Do Stockings Age You?

We all know the Queen of England would never step out in public bare legged!  Goodness gracious no...she always wears nude stockings.

Ladies my age were brought up to wear nude stockings, especially to church, dressy functions, or in the workplace.  I agree that in the heat of the summer, it's wonderful to wear a Lilly Pulitzer shift with a pair of Tory Burch Revas or Jack Rogers sandals...bare legged.  Bare legs seem to be the new trend for young ladies; I see them at church, at weddings, and in the workplace.  When did ladies stop wearing stockings?  Do stockings age those of us who still wear them?

I think not!  Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge always appears in public wearing nude stockings.  Of course, Buckingham Palace enforces a strict dress code for women...they must wear stockings and closed-toed shoes.

Nude stockings are like a foundation for your legs and they also add a nice sheer finish to lilly-white legs.  Suntan stockings are a definite no-no.  Your stockings should match your skin tone.  And please ladies, don't wear stockings with open-toed shoes!

I remember the day my Mama allowed me to wear stockings.  I was so excited and have been wearing them every since!  I even saved my garter belt and stockings from the Christian Dior store in Paris that I wore on my wedding day.

Opaque tights are really fashionable now and I love wearing them.  I think black tights make heavy legs look slimmer and hide any flaws on the legs.  It looks nice to coordinate the color of your tights with the color of your sweater/blouse/jacket, et cetera.

Do you think ladies look better when they wear stockings or do you think stockings age you?

Dressing Area

My makeup was taking over the vanity in our bathing area, so I decided to move all my Chanel cosmetics, fragrances, and accessories out to the boudoir.  I really love it because I also have all my Chanel books and other loot all together in one area.  The vanity table is really a better place to apply my makeup because of the long window behind it which provides a lot of natural light.  The tabletop is quite crowded, but holds all my pretties and has drawers to store more of my Chanel goodies.  I'm such a hoarder with makeup; when I find a certain color of lipstick, I will buy several tubes so I won't run out.

On the wall to the left of the table, I have a style board that holds my special Chanel cards and flower pins.

I found this cute dress form at HomeGoods and decorated her with some of my Chanel goodies. Of course I named her... "Mademoiselle."

Flower pins and pearls...

Black and gold chain belt...

Small size classic flap bag with gold hardware...

I've also decided to start taking my OOTD photos somewhere else beside the bathing area.  I found this mirror at Kirkland's and it goes well with the colors in my room.


I hope y'all have enjoyed the tour of my new dressing area.  Thank you for visiting with me today!

Shift Into Spring

Today I wore this Lilly shift in the Sunset Pink 'Shift' pattern.  Wearing this shift made me think of Melissa who writes the blog Southern Vogue.

The pink shift has cute Lilly 'shift' patterns in the design...my favorite Lilly style, the classic shift!

Melissa is a Southern belle living in the great state of Texas.  What's so special about her?  Well, for one thing, she throws THE cutest parties and I'm sure they are the most coveted invitations in her social circle!  I would totally wear this shift to her event!

Miss Melissa Meredith

Like most Southern girls, all her parties have themes and my favorite is the "Shift Into Spring."  Look at the darling invitation for this year's fete.

Hopsy {pictured on the right} is part of the inner circle of friends!  These girls throw the most fantastic parties y'all!

Here's the darling tablescape from this Spring's event.

Pink prissy macarons...

I adore these party favors...Lilly prints!!!!

The invitations were made with the Lilly shift notecards...

Look at the tablescape from last year's party...

Just too adorable!

Party favors with shift bags and an adorable shift banner!

Pink and green treats...

When you visit Melissa's blog, you will find other posts from her fabulous events.  The latest event was her birthday party--with a Derby theme on Derby Day.  She has posted some photos from that event and it was just the cutest thing ever!

Note to Melissa:

I know how to behave at prissy parties and I have a few Lilly shifts, one of which I'm sure would be appropriate to wear.  I am now placing your parties on my "Bucket List" of Things To Do Before I Die!

