Fantasy Colour Story: MIAMI

 How quickly have our lives changed over the last two weeks!
Our April trip to Miami has gone from being something completely booked and anticipated to seeming like a fantasy, a trip that I can't imagine taking now, or in six months, or perhaps not even in a year's time.
I keep thinking of all of the hotels and restaurants who completely rely on tourist dollars, a steady stream of merrymakers spending money and looking to be entertained, fed and housed... now it seems like another life.  In a way I guess that was another life, a pre-pandemic life.

In the meantime, if you're up for some fantasy and frivolity, here is my colour story for Miami, one I've been planning for a couple of months.  You can see it features some very strong colours: pink, orange and yellow predominate.  Strong patterns are another feature, patterns which are very 1960's inspired which somehow is very Miami to me.

This Candy Tweed J.Crew Collection jacket is one I found on eBay, look at the colours!  It's really amazing, lined in silk and with a tie stripe silk detail on the interior, it features all of the Miami colour goodness.

Tie stripe detail, interior of Candy Tweed jacket.

 The orange silk dress, lined in cotton, is another J.Crew Collection piece, again sourced on eBay.
Look at the exquisite twisted rope detail at the neckline:

 The jacket is trimmed in a ruffled ribbon with a silk charmeuse tie at the neck:

 Though this fantasy colour story contains so many vintage pieces from J.Crew Collection, it was really inspired by Tory Burch bags.

I have long coveted a classic Chanel flap bag, but truly they are so dear it only makes sense to buy one in a classic black, to be used at every opportunity.  Black bags don't call to me at the moment, I want colour in my life, fantasy or otherwise.

 This pink Tory Burch bag and the smaller colour-blocked TB bag just scream Miami colour to me.  The pendant necklace is an older piece that MrBP bought me for my birthday many years ago.  It looks so good with this piece:

J.Crew Collection Verushka dress, 2008.

This is a dress I looked for on eBay for years, at least five or six years, perhaps longer.  I finally found it, in a size up, but the shift style is very forgiving... and a size up is very forgiving for a fantasy holiday dress as well.  

With Michael Kors heels.

These Michael Kors heels are so comfortable and I have no idea how.  I've worn them on a travel day that required walking miles through an airport, no problem, so comfortable.

Love the sleeve detail on the Verushka dress.

 No holiday in Miami would be complete without a pool outfit.
I bought this Tory Burch pool bag and matching bikini... it's so fun and Miamitastic.  The striped fabric slides from J.Crew are totally impractical but let's face it, perfect for a fantasy colour story.

Tory Burch patterned pool bag and a matching bikini.
My impractical pool slides in fabric from J.Crew.

 I bought another new item, this pink Jackie Kennedy-inspired dress from J.Crew in a super comfortable cotton tweed.  I love it with the pink and yellow striped shoes, my old Tory Burch elephant tote and the Tory Burch pink flap bag.  Airport outfit!

 For the trip out I had planned to wear this tweed pink blazer with a pink and orange skirt and a white shirt.
The jacket would be the perfect weight for travel to the airport from this end, and this is another J.Crew jacket that has an exquisite tie silk interior detail.

J.Crew jacket, vintage.
Tory Burch bag and J.Crew Collection heels (current).

Look at the ruffly details.

The fabric is from the famous Robert Noble mill in Scotland.  

I hope that you have had a moment's reprieve from our current situation with this fantasy colour story.

I hope you are well and that your family is well also!
xoxDani

Colour Story: Montreal

Tweed skirt, old JCrew, Hermes scarf.

 We'll be heading to Union Station in Toronto next week to hop on a train to Montreal.  It's a girls trip with my best girlfriends The Lauras and all of our daughters.  We'll be doing some shopping, hitting restaurants and pubs... and maybe even a night club for the younger set.

It will most certainly be cold.  Do you know that song 'Montreal' by Raine Maida?  The chorus goes something like "the cold winds of Montreal... the cold winds of Montreal", which bears repeating because this is the thing I remember best about Montreal in the middle of winter: damn but the winds are cold.

I'll be bringing out my best cold weather armour, the things I wear if it's -20 and I need to take Scout for a long walk.  Those things are layers, of course, and more specifically layers of tweed and wool and fur.

 It's true that I stopped consuming meat entirely almost three years ago, not for any particular health reason but because I love pigs and logically not eating other animals follows that line of thinking.  I do however wear recycled fur.

My mother-in-law, who I loved dearly and miss very much, left me her dark brown mink coat.  I stared at it for a couple of years trying to figure out what to do with it and finally I decided to have it reworked so I could wear it during our coldest months.  I had it made into a reversible coat, with the fur on the inside and a dark brown water and windproof taffeta fabric on the outside.  Though it is reversible I never, ever wear it with the fur on the outside, it's not as warm for one, but it's also too much of a fur look.  I prefer the taffeta exterior with the fur trim, and of course the warmth.

 I'll be bringing my trusty LV dark brown bag and a recycled brown mink fur hat.

