All things EARTH...

[MJC]

Last fall I was a bit obsessed with this photo because I found the color combination enlightening:

 

 

 

It occurred to me that this is the summer version: purple and turquoise! How exciting! I love both colors but wouldn't have thought to pair them:

 

 

 

[MJC]

One of my summer treats is a visit to the newest fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. I can't wait for this year's Charles James show. I especially want to see the dress featured here in brick red, tomato red, and light taupe (I don't know if the colors scanned properly):

 

 

 

[MJC]

Red seems to be the one EARTH color that is easy to find this spring in the vast sea of AIR colors on display.

 

I love how this is rich in texture, but looks so easy and comfortable to wear:

 

Proenza Schouler:

 

 

Believe it or not, this is suede! Proenza Schouler, again:

 

 

 

How cruise-worthy is this???

 

 

 

from Stella McCarthy:

 

[MJC]

Brick red and tomato red, both in classic shapes that I love:

 

 

 

Interesting to see Dior using brown (on the right). I love the polka dots on ivory! They are applied to the dress, not the fabric design:

 

 

 

 

I like to end with an evening gown. :) This actress, Lupita Nyong'o, has worn some amazing clothes this year, and she always looks so elegant. Her stylist should get major props:

 

Elie Saab:

 

Edited May 27, 2014 by MJC
fix photo

[mousey]

Margaret,

 

I love those dresses! I wish I could...a) afford them; and b) could wear them. LOL!:D I just don't have the arms for going sleeveless. I'm going to look on Michael Stars website (I'm guessing he has one) to see what his prices are like as I've seen some of his clothing advertised in recent fashion magazines and I love his designs.

 

How is your dad doing?

[MJC]

I agree with you both a) and b)! I don't mind going sleeveless in spite of my not-perfect arms, depending on the occasion. Since I had skin cancer on my arm I find that sometimes it's easier just to cover up rather than slather on the sunscreen.

 

Isn't that Michael Star dress cute? I think it would look great on Anita. I am short-waisted so I struggle with that slouchy waist look. I had never heard of him, but went and checked out the website. I love the beachy-California vibe but don't know how well that would work for me in the Big Apple.

 

So, here are my pictures for today. Some might think that the EARTH palette is less interesting than our more vibrant cousins. But, just to prove that EARTH is sexy too, here are some hot EARTH girls:

 

Dolce & Gabbana:

 

 

 

 

an ad from Tiffanys:

 

 

I just love the brown dot stockings with this:

 

[MJC]

I love these layouts from InStyle. It is fun to try to figure out which element someone is. I'm getting better at warm/cool but I still have a hard time with clear/muted. For example, I think Scarlet is FIRE or EARTH but I can't tell which one. My bet is on EARTH. I think she looks terrible in white. My favorite is #2 the purple dress. What do you think?

 

 

[MJC]

Another comparison: Amy Adams in an EARTH purple, and a bluish purple:

 

 

 

 

[mousey]

Margaret,

 

I love all those purple dresses! :D I also love the lace burgundy one! You're taste is similar to mine!:D My problem is, though I know white and black are not for us Earth girls...I just love them so much!:(

Edited June 2, 2014 by mousey

[Anita Latte]

I think that Scarlett Johansson is definitely an EARTH:

 

http://cdn04.cdn.justjared.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/scarlett-view/scarlett-johansson-liev-schreiber-view-from-the-bridge-03.jpg

 

Beautiful natural EARTH makeup:

 

http://www.yoyowall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Scarlett-Johansson-Smile.jpg

 

She is stunning in this EARTH green:

 

http://cristinahh.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/scarlett-johansson-moet-chandon-anniversary-party-moscow-russia-green-emilio-pucci-dress.jpg

 

This dress looks so different in different lights and conditions...check it out here...only EARTH can wear this color and look stunning...her facial expression isn't lovely but she looks even more amazing:

 

http://www.newsgab.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=507717&d=1349641728

 

Margaret...we missed you at our Meet and Greet! You'll have to make it next year!

