fall fashion Archives

it’s Friday gang! can you believe we made it through another week? one step closer to Thanksgiving and then the end of a decade. hard to believe, and thankfully we’re not quite there yet. instead, we’ve got a wonderful edition of fridays with oscar. we’re bringing you our usual: an entree and cocktail. and in addition, we’ve got holiday gift ideas for pets and their J.Crew loving owners.

outfit of the day

i’ve gone and done it this Friday: a full-blown match-y match-y J.Crew outfit of the day. we hit season low temperatures in Athens this week, and to keep warm, I layered this matching turtleneck sweater with a fleece hoodie. and if you’re looking for a pair of joggers this season, check out these similar Tretorn sneakers.

fleece hoodie | straight jeans | turtleneck sweater | sneakers

J.Crew gift guide

when shopping at J.Crew this fall, i’ve been tracking some fun gift ideas. i’ve put them together in the slider below. make sure to check out the leopard print puffer jacket and pajama set. they’re my personal favorites, if i had to pick.

pet gift guide

because it’s fridays with oscar, i’ve also put together a little pet gift guide for all you pet owners. check out these slippers from L.L. Bean. super comfy, and super cute. i highly recommend a pair.

fleece hoodie | straight jeans | turtleneck sweater | sneakers

tablescape: fall harvest

entree: baked chicken, brussels sprouts, sweet potato hot pot

when looking for a recipe this week, i stumbled upon this one: baked chicken, brussels sprouts and sweet potato. probably one of the easiest recipes i’ve put on the blog in weeks, but boy is it d.e.l.i.s.h. we generally don’t prepare our mother’s brussels sprouts anymore; there are two many fun and interesting ways to cook them.

today, we’re just gonna i) throw them in a pot with some sweet potatoes and chicken; ii) season to taste with our all purpose salt, pepper, and garlic; and iii) cook. that’s pretty much it. enjoy!

cocktail: the saucy mutt

in honor of Oscar our cocktail of the week is called the saucy mutt. it’s a vodka based drink with a kick. depending on your heat tolerance, you can either go with habanero or jalapeno infused vodka. some of us are wimps over here, so we went with jalapeno.

alright, gang! that’s a wrap. stay tuned next week for a ton of holiday decoration suggestions. Kelly and I are giving you some really fun tablescape selections to inspire you well into the holiday season. in the mean time, make sure to leave Oscar and I a comment below.

fleece hoodie | straight jeans | turtleneck sweater | sneakers

in case you missed it

it was remembering the holidays over on the blog this week. all week someone in my family shared a holiday memory with you. on Monday, Kelly remembered Thanksgiving. on Tuesday, my oldest remembered Christmas. and on Wednesday and Thursday, I remembered New Year’s and New Year’s Day. if you missed any of these posts, you’re going to want to check them out. and make sure to leave a comment and share your holiday memories!

it’s holiday memory week over here on the blog. you all really seemed to love Kelly’s Thanksgiving holiday memory. and we got a lot of requests for tutorials on how to make tamales. we just might have to feature them on fridays with oscar sometime in the near future. today, my oldest son will be sharing his favorite Christmas holiday memories, and i’m giving you the first taste of winter over here on the blog.

outfit of the day

i’ve got a warm and cozy fall outfit that i’m going to transform into a winter one. to start off, i’ve paired a J.Crew mockneck sweater with an Everlane denim pencil skirt. i’ve pulled out my knee-high boots for the first time this fall. what a statement piece. am i right ladies? and if you’re looking for fall or winter shoe suggestions, make sure to check out the list below.

skirt and boots

as you all know, i’m big on skirts. and with skirts, it always comes down to what you pair them with. you can’t go wrong matching these knee-highs with this Everlane denim pencil skirt. and if you want more advice on dos and donts with skirts, make sure to check out my latest friday fives.

Christmas holiday memories

guest post by Alex

“I remember clearly Christmas when I was in sixth grade. So that puts me about 12 years old, and my two brothers 8 and 5. You have to understand that, at the time, my dad (mr. style) had gone out on his own professionally. So, money was tight to a certain extent.

Not that any of us knew. That’s the thing: “God always provides,” my parents used to say. And He did. (And he does.) To my 12-year-old mind, we were the richest family in the world: the year prior, we had moved into a mid-century farmhouse on a few acres. A real fixer upper in retrospect, but imagine being 12 years old and being able to run around for what seems like miles and miles—in your own backyard. I’ll never forget it.

But back to that Christmas. All three of us—my brothers and I—got sick with the flu. We were totally bedridden the entire winter break: Christmas straight through New Years. But here’s something I’ll never forget. Remember now—and unbeknownst to my brothers and I—money was tight that year. But all year we had begged and begged for Starter jackets.

I wanted a University of North Carolina one. (why? God only knows. I have no connection to the school.). My middle brother wanted a Dallas Cowboy one, and I *think* junior style wanted a Forty Niners one. All midwest mother’s raising boys in the late 90s/early 2000s will remember Starter jackets. And it’s worth pointing out, they’re not cheap. Especially for three boys, all of which will outgrow them by the following year.

But that Christmas morning, the starter jackets were there under the tree. My parents had listened and provided, even when it was probably hard for them to justify the economics.

