Tag: Love Quotes

must have monday: scarves

I wear scarves in the winter, of course. But I also wear them in the fall, spring and even summer. No time is a bad time for a good scarf.

Is it your pop of color? An alternative to a necklace? A blanket to wrap around yourself in a cold movie theater or an over air conditioned office? Maybe you wear it Grace Kelly style when your friend with a convertible is driving with the top down. Whatever the reason, I can’t have too many.

On a retail therapy shopping spree in San Francisco last month, I bought three. My friend Amy was astonished.

Amy: More scarves?

But all three called to me and all three are already getting good use. The green one with the black stitching on the trim kept me warm(ish) during Katilan’s late night post-reception frolicking in Annapolis after I exchanged my dress for jeans but didn’t have my jacket because it had been hot and humid at departure time for the wedding. The green scarf’s twin in fuchsia was too pretty to pass up. The ivory and black zebra print has become my new go-to neutral, replacing the much worn and loved ivory Love Quotes scarf that was a 40th birthday present from Kassie. I have already worn all three of these scarves repeatedly. They join a legion of many scarves slung over a hook on the back of my closet door, waiting to be the one I grab as I dash out the door.

You don’t need to invest a lot of money on a scarf. In fact, one of my favorite ones in the rotation right now I snagged at Banana Republic for $7.00. The cost per wear on a scarf over its lifetime will, if you wear them like I do, be negligible. And the best part is, once a scarf has reached a stage where its wear and tear is too evident to be an appropriate wardrobe component any longer, they make great belts for little boys who like to secure toy swords tightly around their waists. Alternatively, they make great restraints for grown-up play.

But frankly, neckties work better for both.

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pretty in pink (and poppy and raspberry)

pretty in pink (and poppy and raspberry)

I usually hate pink. Well, hate is too strong of a word, so let me amend and extend my remarks to say I don’t love pink on me. Pink looks lovely on my friend Emily, on Nancy’s daughter Tess, and on the azalea bushes in my yard each spring. But it is not a color I find myself drawn to usually.

When Jack was a toddler, he went through a phase where he was obsessed with the color pink. I indulged his whim by buying him a pink oxford shirt, pink pajamas and even pink socks. I balked at the pink L.L. Bean jacket he wanted because (honestly) I caved to the social pressure that says boys can’t wear a pink jacket. I had a hard enough time explaining to adults why I let him wear pink; I did not want my kid to get teased at day care. I thus convinced him that orange (my true favorite color) was really sort of a dark version of pink. Jack wore orange jackets for the next several winters.

It is with this history of my tepid relationship with pink in mind that I share with you some of my latest obsessions for spring. I am shocked at myself that my eye continues to be drawn to a color that can only be described as resembling chewed bubble gum. When I am perusing J. Crew’s new arrivals, I usually fill my virtual fantasy basket with colors of black, purple and gray. But right now, I am slightly fixated on this pink cardigan and the candy-striped sweater in azalea and orange. The bright dahlia dress would also be a huge departure from my safe usual choice of navy, and may make its way into my closet the next time there is a 25% off everything sale.

Coral has also caught my fancy, thus this Simply Soles exclusive color pairing on my favorite Bettye Muller pump has my feet begging for spring (and a sugar daddy). Likewise the Function in Fuchsia by French Sole (a marriage of pink and orange) has me overlooking my usual hesitation about flats. One thing is clear, I am smitten with the cap toe craze because both these shoes will be on my wish list, along with the similarly hued earrings.

You’d have to be a caveman to not know Valentine’s Day is coming up (I have been methodically unsubscribing from every email that reminds me) but sexy underpinnings are not only for special occasions. I love this raspberry Chantelle set available at Coup de Foudre (the one vendor I will forgive for sending aforementioned V-Day reminders) and I understand from store-owner Valerie that my favorite Marie Jo bra will be coming in a shade of pink this spring too.

Rounding out my color fetish, Kate Spade’s Cobble Hill Leslie in cinnibar (the perfect alternative to the dove gray purse I am using now), a baby pink Love Quotes scarf, and Chanel lipgloss in a color named, I kid not, Chelsea.

Rest assured pink skeptics, in whatever manner I end up incorporating these happy shades into my wardrobe, I promise not to blind you by wearing them all at once. But on any given day, you will never know if I’m getting in my pink fix with the outfit under the outfit, so to speak.