Sale Away!

ECCO "Groove" Sandal in Metallic

The Nordstrom's Half-Yearly Sale is on, and it's a good one, with lots of current season items! I've perused online and thought I'd share some of my recommended picks.

The ECCO sandals above are a great choice if you're planning a summer vacation that will involve a lot of walking. Yes, I'd wear these in Paris! Metallic is a great neutral, and these have excellent cushioning and support.

NYDJ Alisha Ankle Jean

If you've been thinking about adding some colored denim to your summer wardrobe, these from NYDJ are a great choice. They're available in several colors, and at this price, you may want to go for multiples. Available in Regular and Petite sizes. For Plus sizes, try the Audrey style.

Eileen Fisher Silk Jersey Tee

These Eileen Fisher tees are on sale in a few select colors. Again, if you're planning to travel, I recommend these for light weight, packability, washability and ease of layering. Plus sizes available too, here.

Alexis Bittar Raindrop Earrings

I'm a big fan of Alexis Bittar jewelry. Sparkle with an edge. For those who love dangly earrings but can no longer wear heavy pieces, these are ideal.

St. John Keshi Pearl Necklace

Not your grandmother's pearls! I love the mix of these grey keshis with the gold beads.

Ted Baker Taxi Cab Wallet

With London still on the brain, I'm finding this wallet with the Taxi Cab print absolutely adorable!

kate spade patent tote

For some lucky folks, summer truly means "vacation," but many of us will still be shlepping to work every day. Perhaps a bright tote will help make that more tolerable?

These are just a few, more of une femme's picks below.

Have you found anything fabulous on sale recently?

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Addendums: London Style and Paris Music

Source

I realized after going through more of my trip notes on London style that I'd neglected to include a couple of observations.

• Utility Jackets are still A Thing. Spotted on women of all ages, though when worn by women of a certain age leaned more toward an artsy style, and a were bit less distressed and more polished. 

Source

• Vertical Black & White Striped Pants: I saw similar to these (or wider-leg styles) on women of ALL ages, including one very chic woman who looked to be in her 70's. Not in huge numbers, fewer than a dozen spotted over the course of a week, but enough that I'll go out on a limb and predict that these are Pants To Watch Out For, and that come fall this trend will have legs, pun intended.

And for a different iteration of black and white, my outfit post for May is up over at Already Pretty, here.

One commenter on the Paris post asked about the name of the band that was playing on the sidewalk.

The name of the group is "R26" and here's a video. They also have some songs available on iTunes.

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Travel Wardrobe Recap - UK May 2013

I was generally quite pleased with how this travel wardrobe worked out. (You can go here for a list of the individual items.) The limited palette made putting outfits together almost effortless. Outerwear was a daily necessity, so lack of variety and repeating outfits was a non-issue. I purchased one lightweight utility jacket and one silk scarf on the trip; both were worn frequently our last few days in London.

I did sink laundry a few times for underwear, tops and the ponte knit pants (more to restore shape than because they were dirty). Everything dried overnight, especially when draped over or near heated towel racks. I indulged in laundry services once for the two pair of jeans (and some of le monsieur's clothing).

MVP's

• As always, the Eileen Fisher silk jersey tanks and tees were the perfect travel pieces, thanks to light weight, wash-ability and ease of layering. 
• The ponte knit pants worn with one of the longer cardigans passed muster for evenings that required dialing it up a notch or two from casual. 
• The jeans were appropriate for everything else. 
• Also a key player in casual outfits, the v-neck navy cashmere cardigan was perfect for daytime/outdoor activities on those days when temperatures fluctuated from wintery to almost warm (which was just about every day of our trip). It kept me warm enough layered over a tee or tank but I was never overheated, even when very active. 
• The wedge ankle boots were a perfect choice for all daytime activities. Comfortable even all day on my feet.
• The raincoat was indispensable. We had plenty of rain, and wind+rain especially in Scotland, where I was periodically quite glad to have the hood as well. In colder northern cities, the wool lining kept me plenty warm, but I removed it once we hit the Lake District and milder conditions.
• Those fingerless gloves that Rubiatonta knitted for me kept the chill off my hands while leaving me full use of my digits for snapping pictures.
• The scarves added some color and much-needed warmth.

