Thursday, December 29, 2011

Fight the funk!


Blouse, suede skirt, and Michael Kors Clogs:  Thrifted, Sweater:  H&M years ago



I've got to get this off my chest....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

I'm excited about 2012!  It sounds cliche, but I'm looking for great things this year.  It hit me this morning as I was showering and thinking (I do some of my most creative thinking in the shower, don't know why!); that we all can get funky sometimes.  I know you know what I mean. Where it's not necessarily one particular thing, but you just wake up feeling funky.  Maybe a little blue.  Down in the dumps.  Morose.  It happens to all of us, no matter how cheery we may appear to be.

And while there's nothing wrong with letting yourself actually feel what you're feeling; for myself, I feel like my day has been wasted if I've gone through it like a robot.  Stoically going through the motions and trying to fight the blues.  And sometimes, there actually IS cause for that gloomy feeling; but I've found that giving into that feeling really doesn't improve the original cause.  In fact, it only multiplies the weight of it!

I've come up with some things that I TRY to do to keep myself on "topside".  That's not to say I never have those days, because I truly DO!  And the older I get, and my hormones revolting against every law of order in my body, I can feel like I'm inhabited by pissy old lady - think  Miss Gulch from the Wizard of Oz!

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1.  Dress up!  It's so tempting to let our clothes match our somber moods sometimes.  When you're pms-ing and feeling bloated and weepy (I KNOW I'm not the ONLY one!), it's easy to throw on some sweats and yank your hair back.  But, from my mother I learned that if you'll get dressed up, put your make up on and spritz some perfume, it'll do wonders to lift your mood!

2.  Put on your favorite music!  I joke that I need a daily dose of Vitamin D (Disco!!!) and I do! I call it my happy music.  In other words, how can you listen to Wake Me Up Before You Go Go and not get a little happy?!

3.  Smile!  At first you may look a little psychotic; but after a while, you'll definitely start feeling it!  This is probably the number one easiest "pick me uppers"!

4.  Have a mental file drawer of memories that make you happy!  One of my favorite little mental numbers is a birthday card my kids got for me on my 41st birthday.  When opened, it starts playing, "Cause she's a brick. HOUSE!!!"  (Remember that?)  No?  For your enjoyment....




5.  Do something nice for someone!  Pick up a nice card and send it to someone you care about. Pay for the order of the person behind you in the drive through.  Compliment someone sincerely.  When I'm feeling funky, most of the time it doesn't help to continue to be "me focused".  But when I divert my attention to myself and positively on to someone else?  AMAZING how I start feeling chipper pretty quickly!

Personally, I LOATHE getting into a funk!  Every now and then, we just have to ride it out.  But for me, if I shift the mental gears; I can usually salvage my attitude and my day!  

What do you do to fight the funk?




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A silly little video of me telling a silly little joke....




Just want to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!  I hope you will forgive this PITIFUL little video, but I was fooling around with my video on my computer yesterday and realized that I could tape myself!  I think I may have created a monster, or as my husband would say, "Oh LORD!  We'll never get her off that computer now!!!" 

*Disclaimer:  It's really NOT easy talking while looking at oneself.  I became fascinated by the movement of my face....,mesmerizing actually......

God bless you all and see you in 2012!



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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Fourteen Joys and a Will to be Merry


Blazer:  Pendleton/Vintage/Thrifted, Sweater:  Doncaster Tanner, Jeans:  Domain/TJ MAXX, Boots:  Jessica Simpson/TJ MAXX 



I'm really not much of a layer-er.  I don't like feeling bulky or that I'm wearing half my closet.  While others pull off the layering with panache, I'm more comfortable keeping it on the simple side.  However, imagine my surprise when I went to put this vintage red blazer back in the closet and thought, "Just for fun, let me see if it will go over this sweater".  What d'ya know?  I guess I can kind of get my layer on!  I'm completely feeling the mixing of colors...the red with the khaki...and I'm also thinking, "Why am I not wearing this cherry red blazer ALL the time?!?!"

And how do you like my new boots?  On Christmas Eve, my sweet husband took me to lunch and announced that after we ate we were going to get me a brand new pair of boots (I've been wanting a pair!)  And while he knows I love thrifting, every now and then it's nice to have something brand spanking new!  These are Jessica Simpsons, all leather with a suede heel (I sound like one of my eBay descriptions!) and I'm not going to lie.  I have to practice wearing them!  But they're soooooo worth it!

