APRIL 25 marks the opening of the 37th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show,  a must-see display of creativity, innovation and technical mastery.  120 artists representing the finest contemporary American crafts and design are set to exhibit and sell ceramics, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art and wood.

Coincident with Earth Day’s vital message about protecting the environment, 21 of the show’s artists focus on sustainability in their work.

“Art addressing climate change is a rapidly growing field,” said Fran Dubrowski, director of Honoring the Future​®.​ “These pioneering artists offer inventive ideas for curtailing human impacts on the environment. They are true cultural leaders who deserve recognition.”

LEFT: Textile artist Amy Nguyen used the ancient dyeing technique of shibori to create pattern and color on the fabric before creating this pieced and sculptural Long Swing Coat, which is made from locally sourced wool. RIGHT: This Shaggy Chic Scarf  uses the leftover bits and pieces from Fritelli-Lockwood‘s garment and accessory collections. The body of the scarf is handwoven in tencel, silk, and rayon chenille, while the border is created by sewing small square patches together at the corners to create texture and fringe. 

Among the 21: Metalsmith Stacey Lee Webber uses found materials like pennies and screws in her sculptures and jewelry. Holly Anne Mitchell makes eco-friendly jewelry from recycled newspapers, and Amy Nguyen produces garments using consciously sourced dyes, low water immersion techniques and zero-waste piecing. Cecilia Frittelli and Richard Lockwood’s contemporary clothing and accessory collection is handwoven on vintage looms. The duo uses American-spun yarns, including silk, merino, alpaca, and chenille, with a special emphasis on eco-friendly fibers from bamboo, hemp and soy and upcycle their leftovers into pieced and patchworked clothing. Jeweler Anna Johnson’s works, influenced by nature, cultural ideas of value and environmental preservation, consist mostly of found objects mixed with semi-precious and precious materials.

LEFT: To make this eco-friendly bracelet, Holly Ann Mitchell recycled newspaper colorful comic strips into handmade beads, stitched with Japanese glass seed beads as accents. ABOVE RIGHT: Metal artist Stacey Lee Webber’s pieces incorporate a wide range of techniques, including coin cutting, embroidery, metal fabrication, weaving and resin pouring. Her George Circled Teardrops are made with pierced vintage silver quarters soldered to sterling silver square wire that is formed into a teardrop shape and then attached to oxidized silver french wire hoops. BELOW RIGHT: Jeweler Anna Johnson‘s intent is to “create soulful pieces that present nature in an unfamiliar context that will perhaps trigger people to make more conscious efforts to protect the environment.” Her Lepori Earrings are made from spessartine garnets, lemon quartz, rabbit vertebrae (ethically sourced), fine silver, sterling silver and cast wildflowers.

A Preview Night Benefit, April 24 from 6pm to 9:30pm, includes an awards ceremony, a cocktail buffet, an opportunity to meet the artists and early access for seeing and buying one-of-a-kind crafts. Tickets are $250.  On Thursday, April 25, from 6 to 7 p.m., the Craft Show’s “Convo with the Visionary” will feature this year’s Smithsonian Visionary Artist Award recipient, Joyce J. Scott. She will speak with Stephanie Stebich of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, followed by a question-and-answer session. Baltimore-born Scott uses off-loom hand-threaded beads and blown glass to create jewelry as well as figurative sculptures and wall hangings. Tickets are $45 per person and include all-day Thursday admission to the craft show (open until 8pm) and one complimentary drink. Alternatively, Thursday visitors can shop, snack and hang out with their pals at Friends Night Out from 5 to 8pm for the general admission price of $20.

The four-day show and sale will take place April 25–28 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. N.W. in Washington, D.C. The nearest metro is Judiciary Square. Admission is $20 at the door, but get your ticket for the show in advance at Smithsonian Craft Show and shave $3 off the price.  Hours are Thursday, April 25, 10:30am to 8pm.; Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, 10:30am to 5:30pm and Sunday, April 29, 11am to 5pm.

