Spring Ahead with Fashion

I hope you remembered to set your clocks ahead yesterday. It felt great to know that there will be more daylight and that spring is only a week away. What, what, what -- spring is only a week away. I must do my annual spring shopping.

That's why this weekend I made sure to read up on all the spring fashion trends. I finished the March issue of O Magazine, which focused on "decluttering." I did a little 'decluttering' as I reviewed my current closet full of warm weather clothes. "Throw out anything that you haven't worn in a year or two," said the experts at O Magazine. I started to put a bag of old clothes together for Goodwill and there's likely more to come.

I read 1500+ pages about spring fashions including the March issues of InStyle, Vogue, T - The New York Times Style Magazine, and More.  Plus I tagged all my favorites in the the Nordstrom catalogs that I saved from the past few months.

So what are the latest and greatest colors, shapes and wearables for boomer girls this spring? Here's my recap according to these mags:

Bold Pastels in shades of lilac, mint, rose and lemon are popular, as are pastel hair and nail polish too. (Not one of my favorites since I am classified by Color Me Beautiful as an Autumn, I don't look very good in pastels.)

Romantic elements like peplums, florals, lace and ruffles. (Again, not one of my favorites. However, I do like some of the lace skirts and lace tops that I saw in the Macy's advertisement and in the window display at Ann Taylor. Peplums and ruffles are not appropriate on my short 50+ figure.)

Mad Prints with large geometric designs and polka dots. (Oh, I love polka dots, especially accents of polka dots. Maybe I will get an accessory, such as a scarf, handbag or shoes with polka dots for spring.)

Pleats and more pleats. (No, no, no - pleats don't work with pear-shaped bodies. No pleats for me - thank you very much.)

The Dress Shirt in white button down. (Here we go again - another takeoff on the shirt dress of yesteryear. This is why I should think twice before I "declutter" my closet.You never know when an old trend will become a new trend in the future.)

Sporty looks in comfortable fabrics with bright colors. (Love it, like it, want it. I prefer more casual wear during warmer weather.)

Hi-Gloss with metallic tones and illuminating beads, studs and other embellishments. (I like to shimmer during summer nights. Ooh, ooh, really liked the cotton dress with paillettes by Michael Kors. Maybe if I do more exercise and get rid of my middle-age middle I'll be able to shimmy and shimmer this season.)

Bright day dresses and expressive stripes with bold blocks of color. (I did finally buy a dress for myself last summer. Maybe it is time to buy another one this spring. It is easy to get dressed when all you have to put on is one piece of clothing.)

Nature Prints with flowers and garden colors. (Little bits of nature may work better on my body than an entire dress or top. Flower power is not my thing.)

High Waist silhouettes. (Listen up boomer girls. InStyle editors say that this trend "was a staple in the '70s and '80s."Are you getting nostalgic? Have any of your old high waisted pants buried in the back of your closet? Or if you gave them to Goodwill like I did, you may have to buy some new ones, cause according to InStyle these high waisted pants and skirts will help "legs look longer, the dreaded muffin top bulge and whale tail thong top vanish." Amen, I'm sold.)

Denim shirts are back. So are blurred prints, color blocking, crafty platform shoes and espadrilles (love espas), long skirts (didn't we used to call them maxi skirts in the '70s?), open weave, leopard prints (again, oh peleezze!) and more skinny bright colored jeans and capris.

Can't wait to go spring shopping! Hope my tax return shows up soon. But wait, I was going to save that money for a summer vacation.

Judi

Tablet Technology to the Rescue

I definitely need to simplify my life. I need to de-clutter my life, like I read this morning in the March issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. The entire issue is devoted to de-cluttering.  I haven't finished reading it, so I cannot give you any tips just yet.

I was reminded of why I need to simplify my life yesterday while traveling with a business colleague on the train to Connecticut. He sat there reading the current issue of The Economist on his Nook, quietly flipping the pages in silence with the touch of a finger. (My colleague O also showed me all the back issues of The Economist, which were neatly arranged on his tablet.)

I on the other hand, tried to read my paper copy of The New York Times, which I held tightly with all 10 fingers. (Mind you, the paper had been delivered to my door by the nice newspaper delivery man earlier in the morning in his gas guzzling car.) I carried the newspaper in my briefcase. I unfolded the newspaper section by section.  I got my hands full of newsprint. I had to fold the newspaper several times as I read each article, being careful not to hit my colleague O in the lap or arm. Then I threw away the paper, creating more waste. Oh yes, I ripped out an article to bring home to add to the rest of the newspaper articles that are piled high on my desk.

When I was done reading the newspaper, I wasn't able to read my Vogue or InStyle magazines. I didn't bring the March issues because I did not want to carry more than 1200 pages of paper. Instead, I took out my Kindle and read my book. (I have an original Kindle and I'm reading the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson. It is so, so good.)

