All Things EARTH... part 2

Well, clearly that didn't work. Too funny.

So I took a few new pictures. I took the dresses and spread them out to two pictures. That may help with the clarity as well. I added a dress or two that I had that fit me, I'm pretty sure. I haven't had them on in a bit, so it's possible they might need a little fine tuning, but nothing I can't do myself.

It's interesting sometimes with colors. I will often have red or orange in the closet that I know isn't earth, because I'm partial to those colors. What is interesting is how brightly things can photograph sometimes when next to more muted items.

With the maxi dresses, they are all earthy. But you can definitely see the difference in soft earth versus true earth. and with the prints, they aren't 100% earth, but the majority of the colors are, so they look really good on. I would say there are three true earth dresses in this group, and one soft earth.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

So I seriously think I need to remove the app from my phone and download it fresh and see what happens. Crazy, isn't it?

I can pretend that didn't happen, and now move on to the second picture. This is where you can really see what happens when colors are from different seasons. I am thinking that since the gold has gotten the most use in the group, and went on the last cruise, I'll leave it home.

I want to bring either the one on the far right or the tropical print one as they have been having a Caribbean night lately, and it would be fun to wear something that works for that. I'm leaning towards the yellow print because I'm more "comfortable" with the print itself. Both are easy to wear so that isn't an issue at all. The brown one is great to wear, and I took it in again so it fits better.

Really, I could wear any of these dresses to the specialty restaurant, as people don't dress up much. I just like to make the occasion special, so I'm looking at other dresses for that. We'll see.

Ready? I'm prepared already. Just tilt your head sideways.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

And one last picture that has nothing to do with cruise clothes! Maybe. :-) My husband and daughter are at a Symphoria concert right now. It's a unique thing - the symphony will be playing with excerpts from various Harry Potter movies. This sounds exceptionally fun. It's a mid Sunday showing, and from what we could gather, it's a casual event. So that created a lot of discussion of what is the best thing to wear.

My husband and daughter decided to go casual. I never tell my kids or my husband what to wear, but if they ask, I provide input.

I'd like to get my husband's jacket taken in just a bit. It's a very interesting combo, as the jacket is a brown tweed, and the vest is a gray tweed. I'd love to find a plaid shirt that picks all that up, but I like what he chose. Those are chino style pants, not dress pants. And he is wearing casual Skechers shoes.

My daughter likes black. What can I say? She even colors her hair a darker, cooler brown. But she is beautiful, and I admire the spunk she put into the outfit.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

Hey all, is this too fire for me? I'm going to see if I can find it someplace cheaper, but I like it a lot.

https://www.6pm.com/p/tolani-sachi-top-orange/product/8856321/color/535

And I just had to post this...another one where I don't like the cost, but it sure is beautiful. I can see this worn with a suit for work, with ankle pants, or whatever.

https://www.6pm.com/p/catherine-catherine-malandrino-geno-blouse-tiki-palm/product/8877014/color/686815

Oh my, and a dress too...in a print I would wear!

https://www.6pm.com/p/tolani-savannah-sleeveless-tunic-dress-coral/product/8921918/color/2957

Thanks for all the complements! When I picked up that blouse, I wasn't planning on doing shopping for myself necessarily...we were shopping for DS. We're leaving Thursday for a Spring Break run to some Midwest college visits. Kim, we'll sort of be in your territory but we are going to be swamped with all the college visits... We'll be going to 5 different colleges in one week!! OMG.

So we were filling in some holes in DS' wardrobe for cooler weather...and nicer. And someone that blouse was on major clearance? IDK why...most of the clearance was more winter?

Anyway...I'm waiting to plan my travel wardrobe until we are a little bit closer to really see what weather we'll be dealing with...but I know it'll be a cold Spring Break. We'll be in Ann Arbor, MI; Bloomington, IN; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; and Oberlin, OH.

Margaret...love all those WHBM colors! Totally you!

Laurie...that second shirt is a pretty print, but that material is very sheer! OMG. If you zoom in, you can totally see the white jeans under it...and I can't tell if it's the print or if you can see the model's bra. Just pointing that out...

All your dresses look fun to me. I think that whatever you take will be lovely. I'd probably start with shoes for picking out the dresses. Decide what shoes would be the best and then which dresses go the best with the shoes you like the best. I'm all about foot comfort.

