Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Ralph Lauren black wool blazer with faux fur collar, Laura Biagiotti gold herringbone wool tweed pleated mini skirt, black/gold striped cotton/rayon turtleneck sweater, Na-Na gold leather cuffed high heel boots, and Coach limited edition gold leather tote bag. Black leather gloves, gold drop ball earrings, and striped textured hosiery finished off today’s look.

 

Well, Hey there!?! I hope you had a lovely weekend – mine was tremendous!! You know how it is when you’re just soooooooo productive, and everything just falls in line……effortlessly…….and you wonder: “Why didn’t I just do this before”? That was me this weekend and it’s set the tone for the rest of my week, hopefully the rest of the month – actually, hell - the rest of the year!!

Tip: There are numerous ways to “tie” an outfit together. The colours don’t ‘have to’ be exact (note the gold boots and the gold bag), but the overall outfit still looks very coordinated.

Tip II: While you want to look coordinated, you don’t want to look as if everything “matches”. That can be a bit boring. Experiment with textures (note: fur collar, wool blazer, herringbone tweed skirt etc.). For me, it makes getting dressed for work, just a little more fun!

 

I have a lot to smile about – so you can count on seeing my smiles each day I blog. However, I don’t have the time to say as much as I used to since I’ve been getting home soooooo late – still adjusting to the new train schedule since the hurricane. Also, there’s a lot going on right now so, I’m ‘juggling’. Plus - the holidays are approaching…….that’s a whole other story!!

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Rachelle – ‘the original leather store’ long black leather jacket, Black Crimson NY heather grey cotton blend cable knit tunic, Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker heather grey cotton turtleneck, Patrizia Pepe grey suede quilted boots and Juicy Couture Ring Bling maroon leather bag. Wolford mauve nylon hosiery, silk burgundy paisley scarf (tied as a tie), gold/silver filigree earrings, purple/gold leather gloves and chunky coordinating bangles finish off today’s look.

Note: I love the way all the burgundy’s, mauves, purples, maroons……. all came together against the subtle shades of grey.

Ms. Aikasha is wearing an Identify cream quilted leather jacket, Moda International teal cashmere one-shoulder short sleeve sweater, an original Ms. Aikasha maxi black velvet skirt with sheer side panels, Manolo Blahnik BB suede teal pumps and Juicy Couture Ring Bling maroon leather bag. Silver link drop earrings, a black rayon/silk scarf, black leather gloves, and black and teal bangles complete today’s “a little bit dressy for the office but it’s ok ‘cause it’s my baby’s birthday” look J

 

It's a very special day today - my son (and relatively reluctant photographer) turned 17 - almost a man! My offspring and their offspring will convene at my house for pizza and ice-cream cake. So I will catch up with you all tomorrow!!

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a XOXO brown poly satin trench coat, Lulu Bravo black merino wool turtleneck sweater, Lori Joy olive green asymmetrical high-low rayon/cotton wrap skirt, BCBG Max Azria black leather and suede peep-toe booties and Vince Camuto camel pebbled leather cross-body bag. Coordinating chunky bangles and green/blue/gold cascading earrings accessorized todays look

 

The thing with the Fall is that EVERYONE starts with the dull, drab, dreary colours. I understand that New Yorkers are notorious for the whole ‘dress in all black’ thing, but I mean, come on now….really? So today, I thought I’d do Fall colours, but spruce it up a bit with a little shimmer, a little pizazz, and showing just a little thighJ.

 

Note: The thing with having teenage and young adult daughters is they shop for me as if they're shopping for themselves. Hence the XOXO trench coat which was a gift from Miss Alosha (my US Air woman).

 

Tip: Textured hoisery would've worked well with this outfit, but the forecast was 50 degrees today, so every chance I get to NOT wear hoisery, I take it!!

 

Tip II: Notice how the green bangle does NOT match the green skirt? But they're both green........



Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Bask black cotton chunky waffle knit sweater coat, Derek Heart rayon knit blue/grey shawl collar short sleeved mini dress, Boutique 9 grey flannel and leather peep-toe lace up booties and Vince Camuto camel pebbled leather cross-body bag. Today’s outfit is accessorized with a sheer blue/black/grey variegated silk scarf, gold and pearl shoulder duster earrings, turquoise beaded necklace, Steve Madden black fishnet hosiery and suede/leather animal print ½ gloves (not sure what to call them – but they’re really cute!)

 

It’s my first day back and it was a good day. Since “Sandy’s” visit, things have been a bit “topsy turvy” and I have had no idea what my commute will entail. This morning, however, it barely took me an hour to get to work, which was Amazing!! And all I did was follow my intuition………(whispering: that was God talking to me J.)

Tip: When wearing "seamed"  hoisery (as above), make sure your seams are straight.  Take your time putting on your hoisery and give yourself a double check in your Full Lenght mirror (an absolute Must Have) to make sure that the seam that's supposed to run straight up the center of your leg, is NOT twisted around it!

