LINK LOVE

Angie from You Look Fab has some good recommendations on how to prepare for a wardrobe shopping trip:

http://youlookfab.com/2013/01/29/four-essential-shopping-tools/

Champagne cupcakes...who knew????

http://friendshiplifeandstyle.blogspot.se/2013/01/champagne-cupcakes.html

Great way to update your kitchen:

http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?post=743682549&group=0&frame_type=a&blog=340706&link=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRwcm94eS5nb29nbGUuY29tL35yL3dvcmRwcmVzcy93b1dxL34zL1RWMXVwVTFTQ0RNLw&frame=1&click=0&user=0

Makeup mistakes that age you:

http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/makeup/makeup-mistakes-00100000074111/index.html#2

LINK LOVE

Angie from  the blog You Look Fab tells us of a new fashion direction for one of Nordstrom's clothing departments;
http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/nordies-savvy-dept-become-budget-friendly-to-compete-with-zara

A blog about the popular Archer Farms brand sold at Target;
http://www.whatsgoodatarcherfarms.com

Have you ever looked at this blog?  Some of the women"s fashion choices are a bit over the top but are never frumpy or boring.....I say GO FOR IT;
http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com

Love Michelle Obama's style.  This blog chronicles her fashion choices;
http://mrs-o.com


Have a wonderful weekend.  I plan to pick out some favorite soup and comfort food recipes, put on beautiful music, light a favorite candle and cook away.

MOTHER OF THE OCCASION DRESS

Its time to return to posting now that the holidays are over and my wonderful husband purchased a new computer for me that practically  writes the posts for me.  Our topic today is Mother of Occasion dress shopping.  Have you ever heard that term?  I had not until recently.  I think instead of using Mother of the Groom or Mother of the Bride or Stepmom of the.....you get the idea.  This one term pretty much covers all relationships and all occasions.

We will be very fortunate to have a wonderful young woman, Lauren, join our family in August when she and our son will be married.  Up until a few weeks ago I gave some thought to what I might want to wear but decided to wait and try to lose approximately 100 lbs before the wedding (maybe only a SLIGHT exaggeration hahaha) as well as hoping the new "miracle" eye cream does its job on some troublesome wrinkles.  Not sure either of those things will realistically happen so last week I started looking at dresses for the upcoming wedding.  First on my list was Nordstroms and second was Bloomingdales.  Most dresses were sleeveless (definitely a no-no for most women past 35 no matter how good of shape they are in) and black (I am not wearing black to this joyous occasion).  I felt like my options could go into one of three categories:

1.  Look what I just got for my high school prom (hope to look bit more sophisticated)

2.  Look what I just got for my 4th wedding (no explanation needed why this was not my look)

3.  Look what I just got celebrate my 80th birthday (I want to be age appropriate but not frumpy)

I will say that although it was a bit discouraging it really did help to actually try things on (thanks Anna for gently forcing me to do this).  I now have some idea of what I am and am not looking for.  As I said, it is an August wedding so deep colors of maroon, green and brown simply will not do.  The wedding is in the afternoon thus a knee length dress seems appropriate.  I hope to find a dress that has arm coverage from a light weight jacket/coat or perhaps lace or sheer sleeves.

My question for all of you is where have you been able to find a beautiful, classy and stylish Mother of Occasion dress?  My fingers are crossed that you will share some hidden gems in the retail world.  I promise to keep you updated on this search.  Rest assured that I will not give up until I find the perfect dress for this perfect occasion.

LINK LOVE

I struggle with what to pair navy with in terms of hose and shoes, here are some good ideas from blogger Curly in the City:

Grey // Burgundy // Navy

In the corporate environment I stick to a sheer-er navy tight, so there is some difference between the solid opacity of the skirt and my leg. I love ones with tiny navy dots! {This reminds me I need another pair, my old ones died, darn runs!} Or a neutral light grey. Again in the corporate environment I don't have much leeway  However if you are in a more casual workplace or going out with friends  I'd suggest trying a deep burgundy/wine color
For shoes, I'd stick to a neutral color, I wear my heeled brown penny loafers. I'm not afraid to channel the nerd I am! ;) But a great charcoal, or navy pump would work fabulously as well.
For all I'd opt to have a bit of sheerness to the tight and not an opaque tight. And I'm kinda loving dotty tights right now, add some spunk but don't scream I'm a kid


If you love Trader Joes as much as I do,  you will enjoy this blog that reviews TJ's products:
http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?blog=2795388&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy53aGF0c2dvb2RhdHRyYWRlcmpvZXMuY29tLw

I will end this post with a thought I saw on pinterest:

FASHION CLUB UPDATE

I just realized that I need to update all of you on our recent Fashion Club meetings.

