To January, with Love WInnie James

 The cold door of January is about to close leaving a little bit of "Happy" from one of my favorite on line boutiques- Love Winnie James.  This perfect t shirt and jean look never tires and with spring not far off- I want it, Please!

I must admit, I put myself on a fiscal freeze for January.  After all the Christmas shopping for our five kiddos, I kind of felt well like I over ate a "Thanksgiving" meal.  With only two days left, I am trying hard to hold out, but this "Emma" dress leaves me drooling!

Thanks Winnie James for your "Happy"  January look!

mini & ME tees- hottest new t shirt line

 I was needing a Valentine fix tonight and voila up popped the new t shirt line Mini and Me Tees.  Absolutely perfection!

 Best thing about it--- there is a t shirt for everyone of your Valentines.  The Heath sisters- Sally and Bethany knocked it out of the park with mini & ME Tees!  Who doesn't love T shirts?

 Their website is so friendly .... cheeky& chill- comfy& cool.  The & Listen addition is perfectly perfect- well done SISTAS!

                                                      miniandmetees.com

                     Be sure to follow on instagram @miniandmetees

 So for all you t shirt lovers, here is a little t-shirt trivia.  The "t shirt"  first surfaced in the united states right around the time of the Spanish American War and was meant to worn as underwear beneath the U.S. Navy uniform.  This inexpensive t shirt became the perfect choice for mothers to put on their sons for outdoor play and chores for the day.  The army soon adopted it and it quickly caught on as a staple in the American wardrobe.... more trivia to come and definitely more of mini & ME!

Emma

I rarely can shop for Emma anymore, but I did manage to pick up this outfit by Penny Candy at Down East and she actually loved it.  The gray palette works well for any season.  Emma wears it here with an "adorb" red scarf, but come spring she can dress it up with any number of colors and the look still works.

Brenna Burrows took these pics as part of her Christmas "mini"sessions.  She is scheduling Valentine "mini" sessions now.  I love the honesty of her photography!

 This is a fun winter look that can easily become spring.... Love that kind of fashion.  Grey is one of those quiet stable colors that prevails throughout any season!

Fashion Find....

I fell in love with this picture, the two of them on their wedding day,  George and Lizzie in love.  I love that he is wearing a bow tie and has a hanker chief in his pocket (you must see Anne Hathaway's new movie, Intern).  

The simplicity of Lizzie's wedding dress is captivating.  The single strand choker pearl necklace coupled with the gold bracelet is the perfect touch.   Congratulations Lizzie and George! 

What could a southern utah girl that wears camo possibly know about fashion....

Why do I  have a fashion blog... I ask myself this a lot.   I am not an expertise on the subject by any stretch of the imagination. I am also busy.  As a stay at home mom and mother of five very involved children and a wife of an extremely busy husband, there really isn't a lot of time.  And what time I do have, not doing laundry and dishes I am volunteering in some school, sport, or PTA facet.  And besides, what could I possibly know about this subject?  I live in Southern Utah- don't they all wear camo there anyways? And to top it off, I am over forty too!

I was quite entertained by a  fashion column in the Wall Street Journal last week.  The writer Meenal Mistry listed her fashion resolutions for 2016.  They were as follows: l.  I will stop being a fashion know it all- I will loose my fashion rigidity and be open to fashion that isn't a 100% cashmere 2.  I will let- nay, encourage- myself to make a mistake.  I will let my fashion be fun and even a little messy.  3.  I will stop shunning the low-price fast fashion at Zara and H&M.  I will seek creative workaround beyond the $3,000 blazer.  4.  My next piece of tailoring will be made bespoke.  Mistry assured herself she could get a blazer tailor made for  less than $3,000.  5.  Instead of the blazer splurge, maybe I will biy a mall piece of jewelry.  She goes on to say that who is she kidding at 32 weeks, her budget calls for onesies, exsersaucers, and a great nanny.

So  Meenal Mistry here is my list of fashion resolutions for 2016

l. Find a cashmere sweater at Poser's Place
2. I will make many fashion mistakes.  My fashion will be fun and messy.  I will play with fashion's, textures and colors
3.  I will embrace the fashion of H&M and I will go to a Zara store in a mall if ever I leave Southern Utah.
4. I will buy a blazer for under $30.  It will probably be vintage though.
5.  My husband will buy me a nice piece of jewelry and I will be the nanny!

Don't worry forty is fun... follow us at KEPT this year I promise to take the camo off once in a while! (warning to reader- content is rated 40- for mature!)

Oh yeah... in case you are in the market for camo here's what I'm wearing....
everything camo..... 
  

Union Square San Francisco- one of the world's Premier Shopping District

 It was in the late '80's when I first visited San Francisco, 1988 to be correct and I was just 13 years old.  The city held me spell bound.  My traveling comrades were my two best friends, Megan and Suzanne.  Our fearless leader was Sage, Megan's mom.   We came to San Francisco to shop the outlets- and shop we did.  Sage led us up and down the steep streets of San Francisco in search of the perfect outlet buy- it was amazing!

 Unfortunately for us, 1988 also marked the height of homelessness in San Francisco.  This did not deter us or our "fearless" leader.  We were in Fashion Heaven!

 I returned to San Francisco for New Year's (this was my 4th return to this "Paris of the West") and officially my first trip to Union Square.  Christmas decor still enchanted the locals, the tourists and more specifically me.  Union Square is indeed the heart of San Francisco.  This 2.6 acre public plaza is bordered by the streets of Geary, Powell, Post, and Stockton.  As the central shopping, hotel and theater district it surrounds the plaza for several blocks.  

 That morning I happened to pick up the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal and my hands went to the Style and Fashion section.  From words of  writers Nancy Macdonell and Noah Johnson let me remind you of some of 2015's trends.  Macdonell cited the reappearance of the rainbow as a "prism break."  These colorful stripes made it big in tops, skirts, dresses, and hand bags.  Why the rainbow?  Macdonnell quotes Ms. Hindmarch, "I'm a big believer that fashion should make you smile and lift your mood in some way."

 As For men's fashion, Noah Johnson designated the elevation of the men's hoodie and 2015's "grown up"  men's trend.   Johnson has followed the hoodie as the "Hood of the Class" and has noted its appearance in the world of the "gents," under blazers and coats.  The hoodie can be found made in cashmere by Ermenegildo to cotton by Champion.  Whether at work or at the gym, the hoodie made it big in 2015.

So my advice to you for your fashion for 2016- go splurge on a rainbow hoodie!

Good Bye San Francisco and the Macey's Christmas tree- Happy New Year from KEPT!

Memory Making at Half Moon Bay

I love to hear the melody of the ocean water chanting as the waves go in and out.  It's a calming force- providing quiet and reflection- a hymn of meditation.  My morning spent with my family at Half Moon Bay was a gift.  God's beauty never ceases to amaze me.

I love days when what I  wear connects me to my surroundings.  I believe my Christmas Active wear may just be my favorite Christmas gift. Hubby gave me my Reebok top and bottom (bought it at Dick's on sale)- I am in love with it. Because of the frigid ocean air, I had to layer it with my jacket from Indigo and Sage and my pink puffer vest from the Gap.  I topped off the look with a Nike Beanie!

Its time to head back to the gym.  I will have to let this memory motivate me- no waves are in the desert!