46 In Style

An Evening in Monochrome at the Palais-Royal

Winser London dress and blouse

dsc_3491I do love a dress with pockets

I recently bought a black shift dress.  Remember back in the summer when I blogged about the Winser London Little Red Dress that so many of you liked?  Well, in that post I said I was going to buy it in black for the winter and wear it with my cream silk blouse (which I also own and adore in navy), so here I am following through with it!  Both items pack brilliantly, so I brought them to Paris with me last week.

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We decided the best location to photograph this monochrome outfit would be in the equally monochrome landmark, Les Colonnes de Buren in the Palais-Royal.  My husband and I stopped here on our way to dinner at Le Grand Restaurant Jean François Piège.  It is quite a grown up restaurant, so I liked wearing something chic and understated (for me, anyway… not a sequin in sight!).

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black dress Winser London

dsc_3400I wore these comfortable open-toe shoe booties covered in twinkling black crystals (see them with trousers here) and carried the matching evening clutch.  There is no better way to take an outfit from day to evening than adding elegant sparkling accessories; these shoes and this clutch say that you’re ready for a cocktail! dsc_3392

I was quite happy to photograph at night for a change.  While we were away, I existed on very little sleep.  As luck would have it, my little one got a nasty cold from nursery school just before we went, so  I was awake a lot during the night with him.  When I downloaded these photos, my bestie was visiting from Switzerland, and said, “Wow, you look exhausted” so please don’t look too closely at my puffy eyes in these grainy evening photos!

Serendipitiously continuing the monochrome and sparkly theme, I was sent these beautiful Akoya pearl earrings from the lovely people at Eternal Collection a few days before I left for Paris, so I brought them along too.  I chose these earrings because I really like their scale.  They aren’t too small and dainty, but they’re also not oversize statement earrings.  I’ll use them to modernise and update a basic strand of pearls, and to lift to an all black outfit.

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I’m sort of stunned that the pearl earrings, the shoes and clutch, and the outfit all made it to Paris.  You see, I am a notoriously terrible packer.  You’ll never see the classic “What to pack for XYZ” blog post out of me, I can assure you.  I’m always in a complete lather, packing for my 3 year old, packing for myself, AND getting my dogs’ arrangements sorted before we go anywhere.  I am the girl who packs a huge suitcase of clothes and then only wears two things the whole trip.  Or, I forget something crucial like my contact lenses or the right bra for a certain top.  This trip, I accidentally packed really well.  I wore nearly everything I brought.  I only took the one pair of heels I’m wearing in these photos, and I wore the same flats I had travelled in every day for the next week because I forgot to pack anything else.  I even forgot my Adidas trainers, but I did (unhelpfully) remember to pack 4 pairs of socks to wear with them.  I’ve just accepted that I’m a lousy packer;  I simply check the weather, pack in a rush, and make do with whatever I’ve brought.

dsc_3351A closer look at the cream silk blouse

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dsc_3658Dress: Winser London  Blouse: Winser London  Earrings: Eternal Collection  Shoes and Clutch: Lotus

Here is a close up photo of the accessories in daylight.  Night photography doesn’t do dark items any justice, and the twinkly details on the earrings, shoes, and clutch are just too pretty to miss.  I was in such a rush packing that I didn’t even realise how beautifully everything went together until I put them on in Paris.

monochrome accessories

My friends from The Over 40 Collective also chose an item from Eternal Collection to feature on their blogs this week.  Have a look at what they all chose, and marvel (as I did!) at how completely different our styles are.

2016-11-02-not-dressed-as-lamb-009Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb chose an autumnal leaf necklace and earrings

lady-of-style-eternal-collection-1Annette from Lady of Style wears a cool silver necklace, bracelet, and earring set

eternal-collection-turquoise-stonebraceletRetroChicMama elevates a navy shirtdress with a bright turquoise bracelet

eternal-1Nikki of Midlife Chic adds a hit of fresh colour to her grey cashmere sweater

braceletLiz from What Lizzy Loves is holiday-ready her red crystal bracelet

close-up-copyMichelle of The Barefaced Chic chose a constellation of sparkle for her neck and ears

Thank you to Eternal Collection for sponsoring our collaboration.