[laurspag]

Hello everyone! I'm back! What a fabulous cruise. I enjoyed every minute of it, and can't wait to share pictures with you all. Unfortunately, I spent my extra vacation day today doing laundry, grocery shopping and paying bills. I will be posting pictures in the near future.

 

I too, think that Scarlet is an earth. She just glows when she wears the right colors, doesn't she? I would love, love, love to find a true evergreen or forest green dress. It's a deeper tone, and I think that would work well for me. I've always been drawn to it, but it can be pretty hard to find.

 

Mousey, and Margaret, I know what you mean about the going sleeveless thing. I do it anyway, but I avoid strapless for a whole pile of reasons. It would take me half the night to type all the reasons, so I will start with the fact that I'm heavy chested. 'Nuff said.

 

I think the best part of the cruise was the family time. It's been a while since all four of us could go somewhere together, and it was priceless.

 

If I get a chance to scan a few of the photographer's photos, I will. I think their pictures really put into perspective the earth skin tone.

 

I love red, so I'm so happy to see your posts Margaret.

 

I have a wedding to go to in June, and it is listed as black tie optional. I really don't think there will be many tuxes, and even fewer long gowns. I was thinking of wearing my red dress, the satiny one. I can certainly bling it up. What do you all think?

 

Oh, and the weather was so hot, that some of my daytime clothing was soaking wet by the time we got back to the ship. There was no chance of re-wearing them, but I did when I could. I came home with one clean outfit because I re-wore one clean outfit over a few different days after dinner. I did not need any cool weather clothing this time. I did change that up at last minute -I put a pair of linen pants in with just one longer sleeved, light weight shirt. I decided I could wear any of the daytime tops with this knit cardigan and the linen pants if I was cold, therefore saving on bringing extra clothes. Looking back at the heat, if it was cool on board at night, that would not have worked because so many tops ended up needing to be washed.

[laurspag]

I really, really love this photo, for so many reasons. For our purposes, I think it's a good lesson on skin tone, do you agree? My husband is obviously cool toned. He is a summer/air. He just glows when he wears a deep, dark navy blue.

 

 

Here is one of me alone on the first formal night:

 

 

It's a lesson to me on learning to love who you are. When I move past my flaws and try to see me for who I am, I do like this picture. I just wish I didn't stiffen up so much!

 

Formal night #2:

 

[laurspag]

I don't know why that picture is sideways! I will try and fix it and re-post it later.

 

This is an interesting picture of my daughters. Stephanie, on the right, has the complete look for this kind of background, but white is not her color. I'm dying to tea stain it, since she is a fire. Alyssa is an earth, but I don't think this is the best dress for her. The colors are good.

 

 

I love this picture. Do to the nature of satin, sometimes the red looks right on Stephanie, and sometimes not. The upper part of Alyssa's dress is good, and since the black isn't near her face, I think it works out.

 

Here is all of us together:

 

[laurspag]

Here is one of my favorites. It's kind of fun to do something different, isn't it?

 

 

 

[laurspag]

Oh my gosh, I don't know what it is with photobucket tonight. The pictures show correctly there!

 

 

 

We'll call it a night! Talk to you more tomorrow!

[mousey]

Laurie,

 

Loved the pictures! What a lovely family!:D I love you in that dress! You look amazing! I'm glad you enjoyed your time with your family.

[MJC]

Laurie, your photos are just spectacular. You all look radiant and happy, and like you had a wonderful time together. You have a lovely family.

 

I agree with you that your first photo is a great lesson in color theory. Your husband and mine share very similar coloring! Mine looks good in that light green too, and in a blue suit. I pushed him to try wearing pale lavender shirts once in a while, too, and he looks awesome in it, though he was clearly out of his comfort zone at first. I did bribe him with a cool purple tie, which helped.:cool:

 

Your hair color is great! And I really like the lip color you're wearing with the red dress, so maybe you'll share with us what it is?

