The chill of fall is so exciting!
When Béatrice & Bevelyn feel the chill of fall
Their minds turn to “What will I wear to it all,
All the quotidian tasks that earn my daily bread,
To the special occasions that go to my head?”
All the toing and froing that make life so busy,
All the classes and lectures that make one’s head dizzy,
From a school uniform to a tailored suit jacket,
Each of us knows the thrill of the clothes racket.
Béatrice’s thoughts turn to miniskirts, bold sneakers & raggedy jeans,
While Bevelyn’s flow along the classical themes.
“Highly appropriate,” we say since we’re kin,
Granddaughter Béatrice & Grandma Bevelyn!
Béatrice’s wardrobe
Béatrice, my youngest grandchild, shares my fashionable heart. Right from the beginning some 14 years ago, she had flair. When she entered the room, you often thought, “What has she concocted now?”, which quickly turned to, “OMG, that’s ‘just right’ for Béatrice and the occasion!” Now for a sneak peek of her Fall 2020 wardrobe…
Outfit 1.
This outfit is oh, so comfortable and a style that is very “in” today. I can wear it whether I’m at home or hanging out with friends.
Also, it’s appropriate for my age group of young teens (12-14) and for older teenagers like my sister—and even for my older cousin in her 20s!
Outfit 2.
I really like this outfit because the tones of grey and red go perfectly together! I especially like the hint of gold on my necklace because it really brings out the duller colours of the ensemble.
It is casual-formal and can be worn anywhere, moving from the comfort of home to the more formal setting of a semi-fancy dinner with friends or family.
Outfit 3.
This outfit is fabulous! Blazers can be very elegant paired with the right items: dresses, a blouse or a shirt paired with dress pants or jeans. I love the square, padded shoulders, a perfect contrast to the ruffles of the mini dress to create a look of competence with a sense of fun.
And the best shoe options with this combination of ‘military & lace’ would be heels, fancy flats or ankle booties—depending on the ratio of competence & fun you want to capture!
Outfit 4. This outfit is very comfortable, lounging around in my house or strolling along the city streets. It’s a simple look, but I like simple because you can always jazz it up with a brightly coloured jacket or some fun shoes, just like in the picture. The bright red vans bring out the softer colours, an effect I really like.
Outfit 5. This outfit is one of my favourites. It’s simple and easy to walk around in, and easy to ‘see & be seen in’. After taking this photo, I went to the mall feeling comfortable, but ‘not promiscuous’ as I browsed & shopped, then met up with friends to browse & shop some more.
Outfit 6.
This classic black leather jacket is a versatile item in my wardrobe. It can be worn anywhere with a ton of different tops & bottoms. It always adds a touch of the rebel to the outfit, whether it’s skinny jeans or a velvet miniskirt.
Here, I wear it with the palest of pink sweaters and the blackest of black pants because black and pink, especially the lighter shades of pink, go very well together, IMHO.
Outfit 7. This outfit is très sophisticated and chic! It’s fancy enough for dinner in a restaurant, or tailored enough for a meeting of equals at my school or dance studio. It can be casual, but casual in a dressup sense, not casual in the sprawling-on-the-sofa sense. And the delicate chains are the right jewellery, their delicacy contrasting nicely with the tailored tweed of the jacket.
Bevelyn’s wardrobe
I could never live in a place without seasons because fall clothes are the best. The fabrics are glorious—wools of all weights from the lightest cashmere to the heaviest Cowichan or Irish sweaters to suit the temperature of the room, silks & velvets in the deepest jewel tones to reflect the light of your surroundings, tweeds & tartans in subtle or brilliant patterns to fit the cut of the piece.
New for Fall 2020
Tams. We’ve begun to rewatch Mary Tyler Moore, a TV series from the 1970s that we enjoyed the first time around. The opening shot of Mary throwing her tam in the air at a busy street crossing is full of joy and optimism; I love it! And tams are in this year, so I added to my collection and always feel chic & uptown when I don a tam to crown my outfit. (Another plus is they’re the perfect way to camouflage a bad-hair day!)
