I’m really enjoying sharing these fashion posts with all of you and judging from the response I’ve gotten, you all are loving them too! Â So, thanks for that. Â I appreciate your enthusiastic comments.
One of my favorite things to wear in the winter is boots and dresses with tights/leggings. It feels so comfortable and yet sweaters and tunics can be dressed up with jewelry and scarves for extra elegance. I don’t have a lot of really dressy clothes in my closet anymore, since I’m no longer working in the Corporate world, but I still like to look stylish for every day looks.
I would wear this out on a date (yes, I still date!) or for a weekend night out with the girls. It’s a versatile look that can work for many occasions.
This tunic dress came from C Wonder, a shop I found right before Christmas. I found out that the ex  of Tori Burch started this store and the quality is really great.  They started in NYC and have stores all over the country now.
They have a store here in our Ridgewalk outlet mall and when my niece shopped there over the Holidays and found out they were closing, I went there and scored big time on some great pieces to add to my wardrobe. This gray and white houndstooth dress is definitely not something I would wear as a dress by itself, but with leggings and boots, it works for me. Lots of dresses out there that are meant as dresses on someone shorter can be a tunic on me.
My yardsale black riding boots get a lot of use. I actually examined them recently and found that they are starting to come apart at the toe and sole, so I was on the lookout for a pair to replace them and found some before Christmas at DSW Shoes.
With a gray patterned scarf, this outfit is an easy look that can go lots of places. I would only wear this tunic with thick leggings that cover up the legs well. I bought a pair of thick, sweater-like leggings at TJ Maxx and those are great for winter months. You can find lots of great things to mix in at TJ Maxx and it’s one of my fave shopping spots.
Here’s another sweater dress look and this teal sweater dress came from TJ Maxx too. These are my new boots that came from DSW Shoes.
They are by Ralph Lauren and were a lot more than $5 (like my previous yardsale boots), but I figure they will last me many seasons. They are all leather and made well and they are very comfortable. I like the gold hardware they have too.
This look is casual, but a little dressy too for winter outings. I wore this to church and a baby shower. Add a patterned scarf and some blingy gold jewelry and that is all that’s needed.
Here’s a closer look at some of my favorite jewelry right now that I shared in the last fashion post too.  I mentioned that I’m all about gold again and these are 2 bracelets from Wrist Soiree that I dearly love, the clear jeweled one and the tassel link. The black and gold bangle was from my C Wonder shopping spree and was $5. Love the 3 of these layered together.
And here are 2 pair of my gold earrings that I love too and recently picked up. I found the top round links at Saks 5th Ave. outlet and the bottom pair came from the Country Living fair. The two-toned big watch is from Everyday Icing, my friend, Kimba’s flash sale site on Facebook. If you sign up on the sidebar, you’ll get notices of when they do their sales.  She has some nice things that are inexpensive and trendy.
Another look at the boots on.
I definitely love big gold jewelry and these pieces are some of my faves at the moment. I will be switching back and forth between gold and silver and have plenty of both.
My current favorite purse is also from TJ Maxx. It’s an all leather Calvin Klein in black, tan and white and is a very versatile bag. TJ Maxx has lots of great buys on purses too, much less than the department stores. I’m not a complete purse-aholic, but love collecting good leather purses that I can switch out from season to season. I tend to carry purses for a few months, then change them out for another one.
I wanted to share my friend, Vicki, with you too. Vicki and I went to high school together and have been friends since we were 15. Our birthdays are a week apart and we are exactly the same age. She recently tried out the dress and boots combo with great results and got rave reviews when she wore this to church recently. Vicki has a few extra pounds and this is a slimming look for her, she looks great! She bought this dress at Belk.  By the way, Vicki is also 5’8″, just like me.  She is on a program to lose some pounds and I’m excited to watch her drop some weight. I’ll be cheering her on!
She wanted to share this jewelry cuff with you all too, called Ginger Snaps. This was a jewelry trend I had never seen before, but some shops around here are carrying them. Have you seen them? Those round discs snap off and you can put together so many different looks by snapping them on and off. I will have to check these out!
I hope you enjoyed this fashion post on wearing dresses and boots, one of my favorite looks this time of year! I’m really enjoying sharing these fashion posts and hope you all are enjoying them too.
