tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25300714867998377212024-03-12T18:49:36.652-07:00Bien VestidoAn Exloration of Dressing Well with Personal Style and Meaning.Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-50677012329840536292017-08-11T07:08:00.000-07:002019-10-02T10:51:03.438-07:00My Secret Happiness<br />
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Can I tell you something? This is just between you and me. At this moment, I am the keeper of a special and beautiful dress and I am deeply touched. <br />
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My stepdaughter is getting married tomorrow. We have known each other since she was six. We have played, talked, laughed, danced, been serious and been funny together. I had an anxiety attack before I even knew what they were when she went on her first date. The clock was one minute past 11 pm and where was she? She was home at five minutes past 11 smiling and happy and I felt silly sweating bullets. <br />
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Her mother says I am not her stepmother, that I am more than that. I am her “other” mother. I love that. <br />
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So my secret? For the past two days, I have her wedding dress hanging here at my house. I am the caretaker of this loveliness. I see the delicate ivory tulle peeking below the cover and I am secretly thrilled. Thrilled to the point of teariness. What an honor and responsibility to be the keeper of my daughter’s wedding dress. <br />
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After attending four dress fittings with her, I feel very close with my stepdaughter, with the dress and with the seamstress. It’s intimate to be in a small room together discussing the details of the fit of the bosom, the waist, the hips, how to lace up the corset and how to button the train so that it becomes a bustle. <br />
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At the first fitting I stayed back, not wanting to be a pushy MOB, “other” or otherwise. But when asked what I thought, I gave a supportive and I hoped, a calm opinion. I must’ve been ok because the seamstress asked me to come back for the next fitting and the next. I felt honored. <br />
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When she was younger, my daughter would ask “how do I look?” before going out with friends. She was so beautiful, once I said “you could wear a paper bag and still be beautiful.” At the time she looked at me quizzically, not sure if that was a compliment or not. I assured her, that she is and always will be beautiful inside and out.<br />
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On her big day, tomorrow, she will wear her beautiful gown in front of 150 people and she will be stunning. <br />
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But for now, the dress is with me. My own personal connection with my darling daughter beginning her new wonderful life. Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-35513142044810560082017-07-25T10:32:00.001-07:002019-10-02T10:54:35.536-07:00Keepers: clothes with the soul of memories<br />
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"And how can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind?"<br />
to quote Carson McCullers from <i>The Heart is a Lonely Hunter</i>.<br />
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And, I'd like to add, they still live in the clothes they leave behind. <br />
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It was the summer of 1974, I was visiting my aunt and uncle in a small California beach town, so different and more exciting than my home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They were party givers, fun casual outdoor parties. I remember lots of sun and the luxury of ocean breezes, unlike the stifling humidity of the Deep South. One of their friends was there with her son who was my age,16. He was tall, thin, with shoulder-length straight white-blond hair. It had that crazy stiffness of someone who swims a lot. We chatted, turned out he was a surfer and I was smitten. My first love. <br />
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We spent almost every day together that summer. Driving from beach to beach in his well-worn VW bug with his surf board on top. And at night we went from house party to house party. We kissed, we held hands, we danced to the Beach Boys. We sang the lyrics to "California Girls", especially "And the Southern girls with the way they talk. They knock me out when I'm down there." I felt like a surfer girl, even though I didn't surf.<br />
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As it does in a thousand songs, the summer came to an end. We made plans for the next summer. We promised to write. The summer might be over, but not our romance. He gave me this blue Hawaiian shirt, his favorite. I treasured it and slept in it almost every night when I returned home to Baton Rouge, thinking of him and dreaming of when we would be together again. <br />
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I did go back the next summer and we did have a few dates. But the mood had changed and we felt distant. He was skateboarding now and that's all he wanted to talk about. Doing cool moves in empty swimming pools with his buddies and photographing them for <i>Surfer </i>magazine. We drifted apart and had our separate adventures that summer. He was different, I probably was too. <br />
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Three years after our summer together, he died. A friend wrote to tell me. He had been with friends in a remote part of Mexico, had appendicitis and couldn't get medical help in time. It was raining when I read the letter. We hadn't seen each other for a while but I was still in love with the surfer boy I first met. I've kept his Hawaiian shirt for 43 years. It embodies first love, a dreamy summer and the bittersweetness of losing someone you love.<br />
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The above musing was inspired by this book, <a href="http://wornstories.com/">"Worn Stories" by Emily Spivack</a>. It's an enthralling collection of short essays by actors, writers, designers, artists and culture makers.<br />
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We all have some special and meaningful clothing item saved. What's yours?<br />
<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-11943570351367456192017-04-14T19:54:00.002-07:002019-10-02T11:33:22.833-07:00Summer of Love, where everyone was part of the show<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">A few of the fashions from the Summer of Love Experience at the de Young Museum, San Francisco, April 8-August 20, 2017.</span></td></tr>
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It was during the Summer of Love that I decided to move to San Francisco. I was 9 that summer, so my move had to wait until I was old enough to be on my own. But in June of 1967, my grandmother, Bootsie, and I took a jet plane from home in New Orleans to California. It was my first time to fly, the first of many firsts that summer. My mother had died eight months previous and I wanted to be with her sister and her husband, my cool California Aunt Caryl and my hip Uncle Don, more than anything. Anticipating the trip was my constant daydream.<br />
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The reality was far more exciting, entrancing and life-changing than I ever imagined. We took an eye-opening stroll down Haight street. The girls wore a mix of printed cotton prairie dresses, embroidered jeans and Mexican peasant blouses with desert boots or were barefoot. Even as a child, I could see how cool and casual it all was. I loved it. Back home, I was still wearing ruffly dresses with matching shoes and purse to church on Sunday, which suddenly seemed very boring and not cool.<br />
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One night, my aunt and uncle had a party and the living room was lit only by a black light and the just released Sgt. Pepper's album was played over and over. I drew hearts and crazy daisy flowers on my arms and legs with glowing fluorescent chalk and danced to every song. The summer ended, I was bereft, but I knew I would be back. In my flowered canvas suitcase, I had psychedelic posters to redecorate my pastel yellow girly bedroom, a chambray shirt I'd embroidered with peace symbols and a tie-dyed T-shirt appliquéd with old lace. I was going back to the South, but I would never be the same. <br />