Laurie, love all your dresses. I so seldom wear a dress. I’m with Anita, love the second blouse, but you’d have to wear a cami under it & that’s too hot for Caribbean.

Anita, colleges! Didn’t he just start high school?

I’m starting to have more energy. I’ve discovered that if I stop eating after 5tbsp I’m ok, unless that meal includes rice. Rice just isn’t my friend anymore (even in soup). Weight is still melting off [emoji6]& I’m almost back to what I should be,down almost 40 lbs since Nov. I’m aiming for another 20lbs off (50th reunion coming up [emoji6]). Melody

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Anita, I would imagine a basic knit cami would take care of that issue with that top. I just thought it was so pretty and earthy. It's dry clean only, if I remember correctly, and I really don't buy tops that require dry cleaning. I"m not even a big fan of hand wash, dry flat.

Isn't it funny how we find things when we aren't really looking? I saw a lot of neat things at 6PM.com, and I'm glad I looked over there. I see two shirts that look like they would work for me, and then there were a few for the gym too. It seems like lately, I keep missing out on the tops I need. I don't need a lot, but I was looking for a few since a couple of mine are getting a bit worn.

There were three dresses I really liked. Two were casual prints, one of which I posted the link to, I think. But they were both unlined, and I didn't feel confident that you couldn't see through them. At least with a top, you can look at putting a cami underneath.

There were some knit dresses in olive, and actually...a lot of them. I may go back and take another look. I've been looking for a knit dress that I can just throw on, that doesn't need anything special underneath. So I wouldn't want it to be too fitted, but not too baggy either. I guess the key would be the fabric, which is hard to determine online.

Wow, college visits for your son already! That is an exciting time. Has he visited any other schools so far?

I really like this top and it is 30% off but I am not buying any sleeveless tops right now .

https://www.jjill.com/product/scarf-print-tank/Sale

Last summer...May time frame, DS and I went up to PA/NJ are to help DH move out of his temporary apartment he had in PA, and we did some touring that included visiting two colleges, Princeton and Julliard. We did campus tours at both, but we also met with a professor at Princeton on a different occasion.

DS is a junior this year, so this is the college tour year and SAT year. He actually is taking the SAT on the second weekend of Spring Break, which is why we are pulling him from school the Friday before so that we can see all the schools we're interested in in the general area. It's going to be somewhat insane as we are driving. Along the lines of be at a college for most of the day and then drive 4 hours, give or take, to the next city to be at a college for most of the next day and then drive 4 hours, give or take...

You get the idea.

I was just looking at the weather...we're going to be dealing with highs that are mostly low 40s...some only high 30s...and lows in the mid/upper 20s, which we will be dealing with when we are on the road, I think, arriving in the new city.

Comfort is the main concern for all the car travel...but we do want to look "smart", I guess, for the college tours...especially as we have plans to meet with professors at most of the schools and also DS has the opportunity to sit in on classes as well.

We have several colleges in the Northeast that are of interest and we still have to sort visits to those. Some might just be a simple overnight trip. The thing is that when you visit, you really are supposed to be there during the week...that's when all the tours are offered, etc. And when you are supposed to get the best feel for the school. We just have to get through this trip first though.

Melody, glad to hear a good report regarding your recovery. Hoping you just continue on the same trajectory! Including the weight loss...

The cami idea would work for sure...and you might have fun with different colors...the bra aspect under a cami can get annoying, I think, but not as much of a worry if you have the over shirt. I purchased some shirts like that though...hoping to find a transitional kind of look...a lightweight, somewhat sheer long sleeved shirt that I could wear over my many tank tops...Melody said it...very hot. Very uncomfortable for me. I was really annoyed by how the over shirt would kind of stick to the knit fabric of my tank/cami. It didn't do the easy drape and I was constantly having to adjust the shirt on top to lay right.

Sally, I like that shirt a lot!

Anita, sounds like what we’ve done with colleges. I honestly don’t remember anything about any of them, just driving & laughing & lots of pizza suppers!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Boy do I remember the college tours .My Son was fine but my daughter almost drove me crazy .Luckily they both wanted to stay in the Northeast so the travelling was not awful .

Melody , Great news on the weight loss and energy ! I am starting to perk up also . We even went out to dinner tonight .