Where the jacket is today, I have no idea. But when you throw together the flu, a winter wonderland, a powder blue UNC jacket, and a family that loves and cares—-there’s a memory I’ll never forget.”

winter preview

it’s hard to believe, but winter is right around the corner. here in Athens, we’ve got a freeze warning out today. feels like almost yesterday, we were facing 90 degrees. (probably because it was!) how cute is this Anthropologie wool sweater coat? the red color pop on the sleeves just makes this coat and pairs quite nicely with my Talbots hobo bag. so easy to turn a fall outfit into a winter one when you have the right outerwear.

in case you missed it

all week on the blog, we’re sharing our favorite holiday memories. yesterday, my daughter-in-law, Kelly, shared her favorite Thanksgiving holiday memories. today, my oldest son shared his Christmas holiday memories. and stay tuned tomorrow for my favorite New Year’s one.

for those of you following my YouTube channel, you may have noticed we’re no longer publishing a daily fashion flash. instead, we’re aggregating them into one, single video and demoing them on Wednesday. below, you’ll see last week’s. and tomorrow, we’ll have an all new one for you. don’t miss it.

we’re approaching the holiday season fast, gang! are you ready? me either. they’ve already got Christmas decorations up at Target. yikes! to get us in the holiday mood, this week on the blog, we’re talking holiday memories. we’ve got a real special treat for you: each day, we’re going to bring you a guest post from one of my family members sharing one of their favorite holiday memories. today, my daughter-in-law, Kelly, will be sharing her favorite Thanksgiving holiday memories.

outfit of the day

i’ve got a really fun preppy fall outfit. i’ve paired a Talbots plaid blazer with an Everlane cashmere mockneck layered on top of a J.Crew stripe shirt. it’s been all about blazers for me this fall. so much so, that i put together a how to wear a blazer guide. make sure to check it out if you’re looking for ideas on how to pair your blazer.

preppy plaid blazer

for those of my regulars, you’ll know that my go-to aesthetic is preppy. i’ve featured it a lot this fall and even wrote an entire post about fashion confidence and one’s own personal aesthetic. i found this perfect (similar) leather satchel (similar leather satchel 2) to compliment my outfit today. every women needs a black leather satchel. period.

Thanksgiving holiday memories

guest post by Kelly

“When I was young, every Thanksgiving we spent at my paternal grandparent’s house. Each year my grandmother hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner party. It was a Thanksgiving celebration turned family reunion. From near and far, cousins, second cousins, aunts and uncles, once and twice removed, would make their way to Santa Clara, California to celebrate together in my grandparent’s tiny 1951 cookie-cutter ranch style home.

My grandfather was of Mexican descent and my grandmother was Greek, each side of their blended family had so many members I hardly knew most of them. But those closest to my grandmother never failed to appear, so we did come to rely upon seeing certain family members year after year.

Besides my grandparents, the person I enjoyed seeing the most was my great grandmother, Elvira. She was eccentric and fascinating to me when I was young. Elvira, was my grandfather’s mother. She was a first generation Mexican American, born and raised in Texas.

She was small in stature but she had a “don’t mess with me” type of personality. She always wore her nails long and painted red; her slender hands and wrists adorned with costume rings and enormous glass baubles that reminded me of candy. She smoked long skinny cigarettes and wore her hair in a bouffant.

Of course she always dressed well; as if headed to church or a fancy dinner. She continued to wear gloves when she was out and about in the daytime, long after that went out of fashion.There were so many people that dinner was served buffet style and everyone would make do with our plates on our laps, or standing at the counter – any available space was occupied.

The football game on TV was drowned out by the many conversations happening simultaneously; conversations periodically interrupted by whoops and hollers by those few who were actually watching the game. It was raucous and it felt like my sister and I were being allowed to attend an adult party, since we two were the only children – the only grand and great-grandchildren on my dad’s side of the family. Being Greek and Mexican, the food was the most important part of the party and the dinner preparation began days ahead of time.

My grandmother would make not only an American-style Thanksgiving, but she also made tamales – and this was my favorite part of our Thanksgiving. Now that I am married, and we are moving into our new house, I look forward to adding tamales to our Thanksgiving dinner menu. I think spending the day before the holiday preparing tamales would be a wonderful family tradition to begin with my husband.”

walking comfortably into thanksgiving

this fall, i’ve gotten a lot and continue to still get a lot of questions on fashionable but functional footwear. on friday, i gave a shoutout to these lug-sole loafers. they’ve appeared several times on the blog, and i can’t recommend them highly enough. they’re comfortable and go with just about anything. make sure you grab yourself a pair.

and if you’re looking for more footwear suggestions, check out Easy Spirit post. i’m one of their fall ambassadors this year, and cannot recommend their footwear highly enough. whether you’re looking for something casual or something more formal, you’ll find something you love over at Easy Spirit. they’ve got a big pre-Thanksgiving sale going on over there right now. so make sure to check it out.

in case you missed it

all week on the blog, we’ll be sharing guest posts of our favorite holiday memories. toady, my daughter-in-law, Kelly, shared her favorite Thanksgiving holiday memories. stay tuned tomorrow for Christmas.

last week was self-care week. the highlight of the week was our Friday’s post: breaking fashion rules when you’re over 50 post. there, we give 5 rules everyone over the age of 50 should break. make sure to check it out if you missed it.