"The new iPad 3 is being announced on March 7th," texted my son D.

"The new iPad 3 is coming out next week.  Mom you know you need to get one," texted my daughter A.

They are right. I do need to get a tablet. And I need one now.

I have to change my ways and lighten the load for myself and for the environment. I need to clear the clutter of newspapers and magazines that are taking over my bedroom, my dining room table, and kitchen counters. I need to empty the baskets that sit full of printed pieces in my office and family room.  I need to throw out the mounds of clippings that are sitting in bins in my garage.

My kids are on the mark-- their mom -- me, me, me -- needs to simplify her life and get a tablet.

Why during my life after 50 am I planning my schedule around the newspaper man and the delivery of  The New York Times? I need a tablet.

Why during my life after 50 am I dirtying my hands with newsprint? I need a tablet.

Why during my life after 50 am I using a scissor to clip newspaper articles when I could be using Evernote.com?

Yes, yes, yes...I am saving my dollars, dimes and pennies and next week I am going to change my life for the better and buy an iPad 3 tablet.

Whew, that was a workout.  Glad I made that decision so fast.

Go Judi! Go Judi! Go Judi!

Judi

To The Hips, To The Hips

Everything I eat seems to be going to my hips. Ah yes, and to my stomach too.  Perhaps my middle age middle is acting up again.

No matter what I do. No matter what I eat. (Okay, I have been eating too much dark chocolate. My boyfriend L really likes dark chocolate, so what's a boomer girl to do?  Not eat it?  Isn't dark chocolate good for me?) No matter how much I exercise. (Okay, I haven't been exercising enough. I really do need to do more aerobics. I love my gentle yoga class. Maybe I need to start doing more fast-paced vinyasa flow workouts.)

I've only gained a pound or two, yet my clothes just don't seem to fit me like they used to anymore. My pants are tighter and my waist feels like a ball of rising bread dough that I wish I could punch down into a flat loaf.  Some days I feel like singing Beyonce's song "to the left, to the left," only with different words "to the hips, to the hips...

"Mmmm to the hips
Everything is down in a box on the hips"

This morning I was catching up on the February issue of MORE magazine while on my stationary bicycle (trying to get those jiggles on my hips moving). I enjoyed reading psychologist Vivian Diller's article on "HowTo Let Go Of Wanting to Look Young.  I wonder if that is my problem.  My youthful figure is  fading away.  Vivian used to be a dancer in her 20s and is now 58. She is the author of "Face It: What Women Really Feel As Their Looks Change." 

According to Vivian, "it's okay to cry but then move forward." Here are her steps to help:

1. Face Your Uh-Oh Moment Head On: Acknowledge that your appearance is changing. (I have.) Dig deep to discover what feeling this elicits beyond fear of losing your looks. Being honest about what you are truly scared of will help you face the transition with more confidence. (Thank you Vivian, I have done this and it's all in the hips. My fear is that my pear shape is becoming more of a Bartlett. I must learn to love my body just the way it is during my life after 50.)

2. Listen To Your Internal Dialogue: Pay attention to what you tell yourself when you look in the mirror.  (Vivian, you are right. I am over critical of my wrinkles and dark spots on my face.  I am overly sensitive about my stomach rolls and my expanding hips. I will rewrite my dialogue and be easier on myself.)

3. Learn To Appreciate Your Appearance Today: Vivian says I should fast-forward 20 years and imagine seeing a photo of what I look like right now. She says I'll probably think I look pretty great and might regret that I didn't enjoy my appearance more when I had the opportunity. (Yes, Vivian, I'm going to change my tune.  Thank you. Thank you.)

4. Make Some Healthy Changes: Instead of clinging to the past or trying to recapture the look I had, I should make positive changes that will help me feel attractive right now. (Hmmm, hmmm, maybe I should go back to Macy's and buy The Ultimate Push Up Bra by Maidenform which says it works like magic and adds two cup sizes right before my very eyes! I'm sure that will help me feel more attractive right now and also may turn my pear shape into a more hour-glass 50-plus figure.)

Uh, oh...I didn't finish reading the last step, Vivian really said to make some healthy changes. Okay, okay, I will do that too. I will try to do more exercise too. Thanks for all your great advice.

Judi 

Music Memories of My Younger Years

Maybe it was the Grammy Awards that brought back the memories of music from my younger years. I thought this year's 54th ceremony was one of the best-ever with so many performances by oldies, but goodies like baby boomers Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. (My sister N swooned over Paul when we were growing up. He truly was the cutest Beatle. I was quite young when the Beatles hit the stage on the Ed Sullivan Show, but I remember.)

