Monday, March 28, 2016

Tiny Space Packing

When my partner in fun (Mr. Mickey) says, "We are going away for the weekend in the Roadster," the challenge begins.


The first order of business is to check the weather for Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and then choose the weekend colors. They must interchange and look great on their own for any occasion. Black and white, with silver-gray, always seem to work well for me.


For our first weekend trip of the year to Blowing Rock, I wore coated black jeans from Chico's, a surplice wrap style black and white top, and a white cropped moto-style jacket both from White House Black Market. I would only wear this cropped jacket layered over a long, lean top such as this one. The reason is that I have no backside (no "junk in my trunk" at all), and I do not wish to show off that fact.

Since there was no room in the car for more shoes, I wore these booties, which are old from Nine West via Saks Off 5th. The sunglasses are old by Michael Kors. The small bag is old from Express.

My all-time favorite place to shop in Blowing Rock is Finley House Couture.


They offer a fantastic collection of beautiful jewelry. The earrings shown below were my Easter gift from Mr. Mickey.


Finley House Couture is also known for its fabulous collection of handbags and totes.






Below, I am surrounded by bright summery prints from their collection of beautiful clothing.






If you enjoy shopping in elegant surroundings with the best of service, you will love Finley House Couture as much as I do.







Mr. Mickey and Mr. Mark always have so much fun visiting and laughing together.




On to the next shop!


I discovered a great new line of jeans/leggings called Jag Jeans at The Fig Leaf. They are styled just like a pair of jeans, but instead of that big button, zipper, loop combination that shows under every single top I wear, there is a smooth wide band. I nearly squealed with delight when I tried on these jeans!







Mr. Mickey is keeping watch over my stash as I shop for more treasures.


When we were exhausted from all of my shopping, we checked in to the luxurious Westglow Resort and Spa. The mansion was constructed in 1917 and was originally the summer home of famed artist and writer Elliott Daingerfield. 


Our view from the Portico Suite balcony.


Rose petals on the bed, along with a personal note from the manager.


The gorgeous light fixture in the suite above.






On the second day, my look to wear for dinner included a silver/gray sweater and pull on more dressy pants; both are old from Chico's. The Evan-Picone white trench coat is old from Stein Mart.





The living room of the mansion is enormous but so warm and welcoming.








The grand staircase, as seen from the entry.


The view of the sun setting from the Portico.


We shared a beautiful chocolate dessert after dinner.


I am sitting in front of the fire after a brief walk after dinner.


The view was very different on Sunday morning!


As we departed the next morning, the mountain wore a thick shroud of fog, and there was a light rain falling. The bellman loaded everything back into the snazzy car that looks like it is going fast even when parked.

Men will also suffer a little for fashion. This car looks great, but it is difficult to get in and out of, and there is no room for luggage. On the plus side, if the weather had been a little nicer, we would have put the top down to enjoy the warmth of the sun. We will look forward to that next time.

21 comments:

Susan B said...

Susan, what a fabulous weekend getaway! That resort looks amazing, and very relaxing. And you look smashing, what a well chosen ensemble.

Unknown said...

I love JAG jeans also! Just wanted to send a note and tell you how much I enjoy your fashion style. Happy Easter!

Yvonne said...

The Inn and the scenery is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

I think I need to schedule a trip to North Carolina soon. The resort looks amazing, but the shopping looks even better. Maybe if I start saving right now, I will not go too far over my budget! Hahaha!!!

Sheree in GA said...

I am excited to try JAG jeans. Did you purchase the skinny or please let me know which ones you liked. I see different types and not having a store near by to try them, I was curious. Thank you and love your blog!

Susan said...

I purchased the High Rise Skinny regular length light wash and the dark wash High Rise Skinny ankle dark wash as shown in the last photo. These are the first skinny pants I have ever been able to get over my muscular calves!

Andrea said...

What a lovely getaway!

The skinny jeans with the smooth band are fabulous! I hate it when the button, zipper, etc. show under tops, which they almost always do...

I love you in the white coat - beautiful!