and for those that were following us two weeks ago, it was travel week over here on the blog. i gave you an inside view of my French river cruise. and if you haven’t hopped over to my YouTube channel channel, we posted highlights from that cruise in our French travel vlog. i’ve attached it below, so make sure you watch it.

it’s been self-care week over here on the blog. today we’re bringing you a beauty and makeup gift guide. Kelly and i put this together, and our guide includes everything from budget and drugstore makeup to higher-end facial care.

below, you’ll find selected ideas split between myself and kelly. we’ve further broken down each bucket by price point: low, medium, and high. i’ve also put together a fall rewind, showcasing some of my favorite outfits of the fall.

beth’s low price point picks: hand creams to skincare sets

to kick things off today, i’m bringing you my gift ideas under $25. they include everything from hand cream from Burt’s Bees to a lipstick set from Nordstrom.

denim boiler suit | blazer | shoes | similar handbag

kelly’s low price point picks: eye treatment to exfoliant scrubs

Kelly’s all about the Kiehl’s this holiday season. below you’ll find her picks under $30 for facial moisturizers, eye treatment, exfoliants, hair treatments, and serums.

blazer |sweater | boyfriend jeans | similar belt

beth’s mid price point picks: diffusers to makeup sets

below, i’ve got beauty and self-care gift ideas for under $50. everything from Sephora to Nordstrom. like Kelly, i’m really loving the Kiehl’s skin care set this year. but you really can’t go wrong with the diffuser from Sephora—especially if you have dogs like me.

white cypress diffuser
sleep mask
skin care set | skin care set 2 | skin care set 3 | skin care set 4
makeup set
fragrance set
candle | candle 2
hand cream
lipstick

kelly’s mid price point picks: facial toners to hair treatments

kelly’s got a wide-range of mid price point gift ideas. like me, she’s loving selections from Nordstrom this year.

blazer (Ann Taylor) | sweater (Everlane) | similar denim (J.Crew)

beth’s high price point picks: masking to tighten & left sets

finally, i’ve got beauty and self-care gift ideas for under $100. here, you’re going to find some of the larger gift sets, mostly focused on facial and skincare.

pants (Talbots) | top (Banana Republic) | duster (Banana Republic) | similar handbag | similar shoes

jeans | handbag | bomber jacket | boots | sleeveless turtleneck

kelly’s high price point picks: facial mists to serums

kelly finishes it off today with her higher end picks. her top 5 selections are in or around the $100 price point.

lightweight cashmere sweater | cashmere sweater 2 | dark rinse denim | crossbody handbag

in case you missed it

i hope you enjoyed today’s holiday beauty and makeup gift guide. as we start to wrap up self-care week, in case you missed it, check out all of our posts: managing grief during the holiday season, selflessness as a form of self-care, and putting the “self” back in self-care.

if you’re still looking for more beauty and makeup picks, tips & tricks, make sure to check out my YouTube series friday fives some of which are linked below.

5 essential lipstick picks

5 essential mascara picks

5 essential skincare tips

this week is all about self-care during the holidays. we’ve focused on managing grief during the holidays, and the self-care involved in selflessness. today, we put the “self” back in self-care.

there can be a tendency during the holidays to lose ourself. when we’re totally focused on the needs of others, we need to explicitly remind ourselves about our own needs and their care.

for all of you mothers out there, you know that the holiday season can be overwhelming to say the least. whether it’s a school function, play, or party, when you add holiday gift buying, a husband and dog to boot, the question remains: where do you fit in? (and if you’re a professional, the same is true in general albeit in different ways.)

carve out time for yourself

this year, let’s try things a little different. let’s find time to focus on you. a day here. and another one there.

play hooky

earlier this fall, i wrote about taking a day to play hooky. it was one of our most viewed posts. i’m guessing that’s because the message resonated with some of you. i’ll repeat what i said there here.

when was the last time you played hooky and took a day for yourself? went to a movie? got a massage or a mani-pedi? called up your daughter for an impromptu lunch? self-care is one of the most important things and something we’re all guilty of not investing enough in ourselves [sic].

what does a day playing hooky look like for you? it could be an afternoon matinee. it could trip to the spa. a manicure. a pedicure. it could be any and all of those things. the important thing is that it’s something you want, nothing something other’s want or want for you.

and a money

budgets can be tight during the holidays. from Thanksgiving to New Year’s it’s go, go, go and spend, spend, spend. i get it. believe me. but one thing to keep in mind, it’s OK for some of that budget to be allocated to and for you.

shopping day

part of self-care is looking good. that’s something my mother repeated my entire life. and if you’re a follower of this blog, you’re interested in fashion at least in part.

is this holiday season the season to revamp your wardrobe? maybe it is. maybe it isn’t. but it might the year to invest in a new holiday outfit. this year, allow yourself to be the best you. and part of that is both looking and feelinggood. if that means a trip to Talbots or Ann Taylor then that’s what it means.

give yourself the permission this year to buy a present for yourself in addition to everyone else.

it’s ok to do you

as we get older, a focus on ourselves may take new and different forms. things we placed importance in our youth fallaway, and they’re replaced by new priorities and goals.