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Now, the de Young Museum, situated just a few blocks from Haight Ashbury, is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Summer of Love with an exhibit of the fashion, posters, music, photos, film and ephemera of the time. As Dede Wilsey said on opening night, "It was a cultural revolt with major reverberations and a lasting affect on many aspects of modern life." <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I love the hippie-dandy quality of the embroidered velvet, flowing sleeves and choker.</span></div>
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Leslie Rowan, Top, ca. 1970. Cotton velvet with sequin flower appliqués and ribbon trim. Collection of Peter Kaukonen. Jackie Sarti, Customized landlubber jeans, ca. 1970. Denim with cotton patches, ribbons, appliqué and reverse-appliqué San Blas Island (Panama) cotton "mola," and applied rhinestone studs. Collection of Peter Kaukonen. Jacki Sarti, Choker, ca. 1970. Leather with beads. Collection of Peter Kaukonen Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsF8-7NuC00/WO1v_4YQf5I/AAAAAAAADeg/_6UuVQjRMLAdtcKmWLbYuTCKE0Kugz5-gCLcB/s1600/q_sj1bxrrxB3jnPRvFHCtgpBmn-BxGYwwj0Ht1OA6c-4pqg2Bp7Ojo99I0uIvwUgMfpo2J22yd1lTHNm6NXstAWn6tBK-afGz6hnRDXuvVmIa-Hguq4Fe_6tNHQFd0cThAJMs2MMgdY8M7K3JHjqV3eZ58qtY9mXEdG4Ir9t1WJFTN89scx_zuHpZVR1ymrdKyEpHPCc33eHxyJMbDS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsF8-7NuC00/WO1v_4YQf5I/AAAAAAAADeg/_6UuVQjRMLAdtcKmWLbYuTCKE0Kugz5-gCLcB/s640/q_sj1bxrrxB3jnPRvFHCtgpBmn-BxGYwwj0Ht1OA6c-4pqg2Bp7Ojo99I0uIvwUgMfpo2J22yd1lTHNm6NXstAWn6tBK-afGz6hnRDXuvVmIa-Hguq4Fe_6tNHQFd0cThAJMs2MMgdY8M7K3JHjqV3eZ58qtY9mXEdG4Ir9t1WJFTN89scx_zuHpZVR1ymrdKyEpHPCc33eHxyJMbDS.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">It's surprising how wearable many of the outfits would be today. I would love to have this Betsey Johnson dress to wear now. </span><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Betsey Johnson, Dress, 1970–1972. Knitted wool. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of James Elliot, 1983.95 Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The colors and the graphic quality of this dress are striking and originally an expression of sexual freedom. But today, the hands are ironic and bring to mind Trump's pussy grabbing brag. Birgitta Bjerke (100% Birgitta), “Hands” dress, ca. 1967-1968. Crocheted wool. Collection of the artist
Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">I love this look, it reminds me of something my Aunt Caryl wore in the late '60's.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Judy Goldhaft of the Diggers</span></td></tr>
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At the exhibit opening last week some of the originals were there. They were ones who made the Summer of Love with their
art, passion and political activism, including Judy Goldhaft of the Diggers. When I asked Judy to pose for the photo, she happily responded with '60's sass and style: a huge smile and flash of her great lace tights. <br />
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Judy explains the Diggers: "<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt;">T</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt;">he Diggers were performers. The Diggers had
a sense of humor. The Diggers were open to flashes of fun, improvisation. What's the
most outrageous thing you can think of to do? Let's do it! ...
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt;">And if you said you were a Digger then you were a Digger. Well, what could you do to be
a Digger? You put 'free' in front of something, and then you do it. Free food. Free store."
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">I did make it back to California the following summer. These shorts are not from the exhibit. They're mine and I appliquéd the summer of 1968. I still have them and love them.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-60675878298872115542017-03-25T15:58:00.001-07:002019-10-03T09:55:26.120-07:00You may ask, "What does this have to do with me?"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comme des Garçons, A/W 2012-13, Photo: Mark Segal, Model: Monika Sawicka</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">ModeMuseum, the fashion museum in Antwerp, had an exhibition last year “Game Changers: Reinventing the 20th Century Silhouette.” It's a fascinating study of fashion design that was new and different from anything before. In the 1950's and 1960's, Cristóbal Balenciaga took the emphasis away from the waist, creating architectural shapes that were flattering and elegant. In the 1980's, young Japanese designers, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake, were a shocking sensation in Paris with their loose fitting, oversized layers. They in turn influenced the young Belgium designers, Antwerp Six +1. The concepts of these designers are influencing designers today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">With our eyes accustomed to a daily onslaught of the same jeans and t-shirts on every woman, man and child on the street, even the mildest style difference can be shocking. The images below are from the "Game Changers" exhibit and they are extreme. But it's fun to suspend judgement for the moment and enjoy the colors and the shapes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">But I hear you ask, “What does this have to do with me getting dressed for the day?” Think of this like a aperitif, but instead of waking up your tastebuds, it stimulates your eyes and you might see your old closet contents in a new way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Webster’s defines silhouette as “the outline of a body viewed as circumscribing a mass.” It’s the shape and overall volume of clothing on the body. It’s the difference of having a defined waist or no waist. It’s wearing wide-legged pants or wearing skinny jeans. We all present a silhouette whether we choose to be aware of it or not. Studying this exhibit has heightened my awareness of the silhouette. I usually go no farther than asking myself (or hubby Matt) whether something makes me look heavier or thinner. But for conscious dressing, I'm discovering that there’s more to it than that. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comme des Garçons, A/W 2012-13, Photo: Mark Segal, Model: Monika Sawicka</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Iris Van Herpen, ‘Micro’, haute couture S/S 2012, Photo: Ronald Stoops</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cristobal Balenciaga, A/W 1958, Photo: Tom Kublin, Courtsey: Balenciaga Archives</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cristobal Balenciaga, A/W 1967, Photo: Balenciaga Archives</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cristobal Balenciaga, A/W 1958, Photo: Tom Kublin, Courtesy: Balenciaga Archives</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maison Martin Margiela, A/W 2000-01, Photo: Marina Faust</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comme des Garçons, ‘Body meets Dress, Dress meets Body’, S/S 1997, Photo: Yannis Vlamos</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comme des Garçons, A/W 2012-13, Photo: Sophie Delaporte</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dries Van Noten, S/S 2012, Photo: Patrice Stable</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Issey Miyake, 1990-2015, Photo: Francis Giacobetti</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Issey Miyake, 1990-2015, Photo: Francis Giacobetti</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ann Demeulemeester, S/S 2009, Photo: Dan & Corinne Lecca</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maison Martin Margiela, S/S 1989, Photo: Tatsuya Kitayama</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Georgina Godley, Sport Couture, A/W 1990, Photo: Georgina Godley</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Game Changers: Reinventing the 20th Century Silhouette, MOMU Fashion Museum, Antwerp</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Game Changers: Reinventing the 20th Century Silhouette, MOMU Fashion Museum, Antwerp</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Game Changers: Reinventing the 20th Century Silhouette, MOMU Fashion Museum, Antwerp</span><br />
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-18572982614920230332017-02-10T06:33:00.002-08:002019-10-03T10:03:26.018-07:00A dose of sublime elegance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibition poster. Marilyn Monroe wears a Dior design during The Last