—Janet Kelly

TOO MANY years ago to count, I owned a taupe, oversized camp shirt (at least my mother would have called it that). Wikipedia defines it as “a loose, straight-cut, woven, short-sleeved button-front shirt or blouse with a simple placket front opening and a “camp collar”—a one-piece collar (no collar band) that can be worn open and spread or closed at the neck with a button and loop …”

I loved that shirt’s loose, boxy fit, the face-framing collar, that you could wear it tucked in or out. I tossed it when it started to look a little shabby, and the style no longer was right for the  decade (the ‘90s). Although I’m not giving up T-shirts, a few years ago I had an urge to wear something different—like that old reliable camp shirt. I searched the web, but my results yielded only a feeble few.

Today, thanks to fashion designers’ penchant for generous silhouettes (think wide-leg pants, jackets with big shoulders, caftans, oversize coats), the selection has expanded. See below for what we scoped out. Also, we threw in a few knit polo shirts—without signature polo ponies or other brand logos—we thought were both flattering and practical.

An added bonus: they come in all prices from the $50 polo at Mango to the high-end Hawaiian shirt from Prada for $1,000-plus.

—Janet Kelly

LEFT: A relaxed fit is fashionable once again. Case in point: Acne Studios’ linen Rellah shirt printed with a toile de Jouy-inspired motif of historic theaters. Side slits give breezes a helping hand. $440, Net a Porter. RIGHT: Beige is all the rage. Make cropped pants in this hue of the season look polished. Couple them with Lafayette 148 New York’s Beatrice Cubist-Print Button-Front Sheen Cloth Blouse. $548, Neiman Marcus.

LEFT: White is right for summer, but instead of a predictable T-shirt, opt for Madewell’s oversized, short-sleeve Cotton Courier Shirt. A knotted scarf around the neck brings a casually cool vibe to a classic look. $65, Nordstrom.  RIGHT: Coral stripes and soft denim collar make an unexpected but welcome combo on this boxy BP Chambray Polo. Wear with jeans now, white pants later. $17.40 (on sale), Nordstrom.

LEFT: In keeping with the current fad for fullness, Everlane’s Clean Short-Sleeve Silk Square Shirt appeals for its loose-fitting silhouette and, although it’s available in nine colors, this pale lemon pastel looks breezy and cool and just right for warm weather day or night. $98. Also from Everlane, a similar style but in linen (black, white, red, navy and yellow) is $58. CENTER: The classic polo gets a big fat tweak from Kenzo with this Flying Phoenix Polo Shirt‘s bold pattern. Life is short, have some fun. $196 (on sale). RIGHT: When you look in your closet and can’t find anything to wear (ever have this problem?), pull out this pink-and-white Bicolor Openwork Polo Shirt. Pair it with any color pants or skirt and you’re done for the day.  That was easy. Mango, $49.99.

LEFT: It may be impossible to go unnoticed in Prada’s Hawaiian-style Printed Poplin Shirt. Wear it on its own or over a T-shirt. $1,120, Net a Porter. RIGHT: Battle boredom. This ribbed knit Senor Polo Shirt  is from Essential Antwerp, a fashion label based in the Belgian city that gave us design heavyweights like Raf Simons and Martin Margiela. One of the young label’s stated aims is to produce affordable luxury fashion. Compared to Prada’s geometric knit polo for $980, $167 is well, a lot less. At Farfetch.

LEFT: Cos Stores’s woven short-sleeved shirt with crisp cotton front panel and contrasting back and sleeves in jersey works well alone or when paired with a matching skirt or pair of pants, as a modern take on a suit. $69. Banishing black from your wardrobe? Here’s another option. Also at Cos Stores. RIGHT: Leopard spots are not fading from fashion anytime soon. Here on Sandy Liang’s Imo Shirt, they get a fun pop of color with pistachio-green stitching. $295, Nordstrom.

MyLittleBird often includes links to products we write about. Our editorial choices are made independently; nonetheless, a purchase made through such a link can sometimes result in MyLittleBird receiving a commission on the sale, whether through a retailer, an online store or Amazon.com.

iStock photo.

This article first appeared on Prime Women.

IF A FALL can harm a body, just think what it can do to the mind.

That angle wasn’t much in the thoughts of our esteemed national newspaper nannies, the New York Times and the Washington Post, when both published within the same week in February very worthy but well-worn advice on the dangers of falling.

In her Times Personal Health column, Jane Brody did point out that a fall can raise an older person’s fear of falling again, “prompting them to limit their activities and cause further physical decline, depression and social interactions, which in turn can hasten death.”

