What You Need vs. Want You Want

First off, my apologies for dropping the blog ball, but this whole "work" thing keeps getting in the way. Speaking of which -- shameless plug about to appear -- as I prepare the Spring collection to debut at the on Tuesday, April 10, with all proceeds to benefit the , I face the eternal question of everyone with a closet. What do I NEED?

We actually NEED clothes. Nudity, still frowned upon in most social circles, is not an option. But as a sparkling new sunny season approaches, threatening to be hot very soon for weeks on end, what's going to work? What will look good on me? What won't cost me $4,000 in dry cleaning the sweat out every week? And the question "Do I look fat in this?" arises as everyting gets lighter or brighter in color, and we shed our safe black shells of winter clothing.

I remember the first time I made a pair of ivory pants, put them on, and thought, "Eh, Katharine Hepburn, no, but it'll do." I was 19. Now, several, ahem, years later, I was fitting a pair of cream silk shorts on myself in a three way mirror and thinking."Yeah ... trail running two more days a week ... and lettuce for dinner..." Summertime, and the livin' should be easy. Or at least the clothes, but many of us have to go to work, and longer daylight may mean longer social hours, drinks at 6 or dinner at the beach -- how do you get off the train and meet your family without looking like one of those "What does not belong in this picture" books? 

So here's what I'm thinking: Men, lighten up. Instead of black and navy, midtoned clothes - taupes, grey, green, and even better, hits of red or orange or sky blue. And seersucker -- don't forget seersucker, and think about a vest under your jacket. If it's too hot, a vest can still send a power message without wearing a jacket all day, and is a great way to add that hit of color. And get THIN--- you and your clothes -- everything is slimmer, pants, ties, the fit of jackets. It may be a man's world, but now you have a woman's diet issues. How's that feel? You're welcome.

Women: Get a a dress that works, in amethyst, plum or slate blue for work, with a nipped-in jacket you can pop off after hours, maybe with some textural detailing. A great WASHABLE cotton, silk or jersey day-into-dinner dress you can run around in flat sandals during the day, pop a heel on for night and wash at the end of the day. Shorts, not at the hooker length many a teen in town sports, but not at the granny-in-Florida-right-about-the-knee either. Look at your leg, and have the hemline  hit you right above the cut of your quads, usually about four inches above your kneecap. Or six inches if you spend half your day doing squats.A great jacket, something cool like a linen motorcycle jacket with metalic detailing, or a day-into-dinner plaid or snakeskin print.

For both men and women, a fabulous, lightweight raincoat with a sunny disposition, maybe a print or a color you won't get sick of, but for God's sake, NOT beige. And get yourself one or two pretty, super feminine but clean-lined dresses for all those weddings, parties all the things that make summer fun. Life is hard. You'd be amazed how much easier it is to take when you have on a really great get up.