Sitting photographed by Bert Stern for Vogue at the Bel-Air Hotel in Los
Angeles, June 1962. © Bert Stern.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Some people go for the puppy or kitten videos, others post scenes of nature. While these certainly give me a needed distraction from the disturbing state of politics today, there's no escape like momentarily sinking into a world of beauty and elegance. To calm my nerves after obsessively reading and watching the news and as a reward for taking <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/100/action1">the latest action</a> (writing letters and postcards to my senators and other elected officials), I decided to pay a visit to the childhood home of Christian Dior.<br />
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On February 12, it will be 70 years since Christian Dior presented his first collection, his post-war antidote to austerity and drabness. Using 10 to 25 yards of fabric and accentuating the waist, hips and bosom, his designs were not modern, but his "New Look" answered a deep need for beauty and reassurance.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian Dior was born here in 1905 and was nostalgic about it all his
life, incorporating pink and grey colors in his designs and the scents
of rose and lily of the valley in his perfumes. </td></tr>
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Museum shows are such a great opportunity to study a theme in depth and a great resource of curated imagery, information and point of view. Even if I can't make it to a particular exhibit, at least I can do
online research and request access to the images. I didn't make it to
Granville in Normandy France for the <a href="http://musee-dior-granville.com/en/home/">Christian Dior Museum's</a> show, "Women in Dior – Sublime Elegance of a Portrait," but they kindly shared their images. <br />
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Curated by Florence Müller, the show pays tribute to Dior dresses and the women who wore them. Here's a quote from the exhibit:<br />
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"The clothes a woman wears communicate a lot about her personality, unspoken clues to who she is for the world to decipher. The array of designs created by Christian Dior, and then by his successors, has consistently enchanted a vast number of women who find what they need to express their individuality in the beautifully crafted lines. Ever since 1947, this synergy has produced a long line of elegantly-clad women who have a close relationship with their Dior outfits, unfailing witnesses to every highlight of their lives."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cover for the exhibition book. Angélique dress by Mats Gustafson, 2016. © Mats Gustafson.</td></tr>
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The women featured in the book written by biographer and fashion journalist Laurence Benaïm are the many of the most glamorous women, past and present. To review the list is a study of fascinating lives. <br />
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They are:<br />
HRH Princess Grace of Monaco<br />
The Duchess of
Windsor<br />
Diana, Princess of Wales<br />
<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/09/jacqueline-deribes-201009">Countess de Ribes</a><br />
Leonor Fini, a very interesting Argentine surrealist painter<br />
Olivia de Havilland<br />
Jackie Kennedy<br />
Patricia López-Willshaw (<a href="http://fabulorum.com/tag/patricia-lopez-willshaw/">fascinating story</a>)<br />
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1450644/Francine-Weisweiller.html">Francine Weisweiller</a>, muse to Jean Cocteau<br />
Marilyn Monroe<br />
Charlize Theron<br />
Elizabeth Taylor<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/25/edmonde-charles-roux">Edmonde Charles-Roux,</a> French Vogue editor, novelist and biographer of Chanel<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zizi_Jeanmaire">Zizi Jeanmaire</a>, French dancer with great style and pizazz<br />
Mitzah Bricard, muse to Christian Dior, he said "Ms. Bricard is one of those rare people whose only reason for living is elegance." She was the leopard print personified.<br />
Suzanne Luling, childhood friend and original Dior public relations directrice<br />
Carmen
Colle<br />
Marlene Dietrich<br />
Jennifer Lawrence<br />
Natalie Portman<br />
Marion
Cotillard<br />
Emilia Clarke<br />
Rihanna<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K8XyUKIrKG0/V42JsXp0vaI/AAAAAAAADPM/Qw7Bf9ENSi44gvTAhyNpu7SBDG6dE3NXQCLcB/s1600/Genevie%25CC%2580ve%2BPage%2B-%2Bcredits%2BKeystone-France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K8XyUKIrKG0/V42JsXp0vaI/AAAAAAAADPM/Qw7Bf9ENSi44gvTAhyNpu7SBDG6dE3NXQCLcB/s640/Genevie%25CC%2580ve%2BPage%2B-%2Bcredits%2BKeystone-France.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
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Geneviève Page wears a Christian Dior dress during the French Film Festival in London in 1957.</div>
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© Keystone-France.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-awaa0PC7UDI/V42Jt7d4rRI/AAAAAAAADPQ/NfBeoYFaIdkZG_t3dI_8pvWe1sTjASybQCLcB/s1600/Lady%2BDiana%2B-%2B23%2BNovember%2B1995%2B-%2Bcredits%2BTim%2BGraham%2Bfor%2BGetty%2BImages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-awaa0PC7UDI/V42Jt7d4rRI/AAAAAAAADPQ/NfBeoYFaIdkZG_t3dI_8pvWe1sTjASybQCLcB/s640/Lady%2BDiana%2B-%2B23%2BNovember%2B1995%2B-%2Bcredits%2BTim%2BGraham%2Bfor%2BGetty%2BImages.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady Diana arrives in Buenos Aires, November 23, 1995. She carries the Dior handbag that she will eventually poplularize, which will become the famous Lady Dior. ©Tim Graham/Getty Images. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXvABdzoe3s/V42NeoJnFXI/AAAAAAAADPo/8v41HgoR9zgaEp8aKZ6ynDp3JWa1j7SAgCLcB/s1600/Mitzah%2BBricard%2B-%2Bca%2B1950%2B-%2Bcredits%2BAll%2BRights%2BReserved.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXvABdzoe3s/V42NeoJnFXI/AAAAAAAADPo/8v41HgoR9zgaEp8aKZ6ynDp3JWa1j7SAgCLcB/s640/Mitzah%2BBricard%2B-%2Bca%2B1950%2B-%2Bcredits%2BAll%2BRights%2BReserved.tif" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Portrait of Mitzah Bricard, circa 1950. All rights reserved.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gj1GDpP9gHs/V42KJJzcisI/AAAAAAAADPY/aoz5MVAc1QMfKLY9mKKxqzYFwWeOmh8twCLcB/s1600/Princess%2BMargaret%2B-%2B21%2BNovember%2B1951%2B-%2Bcredits%2B-Rue%2Bdes%2BArchives%2BAGIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gj1GDpP9gHs/V42KJJzcisI/AAAAAAAADPY/aoz5MVAc1QMfKLY9mKKxqzYFwWeOmh8twCLcB/s640/Princess%2BMargaret%2B-%2B21%2BNovember%2B1951%2B-%2Bcredits%2B-Rue%2Bdes%2BArchives%2BAGIP.jpg" width="594" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Princess Margaret accompanied by Sir Oliver Harvey while arriving to the Bal du Cercle Interallié benefitting the British Hertford Hospital in Paris, November 21, 1951. © Rue des Archives/AGIP.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Rihanna chose a design from the Autumn-Winter 2015 haute couture collection to attend the Spring-Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection’s runway show in Paris, October 2, 2015. © Getty Images for Dior.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-59803434830559637502017-01-15T16:21:00.000-08:002019-10-03T10:06:47.559-07:00Miss Pat Clark, Air Hostess<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Pat Clark in 1948, one of the first airline hostesses for TWA. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">She's wearing the uniform designed by Howard Greer. </span></td></tr>
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Air hostess, stewardess or flight attendant -- while the title has changed through the years, the job has always been connected to a sense of adventure, independence and glamour. In early December, I organized a tour of the "Fashion in Flight" show at the San Francisco International airport. I wrote about the show <a href="http://bienvestido.blogspot.com/2016/10/couture-on-tarmac.html">here</a>. Among the twenty tour attendees was one of the first TWA (Transcontinental and Western Air) air hostesses, Pat Wunderling. She is the mother of a friend of mine and I was thrilled to have her there and hear firsthand about her experiences.<br />
