Emilio Pucci – the Prince of Prints
When the swinging 60’s ushered in a world of psychedelic graphics, one artist’s images stood head and shoulders above the rest – Emilio Pucci. It’s not surprising, however, since Pucci’s dazzling originality predated the Summer of Love by two decades. His seminal ideas and epochal images were forever ahead of convention, and stand today as timeless classics. “Color directly influences the soul.” Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art 1969 2015 worn by Kendall Jenner Born Marquis Emilio Pucci di Barsento to an aristocratic family in Florence, Italy,...
Read MoreSummer of Love
Every generation has their own “coming of age” decade. The 1940’s were dominated by Hitler, the Holocaust and Hiroshima. A break from combat involved dancing to the tunes of Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller, and Harry James, as couples held each other tight for whatever time they had together. The 1950’s heralded Peace, Prosperity and Possibilities. Kids cut loose to rock n’ roll in safe, serene suburbs. The 1960’s ushered in the Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Berlin Wall, and escalation of the Vietnam War. It’s no surprise that kids who experienced “duck and cover” air raids with regularity in...
Read MoreAdolescence
“Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, lemme tell you. Those are big years. Everybody always thinks of it as adolescence—just getting through to the real part of your life—but it’s more than that. Sometimes your whole life happens in those years, and the rest of your life it’s just the same story playing out with different characters. I could die tomorrow and have lived the main ups and downs of life. Pain. Loss. Love. And what you all so fondly refer to as wisdom.” Lidia Yuknavitch, Dora: A Headcase We’ve all heard school reunion stories about the nerd who’s now a...
Read MoreCinderella Redux
Cinderella is a timeless tale of good vs. evil, kindness vs. oppression. The origin of the story is ambiguous, although many claim authorship. Attributions range from Roman historian Strabo in the first century BC, to Sheh Hsien in China, to French author Charles Perrault in 1697…and on infinitum. According to SurLaLune, there are anywhere from 345 to 1,500 versions of the tale! The site opines “Most…tales include an epiphany sparked by an article of clothing (usually a shoe) that causes the heroine to be recognized for her true worth. With Carrie Bradshaw leading the charge, we’ll embrace...
Read MoreCinderella in Four Acts
I don’t know if this charming quartet of Cinderella hankies came as a boxed set, or if a little girl had to collect each image individually, perhaps as a reward for good behavior. This is an intriguing ensemble, for the heart theme unifies the images both visually and through subtext. Each scenario is ensconced in a heart, while Cinderella’s ball gown is awash in tiny valentines. Let’s start with Chapter One, where Cinderella appears to bypass her Fairy Godmother, white mice, pumpkin coach, stepsisters, frankly the who shebang, and zips directly to the Fashion Tree....
Read MoreWriting
“To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.” Phyllis Theroux With so many venues open for the world to reach us today – email, twitter, texting, fax, phone, newspaper, television, internet, etc., why do we work so intently to screen, delete, expunge, edit, cancel and eliminate 99% of information from reaching us? Because it arrives uninvited and unwanted. Yet, who among us would toss away a handwritten letter unopened? (Savvy direct mail marketers learned this secret over two decades ago and began using handwritten fonts for junk mail, but we soon...
Read MoreFan Fandango
On a par with handkerchief flirting, we present the fluttering fan. It provides a perfect foil from whence the shy can seek shelter and the ardent arouse passion. From coquette to vixen, ingénue to vamp, a huntress skilled at the game of flirting can drop her prey with a flick of the wrist. “The eyes are one of the most powerful tools a wom an can have. With one look, she can relay the most intimate message. After the connection is made, words cease to exist.” Jennifer Salaiz (The lady in gold is from a Russian website and I apologize, but I do not read Russian, so cannot give an...
Read MoreTime Marches On…
It’s paradoxical that the one thing we desire most, we often waste with reckless abandon… the gift of time. It’s a gift that if stolen or lost, can never be replaced. The longer one lives, the more one understands how limited is our time, and how helpless we are to conjure more. “Lost time is never found again.” Benjamin Franklin In 2015, we initiated daylight savings time earlier than ever before in an effort to extend our days for play and other pursuits. Though understanding it’s only a bit of trickery, for there are never more than 24 hours in a day, we congratulate our cleverness at...