JCREW
 In November a new JCrew in our local mall hosted 13 members.  In addition 2 customers in the store were interested in the presentation and of course were invited to join us.  The meeting topic was Ageless Fashion.  The store manager had pulled some items from the current collection to show us how someone 40 plus could wear their clothing.

 * One item that is very versatile is the # 2 pencil skirt (work appropriate in a variety of colors http://www.jcrew.com/womens_special_sizes/size16/skirts/PRDOVR~88707/99102810543/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~15~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~pencil%20skirt/88707.jsp or for an upcoming party in a tasteful dotted brocade http://www.jcrew.com/womens_special_sizes/size16/skirts/PRDOVR~26536/99102863147/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~15~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~pencil%20skirt/26536.jsp). These skirts can be paired with a simple white shirt or a jacket or even a tee if you are feeling adventurous. Footwear can be anything from ballet flats to pumps to boots depending on what you have in your closet.  I myself am not a fan of nylons so would most likely pair the skirt with opaque tights (Spanx make amazing tights that last FOREVER). 

 *Another item that is timeless and ageless is the Schoolboy Blazer which comes in a variety of fabrics, colors and patterns. (http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/blazers/schoolboy/PRDOVR~28600/28600.jsp). This style of jacket can be worn with jeans, over a dress or with a skirt.  Once the presentation was complete we were given not only a generous discount towards purchases that evening but plenty of time to shop and enjoy delicious refreshments. 

SEPHORA
Sephora hosted the Fashion Club in December.  It was a wonderful evening with not only knowledgeable Sephora staff on hand but representatives from HourGlass, Fresh and Cover FX makeup lines. The store arranged for members  who wanted to participate to first go to a skincare station for makeup removal (with a Clarisonic which I can personally recommend as amazing) and moisturizing.  Once that process was completed each member who was interested in makeup application was given their own makeup artist to answer individual questions and show them how to apply makeup .  Some members were looking for a better color match in foundation than they currently have, one member wanted to learn how to apply false eyelashes while another wanted to know the best way to cover discoloration on her skin (red chin and dark circles under her eyes).

I often wander into Sephora  to look around, spritz on perfume or look at lipstick colors. Yet I had never even looked at HourGlass makeup and found that I really liked it.  I also did not know that if I want to i.e. try a new mascara they have testers and brushes under the counter that have never been used (and are disposed of after you sample it).  I was so glad to know this because I often seen customers using the stores samples to put their own makeup on and that stopped me from ever using the samples unless I saw the makeup artist clean/disinfect the product and applicator specifically for me. In addition Sephora is very generous in providing samples for almost every product they sell so always feel free to ask to try something either at the store or at home.   At the conclusion of the evening each member was given a fun gift package with multiple samples of items like moisturizers, serums and cologne

I am busy working on new and interesting Fashion Club sponsors/presentations for upcoming meetings.  Topics under consideration include hair styles/colors/care and healthy eating.  If you have any suggestions for upcoming topics and/or presenters, please let me know by writing in the comments section below or you can email me at fancynancysfashionsafari@gmail.com

FRIDAY FANCIES

Fun (new to me) way to tie a scarf:
http://simplystated.realsimple.com/2012/12/06/how-to-tie-a-scarf/

Just purchased these makeup brush protectors and highly recommend:
http://www.sephora.com/brush-protectors-set-P303343

This is even cuter in person (I know..hard to believe but trust me)
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/B25972571.jsp

I love everything about this dress except I am too old to wear it, have no where to go in it and am not a size 6 (see a recurring theme here??? hahaha)
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/clothes-dresses/26145094.jsp

Love this cocktail coat..(I know, did you even know there was such a thing?I found out,  knew I needed one desperately):
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/milly-cocktail-coat/3383106?origin=keywordsearch&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=0

Hope you have some fun weekend plans.  I plan to enjoy my usual Friday night activity;  watching Say Yes To the Dress (both the original and the  Bridesmaids edition) while sipping on proseco, some holiday shopping and as much time as possible with friends and family.

LINK LOVE

I thought it might be fun and helpful to pass along a few gift guides for the holidays:

Books (fashion related of course) recommended by Elements of Style blog:
http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/

I love Trader Joes and I especially love some of their unique holiday offerings, this blog reviews these products:
http://www.bloglovin.com/frame?blog=2795388&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy53aGF0c2dvb2RhdHRyYWRlcmpvZXMuY29tLw

Some fabulous stocking stuffer ideas from Curly in the City, a Chicago area blogger:
http://www.curlyinthecity.com/

Brit and Co. comes through again with many ideas including food gifts to make:
http://www.brit.co/

Stylish bloggers Cake and Valley have come up with wonderful gift ideas for the men in your lives:
http://cakeandvalley.blogspot.com/2012/11/christmas-wish-list-mrcoffee.html

Anthology's on line gift catalog is full of fun ideas:
http://www.anthologymag-digital.com/anthologymag/2012holidaygiftguide#pg1