Skirted Old Ladies at the Beach

Don't you just love this painting?  Check out more by Carol at http://www.carolcarmichaelpaints.com/

I love seeing old ladies at the beach in bathing suits.  Course, I am one of those old ladies now, and I think our baby boomer generation goes to the beach in a different fashion.

This is my version of the skirted bathing suit:

One piece bathing suit:  Longitude brand from Beall's, $50.

Two things I look for in a bathing suit:
1. Good bra support
2. Coverage in upper thigh area.

You may have different criteria depending on your body and what you feel comfortable in.  Love it if you feel comfortable in a string bikini!!!

I usually buy a one piece with good bust support then add my skirt.  I swear by the little swim skirts that are after-all, like a mini-skirt (my favorite article of clothing!). I buy them separately to cover what most bathing suits don't provide. I  stock up on them when they go on sale; a few of my favorites here.

Skirts:  Marshall's and TJ's; most under $10.

For the one piece part of my equation, finding good bra support is harder, as many suits are a low "v" cut in front and that does not offer me much support. I have found that a high neck can offer the support I need. And I don't mind that it covers my décolletage; a tender area for sunburn.

Hello to all my friends at Patti's Visible Monday!
  
And YES, it took some courage to post these pics!

Sorry about the no drawings-- I am working on a larger project!

Investment Dress

From Black Market White $180. with friend discount; $130. Silk and cotton twill.

One of the items on my spring wardrobe list was an "investment dress". In my world, that's a dress over $70. I was so successful last year at Black Market White House, I decided to try my hand at it again. I think it will work, no?~

I styled this dress for work--and for modesty, I added this paper-thin tee with lace sleeves from Victoria's Secret. (I bought 2; the other in black)

Now whether or not I can restrain myself from buying ANOTHER "investment dress" is another story! How good are you sticking to a budget?

Hello to my friends at Patti's Visible Monday!

PS:  I've added the buttons below--to "like" me on FB or pin me on Pinterest!  Feel free if, like me, sometimes I'd rather do that than comment!

Ikat and Florals

Yes, I got some rubber necking when I wore this outfit at our local mall.  It is a small town.  And one must consider the demographic for the time; it was about 1:30 in the afternoon.
It sort-a made me chuckle inside.
Very visible.  
(See everyone next week for Visible Monday!)

Coffee Talk: Betsy Johnson

Have you watched Betsy Johnson’s show yet on the Style Channel?  It’s cute; I’m hoping we see more of her creative endeavors though.

There are tons of these patterns on the web.  These are mine. 

I remember the BIG Betsy back in the 70's (BIG as in popular).  Some of the things that defined her style—fun, colorful, prints, neon, girly, have been present throughout her illustrious career.  And it seems she is trying to make a comeback—with the financial help of Steve Madden.   Hence the big push lately; I'm seeing A LOT of Betsy Johnson stuff out there.  Web site too. 

Fakey cartwheel  I would kill myself if I really tried.  

What makes me want to root for Betsy and her comeback, is I secretly want a world of woman designing womans' clothes.  Not that guys aren't talented or anything; it's just that its sort of a throw-back to it's a "man's world" and all that rot.  I mean, how many women are designing men's clothes????? Let's even up the playing field here people!

That's why I say, Go Betsy!  What say you?

Statement Necklace

I don’t have many necklaces. I am an earring person. But when I saw this colorful trend, I just had to have some. I’ve worn this necklace 3X’s this week; (a gift for Mother’s Day), and get many compliments.

It was a great subject for my drawing of the week.

From the MFA; broadcollar

The statement necklace is nothing new—heck, you could say it was older than 2000 years old! Although, they called them “broadcollars” back then; looks like a statement necklace to me. Same idea, no?

Have a great week, and Hello to everyone over at Patti’s Visible Monday!

Coffee Talk: Martha Stewart’s Capri Pants

I wear capris all the time. Zumba, weekend casual wear.  I like the shorter length—they are more flattering on me than the "cropped" length that accentuates my skinny ankles. (For my definitions here, capri length is just below the knee where cropped is just above the ankle.)

And then I saw this:

Photo from Style Bistro

Can someone help me out here? Aside from the oversized top-half that does not work, these capris on Martha Stewart look dated to me. Why doesn't this work?

Maybe I need to re-think the capri thing. :~(

Changes are Afoot

After I read IFB's Nine Signs its Time to Quit your Blog (As it is now), and I had 8 of the 9 signs, I decided I needed to change my blog a bit. 

I'm going to sketch my way into an answer.  For the time being, I will on post a drawing of some article of my clothing, along with my outfit.  I think.

Happy Mothers's Day to all my friends at Patti's!