Read MoreLe Parfum
“Perfume is magic. It’s mystery. We recreate the smell of a flower. Of wood. Of grass. We capture the essence of life. Liquefy it. We store memories. We make dreams. What we do is a wonder, an art, and we have a responsibility to do it well.” M.J. Rose, Seduction Ah yes, fabulous fragrance. In this season of romance, “le parfum” is the ultimate femme fatale accoutrement for flirting. Our olfactory sense is so finely tuned that a mere whiff of jasmine, rose, or lily can evoke memories of a lost love, a magical summer, or pivotal moment in our lives. Perfumers and retailers know this all too...
Read MoreRaymond Peynet – the Eternal Romantic
“Do you know what it’s like to love someone so much that you can’t see yourself without picturing her? Or what it’s like to touch someone, and feel like you’ve come home?” Jodi Picoult, The Pact Raymond Peynet knew, and expressed it exquisitely in his enchanting and often humorous drawings. You’ve seen his work here before in our romantic musings and New Year’s greetings. Delightfully innocent, and utterly charming, Peynet’s images captured the hearts of Parisians and romantics worldwide. (Note: this month we have a very special gift for you, so be sure to read to the...
Read MoreChicago World’s Fair
“Big-shot town, small-shot town, jet-propelled old-fashioned town, by old-world hands with new-world tools built into a place whose heartbeat carries farther than its shout, whose whispering in the night sounds less hollow than its roistering noontime laugh: they have built a heavy-shouldered laughter here who went to work too young.” Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the Make If you read our earlier missive on Chicago you learned about a town that began as a desolate fur trading outpost in the 1800’s which grew to become a city of industry, the nation’s railroad hub, and cradle of...
Read MoreChicago
Oh Chicago, where to begin? Trying to describe the city is akin to eating an elephant in one bite – overwhelming and impossible. Chicago has been called audacious, gritty, tenacious, and rugged, as well as heroic, epic, splendid, and irresistible. Poet Carl Sandburg captured her synergy best in his poem Chicago, when he claimed the ‘City of Big Shoulders’ is “a chant of defiance…defiance of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, London, Paris, Berlin and Rome. The poem sort of says “Maybe we ain’t got culture, but we’re eatin’ regular.” Hmmmm. I take umbrage...
Read MoreA New Year’s Greeting
I am the New Year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. I’m your next chance at the art of living. For many of us the thought of a new year contains the elements of both sunshine and shadow. Most of us hope for new beginnings, but no one wants to encounter the disappointment of unmet resolutions. Certainly it’s wise to take stock, but must we dwell on improving and perfecting yet again? For the moment, let’s just be grateful that we’re here to turn the page, and welcome with open arms whatever adventure lies ahead. Let’s celebrate the gift of twelve months of wonder, surprises,...
Read MoreWinter Wonderland Wedding
“Moonlight, white satin, roses. A bride.” Angela Carter, The Magic Toyshop Although May and June have always been popular choices for weddings, December isn’t far behind. There’s nothing more inspiring than coming in from the cold to a glorious candlelight wedding, then later exiting into a starlit night to wish the couple on their way. I recall witnessing a wedding years ago where a couple glided away in a horse drawn sleigh. As the cheering died down, you could hear sleigh bells jingling far into the distance. At 22” square, this antique wedding handkerchief is, to me, spectacular. ...
Read MoreDon’t Cry Rudolph
Even if a lady rarely received a handkerchief for a gift, come Christmastime, every mother, sister, daughter, aunt, mother-in-law, teacher, tutor, and favorite friend could count on Santa gracing her stocking with a beautiful embroidered hankie, or if she were really lucky, a boxed set of hankies under the tree. A full page ad in The Saturday Evening Post, December 5, 1953, features a wreath of Irish Linen handkerchiefs – embroidered, monogrammed, and more. They made the recipient feel like a lady, feminine and cherished. (An ad on the reverse for the “Magnificent Magnavox high...
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