Note: Maybe it's just me, but I look as if I'm 'holding myself up' on the railing. I'm not though, really, I'm not!!

US Veterarns driving mini vehicles at the Veteran's Day Parade

Clowns?......also part of the parade

On Saturday November 10^th we went downtown San Antonio and watched the Veteran’s Day Parade. We then went to the famous “River Walk” which is a sub level network of banks and pathways along the San Antonio river, lined with trees, stores and restaurants. The weather was perfect, and we proceeded to just walk, and walk, and walk – enough walking to wake up anybody’s appetite!! We later dined at Luciano Italian Restaurant. The food was amazing! Since Miss Alosha will be doing on the job training in Mississippi for three months, I don’t have any plans to revisit San Antonio – but if I do, this will be my restaurant of choice.



that's my youngest son, Amru, walking behind me

On Friday November 9^th, 2012 my youngest daughter, Miss Alosha completed the US Air Force Basic Training and graduated to officially become an US Air Force air-woman. That's my Baby!!



Seven of us, including my mum (pictured above with Miss Alosha and myself), flew to San Antonio, Texas for the graduation and had a wonderful time. It was sooooo good to see Miss Alosha – it had been eight weeks! I felt I couldn’t hug her tight enough…….

 

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Triple Fat Goose peach coloured down filled jacket, Ashley orange cotton blend turtleneck  tunic, Connection 18 black velvet leggings, Beverly Feldman black patent leather booties and Michael Kors pale pink leather handbag. Black chunky knit leg warmers, black patent leather/leather gloves, and large hammered copper earrings accessorized todays “ready for the slopes” look.

The First Snow of the Season!  Awwwwww! As much as I complain about the cold,  the first snow is always so exciting and beautiful to me – despite the fact that today it caused NY Penn Station to close down just as I got there, preventing me from taking my scheduled train and causing me to wait an extra hour for the next one – and that’s just half my trip home!  Nonetheless - nothing was going to phase me today - Obama won the election, so I'm All Good!! 

Note: When I asked my son to come outside to take my blog pics - he looked at me as if I was losing it, lol!! 

Tip: Gloves, scarves, hats/ear muffs make this season far more tolerable - I highly recommend them all





Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Moda International (Victoria Secrets) burnt orange cable knit wool blend turtleneck dress, Express brown leather shearling vest, Boutique 9 brown leather peep-toe boots and Tous leopard print calf hair and brown leather bag. Accessories included  her favorite brown/orange silk scarf, Portolano brown leather cashmere lined gloves, orange and brown bangles and brown wooden earrings.

The trains aren’t running due to damage caused by Sandy.  It’s been a bit complicated and often times quite harrowing making it to and from work – I’m averaging about 2 ¼ hours each way the past four days. I didn’t post yesterday because by the time I got home everyone was gone – to bed, or out – so I had no one to take my pictures. Not to mention the fact that I was exhausted!! So, bear with me as I inundate you with pictures today. Btw – this is one of my most absolute favorite winter outfits.

Tip: My advocacy for the body slimmer/shaper is only strengthened  in the winter because not only does it make your fitted dresses look amazing, but it also serves as an extra layer of clothing......think warmth!! I don't know who invented/designed slimmers - but I Love Them!!

Note: Today's look is taking orange and brown to the extreme - right?
Note II: .......and really -  how hot are these boots? Right? I absolutely Love Them!!

Ms. Aikasha is wearing an Express grey cashmere funnel neck sweater, XXii yellow cotton racer-back tank, Connection 18 grey velvet leggings, Laurie b. cream coloured bubble hem, hooded, lined cardigan, Mazzini cream leather handbag and Patrizia Pepe grey suede down quilted high heeled boots. A variegated yellow rayon scarf, yellow leather belt, gold shoulder duster earrings, and yellow and grey bangles accessorize this warm, cozy (and sassy) look.

 It’s been a week since my last post – a lot  has happened

I think Hurricane Sandy caught a few of us off guard. To all those who experienced loss of power, flooding, or any kind of property damage, I’m really sorry and hope you’re able to recover and regain comfort. My family and I were fortunate and only of couple of us lost power for a very short time……..we were and are truly Blessed. Since power outages, poor internet connection, and disrupted service to mass transit prevented us from going to work/school, we used the unexpected time off as an opportunity to commune, which was really, really nice.

 

Tip: Wearing a belt when wearing a sweater thats not fitted can give the appearance of a 'peplum' hem - which works since it's all about the peplum right now. This is also a really smart way to utilize a sweater that has lost its shape in the wash, or just over time..........

 

Tip II: 'Shades of grey' is generally considered very conservative. Add a touch/pop of colour and it's now contemporary

 

Tip III: Tying your scarf in a bow is a nice change every now and then {although I do it quite often :)}