I had double celebrity dreams this last week. In one dream I was at Lake Como, Italy giving George Clooney tips on how to wear his face mask properly. He wasn’t quite sure where it should be sitting on his nose. Glad I could help out. And in case you’re wondering, we were socially distanced. A couple of nights later I was hanging out (in my dreams) with Miley Cyrus. That girl has a closet like you wouldn’t believe! It goes on forever. I opened all the closet doors and ran my hands across the sumptuous fabrics. I was inspired by all the layering possibilities she had with the wraps, scarves, a ..read more

Sometimes inspiration for an outfit comes from the oddest place. Take this outfit for instance: light-medium washed rolled jeans, black and white gingham blouse with ruffled sleeves, hot pink skinny belt, summer sandals, and a black summer raffia bag. Did the outfit inspiration come from the shirt hanging in my closet looking lightweight and cool on a moderately warm day? Nope. Did it come from the platform sandals that give me height and cover up enough of the toes to so you might not notice I’m missing a summer pedicure? No. What about the much-loved vintage raffia bag that hasn’t been wor ..read more

Nothing’s more fun than shopping with brides-to-be It’s June and a popular month to get married. Over my 35 years of dressing women, I’ve had many experiences helping clients put together their wedding day ensembles as well as outfits for the wedding night and their honeymoon attire. In all that time I’ve never had a bridezilla experience. Never. Go as far away as you can from the tone of a bridezilla experience and you’ll be in the neighborhood of a couple of dressing room stories I’m going to share with you. Just to set the stage, what I mostly hear when I’m in dressing rooms with my clients ..read more

Hello, hello, hello! I’ve had nearly a month’s worth of Josie’s since I popped up here last. That iced coffee drink I wrote about last is still my afternoon favorite. The recipe is right here. So that hasn’t changed. What has changed is I’ve been in this immersion program focused on emerging style for women primarily 60 and above. It was practically like a movie how I got inspired to create a 5-week online course all about personal style. There was a wonderful supporting cast to help me launch The Emerging You: Define or Refine Your Unique Style Recipe course. That’s a story I’m eager to shar ..read more

Prior to isolation at home, it was always a treat to meet a friend or two at MH Bread and Butter in San Anselmo. We’d have a visit and order a Josie, an iced coffee drink they make there. This friend date often happened on Babysitting Tuesdays when Baby Viv would join us. Sigh. The place is was always packed. MH has an outdoor seating area. It feels so cosmopolitan to hang out at a table under a sun umbrella drinking a Josie and telling stories. Hanging out with girlfriends still happens. Now it’s on Fridays over Zoom. It’s actually much easier to get us all together to share developing stori ..read more

How’s your lockdown going? I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had this much quality time with myself ever. How many weeks have we sheltered at home here in the Bay Area? Oh right: Six. Full. Weeks. And only about six more before we slowly enter into the modification period. I’m not complaining. (Am I? Could I?) Whatever Dr. Anthony Fauci says, I’m on board. While my higher self sticks to the rules, my lower self wonders, occasionally, whether I have it in me to keep on keeping on like this. Then comes the reality check Wearing masks and social distancing with my twin brother, Brent When I ..read more

Even before COVID and the current stay at home orders, I’ve meant to tell you about the easiest jean outfit recipe I’ve ever made. It’s so effortless to put together, yet it looks like a million bucks thanks to this Dressori kimono jacket. The plan was to meet my friend Vicky at MacArthur Place in Sonoma, a hotel and spa. It has a great coffee shop, an outdoor patio, and a light-filled lobby with cool art and small tables for catching up with ones you love like Vicky. Don’t run over there now; it’s closed because of COVID. Our pre-COVID get together over coffee But this get together was on Ma ..read more

Hello friends, how are you? It’s Friday as I write this. Russ has picked the first red rose from the garden, put it in a bud vase, and set it down on my writing table. It’s a bloom that has the real rose scent, and I’m inviting it into my lungs with each breath. COVID-19 hasn’t entered our home, and everyone in my family is safe. What has entered my home is an expanded social life. Like many of you, Zoom is bringing my friends right into my home. Every Thursday, five of us are getting together at 11 a.m. Four of us are grandparents and missing interacting with our grandkids. COVID-19 impacts ..read more

What I wore to the backyard Have you been struggling with your shelter in place wardrobe? Something about that sentence sounds like the opening line of a TV ad spoken by a fast-talking fella hawking a must-have product, and there’s an 800 number flashing at the bottom of the screen. A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t have conceived of starting a blog post with that sentence. A shelter in place wardrobe would have been the silliest thing, something we don’t need like that product on the screen with the 800 number. But the inconceivable is here. You may have experienced a shelter in place wardrob ..read more

Getting through the day one step at a time First off, I pray that you and your family are well. I think you’d join me in praying for (or wishing the best for) all the health workers who are putting themselves on the front line of this health pandemic. I pray for young parents who are suddenly juggling homeschooling and working from home. Hell, I pray for all of us. I had an upbeat blog post planned for you to read as soon as you opened your email. The ideas starting flowing on Monday even with the sobering news. Blundering through these early days had some funny bits, and I planned to share th ..read more