No little Black Dress required................

Over the weekend I was helping the man of the house rake the trillion times ten oak and other leaves, endless in their descent, falling everywhere and blanketing the garden day and night. Our four foot tall leafy mountain range now snaking along the curb should be vacuumed up this week as the city makes the first sweep - there will be two more later through the Winter season. This alone tells you that Raleigh is named correctly as 'City of Oaks', trees are old, tall, thickly planted, and exceptionally healthy to produce so many leaves each season......and I swear half of them end up in our yard!

As soon as the early morning chill was gone we were in our gear and outside........and yes, my entryway walls are a very dark charcoal, almost black! Sometimes a small space is much cozier painted in a deep color......just go ahead and try it. Also, I'm useless at taking pics of myself through mirrors - never know where to place the camera, whether to force a smile, frown, make a silly face, try to look serious, or at least sensible.

Sorry I digressed a bit there - can't you tell this busy life has me longing, yes actually longing, to have some decorating time.  It's been too many months since I moved things around, scouted the antiques and thrift shops, spent a lazy hour or two browsing through wonderful SuzAnna's Antiques - sad that I no longer have a space there to share my treasures........and besides all that, I have tins of Annie Sloan's wonderful chalk paint sitting here waiting to glorify my armoire, some tables, and anything else needing a new color or just refreshing.

While chatting about autumn and Winter, don't you love Autumn into Winter clothes? Cooler weather makes me want to dress up a bit more. I layer these days, thin over thin, topped with something textured or chunky. If you just want the perfect, comfy, thin layer try Cuddl Duds Warmwear - I love these pieces under a sweater, a fleece or a cardi - and take them on my travels as they're very light and easy to pack. Some pieces are reversible - V-neck to scoop neck, a great idea. I buy mine at Kohl's where the discounts are amazing.

I like to roll my sleeves, add scarves and jewelery....love, love scarves and jewelery. My favorite colors right now, besides black, are all shades of grey from silver to gunmetal and charcoal, deep, dark blues from navy to purple. Yes, I do have the black dress - it's a basic knitted cashmere/wool blend and can be dressed up or down for daytime or evening.

My footwear for Autumn........tall leather riding boots, classic Oxfords, slip-on soft leather loafers, flat ballerinas, and of course that one pair of very high heels I teetered around in on the cruise ships this year when I had to do the formal nights! Here on terra firma they will be worn only when seated in a restaurant enjoying dinner with a bottle of wine, and when I'm dropped off and picked up at the door......twenty steps at most in those heels.

 

• What do you enjoy wearing most at this time of year? 
• Do you buy special Holiday clothes or dress up your casual outfits with accessories?
• If you could just buy one clothing item/accessory for your Holiday wardrobe this year, what would it be?