I went into the city with The Princess and finally met his mother. The Princess and I have been together for 11 years, and while I’ve known his kids from the start, for totally valid reasons, I’ve only begun meeting the rest of his family in the last few months. I figured the lunch ‘meeting’ could be very uncomfortable so I put my outfit together with as many of my current favourites as I thought would be appropriate. That meant my all-time favourite top – this dusty rose knit tee, my current favourite shoes (black Miu Miu’s), my cross body silver necklaces, and my new brass knuckle clutch. I figured the weapon clutch could come in handy if the lunch didn’t go well!

I tried to keep my look very ME but also very neutral. Not too edgy, not too glam. I would have loved to have worn my current favourite bottoms, which are a pair of David Kahn, Brenda Skinny leather look ankle pants, but felt they might be a bit much. It turns out I could have worn any ballsy outfit I wanted – The Princess’s mom is so seriously glam! She wore a black and white outfit: Black pants, a white button up shirt with a double collar, a micro hounds-tooth vest, and an amazing black blazer. Black nail polish (I was going to do my nails in black polish but worried it would be too goth!), and her expertly layered pixie bob completed the look. Her hair is a perfect mix of light and dark grey, blonde and white. I think she looks like what Meryl Streep is going to look like in 20 years.

The lunch went well, we got along well and were comfortable with each other. We were able to talk and laugh and share stories. Of course the things that kept us from meeting for a decade are still in play, so where we go from here is awkward and in question.

* Don’t worry, I took these photos a couple days after I actually wore the outfit, so when I met The Princess’s mom, I was crisply pressed, wonderfully coiffed, contact lensed, and dolled up in make up!

It worked well with jeans and a sweater, so I figured go for something tricky. Skinny legs and a dazzling print.

Love it! I’ve held the trench up against a wide array of closet items and it works with almost everything. Some notable exceptions – lime green neon jeans. I might be able to make it work with a black top, but that’ll be the only way. No brainers are red and jewel tones. I wonder how often I can wear this thing before The Princess demands that I put something else on.

For about a decade I’ve been wanting a cream coloured, mid length, double breasted trench coat, with thick black piping, and sleeve detail. I’d searched on and off and kept my radar up, but hadn’t found anything quite right. They were unlined, the piping was too thin, it wasn’t double breasted, it was too crazy expensive, it just wasn’t right enough. I even tried to sew one myself with pretty embarrassing results. And then I received the new line up KateSpade.com email, and there it was. A little more of a flared hem than I envisioned, but otherwise pretty damn perfect. The price was decent – except of course that I’ve been on a crazed shopping rampage, so yet another big ticket item was daunting. But – I bought it anyway. It’s as close to perfect as I’ve seen, trench weather has arrived, and dammit, I just wanted it. I’m done shopping for a long while though!

The Topliner Trench of awesomeness arrived a couple days ago, and after an intense bout of mediocre ironing, it was ready to make its debut. I think it’s gorgeous and I’m going to wear the hell out of it! I tried it first with an absolutely basic outfit – dark jeans and a black turtleneck – in order to see the trench stand on its own, and I think it does. I’m pretty sure I could wear this over anything and it would work awesomely.

I really like how this trench is cut. The seams are placed perfectly for a flattering fit on just about any figure. There is no vertical shoulder line seam, instead the sleeves are attached at an angle – imagine the arm openings on a halter top. This makes the shoulder line – the most important place for a jacket/coat to fit – a non issue. If your chest/back/arm hole fits, the shoulder is just going to rest nicely across – whoo hoo!! If this thing ever goes on sale I’m going to buy a second one, either in a larger size (in anticipation of middle age spread) or in my current size to dye another colour.

In conclusion – I LOVE THIS TRENCH!