Thursday, February 12, 2026

Welcome to the most fashionable day on the blog!

Did you ever wear a “dickey” in the 80s or 90s?

They are now calling them “fake collars” but I enjoy the word “dickey”. Look at the Amazon dickey offerings! My teaching colleague when I was 28 and I always talked about dickeys but I can’t remember why. Here me out – the dickey could be the perfect thing for the menopausal woman. The menopausal woman can’t handle a full on shirt situation!

Also, do you ever put a button down/up on under a sweater and feel that it is too bulky? Do you have issues with the cuffs? Step right up and buy yourself a dickey!

Did I sound like an infomercial? That is what I was going for. Because I am the most dedicated amateur blogger out there, I have ordered a three pack of dickeys just for the cause.

I chose this “scalloped” three pack for $23 ish dollars. I think the scallop/granny look is in and I confirmed it with this ad for spring clothing:

The dickeys I bought have an elastic that goes under the armpits to keep the dickey in place. It is adjustable.

It was very hard to get a photo. I was bothered by the elastic that went under the arms and I decided that with it being toward the end of winter (hopefully) to return them. I did take one for the team and try them out. Another brand might work better for me but I’m not sure I’m going to pursue it again this season.

I also started thinking I might need more crewnecks to wear with the dickeys and then I was like, “Amy, that’s crazy” but I still ordered this. It’s going back as well because I didn’t like the fabric.

I also tried to wear silk scarves this week…

With it being so cold I had some difficulty. I wouldn’t say I loved either outfit. I think spring might bring more opportunities to wear them.

Marsha in the Middle sent me her scarf ‘fits! I really like the pattern mixing.

Some more inspo:

I really like the way she tied hers! I have one very similar to hers, too.

This week I had a fun shopportunity. My high school friend’s wife Katie (and blog reader) had to be in town and asked that I take her to my consignment shops. She was specifically looking for some things for an upcoming cruise.

Here are the questions I like to ask when helping someone:

What is the look you are going for? She didn’t really have to answer because I got to see her photos. She was going for comfortable but put together if I had to name her look.

What are you already working with in your closet (take photos)? She did her homework and even took photos of her planned shoes and cover ups!

What color palette will you use? She was using blues, whites, creams, and a touch of black. I recommended she take an athletic/sneaker shoe, a black sandal (she already had chosen), and a nude sandal that could be dressed up. I gave her two pairs of sandals I didn’t want anymore!

What types of things do you feel most comfortable in – shorts, skirts, dresses, etc.? We thought dresses that could work as a dress or a coverup would be great. She had a few knit dresses after our day. She had a linen pair of pants and a few tops. This is a cruise with only excursions where you wear a swimsuit off the ship so that makes it pretty easy.

I was anxious to share with her the Sudoku method of packing that I had heard about. It’s probably more for a different kind of trip, but it’s pretty cool! I don’t play Sudoku so I might not be able to figure it out myself.

I also wanted to emphasize the need for coverups and lounge clothing. Sometimes we forget about the comfortable clothing for your cabin that also look good for a breakfast run, etc. I was thinking sets here maybe. We didn’t find any but I told her to look at Old Navy’s athletic stuff, Aerie, and Loft. What is already in your closet that can be like a set?

Always shop your closet first, then make a list, hit up consignment shops, then go new. I also wanted to tell her to be sure to pack a foldable “day bag” or beach tote. You can never have too many extra little bags.

Here is what I wore to go on our shopping day:

It was going to be 60 by end of day so I wore a long sleeve lightweight blouse, my vest, Halaras, and my Adidas. Shopping is my cardio!

Katie and I spent about an hour in Clothes Mentor. It’s a big store and everything is organized by both size and color. Remember that consignment clothing has been washed so you may need to look at a size larger. I actually like this because you can see how things held up.

I encouraged her to try things on that maybe at first she didn’t like on the hanger. This is Katie behind the door:

Here is her one non-cruise item. She loved this sweater. It was a boutique brand and I told her how much use she would get from it in the time between winter and spring, now, spring, fall and we talked about all the places she could wear it. I think it was $10.99.

I think she ended up with 5 items for $60.

She was very happy with her finds! I should have taken photos of everything she ended up with but I started getting hungry.

We went to Green District for lunch where you build your own salad.

We went to Target to see what their swim coverup offerings were and it seems like the days of the colorful printed coverup are gone. We saw plain white, black, blue gauzy button ups. We saw pants. We saw some sweatery crochet type things. She has two button ups that she will take as swim coverups or as sun protection. It was good to see what was out, though.

We went to one more consignment store and they just didn’t have a lot of spring stuff yet. All of their winter stuff was on major sale.

I told her to give it a couple more weeks and then to look at TJ Maxx and other stores for spring/summer offerings.

I think she is set right now, though, if she needed to be.

I did look for myself but didn’t find anything and that’s ok. I am getting more and more picky about what comes home to my closet. I said this both to her and myself, “If it’s not a ‘heck yes’, it’s a NO!”

Amy