Or perhaps, it was hearing about the sad passing of Whitney Houston. I used to dance to her tunes throughout the late 80s and 90s. I would turn up the sound and sway my hips whenever I Wanna Dance With Somebody Who Loves Me came on the radio. While I didn't particularly like Kevin Costner and Whitney in The Bodyguard, I did love the soundtrack. Let's see, which were my favorites? Ah yes, I Will Always Love You, I'm Every Woman, and Run To You.

I had new carpeting installed throughout my house two weeks ago. I felt like I was moving all over again. I had to pack up all the books and bottles on my three bookcases in my loft area where I have my home office. As I packed away all my records (yes, I said records) from the 70s and 80s, my heart started to beat a little faster.

My heart was beating faster because my memory was being jogged back to my college days. I could clearly picture the portable stereo and speakers on my dorm room desk where they used to sit. Was it more than 30 years ago? How could that be? Where has the time gone? Back then, my turntable was always revolving with many of the records that now sit silent on my bookcase shelf. I remember...

• Janis Ian - Party Lights
• Kenny Loggins - Whenever I Call You Friend
• Boz Scaggs - Georgia
• Linda Ronstadt - Blue Bayou
• Carly Simon - Mockingbird
• Dan Fogelberg - Leader of the Band (I played that song over and over and over. I was so sad when Dan passed away several years ago. He was such a great musician.)
• Gordon Lightfoot - Bend in the Water
• James Taylor - You've Got A Friend
• Jackson Browne - The Pretender
• Barry Manilow (I must have borrowed this album from a friend. Did I really buy a BM record?)
• Judy Collins (Send in the Clowns for my namesake Judy.)
• Cat Stevens - Wild World, Peace Train, and Another Saturday Night (I played this song every Saturday night when I didn't have anybody to hang out with after I graduated and was single in the city.)
• Bonnie Raitt - Good Enough
• Bruce Springsteen...The Doobie Brothers...The Moody Blues...Donna Summers...The Pointer Sisters...Simon & Garfunkel...the Beatles, the Beatles, more Beatles

I have so many great music memories from my younger years. As was true at the Grammys this year and as the writer Farhad Manjoo says "everything old is new again." I think I am going to buy an Ion Audio unit (as soon as one is available for sale) which converts vinyl records to digital files.  According to Manjoo's NY Times article, "this technology is easy to use because you simply plug in a USB thumb drive to save your music."  Plus, it only costs $70.

Ooh,ooh,ooh, I can't.  Yes, it's time for me to enjoy these songs of my younger years during my life after 50. I'll be singing and dancing to these tunes again real soon.

Judi

Go Giants!

"See you on the other side," was the text I received from my son D at 6:00 p.m.

"K," was the text I sent back to him shortly before the game started.

I knew the Giants were going to win Super Bowl XLVI. Bruce Weber spoke about the sprinkling of fairy dust that had settled over the team this year in his article on Friday in the New York Times. He was right. But I knew that this was going to be a winning year, because the Giants and the Super Bowl have been in my family's history for so many defining moments:

* The winning season was 1986 and my daughter A was born.  I went and bought a Giants jersey for A to wear to the Super Bowl that January.

* The winning season was 1990 and my son D was born.  He wore the Giants jersey that A had worn four years prior.

* The winning season was 2007 and the Giants played again in the Super Bowl in January 2008.  This time they won as a memorial for my husband M, one of their biggest fans, who passed away shortly before the season ended. Two thousand eight was also the year that my daughter A graduated from college and my son D graduated from high school.

Now as my son edges closer to his May 2012 graduation date, the Giants have brought our family another Super Bowl championship. Four for four.

"I'll see you on Tuesday," was the text message I sent to A and D shortly after the Giants won. 

"Ha ha, you're crazy, but I love ya," was the text my son D sent back.

I think it is about time I framed that 18 month size Giants jersey and put it above my mantle where it belongs.  Yes, that's what I am going to do...that is after I get back from the ticker tape parade on Tuesday. 

Go Giants!

Judi

Is Retirement the "Age of Opportunity?"

This month, I celebrated my 54^th birthday. Maybe that’s why when I heard about the Age of Opportunity study from The Hartford and MIT AgeLab, I was eager to hear the findings. The study measured the opinions and concerns of Americans both in and approaching retirement. (Ooh, ah.  Ooh, ah. I fall into the second category, being within 10 years of retirement.)

The study found that “most retirees are pleased with their life, and both pre-retirees and retirees have a positive attitude about retirement overall." According to the study:

* “Retirees are more likely to say “I am happier now that I am retired” (77 percent) than those who have yet to retire are to say “I will be happier after I retire” (64 percent.)” (There is so much opportunity to look forward to when I eventually retire. I will write my book or maybe write two books. Or perhaps, I will study to become a yoga teacher. Ooh, ooh, maybe I will teach yoga to children – I don’t think I am flexible enough to teach yoga to adults. However, my yoga teacher did just ask me to play a student in her upcoming yoga DVD. Imagine me a student star. The best is truly yet to come.)