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She was a WAVE in Naval Air Transport in WWII, flying between Oakland, California and Hawaii. She applied to TWA but was turned down because she didn't meet the minimum height requirement, but she persisted. Once they considered her military experience she was hired. Flying before the jet era, she was an air hostess on the prop planes DC-3's and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Constellation">Constellations ("Connies")</a>, flying the West Coast region from 1947-1949. She married in 1949 and had to leave her job as it was against regulations to be a married air hostess. <br />
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Howard Hughes was her boss and TWA was known as the "Airline to the Stars" as a lot of Hollywood people liked to party in San Francisco. Pat remembers having Mickey Rooney on her flight a few times, along with other celebrities. <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The erudite John H. Hill, Assistant Director for the SFO Museum, led us on a fascinating story and fact-filled two-hour tour of the "Fashion in Flight" exhibit. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Pat is standing on the far right in the tweed turtleneck. She is looking at a copy of the TWA uniform she wore while John explains the history of the uniform designed by Howard Greer. Pat remembers uniform regulations were strict and if they weren't followed it could mean losing your job. She told us the story of one colleague showing up to work in open-toe shoes, which was not regulation. Pat thought fast and advised her friend to stuff the toe with carbon paper, so the black paper blended in with the leather.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The darling and daring Pat Wunderling, with her custom-made uniform. She brought it to share with the group. She'll be 93 next month and is still looking fabulous.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Above is a detail of the famous flap on the TWA uniform. The flap unbuttons to cover the logo when the air hostess is having a cigarette or cocktail.</span></td></tr>
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Pat generously gave me one of her original business cards. She also offered one to John Hill, but being the thorough and ethical conservator that he is, he refused it because he could not document receiving it at that moment. They made plans to talk later so Pat could officially share some of her stories and memorabilia with the museum.<br />
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Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-18946038095090968082016-11-05T11:13:00.000-07:002019-10-03T10:11:48.489-07:00Crossroads, crucifixes and crowns<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1VhrPmhn-rY/WBvDxnqF8EI/AAAAAAAADZQ/OKqu2dzCHQAxLFoigc64--8e_DZZaJUdgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1VhrPmhn-rY/WBvDxnqF8EI/AAAAAAAADZQ/OKqu2dzCHQAxLFoigc64--8e_DZZaJUdgCLcB/s640/IMG_2630.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Katherine Leutzinger in her beautiful shop, <a href="https://casakatalina.com/">Casa Katalina</a>, </div>
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at Calle Correo 51, one block from the center of town.</div>
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Situated on a 6400 foot plateau in central Mexico, San Miguel de Allende does not have the beaches that most people imagine when thinking about Mexico. But it does have the constant hum, buzz and electric energy of creativity on just about every corner. It can be the creativity of a metal fabricator hammering out the next beautiful iron gate. Or it can be the lamp shade maker in the mercado piercing slotted patterns on shiny silver tin to create beautiful wall shadows.<br />
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Or it can a stylish ex-pat gringa who is inspired by the local creativity to bring her own design visions to life. That's what interior designer Katherine Leutzinger did in 2004 when she was at a crossroads in her life and daringly decided to close her interior design business in Reno and move to San Miguel for a new start.<br />
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With her keen eye for drama and style, Katherine opened her elegant shop selling her jewelry, home decor and vintage Mexican items. Using rich Mexican imagery and icons such as crosses and crowns in her designs, each piece is handcrafted locally, making each piece not only a fabulous thing to wear, but also a meaningful travel memento. On every trip to San Miguel, I make it a point to visit Casa Katalina and spend time trying on Katherine's bracelets, earrings, rings, necklaces and I always find several items for myself and for gifts. And while I'm trying things on, I love chatting with Katherine to learn about the latest great restaurant or fun thing to do. <br />
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Made of the metal alloy, Tumbaga, each link on the chain is skillfully crafted by hand. The large charms have images such as the Aztec calendar and the Mexican coat of arms.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">This necklace of old Mexican coins is one of my personal treasures. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Katherine also carries vintage Mexican items, each rich with history.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">I have several of these glasses for sipping tequila in style. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">In addition to her own designs, Katherine has some traditional Mexican crafts like these gorgeous candles from Oaxaca.</span></td></tr>
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If you don't have a visit planned to San Miguel, many of the jewelry items are available at www.casakatalina.com.Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-90955653569833978762016-10-21T18:08:00.000-07:002019-10-03T10:27:15.075-07:00Couture on the tarmac <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">One of many displays in the SFO International Terminal for "Fashion in Flight." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Photo: Bien Vestido. </span></td></tr>
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In the early 70's, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was either an astronaut or a stewardess. It was a toss up. Man had recently walked on the moon which was the most exciting thing ever. But airline stewardesses flew around the world and looked glamorous and sexy while doing it. My grandmother and I took our first plane trip in 1969 from New Orleans to Los Angeles, she holding a bottle of smelling salts in one hand and her rosary beads in the other for most of the flight. While I don't remember what the stewardesses wore, I do remember how sharp, chic and competent they looked. <br />
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Recently, I had the great pleasure of seeing the wide variety of uniforms and their place in history. <a href="http://www.flysfo.com/museum">The SFO Museum</a> is currently exhibiting seventy airline uniforms from 1930 to present. Last Saturday my indefatigable fashion friend Karen and I made the trek to San Francisco International Airport to see the show. Yes, a museum show at the airport. With over twenty galleries in various terminals, it's the only accredited museum in an airport. The exhibit is a fun visual lesson in fashion history, couture designers and the effect of culture on fashion. It's worth a visit to the airport, even if you don't have a plane to catch or someone to meet. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">United Air Lines stewardesses, 1939. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">They do look sharp with a post-war military chicness. </span><span style="font-size: small;">United Airlines Archive.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">This is a clever design for TWA by Hollywood fashion designer </span><a href="http://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2010/01/howard-greer.html" style="text-align: start;">Howard Greer</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">. The TWA logo appears as cut-out letters on the upper right chest with a flap that unbuttons to cover the logo when the hostess has an off-duty cigarette or cocktail. Greer (1896-1974) created glamorous garments for stars like Katherine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich. Photos: SFO Museum.</span></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Braniff International Airways hostess uniform by Emilio Pucci, 1966. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">With "The End of the Plain Plane," an advertsing campaign created by Mary Wells Lawrence, airline uniforms did an about-face from the tailored military styles to this wild psychedelic outfit called the "Supersonic Derby" by Emilio Pucci. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Collection of SFO Museum.</span></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;">My dream come true! Pucci makes it possible to be a stewardess and an astronaut! The space age bubble helmets were originally designed to protect the hair on blustery tarmacs but proved impractical and were used only in publicity. </span>Braniff International Airways hostess in uniform by Emilio Pucci, 1965. Braniff International Public Relations Archives, History of Aviation Collection, UT-Dallas. </span></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Braniff International Airways hostesses in uniforms by Emilio Pucci, 1965,</span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;"> Gemini IV Collection, with multi-layers for quick-change combos. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Braniff International Public Relations Archives, History of Aviation Collection, UT-Dallas.</span></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;">United Air Lines stewardess in uniform by Jean Louis, 1968. </span><span style="text-align: center;">Spiffy with double-knit practicality. Another Hollywood designer, Louis (1907-1997), designed glamorous gowns for many leading ladies, most notably the strapless gown Rita Hayworth wore in </span><a href="https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3882-gilda-and-her-gowns" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">"Gilda."</a> Photo: United Airlines Archive.</span></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Air France stewardess uniform by Cristóbal Balenciaga, 1969. Courtesy of Air France. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Immutable chic. Designing uniforms for Air France was Balenciaga's last project before he retired. His uniforms stayed in production for ten years.</span></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Qantas Airways female flight attendant uniform by Yves Saint Laurent, 1986. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Not my favorite, but definitely a product of the 80's, Yves Saint Laurent designed this Dynastyesque suit for Quantas, complete with a flying kangaroo print.</span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;"> Collection of SFO Museum.</span></td></tr>
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Virgin Atlantic Airways female flight attendant uniform by Vivienne Westwood, 2014. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">With</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Westwood's signature touches such as the nipped waist and high collar, this is a very couture look. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic Airways. SFO Museum.</span></td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td></tr>
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Many thanks to SFO Assistant Museum Director John H. Hill for permission to use the photos and his generous offer to schedule a group curator's tour. Let me know if you're interested!<br />
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-11038200842916410312016-09-26T10:42:00.001-07:002019-10-03T10:31:42.265-07:00Trusting that the earth is beneath you<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspired by Annie Lennox and Sinéad O'Connor for their strength and
vulnerability, Taya created these garments that are "clean and simple
and easy to wear with a bit of unfinished edge sort of thing." Photo by <a href="http://www.kelianne.com/">Kelia Anne</a>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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I haven't experienced back-to-school anticipation and excitement for a
while, and now I'm enjoying it vicariously. My brave and talented friend <a href="http://tayabadgley.com/uncategorized/the-importance-of-apples/">Taya Badgley</a>
just left her home in Northern California for London to attend <a href="http://www.arts.ac.uk/csm/">Central St. Martins</a>
to study fashion design. We recently had a great chat about her
upcoming adventures and design process. </div>
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This big move was carefully considered by Taya and her parents. For the last two years, she has studied at SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design. When a professor showed her class the CSM's graduate show and said "this is your competition." Taya decided she would apply to CSM, known for its alumni like Sarah Burton, John Galliano, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. She was thrilled when she was accepted. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Taya</span></td></tr>
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At twenty-one, Taya has already created a beautiful and substantial portfolio of work. She generously shared her images and thoughts with me. Here is a sampling of her designs and inspiration:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://www.kelianne.com/">Kelia Anne</a></td></tr>
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The above is Taya's response to a SCAD class assignment "find inspiration in an artist." She chose George Balanchine, which led her to one of his favorite dancers, Tranquil Le Clercq. At the height of her career, she contracted polio and her dance career ended. Taya explains, "This collection has many pleats and skirts made of stiff crinoline fabric. I wanted it to have a melancholic, beautiful feel and juxtaposition between movement and constriction."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fzu4McxxEgs/V-f6wUyzseI/AAAAAAAADSE/Pcvo2oXODicwILQI2fge2BiYb0KC3LD8ACLcB/s640/blog_roots_inspo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Based on one of her mother's old Irish sweaters, she created the above mood board inspired by heritage, hard work and handwork.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6uyFH9BcAoE/V-glYMGeBHI/AAAAAAAADSs/kHTfKGnk1DgjiHEbdgFFTU8eHIb7-d_aQCLcB/s1600/blog_roots_lineup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6uyFH9BcAoE/V-glYMGeBHI/AAAAAAAADSs/kHTfKGnk1DgjiHEbdgFFTU8eHIb7-d_aQCLcB/s640/blog_roots_lineup.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">An ongoing collection, the inspiration for "Roots" is real people, young and old. Taya sees them as people working in the fields and on farms, where clothes are made and mended by hand. This is an ongoing project.</span></td></tr>
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For an independent project called "Amalgam", Taya designed and made this simple tunic,</div>
<span style="text-align: start;">inspired by medieval chemises. </span>Photo by <a href="http://www.kelianne.com/">Kelia Anne</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The top is woven and spray-painted vinyl, inspired by primitive armor and medieval peasant wear. Taya says, "The skirt has a sort of Edwardian silhouette and is made from painted artist's canvas. The fringing on the top and hem is inspired by a decorative technique called dragging that was used in Medieval times. It created movement in the simple garments." </span>Photo by <a href="http://www.kelianne.com/">Kelia Anne</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taya's favorite sweater.</td></tr>
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Taya and I chatted about what she was packing for London. In addition to "packing as many overalls as she can", she's wisely taking the warmth, coziness and comfort of her favorite sweater. In her thoughtful blog, <a href="http://tayabadgley.com/cautiously-optimistic/">Cautiously Optimistic</a>, she wrote about her love of dance, and the words can also apply to her new adventure. "The ultra magical thing I've discovered is that by trusting your floor, your earth, your foundation YOU can LOOK UP...you look up and suddenly you move with freedom and levity because you logically KNOW and faithfully TRUST that the EARTH IS BENEATH YOU."<br />
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Good to remember when dancing, walking down the street or beginning a new life chapter. Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-63388448317817296222016-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:002019-10-03T10:49:59.709-07:00The Black dandy, when a pocket square is much more<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kia Chenelle, The Waiting Man I, 2013. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist.</span></td></tr>
