Downtown Asheville

We visited downtown Asheville on Sunday.

We enjoy Asheville for its exceptional dining and shopping options, street musicians, people watching and unique Art Deco buildings.

I wore the black version of the draped blouson BCBGMAXAZRIA top from Saks Off 5th with the perfect leggings from Svelte. The gray faux suede jacket is old from Saks Off 5th as well.

The fabulous necklace was supplied by French Kande. The leggings were supplied by Svelte. The opinions are my own.

The small reptile bag is old by Ivanka Trump and the booties are old by Nine West both from Saks Off 5th.

I will share photos from the spring Covered Perfectly photo shoot when I return.

Have a beautiful week!

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Represented by Talent Trek Agency in Knoxville TN.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.

When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post. 

All opinions are my own.

The Dining Room

We typically dress for dinner. It makes the evening special and more enjoyable for us.

We had reservations in The Dining Room on Friday and Saturday nights during our stay at The Inn on Biltmore Estate this past weekend.

The fresh flowers throughout the hotel are always captivating.

I wore a Ralph Lauren tuxedo jacket trimmed with black satin lapels from Dillard's. The pants are by Lior Paris. The Ivanka Trump shoes and bag are from Saks Off 5th Avenue. The draped surplice neckline top is by BCBGMAXAZRIA also via Saks Off 5th Avenue. The necklace is from French Kande.

Here are some other items for putting together a great dressy look.

View more options by clicking on the arrow on the right.

(You must visit the actual blog post to use this feature.)

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Represented by Talent Trek Agency in Knoxville TN.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.

When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post.
All opinions are my own.

Weekend Away

We love to spend the weekend in Asheville, at the Inn at Biltmore. They have a very nice Spa, shops, and several dining options as well as a piano bar and a library.

Mr. Mickey also owns a company which means our vacations are typically taken in three-day increments. Since the weather was predicted to be warm and pleasant this weekend we decided to take advantage of it.

My look for traveling and stopping in downtown Asheville for lunch included an impressive pair of Svelte leggings, my I.C. Collection faux suede trench coat from ShopMyFairLady, a silver tank top (coat not removed) and a large square silk scarf by Versace from Saks Off 5th.

Svelte supplied these leggings. The opinions are my own.

The wine colored bag by Ivanka Trump and the old Nine West booties are also from Saks Off 5th. Despite having a high heel, these boots are very comfortable. They are perfect to wear with leggings.

We had to stop for Canadain Geese crossing the road on the way to the Inn.

The view from our room on the fifth floor. I never tire of seeing mountains!

I wore this brand of leggings from Svelte.com for the first time this weekend. I love the way they fit and flatter my figure! They are well worth the investment. I will be taking these with me to California later this week. They will be perfect for the photo shoot for Covered Perfectly!

Svelte supplied these leggings. The opinions are my own.

These leggings have a built-in tummy control panel! Svelte products are made of highly stretchy knit fabric which holds you comfortably but firmly. I put leggings on the same way I do pantyhose to keep the seams strong and straight. To preserve the shape, color and size it’s important that they are machine washed cold or hand washed and hung to dry. Do not put them in the dryer. These tips apply to all fine knits.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Represented by Talent Trek Agency in Knoxville TN.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.

When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post.
All opinions are my own.

Obsessed!

My long search has ended with this necklace.

I have never been a fan of fine jewelry. It is usually so small and delicate that it gets lost on me. I much prefer an elegant, dramatic statement piece that is so well made I can enjoy it for years to come. If it goes with almost everything in my wardrobe, it becomes a must have.

My new French Kande necklace from the spring line arrived earlier this week. I have worn it every day since!

This piece spoke volumes to me because it incorporates a French medallion and a tassel which are two of my favorite elements. The length and verticle design of the necklace is very figure flattering because of the V-neckline it creates. 

I was supplied the long necklace by French Kande.
The opinions are my own.

I wore the necklace again on Thursday when I visited my wonderful stylist, Myra. 

She is a genius!

You may recall that Mr. Mickey gave me a shorter style of a French Kande necklace for Christmas. I enjoy wearing it with a jacket or dress when I want to fill in the neckline. The shorter necklace is shown on this post and again here.

So now you know my guilty pleasure! My obsession with French Kande jewelry has been ongoing for at least a couple of years, so I am thrilled to have added these two versatile pieces to my collection. As always, I take my time and carefully plan my investments so that I know I will enjoy the pieces many times over the years.

The Cabel and Gage top and the red Tahari bag are old from T.J.Maxx. The gray jeans are old from Chico's. The old French Connection jacket and the BCBG shoes are from Saks Off 5th.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Represented by Talent Trek Agency in Knoxville TN.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.

When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post.

All opinions are my own.

Flashback

After I stopped eating fast, easy, convenience food from a box, bag or can and focused on eating plant-based meals; I started losing weight.

2008

I was in a lot of pain when I weighed 183 pounds. That pain came from the arthritis inflammation in my hands, feet and back so I was very inactive. I remember thinking this is what it feels like to be old. I believed that was the way my body was going to feel from that point on. I was deeply depressed, and it showed in what I wore and how I carried myself. I gave away all of my heels and bought ugly flat shoes that are supposed to be comfortable. My feet still hurt!

2009

A few days after plants became my only source of food, I started to feel much better. Soon I felt like going for long walks, working in my flower gardens, cleaning my whole house in one day and anything else I wanted to do. The pain melted away. I was amazed!

My spirits lifted because I now felt better than I did when I was in my 30s. I gave all those flat shoes to my mother and started buying shoes and clothes that reflect my personality better. It didn't happen right away but after a couple of years, I found my style chops again. (For some strange reason, I believed those horrible print tops hid my rolls and dimples.)