Grim stuff, right? Not too subtle a goad to what family physician Daphne Miller in The Post called the necessity of mastering the art (and science) of falling safely. “Research shows that people with FOF, regardless of whether they have experienced a bad fall, are more likely to become deconditioned, depressed and socially isolated,” she wrote.

At 80-plus, I’m not young, but I don’t think of myself as elderly, in spite of actuarial charts that would have it so. I can still fall and get up again, without much fear or pain. I don’t believe that one fall necessarily leads to another, in spite of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says (in Brody’s report) that, among people 65 and older, “falling once doubles their chances of falling again.”

Next step the hospital bed?

I’m a Pilates regular and have attended a forum conducted by a physical therapist on how to fall safely.

It’s possible when on one cold morning I tripped on a loose sidewalk brick and went down that I had absorbed the therapist’s lesson subconsciously. Beguiled at the time by the charm of a toddler neighbor, I wasn’t looking ahead as I should have been. I rolled onto my side, to avoid impact on head and elbows as the therapist had advised. But also I was wearing a heavy down jacket that must have helped cushion my fall. I felt gleefully absolved of woe. Even felt a little smug.

More serious was the butt tumble I took sliding all the way down the narrow wood stairs in my old Capitol Hill home. But nothing can be done about a sore coccyx. I laughed off the event. More serious, it turned out, was the aftermath. I had grabbed hard on the railing as I went down, and my steel watchband gouged my arm in the process. I thought a Band-aid was all I needed. Not so: The cut led to minor surgery. Call that secondary trauma: a bother, not a guilt trip.

Alas, no FOF prevented the latest mishap, which took place in the Galapagos. Many of those remote islands off Ecuador’s coast are composed of famously uneven black volcanic rock full of fissures. Only naive and innocent souls dare negotiate such surfaces without fall prevention equipment such as solid shoes or boots and, ideally, walking sticks.

I had the right shoes but stupidly ignored the sticks kept on the boat for just that purpose. I knew that I was tired in mind and body from not sleeping properly the night before. Even so, I thought I was doing fairly well keeping up with our leader, who has climbed the tallest mountain on every continent, and the retired female forest fire fighter. But not well enough, evidently, since at one point I lost my concentration—the worst possible sin under these conditions. I lost my balance and ended up horizontal on the ground.

On the hardest ground I’d ever met. Strangely enough, I hit my mouth but somehow avoided breaking a tooth. And I landed – such luck – on my thigh, about the softest part of my thinly clad body. The rock was unrelenting: I would have a swollen lip and hip and a beautiful bruise the color of the sea at sunset. But I could stand up and move on—as indeed there was no other option. Not in those wild wonderlands far from any emergency medical aid.

It was a blow to my ego for sure, but nothing like what I experienced on the flight back to the sky-high capital of Quito from Isla Balta, site of the curiously named “first ecological airport in the world.” I was stretching my limbs in the aisle during a brief stopover to collect more passengers when a tall dark stranger in a nearby seat addressed me out of the blue.

“How old are you?” he said.

Not your usual “getting-to-know-you” come-on. I noticed the woman next to him cringe.

Startled, all I could come up with in response was a cop-out line— “How old do you think?”—  never imagining that he might guess correctly. I’ve tried never to live by actuarial charts. Credit an enhanced energy level that I enjoy without dwelling on it. I even recently experienced a 30-something guy flirting with me, or maybe he was just being nice. My face won’t launch a thousand ships, but I don’t have an image of myself as old.

Hah, dear reader, this was another, tougher lesson in humility.

Reflecting later, I thought back to my last inglorious fall when trekking after those wondrous out-of-this-world creatures who somehow manage to live on the perilous Galapagos terrain. The spill really had done something to me, I realized. Our schedule had been tiring, and it showed. While I might exercise out of habit, I was unable to control the downward flow of lines in my face. The shock of the fall resonated in other ways. I had to admit there might be limits and acknowledge them. Not fearfully but watchfully. With a smile.

“Can’t you at least humor me?” I should have told the man, who might not have had any humor in him. “Tell me I’m the best-looking 60-year-old you’ve ever met.”

—Ann Geracimos

Ann Geracimos is a contributor to MyLittleBird who also blogs at urbanities.us.