Linking to: TheFabJourney, HighLatitudeStyle, NotDressedAsLamb, HonestMum, Visible Monday

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46 Comments

  • Reply
    Michelle
    November 2, 2016 at 10:54 AM

    4 pairs of socks & no shoes eh? Still chuckling over here 😉
    I’m stunned by how perfectly these earrings co-ordinate with your shoes & clutch Lisa! You look elegant & sophisticated in the entire ensemble, I’m certain heads turned as you entered the restaurant. He’s a lucky man that Husband of yours.
    xxx

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 11:13 AM

      You should know how badly I pack, after our Paris weekend Michelle :-D. Although in my defence, I got the weather completely wrong that time, so I brought warm clothes and it was hot, so I wore the same black dress (the one in this post, actually!) the whole time… with sneakers even, if I recall.

      Thank you so much, Michelle. I find if you buy things you like, somehow they all end up going together. xx

  • Reply
    No Fear of Fashion
    November 2, 2016 at 11:11 AM

    Indeed, this ensemble looks very elegant and sophisticated. Exactly what an elegant woman in Paris would / could wear. Beautiful.
    But you still had bare legs?? Last week? My goodness. What was the temperature like?
    You say “there wasn’t a sequin in sight” but do the sparkles on shoes and clutch not count?
    Greetje

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 11:32 AM

      Thank you, Greetje. Sometimes I have to tone down the sparkle and blend in with the French a little bit. I couldn’t have NO sparkle, so the shoes and bag and earrings were a subtle way to make sure I kept some Sequinist going on :-). It was about 16 degrees or so when we were there, not bad at all. I hardly bothered with a coat the whole week. xx

  • Reply
    Susan B.
    November 2, 2016 at 2:28 PM

    What a great look! I need to remember that sleeveless dresses can always be worn with a blouse underneath. Love these shots at the Palais Royal!

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 3:33 PM

      Thanks so much, Susan! Yes, I need to work this trick into my wardrobe more often as well. xx

  • Reply
    MaggieK
    November 2, 2016 at 3:20 PM

    So lovely and chic! Now I know what to wear the next time I go to Paris. I hope the dinner was as delicious as your outfit!

    I sympathize about the packing. There are few things that send me into panic-mode like packing for a trip does. I just freak out and throw things in willy-nilly and hope for the best. I tried having a glass of wine first to settle me down, but that seemed to make me even more disorganized. And I don’t have the excuse of child and dog distractions like you do! I’m glad it worked out so well for the Paris trip.

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 3:34 PM

      Thank you, Maggie. Dinner was superb!

      It seems like every time I pack, I leave things until too late. I just can’t seem to manage to find time to start early, and even if I do, I still pack wrong! xx

  • Reply
    Mithra Ballesteros
    November 2, 2016 at 3:50 PM

    It’s so gorgeously Lisa! Not just for what you brought but for what you left out. I for one found it refreshing to see a style shoot in Paris sans scarf. Sorry about your little one’s cold. It seems never ending in those preschool and elementary years. But they do bounce back quickly, don’t they?!

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 6:06 PM

      Thank you, Mithra! I rarely wear scarves; I’m far too hot natured, and I look like like a really uptight WASP wearing one.