health & wellness

over the past few years, many of you have followed me on my health & wellness journey. at the risk of beating a dead horse, we all know how difficult it can be to stay healthy during the holiday season. force of will breaks down in the face of holiday cookies. the struggle. is. real.

but maybe this year is the year we change our relationship to food in general. maybe it’s not a cookie here and there that’s at issue. maybe we need a rethink of our daily diet in general. just as self-care can be about looking good, feeling good is even more important.

no matter how old you are; no matter where you are in your life; and no matter what your obligations are this holiday season there is nothing more important than your health and wellness. what good can you be to others, let alone yourself, if you don’t feel good. any investment in you begins with an investment in your health.

in case you missed it

this week we’ve talked self-care during the holidays. we emphasized a focus on the self. i gave you some practical tips to carve out time, space, and money to during a season in which it is natural to lose oneself.

yesterday, we talked about putting other’s first as a form of self-care. on Monday, we talked about managing grief during the holidays. make sure to check out those posts if you haven’t already.

yesterday, i also gave a rundown of my YouTube channel. we’re making a slight change to our fashion flash series starting today. instead of posting individual fashion flash entries Monday through Wednesday, we’re rolling out an aggregated one every Wednesday. make sure to check out today’s below.

to subscribe to my YouTube channel, either click the link to the left and follow step (iii) to the right; or i) click on any video below, ii) click on the “YouTube” logo to redirect to YouTube’s website, iii) and in the bottom right-hand corner below that video, click the “Subscribe” button.

self-care week is in full swing. yesterday, we focused on managing grief during the holidays. today, we focus on fun and family during the holidays. although slightly less sober than the topic of grief, finding time for fun and family during the holidays is no less important.

i was led naturally here because today is my daughter-in-law Kelly’s birthday. Kelly has been working with me for over a year now but officially joined the blog full-time in August. Kelly is responsible for our blog and social redesign and produces all of our YouTube videos, amongst a variety of other things. you can catch Kelly’s YouTube debut and stay tuned for more. next year, she’ll be launching a sister site to style at a certain age focused on food, beverage, and design. make sure to wish Kelly a happy birthday in the comments below!

a focus on fun

holidays are supposed to be fun. when you turn on the TV, everyone is seemingly having fun. when you open up Instagram, everyone seems to be having a great time—living their best life. everywhere you turn, especially during the holidays, that’s the expectation, right? but as soon as something becomes an expectation, it’s not far from being an obligation. and for whatever reason, there seems to be an inverse relationship between obligations and levity.

don’t get me wrong: holiday dinners, cookie exchanges, white elephant parties, streamers and cocktails in a large ballroom can all be fun. but the type of fun i want to focus on today is slightly different—slightly less obligatory. the fun i want to focus on today is the silly, impromptu fun we’re afforded every single day but sometimes don’t take advantage of.

when was the last time you stayed up until midnight and had a side-splitting laugh with your sister over old stories from when you were kids? when was the last time you pulled your grand-kiddos out of school and binged on old Christmas movies? when was the last time you had a spur-of-the-moment dance party with your kiddos just because, well, just because.

a focus on family

in this digital day and age, everyone has a view on everything. this includes what does or doesn’t constitute as “fun”. there seems to be an expectation that “fun” has to be a photo-worthy vacation or lavish dinner that we can immediately turn around and post on Facebook or Instagram.

and don’t get me wrong, as a fashion blogger, i see nothing inherently wrong with that. but the point i’m trying to make is simple. what do we remember most about our vacations and lavish dinners? when we look back at holidays past what sticks out to us in the most detail?

is it the present our husband got us in 1996? is it the turkey we cooked in 2002? maybe. but i’m willing to bet our most vivid memories are the small, oftentimes silly ones that exist in-between the holiday parties and spiral hams. i’m willing to bet our most vivid memories are the smiles and laughter that we share with the ones we love most.

these moments oftentimes happen at, say, 7AM on December 3rd over a cup of coffee with your daughter-in-law. and these moments oftentimes don’t make the best Instagram photos.

selflessness as self-care

one thing i want to challenge all of us this holiday season—including myself—is a focus on making others laugh and smile. sometimes the best form of self-care is selflessness. making others feel good makes us feel good. there’s an inherent selfishness in selflessness. it’s cliched but true.

but with all of the personal stress the holiday season brings, it’s difficult to look inwards let alone outwards and focus on others’ well-being. this can be particularly true with family, which in some sense is just strange. that the ones closest to us can sometimes be forgotten is almost paradoxical.

let me leave you with this then. think back to a small moment in time where a loved one—maybe your mother, father, or spouse—made you smile and laugh. one of those unforgettable smiles. or gut-wrenching laughs. if you can remember it all of these years later, it’s forever engrained in your memory.

now this year, create that memory for a family member in your life. be that smile or laugh that they remember all those years later. you won’t regret it. i promise.

in cased you missed it

this week is all about self-care. yesterday, we talked about managing grief during the holidays. today, we talked about fun and family during the holidays. stay tuned for tomorrow as we focus on, well, the self during the holidays.

over the past few weeks, i’ve been getting a lot of questions about my YouTube channel. for my regulars, you know that i generally attach a video to my blogposts. i realize, though, that i haven’t formally introduced these videos in any real detail. below i’ve attached one example video per series we produce: style secrets, fashion flash, the list, outfits of yesterday, and friday fives.