FOR ME, roaming the makeup aisles of Barneys New York, surveying the latest magical lotions and potions is the most fun you can have on a Friday morning.  The people watching is splendid; the only damage you can do is to your pocketbook. But on that particular morning I was determined not to buy anything or be lured in by an overzealous salesperson. Just browsing, thank you.

Then I noticed the new line (Westman Atelier) from makeup artist Gucci Westman. I pointed it out to my makeup maven pal, who decided she must have a new brush. The salespeople there were unexpectedly low key. I declined when they asked if I wanted to sample anything. But then I had to admit to the unassuming guy behind the counter that my skin was looking a little sickly (shall we say from an little overindulgence the evening before?), and I didn’t have any makeup on. He asked if he could touch up my skin with a highlight stick. Why not? He followed up with a creamy blush, and I looked instantly better.  I bought both new products, and in the last few weeks have used them when I wanted to get out of the house without scaring myself or anyone in my path. Which has led to my being squarely in the camp of less is more when it comes to makeup. At least for daily doings.

While we’re on the subject of no-fuss beauty products, I also discovered Patchology’sLip Service Gloss-to-Balm Treatment around the same time. It comes in a convenient little tube that you squeeze onto your dry lips. The hint of honey in the taste is a nice touch.

I’ve zeroed in on four more items to add to this list, including two that are new for me, one an old faithful that I haven’t used in a while and the fourth a recommendation from a skincare-savvy friend in Philadelphia.

—Janet Kelly

I keep reading that the new look in makeup is to look like you’re wearing none. Well, the Lit Up Highlight Stick from Westman Atelier is sheer and subtle. You just roll it over your cheeks, forehead and eyelids, and your face looks alive and hydrated.  $48, Barneys and Violet Grey.

I love applying Westman Atelier’s  Super Loaded Tinted Highlight. It looks like a powder in the compact but you swipe it up on your cheekbones, and you feel its creamy consistency. Unlike powder, it doesn’t creep into those pesky wrinkles. Put it on over the highlight stick, and you’re ready to go out the door with skin that looks moist and polished. $78, Barneys and Violet Grey.

This Lip Service Gloss-to-Balm Treatment from Patchology felt heavenly on my chapped lips a month ago. My lips aren’t as dry now, but the stuff feels so good, I’m continuing to apply it. $15, Dermstore.

LEFT: I made the mistake of buying another brand of micellar water, and it irritated my skin —I had a burning sensation when I took off my makeup, and my face was blotchy red. There’s a reason this Sensibio H20 from Bioderma gets raves. Perfect for removing makeup from the face and eyes. $14.90, Dermstore. RIGHT: This Addict Lip Maxmizer from Dior is on the spendy side, but ever since I ran out of it a year or so ago and didn’t replace it, I’ve regretted my decision. It’s shiny, not sticky, and your lips feel and look plumper. $34, Nordstrom.

LEFT: I had heard the praises of Weleda Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream, but it wasn’t until I was in a Berlin drugstore that I decided to buy a tube. One, because my skin was desert-dry, two, because I love buying products from European pharmacies and then remembering the city I bought it in.  My 40-something German niece warned me that it was intense (it has a beeswax base), but that’s exactly why I wanted it. The best way to get it to sink in is to slather it over damp skin. Did I mention it smells wonderful? So does the hand cream. RIGHT: According to my friend, whose skin was feeling flaky using micellar water, you put a gob of this Bye Bye Makeup ™ 3-in-1 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm on DRY hands and rub together to melt it, then put it all over your DRY face. You then work it into the skin and eye makeup until it feels like all the mascara is off, then add a little water and work up a bit of a lather. Rinse or take off with a wash cloth. This It Cosmetic balm also does double-duty as a mask, sinking into the skin and leaving it feeling soft and moisturized. $38, Sephora.

MyLittleBird often includes links to products we write about. Our editorial choices are made independently; nonetheless, a purchase made through such a link can sometimes result in MyLittleBird receiving a commission on the sale, whether through a retailer, an online store or Amazon.com.

Jane Fonda / military.com

A version of this article first appeared in Prime Women.

By Nancy McKeon

I THINK actress Jane Fonda will never live down her moniker of “Hanoi Jane.” The propaganda photos of her sitting astride a tank in North Vietnam still raise hackles even though this took place some 45-0dd years ago in the context of a wildly unpopular war and a country torn apart probably as much as it been since the Civil War.

