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Top / Jeans / Tote / Shoes / Luggage / Necklace / Sunglasses

It’s pretty much an unwritten rule that cute top and jeans works for everyday casual life, so why not the airport? Dolores’ style is the perfect inspo for a trip where you have to look cute as soon as you step off the plane. And if you decide to rock a heel, espadrilles will be your most cozy pick.

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Bodysuit / Joggers / Necklace / Sunglasses / Bag / Shoes / Hat / Lip Oil

Joggers are having a moment, and they’re essentially the it girls updated version of a track pant. Case and point? Madison’s airport selfie style. It’s all about the accessories, so pair them with some stylish sneakers, a hat, and a cute tote to level the look up and to keep it fashionable.

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Dress / Sunglasses / Sandals / Tote / Jacket / Compact

Though Melissa was about to fly high on a PJ, we totally approve of her look for the terminal. The Housewives have been pairing maxi dresses with denim or leather jackets to wear to the airport for years, and Melissa’s style is the perfect way to be comfy in addition to being extra cute.

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Cardigan / Tee / Denim / Necklace / Travel Set / Moroccan Oil / Bag / Shoes

Kyle has been serving us travel looks for years, and as of late she’s often opted for a sweater and denim. A cardigan is perfect for the friendly skies because you can take it off it you get warm and put it back on if you get hot. 

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Sports Bra / Leggings / Jacket / Bag / Shoes / Sunglasses/ Facial Spray

A Bravoleb in a tracksuit spotted at the airport is a tale as old as time. And we’re updating that a bit by pairing this track jacket with a pair of leggings a la Dorit. And in true Real Housewives fashion keep the accessories designer to pack an extra punch on the plane.

Click Here to Shop my Go-To Airport Look via Shop LTK

Originally posted at: 5 Outfits to Wear To The Airport: Bravoleb Inspired Looks

I don’t feel like there is a magic age, but eventually, we realise how short life really is. Maybe it’s just more of an awareness as we keep journeying through these milestone “new decade” birthdays, like turning 60.

Recent Widows

We are halfway through this year, and I now know six more widows. Some are family members, others are friends, and still others are family members of friends. When I spoke with my mother-in-law recently, she had attended five funerals in the past couple months. “When it rains, it pours” was never a phrase I associated with loss before. But as we get older, it comes with the territory.

Our Next Chapter

If you have read some of my past blogs, you may feel like I obsess about planning for the next chapter of our life. Talking about dealing with the risk of running out of money, incapacity, and end-of-life planning is not high on anyone’s list of fun things to do. It can be hard to think about, talk about, and even hear about.

One client recently was talking with an adult child about her cremation wishes and one of the grandsons happened to walk in on the conversation. He got very upset and said, “You need to stop talking about that, grandma!”

Pain at Every Age

But I implore you to think about how difficult loss is for most of us. So we often don’t think about it or do enough about it in advance, which makes it even more difficult for family left behind. And being “older” doesn’t make the loss any easier.

One recent widow I spoke with, after years of care and an age difference with her spouse, shared that she had never imagined it would hurt this much. Loss of a parent can be similar, even when you know it may be soon, it doesn’t matter. Loss changes life.

Does Time Heal Pain?

And that old saying about how “time heals” is only partially true. Healing is not forgetting. And the wound is still there, just scarred over. It’s not something you get over, you just get through it, eventually with less daily pain.

The Second Year

You may already know or be surprised that widows often find the second year harder than the first. There is often so much change and so much to deal with in the first year that it almost helps to keep busy with your mind on other things.

One young widow understandably re-iterated several times when I saw her: “I am just so exhausted from all of this!” But then in year two, all of the “firsts” take place. First Valentine’s Day, his birthday, or your anniversary without him. First Christmas or other holidays without him. First anniversary of losing him. First grandchild, graduation, or wedding without him. All of those “firsts” in the second year can feel exhausting again.

The Hospice Attitude

Loss and celebrations of life can bring some gratitude, peace, and memories. I have always admired hospice staff/volunteers for their amazing attitude and role during end-of-life experiences. I would feel forever sad, depressed, and crying in that capacity, but I’ve talked with several who have chosen that path and they have a different perspective. They feel honored, grateful, and helpful to a family in need. And they certainly are!

Two Solutions

Perhaps part of our solution for dealing with this “when it rains, it pours” time of life is two-fold. As a society, we need to do a better job of educating and openly discussing death. It is definitely going to happen to all of us. Somehow, we need to have conversations about facing that and how we want that to go.

Secondly, we can’t control when we will pass away, but we can plan for the things that we can control. So preparing for the unknown timing of passing, in advance, involves not only putting wishes in writing in documents, but also making sure titles/beneficiaries are correct, passwords are accessible, and a list of assets has been compiled. My Before and After Loss Checklist is a great double-check to confirm that you, or a friend, or a parent are ready to help your family weather through loss, whenever it comes.

What Are You Waiting For?

One client recently told me his current favorite line when talking to friends is, “What are you waiting for!?!” He was referring to spending/gifting/donating or enjoying travel or a new “toy.” We could apply his question to many things in life, especially this topic of preparing for loss.

If I asked you, do you have your financial house in order? I hope your answer is a resounding “yes!” Then you can spend the rest of your time focusing on living out and enjoying the rest of your story. But if the answer is “no,” then “what are you waiting for!?!”

