As much as we Southern Ladies love our Pearls, we do have an inordinate fondness for Roses and Lace- touches that fairly exude feminine fashion! A lace handkerchief carried with a wedding bouquet,  rose corsages pinned to lace blouses or dresses are classic pairings. My sister and I were already wearing lace trimmed blouses with little corsages from a young age. One Christmas, our aunt and uncle were taking us out on the town to the ornately beautiful Alabama Theater decked out in our finery, with our little pocketbooks too.

I think fashion is at it’s best when it is classic and simple- and this idea isn’t new, Leonardo da Vinci said it best way back in the 1500’s- ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’. A Classic Black Dress with Pearls can take you anywhere, darlin’ – Karl Lagerfield famously said: ‘One is never overdressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress’.

The least expensive way to update a Black Dress or even a Wardrobe of Classics is with Accessories. A friend of mine received a beautiful Christmas bouquet of white roses this week just when I was trying to figure out what to wear to an occasion, I thought these three White Silk Roses pinned on a Lace Patterned Wrap might be just the thing. Winter clothing is often structured, it can benefit from soft beautiful accessories.

Coco Chanel loved using a floral pin- either in the same tweeds she favored or with Millenary Grade Flowers- like her iconic Camellia pin- she repeated Pearls and Floral Pins over and over in her classic designs. I think Southern ladies were doing this long before Chanel came along but we sure do appreciate her highlightin’ it for us! A word of warning- pins and brooches can be heavy- so make sure what you pin it on can support the weight and alternately some fabrics are heavy so make sure your pin can pierce the fabric- if not? Use a heavier pin behind it and clasp the pins on just the fabric’s surface. Holiday dressing isn’t all about glitz and bright colors, sometimes neutrals can be just as beautiful, just make sure you add Red Lipstick-the iconic ‘Cherries in the Snow’ would perfect this time of year.

Try Roses and Lace to soften your Winter Wardrobe. And if you are looking for some last minute gift ideas, a Warm Wrap or Scarf, an Accessory such as a Beautiful Brooch or Floral Pin and a great Stocking Stuffer would be the all time best selling red lipstick– Revlon’s® ‘Cherries in the Snow’ ! Of course if you have no time at all- send a Bouquet of Roses!

Love y’all, Camellia

photographs are obviously mine- the vintage photograph of me and my sweet sister are from our private collection and the Cherries in the Snow lipstick photo is from AOL images and may be subject to copyright. The rose pins were purchased from a small vendor several years ago, the scarf was purchased locally.