Some people say she shouldn’t be able to forget the fact that will surely be in the second paragraph of her obituary, if not in the very first graph.  The town supervisor of Seneca Falls, New York, certainly hasn’t forgotten or forgiven her . . . or at least says some of his town constituents haven’t. About a week ago he put a proposal before the board of the town, which is home to the national Women’s Hall of Fame. The goal, in essence, was to keep Fonda from being inducted. He proposed that the town withhold future funding for Hall events if her induction, scheduled for September, were to go ahead.

People who routinely intone “how soon they forget” are definitely not talking about veterans and Jane Fonda.

In the end, the Hall of Fame proposal got only one “yes” vote from the Town Board (the supervisor’s), three “no’s” and one abstention. But the event raises a question asked a lot these days: How long do we have to go on apologizing for things we did? How long should we be made to pay for our mistakes? I think the correct answer is . . . all over the place.

Fonda, for instance, has many times publicly acknowledged regret for the hurt she caused, most recently in the 2018 Netflix documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts. There are those of us who view her as a woman who is always capturing the Zeitgeist—in turn political activist, fitness queen, glamour babe and now glamour babe facing her (our) “declining years” with the streaming series Grace and Frankie.

And there are those who see only Hanoi Jane.

As a culture we seem to be in the middle of a great number of situations where acknowledgment or apologies are not as clear-cut as Fonda’s, where entire systems are being called out: the #MeToo movement, the Confederate statues still proudly overseeing their small town squares, modern-day Germans facing their World War II history.

When I think of these various problems, I can picture a man who has just put his finger into an electrical outlet. At least in the cartoon versions, the man’s hair sticks straight out from his head, vibrating in all directions. Those are the reactions, overreactions and counter-reactions. There are the young Germans: It was the Nazis who caused the Holocaust, not my grandparents. There are the Americans who ask, “Why do we have to keep apologizing for slavery?” (Oh, I don’t know—let me think about that for a sec.) There are the women (mostly) who have been injured, psychically or career-wise or both, by powerful men (again, mostly), and the men who apologize if something they “may have done” ever made a woman feel “uncomfortable.”

A few years ago I was backstage at an event with some friends and all of a sudden Vice President Joe Biden, who had worked with one of my friends, strolled in. He plopped himself down next to me at our table, and began telling funny stories and shrewd political insights (his usual, I’m sure. And as he regaled us, he kept touching my hand and my arm for emphasis. There was nothing sexual about it. But it embodied the current buzz about Biden: Yes, he’s a handsy kind of guy.

In the past week Biden has probably made an “oh, that’s just Uncle Joe” rep even worse, as unguarded pols tend to do. Is he Harvey Weinstein? Bill Cosby? Hardly. Does he have to apologize for his behavior? He has, in a video released Wednesday . . . and then arguably screwed it up two days later. Which message is getting out there? Who knows?

I guess one of the things I’m thinking is that we don’t have to apologize for our mistakes for the rest of our lives . . . but at some point—and this is the deal-breaker for some—we do have to apologize. Yes, I’m thinking of you, Bill Clinton, who from everything I’ve heard and read has never acknowledged or apologized to Monica Lewinsky. Yes, she was a silly 22-year-old intern with, as she describes it, a crush and should have known better. But he was the grownup in the room.

Maybe some people don’t have to keep apologizing for their mistakes for the rest of their lives, but doing it at least once would seem to be a basic minimum.

I WEAR jeans year-round, but come springtime, I feel the urge to update my selection, needed or not. So, over this past weekend I set out for Nordstrom to try on  a variety of brands in a range of prices and styles. My dressing-room haul included high-rise and mid-rise jeans with cropped, wide, straight and skinny legs from Levi’s, Kut From the Cloth, Good American, Paige, Joe’s Jeans, Mother, AG and Citizens of Humanity, as well as Not Your Daughter’s Jeans (NYDJ). That last had just gotten raves in the Wall Street Journal from writer Curtis Sittenfeld.

As we’ve written previously and which bears repeating is this: The deciding factor in buying jeans is how good they make your rear end look. To achieve that, the bottom of the back pocket should hit right where you rear cheek and your thigh meet.