Constance said...

The Inn looks lovely and so do you as always. I love Jag jeans and just bought a pair at a thrift store to roll as boyfriend jeans. I am tall and they don't come in long. But they are so comfortable to wear while gardening, walking the dog, and on family bike rides. I find I am more active if I don't have to keep changing my clothes for an activity!

Prairie Poulet said...

Thank you for this virtual holiday weekend. I can't get away right now, but can dream! Spring takes so long to arrive. Sigh.

Unknown said...

What an elegant place. I enjoy your blog and get great ideas from you. Also, every woman should have a Mr. Mickey ;)

Christie Priem said...

Hi, Susan! I am on the younger side and my style skews feminine rather than edgy, but I love your blog and your style. You give me hope that I can remain stylish as I gain maturity.

I wanted to mention that I have seen Jag jeans with the wide waist band at Macy's (they're on sale as I write this!):
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/jag-malia-pull-on-slim-leg-jeans-dark-shadow-wash?ID=2193617&CategoryID=3111#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D19%26ruleId%3D65%26slotId%3D5%26kws%3Djag%20jeans

and that I love the Style & Co brand similar jeans, also with a wide elastic waist band, also on sale right now (I have four pairs in different colors/washes):
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/style-co.-boyfriend-ankle-pull-on-jeggings?ID=1908942&CategoryID=3111&selectedSize=#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D17%26ruleId%3D65%26slotId%3D7%26kws%3Dpull-on%20style%20&%20co%20jeans

KC said...

Looks like fun, Susan! I always like to see and hear about your adventures in the southeast, since we live in the Atlanta area. Love your choice of outfits, especially the white jacket from WHBM. Will check it out!

Diane said...

Even your shopping bag goes with your ensemble! It's almost too much! You are so right about Jag Jeans. My friend, Kim, turned me on to the idea of a flat front pull on jean, and now that I have tried them regular jeans seem so bulky in the middle. We have a whole group of folks in Iowa eating your porridge for breakfast, you should get royalties or something on the ingredients. But by doing so, and other modifications (although our Easter feast was no friend to my progress) - your inspiration (and recipes) have gotten me over halfway to my goal. Thanks for all the great tips on food, fashion and just enjoying life. Your posts often bring a smile to my day.

Unknown said...

I love your post!! I have decided to visit the south which I have never been there! Love the places your visit! Love the new jag legging which I have wore jag jeans and also hate the front button which makes you look bigger in the waist!! Thank you for sharing! What a beautiful weekend you had!! Susan!1

Unknown said...

Love Jag jeans, little store here in our little town of 1500 sales them.

Kristien62 said...

What a truly beautiful place to stay! I wish we had a little more time to explore places on our trip south, but I guess we will just have to make a return trip in the future (which I really intended to do any way.)

I would love that jean. For awhile, I kept finding small pinholes in the stomach area of my tees. Thought I had some kind of moth eating my clothes. Turns out it was the pesky zipper area which would poke a hole if the zipper was not down flat. Very annoying and several ruined tops.

rosary said...

SInce I come from a long line of East Tennesseans and have a graduate from Brevard College, I love your tour guides thru East Tennessee and Western North Carolina! Looking forward to future Susan/Mr. Mickey get aways!

Anonymous said...

Such fun! Thank you so much for taking us along. ~~Dee

Missy said...

Such a fun adventure and the resort is lovely. You have the best fashion tips . Any chance that you do skirts / long or short for summer? Your fashion advice regarding hot summer dressing would be terrific!

rhonda's escape said...

I orders a pair of Jag pull on jeans from Amazon today. - Can't wait to see how they fit. You are right about all the stuff going on in front. Smooth is better. Great suggestion. Thanks

Gael said...

Going to have to look up Jag Jeans for sure! As always, you are stunning, but Mr. Mickey is quite dapper as well. I'm so glad to see him make an appearance. He coordinated with you very nicely in a sophisticated, and unplanned way. What a very sharp couple you make, and what a lovely weekend! You really know what works for you.