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Posts Tagged ‘Fashion’

Enough

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 16, 2014| 1 Comment »

It’s enough already! Every day I wake up and wonder if they found that missing Malaysian plane. How can a triple 7 just disappear in this day and age? We have satellites circling the globe, Google maps looking into our windows, radar and cell phones and the latest idea is that this was a “deliberate” act; or maybe it’s somewhere in the Indian Ocean?

So I’m redirecting my thoughts this morning. No CNN, no more Meet the Press. My brain needs a rest from speculation and erudition. I tuned in to CBS Sunday Morning like the Flapper always did, for a taste of feel good news. Happy Iranian hikers are reunited with their families! And then, there was Catherine Deneuve.

Deneuve always reminded me of my sister, Kay. A beautiful woman who was in some ways, burdened by her beauty. The interviewer asked her what it is about French women? She said you mean how they can do or eat anything they want? And he said no, it was more about the flirtatiousness, which was not necessarily the right word IMHO. She smiled coyly and said “No, I hadn’t thought of that.”

French women embody style and mystery. I remember being told when I was younger that even the shop girls will save their money to buy one beautiful thing every year. Something classic, that transcends time and trends. Think of Audrey Hepburn when she returns from Paris in the 1954 movie, Sabrina – not ready to live above the garage anymore with her chauffeur father.

But this week Deneuve, at the ripe old age of 70, is debuting a new movie, “On My Way.” It’s about a woman of a certain age who disappears. Yes, she dumps her family and its restaurant woes after her lover dumps her, and she goes on a road trip. Her character takes up with a younger man; it would seem I like the idea of a woman disappearing! I love her answer to the question of how she ages so gracefully:

You have to try not to fight so hard against time, you know. It’s not that I enjoy it. It is just not that much of a problem. Maybe because I have children and grandchildren, it’s a different rhythm. It’s a different way of looking at things other than yourself. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/12/us-catherinedeneuve-idUSBREA2B0RU20140312

So here’s to that joie de vie, that je n’est sais quoi! To French women everywhere, we salute you. We American Boomers have decided not to age so gracefully. In fact, we like to be disgraceful as much as possible so as not to be invisible. We’d rather not disappear after all. And if you haven’t peeked at Ari Seth Cohen’s blog about NYC women in their 60s, 70s and 80s, here’s your chance. To The Barricades Ladies!

http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com

this is what 65 looks like - sans makeup!

this is what 65 looks like – sans makeup!

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Blood Clothes

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , , , , on May 15, 2013| 1 Comment »

While all the top shops are hitching onto the Gatsby trend in their ads, this morning I’m shocked to find out that only ONE American manufacturer has signed onto a safety pact for garment workers around the world. And which company would that be? Not Gap, not Walmart, somebody I never heard of – PVH

“PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod, announced it would sign the deal, an expanded version of a proposal that PVH had already signed. The new plan lasts five years, while the previous one was to last only two. PVH also announced on Monday that it would contribute $2.5 million to underwrite factory safety improvements as part of the new plan.” http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/retail-biggies-safety-pact-in-bangladesh/article4716342.ece

In Bangladesh, the Rana Plaza disaster has finally galvanized world-wide pressure on huge chains, like H&M a Swedish company, to improve woking conditions. But once again, our big brands are standing apart from the collective consciousness. We must look like such bullies to our planet, like we did when we refused to sign the Kyoto Agreement.http://www.climate-concern.com/Kyoto%20Agreement.htm

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to boycott the Gap, and Walmart lost my trust ages ago…and I’d like you to think. When you shop for clothes, remember the “blood diamonds.” Think about the conditions that women are working in, for it is mostly women and sometimes children in these factories. Think about the 19 year old seamstress, Reshma Begum, who was found alive after 17 days in her factory’s tomb.

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Lemons

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , on March 21, 2013| 8 Comments »

Did you hear the horrible news? A famous high end retailer of yoga wear, Lululemon, a store I’ve visited in Green Hills once or twice with the Bride, is recalling its pants. It seems they are too see-through for the average yogini!

I’ve often felt like yoga pants aka sweat pants was my uniform of choice. I’m not proud. I like the elastic waistband – best invention since, or before, Velcro. They never require dry cleaning or ironing. They come in a wide range of dark colors. And most importantly, there’s a little spandex and something called dri-weave. Pants that stretch and breath, what liberated 21st century female would ask for more?

Yoga pants are equivalent to the perennial housecoat my foster mother Nell wore in the 50s. Made of cotton with maybe a touch of that newfangled polyester, with snaps up the front, what could be easier? Especially when you never learned to drive, so the “house” coat was aptly named. Still I always thought donning an apron on top of the housecoat was redundant.