to subscribe to my YouTube channel, either click the link to the left and follow step (iii) to the right; or i) click on any video below, ii) click on the “YouTube” logo to redirect to YouTube’s website, iii) and in the bottom right-hand corner below that video, click the “Subscribe” button.

style secrets

style secrets is our take on a “haul video”. we gather 3-5 items from one of our favorite retailers like Ann Taylor or Talbots and walk through each with outfit and pairing suggestions. this video rotates with fashion squared, the list, and outfits of yesterday and is published weekly on Sunday morning.

fashion squared

in fashion squared we take one item and show you how to style it in multiple ways. this video rotates with style secrets, the list, and outfits of yesterday and is published weekly on Sunday morning.

fashion flash

fashion flash is the video form of our outfit of the day blogpost. you get a full 360 degree view of how that outfit looks in the wild. moving forward, 3 outfits of the day will be compiled and published in the aggregate, weekly on Wednesdays.

the list

the list is our top ranked lists of various items like shoes, coats, and the like. this video rotates with style secrets, fashion squared, and outfits of yesterday and is published weekly on Sunday morning.

outfits of yesterday

outfits of yesterday is a historical deep-dive into various pieces of fashion like trench coats, chinos, and t-shirts. this video rotates with style secrets, fashion squared, and the list and is published weekly on Sunday morning.

friday fives

friday fives is my top five hair, makeup and lifestyle picks of the week like lipstick and mascara. this video is published weekly on Friday mornings.

fall is well underway, and we’ve officially entered the holiday season. as we all know, as fun as this time of the year appears on paper, it can and is stressful. whether you’re traveling afar, hosting a crowd of people, or dealing with it alone, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s back-to-back can be overwhelming. this week on the blog, we’re going to talk self-care. self-care can take a lot of forms, and we’ll talk a lot about it this week, but today i’m going to focus on managing grief during the holidays.

as a disclaimer, i should say upfront: i’m not a grief counselor, therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. nothing i say here is intended to take the place of a trained professional. it is only my goal to share certain difficult aspects of my life and strategies i use to cope. it is my hope that posts like today not only provide you a pleasant distraction by continuing with me on my fashion journey, but also a sense of camaraderie as we enter a season that but most accounts shouldn’t be difficult, but oftentimes, is.

resisting the urge to be alone

grief can come from a variety of different sources and places, and it can manifest itself in unforeseen ways. you may have lost a loved one this year. you may be estranged from a family member. you may find yourself facing an illness. you may be going through financial hardship. or it may be something else quite entirely.

as many of you know, i lost my husband of 36 years this summer. this is the first holiday season i am going to face alone. not alone alone—my kiddos will all be here—but alone in a sense all of those who have been married will understand. it’s difficult; it’s painful; and it’s just plain heartbreaking. it’s all of those things. and based on the outpouring of support, i know many of you—my readers—are going through the same thing this year.

first and foremost, know that i’m sorry, and i empathize. there’s nothing i can say—nothing anyone can say—that will make things better in any meaningful sense. but here inlies my first point: this holiday season, it’s important not to deal with grief alone.

you may not know how to make your grief precise—you may not know what to say at any given moment—and the same may be true for the people in your life. i can assure you that our family and friends want to take take your grief away—at least in part—but may not know what to do. words oftentimes fail us.

but don’t try to tackle your grief alone. take your friend up on their offer for a coffee. answer that 9:48PM phone call from your sister. fly out to visit your daughter for Thanksgiving. sometimes the sheer act of being forced to articulate our amorphous thoughts and feelings into words is therapy in and of itself. or, maybe this year it’s time to take the plunge and seek out a therapist.

the point is simple: reach out to the people that make up your life, and allow them to reach out to you. don’t face the holidays alone.

letting go of expectations

are you responsible for Thanksgiving dinner? are you hosting a family Christmas this year? do you have a series of office parties you’re expected to attend this December? do you have an entire house to decorate for November, December, and January? do you have Hanukkah gifts to purchase for children and grandchildren?

the holidays bring with them all sorts of responsibilities and expectations. some of those expectations are brought on by others, but many of them are self-imposed.

those expectations can create an enormous amount of stress, and if you’re also grieving, that stress can exacerbate the grief and lead to guilt. all of a sudden, you’re now trapped in a feedback loop of stress, grief, guilt, and guilt, grief, stress. it’s not fun. to say the least.

you can break that cycle: subvert expectations. what i mean is this. to alleviate holiday stress and help manage grief, it’s OK to do things a little bit differently this year. if you’re traditionally responsible for a homemade Thanksgiving dinner, scratch “homemade”, and order one from Whole Foods. (i’ve done that many times, and trust me, it’s good.)

if you’re supposed to host family for a week this Christmas, but that feels just a little bit too overwhelming, ask your daughter and son-in-law if they’re willing to. if i’ve learned anything about you, my readers, you all have broad shoulders. you can and do take on and handle a lot. but i’m here to remind you—only because i have to remind myself—it’s OK to be vulnerable and ask for help. especially during the holidays.