When we go out to eat now, I order a salad with a side of steamed broccoli or some other vegetable, and I ask them to hold the salt and butter. We will always order the vegetarian entree when there is one offered, and we often visit restaurants because they are vegetarian.

I eat this for breakfast almost every morning.

My late lunch sometimes looks like this.

I get questions almost every day about how I managed to lose weight during those hormone shifting menopausal years.

Honestly, all I did was change my choice of food. There was no radical exercise regime. I didn't take any pills or get on any of those food to order programs. I still don't take any medications!

The book "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman gave me guidance on what to eat and explained why. The most important thing to know is that you need a variety of colorful, fresh, organic, local and in-season fruits and vegetables as often as possible. My diet includes fresh fruits, leafy green and other vegetables, mushrooms, onions, berries, seeds, nuts and ancient whole grains every day. I eat this way 90% of the time.

I still enjoy a piece of dark chocolate, a glass of wine or a decadent dessert on occasion but not every day. I also know that only a few bites are enough. I don't need to finish the whole dessert. 

2016

I have maintained my weight loss for almost five years. No diet or pills. No gyms or classes. No calorie counting or obsessing about food. 

I hope that sharing my example helps you to achieve a happy, healthy body as well.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.

When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post.
All opinions are my own.

Layer Like a Boss

Multiple thin layers keep me warm without running the risk of looking like the Michelin Man.

On a recent Saturday, we visited our old downtown to see some of the new projects taking place there. An exciting renaissance has begun in Johnson City!

From November to April, I am usually wearing a minimum of two layers. I started this look with a thin gray tank camisole from Saks Off 5th, next I added a great looking striped button front tunic from J.Jill. The cashmere scarf/wrap is old from J.Jill. 

I was supplied this top and wrap by J.Jill. 
The opinions are my own.

I bought the distressed faux leather jacket from my friend Myra's boutique The Charlemont in Kingsport, TN. The ankle jeans are from Chico's. The bag is by Zac Posen and the boots are by French Connection, both via Saks Off 5th.

I once avoided wearing longer layers under shorter pieces but I learned that if I use a soft unstructured longer piece under a more structured shorter piece it seems to always work out well.

Each time I go to the J.Jill website, I find it difficult to narrow my selections to stay within my budget. I want them all!

I decided on this top because I know I can also wear it in warm weather without a tank, with white jeans and sandals.

Shown below without the outer layers.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Represented by Talent Trek Agency in Knoxville TN.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.

When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post.
All opinions are my own.

Styling Tip

I fell in love with this fabulous J.Jill tunic as soon as I saw it!

This top was supplied to me by J.Jill.

I have a weakness for soft, easy pieces that flow across the body and look great with jeans. If the item can be worn for three seasons, even better!

This color is called Gala, which will go with every pair of pants I own. That makes this tunic a very wise purchase.

The ankle jeans and the wide silver cuff are both old from Chico's. The boots are old by Ralph Lauren and the bag is old by Cole Haan both from T.J.Maxx. 

The beauty of buying classic items with simple design is that you can wear the pieces for years to come and in many combinations.

I will wear this top with white jeans and nude sandals many times this summer. It looks great with most of my scarves and all of my fun cuffs and bracelets. I can also wear it with the sleeves long and layer a jacket or cardigan over it. 

I always find great looking casual clothes that fit my style at J.Jill. They are having a big 40% off President's Day sale right now. 
Time to stock up!

We moved the furniture around a bit so that we could shoot this short video and take these pictures for you. I hope my tips inspire and help you get dressed with ease.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.



When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post.
All opinions are my own.

Be My Valentine!

Time for a Q&A post! 

"What are your tips for mixing and matching unrelated pieces to create successful unique looks?"

There are a few tips I always try to remember when I am mixing unrelated pieces. 

First, I limit the colors to no more than three. When wearing two or three pieces that are all the same color, I try always to mix the textures since the colors will rarely match exactly. 

Don't be afraid to mix modern with classic. That is one of the secrets to keeping your looks current. If I am wearing something trendy, I keep all the other items very traditional and classic.

Learning which colors and proportions look best on your body shape makes it a lot easier to mix and match pieces with confidence.

We had not planned to go out to dinner for Valentine's day, but when our dearest friends called to invite us to join them, we gladly accepted.

I found this brocade jacket on sale at Chico's recently. This was the perfect evening to wear it for the first time. Considering that it is so ornate, I kept the other accessories to a minimum. The small reptile embossed box clutch is from S.M. Bradford in Hilton Head. The faux leather front Ponte knit back leggings are also from Chico's. The short boots are by French Connection via Saks Off 5th.

The Covered Perfectly long sleeve simple comfort tunic has the best neckline for layering I have ever worn. I also love that they are sleek fitting so that they keep me warm, but they don't add any bulk under my jackets. More black and also the white tunics will be back in stock soon. They are selling so fast the USA maker of these tops is having difficulting keeping up with the demand.

When I answered the door Mr. Mickey handed me a dozen roses, Godiva chocolates, and one card for each day until Valentine's Day. I count myself very lucky to be his lady!

Here are some other great basic pieces for mixing and matching.

View more options by clicking on the arrow on the right.

(You must visit the actual blog post to use this feature.)

Thank you for joining us on this journey through midlife and beyond. The second fifty years are truly the best!

Susan Street is the President of VintageJewelrySupplies.com.

Visit me on Twitter.

Visit me on Pinterest.

Visit me on Polyvore.


When companies supply products to me, I disclose that within the body of the post.

All opinions are my own.