Category Archives: Fashion

These are a few of my favorite things? Continuing the idea of an afternoon cocktail hour as posited in this post, I’m putting up the New Year’s episode of ‘The Lawrence Welk Show’ as brought to you by Geritol. (Should I be looking into whether I need Geritol? Seems like something that should be part of my pill program at this age…) 

My family used to watch this every week when I was a wee one, and I still recall some of the songs (especially the classic good-night closing theme). It’s ideal background fodder for passing a winter evening, recalling a time that feels very innocent and easy when compared to today’s world. Nostalgia never held much appeal for me, but I’m slowly coming around to it. Any other time feels better than the present. 

It’s easy to poke fun at old Mr. Welk and this earnest show that teeters into cheesy territory, but then something like ‘Try to Remember’ comes along and I’m reminded of the way things used to be. A wistful, faded memory, packed away in crinkled tissue paper with the faintest scent of lavender that is probably more imagined than actually present, it brings me back to an era I didn’t even experience firsthand, yet somehow I remember…

With its kitschy living room sets, lacquered sky-high hair, and divine dresses beaded with beauty and shrouded in chiffon, the setting and style may seem crazy to modern audiences, but I absolutely adore it. It appeals to an idea of our champagne dreams – once so pure and simple – when dressing up and having a conversation was enough. 

For anyone who needs a bit of escapism, and almost everyone I know is in that boat, this one’s for you. I’m going to put on some ridiculous caftan, make a mocktail in some nonsensical cocktail glass, find a sparkly necklace, and luxuriate the afternoon away. (Helpful hint: if you want to just fast-forward to the best part, hit 33:51 and watch that lady go!) 

“You are a ghost. Filled with stardust, wearing the bones as the shield and the skin as the cape. Fighting every day and opening up for the new wounds in the hustle of hiding the old scars.” ~ Akshay Vasu

At various points, we are all called to be superheroes. It usually doesn’t come in the form of crime-fighting or cape-wearing glory, bur rather in the smaller heroic acts that constitute being a good person. The older I get, the more conflicted I feel about whether it’s easier to be good or bad. There are so many ways where being good and doing the right thing is more difficult, uncomfortable and trying than taking an easier way out. And then there are times when I realize how much more work it is to be bad – to be the perceived villain, to go out of your way to be mean when it’s simpler to live and let live. 

Whichever road you take – whether it’s hero or villain – a proper cape is always the way to go. For this time of the year, I’m employing a rust colored woolen beauty that simply reeks of autumnal splendor. It keeps the wind at bay, quieting the world and even warming my head when the hood is on. Functional and flamboyant and just a little bit of a fuck-off to society’s dull trappings of what’s appropriate. Perfect for the fall, when the sweetness or bitterness of certain berries works like a tonic to steer us into good witch or bad witch territory. I haven’t quite made up my mind as to which witch I want to be… either way, I intend to fly.

“You will never become a hero if you keep waiting for someone else to bring a cape for you.” ~ Akshay Vasu

My little pal Cameron just won Halloween with his spot-on depiction of the legendary Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Down to the hat and bag and sunglasses, he personifies the former First-Lady-turned-powerhouse-Editor, unmistakably channeling her glamour and elegance and strength. In a lot of ways, those are all elements of Cameron’s own style and personality, and seeing him display it brings a tear to my eye, because this was something I wish I had seen (or been) in my childhood. 

“The children have been a wonderful gift to me, and I’m thankful to have once again seen our world through their eyes. They restore my faith in the family’s future.” ~Jackie Kennedy Onassis 

Cameron has spent the last few months extolling the virtues of Jackie O and Princess Diana, so I’m not surprised he chose Jackie as his Halloween costume. She’s also not a bad role model to have. She always inspired my mother, who saw behind the phenomenal fashion and noble elegance to something deeper and more powerful: the grace and grit to get through the most unimaginably horrific events of the 60’s and survive with children and integrity intact. 

For Cameron, I hope it’s still mostly an appreciation for her fabulousness and sense of fashion. In his case, he’s pondering a career either as a fashion designer or a fashion historian – both of which he’s well on his way toward accomplishing. (He’s only nine years old, so he has some time…)

“Once you can express yourself, you can tell the world what you want from it… All the changes in the world, for good or evil, were first brought about by words.” – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

The simpler joys in life are sometimes all we have to hold onto these days.

And any day is made better when your scarf matches your belt.

“In my leisure time I appear rather… impractical. But I do think that I’ve made a practical woman out of myself. You can’t have worked the number of years I have, through hell or high water, without being basically practical” – Diana Vreeland

The sales clerk trying to sell me on this Marimekko apron was being utterly adorable. She saw me eyeing it and picking it up, then sauntered over and said what a beautiful piece it was. “You could wear it even as a part of an outfit, over some jeans or something,” she said. 

“Or nothing at all!” I excitedly exclaimed. How little did she know me. “You know, for a party.”

“Oh I can totally see you just in that, with a glass of wine, just hanging out,” her associate chimed in. He seemed to have a better read on what I might wear and how. 

And so, for those two Marimekko sales people, who brightened the rainy day that Suzie and I were battling on our recent trip to Manchester, I give you this look: nude but for an apron. I simply followed this sage advice from Ace of Base: don’t turn around. 

The coloring of the apron is a bright and plucky homage to Diana Vreeland, who seemed to adore only certain super-saturated shades of scarlet, as evidenced by her red drawing room in New York if I remember correctly. Her vibrant exuberance very much inspired this fall’s strong color palette. We needed the lift. 

“All my life I’ve pursued the perfect red. I can never get painters to mix it for me. It’s exactly as if I’d said, ‘I want rococo with a spot of Gothic in it and a bit of Buddhist temple’- they have no idea what I’m talking about. About the best red is to copy the color of a child’s cap in any Renaissance portrait.” ~ Diana Vreeland

Andy helms the morning ride to work when I need to be at the office, for which I am eternally grateful. After driving myself to work for several years and dealing with a car left out in the heat of summer or the snow and ice of winter, this sort of arrangement is something that I never take for granted. On this particular morning, I slid into the passenger seat and set my striped bag on the floor in front of me, which contained a yellow lunch bag, topped by a pink and persimmon coat, on which I tossed a purple mask. Taken together, they provided a cheerful pop of color that suddenly cheered the otherwise uneventful entry to the work day. 

Color makes me happy, and this unexpected combination zapped the gray of an overcast day entirely away. It’s the little things that get us through a sleepy morning.

It’s the little things that get us through life.