Sneakers & long cardigans. To lighten up my wardrobe and join the casual trend, sneakers became my footwear of choice this fall—baby blue & baby pink, leopard & gold, and white. And long cardigans wrapped me in warmth on these cool, crisp fall days—charcoal grey, oatmeal & amber.
Glasses. My prescription needed updating, a perfect opportunity to choose new frames, n’est-ce pas? To fit my budget, two pairs of glasses (from having as many as six pairs as a working woman) are the minimum requirement, I convinced Jack, to complement my outfits from casual to classic. Naturally, the choice had to be tortoise for the casually classic days and black & gold for formal & bold days.
Activities for Fall 2020
Sadly, this year of the coronavirus with its dictum of social distancing has canceled so many events where dressing the part is part of the fun. But not to despair, I still dress for the occasion even if the occasions have dwindled down to a precious few: lunches with friends, a weekly shopping trip, and reading & writing in my office.
September 4th. A young friend and I began the fall season in style: lunching leisurely on the shady patio of Lulu Bar, a trendy restaurant on 17th Avenue. Depravation makes the appreciation grow stronger, and we luxuriated in the food, the conversation and the setting amid the beautiful people.
Then when we were chatting in the alley as we said our goodbyes, a young lady came hurrying by, stopped abruptly and exclaimed, “I love your outfit—the dress, the shoes, the everything!” That was the icing on the cake of a memorable afternoon.
My outfit: a gold dress with baby-blue sneakers & matching necklace, finished with a gold flower in my hair.
October 16th. Thanksgiving was over and Lori & I hadn’t seen each for over a month. A lunch was in order and this time it was in a corporate setting, the Pete Club in downtown Calgary. The lounge was fully populated, but at half capacity with the tables placed to accommodate social distancing. We were at a cozy table in the corner that perfectly accommodated our wish to talk & talk & talk of cabbages & kings—and lots of politics.
Three hours sped by, and we reluctantly rose from the table to walk through the Core, she to her office and I to Brass Monocle to pick up my new glasses. Then, of course, I had lots to tell Jack over our Friday night glass of wine for me and bottle of beer for him.
My outfit: navy pants & cowl-neck sweater with an amber long cardigan, necklace & boots, finished with a navy flower in my hair.
November 5th. Now for something completely different—a noodle lunch at the Rice Bowl way out in SE Calgary. Nancy and I make an afternoon of it, starting with a lunch of eggrolls followed by with a tasty noodle bowl and ending with shopping for bargains at the nearby Nordstrom Rack. That’s where I found my baby-blue sneakers the last time we were there, but, sadly, I saw no must-haves on this visit.
Oh well, it’s the thrill of the bargain more than the actual item, and we had a delightful afternoon. It was Nancy’s first time shopping (except for groceries) since the pandemic was declared last spring, and it was fitting that it was I who had engineered the occasion.
My outfit: faded jeans with a baby-pink pullover & sneakers, finished with baby-pink flower in my hair.
Weekly shopping trips
My regular schedule sees me shopping on Thursdays because 20% is a considerable saving. That’s what Shoppers Drug Mart offers seniors every Thursday, ergo, it became my day out & about for needs & frivolities. Naturally, I dress up, with just a few of my outfits being:
- black & taupe pants, a taupe turtleneck, shoes & cape with a red necklace, flower & bag
- grey pants, turtleneck, booties & bag, pale pink jacket & flower with a grey & gold necklace
- burgundy pants, sweater, loafers & bag, long grey vest & tam with grey pearls & burgundy rose on the vest’s lapel
Fashion forward to better times
Spring 2021 holds so much promise—the eternal promise of nature’s rebirth will be joined by Covid-19 vaccines’ promise of our social rebirth. We can fling off our masks and expose our faces to the warming sun, and our smiles to our fellow citizens. Then Béatrice and I will present our spring-summer line—Béatrice for the beginning chapters of her style record and Bevelyn for the closing chapters of her style memoirs.
And Béatrice and Bevelyn wish all sister fashionistas, “Good shopping!” in the creation of your signature style. Have fun!