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I always thrill at a flash of j'ne sais quoi; whether it's the angle of a hat, a splash of pocket square or a dramatic and unexpected color worn with confidence. The traveling exhibition, <i>Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity, </i>at the <a href="http://www.moadsf.org/">Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)</a> in San Francisco until September 18, offers that thrill with sociological impact and meaning. <br />
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Through photographs and film, curator <a href="http://shantrelleplewis.com/?page_id=44">Shantrelle P. Lewis</a> shows us images of black men from around the world who assert their presence through their conscious use of dashing, elegant and stereotype-challenging mode of dress. The show defines a Black dandy as "self-fashioned gentleman who intentionally assimilates classical European fashion with African Diasporian aesthetics and sensibilities." <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdXhKYCs3Jg/V3U1CvFJyBI/AAAAAAAADM8/zDfW12G4IL8KuvO3s-7a55oybGMWOtJ0QCLcB/s1600/DandyLion-Wide-Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdXhKYCs3Jg/V3U1CvFJyBI/AAAAAAAADM8/zDfW12G4IL8KuvO3s-7a55oybGMWOtJ0QCLcB/s640/DandyLion-Wide-Logo.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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A sampling of the sharp style from the show:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kKBixyusiPU/V3U01wCAbPI/AAAAAAAADM0/0MTF6SErXDYhSYSBdqoaAE4Xa0CzJABawCLcB/s1600/5.%2BSara%2BShamsavari%252C%2BCal%2B%25E2%2580%2598Caligraphist%25E2%2580%2599%2BLibrea%252C%2BLondon%252C%2B2014.%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kKBixyusiPU/V3U01wCAbPI/AAAAAAAADM0/0MTF6SErXDYhSYSBdqoaAE4Xa0CzJABawCLcB/s640/5.%2BSara%2BShamsavari%252C%2BCal%2B%25E2%2580%2598Caligraphist%25E2%2580%2599%2BLibrea%252C%2BLondon%252C%2B2014.%2B.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
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Sara Shamsavari, Cal ‘Caligraphist’ Librea, London, 2014. Archival pigment print. </div>
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Courtesy of the artist.</div>
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Sara Shamsavari, Terrence Lathan, London, 2013. Archival pigment print. </div>
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Courtesy of the artist.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Radcliffe Roye, Untitled No. Two, 2011. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SgkDx2qH850/V4Qlrc618GI/AAAAAAAADN0/r_LukmrVDPkC8UIOoPPxl3ZONB9w8nUCgCLcB/s1600/3.%2BHanif%2BAbdur-Rahim%252C%2BUbiquitous%2BSWAG%252C%2B2010.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SgkDx2qH850/V4Qlrc618GI/AAAAAAAADN0/r_LukmrVDPkC8UIOoPPxl3ZONB9w8nUCgCLcB/s640/3.%2BHanif%2BAbdur-Rahim%252C%2BUbiquitous%2BSWAG%252C%2B2010.jpeg" width="639" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hanif Abdur-Rahim, Ubiquitous SWAG, 2010. C–Print. Courtesy of the artist.</span></td></tr>
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I'm reading a book I bought at the MoAD gift store, <i>Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity</i> by Monica L. Miller. This is a part of cultural history I didn't know about and there is so much to the story. She begins in the 18th century when African slaves were brought to England, America and the West Indies with nothing, really nothing, naked. They were issued clothes that they often modified. The Black dandy modified European dress in ways that played with social hierarchies, using elements from the perceived higher class.<br />
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In the book Miller says, "As a form of cultural resistance, Black dandyism functions as a kind of fashionable weapon of the weak, an everyday form of resistance...the enslaved and marginalized use to comment on their relationship to authority." <br />
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Time and thought spent on fashion and personal style is often seen as
frivolous and
inconsequential; but I learned from the show and book that
historically for the Black dandy, the expression of personal style could
be a
matter of presence or oblivion. Or even life or death. Black dandy style
is life affirming and provides a way to resist and survive. This is
personal style with extreme meaning. <br />
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Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-78542417956633473272016-06-26T11:18:00.003-07:002016-06-26T11:21:58.505-07:00Seeking beauty: goodbye to Bill Cunningham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ8zJNpaofk/V3AOhgpFAqI/AAAAAAAADMc/D6WT4LTxCDMPVQYkrKLXp10396z1ldisQCLcB/s1600/securedownload.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ8zJNpaofk/V3AOhgpFAqI/AAAAAAAADMc/D6WT4LTxCDMPVQYkrKLXp10396z1ldisQCLcB/s640/securedownload.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sadly, I'll be adding Bill Cunningham's photo to my Day of the Dead altar this year. The <i>New York Times</i> has the details <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/style/bill-cunningham-legendary-times-fashion-photographer-dies-at-87.html">here</a>.<br />
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The above photo of Bill was taken by a friend on September 10, 2012. Bill has his holy trinity of accoutrements: blue French workman's jacket, bike and camera.With those three simple things, he documented the personal styles and fashion of New York City people and showed the world how powerful and fabulous it is to share yourself by dressing creatively and expressively. He loved his "peacocks" and that love can be felt in every one of his photos.<br />
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In the 2011 documentary <i>Bill Cunningham New York</i>, I was moved by the kindness and honesty of the man. I wrote about it <a href="http://bienvestido.blogspot.com/2011/10/bill-cunningham-quips-quotes-words-of.html">here</a>.<br />
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In the film Bill says, "Everyone has taste, but
they don’t have the daring to be creative" and "It’s as true today as it
ever was, he who seeks beauty will find it." My friend Debra pondered that and commented on BV: "So it's about creativity,
and seeking, and beauty...all with meaning. I'll continue to think about
this because I think it's profound. Seeking beauty in our own adornment
is an act of courage, even rebellion!"<br />
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Isn't that a wonderful thing to think about? <br />
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Goodbye Bill, I'll miss seeing the pizazz of personal style through your lens. <br />
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-21558537796900686352016-03-18T08:11:00.000-07:002019-10-10T09:38:54.640-07:00Baubles, Bubbles and Beauties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's more to shopping than just buying stuff. There's the pleasure of looking, touching and trying. Just because I love it, doesn't mean I have to own it. That's what I told myself as I ogled the diamonds, gems and jewels ranging in the 4, 5 and 6 digit range at Tiffany & Co. on Wednesday night. Usually, I'm a 2 to 3 digit girl. </div>
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And there was more to see than jewels at this toast to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the people watching was fabulous. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beautiful women, Elizabeth Harker of SFMOMA with PR, social media and style consultant Khuyen Do.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">I met and chatted with darling Jon who has worked at Tiffany's for over twenty years. He looked so dapper that I complimented him on the gold bee pin on his lapel. I learned it isn't just an accessory, it's a memory of his mother who was nicknamed Bee and had a collection of Tiffany bee pins that Jon had given her.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Even in the midst of the festive crowd, he had a hint of tear as he told me the story, so of course, I did too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">My photo does not do justice to the gorgeous sparkle of this Oscar de la Renta dress that Kamal Shah wears so well. And I love how her friend doesn't have a skimpy pocket square, but a full blown Pucci scarf in his pocket.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The San Francisco Tiffany's is under renovation right now and this is one of the new rooms. It's like being inside an elegant jewelry box.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Great style all around!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PvhVy9vGJIQ/VurBuVVyRvI/AAAAAAAADK0/2MySRMXS60c38D4q7H_sI7ZvQZZ8BSGMA/s1600/IMG_0084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PvhVy9vGJIQ/VurBuVVyRvI/AAAAAAAADK0/2MySRMXS60c38D4q7H_sI7ZvQZZ8BSGMA/s640/IMG_0084.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Vanessa Getty with Gina Peterson, Event Chair for the </span><a href="https://www.sfmoma.org/event/modern-ball-2016/">SFMOMA Modern Ball</a><span style="font-size: small;"> this May.</span></td></tr>
