It’s Fashion Friday friends!
And Fashion Friday before a long weekend. Woohoo!
I thought I’d provide a little Fashion Friday update on my long weekend to Pittsburgh and Niagara Falls. I sought some fashion advice and had some unexpected discoveries.
If you will recall, in my Out of the Box FF I shared that I needed: a Friday night gala dress, a Saturday evening sophisticated look for dinner on the town, and a casual Sunday look that could go from a boat at the Falls to casual eating.
Sigh.
Just the footwear issues this raised.
My goal: carry a carry on and check no luggage.
Now the gala was boots and ball gowns. And the forecast was rain. Both of these things presented opportunities for cumbersome footwear. Cowboy boots for the gala and rain boots for the weekend.
In the end, I opted for NO boots. I wore versatile flats on the plane, took strappy sandals for both the gala and Saturday dinner, and then (gasp) took comfy, waterproof, animal print sandals for everything else.
Now, I utterly failed to take pics for the bulk of the trip so you’ll have to bear with me. The only good one I got was gala night.
What did I select to WEAR though?
First up, the awards gala. One of my favorite dresses already hanging in the closet won the day. It packs well, is very forgiving, and I always feel quite lovely in it.
Next up, Saturday night’s selection.
My dear friend and neighbor came over and saw my dilemma. I’d wanted skinny pants and a fancy blouse for the dinner. But either my ankle pants were too casual or too wide. She recommended J. Crew. She said they had fabulous black pants which I should pair with the steal of a black blouse I picked up at Nordstrom’s Rack and then style the heck out of it with shimmery jewelry and heels. Black on black?, I asked skeptically. Absolutely, she instructed.
I snapped this one selfie in the hotel room to send to her, so my apologies. I’ll share the lovely view we had from the restaurant Mount Washington in Pittsburgh. I adored the black ankle pants at J. Crew and used great self control to keep from getting a pair in every color. These very same pants have already been repurposed for work. And the fabric is thick which you need if you are wearing a skinny pant and are past your skinny stage.
Finally, Sunday. The trickiest.
Long road trip from Pittsburgh to Niagara Falls. Then the world’s longest tour (I am not kidding). My goal: no shorts, even though it was warm, and no sneakers. What to do? Well, when I wandered into J. Crew on THURSDAY before my flight left Friday early to get my black pants, I discovered the loveliest sales assistant. She was gorgeous. And, as luck would have it, she was a similar size. I fell in love with their chambray button down shirt. Perfect color and fabric and cut. I couldn’t resist. What do you pair this with, I inquired while picking up an olive pair of shorts. These, she replied.
That’s right. These are elastic pants.
Oh, but wait, there’s more. They are not just elastic WAIST, they have elastic on the LEGS! I tried to swallow the little vomit that came up in my throat. But she was massively cute and they came in olive (green is my love language), so I just tried them. Ahhh. It’s why we tell the kids not to do drugs. Once you try it, it’s hard to stop. ELASTIC! And the kicker, you’ll have to probably size down a size so they’re not TOO big. Go down a size? You had me at hello.
She recommended the “half tuck” which I did and loved.
Apologies for the photo (it’s either the dressing room at J. Crew or this half one of me crumpled late in the tour). Y’all, I only took pictures of the FALLS! But I love this outfit. It felt chic for a super casual outfit and it was comfortable because, um, ELASTIC! I don’t even know. The only reason I’m trying to get away with this is because it’s J. Crew and they sort of give me a pass…
So there you have it. An update. Sound off? Am I an insane person for wearing elastic? I don’t even care. Have you TRIED these pants? I might even buy another pair for my fall weekends.
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