Please forgive me for this post and run. I'm in the middle of a stressful time with a very sick relative and our move that is due in three weeks. In the midst of this, we went to Southern France to celebrate my mothers's 70th birthday and also to give my youngest daughter her Paris trip (a gift for her confirmation last May). We managed to relax while there, but now that I'm back again, I have a lot to catch up on.

One of the purposes of the trip to Paris was to find a dress for my daughter's school dance in january, and once again Ted Baker came to the rescue. She picked a beautiful dress with full skirt. The exposed zipper in the back is in rose gold, the top of the dress is ink blue, and the skirt is pale pink. She is wearing it with her black ballet flats and her new Cambridge satchel. For her great evening she will add some heels and a clutch.

I was hoping to find a coat for myself, but no such luck this time. Instead I bought no less than three garments from a small design chain called LOFT design by… It was instant love - I wanted everything they had. My final picks were a black dressy trouser with asymmetrical pleats and side zipper. I also bought a very minimal sweater in silk and cashmere (charcoal black). My third choice was a shirt in soft jersey with a fine black geometrical print on white background, and with white collar and (whatsitcalledagain) sleeves. I also bought an asymmetrical poncho in light grey cashmere from Eric Bompard.

Better view of the trousers: http://www.loftdesignby.com/en.....ana-1.html
Better view of the shirt: http://www.loftdesignby.com/en.....lie-2.html

I'm very happy with all my choices, and of course with my daughter's dress, too! My goal was to find pieces that were modern, timeless and seasonless (wearable for three seasons at least). What do you think of our choices? Pleats are tricky, and I hope you think the trousers work well on me. Thanks for looking! Please feel free to share any thoughts.