      These colds, eh? His seems to be dragging on a bit, and quelle surprise, now I have it. xx

  • Reply
    LA CONTESSA
    November 2, 2016 at 3:50 PM

    YOU are VERY LUCKY your HUSBAND will SNAP AWAY!If mine does chances are the photo is TOO FAR AWAY!
    PARIS…………..did you read HAVE SOME DECORUM?Ellie lived right THERE upstairs towards the end of her LIFE!She was ALL ABOUT INTERIORS FOOD AND STYLE although she loved her cashmere most!YOU have taken me back there in thought!YOU may enjoy some photos I had taken with MY SONS back a few years…….if you GO to my BLOG.
    THE VINTAGE CONTESSA.NET at the TOP click on LA CONTESSA.Then click on THE SHOOT………………..I think you may enjoy this and it is something YOU could DO with your SON next time!!CARLA lives there in PARIS……and is DIVINE!WE HAD THE BEST TIME…….and the chickens are because I owned an antique shop called HEN HOUSE!!
    AS for packing I got better with AGE!IT is amazing how little one needs…………….HOPEFULLY< you have many MORE TRIPS TO PRACTICE!!!!!!!!!!XX

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 6:04 PM

      I’m lucky to have a good husband as well as a good camera! I’m going to go over to your blog to read those sections you referred me to right now. I’m glad I could give you a little walk down memory lane. xx

  • Reply
    nancy
    November 2, 2016 at 4:22 PM

    Very elegant! I wore a similar outfit yesterday on the blog. I am curious what you think about it!

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 6:01 PM

      I’ll go have a look, Nancy! xx

  • Reply
    Samantha Blair
    November 2, 2016 at 4:30 PM

    Lisa, this outfit is a knockout!
    I LOVE.
    Those gorgeous shoes (SO sexy) and the tie neck blouse under your shift….gah!!!!
    Just WOW.
    Smashing it.
    XXXX

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 2, 2016 at 6:01 PM

      OH, thank you so much, Samantha! I’m so pleased you like it 🙂 xx

  • Reply
    Liz
    November 2, 2016 at 9:15 PM

    You look amazing as always Lisa. In every single outfit you manage to look both as sexy as…yet classy, elegant and expensive. I love your sparkly shoes and bag and the earrings co-ordinate beautifully. Stunning! Xxx

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 3, 2016 at 10:20 AM

      Awww, thank you so much, darling Liz. I’m so pleased you like it all. I really like this outfit too, even though it is quite different from my ‘usual’ style. xx

  • Reply
    Andrea Nine
    November 3, 2016 at 6:07 PM

    Love this sweet look and what cute earrings!

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 3, 2016 at 8:46 PM

      Thanks, Andrea! xx

  • Reply
    jacqui
    November 3, 2016 at 8:41 PM

    I usually pack way too much! Hopefully you had a super time with the limited shoes anyway. These shots look amazing, such a stunning location. x Jacqui
    http://www.mummabstylish.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 3, 2016 at 8:47 PM

      Thank you so much, Jacqui! That is so sweet of you. xx

  • Reply
    Carlos Federico
    November 4, 2016 at 11:08 AM

    You look so pretty.
    MaximsFashion

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 4, 2016 at 11:49 AM

      Thank you so much! xx

  • Reply
    Abby
    November 4, 2016 at 4:05 PM

    I thought I left a comment yesterday evening, but I don’t see it here? It seems I also missed you being in Paris, Lisa? I hope you still like me? You look amazing as usual! Sending you lots of love. xxAbby

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 4, 2016 at 8:32 PM

      Oh really? I didn’t see a comment yesterday evening, that’s ok, you’re here now 🙂 I know, it is a pity I didn’t get to see you. I had a sick boy on my hands and it wasn’t easy to make plans around him because he wanted to be at home with Mommy the whole time. Next time, let’s hope he and I aren’t sick! OF COURSE I still love you! xxxx

  • Reply
    Sheela Goh
    November 6, 2016 at 2:07 PM

    Nary a sequin in sight but still some sparkly on those heels and clutch 🙂 and I’m right there with you in the lousy packer department, Lisa, the only difference being (as my husband is wont to tell me), I end up shopping voraciously to make up for it GRIN I hope your little one is on the up and up, and you’re able to catch up on some sleep xoxo

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 6, 2016 at 9:49 PM

      Ahhh, yes, I can’t manage NO sparkle very well… kind of like you wearing flats, Sheela!