On another note, my sweet friend, Patti from Not Dead Yet Style presented me with the Liebster award!  This is what the Liebster is all about:

Liebster means "dearest" in German, and this award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.  All that's asked is that the recipient do the following:

1.  Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2.  Reveal your 5 blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4.  Hope that the people you have sent the award to will forward it to their favorite bloggers.

I wasn't really sure who had how many followers, so I had to go back and check, but here are some that came to mind right away:


The Frump Factor - I have no idea how many followers Anne has.  She's so fabulous that she should have a kazillion!  But all I know is that I just ADORE her and this is a perfect opportunity for me to tell her so!
Everything Just So - Jill is one of those women with whom I just relate.  I can't explain it.  I look at her blog with the fabulous pictures of the FIT and her writing and I just KNOW that she and I could chat for hours over coffee!
Confessions of a Thrift Shopaholic - Jessica is the only blogger that I know face to face.  We used to work together and oddly enough, got to know each other better through blogging.  She's got an amazing eye for thrifting and a knack for making thrifted items look designer.  Love love love that girl!
She Accessorizes Well - No pun intended on this, but Debbi has some of most beautiful accessories of anyone I've seen!  Seriously, big name bloggers can't touch her for originality and quality.  She also has LOVELY hands and a fantastic southwestern art collection!  
Carpe Diem Gorgeous! - Colleen is not a style blogger, but what can I say? I NEVER read her blog without being moved.  I feel like Colleen is my soul's twin.  She lives in Norway, so it's doubtful we'll ever meet in person.  But she writes so many things that I feel, but in a stunningly beautiful prose that leaves me always wanting to be more grateful.  And what's not to love about someone who makes you want to be a better version of yourself!?!


I really could go on.  There are so many of you that I consider friends.  It's a gift to meet women whom I respect and admire.  NOT because of their beauty or their closet; but because they share their hearts.  I can't thank you special women enough for that!  Group hug everyone!


Title Lyrics.....Sentimental Lady by Bob Welch

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Bright Copper Kettles and Warm Woolen Mittens


Blouse:  Silk Thrifted, Black Shirt:  Thrifted, Pencil Skirt:  Thrifted, Clogs:  Michael Kors Thrifted



I've found that there are just some items that I MUST have in my closet. Not name brand, but rather styles of items.....those clothes that I go back to time after time.  Here's my short list of closet cravings that must be sated:

1.  Pencil Skirts - I've never seen a woman who doesn't look good in a pencil skirt.  Regardless of  your body shape, these skirts are truly my wardrobe work horses!

2.  Silk Blouses - I just love the way they hang.  I rarely buy a cotton blouse because frankly, they just feel too boxy.  But silk blouses skim the body and are so light; you could really wear them year round.  There's almost no color of silk blouse that I would leave at the store!

3.  Leather skirts - I've got about 5 leather skirts now and I'm always on the look out for more.  Leather just looks sharp!  It doesn't wrinkle.  It wears well and feels great!  I'd love to find a full leather skirt....most of what I find are pencil skirts.

4.  Great high heels - A great pair of shoes makes the most humble thrift store finds look high end!  A midi skirt is transformed from dowdy to dramatic with a funky pair of heels!  If there's ONE thing that I'll spend a tad bit more on, it's SHOES!

5.  Black and White shirts - All black and all white shirts.  I have two little stacks of them in my closet.  When you've got that statement skirt that you just don't know what to wear with it, throw on a black or white tee and suddenly it's PERFECT.  They just go with EVERYTHING!  My daughter and I have both picked up a pack of mens' v-neck white undershirts and those have certainly done the trick.  When all else fails?  Throw on white or black tee!

6.  Belts - What can I say?  I NEED my belts!  It's one of the first sections I go to at the thrift store.  A great belt is like that perfect pair of shoes.  It will elevate your more humble items to "boutique" status!

7.  Black tights - I've tried the colored tights and have been left deflated.  I see colored tights on so many bloggers and they look fabulous!  On me?  I feel like a clown!  But black tights?  They go with everything!!  A brown heel.  A blsck boot.  An ankle boot.  A bright skirt.  A black skirt.  It's almost like the winter's version of the summer bare leg!

These are my closet staples.  They're only necessary for my wardrobe because I enjoy wearing them so much!  What are your must have's for your closet?  The staples in your sartorial diet?


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Monday, December 26, 2011

Seven DON'Ts of Thrifting


Top:  My sons', Skirt:  Leather Vintage Thrifted, Shoes:  BCBG Thrifted




Seven Don'ts of Thrifting

1.  DON'T pass by a "not so nice" looking Thrift Store.  This vintage leather skirt was purchased at a Thrift dive a couple of weeks ago for $2!  Some of the BEST things I've found were bought in some of the WORST looking places.  Let others avoid those dusty shops while you clean up like a fat cat!

2.  DON'T buy anything for yourself that you're not crazy about.  Seriously, if you even have to ask yourself, "Hmm, should I get this?", then the answer is probably "No".  If you DO this DON'T, you'll be guaranteed to end up with a closet full of "so so" instead of a closet full of "FABULOUS!".

3.  DON'T leave anything behind that you really want.  Most likely, it WILL NOT be there when you go back.   Rule of thrifting, if you think you're going to be thinking about it long after you leave the store, better get it right then!

4.  DON'T be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.  Did I ever think I'd like this aqua blue green color?  Absolutely not.  But for $2....knowing that it's a quality buttery leather skirt makes it easier for me to experiment and find out that I actually DO like the color of a 1963 bathroom!

5.  DON'T hit and miss.  I often hear, "Wow Serene!  How do you find such great stuff at thrift stores?  I NEVER find stuff like that!"  There's no special magic I have for finding things.  I enjoy the hunt, so I go often and scour the racks.  When it comes to skirts, dresses, and sweaters; I will quickly go hanger by hanger and put my eyes on everything.  There are just too many items to cast a fleeting glance and tell if there's gold in them thar hills!  Take your time and go often.  The treasures will reveal themselves to you!

6.  DON'T pass up something with a great fit!  I'm talking PHENOMENAL fit!  Especially when it comes to skirts and pants.  Even something painfully ugly will look FABULOUS with a perfect fit!   

7.  DON'T take thrifting too seriously.  It's supposed to be fun.  So you could kick yourself because you passed up that fur coat because you wanted to think about it and when you decided that your quality of life would triple with it in your closet; you return to the store to find it gone.  You forgot Don't #3!  No big!  I promise you, you'll come across something else equally FABULOUS and MONUMENTAL on another visit!  



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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Peace....Love....and Good Thoughts


Sweater Vest:  Moth via Thrifted, Jeans:  Simply Vera via Thrifted, Clogs:  Coach (Inherited from my mom), Jacket: Vintage Leather via thrifted (on sale at my store after Jan 1)


Wooden bracelets thrifted, leather in middle inherited from my mom.




As we're all getting ready for Christmas, I just want to tell each and every person who may land on my little blog, Merry Christmas!!  I hope your Christmas is filled with tons of LOVE!  I'm reminding myself of why I celebrate Christmas and thanking the Heavenly Father for the best, most perfect amazing gift ever - His Son.  Whenever I feel like I don't measure up, or just plain funky; I'm reminded that I'm loved just as I am.  That, in God's eyes, I'm precious!  I've got to tell you, that's a wonderful feeling.....to feel PRECIOUS!

I see wonderful things in store for all of us in 2012!  Can't wait to share it with you!

Peace, Love and Tons of Good Thoughts headed your way!!!




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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Livin' my life like it's golden...

Blazer:  Doncaster, vintage & thrifted, Black top: No clue, Skinny Jeans:  TJ Maxx, Boots:  Catalog order from about 10 years ago.






Jentine, at My Edit, is such a great "thrifty" blogger!  She recently did a post about thrifting blazers.   I've been fortunate to have thrifted quite a few really great ones!  This one is 100% woven silk.  I replaced the dated buttons with wooden ones.  Amazing what a difference buttons can make!

Honestly, this is just a great "I have no clue what to wear" uniform.  Skinny jeans tucked into boots and a statement blazer.  A girl could do this a hundred times and look FABULOUS every one of them!

Since, I'm feeling so visible, be sure to check out the other "visible" lovelies at Patti's blog, Not Dead Yet Style.  Be sure to post your very visible self on her blog!


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Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Elegant Bohemian Boutique




Introducing The Elegant Bohemian Boutique!!  After researching various selling venues, I've decided to stay with the venue that's always been good to me.  I have sold on eBay both full and part time off and on over the past 10 years.

What you'll find when you visit The Elegant Bohemian Boutique


Just grab a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and sit back and enjoy perusing unique and hand picked vintage and current items.  I look for items that are beautiful, well made, and interesting!

What kind of service you can expect


I work hard to get your beautiful items to you toot sweet!  On most items, I offer a "Buy it Now" option so that you can purchase your lovely immediately.  I also list all measurements and answer questions about items right away.  Bottom line, I want you to be THRILLED with your purchases

It's easy to pop into my boutique!

All you have to do is click the "Shop" icon at the top of my blog and you'll find links to everything I'm selling, as well as what is currently on sale!  How easy is that?  If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may see some familiar items that I've worn on my blog.  However, I'm treasure hunting for AMAZING pieces, regardless of the size.  So this is not a "clean out my closet sale", but rather "Serene is serious about pursuing her passion for spreading the sartorial love throughout the universe"!


Also, just a reminder that I can be found on Facebook here.  I would appreciate the "Likes" so that I can claim the name!  I'm only 4 away!

I am also on Twitter and you can follow me here.  

And last, but not least, at the bottom of each of my posts (under my signature), you'll notice this icon.....


I would be thrilled if you would "stumble" my post if you enjoyed reading it!  It helps me share my blog with others!  Thanks so much!!  



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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

I'll come driving fast as wheels can turn


Top:  Vera Wang Simply Vera - Thrifted, Skirt:  Thrifted, Clogs:  Michael Kors - Thrifted, Leather Gloves: Saddlebred, vintage and inherited from my mom, Belt:  $3 clearance from Dillards


Please disregard the constipated look on the left!  UGH!  I don't know WHAT my face was doing!



Why do women not wear gloves anymore?  Sunday, it was a bit nippy, so I pulled out these vintage leather gloves that belonged to my mom and I had a BLAST wearing them!

I just wanted to take a moment to run some numbers by you....

Blouse (Vera Wang Simply Vera) - $3.29
Belt:  $3
Skirt: Tag ripped out - $1
Clogs:  Michael Kors - $3.50
Gloves:  Free
GRAND TOTAL:  $10.79


Sermon of the Day: 


Friends, can I get your ear for a moment?  Do you feel a longing in your heart to get your pretty on?  Are you TIRED of wearing those same ol' evil clothes that try to TRAP you in the bonds of  "so so"?  Do you feel the stirring to revamp your style, but that stirrin' stops when it gets to your wallet?   Can I get an AMEN?

Brothers and Sistahs (alright, mostly SISTAHS!), you can BREAK these ties that bind you!  You can be RELEASED from the CHAINS of spending all your money on high priced clothes!    The answer dear people is right in front of you.  The truth has made itself known!!  SOMEBODY!  Help me! PLEASE!  There's one word.  One. Word. my dear friends you need to know!

THRIFTING!!!

Moral of the Sermon:  

For just over $10, I felt like a million bucks!!!  Now THAT'S just a DANG good return on investment!!!

Title Lyrics:  Driving by Everything but the Girl

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The value of clothes.....


Top:  Hand Me Down (has a leather front....see last pic for a close up, Skirt:  Thrifted, vintage, Boots:  Had forever!





How attached are we to things?  More pointedly, how attached are we to our clothes?  Does paying a higher dollar amount for an item increase it's intrinsic value to us?  What is it about our clothes that we LOVE so much?  How they make us FEEL?  How we believe we LOOK in them?  What we believe they SAY about us?

I know, deep questions for a Tuesday morning, right?  But to be honest, these are the kind of things I think about.  My husband half jokingly said to me months ago, when I was in the midst of my blogging frenzy, "You feel about me the same way you feel about your clothes."

Then came my astonished,"What?!  What do you mean?"

"Well, you LOVE that skirt and you LOVE me.  You feel the same about that skirt as you do me."

Ewwwww........even I know, that's not good.  Because, you know what?  I really don't.  I love and adore my husband.  If our house were on fire, it would be him and my kids I would be anxious about NOT my clothes.