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Gorgeous richly embroidered and sequined coat on philanthrophist and art collector <a href="http://www.stonescape.us/the_stones.html">Norah Stone</a>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ_0hu9x8Ow/Vutt8hNq7pI/AAAAAAAADLY/VP2a-4swaColLAuk9Vx3HlWudqpid8ydw/s1600/IMG_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ_0hu9x8Ow/Vutt8hNq7pI/AAAAAAAADLY/VP2a-4swaColLAuk9Vx3HlWudqpid8ydw/s640/IMG_0087.JPG" width="516" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">I had a great time chatting with charming Alexandre Alesandrini in the </span><a href="http://www.patek.com/en/home" style="text-align: start;">Patek Philippe</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> room. Our conversation went from luxury watches to classic race cars to bespoke shoes. He has </span><a href="http://www.gjcleverley.co.uk/" style="text-align: start;">George Cleverley </a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">shoes shipped from London. First I've heard of them and this needs further research. We also shared our passion for a well-shined shoe and he gave me such great info, I plan to do a post on shoe shining.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alexandre let me try on a romantic </span><a href="http://www.patek.com/en/ladies-watches/complications/4948G-001">Patek watch</a><span style="font-size: small;"> with a mother-of-pearl dial showing the phases of the moon. I didn't look at the price, I just enjoyed the moment with a sip of Veuve Clicquot.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was a lovely event. But wait there's more!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Such a delicious evening of luxurious gorgeousness. Right next door to Tiffany's, Saks Fifth Avenue has their windows filled with Oscar de la Renta designs in honor of the retrospective at the </span><a href="http://deyoung.famsf.org/">de Young Museum</a><span style="font-size: small;">. Look for a story on that soon!</span></td></tr>
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Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-21148916649804173972016-03-08T20:13:00.000-08:002019-10-10T09:44:18.455-07:00Dear All, Gone shopping...Love, Wilkes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bwuc1Xe5Myg/Vsic7UpGnCI/AAAAAAAADIk/KA8VWYST8-w/s1600/IMG_9899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bwuc1Xe5Myg/Vsic7UpGnCI/AAAAAAAADIk/KA8VWYST8-w/s640/IMG_9899.JPG" width="507" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The </span><a href="http://www.michaelschwab.com/">Michael Schwab</a><span style="font-size: small;"> portrait of Wilkes Bashford on the memorial program.</span></td></tr>
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It was on a cold and rainy day at the end of January that I climbed the steep steps to Grace Cathedral for the memorial service of San Francisco icon and refined clothier Wilkes Bashford. He died on January 16th and his eponymous luxury store just celebrated its 50th anniversary. The store has been a landmark for me since I first moved to San Francisco in the 80's. While it was too expensive for my freelance writer's pay, no one seemed to mind me indulging in going from floor-to-floor and soaking up the beauty of the clothes and examining designer items that I had seen in posh magazines. When I finally did have enough money, I headed straight to the shoe department which had fabulous sales and over the years I bought Jimmy Choo boots and heels, Manolos, Louboutin kitten heels, Lambertson Truex boots and Gravatti boots and shoes. Still expensive at half off, but of such quality that I will wear them for years. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8ZBpxzcrKw/Vsie0kIxQTI/AAAAAAAADIw/PaS5X6IQi-M/s1600/IMG_9894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8ZBpxzcrKw/Vsie0kIxQTI/AAAAAAAADIw/PaS5X6IQi-M/s640/IMG_9894.JPG" width="408" /></a></div>
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Mounted police stood watch in front of Grace Cathedral to greet the over 900 elegantly attired attendees. They were a wide cross section of socialites, political powerhouses, artists and fashion devotees. From the altar, <a href="http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=108359">Charlotte Schultz </a>spoke of his "sprightly step" and "glistening cufflinks, all understated perfection." She said that although his eyeglasses were tinted blue, they were rose colored on the other side. He often asked, "Isn't life great?" And when he asked "How ya doin'?" "What's going on?" he really stopped and listened. The memorial was a celebration of Wilkes and the classic San Francisco that he personified. <br />
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His friend of 50 years, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Brown_%28politician%29">Willie Brown</a>, said he was the most decent human being he has ever known. Known for his sharp Italian suits and fine fedoras, Brown talked about buying his first Brioni suit from Wilkes and when they first met, how they connected through a discussion of fabrics and cut.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kamalaharris.org/">Kamala Harris</a>, would lunch on Saturdays with Wilkes at the classic San Francisco restaurant , Le Central, just a quick down the hill from his store. They would sit at his table near the window and Wilkes would smile at the passersby and wave vigorously at anyone carrying a Wilkes Bashford shopping bag. Harris said he was fiercely passionate about a number of philanthropic causes for animal rights, the arts and stopping domestic violence.<br />
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Tyler Mitchell, a co-owner of the store said that Wilkes taught him that being a gentleman was cool. He showed Tyler the power of holding doors, pulling out chairs and giving two kisses to ladies. Tyler said the best compliment that would make his day was when Wilkes would look him up and down and say, "You look as chic as shit!" All of us in the pews turned to one another to confirm that we heard what we thought we heard. Apparently, it was a huge compliment from Wilkes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ab_qPQjTUaE/VsifAKsV56I/AAAAAAAADI0/AKfXh-UtALU/s1600/Photo5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ab_qPQjTUaE/VsifAKsV56I/AAAAAAAADI0/AKfXh-UtALU/s640/Photo5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mr. Bashford was remembered in the store window with his chair, his old typewriter holding an imagined farewell letter and a silhouette of his beloved dachshund Duchess.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iddwoib4AUE/VsifKoiS0yI/AAAAAAAADI4/cS4lpJGHLnU/s1600/Photo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iddwoib4AUE/VsifKoiS0yI/AAAAAAAADI4/cS4lpJGHLnU/s640/Photo2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A collage of the social whirl of bon vivant Wilkes Bashford. He worked six days a week and reportedly went out seven nights a week for civic appearances, parties and events.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0psPXhRLUK0/Vt5NP9LzJXI/AAAAAAAADJY/cgEXjsnGIS8/s1600/IMG_9913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0psPXhRLUK0/Vt5NP9LzJXI/AAAAAAAADJY/cgEXjsnGIS8/s640/IMG_9913.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">When I leave the store carrying one of their bright orange shopping bags, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I practically skip down Sutter Street.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Portrait by Elaine Badgley Arnoux, published in <i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The People of San Francisco: Lives of Accomplishment</i>, 1985</span></div>
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My artist friend <a href="http://ebaart.com/">Elaine Badgley Arnoux</a> and I attended the service together.