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What have you found helpful in dealing with or preparing for loss? Any words of encouragement for each other on the challenges of this next chapter in life? Let’s have a conversation!

Click Here for Additional Stock in her Top

Click here for Additional Stock in the Skirt / And Click here for Even More Stock

Originally posted at: Kenya Moore’s White Floral Confessional Look

Originally posted at: Kenya Moore’s Orange Ruched Confessional Dress

Strapless, flats, sneakers, pumps, loafers, oxfords, clogs, slip-ons, laced-up, platform, blue suede, made for walking boots, slippers, dancing, hiking, moccasins, sandals, jellies, flip flops, high heels, spike heels…

The endless stream of shoe types, colors and styles drifts past as I wait for my plane in the airport lounge. With socks or without. Toes exposed or hidden. Buckled, laced, or Velcroed. People watching and foot fetishes have never been so intriguing.

We all have them. We all wear them. But how do we choose what kind, for which activity? How many times a day do we change our shoes? Inside, outside, for sports, for the office, for the garden? And what do my choices and yours tell us about each other? Let’s take these compelling questions one at a time.

Selecting the Right Shoes for Your Lifestyle

Okay, raise hands. Who has ever selected inappropriate footwear for an activity even though you knew it would not end well?

My hand is high in the air as I remember a pair of teal green, suede driving shoes I wore for my first day in Venice to visit the 2013 Biennale. It was October and it could have been damp or dampish. I wanted to look cosmopolitan but ended the day looking frazzled and dumpy as the bottoms of the flats started splitting away from the tops. My feet were soaked, blistered and achy after seven hours of walking on cobblestones.

Had I been driving with my driving shoes, the pair would have survived the trip, but there is literally no driving in Venice, so why did I even bring them? A pair of sneakers would have been a much better choice, but style often wins out over practicality when it comes to shoes, and I am a victim of vanity like many of us.

A Heel for Every Season and Reason

So, rule of thumb in the daily selection process is to think ahead. Like choosing the correct outer-garment – raincoat if it’s raining, parka if it’s snowing, cardigan, if there is a light breeze – selecting the right shoes for your day is essential to comfort, energy and longevity of the shoes and you. If you’re going to be inside all day, go for broke.

Wear those heels, those woven leather flats, a pair of spikey leather boots. You will look and feel great. But if your day will require walking on uneven surfaces – think cobblestones and sand (I live at the beach) – or there is almost any kind of weather outside beside pure sunshine, then you might consider a more functional shoe material and style.

We’ve come a long way on the sneaker front and pragmatism can meet fashion in vivid color. Nowadays, these sport shoes are all the rage, from tweens to grandmas, though not all are created equally. There are designs for specific sports like running or tennis, although these should not be confused for sneakers you would wear to dinner or an art show.

Be realistic and not too sloppy. People will notice that you couldn’t be bothered donning anything more tasteful than a boat shoe for a night on the town. But if you’re cruising around on foot doing errands, or going to the market or a friend’s house, comfort wins out over panache any day.

How Many Times a Day Do You Change Your Shoes?

I probably change my clothes more often than many. I start in pajamas, move to breakfast togs, put on some work clothes which depend on if I’ll be working at home or going to meetings, dress down to “something more comfortable” as my husband likes to joke, and then I’m back to pj’s for the late evening and bed. If there are any sports involved in my day, that’s another outfit entirely.

Throw in the beach, gardening, or doing artwork, and it’s possible for me to see six or seven ensembles on a given day. The shoes are a natural outcropping of these costume changes. One pair to get the mail and then back to slippers to read the mail and have breakfast.

House shoes – I like moccasins for working at home. Garden clogs for digging in the dirt. Tennis shoes for a round robin with the ladies. Something with a heel or a wedge for meetings. I like to be amongst the tallest in a room. Gives me a feeling of confidence and tall people statistically are more successful.

If you are going to change your shoes this often, I do suggest putting them away and keeping them organized to reduce unnecessary chaos in your life. We’re not a shoeless house, but I often take my shoes off when I come in the door, and put on something more house friendly, even bulky socks. But then I’ll bring my shoes to my closet, if they aren’t too dirty or wet, to store for the next time.

There is a dizzying array of shoes dumped haphazardly in my front hall on summer weekends when the kids and their friends are around. Something I don’t want to live with daily. But at the same time, I’d rather the kids come to visit than have a shoeless hallway.

What Do Your Shoes Say About You?

Shoes, like any fashion, are truly revealing about your personality, socio-economic status, cultural background and much more. It’s one of the reasons I like watching the shoe parade at the airport. You can decipher a lot about people from the shoes they wear, especially at the airport where they know they’ll be seen by lots of folks.

Hopefully most people are dressing for comfort and the swiftness of removing their shoes for security. But there are a surprising number that want to make certain they look sharp when they arrive at their destination and will forego the practical for the wow factor.

The sheer number of styles within each footwear category is astonishing and as I’ve been at airports as exotic as Singapore and as mundane as Newark, I can attest to the diversity of designs that are flooding our world.

Perhaps, like many things these days, we have too much choice. There are so many options, we want to cram in as many selections as possible, and look cute in the process. Shoes for me are part of my fashion statement, part of my presentation of me to the world, so I’m likely to strike a balance between appropriate and chic. It’s not the most rational approach, but who said a foot fetish is rational?

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What is your favorite style of shoe? Do you prefer flats, wedges or heels? Do you put comfort before style when purchasing a new pair of shoes? Please join the conversation.