I nominate yoga pants to be the official fashion statement for Women’s History Month! After all, you can always show up at a meeting, go to the grocery store or pop into a gym (or yoga studio) at anytime. It literally means freedom for millions of women around the world. Unless you’re French. Then you must dress on your way to and from the gym.

Here is the beautiful little Bug with her favorite toy right now. She is my workout this week; I lift her, I tote her, and get down on the floor and do yoga stretches with her. What would I do without my yoga pants? Which are thankfully not opaque. Vraiment.

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Shoes Glorious Shoes

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , , , , , on January 26, 2013| 3 Comments »

Red ghillies and oxfords, while we’re in the mood, high heels and sandals.

When we were packing up the house to move South, my daughter was helping with my closet. She’d lined up my shoes in 3 orderly groups – 1) shoes I definitely want to keep; 2) shoes I may want to keep; 3) shoes to give or throw away. Naturally, the second group was overflowing, which led her to ask me this simple question,
“How many (insert color) shoes do you need?”

No apology, I happen to love shoes, in all their myriad shapes and colors. There are pictures of me with my foster sister and her fiancee on a trip to see the circus in NYC. What circus I do not know. I was too young to remember this special trip, but was always told how much I loved my “circus shoes.” In black and white, CLR Child w Jackie 20130125I am beaming happiness with a little pair of oxfords on my feet. Perhaps this is where my need to see the Big Apple Circus every year with my children arose. Being able to wear only oxfords in Sacred Heart School, and only penny loafers at Camp St Joseph may be factors in my fashionable fetish. For sports at camp or school, we would wear white Keds, so you see we had little choice growing up in the 50s. There is also the lasting value in classic design. Trends may come and go, you can gain or lose a few pounds, but a classic pair of good leather shoes can last a lifetime! Though, fair warning to you pregnant girls, my shoe size increased by half with each child. I asked the Rocker once why he needs so many guitars, he looked at me and said, “Why do you need so many shoes?”

I’ve written here about shoes a number of times. About our town’s famously decadent shoe store Scarpa, https://mountainmornings.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/small-times/
I remember writing about the fashion writer who stood staring at the one red shoe in a gigantic see-through bin of discarded shoes at the Holocaust museum. Once, while writing about Pinterest, I even included a picture of my shoe shelves: https://mountainmornings.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/pining-or-pinning-that-is-the-question/

One of the first gifts I bought when I found out the Bride was pregnant with a girl was a pair of pink leather shoes. Will they be helpful in her quest to start walking, like those overly-polished and re-polished white Stride Rites I laced up my baby’s feet? Probably not. Will they be ever so adorable, absolutely! I was star-struck once while strolling down Madison Avenue with my sister Kay. We stopped short in front of a fancy children’s boutique with pink leather Italian shoes in the window. Of course, I had to get them for the toddler Bride, even if they might only last her a few months.

There have been Picasso shoe periods. The 60s teen years of wearing Weejuns, penny loafers without pennies, polished just so with black to tone down the oxblood color. The dancing decade of wearing espadrilles with rope you wind around your ankle, very Isadora Duncan. The Pappagallo phase of pastel and mini bows with Queen Anne heels paired nicely with mini skirts. Thankfully I never went in for the high dollar, designer stilettos of Sex and the City; either I was just too old wise or whygobroke/killing/your/feet.

So if you love shoes, you may enjoy reading this historical essay on shoes and gender and power, “Why DID Men Stop Wearing High Heels?” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21151350 _65446635_red_soled_compositeThink of Louis XIV, initially men wore heels in order to ride a horse and the height and color became tied with rank and royalty. But eventually, “High heels were seen as foolish and effeminate. By 1740 men had stopped wearing them altogether.” We women dropped the need for height after the French revolution too, but for some insane reason, in the mid-19th Century, we decided it might be nice to squeeze our feet into high heels again…well, if you read the article you’ll learn why, and it’s not pretty.

But take heart, these teeny tiny feet are ready to dance in the Music City. Thank you velcro, and thank you ecommerce for making fancy baby shoes as easy to find as say, a good pair of Minnetonka slippers.
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The Masquerade

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 25, 2012| 4 Comments »

It’s that ghoulish time of year again. Sometimes, I honestly wish we had been Jehovah’s Witnesses. There is no conflict, they just don’t celebrate All Saint’s Day. They view it as a pagan custom, and happily go about their business of knocking on strangers’ doors and handing out pamphlets all the time! But in my kid’s elementary school, when everyone would wear their costumes and march about the schoolyard in late October, the JW kids felt bad. I even felt bad for them. Still, what I want to know is when did it become OK to stereotype young girls as sex objects for Halloween?
http://www.missrepresentation.org

You’ve heard about the furor of slimming down Minnie Mouse for a storefront display at Barney’s in NYC, right? Well who’s complaining about all these girls and young women, respectable by day, dressing up in Daisy Dukes on Halloween? I only remember dressing up as a “Gypsy” back in the 50s, in a long, full skirt. That was exciting enough, getting to wear make-up and bangles on my arms. Today, once our little girls outgrow the “Princess” phase, at about pre-puberty, who thinks it’s just fine to dress like Lady Gaga?

