It is hard to understand how women could forego their pretty dresses for holes and more holes?????? When the trend first started there was only one hole on the knee or back, but now there more holes than fabric.
Please leave a comment and tell us know what you think happened!
And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Today being Black Friday you might be out shopping – so while you are out there this would be a good moment to look for a new coat – saying this I am really talking to one of my good friends who came to visit me a few weeks ago.
One morning while putting on her red coat she said, “Isn’t it amazing – this coat is 24 years old and still holding up” (just barely was my thought) she went on to say, “Amy – that is her daughter – thinks it looks awful, and I should get a new one. But why should I, I think this is perfect. What do you think?”
Since I was in agreement with Amy, and can’t lie, I hid behind Amy and told her, “Maybe Amy is right. A new coat will make you feel and look better.”
My friend is not the only one who I have heard say that a garment is still holding up after x-years. And it is usually said with great pride, making me wonder why some women are so proud of owning old cloth. Here are some considerations that might help to get rid of them:
I would like to add to the last point that even if all of the above were not true we have to accept that over the years we have changed – put on some weight, lost some weight, became a little older – and what was suitable 10 years ago is no longer becoming, because our cloth do not change with us.
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Maybe my friend will read this and realize that the world is full of beautiful coats with which she can replace that too short, too tight, faded 24 year- old friend of hers.
And Never forget – A Smile Changes everything!
Brigitte
Going shopping is always fun – but not so today. Today it was not about shopping but about saying goodbye to Lord & Taylor. How many of my lunch times have I spent there over the last 20 years? – strolling through the isles and roaming the designer stocked floors. The store was just up the street from my office and I used to call it my second home.
Today empty shelves, empty glass counters and racks half filled with left overs, stood lost on the only three floors still open. Well, January 2, 2019 is around the corner, the date the oldest department store in the US will close the doors of its flagship store on Fifth Avenue which opened in February 1914.
I will miss going there, shopping there, spending time there, but more importantly it represents the end of era. A serious reminder when you are over 50 like me. It brings to mind that a part of my life, something I cherished is gone, and will never come back. I know change is good, change is necessary, but sometimes I would be grateful for a bit more time!
Thank you Lord & Taylor 
And Always remember – A Smile Changes Everything!
When opening your closet you see rows and rows of clothes patiently and seemingly silently waiting for attention. Yes, you show preference for some of these items by picking them again and again, but if you stopped for just a moment you would hear the cry for recognition, the plea to be chosen by the rest of your clothes, but your mind shuts down as quickly as you close the wardrobe doors. You don’t want to hear the green jacket asking you ‘why have you ignored me for the last 2 years?’ You don’t want to feel guilty for always choosing your favorites things, those which make you feel and look good. And even if you acknowledge that you have too many clothes you don’t want to admit that your bulging wardrobe is your doing. You make-believe you don’t know how this happened? Your closet just becomes fuller and fuller.
But if you took a moment to listen to what your wardrobe has to tell you, you would be happier with your clothes and your clothes would be happier with you. What is really happening is that when you open your wardrobe there is a voice in your mind that makes them speak – and here is what they say:
– why do you never wear me?
– why do you keep me if I don’t fit you anymore?
– why did you buy me? red is not your color?
– when will you ever go dancing again or need a cocktail dress?
– why do you keep me – I am 10 years old and look worn?
– why do you keep something that is out of fashion?
– why did I get into your closet – I am not your style?
– why did you buy me – because I was on sale – I was a good deal?
– why don’t you remove the tags from me – will you never wear me?
– why can’t you control your impulse buying?
If you answer these questions honestly – especially this one – was it on sale – and take action you will silence these voices and have a slimmer wardrobe you love and which loves you back.
And Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
I hope you enjoy this video and if you don’t have a full-length mirror this might give you a reason to buy one.
And Never Forget…. A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Holes and more holes are all over the most popular garment in the world – our jeans. And the way things are going, one day there will only be little bits of fabric holding the holes together.
Years ago this look caught on and then faded away but now it is back with a vengeance. From designers to mass market brands, jeans are full of tears and holes and the biggest rips get the highest prices – which makes me wonder – if I wanted to wear ripped jeans why could I not rip them myself and save some money?
But being over 60 ripped jeans won’t do anything for me. The appeal the young find in the holes – I think it is sex appeal – might give the wrong image for us more mature women.
While my friend Marie, well over 60, was visiting me, she wore a pair of ripped and torn jeans. At one moment during the evening Betty, another friend took me aside and asked with empathy in her voice, “Doesn’t Marie own a decent pair of jeans? These look so sloppy.”
Jeans are here to stay. If you are a child or 100 years old. but the fads applied to them might not be something to follow after 60.
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And Never forget – A Smile changes Everything!
Brigitte
They can make us feel good; they can give us confidence; they can make us look younger; they can make us look slimmer; they can make us look and feel sexy. But to achieve all of this or even just some of it is getting harder and harder. No, not because we are getting older, but because the fashion industry is becoming less and less helpful.
Unless we spend more money or buy a designer label, the quality of clothes on the rack is dropping further and further – the fabric is cheap, the cut is bad, the construction shotty , seams are uneven and the fit – what is that? A little too big – a little too tight – not a problem. Unfortunately many younger customers have never known a well made garment, and therefore, don’t mind if the hem is longer on one side than the other, or very uneven. 
I went shopping today in Bloomingdale’s Outlet store here on the Westside. Yes I know it is an outlet, but a Bloomingdale one which have a certain reputation. Yet I could not stop thinking that all these clothes I saw looked like rags – already worn, second-hand. – Here are some images of the racks displaying their ‘latest arrivals.’ 
It must be a generation gap on my part which makes me more aware of what I have to look out for and what it takes not too to look like I slept in my dress, or that I am wearing a hand-me-down. Here are a few things to watch out for if you still remember how clothes were made way-back-when:
With a little extra time, and a little extra money remembering these points will help you avoid the already worn look!
And Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
There are apps to help us walk, eat, play, shop – and they even talk to us, like Alexa. If you are in doubt about the weather, a place, or whatever else you might like to know, she can help you out. It is a like a live-in help.
Now she is joined by Amazon’s Echo Look with a Style Check feature. You will never have to be in doubt again what to wear when, and you will be sure to look good – but let me get out-of-the-way – read the article below that appeared in Town & Country ‘s March issue.
Personally I like the challenge of putting myself together, but then I don’t belong to the millenniums who have jobs and children and very little time for themselves. This could be their answer to Dress to Impress!
And Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
I hope you enjoy watching this video and I would be grateful for your remarks and comments.
Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!
Brigitte
Ready to Live Longer 