Anita, such a cute photo of you and your mom. I really like that shirt and necklace. You look very happy in it. It's a good thing we didn't try to meet in Vegas because DH had to cancel his trip at the last minute to deal with a client in Australia all weekend. He's been having a lot of very long 4am calls with more scheduled for this week.

I did six college tours with my goddaughter several years ago. They really helped her get a feel for the campuses. Obviously you choose colleges for certain qualifications, and that can make them kind of seem all alike. Still, there will be the ones you immediately eliminate because you just don't like the feel. I think that's an important factor to take seriously even though it's not really quantifiable.

As a Michigan girl I just have to add GO BLUE!

Laurie, it must be fun to open your closet and see all those nice choices. :) I too would be drawn to that first top you posted but I do think it's too FIRE. That 6pm site has some really nice things. I did some browsing around and there are lots of choices.

Sally, cute top! I understand about not buying sleeveless. I have so many biopsy spots on my arms now, and I'm not embarrassed by them much, but I do want to cover up more and save what's left of my skin.

When I wear a sheer blouse that needs a cami, I prefer a non-cotton one so the top slides over it and doesn't catch or bunch up. I have nude and black spanx-type ones that fit over my hips and don't ride up.

I completely forgot that you went to Michigan! We're going to be in Ann Arbor the longest. It just works out that way. We'll be there from Thursday night through Sunday. Any suggestions? We're very budget conscious on this trip...and we have a kitchenette for the weekend, planning on not eating out too much, especially over the weekend...BUT...we do want to get a flavor of the town. Would love any input.

A book I requested a long time ago on the Overdrive library just came in. It's called the Curated Closet. I'm thinking that it could be a frustrating because of course the first exercise you do is to record what you wear for two weeks and generally where you go. Then there is a whole list of thoughtful questions to analyze how the previous two weeks went. And the rental period is two weeks...and I know I won't be able to renew...so...phooey. The idea of the book is not so much a how to for anything other than offering guidance for figuring out what you really like and what really works for you. Which seems to be the topic we all talk about, so I was interested...

Love the Curated thought of the title. An example of thoughtful questions are...if someone were to go into your closet and pick out a piece of clothing at random, what are the chances that they will pick something that you really love and enjoy wearing?

I ordered a bag for our trip. A kind of sling backpack bag by Bagallini. I think it will come in very handy for the campus tours. We've also had some nicer weather lately...conducive to walking around downtown again and I've hit the library a few times now...this would be a good library trip bag as well, I think.

https://www.ebags.com/product/baggallini/messenger-sling-backpack-retired-colors/318119?productid=10372378

I ordered the Portobello color...it was $5 cheaper when I ordered it on a steal of the day. I had a $10 reward that was going to expire and that basically paid for some faster shipping...

Anita, we did a whirlwind college visit tour 1 spring break. We covered 4 states and lots of schools. It was really interesting to see and compare all of the pros and cons of the different schools, and just to get the vibe of the campus.

If we can work out a quick visit, I'm game, just let me know :)

Have fun and safe travels.

Anita, let me know how that slingback works out for you. I love that it doesn't have that nylon, grade school look to it. I know you are much more of a minimalist than I am, but I would love to know if you felt you could carry everything you wanted. I have issues sometimes because there are certain things I am never without, especially if outside: prescription sunglasses (case is big), hearing aid batteries, kleenex and my puffer.

I have something like this in nylon, and I brought it on the last cruise. However, once I got my necessities (see previous paragraph) in the bag, I didn't have room for sunscreen, camera and two water bottles. One thing I don't like is when everything rolls all over the place in the bag. I love to either have a nice fit where you can easily find what you are looking for, or some sort of bag with partitions and holders and what not in it.

I decided this afternoon would be a good time to think about my cruise wardrobe. As if I wasn't thinking about it already. :rolleyes:

I got out the summer clothes, and narrowed down the shorts. This was fairly easy, as it is a 6 night cruise and I have three skorts and about 6 pairs of shorts. So it doesn't take much to grab your favorites. Then I started to put tops with the shorts/skorts. That was easier than expected overall as well. I have two shirts on order, so I haven't finalized things yet. If I don't like the two shirts, it will be easy enough for me to just grab the other outfits.

I think I may be doing something right when it comes to shopping. I didn't hesitate to bring things I've worn on the previous cruise. As a matter of fact, two outfits are completely the same. I may, depending on the shirts ordered, swap around some of the tops and bottoms, but as of right now, those two outfits stand right out.

