December 5, 2013
Scarf – Art Institute of Chicago, earrings – Alexis Bittar, skirted leggings – Eileen Fisher, sweater – Eileen Fisher, grey trousers – Eileen Fisher
I discovered when I was on my seemingly endless road trip that I wore the same earrings for 11 straight days – the earrings pictured above. I love that sort of thing – when I find something that’s so perfect that I don’t mind constantly wearing it…Since the beginning of October, I bought the earrings, a striped sweater, and a new pair of grey pants to replace the pants of years gone by that collapsed from fatigue. Belovedest bought the terribly beautiful scarf for me… I already adore it.
I don’t have the charcoal skirted leggings yet – they aren’t going to be in the store for 2 weeks, but they’re my last purchase for 2013. The link for the skirted leggings takes you to the black version, which are currently marked down…
What’s on your shopping list for the rest of this year? Any fantastic gifts coming?
love,
Janice
I have nothing left to shop for since upgrading my wardrobe earlier this year. I finally lost those pesky 25 lbs. that piled on over the years and I also went back to work. Now I enjoy my coordinated albeit small wardrobe, and put myself on a Vivienne-style shopping fast since October. I like the ruffled scarf. Do you simply tie it in a simple knot?
Just the most simple looping over – it's impossibly bulky to try to know. But it's beautifully flattering…
I don't understand the skirted leggings. How will you wear them and aren't they less versatile than regular leggings?
I've found that I don't wear regular leggings, because I won't wear them without something covering them down to the tops of my thighs. So the skirted thing works well for me – I wear them with sweaters, or longer tee shirt tops. I know that they're not going to be useful or appealing to everybody, but NOTHING is appealing to everybody-that's part of what's fun about the variety of personal style and fashion.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you style them! I wear leggings, but am intrigued by the skirted leggings so I'm glad you included them. :)
I am in my late 50s, would the skirted leggings look like I was trying to hard? My legs are still nice. I also live in London, where anything goes.
I'm 53, and I feel like they're a natural fit with my usual style, which has a strong component of ballet school dropout. If you are attracted to them, give them a try; the skirt is not terribly short, and the leggings are substantial, so the look is not revealing at all!
I just love this description- "ballet school dropout." And I think we would all appreciate a few photos of you with the leggings and how you've styled them. I am so intrigued!
I was so taken by the idea of the skirted leggings. I read some comments from other buyers on the Nordstrom site, and they are a definite hit. I did notice that they run a tad short so they won't work for me at 5'9". But I will get a brown plain knit skirt to wear with some fantastic tobacco leggings I have. I love the concept. I will simply just think of the two items as a "set". If I can't get the exact same colour, it won't bother me. Browns often work with a bit of contrast.
I tried on the striped Eileen Fisher sweater in our local EF shop. I loved it, but simply couldn't justify another wool sweater in our warm Dallas climate. It was tempting as I have the EF gray pants and of course black pants etc. I love the scarf but think the ruffles would not be flattering on me. I have a pair of plain round black onyx earrings (purchased more than 10 years ago) that I could wear forever.
Beautiful scarf–love that its from the Art Institute.
museums are one of the best places to find lovely scarves! great scarf from musee d'orsay purchased in Quebec City at museum of fine arts–cream and black–gorgeous silk, good price, and useful too!!!
Thanks for the tip! I'm going to Quebec City in February and will be doing some shopping to try to keep warm (and chic). I think the women in Quebec City are the most stylish in Canada. – Laurel
I have a lovely hand-dyed silk scarf from the Art Institute that I love so much. I bought it, oh, 12 years ago, and it has performed fantastically. Looks like another road trip to Chi-town in my future.
My I-can-wear-these-forever earrings are from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. My husband bought them for me a gillion years ago. Just one more reason to visit and support museums. If you can't get to a big city, look around for smaller, local museums or botanical gardens. There are treasures to be found! (And you can take some of them home.)
Janice, thanks for all you do and inspire with this blog. My last purchase for 2013: do you happen to know who does longish rain coats/trenches that are not too busy (epaulettes galore, etc.) in a variety of colors? I am particularly looking for a dark loden green like the color you featured the other day. If any one else knows, I would be forever in gratitude.
I'm sure you've addressed this before but why so much Eileen Fischer-is it the style you like or the quality of her clothing? Everything looks lovely!
Love the way things fit, love that much of it is made in the US, I can walk to their store on State Street, which is managed by friends of mine, and my husband likes everything that I get from there. Oh yea, and things last forever! Thanks for asking.
Thanks Janice-I will have to check out the store at South Coast. I'm moving towards quality over quantity in a big way :)
I am not such an EF fan. I recently bought 3 long-sleeved T-shirts. The two gray ones pilled with the first washing. Strangely, the bright fuchsia one did not. A long heather gray pencil skirt that I loved on me in the store didn't work out because the fabric was so thin you could see through it. I couldn't find a slip to wear under it because of the long slit in the back. I guess it was intended to be worn with leggings or opaque panty hose, but I don't wear either for too many reasons to count. Still, I check EF out online occasionally and at Dillard's. No EF store within 100 miles of where I live.
Make sure you take ANYTHING back to them with which you have problems. I can say with all sincerity that they truly want to know when things don't wear well, and they want you to be pleased and feel that you've received value for your purchase. It's one of the reasons that I'm loyal to them; not ever item lives up to their promises, but they work toward making everything as high-quality as possible.
I purchased a pair of the skirted leggings last month on your recommendation. They truly are the most comfortable things I have ever worn. A passing salesclerk mentioned that she wears hers every other day and absolutely loves them as well. She mentioned that she has to wear orthotic shoes (as do I) and that these look just fine with them. Thank you for the great tips!!!
I would like to get a pair of black ballet flats and dark wash jeans before the year is up. Both would be replacements for worn out items. I'll probably put them on my Christmas list! Yesterday picked up three EF linen jersey t-shirts on sale at an amazing price. I love these t-shirts for the summer and am reluctant to pay full price. I find the EF linen wonderfully cool and durable. But, I live in the south and our hot and humid summers require t-shirts to be laundered after each wear. I do not find that most t-shirts can survive more than a season under these harsh conditions no matter the price. These EF linen t-shirts last better than most.
I LOVE the skirted leggings, also purchased earlier this fall through your site. I'm a big fan of tunics or mini-dresses over leggings, and the skirted leggings with t-shirt or sweater are so easy to wear. I'm a Chicagoan too and these leggings and boots will be a staple this winter. In fact, they're the only thing I wear with the Steve Madden boots my teenager talked me into!
Amazing how much glamor, ease, and flair you've condensed into these few garments, Janice. And no Radiant Orchid in sight.