I love trench coats! They're so classic and chic, weather-flexible, and go with everything from jeans to dresses.   You'll be seeing them even more this winter.  Humphrey Bogart made them a classic way back when, and have since been the uniform for covert operations.  You may have noticed them showing up again on a few stylish women on the screen.  Because they're so classic, they've never really gone out of style, and easy to find in the stores.  Pair it with a black turtleneck and jeans, as shown on the left, or for a dressier look wear dark denim wide leg trousers.  I nearly wore out my longer trench last spring because it protected my legs against the cold weather and flowed over tunics and dresses so well.  Epaulets on the shoulder add visual width to balance triangular, rectangular and rounded figure types.  The camel color is great for blondes.  Black or black brown tortoise shell buttons highlight black and brown hair.  Whether your operation is covert, like hiding your PJs when making an early morning run to the grocery store, or overt, like a dressy night out, you won't regret investing in a trench coat this fall.  Here are a few trench/jean combinations to choose from.  The link also has some great options with trenches in black, red, and navy.  Check it out and let me know how you're wearing it!

Is the thought of back to school shopping stressing you out?   I’ve been having the same reoccuring nightmare the last couple of weeks.  It involves me and my 3 sweet angelic children, who suddenly transform into a bunch of crazies when I even mention the words “back to school shopping.”  Taking 3 kids to a store, darting in 3 different directions, yelling “come with me Mom” and “I really need this!” is all too memorable from last year, and not something that I want to repeat.  No, I’m determined to make back to school shopping as stress-free as possible.  Judith Rasband wrote about this in her first book publication, Clothing the Family.  Here is the advise she gives:

1.   Evaluate their wardrobe – A wardrobe evaluation is a great way for you to spend some one-on-one time with your child before their day is taken up with school and other activities.  Be sure to listen and thoughtfully consider children’s attitudes and ideas, you may find time for a few teaching moments as well.  

2.   Make a list of needs – In this non-emotional situation, parents can lead children through the logic of planning for needs and goals versus wants and fashion-for-the-sake-of-fashion.  Create a list that you and your child can agree upon and congratulate yourselves on a successful planning session.

3.   Know where you are going before you leave the house – This may involve searching the internet to know which stores carry what you need.  The more efficient you are in the store, the better spirits everyone with have.

Prepare to keep calm, carry on and enjoy your stress-free shopping excursion.