Future Season Trades

• The Arche nubuck ankle boots were comfortable and a nice style for dressier looks, but scuffed up easily when walking around and had to be brushed before each wear to keep them looking presentable. Also, the nubuck covering on the heels tore in a couple of spots, not sure how, as I was pretty careful with them. Next time I'll stick to smooth leather.

Benched

• The grey cashmere cardigan was a bit too heavy and warm for most days outdoors, and was definitely too warm to wear in heated interiors.
• I didn't wear the printed tee but once. 

Wish I'd Brought

• A skirt or dress, which I would have worn for some evenings in London.
• My cashmere hoodie instead of the grey cashmere cardigan. Would have been nice in some circumstances to keep my head warm, and is a lighter weight so more layer-able and versatile.

With this capsule, I had the highest percentage yet of items in the MVP category, so am quite satisfied with my choices. 

Have you traveled lately?  What did you bring and how did it work out?

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London Style Notes And Some Rarefied Shopping

The Venerable Fortnum & Mason

Londoners move fast! Even if it weren't for everyone wearing outwear everywhere, all the time, I would have had difficulty getting any definitive street style pics, as no one slows down for an instant, except to wait for a green crossing light. London is as ethnically and culturally diverse as any major city, defying any pigeon-holing of a dominant style aesthetic.

Even so, I observed a few common threads:

• "Gussying Up." Londoners, at least in the areas we visited, tend to dress up for dinner, even just a bit more so than in Paris. I observed that women frequently wore dresses and heels (with nude or no tights), men wore blazers. I didn't see people out for dinner in jeans (even nice jeans), other than in pubs or very casual places. 
• Flats. During the daytime, everyone is in flats, whether ballet flats, sneakers or flat boots. I rarely saw women out in heels except in evenings.
• Kitten heels. But when I did see heels, few were the vertiginous platforms and I spotted lower and kitten heels on several very stylish women, from young to mature.
• Printed scarves, silk or otherwise. Saw women of all ages in printed silk scarves more so than I've observed in Paris in recent years, usually peeking out from the collar of a trench coat. Which brings me to...
• Trenches. Ubiquitous. Usually some variation on the classic tan trench, though in a variety of fabrics, lengths and detailing. I also spotted brightly colored trenches, usually red or orange.

We often spend a good deal of time on vacation shopping for the perfect gifts for folks back home. We'd heard that the Harrod's Food Halls were not to be missed and as it wasn't far from our hotel, decided to make a pass though. Harrod's is sort of like the Disneyland of department stores, an attraction all on its own. People come to gawk; shopping is secondary (and from what I could determine, mostly high end). Like Disneyland, Harrod's surprisingly seemed to have absolutely no problem with people snapping pictures on the premises. No place else we tried this took as kindly to it.

Just one of what seemed like a dozen halls.

We are amused.

The Hall Of Endless Chocolate

"Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

Beautiful as it was, we didn't think the fish would travel well, but did pick up some very nice boxes of chocolates there. At Fortnum & Mason we found some lovely teas and biscuits. (Wish we'd had more time in that store...stumbled onto it on our way to meet le monsieur's cousin for dinner so only had time to explore the first floor before we had to rush off.)

I really hadn't planned to do any shopping for myself, but did want to scout out some brands and shops that I'd heard of but aren't readily available in the US. We browsed around Harvey Nichols, which while upscale was less steroidal (and was certainly less crowded) than Harrods. I had a chance to pop into Jigsaw and look around while over in the Charing Cross area, and found it quite style-accessible. We never made it to Selfridges. Other than a few British/European brands that aren't brick-and-mortar-available here, it seemed that style and fashion are certainly global now. I would have loved to seek out some smaller boutiques and markets, but our schedule didn't allow for that this time and so whatever shopping we did was limited to what we happened to come across as we were out and about. However the Universe did put a couple of nice things in my path, which I'll share in a subsequent post.

Do you shop much while on vacation? Do you have favorite types of gifts to bring home?
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