Linking to Lindsay’s What I Wore Wednesday. Â
If you’ve missed any of my fashion and beauty posts and want to catch up, you can find them all under that link
Rhoda,
Love your fashion choices…I am well over 60…and just retired…but I need to know what you eat on a daily basis. You obviously eat very well…and with your darling parents growing all those veggies…well…I envy you. Yours was the first blog I ever followed regularly…and living in Houston I feel the Southern vibe. But I grew up in New England so I think your style is universally attractive, house, home, and personal style…so will you share your regular diet and your tricks for staying so slim. Do you run? Any advice would be helpful! Oh and I have a 50th high school reunion in August….aargh!! So all your tips are so helpful..looking forward to summer style!
Holly Rigby
Spring, TX
HI, Holly, Thank you! I did a post last summer about my workout routine. I’ll have to work on more posts about what I eat and all of that. I do not eat healthy all the time, believe me. I have a sweet tooth that won’t quit. But, I do work out at the gym and have done so for over 30 years, so that is my #1 secret weapon. I’m on maintenance now and am very fortunate that I don’t gain weight easily. Here’s my workout post:
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/staying-fit-over-50/
Hi Rhoda,
Thanks so much….your entire life is an inspiration, but I really appreciate this specific inspiring advice. I am also 5:8, so you are my new pin up!!! Keep those fashion posts coming. What I especially love is how you mix old with new….I have a friend who says if someone has good taste she can wear anything she likes and look like a million dollars,but if she has no taste, then no amount of money will work! ( although ideally I want your taste AND a million dollars!!!) Keep up the great work!!
Thanks again,
Holly
Holly
I am really enjoying your fashion post! And Vicki was a highlight. I hope she will be featured more….I love CWonder and was very sad to read that the company is being shut down by Chris Burch. The website is already closed~http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/closing-stores-article-1.2067703
I hope they can restructure or come back with a different twist in some way.
Thanks for sharing, Carol. We had not heard they were all closing down. Too bad, I got some great items in that sale. I’ll definitely bring Vicki back!
All of your posts are great, but I love the fashion oriented posts. What great affirmation and encouragement for us ladies over 50 who want to look fashionable, pulled together, youthful, and age appropriate!
I’d love to see a Fashion Wednesday post every week. You are very inspiring to those of us (way) over 50! With my husband’s long illness, I have not been able to get out shopping, but DSW is on my list of places to go when he gets better. Your boots look great –glad they are comfortable. Hoping I can find a pair in my size when I finally get out and about again. I like the look of leggings and a dress or tunic and will pin your photos on my “Outfits” Pinterest board.
I’m loving these posts and find your look appropriate for almost any age. I like your new boots, but you might try taking your old ones to a shoerepair shop to fix. That happens all the time with mine and it seems a shame to throw them away when it’s pretty cheap to fix them. Super glue works well, also!
I will definitely try to repair them, they will be a good 2nd pair to keep around and have served me well for over 4 years.
Rhoda,
SO glad I just stumbled on your site via Facebook! I love the looks and am excited to dig further into your DIY posts!
In case I don’t find it on the blog, would you let me know, please, how you did the stair runner? Did you buy a pre-existing runner and install it or did you have a carpet store make it for your stairs? I just spoke to my mother about buying an existing runner (or two and adding them together) to created a stair runner on a budget. Her only concern was that I have 3 boys and she was afraid of the wear and tear that would show rather quickly if I didn’t buy something really durable. SO, now I have to choose between fashion and function? Any tips?? Thank you so much for sharing!!
HI, Lori, so glad you stopped by! Yes, those runners are a DIY project. I have 3 sets of stairs I added runners too and they are holding up great. I only had to piece the longer set of stairs that you see in the fashion post. Here is the how-to and all the particulars on that. These are Dash and Albert indoor/outdoor runners and they really are durable. They’ve been in 2 years, no problems. I just vacuum with the brush. I did have to cut down 2 sets of runners and have the edges bound by a local rug binding company and it was very inexpensive to do that. I need to have more stair showing, so that’s why I cut them down. If you can find runners that fit your stairs, then you are good to go.
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/painted-stairs-and-adding-runners/
Love your fashion tips! I also would love to know what Vicki is doing to lose weight! I have fashion and weight issues!
xo,
Debbie
Hey, Debbie, I’ll be sharing that more in another post when we do an update. And I can send you her email if you want to follow up with her. She wants to share it with others.
I love your look. You look stylish yet very comfortable. I’ve recently started to wear my riding boots with tights and a skirt. In fact I just took them to the shoe repair shop today for new heel plates. I’ve had them for longer than I can remember and yet I still love them. Classic never goes out of style. That’s true for fashion and furniture.
Great looks – I think I like the new motorcycle boots better than the other pair. And I love the leggings, very chic-looking.