if cutting back on the decorations is going free up a late November weekend, do it. spend that weekend taking care of yourself. if skipping a holiday party is going to allow you to grab a drink with an old friend and reconnect, then skip it. what is going to help manage grief more? personal interactions trump impersonal ones. every single time. this year, let go of both implicit and explicit expectations. it will help you manage your grief in totally unforeseen ways.

the importance of family

for those of you that follow me regularly, you know the importance i place on family. what do we really have in this life if not family? that being said, family isn’t always easy. oftentimes, it’s just plain work. but is there any better way to deal with grief than to reach out and bring your family closer? (the power of a hug is actually amazing.)

oftentimes, family can bring with it stress, anger, and resentment. it’s hard to say that out loud. but it’s true. we may have a sibling who said something hurtful all those years ago that we’re still holding onto. we may have a child who made a decision we don’t agree with, which in turn led to a fight, which in turn led to six months of radio silence.

stories like this run the full spectrum of existence, but we’re all familiar with them. if we’re dealing with grief, the added complexity of family history, spurred on by holiday expectations, can be a recipe for frustration and sadness. but let’s flip that script for just a minute.

there is no time of year that better allows an excuse to reconnect and rebuild our familia relationships than the holidays. what’s stopping us from picking up the phone and reaching out to a brother we haven’t spoken to in years? what’s stopping us from getting on a plane and visiting a daughter who moved away last year?

the holiday season affords us the power of forgiveness. and it’s always worth exercising. no matter what. because at the end of the day, family is everything. and even when—especially when—we’re grieving, a hug from a loved one is transformative in a way only words can barely capture.

managing grief during the holidays

today, we talked about managing grief during the holidays by i) not facing the holidays alone; ii) letting go of expectations; iii) reaching out and/or reconnecting with family. it’s my hope that one, if not all of these strategies help, at least in part, you deal with any grief you may be facing this year.

given the potential heaviness of the post, i didn’t walk through my outfit of the day in any real detail. however, the theme today is obviously “cozy” and “comfort”. part of self-care is taking days to just be cozy and comfortable, and you’ll find links to each item of my outfit inline above.

in case you missed it

first and foremost, i want to thank all of you for making last week’s travel week a resounding success. by all major metrics, it was our biggest week on the blog. and in fact, October was our biggest month of all time. in case you missed my river cruise with junior style, check out our travel diary part 1, part 2, and part 3. and if you’re looking for travel tips and tricks, check out the definitive guide to international travel.

moving forward, we’re changing up your YouTube schedule slightly. we’ll be regularly posting Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. in case you missed it, yesterday we published a new entry into our Style Secrets series. checkout the video below for my final fall haul from JCPenny.

we’ve got a lot of exciting content lined up for you during the holiday season, so make sure to keep sharing these posts on your social media channels like Facebook. and if you haven’t already, sign up for our email newsletter on the sidebar to your right if you’re on desktop, and at the end of the page if you’re on mobile.

another month has come and gone. gulp! the holidays are upon us. can you believe that? i hope all of you are enjoying the changes here at Style at a Certain Age. mr. style was behind every decision that we’re implementing. it warms my heart to see his hand in all of the behind the scenes action that junior style and my daughter-in-law Kelly are helping me bring to life. i hope you’ve had a chance to subscribe to our YouTube channel. lot’s of action over there with beauty, skincare and style tips.

but before heading into november, i wanted to give you all a recap of where we’ve been this past month. below, i’ve compiled by top 5 posts of october as chosen by you, my readers. as an extra bonus, i’ve also put together a top 10 list of my favorite items from this month.

1. weight loss tips by healthy eating

today, i’m sharing weight loss tips by healthy eating. i know, i know, our generation was taught that in order to lose weight, we had to cut calories and exercise more. or choose low-fat options like using margarine over butter, or substituting low-fat sour cream over the real deal.

athleta stripe sports bra, athleta high rise chatarunga tights, new balance shoes

i cringe at all of the weight loss tips doled out for well over fifty years that just didn’t work. one of the biggest fallacies is that weight gain is just a normal part of aging, which is just plain wrong. if we want to age with strength and grace, we need to face our diet straight on – what we eat on a day-to-day basis. if we want to look and feel healthy and youthful, it’s all about healthy eating. if we get healthy, then we’ll lose weight. not the other way around.

athleta stripe sports bra, athleta high rise chatarunga tights, new balance shoes

another key ingredient to lose belly fat over 50 is intermittent fasting. FASTer Way to Fat Loss first introduced me to this concept. what is intermittent fasting?

athleta stripe sports bra, athleta high rise chatarunga tights, new balance shoes

read the entire post weight loss tips by healthy eating to find out more.

2. monday is the new friday

when was the last time you played hooky and took a day for yourself? went to a movie? got a massage or a mani-pedi? called up your daughter for an impromptu lunch? self-care is one of the most important things and something we’re all guilty of not investing enough in. today, i’m throwing on on a pair of fall flared jeans, a suede jacket (similar here), and my snakeskin boots and heading out for a day to and for myself. come join me.

who thinks the flared blue jeans are the star of this outfit? besides me? i’m just so happy to see a variety of denim silhouettes available this year in addition to our long-time favorite straight legs, boyfriend, or skinny jeans. there’s certain to be a pair of denim that suits you to a T.

heels are the perfect combination with flared denim—not only from an aesthetic perspective, but a functional one as well. this pair of high rise denim flares from Frame run loooong, so heels are a must unless you want to visit your local tailor to alter the length. i’m wearing a size 29 which translates to my typical size 8.

read the entire post, monday is the new friday.

