Hello Indianapolis Fashionistas! I am back in the swing after returning from a 12-day trip. It’s the longest I have been gone in my entire life, and I have to admit I was anxious about it. But, it all turned out to be one of the best times of my life. My husband Michael and I traveled with my church group from Colonial Hills Baptist (colonialindy.com), to Israel. It was amazing. We had about 28 in our group, a guide who lives in Israel, and so much to see. It was a pilgrimage of sorts, visiting all the places Jesus lived and ministered, culminating with the garden tomb. I could not believe how much of the sites that were still intact — from more than 2,000 years ago. It was also fun to get to know some folks of all ages and from other places such as Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Kentucky and Pennsylvania!
Now on to the logistics … We completed some hiking trips that were challenging — even for someone like me who works out and is relatively healthy. So, the best purchase I made before the trip was a pair of hiking shoes. I know I have strange feet–narrow, with one foot a little longer than the other, so I opted for the typical hiking shoes! So glad I did. (also, one of my clients advised me not to buy the boots–he said the shoes were more comfortable.) Anyway, here they are: Merrills.
Second, I took some cotton layering tank tops in a dark color (by BP, $14, at Nordstrom). One hundred percent, extra soft cotton, the T’s were perfect to wear under knit tops, shirts and sweaters. They absorbed sweat, and allowed me to wear my sweaters and shirts many times. I did plan a color palette that was centered around burgundy, black, grey, red, navy and cream. Everything went with everything else. I took grey, black and navy pants–all jeans–and that is all I wore the whole time. (I only brought one pair of distressed jeans since I thought they would not work in the conservative areas of Israel. Sure enough, at one of our sites there was a sign that said “No Torn Jeans!”
I added some print scarves to make the outfits more interesting, and when it became cold, I wore them as head scarves. They were in a burgundy and red print, and another in a lilac and brown print–they went with everything I brought. Here is one of the scarves by Eileen Fisher. I liked the fact that it was linen and didn’t feel hot.
I did not take enough cotton socks: make sure you do that for hiking trips. I did bring 2-3 pair of pretty flats since I knew at the end of the day, the first thing I would want to do it take off the hiking shoes and socks and just wear flats. (They were black Viaonic flats, Ivanka Trump leopard flats (40% off now at Nordstrom).com, and raspberry suede flats from Ann Taylor — a consignment purchase.)
I took several hats: a hat for the sun (Indiana Jones style, an acrylic hat (Ann Taylor), and running hat from North Face. I wore nearly all if them.
I didn’t take a rain coat but used rain Ponchos. This worked, although I might consider buying a very light coat for another time.My burgundy leather coat was great. It was warm; it went with all I brought, and it dried fast when it was wet.
Finally, my favorite thing of all was the acrylic wrap sweater from TravelSmith that had color blocks of burgundy, brown and rust. It was a last minute purchase, and hands down, the best piece I took. When it was really cold I wore it with a warm hat over three layers. At night in the hotel, I used it as a blanket if the hotel didn’t have extra. I looked online to buy another on sale, but I didn’t see anymore. This one by Woolrich is available at Nordstrom and is the same size and fabric.
Anyway, happy February. Look for my next blog to showcase some romantic looks for Valentine’s Day!
Keep it sassy, Indy.
B. Divine, Indianapolis Personal Stylist