      Packing badly is definitely the perfect excuse to buy a few “necessities”, isn’t it?!

      Thanks; the little one is recovering but not before passing along his wretched illness to Mama (eye roll). xx

  • Reply
    Emma Peach
    November 6, 2016 at 3:16 PM

    Wow Lisa, such a beautifully elegant outfit! You can’t get a better location than Paris! Those earrings are gorgeous…I love my necklace in the same design. I sympathise with the packing dilemma, although I have improved ever so slightly over the years. My husband still jokes about me taking the kitchen sink, but then packing is so much easier for men. On my recent holiday I couldn’t find my contact lens solution at the airport hotel and had resigned myself to having to keep them in all night until I could buy some more…only to discover I’d put it inside a trainer to save space! Packing just scrambles my brain!

    Emma xxx
    http://www.style-splash.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 6, 2016 at 9:46 PM

      Thank you Emma! Yes, packing scrambles my brain as well; I’ve given up. Isn’t it cool you and I chose the same design from the vast sea of possibilities on the Eternal Collection website?!

  • Reply
    jess jannenga
    November 6, 2016 at 3:35 PM

    Hi Lisa,
    I love the jewelry everyone in this post is wearing. elegant and sophisticated. The shimmery earrings look lovely with the clutch and those sexy shoes. The pictures are lovely too as I myself enjoy a locational photo shoot. The dress looks great with the blouse, very chic! ( I remember the red one as well!)
    Thanks for linking up with My Refined Style
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 6, 2016 at 9:45 PM

      Thanks so much, Jess! I always like seeing what we all choose, because we are all so different in style. xx

  • Reply
    Michelle
    November 6, 2016 at 4:41 PM

    Those earrings are just the perfect match to your outfit, they look made for each other! Stunning pics, stunning backdrop and stunning lady ????
    Michelle xxx

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 6, 2016 at 9:41 PM

      Aww, thank so much, honey! xx

  • Reply
    Stella Asteria
    November 7, 2016 at 5:02 PM

    You all girls look amazing and the jewellery are so on point for each and every outfit! My dear Lisa, if you want packing tips or help I am totally in, I am such a packing/organising freak that my friends call me “Monica” from Friends series haha! I love this monochrome classic look and the location you picked is perfect! It’s really nice to see a photo series taken at night, looks really great! you really inspire me to try it as well!
    Happy Monday my gorgeous friend!
    Love,
    Stella
    http://www.stellaasteria.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 8, 2016 at 8:55 AM

      Thank you so much, Stella! I’ll definitely be asking for packing tips; I need a checklist because I get so distracted while I’m in the middle of doing it all. xx

  • Reply
    Mary Murnane
    November 11, 2016 at 3:19 PM

    Such a gorgeous look! Loved looking through these photos.

    Mary
    http://www.marymurnane.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 11, 2016 at 9:03 PM

      Thank you so much, Mary. xx

  • Reply
    Patti
    November 13, 2016 at 11:02 PM

    So elegant in black and white, and your earrings are perfection. Thanks for linking, xo

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 15, 2016 at 10:50 AM

      Thank you, Patti! xx

  • Reply
    Sue Burpee
    November 17, 2016 at 10:41 PM

    What a beautiful outfit. So chic and appropriate for Paris. I love the cream silk blouse under the “shift dress.” Looks like a great trip…too bad you were under the weather. I couldn’t tell at all!

    Dropping by from Visible Monday.

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 18, 2016 at 9:45 PM

      Thank you so much, Sue! xx

  • Reply
    Debbie Savage
    November 21, 2016 at 7:31 PM

    So, much beauty here I can’t handle!
    xo Debbie | http://www.tothineownstylebetrue.com

    • Reply
      Lisa
      November 21, 2016 at 8:49 PM

      Oh, thank you SO much, Debbie. I’m pleased you like the photos! xx

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