At the time we first wrote about what to consider when buying, low-rise styles were wildly popular and made up a large proportion of the offerings. Even though to most of us, wearing them meant constant worry they’d embarrassingly slip down over our bottoms. Today, high-rise jeans, often referred to as “mom” jeans, have replaced low-rise styles. Once ridiculed by Tina Fey in a 2003 Saturday Night Live sketch for their unflattering sky-high waists and roomy hips and thighs, millennials and celebrities have embraced the look. It’s hard to find a pair that doesn’t flaunt its high-rise fit. On its website, Levi’s offers almost 300 pairs of high-rise jeans (30 that are super high-rise); in the mid-rise section there are about 200. There are no low-rise options. And while we’re on the subject of the changing cut of jeans, here’s what may be welcome news to some: Skinnies are on their last legs; looser fits are in.

Most if not all the high-rise jeans I tried on fit me the same way as I remembered they did in the 1980s. My waist looked fine, but my thighs bulged out or at least looked as if they did compared to the rest of leg, which was slim from just above the knee to the ankle. The silhouette of a high waist with a flared or wide leg is a much more preferable one for me.

That said, every body is different. And so the advice about buying jeans remains the same —you’ve got to try, try and try again until you hit denim gold. We’ve got some suggestions to get you started.

—Janet Kelly

LEFT: Need Supply’s Pen Fit mid-rise, slightly cropped straight-leg jeans in non-stretch denim look invitingly easy to wear. $185, Need Supply. RIGHT: I was skeptical about the high rise on these Sheri Slim Jeans, but Not Your Daughter’s Jeans secret sauce (a criss-cross panel to flatten in the front and so-called lift construction that flatters your back side) made it work ($119, NYDJ). The ankle length is flattering and works with flats, heels or sneakers. (The label also offers a Curves 360 collection for sizes 00-28 that offers even more lift and shaping.)

LEFT: My fashion-savvy daughter-in-law gave a thumbs-up to the flared-leg, high-rise style of this Jodi Crop, if not its price. $235, AG Jeans. RIGHT: I prefer Agolde’s mid-rise straight-leg jeans, which sit just below the waist and have a forgiving, relaxed leg. $188, Net a Porter.

LEFT: Kut From the Cloth’s Catherine Slim Boyfriend Jeans (mid-rise) were a good fit on me, and I liked the rolled hem. They felt comfortable and hugged my rear. $89, Nordstrom. CENTER: The pair of Mother jeans that I bought last spring are by far my most flattering. I think the label’s high-waist Tomcat Roller Fray Jeans could make your legs look endless. $285, Nordstrom. RIGHT: My Paige skinny jeans are an old reliable in my closet. These mid-rise Verdugo Ankle Skinny Jeans are a newer, improved model that will hold their shape and keep your rear looking cheeky. $134.25, Nordstrom.

LEFT: Tuck in a navy silk blouse, and you dress up these marigold Shiloh High-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans . They sit high on the waist but then forgivingly fall to a wide leg. From popular Danish brand Ganni. $235, Moda Operandi. RIGHT: White jeans are my go-to summer pant, and Citizens of Humanity a go-to denim label. Made from stretch denim, cropped, wide-leg Eva jeans hit just above the ankle for a playful vibe. $210, Moda Operandi.

LEFT: With a tummy-slimming panel and sculpting fabric that lifts the seat and lengthens the legs, it’s hard to go wrong with Levi’s 314 Shaping Straight Jeans. Available in different washes. $69.50, Levi’s. RIGHT: Anthropologie now offers a plus-size clothing collection, including these Ultra High-Rise Cropped Wide-Leg Jeans. Fitted at the waist with a loosely tailored shape and side zipper, they look comfortable and chic, especially as shown with a print blouse and coral jacket.  $140.

LEFT: This Kick Crop Jean from Everlane sits high on the waist and slim through thigh and leg. It gets rave reviews on the Everlane site, and the price ($78) is right. RIGHT: A 100-year-0ld brand worn by generations of construction workers and coal miners, Dickies is newly cool. These Carpenter Jeans in non-stretch denim and plenty of pockets may become your new favorites. $69, Nordstrom.

MyLittleBird often includes links to products we write about. Our editorial choices are made independently; nonetheless, a purchase made through such a link can sometimes result in MyLittleBird receiving a commission on the sale, whether through a retailer, an online store or Amazon.com.