* “Other than wishing they could retire earlier (35 percent of pre-retirees), many soon-to-be retirees see few negatives about retiring.” (Hmm, hmm, hmm. That’s good news.)

* “Twenty-six percent of those nearing retirement said they feel “hopeful” about retirement.” (I second that opinion.)

* “Among those who did find something less than positive about the next phase of their lives, dealing with medical or health issues was cited most often (21 percent for pre- retirees).” (My dad always said “if you’ve got your health you’re rich.” While I didn’t listen to him when I was younger, now I know he was a wise man.)

* When it comes to money, “pre-retirees said a milestone birthday (19 percent) or the realization that they are within 10 years of retiring (15 percent) were the two most common triggers for serious financial planning. It also seems that early planning plays off: More affluent retirees – those with $250,000 or more of investable assets – are twice as likely to say they began serious financial planning when they got their first job.” (Really, their first job? Really? I definitely did not take financial planning seriously when I was 22 years old. Did you? I cannot remember when I started to take financial planning more seriously. Maybe it was in my 30s.) 


If you want to learn about your financial style, I suggest you take a fun online quiz from Chase Blueprint.  I ranked “financially savvy.” Go Judi! Go Judi! Go Judi! To take the quiz and also find out about saving for retirement go to: www.chasefinancialwellness.com. 

* Oh yes, there was one more interesting bit of news in the Age of Opportunity survey. “When asked what song they’d use to describe the retirement they have, or the one they hope to have, both groups most often chose “I Did It My Way.” (Really?  A Frank Sinatra song?  Come on baby boomers? Really? What song would I choose? Let’s see. This is a difficult question. Wait, I’ve got it. I think for right now I’m going to choose “Working on A Dream” by boomer guy Bruce Springsteen.)


Yes, I am going to be working on my dream in my retirement years. The best is truly yet to come.

Judi

  

Note on Age of Opportunity Survey Methodology: From Oct. 3-16, 2011, GfK Roper conducted a total of 1,964 telephone interviews with adults 45 years and older using RDD (random digit dialing). To qualify, respondents must have retired in the past 2-10 years (“retiree”) or plan to retire in the next 2-10 years (“pre-retiree”).  These groups were further divided based on their household’s total investable assets, with quotas for under $250,000 and $250,000 or higher.

Life's A Great Balancing Act

I wanted to take his fears away.  I wanted to tell my son D that everything was going to be okay.  He was anxious about going back to school for his last semester of college.

"What will life be like after college?" he said, "I don't know what I want to do.  I'm not sure what I want to be."

I told him that I too was scared of the change from student to working girl more than three decades ago when I graduated from college.  I remember going cross country during the summer after my senior year. I was a chaperone for a teen tour. It was an incredible experience.  I didn't look forward to returning home, nor to the full-time job search.  I took the first job I found and became a secretary at a small ad agency.  That job lasted a few months and then I went to work as an editor in publishing.  Two years later I went to work for a food manufacturer and then another food manufacturer and there I stayed, working my way up the career ladder. I never became the famous fashion designer I always dreamed I'd be, but I've had a successful career.  (Maybe I will be a famous writer and author during my life after 50.  Many famous people have become famous during their third act.)

I wanted to take his fears away.  I tried to share some of my 35+ years of wisdom with my son D.  I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. talking. I don't know that he was ready or willing to listen.  He was too anxious.

"Your years after college will be some of the best years of your life," I said. "I loved my twenties.  No more homework.  No more tests. No more school books.  No spouse or kids.  No lawns to mow or house to clean. No mortgage to pay."

I wanted to take his fears away. But, I could not do it.

As D approaches adulthood, it's time for me to take a step back and for him to take the lead. (Go D! Go D! Go D!) "You know I will always be your biggest supporter and I will always love you," I said to D.  "And, I will continue to feel your pain." (Okay, I didn't say the second sentence out loud, but as a Jewish mother, rest assured that I will always feel my son's pain even if I cannot take it away.)

I put D on the bus back to school on Wednesday morning. Off he went to the big city. Then I took myself to Starbucks, ordered a Skinny Vanilla Decaf Latte and a slice of Reduced Fat Blueberry Coffeecake, and breathed a sigh of relief. Ahh. Omm. Ahh. Omm.

I know my son D is going to do great things in his life after college. (Go D! Go D! Go D!)  He will face many of life's ups and downs. I hope he listens to Dr. Seuss. who says it best in his book, "Oh, the Places You Will Go!"...

"On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are."


"You'll get mixed up, of course, 
as you already know."


"You'll get mixed up 
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left."


Go D! Go D! Go D!


Judi