Train travel can be a bit challenging for me with the hauling of luggage up and down the stairs.  I'll be bringing my Dubarry of Ireland brown duffle bag, which isn't particularly large by any means.  My colour story will need to be fairly streamlined.

Travel gear.

 I'll bring my two J.Crew tweed skirt suits from 2006.  Does this qualify as vintage?  I'm not sure but what I do know is that these outfits are my favourite things to wear in the winter.  They fit beautifully, are so warm with just a silk camisole, tights and boots, and because of their neat fit they slide under the slightly oversized fur coat without issue.  The combination of wool and fur is like trapping myself inside a furnace.

These tweed skirt suits are the base of the story, one in green and one in red.

 I always add a scarf to the neck of these suits to warm up and cover the neck.

Dark brown boots will be worn with every outfit.

 To get a more casual look out of these suits I'll bring my Bosie of Scotland fair isle sweaters, a pink one for the green skirt of course:

 My red suit is a real favourite, in part because I pair it with my Hermes Metamorphosis scarf:

 I'll bring a third tweed skirt which doesn't have a jacket pairing, but which does pair well with the yellow Bosie fair isle and my yellow-toned scarf.

Third tweed skirt.
Old JCrew, 2005.

I've worn this yellow fair isle so much this winter, it's lovely warm and surprisingly versatile, really bringing out the warm tones in the red tweed.

 This was a favourite look around Christmas this year:

Other additions to the duffle will be some warm pyjamas and a bathing suit for the hotel pool.  I'll just bring the one pair of boots but lots of tights and some warm socks to layer as well.

  I'm so looking forward to spending this time with my girlfriends and all of our girls- who grew up together and are now amazing and fun young adult women.
I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and hopefully return with some good restaurant recommendations.
Have you been to Montreal?
xoxDani

Winter Getaway Colour Story

 Before the Rascal Reunion began this past weekend we took a little twenty-four hour getaway to one of our favourite spots close to home : Langdon Hall.

I'll have some pictures for you of the grounds of Langdon Hall tomorrow, but for now I thought I'd share my packing-up colour story.

The temperature hovered around zero which by this time of year feels mild to us.  This was perfect because I was able to wear one of my favourite wool skirt suits to the hotel without loads of winter layers weighing me down.
When we go to Langdon Hall we try to arrive early enough so that we can have lunch in Wilks' Bar.  A skirt suit is the perfect outfit for this snug, cozy bar.

This Brooks Brothers suit is a few years old, and while I can't remember the exact year I bought it I know it was before Zac Posen took over designing women's wear at Brooks.  It's likely from 2013-2014.

I have a short sleeved Brora jumper that is perfect under the suit.  I cannot stand to wear long sleeves under a jacket like this: too much bunching.
The Brora jumper is also the perfect match to the scarf MrBP gave to me for Christmas, excellent because I really wanted to wear it on this Valentine's week getaway.

I have to show you the most beautiful detail on the jacket: the back has this pleated detail that is so charming.  It's actually a bit of tailoring genius, it allows the jacket to sit properly at the low back, where it meets the top of the skirt.

The back of the jacket.

 I really like using a scarf for pattern and colour because if I get tired of wearing it while I'm out I can always wrap it around my handbag.

Smythson Bag.
Hermes scarf.

 Here we have an amateur photo of my outfit in the wearing:

 I wore my recently refurbished black leather boots which have a quilted detail that echoes the checks of the navy wool:

 How about for dinner in the evening?  That was easy, my favourite winter dress.  This colour story really revolved around this dress, I knew I'd want to wear it for our late dinner in the dining room.  It's a wrap dress, and so comfortable.  It has pockets for lipstick, perfect because then I don't even have to bring my handbag.  The dress also pairs well with my tartan wool ruana from Scotland, which I really like to wear in the evening in place of a coat.
It continues the colour story of black with navy checks:

Eileen Fisher black velvet wrap dress.
Black Watch Modern Tartan ruana from Scotland.

 For the following morning I brought along a sportier outfit: my usual Theory Ponte pants, a black cashmere Brora turtleneck, and my Dale of Norway quilted vest.  You can see the boots and the vest are made for each other:

Dale of Norway wool vest with quilted detail.
La Canadienne quilted leather boots.

It was actually quite chilly in the morning when we decided to have a walk around the beautiful grounds, so I wore my tartan ruana over this black outfit.

I really had fun with this colour story, it's such a good method to planning a weekend away or a longer vacation.  I think I might do a couple of trial spring colour stories, then maybe you can help me with my packing up for our New Orleans vacation this spring?
Hope you have a good day today,
xoxDani
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Mop Philosophy Monday

Arrangement from Sweet Violets Flower Shop

 What do you think of red roses contrasted with eucalyptus in a bouquet?  I love the colours and shapes together, a perfect centrepiece for the table.

Making any healthy snacks?  I made this roasted carrot and red lentil hummus the other day and it has been a huge hit, everyone loves it, even Lil Rascal.
You can find the recipe here.

