Thanks, smittie. It made me smile when I saw a list of "spending priorities" in my mom's notebook. Beyond bills, one of the items in her top three was "items that enhance and develop my personal style."
texstyle - I love that her tastes ran so close to mine in so many ways!
Ledonna - Yup, I'm going to try that! I donated a lot of her clothing to an organization she worked with that helps women just out of prison, so I have no qualms at all about letting anything that doesn't work for me go on to a new life.
Thanks, Angie. That's my favorite too!
Beth Ann and Dee and Brooklyn - It is such a cool thing to have you ladies, who have a sense of my style and can see how various items might fit in. Thank you!
Firecracker - It's so interesting that so many of you have pointed this out with #4. It's the one I came closest to leaving behind, and then decided at the last moment to throw in the suitcase, just to play with.
Wise, Joy. Thank you!
Alaskagirl, there's just something about a red plaid, isn't there? I suspect I'll be wearing that one a lot come next autumn.
Jane, what a cool idea to have your dad's jacket altered!
Sterling - Apparently, my mom was so known for her blazers that her office held a "blazer day" to remember her after she passed away. That made me laugh.
Mochi - You're right. The quality is great! Both plaid ones are wool and fully lined.
Thank you so much, Diane and Maneera.
RobinF - I find your comment totally fascinating, and I wonder if your initial reaction might have been because you're less familiar with my style than some others? It looks like you joined only a week or so before I went radio silent for a bit. It really makes you think about how we see clothing in the abstract, on a model or mannequin, versus what we think of certain pieces on a specific individual whose style we know. I wear a lot of plaid, so it's quite possible that others saw that and it made sense to them in context!