A FUNNY thing happened one day last summer when I dropped into my neighborhood Athleta. Actually, two funny things. The first was that one-half of the store was carrying a “work/commute/travel line of clothing.” I noticed some pants in textured linen, long-sleeve T-shirts with UPF sun protection and a couple of attractive anoraks. Wasn’t Athleta supposed to be the place to buy tights and sweats and such? Anyway, the second thing I noticed was that I wasn’t the only one over 50 in the dressing room trying on T-shirts and pants. Maybe Athleta was paying attention to a customer that other brands neglect—us.

And Athleta’s not the only one. About the same time I discovered the other side of Athleta, MyLittleBird’s well-being editor Mary Carpenter asked if I’d heard  about a company called Anatomie. She had been looking for lightweight pants that didn’t bag at the knees after sitting for a few hours. Her friends were raving about Anatomie, which, in addition to pants, sells tops and outerwear. The company, which was founded by a couple who had been in the fitness business, transitioned into “luxury travel clothes” made of wrinkle-resistant fabrics that were machine washable. (Mary subsequently bought a couple of pairs of pants and said they were terrific on a recent trip to Cuba.)

Then, just a few months ago I was in one of my favorite boutiques and saw several pairs of Anatomie pants, plus trousers, upscale T-shirts, sweaters and jackets from yet another travel clothes-friendly brand—Ecru. The Anatomie pants didn’t work for me, but when I tried on a pair of navy blue Ecru pants with a tuxedo stripe, it was love. They hugged me in all the right places. The label said machine washable in cold water, but I was terrified to do that for fear that flattering fit would be a thing of the past. Happily, they’re on continuing rotation in my wardrobe.

Below are some of the jackets, clothing, shirts and pants that we’d gladly wear for traveling around the world or for staying right here at home.

—Janet Kelly

LEFT: Athleta’s Rain Drop Jacket will keep you dry during April showers with its water-repellent, recycled shell. Zip pockets and mesh ventilation on the back are practical; the adjustable cinch waist and pleated detailing make it stylish. $158. RIGHT: These Cabo Tide Linen Wide Leg Pants with stretchy waistband kept me cool in sunny southern Italy last summer. $84, Athleta.

LEFT: Ecru calls its Springfield Slim Leg Pull on Pant its ultimate, 12-months-a-year, 7-days-a-week pant. A blend of cotton, polyester and spandex, the sleek trousers feel even sleeker thanks to a concealed, elastic pull-on waist. They’re available in white and beige as well as this gorgeous seafoam blue. $170, Ecru.  RIGHT: This short-sleeve crewneck Sweater with Silk Insets feels and looks luxe both in a neutral hue (shown) and pale blue.  A flattering classic shape that makes nice with other items in your wardrobe. $172, Ecru.

LEFT: Stay snug and warm on the airplane or on a cool spring day in this brushed fleece, waterproof Travel City Slick Jacket. The slightly longer length with strategically placed side stretch panels gives that svelte effect. The collar zips up into a high funnel neck. A handy wardrobe item whether you’re jet setting or heading to the grocery store. $348, Anatomie. RIGHT: The mid-rise, ankle-length Thea Relaxed Fit Pant is constructed of a comfortable stretchy material that won’t leave you with baggy knees. Plus, you get UPF 50+ sun protection. $225, Anatomie.

LEFT and RIGHT: No risk of looking bedraggled when you wander the world in Athleta’s Wander Slim Straight Crop. Slit hems offer more mobility and encourage breezes. Out for a walk without your handbag? Stash your cards and keys in a zip pocket on the back of the waistband. Also available in gray, olive and navy. $98, Athleta.

LEFT: We personally can’t wait to wear our white jeans again. Athleta’s new Sculptek Skinny White Jean promises to flatteringly subdue all those jiggly parts.  $118, Athleta. RIGHT: A blazer that’s packable, won’t wrinkle and that you can machine wash? Sign us up. The fitted nylon-and-lycra Cosmic Blazer from Athleta is $198.

MyLittleBird often includes links to products we write about. Our editorial choices are made independently; nonetheless, a purchase made through such a link can sometimes result in MyLittleBird receiving a commission on the sale, whether through a retailer, an online store or Amazon.com.

