trend - Talbots, Sara Campbell, Nordstrom, J McLaughlin, Club Monaco,Tory Burch and others.  You can still find well-made, albeit more expensive clothes, where quality trumps price.  And you can always shop the sales and buy then. 

This cute pink jacket from Talbots is on my list for spring. I am ok paying over $100 for this piece as it should last for years.

 

And don't get me started about shopping for furniture.  The quality is so terrible now, I can't even begin to go there. We'll save that for another day.  

(J Crew Blouse)

Is fast fashion losing it's allure or is this just a momentary blip on the radar?  Time will tell.

Adorable Easter Decorations

I love Easter decorating because there's a soft spot in my heart for bunnies and I love pastel colors.  You can decorate starting in early March and keep it going until late May.  Here are some really cute decorations you can use now and for years to come.

These mossy vine bunnies can decorate a table, a kitchen counter top, a porch. Use them year after year.

 (Mossy Vine Bunnies)

Fill this tiny wheelbarrow with Easter grass and eggs, or a needlepoint bunny or two.

 (Wheelbarrow)

Fill your baskets with these paper mache eggs.

(Eggs)

These natural vegetable garlands are so adorable. Decorate a small tree with these and some needlepoint decorations.

(Garlands)

Fill this with ivy, greenery, some flowers for a lovely look for spring.

(Bunny Wall Decor)

Can you resist this bunny doormat?

(Doormat)

This weathered bunny is patio perfect.

(Weathered Bunny)

These will look great in the garden:

(Garden Bunnies)

Hop to it!

The Scarf Touch

I was at a party over the weekend and several people commented on the tied scarf I wore tucked inside a J Crew wool Tippi sweater which I wore underneath a J Crew tweed blazer. It's a simple look to pull off and I realized that many don't know how to wear scarves.  Wearing a scarf is a great way to stay warm, add a pop of color to an otherwise plain look and to hide an ugly neck (a fact of life as you get older).

 (Silk Scarf)

I strongly prefer a silk or cotton scarf. Stay away from poly if you can (and you can).  The scarf needs to be a certain size for this to work.  If you buy scarves that are at least 27 inches square you should be fine.  Don't buy much smaller than that.

Here is the outfit I wore:

 

The silk scarf is also J Crew, a Drake collaboration.  The quality of the silk is wonderful.  if they make these again, snap one up immediately.  I love this pattern.  The colors are vibrant.

My collection of silk scarves is mostly Hermes, which I have bought over a long period of time but every now and then Talbots will offer a good silk scarf.  All accessories are 30 percent off right now too.

(Talbots Scarf)

(Talbots Scarf)

This adorable silk scarf is greatly reduced....

(Silk Scarf)

Brooks Brothers is another good source with excellent quality.

(Scarf)

Have a happy Monday.

Garden Party

While we anxiously await spring - where is it - we can look to clothes that we might get to wear at some point later this season, if it ever warms up. I can't wait to plant flowers and wear warm weather clothes.  So for now, we wait and wish.......

(Floral Dress)

 (J Crew)

(Anthro Dress)

 (Floral Earrings)

 (Floral Dress)

 (DVF Dress)

(Floral Dress)

 (Tunic)

(Talbots Shoes)

(H & M Dress)

(Cargo Jacket)

(Floral Minaudiere)

(Floral Mules)

(Floral Chair Cushions)

(Door Mat)

(Pillow)

Think Spring!

Classic Chanel

I've always wanted to own a Chanel jacket in tweed but I have never been able to pull the trigger and there are some very good knock-offs out there (J Crew does a great one every now and then) so there are options for those of us without trust funds.  But the brand is so iconic and I do often buy Chanel make-up and skin care products.  Their shoes are also more within reach but also expensive.  And many adore their handbags.  But these jackets.....

Could you ever tire of wearing this?

(1st Dibbs)

If your wallet can't do the jacket, then opt for their cosmetics line.  I tried a sample of their Hydra Beauty Micro Cream and fell in love with it. It's a very good moisturizer when you don't need a heavy one (like in winter). I wear it this time of the year.  It's a nice mid-weight hydration product if you prefer a non-greasy, but not heavy cream.

(Hydra Beauty Micro Cream)

I also like their lip gloss and their color selection is classic like the rest of their style.

Fragrance is a personal choice, but I am partial to Coco.

 You can't go wrong with a classic!