I felt the same with dresses to a certain degree. I decided to look at them in smaller groups. I got out the two formal night dresses I had already picked, and then grabbed 4 more dresses since it is a 6 night group. As I was hanging them up, I realized that I had selected specific ones. I then stepped back and said, are those my favorites? The only thing I did was ask myself what I wanted to wear to the specialty restaurant, and I got that out of the closet and put another dress back. But I was done.

It has been nice having a few days off. We went to the Waterloo Outlet yesterday. It's about an hour away from our house, so we only get there a few times a year. There is a Loft Outlet store there, and I always find a bunch of stuff there. Interestingly enough, the only thing I buy online or in the regular store is jeans, when they have their 60% off flash sale. For whatever reason, they carry much better colors in the outlet, and it's almost always 40% off everything.

I found a cardigan that is ivory with blue and teal flowers. The blue is a gray blue, and will work with the orphan pants.The teal and ivory add the warm element I was looking for. I also got the button down cardigan in gold, olive and a dusty aqua color. They are really nice, because I can dress them up for work. I found a few tops too.

There is a VanHeusen outlet there, and there was a huge selection of clearance dress and casual button down shirts. My husband did very well, as he really needed to get smaller ones. You can't go wrong when you have piles to choose from, for just $7.99 each. He's purchases their shirts plenty of times over the years, and they are a great quality.

I won't pile on the pictures yet, but I will post a few shortly. I am trying to decide if I want to take my bronze or gold sandals. Maybe you can all tell me what you think about the bronze? I was going to wear whatever I bring with the specialty night outfit, but I don't have to. Just change the jewelry with that dress, and my casual sandals will work.

Formal night dresses:

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

Date night:

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

My vote is for the bronze sandals. I think they suit the richness of the colors of your dresses the best. Keep in mind that I would probably always choose the deeper color of anything. :)

At work last week, the director and all the program heads had been to a meeting and were talking in the hallway. Just when I came by they were laughing because one of them remarked that they were all wearing gray and black. As I walked by I just put my hands up like "and then there's me." One of them said "and Margaret is always so colorful." It was particularly funny to me because I was wearing dark navy pants and sweater so I wasn't feeling particularly colorful that day.

Anita, AA is so different now from when I was there I hesitate to give you any advice. At that time the School of Music (now the School of Music, Theater, and Dance) and School of Art & Architecture were the only things on North Campus, along with a handful of dorms that were considered Siberia. Since then, with the addition of the new Engineering school and assorted private and university scientific labs, there's been a whole new community developed up there with restaurants and everything. Dance and Theater were on the main campus when I was a student, even though Dance was part of SoM. Theater was an offshoot of the English department and Musical Theater was a very small offshoot of that. The performing arts are much better organized now. It must make collaboration much easier.

I would save some of your time for exploring the main campus too as that is where a lot of the other non-major class requirements would be. If you have time to stop in, the famous Law Library is like a scene out of Harry Potter. The main performing arts venues are on main campus as well, Hill Auditorium and The Power Center.

Off campus, I used to enjoy time in the Arboretum when the weather was nice, and there are shopping and eateries on Main Street. Zingerman's Deli is locally famous but a bit pricey. UM has a very active Greek scene if that is of interest, and their houses are mostly along Washtenaw to the southeast of main campus. Football in the fall is a huge part of campus social life. Between classes and rehearsals and homework and my job, it was a very busy life compared to some of my non-performing arts friends, so it's amazing in retrospect that I found time for a boyfriend (good thing I did :D ).

I once was in a site-specific work that involved dancing in the School of Music, out the doors onto the grassy lawn, and then disappearing from view down the hill. It was fun. I also had the privilege to be in the dance chorus of an opera directed by Robert Altman. So, lots of opportunity available for interesting work. There are always student works being performed somewhere by thesis candidates, so you might enjoy attending a free performance:

https://smtd.umich.edu/performances_events/calendar.php

Parking around campus is a big challenge, but there is a very good bus system. I guess the final thing I would add is that, in spite of being a very large school, I never felt overwhelmed because as a student you spend a lot of time with your colleagues and develop a community around your routine, much like when you live in a big city.

Don't forget marching band is a thing there. A THING. We take marching band very seriously, as should everyone.:cool:

Bronze sandals definitely Laurie!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums