Oh I would love to wear a nice dressy pantsuit.....I have found many of these that I like. I wasn't sure if it would be takcy or not. I did ask DIL to be and she said whatever I want, but she is also the type to not really tell me what she really wants! She's way too nice. I told her to be honest. My DH said I should wear a dress, it's a 5:00 wedding in October as well....and an outdoor reception, but our weather in October can still be pretty warm. I think I'll opt for a pantsuit, I would get more use out of it too. What does DH know??? LOL...I will double check with my DIL to be sure...it is her wedding!

Here's My Top 10 list of the "Princess DIY" 10--You own three pairs of Timberland work boots, all in tan. 9--One full drawer in your dresser holds "renovation" clothing of questionable origin. 8--Your workbench area has two different tool belts for different times of the month. 7--You compare Paslode horror stories with your carpenter and the ensuing emergency measures required. 6--You stop by Home Depot for a few nails and other customers assume you work there and start asking you questions--which you graciously answer. 5--At parties, you find yourself telling your friends about the contractor "eye candy" appearing weekdays from 7am to 9am in their natural habitat at Home Depot. You tell everyone...it's a must see. 4--You realize that you now possess 6 power drills. Like rabbits, they seem to multiply. 3--You ask for one of those cute red sweatshirts that all the staffers at the local lumber yard wear as uniforms so you can wear it with your thong on the beach next summer. 2--You serve mid-afternoon espresso to the crew putting in your new windows. 1--Last preps before starting renovation--mascara and fresh lipstick.

online shopping is doing strange things to what employees in stores are told to do. I like to talk to them about what the company insists will keep stores going. Online shopping is superior for most people but I don't want the kind of warehouse semi slavery that bezos has created for Amazon and that is the future for those employees if things keep on as they are. The attempt to survive and make profits, fabrics get thinner and cheaper. Clothes are discarded after a short time so that they must be replaced. A typical garment sewer in Los Angeles makes 4-5 dollars an hour or less if they don't get paid which happens frequently. Mostly it's Korean run sewing rooms using Latino sewers. I shop the garment district fabric wholesalers that supply these sewing rooms. It's all the same fabrics used in the clothes everywhere from high priced to low. Stuff coming in from China is exactly the same but sells for half the price. Race to the bottom. As long as people buy it, nothing will change. I sew for myself and many times I buy something inexpensive and take it apart to make a pattern so i can use better cloth. Some of the better quilting cottons make beautiful shirts. Qualitymen's shirts can be cut down as well. Menswear seems to be made to last. I think they view women as discarding clothes and replacing them as compared to men. Silk knits are very nice and soft and don't shed. I do love angora sweaters though shedding and all. Acrylic is super soft but pills right away so I never get that if it's blended with wool. Linen is my favorite. Its cool, it lasts, it's classic. It wrinkles.........can't have everything.

That's a great skirt. My immediate thought when I saw it was a simple, slimmer cut, lace top or a silk buttoned shirt w/ French cuffs (probably easier to find in a color, like pale blue, which would be spring-like) The winged taffeta shirt, the ALC Talia lace, and the Y.A. 2 tone off the shoulder are probably the closest to what I had in mind. I love a cardigan with a skirt or slacks, but it although it would work and be safe with this skirt I think you could do better. However, the idea of a cardigan with the bling buttons I like! Don't care for the pink embellished one at all. How about a cardigan or silk T with a bling belt and some great earrings?