Kindest regards,

Miss Janice

P.S.  I always arrive with a cute present for my hostess!

Kentucky Derby Recap

Another Kentucky Derby.  Another year I have not been able to travel to Churchill Downs to cross this must-do Southern event off of my Bucket List.

What to do?  Well, I just got out my derby dresses and mint julep cups and pretended that I was there!

I kicked off Derby weekend on Thursday.  It was a dark and rainy day in South Florida, but I brought a little sunshine into the day during Afternoon Tea with my Outfit of the Day.  The Lilly 'Giddy Up' Del Mar dress is one of my faves.  I wore it with white Revas, a white cardi, and carried a white Bermuda Bag.  And, of course, pearls.

The Diamond Tearoom in Stuart has the best Afternoon Tea in my area!  Their Afternoon Tea includes soup, salad, tea sandwiches, scones, and sweets.  Everything was just perfect and I enjoyed the steaming hot fruit and almond tea.  If you are ever in the Stuart, Florida area, be sure to visit this tearoom, which is located at 3868 SE Dixie Highway.  You can contact them at 772.781.5153 for more information.

The Lilly Derby Day 'Low Riders' print shift is another all-time favorite of mine.  I wore this for 'Happy Hour' on Friday afternoon with a white cardi, white Jacks, and carried my white Bermuda Bag.

 On Derby Day, we went to the track to watch a few races and make our bets...then off to a Derby Party!  I wore the Lilly 'Just Add Mint' skirt, with a pink J Crew ruffle blouse and white cardi.  I wore my pink and green monogrammed Bonanno sandals and carried my Bosom Buddy Bag.  I adore the print of this skirt, but I'm done with the new Lilly skirts...they just don't fit me right.  I'll stick with the dresses from now on, unless I can find cute Pulitzer Prize old-school Lilly skirts.

I love going to the horse track...always have!

I always bet on horse/dog #1...makes it easy and I don't have to think!  Unfortunately horse #1 "Black Onyx" was scratched.  Well, that messed up my karma.  I then decided to bet on horse #6 "Mylute"--only because I liked the name and I like cute loot!  My horse didn't win but I had a fabulous day!

Of course, I had to sip a little Mint Julep before going to track...non-alcoholic, of course.  It is considered proper to drink Mint Juleps with a sterling Mint Julep strawspoon.  Simply use the spoon to stir the julep and sip your beverage through the tiny hole at the other end.  This is one of the very few times a lady should use a straw to drink a beverage.  It's also acceptable to use a straw when you are drinking a coke out of a can, a large to-go cup of sweet tea, or when you've "taken ill and are in the bed."

Miss Janice's Mint Julep Iced Tea*

I provided the Derby Straws for the party...

Celebrating the day...Merlot Hour!

And, I prepared a couple of Kentucky Derby food faves...

The Hot Brown Sandwich is the favorite of many Southern hostesses during Derby.  The Hot Brown sandwich was created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville by Fred Schmidt in 1926.  It's an open-faced sandwich of turkey and ham, covered in Mornay sauce and bacon and tomatoes and then baked.

There are many different variations and recipes for the Hot Brown...Today I chose to prepare Paula Deen's Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole**  Packed full of calories, but definitely a crowd fave!

Benedictine Spread*** is another must-serve dish on Derby Day.  Miss Jennie C. Benedict, a Louisville caterer, created Benedictine Spread before the turn of the century.  Today I chose to make the spread for tea-style sandwiches and added a drop of green food coloring to the recipe.

Finally, I chose to serve a Derby Pie.  Delicious!  This pie was the specialty pastry of the Melrose Inn, at Prospect, Kentucky.  George Kern, manager of the restaurant developed the Derby Pie recipe and Kern's Kitchen bakes these pies today in a small family commercial kitchen.

The Derby Pie is best served by heating it in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Top it off with a dallop of whip cream!

Next year, I will buy several of these pies...A huge hit!

