• Main Dining Fashion – Solid Black and Bermuda

    Trish Berry, November 2024
    I like solid black as one of my base colors.  I wear a black outfit at least two nights a week, switching it up with different accessories.  I can hang a white scarf around my shoulders and decorate with jewelry. Or, as in the photo below, I can wear black on black with an accent bow.
    Vintage Echo Black Silk Scarf, La Femme Black Dress, Stud Diamond Earrings, Gold Bracelets, Gold Rings and Necklace.  Black shoes were purchased at the pharmacy in Bermuda and have no name on them, but they are cute and comfortable. I bought two pairs of these sandals because I liked them so much.
    I buy fake Zirconia on eBay, usually made by Stauer.  Stauer makes lovely vintage zirconia pendants that you can switch around from outfit to outfit. I usually pay $10.00 for a pendant, but the postage is high so the end price is more, plus you pay taxes.  But, I could not go out and buy such beautiful pendants anywhere else for that price.  A lot of people are purchasing from Temu, but I have never purchased anything from there.  Afraid I would get carried away.
    The white scarf I’m wearing in the below photo was purchased at the Promenade on the cruise ship for $10.00.  I love this scarf and use it frequently because it really does keep my shoulders warm.
    Royal Caribbean White Polyester Scarf, Caribbean Clothing Midi-Length Dress, Gold Bracelets and Gold Rings, Gold Necklaces with Pendants, Diamond Stud Earrings, Apple Watch. And my rose sparkle ring that I won at Bingo.
    I am so very proud of this bow I made for this outfit.  It is made of a flimsy fabric.  After I had made it with my rubber band, it hung down like a limp flower.  What was I to do????  Well, Elmer’s Glue is invisible when it dries.  So I carefully put Elmer’s on certain parts of the fabric, elevated it on something (can’t remember what) after stretching that section out.  After it dried, I applied Elmer’s, stretched another section out and laid it on top of something to dry.  Wow, it worked like a charm.  I attach this bow, or any other bow, to the dress with a safety pin, a large safety pin.
    If you ever get to Bermuda, make sure you go to the Crystal Caves.  You can purchase an all-day ticket at a booth as you get off your ship.  This ticket allows you to use all the buses and ferries on the islands all day long. (Bermuda is a string of islands linked together by bridges.)
    We took the ferry over to Hamilton Township, caught the local bus to the Crystal Caves and loved it.  The cost to us for doing this was much lover than paying for an excursion.
    The caves are famous.  Some young boys were playing ball in the early 1900s when their ball went down a hole.  They climbed down to retrieve their ball and this is what they discovered. . .
    Below is a cute red phone booth that people have their photos taken in.  A visual memory of the past.
    Within walking distance from your ship is the Dockyard Museum. It is filled with this history of Bermuda. Go there. It is fantastic.
    Below is a photo the beautiful Main Dining Room on the ship we were traveling on.  Beautiful!
    Remember, what you wear does not make you.  It enhances you.  If you choose to dress up a little in the evening, it makes you feel good about yourself, go for it.  I like Main Dining simply for that reason.  Every woman I have ever seen in Main Dining has been beautiful.  Their eyes sparkle as they talk across the table, the smiles are wide, and they laugh a lot.  It is a joy to see. They don’t all ‘dress up,’ as I call it.  Some are in cute sundresses, their shoulders pinkish from the sun. Some are in elegant jeans with white piping and a white shirt and two-inch heels. They are all lovely. All women are lovely. That smile makes them beautiful. 
    Thanks for reading.  Hope to see you on our next cruise.
    Trish
  • Frugal (cheap) cruising clothes ideas

    Frugal (cheap) cruising clothes ideas

    Loft White Linen Blouse, Gold Bracelets, Gold Necklaces with Charms, Apple Watch, Faux Pearl Bracelet, Diamond Studs, Gold Hoop Earrings, Small Louis Vuitton Clutch to hold Apple Phone

    Trish Berry, November 2024

    I like solid colors for main dining fashion.  I have a white midi dress that I use a lot.  I wear it at least two times a week when we are away.

    I change the look my changing my scarves.  Yes, I use scarves a lot because I am an older lady (76), and I like to cover my upper arms.  Plus, it’s always a tad cold to me so I have the scarf for warmth as well.  The scarves take the chill off.

    To switch up the look of this white dress and scarves, I make a bow to go in the front that I attach with a safety pin.  Oh, safety pins come in handy.  I make my bows by wadding a fabric that matches my scarf, secure the back of the wadded fabric with a rubber band, cut the fabric close to the rubber band, punch in the middle of the fabric, and then put in a few stitches with a sewing needle and matching thread.  In the photo of me sitting at the table, you can see what I’ve done with the gold bow.

    Zesica Dress, Gold Necklace with Stauer Pendant, Gold Bracelets, Apple Phone, Diamond Studs and Gold Hoop Earrings

    I am a frugal girl. Most of my clothing comes from a thrift store in my area.  On Wednesday, the thrift store (Salvation Army) opens at 9:00 (an hour early) and all clothing is half price.  It isn’t like I’m going in and buying my neighbors’ discarded clothing because the clothing in our local store is brought in from different areas.  I never purchased Ann Taylor clothing, Chico clothing, Coldwater Creek, or other expensive brands.  My thrift store carries those brands. I snap them up.  Some of them have the original price tags on them.  On the half-off price days, I pay approximately $5.00 for a dress (sometimes less), $3.00 for a scarf.  Win-win for me.

    I also go to estate sales.  I type in estatesales.net and look at the photos online of estates sales close to my home.  You can do this by going to the site and putting in your zip code.  You will see all the estate sales being held near your home.  If I see expensive clothing in the closets (real fur from the old days), I will attempt to go to that sale, knowing that I will find silk scarves for $2.00.  Most people going to an estate sale are looking for decorating items, collectibles to resell on eBay or other online selling sites, and rugs.  But I go for the clothing.

    Have a great day.  Thank you for reading. My husband and I are both retired and love to travel.  Be happy today.  Smile and everyone will smile back at you.  It is our nature.  We are supposed to go through life with a smile as much as we can.  Bad things can and will happen, but always bring the smile back to your face because we have to go on through life, and a smile makes your heart warm and makes life easier.

    Thanks for reading.

    Trish

  • Main Dining Fashion – Welcome

    Trish Berry, November 2024

    I am 76 years old and I cruise on Royal Caribbean ships, 30 cruises so far, and would enjoy sharing with you any hints I’ve learned about dressing for Main Dining, onboard casual wear and swim wear.  I’ve learned the hard way how to correct mixing and matching errors, how to travel with needle and thread, and dental floss, all items that can help you to look your best.  But most of all, I want to tell you how I’ve learned to dress the way that makes me feel good.  We should always feel good about ourselves and the clothes we choose can enhance our image, if we want.

    We can get dressy.  We can get sassy.  We can get alluring.  We can get fun, fun, fun. Our answers for happiness are within each and every one of us.  It isn’t always the clothes we wear that make a statement about us, but it’s how those clothes make us feel.  Whatever size we are, we must always love ourselves.  Clothing is just glitter.  Glitter filters off, but the core beauty stays.

    Thanks for reading,

    Trish