3. france travel capsule | packing tips

for those of you who have followed me throughout the years, i’m no stranger to traveling. mr. style, and i loved to get away; whether it be local or international. over the years, i’ve documented our travels extensively and given various piece of travel advice you can find here and here among other places. if you’re looking for packing tips, specifically how to fit your travel wardrobe comfortably into your luggage, make sure to check out the video below.

i’ve broken my items down by type and provided links for (at least) similar items. stay tuned all week to see how i wore each outfit, both on the blog as well as YouTube.

putting together your travel wardrobe can be daunting. and like with anything, you can save yourself a lot of headache and frustration by going into it with a game plan. a lot of us have a tendency to overpack and choose things we think we might want if... and that’s fine, no doubt. but that means that oftentimes we’re over our weight limit; or we check an oversized bag instead of a medium, or we bring 2 checked bags instead of 1.

read the entire post france travel capsule

on YouTube we recently introduced a new series called Friday Fives, where i share five skincare, makeup, beauty, and style tips with you.

here are five of my favorite lipstick shades.

4. fashionable career women

i made the jump to full-time blogger almost five years ago. my job, in part, is to put together and model outfits in the hopes that it provides you inspiration in your daily lives—both personal and professional. as women, our daily lives are nothing short of robust.

we are asked to wear a variety of hats and function in a multitude of roles. so today, i want to encourage and celebrate those amongst us that are career women. and i want to continue to inspire all of us to be fashionable career women.

it’s time. time to pull our boots from the back of the closet to the front. whether you’re calf- or knee-high type-of-gal, fall and winter are all about the boots. in case you missed it, i put together a video of my top 10 list of shoes for fall & winter. it should come as no surprise, a large portion of that list was comprised of boots.

read the post fashionable career women

5. how to make your outfits versatile

on the day we took the excursion to Normandy i was on my feet all day, and the weather was chilly. the outfit was kept simple and comfortable: i coupled a red turtleneck from J.Crew with a pair of denim. this fall, there’s been lots of questions and comments from you, my readers, about stylish and comfortable footwear. well, you’re in luck. this pair of stylish and comfy loafers received so many compliments while i was in France. every season i have one pair of shoes that turn into a style crush. guess what? this pair of loafers is definitely leading the footwear pack.

let’s get down to business: bringing a versatile wardrobe while traveling. before heading out to Château d’Ételan (pictures below), i swapped out my denim (here or here) for a striking pair of roaming tiger pants from J.Crew. i kept the red turtleneck and the white loafers, and i was set. good to go.

read the entire post make your outfits versatile.

take a look at the YouTube october top five.

top ten items

here’s the latest style secrets video where i partnered with JCPenney for the third time this fall.

happy sunday, ladies!

it’s been a great week over here on the blog. thanks to you, travel week has been an absolute success. we’ve had tens of thousands of views and an outpouring of support through comments and emails. to conclude the week, i’ve put together what i’m calling the definitive international women’s travel guide.

i’ve compiled tips, tricks and hacks for everything from luggage, travel credit cards, airport lounges, to passport & visa requirements for foreign countries. i’ve also interspersed my favorite outfits from my fall trips to New York City and France, many of which can be found in October’s top 5 fashion flash videos, compiled for you above.

luggage

there’s a tendency these days to try and fit all of our belongings into our carry on(s). this is totally understandable, as most airlines now charge for checked bags. as many of you who follow me regularly know, i’m an exception to the new norm. i still check my bags.

this is particularly true on international flights. international luggage limits are based primarily on weight. most airlines require your luggage to weigh 50lbs. or less. however, this can vary depending on your departure city, so make sure you check with your airline prior to leaving. (here’s a great resource for luggage dimension and weight limitations.)

for those of you that can afford to fly business class (or higher), many domestic airlines (and their international affiliates) like Delta offer will check up to 2 bags for free. don’t be afraid to use that service!

if you’re in the market for luggage, there are so many options these days. even companies like West Elm are in the luggage business now. here’s a great compilation of luggage sets for women i’ve found for you. but a couple of additional pieces of advice. i) 3 piece luggage sets are investment pieces everyone should own; ii) most luggage sets look similar. to save yourself time at the bag carousel, distinguish yours in some way. whether you tie red ribbon to the handle or invest in a statement piece like this watercolor roller, find a way to make your bag identifiable.

denim boilersuit | sneakers | similar handbag | similar Delsey underseat suitcase

passports & visas

have you ever booked an international flight only to realize your passport expires prior to departure? expediting passports can be an expensive nightmare. obtaining them same day requires you to physically go to a passport agency and pay close to a $200 fee.

even if your passport is valid, it can sometimes be difficult to return to your country of origin if that passport expires within, say, 3 months. US passports last for 10 years. here’s a good rule of thumb: check your passport right now. if it is going to expire within 1 year, start the renewal process now. you’ll save time, money, and a massive headache. here’s a great resource for passports and renewals.

