Valentine Oh Please
“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” Dr. Seuss Since handkerchiefs have long been a vehicle for flirting, it’s no surprise to find dozens of hankies adorned with images of amour. From richly embroidered roses to images of turtledoves and throbbing hearts, a hankie is the quintessential fashion accessory when it comes to romance. The variety of images is as vast as the legion of lovers of Catherine the Great. Today our tuning forks are trained on a single note – the reluctant ingénue – as we follow...
Read MoreValentine’s Day
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. Sophocles Searching for just the right Valentine can be like searching for the perfect white shirt, neighborhood that feels like home, or special pet to love. Each offers something special and unique, but only one will speak to your heart. Valentines come in every shape, size and color, with far too many styles to showcase in a single blog. I’ve chosen a small sampling to illustrate the variety of ways hankies can convey “I love you.” Certainly there’s the ubiquitous Key to My Heart message. Sometimes the message is...
Read MoreThe Music of Romance
From stolen kisses to secret rendezvous, scenarios are endless when it comes to matters of the heart, yet all seem to share one common denominator – the power of music to express the inexpressible, to enfold the heart and move the soul. Victor Hugo opined “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” Music can transport us to either the apex of joy or nadir of despair like nothing else can. It moves both body and soul, compelling us to literally dance with joy when we’re in love. The 1935 musical “Top Hat” encourages one to “do the Piccolino with...
Read MoreWords of Love
Alex William’s New York Times article The End of Courtship could bring the most optimistic romantic to tears. The accompanying graphic depicts 16 millennials sitting at a bar, all sending and reading texts. Eye contact between patrons is Zero. Zip. Nada. Yet the messages they’re reading include “Join me for breakfast?” “Steamy spa night @ 11 p.m.” and “You in? 2am my place for some hot mac and cheese.” Courtship today consists of “Hey” or “Sup?” (Sounds the Fonz; yet even he knew courting required meeting the girl at her doorstep and escorting her home.) According to Williams, one woman who...
Read MoreArtist’s View of New York
“London is satisfied, Paris is resigned, but New York is always hopeful. Always it believes that something good is about to come off, and it must hurry to meet it.” Dorothy Parker Just hearing the words New York conjures up more images than the mind can hold – from Wall Street to Park Avenue, Broadway to Central Park – the people, the pace, the passion – it’s all overwhelming. How could anyone attempt to capture the magic of the Big Apple in a simple handkerchief? Yet a select few have managed to portray the crackle and pop, the magnetism that is “the City”. Artists Carl Tait and Tammis...
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