My Birthday Suit

I know what you think! Uh-uh, no such luck today, guys! That was the 1973 birthday suit! This is the 2016 one!

I promised to share with you, so here it is - what I wore to my birthday celebration in May. Both pieces, the dress and the jacket (faux leather) are from a wonderful collaboration between a talented young designer Christian Siriano and a plus size brand Lane Bryant. I love LB collaborations, and was looking forward to this one. At first, I was a little disappointed with the color selection. The colors were beautiful, but they just weren't my best colors. Then I decided to focus on neutrals, like black and white. I am very much drawn to black and white lately, so I chose three pieces (I won't tell you yet what was the third piece).

I'm amazed with the fit - it's perfect, as if it was made for me. Very flattering too, and I can combine both pieces in many ways. I will probably be able to wear this jacket during cool evenings here in the Pacific Northwest. Ferry ride? I have just the right jacket to wear!

I was a bit in a hurry leaving the house, so did not grab any jewelry, but I wore my gorgeous new pumps and cat-eye sunnies (another inexpensive pair of glasses - remember I told you that I got a few?). 1950s rock chic! And look at my amazing daughter - she wanted to match my outfit! She wore her version of a moto jacket, and an A-line skirt over a sun dress. We were two cool chicks! By the way, I was welcomed to the Three Club again (it happens every year, I join the club). What, you don't know about it? Justin is 53, Anya is 13, and I am 43 - we are the Three Club! Anyone wants to join in?

We celebrated in our local restaurant Cliff House - the name says it all, the restaurant is literally built into a cliff overlooking Puget Sound, Mt Rainier and downtown Tacoma. It's on the pricey side, and we've only dined there twice. The view is hard to beat! I will share an old photo and a vintage postcard of the dining room with you. The card can be found in a few different online resources (e.g., here), and dates from 1962. The dining room looks different now, but the view is pretty much the same: the volcano, the city, the port, the Sound...

The old photo is of the restaurant from the side that faces Puget Sound (photo source). It's one of the oldest restaurants around here (since 1925) and a landmark. It was rebuilt after an original tavern burnt down in 1958. A good article about the history and reopening of the restaurant HERE.

Dress and jacket - Christian Siriano for Lane Bryant

Pumps - Ivanka Trump

Purse - via TJ MAXX (old)

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