Roasted Carrots for the hummus.

 I've been plodding on with the storage room Death Cleaning.  De-cluttering takes such a long time whenever there are family mementos involved.
I have trunks in the storage room for my older rascal kids to hold various memories of childhood.  The blue trunk was Ole Rascal's camp trunk too, so it is a memory itself, before it's even opened.

Rascal Trunks

 Cooking up any detoxifying soups?  I made this one the other day and it would have been much better without the addition of beets.  I don't care for them in the slightest but I keep trying, they're so full of vitamins.

 The next time I'll skip the beets and just add more butternut squash.  Here is the recipe if you feel like giving it a try.

We've had a busy weekend not just with our rascals but with a little getaway to Langdon Hall.  I've got an overnight travel Colour Story coming up and some photos from our trip.  Stay tuned Tooties.
I hope your week is off to a terrific start.
xoxDani

Year of No Shopping Update

 It's a month into my own personal Shopping Fast and I thought it might be fun to check in to see how it's going, even though it is early days.
New habits are typically the most difficult to accustom to in the first few weeks, or so the theory goes anyway.  This might be true when it comes to No Shopping, it really is just a mindset twist.  Instead of being captivated by a sale or an object, or an idea, and then trotting on down that little path, I've had to remind myself to stay on the straight and narrow.

My temptations could have been predicted with alarming accuracy!
The most jarring moment involved baskets, of course, and really I should have seen that one coming. I have long had an obsession with all manner of baskets: with handles, without, giant wicker laundry baskets... really anything constructed of wicker is very fetching to my eye.
Perhaps it's a longing leftover from the ancient days of the hunter-gatherer in my DNA:  you can never have too many baskets if your main goal in life is gathering berries and twigs for the survival of your family.
I was walking through a hardware store, picking up some cleaning supplies for the office, when I wandered down the aisle of baskets.  I spotted a couple of medium size that were painted with a blue stripe... how cute for the laundry room!  I threw them into my cart after a glance at the price (they were on sale, of course).   It took me a few minutes to realize, hey wait a second, I'm not shopping for permanent items... I put them back.

The sales were fast and furious this month and while for the most part I've stayed off the shopping websites, I couldn't help having a peek at one of my favourite online shops: the Jourdain boutique in Quebec City, which sells Saint James clothing from France.

Saint james coat in a pretty blush peach colour.
Saint James clothing is a Trigger.

 This wool coat in the pretty pale peach was on drastic sale, in my size, and of course it is not only lovely and warm, it was made in France.
When it is January in Canada one feels that one can never have too many coats... I likely would have bought this if I hadn't been on a No Shopping Year.
I quickly clicked away from the website and moved on!

I realize that another Shopping Trigger for me, and perhaps for many people, is an upcoming vacation.
My friends and I spent an evening this past month planning a short spring vacation to New Orleans.  We'll be flying down for a few nights to stay in a beautiful old hotel in the French Quarter, with plans to sit by the pool, go out to restaurants, listen to Jazz, visit the Audubon Park... all great outfit opportunities!

Fortunately for the health of my No Shopping Year I store my out-of-season clothes in the large closet in Ole Rascal's room.  This means that nothing is hidden away, and at any time I can open the door and have a look at all of my options.
In anticipation of vacations I would typically buy a couple of things to round out a "Colour Story" that I'm planning, something I've always found really enjoyable.  This year I'll be organizing my packing up for holidays without buying anything new... no less fun, it's just a mindset twist.

Spring and summer storage.
Planning a holiday Colour Story is a Shopping Trigger.

I've decided on a few rules for myself around this No Shopping Year.  The most important one is to not buy any permanent items for myself or for my house.  That's fairly straightforward.  I'll be curious to see if I find there's something I really feel I "need".  If I do spot a supposed "need" I'm going to write it down on a list I'm keeping in my planner, and I'll give myself the option to buy that item at the end of the year.
This is where it gets sort of exciting (to me at least):  I'm planning to do this for two years, with a break at the end of 2018 to purchase items on the "need" list.  I'll give myself an opportunity in the last week of December to buy items on the list, and I wonder if I'll still consider those list items so very necessary?
I often think about what it was like for women decades ago, when they maybe only went shopping for themselves and for household items once or twice a year?   I guess this exercise will give me a clue as to what that was like!

The other rules involve items I am still buying, and these items are all of the fleeting, non-permanent variety: food and booze, cleaning supplies, candles, flowers, and electronic books for my Kindle (if I can't get something at the library).

So far I'm finding it interesting to step away from aspects of consumerism and to observe my own patterns.  I'm also enjoying the fact that I'm able to really ramp up my savings program, perhaps the biggest benefit of No Shopping.
I was thinking of doing these No Shopping Updates at the end of each month, what do you think?  I would find it interesting to discuss temptations, and to observe whether or not I've put anything on the "need" list.
Any thoughts are appreciated!
Have a lovely day,
xoxDani