 

You may think it's a drawback that you have to have things altered so much, and I know it can be expensive, but one of the reasons you look so fab in your gowns, in addition to the luscious colors, is that the fit is so good. It really shows that you are careful in your choices and invest in good clothes for future wear, and have cultivated your own style.

[laurspag]

Thanks, Mousey and Margaret! This was truly a great, great cruise. We were having such a good time, and I think it really comes through.

 

I try to learn from my choices, so pictures are such an important thing to me. I do love both of those formal dresses. I have another full length dress in green, and since I had the shoulders adjusted, it will fit so much better on the next cruise. The only think I'm debating about is the small train. I love the look, but I hated that people were stepping on it. I think I may give it one more try as is before I decide if the train needs to go.

 

Style is such an interesting thing. I don't have a ton of pictures of day time outfits. I have a handful, but I always find the things in our cabin are distracting, so I go out on the balcony. It was so humid, the lense of the camera would fog up and then we would have to wait to use it.

 

Here are a few things though:

 

This is from one of the earlier casual nights. You can't see he whole dress, but I'm either behind my husband or sitting down in this set of pictures. I enjoyed pairing that necklace with the dress, but it is much better suited for the peach one than this, and I have a necklace that will pair with this dress better in the future. If I can figure out how to take care of the gap that forms near the chest area, this will be a great dress.

 

 

I asked my husband to take a picture of this outfit, and didn't realize until later it was a close up. However, this shirt worked well with the brown shorts.

 

 

I had my husband take a few pictures of me with the girls wearing this dress, and they looked awful. I started second guessing if this was a good choice for me, when I looked back and realized he took a picture of me on the balcony in it. I think it is a good choice for me, now that I see the dress in a natural light.

 

 

This is Jamaica. I love the colors, but the shirt style? I guess I don't need more fullness on top, do I?

 

[laurspag]

Here is our sail away picture. The scarf didn't last long, and the other didn't get worn. It was way, way to hot for them. I would however, wear this outift again in a flash. I really liked it.

 

 

This is from the first night, which was casual. I took up the shoulders on this dress, and it still needs to come up a bit more. We don't need my bra peeping out all the time! I loved the background, but it was an awful choice for our color combination. We didn't coordinate at all, lol.

 

 

A picture of the same dress, taken in our room.

 

[laurspag]

This picture is just because. I went zip lining, something I never, ever thought I would be brave enough to do, and the view was breathtaking.

 

 

This isn't too flattering, but the coverup had a lot of good colors in it, despite the white background.

 

 

Margaret, I keep going back to the textural red outfit you posted. I just love that outfit!!!

[Sailor_Sally]

Great pictures ! You can tell you & your family are having fun !

[mousey]

Laurie,

 

I liked all your choices!:D

 

But, I must say...the DH looked awesome in his pink shirt...very stylish! What a cutie he is and you both look so great as a couple.:D

 

I loved the picture that you took while zip-lining...just beautiful!

[Anita Latte]

WOW Laurie! It looks like you had so much fun on your cruise! Your family looks so happy!

 

It's interesting to see the different skin types between your daughters in a couple photos. I can totally see the "thicker" skin of the EARTH versus that translucent skin of the FIRE. Very interesting to see. Then it's not so easy to see when ya'll turn PINK!!

 

I agree about the heat of the scarves...the same thing happened with me...I just didn't want all that extra fabric around my neck! I had packed several but didn't wear any. The whole see the bra issue with certain dresses/shirts is so annoying...it isn't bad on you...but I relate to being personally bothered by it also.

 

Anyway...lovin' all the photos.

 

With all our craziness this summer (moving on June 20 through the end of the month) and then settling in...we aren't taking any kind of real summer vacation...it's timing and cash flow issues combined. DS has a fall break for a week in September this year...so I looked into cruise deals and found one in our budget on Carnival out of Jacksonville, FL...which is only a 5 hour drive away. So we are going for it.

 

It'll be our first cruise on Carnival. We did RCI in March 2012, Celebrity in March/April 2014...and now Carnival in September 2014. We are making the rounds! We'll see how it is. It's a 5 night cruise to the Bahamas, so new ports for us. I'm attracted to the size of the OV cabins as well as the lower price and the drivability to embarkation.

