This turned out long, so...

I just got back from a cruise and the first thing I want to say is "Thank you!" to all the Fabbers who unknowingly--because I am a voracious lurker and seldom poster--helped me navigate summer style. Granted, the cruise was to Canada, so I'm not going to be talking about bikinis. You can thank me for that later. The lessons and examples I took from this site, though, helped me so much!

First, THANK YOU all for helping me make the step into white pants. I had avoided them since my 20s (I'm now 60), partly because I believed my mother, and then my now-ex, that I had a fat butt. I now know that I have a lovely, curvaceous bottom and it looks great in white pants. LOL On this cruise I packed white cropped jeans that looked stylish at every port, including on cool days with a cute nautical light blue striped hoodie. My husband called me adorable. I have pictures of neither item, because Lands End (my go to for jeans) doesn't allow finds and the hoodie is vintage.

In the Finds below you'll see most of my cruise wardrobe. Not included are the pants, but I brought dark indigo wash jeans, white crop jeans, and black crop pants that were ever so comfy and could be dressed up for evening. I would NOT have even given cropped pants a chance if I had not seen how well everyone here pulled them off. Well, I can pull them off too! Summery!

I also packed an EF black silk jersey tank that gave me a dressier evening option with the black pants and jacket, and another tank in white. When getting off the ship I mostly wore athletic shoes because my bad knees like them best of all for hiking around on uneven surfaces. On ship, though, I rocked the other shoes.

The dress I packed was the EF one but in a dark sapphire blue that's no longer available. It worked wonderfully with a bit of jewelry, the gray sandals, and the Karen Kane jacket. I bought that jacket last year because I loved the way it looked on me, but only wore it for the first time last week. Took me long enough! I just needed the occasion.

At the last minute I threw in the long-sleeved Vince shirt. Weather reports said it would be chilly in St. John, and it was, so I was glad to have it. I also had my Stella Carakasi off-white jacket, which I love, and for which I also cannot do a find. Wearing items I love instead of just "what I have handy for weekends" (which is what I did for years because I felt invisible) makes me feel--and I'm going to say it--younger, more visible, more engaged with my own life, and just plain happy.

Using tips from all you wonderful Fabbers, I put together a versatile travel capsule that took me from the ride to the port, through casual days at sea, elegant dinner nights, sightseeing in three ports, mornings reading on the balcony in the chilly North Atlantic, and back to a hot and sweltering NYC. Every item, including the new ones, flatter my body and worked the way I envisioned. I travel with a large group of other family members, some of whom hadn't seen me in a year, and they liked the "new" me.

I'd always been stylish at work, but lived in jeans and tees on weekends and therefore also on our cruises. I knew I looked boring but it took retirement and a transition period for me to work out how to up my game in the casual department. YLF and a handful of other bloggers have been my university. These items all are part of my current summer wardrobe. So thank you all for all the tips, WIWs, Finds, and posts on how the heck to dress every possible body type and foot configuration. You're helping people you don't even know you're helping.