When my children were little, I was that much hated crafty mom. I had a sewing machine and knew how to use it; I actually made many of their Halloween outfits. The Rocker’s best was Sonic the Hedgehog, and the Bride made a nifty Wonder Woman. All of a sudden, somewhere in middle school, all bets were off. Monsters and madonnas littered the schoolyard. But I do remember one girl dressing up as Amelia Earhart. You had to have a lot of confidence to fight the culture of sexism that surrounds our kids. “You can’t be what you can’t see.” http://tedxwomen.org/speakers/jennifer-siebel-newsom/

Siebel, in this video, says she wanted to get away from the media push for power and strength outfits for boys at Halloween and soft, passive-princessy things for girls and dress her small children as gender-neutral animals. So she chose a lamb for her daughter and a lion for her son. She then saw the joke, it is a subtle thing, this sexism. I remember feeling that way when the Bride was small – where are the female super-heros? The Love Bug will be a giraffe on her first Halloween, because we have always had a fondness for “long, tall blondes.” http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/tall-blondes/introduction/2253/ You will find giraffes roaming free all over my house! And her Uncle and Ms Cait?
Zombies of course!

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Style Guru

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , , , , on October 7, 2012| 4 Comments »

Bob and I were in Starbucks the other day, and as I waited for my pumpkin spice latte I picked up the Washington Post, Style section. Imagine my surprise to find its front page article was featuring my favorite co-host of “What Not to Wear” Stacy London. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/stacy-london-fashion-guru-discusses-insecurity-in-new-book/2012/10/03/5aeaeb6e-0be4-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_story.html

Photo Joseph, TWPost

One of my first articles for the Berkshire Eagle back in the ’80s was about fashion. Believe me, I’m no expert on fashion. But the editor liked it so much, she actually posed some models to illustrate my tongue-in-cheek points. There was the “Native,” who usually wore jeans and flannel. There was the “Big City Tourist,” the visitor from NY or Boston to ski or take in Tanglewood in the summer. These women usually wore black, and had their nails done. And then there was this sub-species of “Transplants,” like me. We needed help. We were trying to fit in, we bought homes and cross country skis and dressed in strange outfits. We needed our own style, and I proposed a fashion hot line.

Today, we have Apps and bloggers and reality TV. We can watch Stacy on TLC’s popular fashion show where she ambushes poor, unsuspecting fashion-challenged women and in one hour transforms them body and soul. Really. Well, it actually takes a week in NYC but the final show is a magical hour and how she does it without psychotherapy is beyond me. Needless to say, I adore her and tune in whenever I am home alone for lunch. It is my guilty pleasure and we’ve become lunch buddies. But we have one other thing in common – we both have Psoriasis. http://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasisStewart+Brown wearing

Stacy delves into her childhood diagnosis in her new book, “The Truth About Style” and she has also started a website “Style for Hire.” http://www.styleforhire.com She was extremely insecure as a kid, never knowing when her skin could break out in debilitating, red scaly patches. Then, when she started woking at Vogue, an eating disorder kicked in, leaving her ripe for reinvention. Three years ago, my dermatologist told me that normally 30 year olds experience Guttate Psoriasis. Guttate means small rain drops of eruptions, instead of full scale patches…so I was unusual…my arms and legs looked like pepperoni pizzas. I felt pretty unusual. I was told however, that small doses of sunshine would help this auto-immune disease and I declined taking any strong, cancer fighting drugs. These steroids had been approved for skin treatments, but I’m just not a pill person.

So unlike Stacy, I had always felt pretty comfortable in my own skin. Getting all pimply in my late-middle-old age was just God having a good laugh at my expense. “OK now, let’s see what you can do with spots!” A famous Stacy quote is: “Style is the quickest shorthand to who you are.” I guess I’m now a sun-loving, nana? And I’d say I’m an Eileen Fisher, organic Stewart+Brown wearing, yoga pants comfortable type? Stacy was speaking this weekend at a synagogue in DC, and I almost drove up there to see her. After all, she saved me from wearing pedal pushers (aka capri pants) since they shorten the leg, and who needs shorter legs right? Because if change can really occur from the outside-in, a What Not to Wear mantra, I’m ready to tackle this transplanted nana, Southern-style.

And no, I didn’t save everything I ever wrote. But I’m glad I saved this one:

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