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YESTERDAY I spent five hours in an airplane. After the introductory greetings from the Captain and flight attendants and a prerecorded safety message, all was quiet except for a couple of babies crying. There was no conversation between seatmates. Every head hung downward towards a cell phone, iPad, laptop or Kindle. Wires dangled from most ears.

It was eerily silent.

I thought back to my first flight to Europe 45 years ago when the entire plane was buzzing with conversation and people walked about the cabin, chatting and making new friends. It was much more fun. Or maybe I was more fun, being 45 years younger. Anyway, I remember a good time.

These days, the whole experience of flying is unfriendly. Last week when we arrived at Boston’s Logan Airport parking garage, we had to stop and have our car searched for explosives since we were parking close to the main terminal. (I guess if you park in one of the lots further away they don’t care if you blow up the garage.) This “search” consisted of the following exchange:

Airport Worker: “Open the trunk of your car, please.”
Us: “Sure.”
Airport worker looks inside trunk, where there are two large suitcases and one large briefcase stuffed to the gills. He does not stick his head into the trunk or open any of the luggage.
Airport Worker: “Okay, you’re fine, go ahead.”

As we drove past the guy, I wanted to yell out that our luggage was loaded with bombs and box cutters but my husband wouldn’t let me. I wondered how that cursory glance had netted any useful information, feeling a bit depressed as I realized we must look very non-threatening and ordinary.

Once inside the airport we got our boarding passes from a machine so there was no need to talk to anyone, ever. Going through security I got to leave my shoes on since I had been deemed “Pre-check.” However that came about, I was happy about it since over in the next lane where the people apparently appeared less trustworthy, everyone was busy taking off belts and undoing boot laces. One lady complained loudly that she wasn’t wearing socks and so had to walk through the X-ray machine barefoot, on the yucky floor. Oh well, that’s what you get for being so trendy—sockless women in UGGs were everywhere.

Perhaps the oddest thing of all was the slice of pizza I ordered in the airport food court before boarding. It was not a large slice, maybe the size of a small paperback book, with two or three mushroom slices and a few slivers of red bell pepper on top of the cheese, and mostly bread. It cost $8.31, which I thought was a lot. Too much, in fact.

Seated in an exit row, I had to verbally assent to being willing to help people out in case of an emergency. Otherwise, I would be seated somewhere else. Naturally I agreed because the extra leg room was nice. I didn’t bother telling the flight attendant that if an actual emergency arose I would be a blubbering idiot and no help to anyone.

—Andrea Rouda

Andrea Rouda blogs at The Daily Droid.

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MY CHECKERED resume includes a stint as a Prudential real estate agent, the job that taught me lying is justified if it results in a profit. I was showing a modest house in a bedroom community of DC, and while it was in a good location it had teeny bedrooms. I listed several positive attributes for the Open House newspaper ad, but ended with “snug master.”

My boss had a fit! “The point of the ad is to get people to come,” he railed. “Once they get here they’ll see how small the master bedroom is. But to reel them in, you’ve gotta say it’s huge!” I asked how we would explain that to the customers. “A typo,” was his curt answer.

This principle of lying for profit applies to almost every aspect of modern life, most especially advertising. We all know that false claims abound. Weight loss clubs like Jenny Craig feature a slim spokesperson who gleefully shouts, “I lost 50 pounds!”Meanwhile, the barely legible type at the bottom of the screen whispers, “Results not typical.”

This all came to mind after seeing an ad for Invisalign braces. There is no mention of any discomfort or the fact that dining for pleasure is over since in order to eat you must first endure the horror of removing the braces, no easy task. They do not pop right out! It’s more like you pull with all your might, desperately trying not to damage your teeth or break the damn braces, which apparently can happen. Then you’ve got to brush and floss your teeth and clean the braces before putting them back in. The capper is that you must wear them for 22 hours a day, so those meals—and “special occasions”—better be damn quick.

If they broadcasted all that beforehand, far fewer people would opt in. Oh well, I did—and the good news is that I only have 364 days to go. Also, rumor has it that with the no snacking, quick meals and loss of appetite, by year’s end I’ll be down 10 pounds. (Results typical.)

—Andrea Rouda

Andrea Rouda blogs at The Daily Droid.