*Recipe for Miss Janice's Mint Julep Iced Tea
10 mint leaves
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
3 cups cold, sweet tea
Crushed ice

Combine the mint, lemon, and lime in a 2-qt pitcher; crush the lemon, lime, and mint with the back of a big spoon.  Stir in the cold tea.  Serve over ice with a mint leaf for garnish.

This is a nice refreshing non-alcoholic beverage to sip during Derby time!

*Recipe for Paula Deen's Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole
8 slilces bread, cubed and toasted
1 lb. ham, cubed
1 lb. turkey, cubed
1 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 16-oz pkg processed cheese, cubed
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 med tomato, seeded and diced

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Placed toasted bread evenly over bottom of prepared baking dish.  Layer ham and turkey evenly over bread.  In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, whisk in flour until smooth; cook 2 minutes, whisking constantly.  Gradually whisk in milk; cook 3-4 minutes, whisking constantly, or until thickened.  Add cheeses, stirring until melted and smooth.  Pour over turkey, sprinkle evenly with bacon and tomato.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

***Recipe for Benedictine Spread
1 8 oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
1 tblsp mayo
3 tblsp grated cucumber, drained well with paper towel
1 tsp finely chopped green onions
Green food coloring optional.

Blend all ingredients and mix well.

Since I've Been Gone

Y'all, I have been having some issues with my internet service, so blogging is a slow difficult process right now.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been spending time with my family for the past couple of weeks.

Celebrated Mama's birthday in Sarasota with family...

Stopped off in Clearwater and picked up my Mama-in-Law and we had afternoon tea at the Camellia Rose Tea Room in Plant City, Florida

This is a beautiful tearoom located in the historic district of Plant City--near Tampa.  I failed to make a reservation, so we had to wait almost an hour to be seated.  While we waited...we browsed the boutique shop full of tea accoutrements, dresses, shoes, jewelry, and other prissy loot.

The proper Afternoon Tea was worth the wait...We had "Camellia's Afternoon Tea"...Assorted tea sandwiches, scones, and assorted desserts, along with a an endless pot of apricot tea.

"Here's What I Wore"  The tunic top is by Top It Off and the white denim pants are by Ralph Lauren.  I wore some turquoise jewelry, gold Jack Rogers, and carried a metallic gold Tory Burch wristlet.

I wore this outfit for a casual lunch with my Mama-in-Law...a white shirt with a pink monogram on the pocket from The Snappy Turtle, black denim pants from Ralph Lauren, Lilly 'Spike the Punch' tote, and 'Miller' Tory Burch thongs.

Off to church wearing a pink and white geo print shift by Escapada, a white J Crewlet cardi, white Tory Burch Revas, and pearls.

Last week, we headed down to the casino.  Husband was playing in a poker tournament, so Mama-in-Law and I played the slots!  I love video poker!

"Here's What I Wore"  The black and white tunic is by Royal Standard and the black Bermuda shorts are Ralph Lauren.  I wore Chanel jewelry, carried a black Izod wristlet, and wore white Bonanno sandals.

On the way to take Mama-in-Law back to Clearwater, we stopped in for tea at the Moffat's Tearoom in Dunedin.  This tearoom is in the historic downtown area of Dunedin, full of shops, cafes, and the beach!  Win Win!

This quaint little tearoom was very cute and the tea foods and tea were awesome!  I will definitely return to Moffat's on my next trip to Dunedin!

"Here's What I Wore"  I wore an aqua and pink monogrammed chevron tunic with my white denim paints, carried a cute Mudpie 'flamingo' clutch, and wore my pink Revas.

For a casual dinner, I wore this orchid pink Lilly 'Cassie' dress, with the Lilly Jubilee scarf, gold Jack Rogers, and a gold monogrammed tote from The Snappy Turtle.

Friday was a sad day for me.  It was the one-year anniversary of the death of my BFF Teresa Jane.  I decided to send her some balloons with messages up to her in heaven!  As I released the balloons, I remembered all the good times and vowed to watch until the balloons disappeared.  It seemed like forever until they became little tiny specks and then I couldn't see them anymore.  Y'all, they were not tied together, but stayed together until the end.  Tears were flowing.

RIP Teresa Jane