Easter Bonnet
“Some hats can only be worn if you’re willing to be jaunty, to set them at an angle and to walk beneath them with a spring in your stride as if you’re only a step away from dancing. They demand a lot of you.” Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys And who wears a jaunty beret better than the French? For some reason this confetti toss of chapeaus hearkens back to Mary Richards from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Whether you’re tossing your hat in the ring or straight up in the air like a graduation mortar bard, the message is clear – “Game On. Count Me In. I’m going for it!” “A...
Read MoreA Stitch in Time
Creation begins with inspiration, with a kernel of an idea, but in order to execute your concept, you need a plan, a blueprint. The same holds true in the world fashion. Even when couturiers claim they work freeform, and simply drape fabric as they’re inspired, (as did Christian Dior) in order for a seamstress to replicate that creation, she’ll need a roadmap. The fresh, crisp image below depicts the trade of the tailor and represents the roadmap. Whenever we examine the underlying structure of a garment, we view with the eye of an architect – studying the master patterns, the foundation...
Read MoreSki en Francais
“Thank goodness for the first snow. It was a reminder—no matter how old you became or how much you’d seen, things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered.” Candace Bushnell, Lipstick Jungle From Chamonix to Courcheval, Val d’Isère to Gstaad, the French/Swiss alps offer breathtaking curves to negotiate, both on and off the slopes! We’ve already seen some lovely hankies inspired by brilliant blue skies and bold mountains in Ski Sun Valley. Now we take a turn (pun intended) toward the lighter side of skiing – silliness on the slopes, and who better to lead the...
Read MoreHandkerchief Heroes
Are people so consumed with collecting that they’ll drag blistered feet through antique stalls or hunker over a hot keyboard for hours to scroll through web auctions for watch fobs, pickle dishes, or campaign buttons to find the pièce de résistance to complete their collection? Indeed they will. You’ll know them by the pallor of their skin, and the tiny computer monitors reflected in their pupils. I used to scoff at those silly fools…until I became one. A zombie from The Walking Dead is tame compared to a gimlet-eyed ebay master trolling cyberspace 3:00 a.m. Like most collectors my...
Read MoreSmoking
“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” Mark Twain Along with dieting and exercising , another popular New Year’s Resolution is giving up smoking. In decades past, smoking was considered sexy and sophisticated, and later, cool and hip. The Marlboro Man commanded the prairie with swagger and bravado. Holly Golightly flirted and flattered with her gloves up to here, and her cigarette holder out to there. “Strange as it may seem, there is nothing in which a young and beautiful female appears to more advantage than in the art...
Read MoreJoin the Conversation