That's why, when I changed the design of my blog and modified my "About me"; I wanted to make it clear (mostly to myself) that it's GOD and PEOPLE I LOVE, and clothes and things I ENJOY.  While no one gets more excited over a fabulous pair of shoes than I do.  You, my friends, know that I can wax poetic about the joys and health benefits of a pair of platform pumps.  I get giddy over feeling elegant in a perfectly fitted pencil skirt.  My heart leaps at pair of wide leg jeans and silk blouse that make me feel like Jaclyn Smith circa The Charlie's Angels years!  HELLO!  For goodness sake, I enjoy my sartorial life so much I've devoted a BLOG to it!!!

But at the end of the day, my clothes are just things.  If I had to leave EVERYTHING and start over, I could walk away from my closet with fond memories and peace in my heart.   They're just things.  No need to obsess over them or about them.  No need to covet what I don't have.  No need to put more value on them than is warranted.  I LOVE my family.  I LOVE  you, my friends (known and as yet unknown) reading this.  I ENJOY my clothes.

Could it be, that at the end of the day, our style really isn't so much about our clothes, but about US?  Well, my girlies, that's for another post.  Till then, I wish you LOVE, PEACE and SOUL!!!!!!



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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Just give up already!

Blouse:  Vintage Thrifted (a new favorite!), Jeans:  Ann Taylor Outlet (less than $10!!!), Clogs:  Coach inherited from my fabulous mom!




We've heard ever since we were children to NEVER give up, to NEVER quit.  And while in a lot of circumstances that's good advice, there are some times when QUITTIN' is EXACTLY what we need to do!  Here's 7 things that I say just go ahead and give up and quit right now!

1.  Comparing - Only one person can be me and that's ME!  It makes no sense to compare myself to anyone else, because it's not their job to be me and it's not MY job to be them!

2.  Self Criticism - Sure I can pick myself apart, but what does that accomplish?  Focusing on the positive in myself helps me to focus on the positive in you too!

3.  Pleasing - It's the bane of being a woman (or maybe just a human being) that I feel the need to please everyone.  But seriously, that's impossible and insanity inducing!!!!

4.  Dieting - Done!  Walked away from it!  If my lifestyle is unhealthy, then I need to change it.  And then what my body does is up to it.  But dieting to lose  "10 more pounds" really isn't going to change who I am in the least.

5.  Anger /Resentment - Yup!  I've been done wrong!  And so have you!  And so has everyone at one time or another!   But being angry or resentful doesn't change the past, it just diminishes the future.


6.  Clothes I don't love - Out. the. DOOR!!!!  Time to give up clothes that make us go "hmmmm" and embrace those clothes that make us go, "Yeah baby!!!"

7.  Needing to be right - Sometimes in the middle of an inane argument, I ask myself, "What's the point of this?"  Often it's just me wanting to be right.  If I believe I'm right, what someone else thinks really won't matter.  And even if I (like a bull in a china shop) push forward and PROVE I'm right, in the end I may lose more than I've won.



Please, give me more!  What do you think we need to give up on?



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I saw it in the window and I just had to have it!


Skirt:  Custom made from vintage curtains, Top:  J Crew, Shoes:  BCBG Thrifted, Belt:  Michael Kors via TJ Maxx




While I don't consider myself to me the MOST creative person in the world; usually when I envision something in my head, it seems to work.  Which also means, when I mentally whip my clothes into outfits, most oft the time I can tell right away when it doesn't work.  I think I do a cerebral scrap of more outfits than I keep.  

This skirt really came out amazingly close to how I envisioned it.  It's made from a set of vintage curtains that I thrifted months ago.  I finally took it to a wonderful seamstress friend and told her what I wanted.  She used another skirt of mine for a pattern.  Originally, it was about 3 inches longer; but I found that to be just too much....maybe too "flower child" like.  So I lopped off the extra length and am thrilled with the result!  It has a bit of a 50s feel to it and with a pair of funky heels?  I'm hooked!

I also could have entitled this post, "Ode to Sacramento!" because this skirt, in my most humble opinion just screams Mis Papelicos, the skirt maven!  But as a Carol Burnett lover, I was reminded of a spoof she did of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.    When she made a ridiculous outfit out of curtains (below), Lyle Wagner, as Rhett, complimented her dress to which she replied, "I saw it in the window and just HAD to have it!"

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Ode to the Eau.....

I recently heard that fragrance is a woman's most important accessory; and I'm in full agreement!  Ever since I was a little girl, I've been captivated by fragrance.  I remember in elementary school feeling quite grown up wearing Love's Baby Soft!  Remember their tag line?  "Don't try hard.  Try SOFT!  Love's Baby Soft!"