did you know that travel to Australia requires a visa? if you’re traveling internationally, many unexpected countries require you to either obtain a visa prior to entry. make sure you know whether the countries you’re traveling to require a visa. here’s a list of such countries.

much of the above advice seems obvious, but i can’t tell you how many people i’ve known have found themselves in an unbelievable and expensive bind trying to obtain passports and visas last minute.

travel credit cards

we all have credit cards, and many of them with floating APRs which ultimately work against us. make sure your credit card is working for, at least in part. there are many credit cards out there geared toward the traveler. i happen to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve. it offers a 60,000 mile early use incentive plan, 2x points on travel and dining amongst other travel incentives. here’s a great list of credit cards geared toward the traveler that will earn you points that you can put towards your next European vacation.

frequent flyer programs

with the advent of flight aggregators like Expedia or Travelocity, it’s easy to shop for cheapest flight—airline loyalty be damned. oftentimes that makes sense. however, picking an airline, signing up for their frequent flyer program, and sticking with that program (and its affiliates) is worth it in the long run. whether you get bumped to first class, priority boarding, or a free ticket, a few extra bucks today can save you money and headaches in the long run.

i found this great article outlining various frequent flyer programs and their rewards. a couple of additional pieces of advice. know your domestic airlines international affiliates. if you fly Delta domestically, it’s good to know their partners include Air France and Korean Air if you’re in Europe or Asia.

picking a frequent flyer program is a totally personal thing. i hear great (and horrible) things about all airlines. just make sure to do your research and if you settle on Jet Blue, Alaska Airlines, or Delta—know their international affiliates so you can get points for your trips!

TSA precheck, Clear & airport lounges

post 9/11 travel is stressful. there’s no way around that. security lines can be nightmares, airports overly crowded, and flights delayed. a little pre-planning and investment can alleviate some of this misery.

want to shortcut security lines? apply for TSA precheck, Clear or both. these services are most useful for domestic travel, but are still useful for international travel if your departure city is here in the US. i’ve used both, and i give TSA pre a slight edge. but if you travel at least 2 times a year, particularly through a major airport like Atlanta, enrolling in one of these programs is a must.

many frequent flyer programs or credit cards like the ones mentioned above will give you access to select airport lounges around the world as part of their benefits. but did you know that you can access many airport lounges for a fee? here’s a website i found outlining ways to score airport loung access. and let me tell you from personal experience, lounges are worth it. once you’re in, they offer you free food and (alcoholic) drinks. and they’re generally less crowded than airport terminals and gates, alleviating some of the travel stress.

domestic layouts: New York

for those of you that follow me regularly, you know i’ve taken two big trips this fall. New York City in September, and France this October. in case you missed my New York travel diaries, you can catch them here and here. below, i’ve compiled the outfits i took on my domestic trip that lasted from a Friday to a Sunday. i want to contrast them with what i packed for my roughly weeklong trip in France.

outfit 1

outfit 2

outfit 3

international layouts: France layouts

in case you missed this week’s travel diaries, you can see them here, here, and here. contrast what i took domestically versus internationally, taking into consideration that i spent roughly 6 more days in France than New York. if you’re looking for more packing tips, suggestions, and ideas, make sure to catch my YouTube video posted here.

jackets

shirts

tie neck blouse | tie neck blouse 2 | similar zebra shirt | similar denim shirt | similar white shirt

dresses

sweaters

shoes & accessories

sleepwear

pants

that’s a wrap gang. i hope you enjoyed this definitive international women’s travel guide, as well as my travel diaries from France. let me know what you think in the comments below. did i miss anything? do you have further suggestions? as always, i love to hear from you.

outfit of the day

J.Crew gift guide

pet gift guide

tablescape: fall harvest

entree: baked chicken, brussels sprouts, sweet potato hot pot

cocktail: the saucy mutt

in case you missed it

outfit of the day

skirt and boots

Christmas holiday memories

winter preview

in case you missed it

outfit of the day

preppy plaid blazer

Thanksgiving holiday memories

walking comfortably into thanksgiving

in case you missed it

beth’s low price point picks: hand creams to skincare sets

kelly’s low price point picks: eye treatment to exfoliant scrubs

beth’s mid price point picks: diffusers to makeup sets

kelly’s mid price point picks: facial toners to hair treatments

beth’s high price point picks: masking to tighten & left sets

kelly’s high price point picks: facial mists to serums

in case you missed it

5 essential lipstick picks

5 essential mascara picks

5 essential skincare tips

carve out time for yourself

play hooky

and a money

shopping day

it’s ok to do you

health & wellness

in case you missed it

a focus on fun

a focus on family

selflessness as self-care

in cased you missed it

style secrets

fashion squared

fashion flash

the list

outfits of yesterday

friday fives

resisting the urge to be alone

letting go of expectations

the importance of family

managing grief during the holidays

in case you missed it

1. weight loss tips by healthy eating

2. monday is the new friday

3. france travel capsule | packing tips

4. fashionable career women

5. how to make your outfits versatile

top ten items

luggage

passports & visas

travel credit cards

frequent flyer programs

TSA precheck, Clear & airport lounges

domestic layouts: New York

outfit 1

outfit 2

outfit 3

international layouts: France layouts

jackets

shirts

dresses

sweaters

shoes & accessories

sleepwear

pants

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