 

I'm hoping to really apply more insight into what I really wear and do on a cruise from this very recent cruise to the September sailing. My impression is, should be much more casual again...shorter cruise...still summer temps.

[laurspag]

Hey there! Yes, my daughters got a sunburn. They were strolling around on board, and stopped and watched the belly flop contest for about 20 minutes. That is all it took! I used sun screen the whole time, I did not get any color. My husband...well, he definitely has a pink skin tone to him, and when he gets some sun, he definitely gets pinker. He too used sunscreen, but in warmer weather, he is always that color no matter what. He is now a week later.

 

The one lifestyle portrait that we had done is very casual and relaxed. What is interesting is that I didn't have hardly any makeup on, and it was like 10:00 at night...the photographer was about ready to close up when we were walking by, and she called us over. The process of crawling around on the floor in these different poses is pretty funny, and it really creates some nice, relaxed pictures.

 

We truly had a fantastic time. We swam with the stingrays, went ziplining, and participated in a dolphin encounter. There are a few things checked off the bucket list!

 

I really need to give a lot of thought to my next set of glasses. I find it very difficult to find them to match my features. Even when pushed up, the top does not follow my brow line like it should.

 

Anita, you must be really busy getting ready for the move. Even though you are not moving far, you still have to do most of the usual packing and so forth, I would imagine. You mentioned previously that your house in Texas was sold, so I can see everything coming together for you. Plus, the new place is well modernized, from what you have said.

 

We have a wedding coming up in June in Garden City that we are planning next. If all goes well, I may book an inexpensive cruise for November. RCI has had some sales lately, and we have a 50th birthday cruise booked for next May. What I find interesting is, it's hard to find vacations that are nearly as easy to plan and as cost effective as cruising. unfortunately, sailing out of Bayonne is not cheap, and the beginning of November are the inaugural Quantum sailings. I would really like a 4 or 5 day getaway, if we are able to do it.

 

Anita, I will be very interested in seeing what you think about Carnival. I love RCI so much, that I really don't have an interest just yet in trying different lines. With the cruise we just came back from, we are now platinum with Crown and Anchor Society, so I will be able to have my travel agent call them Monday and have a $125.00 balcony credit added to my May 2015 cruise.

 

Margaret, I hope all is well with your dad.

 

Mousey, how are the plans coming along for the cruise you mentioned?

[mousey]

WOW Laurie! It looks like you had so much fun on your cruise! Your family looks so happy!

 

It's interesting to see the different skin types between your daughters in a couple photos. I can totally see the "thicker" skin of the EARTH versus that translucent skin of the FIRE. Very interesting to see. Then it's not so easy to see when ya'll turn PINK!!

 

I agree about the heat of the scarves...the same thing happened with me...I just didn't want all that extra fabric around my neck! I had packed several but didn't wear any. The whole see the bra issue with certain dresses/shirts is so annoying...it isn't bad on you...but I relate to being personally bothered by it also.

 

Anyway...lovin' all the photos.

 

With all our craziness this summer (moving on June 20 through the end of the month) and then settling in...we aren't taking any kind of real summer vacation...it's timing and cash flow issues combined. DS has a fall break for a week in September this year...so I looked into cruise deals and found one in our budget on Carnival out of Jacksonville, FL...which is only a 5 hour drive away. So we are going for it.

 

It'll be our first cruise on Carnival. We did RCI in March 2012, Celebrity in March/April 2014...and now Carnival in September 2014. We are making the rounds! We'll see how it is. It's a 5 night cruise to the Bahamas, so new ports for us. I'm attracted to the size of the OV cabins as well as the lower price and the drivability to embarkation.

 

I'm hoping to really apply more insight into what I really wear and do on a cruise from this very recent cruise to the September sailing. My impression is, should be much more casual again...shorter cruise...still summer temps.

 

Anita,

I took that cruise several years ago in 2011. I hope you really enjoy it as we did.:D