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That little pink bottle just made me feel sooooo girly!  And they also had it in a roll on that you could carry in your purse!  How I LOVED carrying a purse (or a "pocketbook" as I called it back then)!











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As I started getting a bit older, I moved on to the more sophisticated fragrance, Babe!  That's right.  Nothing says you've reached womanhood more than a fragrance named "Babe".  Years later it would evoke memories of a lovable friendly swine, but in those training bra wearing years, I was feeling like quite the young (but oh so mature) woman!    Babe perfume and Candie's heels!  Now that's a lethal vixen combination!








And then.....cue music...."There's a fragrance that's here to stay and they call it....CHARLIE!"  How cool!  It was here to stay!  That means I can still get it!  Oh wait,  I guess it wasn't actually here to stay.  Oops!  But that jingle sure was!  I'm still playing that in my head!   Charlie was truly a little more sophisticated fragrance, with more spicy notes in it and less musky or floral tones.  If I were to catch a whiff of it today, I'd be transported back to High School dances, slow dancing to "You are the magnet, and I am the steeeeeeeel".    Remember those days?  Sitting on the bleachers  with your girlfriends because you went stag?  The lights dim and the DJ puts on a slow song and couples head to the floor.  Then you sat on those bleachers and waited for some nervous hormonally sweaty teenage boy to come over and ask you to dance all the while staring at his shoes!  Most likely Adidas!  I still recall that nonchalant "PICK ME!" face that we all perfected!

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As I moved on up through High School, I was never without a fragrance.  My grandmother worked at the Coty factory, so at the very least, there was always Coty Musk.  However, there was one scent that got stuck on a nose hair and to this day, it still evokes a distinct feeling.  There was a girl in my school that was a grade ahead of me, named  Jennifer Kite-Powell.  She was popular because of all the activities that she was in and she was consistently immaculately groomed, in the prettiest clothes and carrying the most current purses!    In my young mind, Jennifer was one of the "rich girls".  She wasn't the prettiest, slimmest or even the most popular; but she just seemed to carry herself the way I wanted to be.  It was as if she had "arrived" and I so wanted to "arrive" too!   I'll never forget, she wore Tea Rose perfume.   It smells almost EXACTLY like roses!  To me, that fragrance was the olfactory encapsulation of wealth and breeding.  To be able to wear Tea Rose would certainly mean that I had finally become a lady, just like Jennifer!  A few years after I graduated from High School and was working and had my own money,  I was at TJ Maxx and came across this cologne.  I purchased it for no more than $20 and then realized that it really wasn't the high dollar perfume I thought it was.  But that knowledge didn't steal any of the joy evoked by that fragrance!  I had finally ARRIVED!

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Our sense of smell is most closely related to memory.  To this day, whenever I smell Halston (I have some, by the way), I'm reminded of my mother circa 1984, the year I graduated high school and visited her in New Mexico.   Halston was her signature scent and she let me borrow it while I was there.  The nicest compliment that I got was from a young man whom I met that summer.  When he came close to me, he said, "You smell like your mother!  She always smells so good!"  There was no higher praise in my mind than to be compared to her!  





Through the years, I've had a number of  signature scents.  I've worn.....
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I've enjoyed wearing every one of these perfumes!  Having the scent left on my clothes.  Layering them with their body lotion counterparts.  Topping off my most perfect outfit with my most perfect scent.  

For the past couple of years, I've been wearing  Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.  I guess you could call that my "signature scent".  

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It's kind of crazy expensive (over $100 for a decent sized bottle), so it has become my yearly birthday gift from my husband.  One bottle will last about a year and that's with pretty liberal use.  I was mentioning to my husband recently, that I just don't smell perfume on women that much any more.  It used to be such a common thing, and now?  Not so much.  I don't know if it goes back to the practice of dressing down so much more nowadays or the demise of really grooming ourselves every day.    

For me, fragrance is part of my "getting ready" ritual.  I shower, put together what I'm going to wear, do my hair and my make up and that final step is giving myself two shots at the neck and chest and one at the forearms of this perfectly wonderfully feminine perfume.  I even carry a small bottle of Ralph Lauren's Safari in my purse JUST IN CASE I somehow forget to finish off with a scent before I leave.  Going fragrance free is just. NOT. an option!  

What's your signature scent? 



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