Wilkes was a great supporter of her and her art, introducing her with
glowing praise to San Francisco movers and shakers. Over the last thirty years Elaine has drawn several hundred portraits of
the people who give San Francisco its distinct character. Mr. Bashford
was definitely one. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rcJWiiyqgT4/VsifU6QVzJI/AAAAAAAADI8/rtvNUA-5Suc/s1600/IMG_9900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rcJWiiyqgT4/VsifU6QVzJI/AAAAAAAADI8/rtvNUA-5Suc/s640/IMG_9900.JPG" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Wilkes and his darling Duchess. Even she was at the memorial, wearing a black satin ribbon.</span></td></tr>
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From Mr. Bashford's memorial, I learned that although it is sad to say goodbye, when the honored person has lived a full and kind life, a memorial service is life affirming and inspiring. And in Mr. Bashford's case, I left inspired to do more to help others with a smile and a listening ear and to dress elegantly while doing it. His was a well-dressed life well lived. <br />
<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-2675373572143419262015-12-02T08:46:00.000-08:002019-10-10T09:45:57.787-07:00Pommade Divine: 17th century It-Girl beauty secret<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4l9vHoxnD8/VivIiarB76I/AAAAAAAADIU/wxte6k_Wc4o/s1600/IMG_9685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4l9vHoxnD8/VivIiarB76I/AAAAAAAADIU/wxte6k_Wc4o/s640/IMG_9685.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm a real goo girl. Give me a lotion, potion, ointment or cream and I will happily smear it on. I have such an assortment of skin products that hubby Matt refers to them collectively as "Girl Goo". He's even counted the layers of goo I apply in the morning. It's about six at minimum: body lotion, face cream, eye cream, neck cream, sunscreen, foundation. Then there's arnica for bumps and bruises and China Gel for over-yoga'd muscles. It might be a placebo, but cuts, scratches and bumps feel instantly better when I rub in a little something.<br />
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One of my favorite places to try high-quality skin care products is <a href="http://aylabeauty.com/">Ayla Beauty</a>, based in San Francisco, they ship everywhere and they are wonderfully generous about sending samples to try. I recently got an email from them about a product new to me, Pommade Divine. When I read that it was Marie Antoinette's Great-Grandmother's beauty secret, I had to get to the Ayla shop ASAP to buy a jar.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxLGr19OPuE/ViujLwKXiNI/AAAAAAAADH0/zMaJ0IXumpo/s1600/220px-Liselotte_von_der_pfalz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxLGr19OPuE/ViujLwKXiNI/AAAAAAAADH0/zMaJ0IXumpo/s640/220px-Liselotte_von_der_pfalz.jpg" width="467" /></a></td></tr>
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Known at Versailles as "Liselotte", Princess Elisabeth Charlotte, born in 1652, was a fan of Pommade Divine. Isn't that a fabulous dress? The exaggerated corset-like bodice is similar </div>
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to designs John Galliano did for Dior. </div>
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Bavarian Princess Elisabeth Charlotte, Great Grandmother of Marie Antoinette and sister-in-law to King Louis XIV, makes the first mention of Pommade Divine in a letter dated February 4, 1720:<br />
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<i>"You won't believe, dear Louise, what a good thing this pommade divine (is); for this reason, am I sending you a box, so that you can carry it with you in your bag at all times. Another thing: this pommade is good for; if you have burned yourself badly with sealing wax and treat it immediately with the pommade, it reduces the pain. I don't know how one could not like the smell of the pommade divine."</i><br />
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Called divine because it was originally made by Medieval monks, this ointment has survived through the centuries. It nearly disappeared in the late 1980's, but was it resurrected and is now attracting a new audience.<br />
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The packaging is clean and contemporary and the stamped metal lid gives it a European apothecary feel. With a combination of spices, essential oils and resins, it has a nice slightly medicinal light spicy pear scent. For the last month, I've kept the jar on my desk and use it on my cuticles, lips and around my eyes. While I don't get many sealing wax burns, I do love using something that has such a rich history.Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-2828942810717827662015-10-21T08:53:00.000-07:002019-10-10T09:47:51.986-07:00My Dior<br />
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For the last couple of months, I've immersed myself in the enchanting world of Dior. I've read the autobiography <i>Christian Dior and I;</i> I've reverently turned the pages of the mighty tome <i>Dior</i> published by Assouline and I've watched <i>Christian Dior: the Man Behind the Myth</i> and <i>Dior and I</i>.<br />
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Little did I imagine that one day I could legitimately use the phrase "my Dior." I've never had a glimmer of a thought that I would ever own a dress by Dior. But now I do.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">My lifelong friend, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span><a href="http://hollybadgley.com/">Holly</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">, inherited a collection of couture clothes from her mother-in-law, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Marjorie-Stern-S-F-library-mover-shaker-2487227.php">Marjorie Stern</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">. Most of the collection was donated to the San Francisco </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="http://deyoung.famsf.org/deyoung/collections/textile-arts">de Young Museum</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">, but recently Holly and I were chatting and she mentioned there was one dress the museum didn't take and that I was the only person she thought it might fit. We set a date to meet at her textile studio in Sausalito for me to take a look at the dress and try it on. I had a restless night before our meeting. I envisioned one of the earlier Dior's from the 50's, when women wore heavy foundations to achieve the wasp waist and I worried that my waist would not wasp. But I reasoned with myself, even if it didn't fit, at least I would have the thrill of being up close and personal with a Dior dress. </span><br />
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But as soon as Holly lifted the protective covering, I was thrilled to see that the dress might actually fit. I stepped in to the dress and happily the zipper zipped without me having to suck it in too much!<br />
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Since it's from 1964, the dress was designed by Marc Bohan. Christian Dior died in 1957 and Yves Saint Laurent was appointed artistic director, but only for two years. He was drafted and due to a mental collapse was placed in a military hospital. In 1960, while Saint Laurent was in the hospital, Bohan was appointed artistic director. Bohan remained the artistic director for the next thirty years, until 1989.<br />
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I'm fascinated by the stamped model number on the label, 124646. I contacted the Textile Arts Council at the de Young museum to see if they had more information. I wondered if each dress has a unique number and if it's possible to track the background of a dress. They responded quickly, suggesting that I contact the company directly. Last Friday, I popped into the Christian Dior Boutique and explained my story to the very attentive and understanding manager. He is a wealth of Dior knowledge and offered a couple theories; before ready-to-wear was so available, high-end department stores would buy the patterns from couture designers and have the dresses made for their clients, so it could be the stores model number, or, it could be a customer number specific to Mrs. Stern and her measurements. The manager offered to send the photos of the label and dress to another Dior contact to get their ideas. I'll let you know what I find out. <br />
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Marc Bohan with his models, 1966, copyright RDA/Rue des Archives. </div>
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From <i>Dior </i>by Farid Chenoune and Laziz Hamani</div>
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The dress is quite wearable, the wool is soft and airy and completely lined in silk. There's an additional silk lining, so the dress easily slips on and hangs effortlessly with a beautiful drape. And I adore that it has pockets - large and deep silk lined pockets that are completely invisible on the exterior.<br />
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Adding to the significance of my Dior dress, I admire the woman who wore it. Marjorie Stern is known for her philanthropic work in San Francisco, especially as one of the founders of the <a href="http://www.friendssfpl.org/">Friends of the San Francisco Public Library</a>, an organization I've supported as a donor and volunteer for years. Now that's what I call dressing with personal style and meaning.Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-983975657496751762015-09-30T08:38:00.001-07:002019-10-10T09:50:22.480-07:00"Cheap Chic": own this book and own your style<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-daqpbVRK9ak/Vgn_S7v-5OI/AAAAAAAADF4/EdJGYTLFIUs/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-daqpbVRK9ak/Vgn_S7v-5OI/AAAAAAAADF4/EdJGYTLFIUs/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">My original copy (40 years old!) and my brand-new copy.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">What a thrill to have</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheap-Chic-Hundreds-Money-Saving-Create/dp/1101903422/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443317729&sr=1-1&keywords=cheap+chic"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><i>Cheap Chic</i></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">available again and I wholeheartedly recommend that you buy a copy for yourself. I received my first copy when it was initially published in 1975. In all my various apartments and homes, it has been front and center on my bookshelf ever since, continually providing style inspiration. I first wrote about it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://bienvestido.blogspot.com/2011/03/cheap-chic-lives.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">. The book has been out of print for years and used copies were offered online for up to $300. Now, on it’s 40th anniversary, it’s been reissued, preserved in it’s original form with the very appropriate addition of a forward by Tim Gunn. Warm and wise Professor Gunn says "I love this book!"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">Written by Caterine Milinaire and Carol Troy, both journalists, photographers and friends of fashion insiders, they didn't waste time documenting the trends. They looked at the heart and soul of style. In the introduction they write, "The basic concept of <i>Cheap Chic</i> for both men and women is to have a few clothes that make you feel good rather than a closet full of mismatched fashions. Find the clothes that suit you best, that make you feel comfortable, confident, sexy, good looking and happy...then hang onto them like old friends." By the photographing and interviewing of people who follow this mantra, the reader realizes that personal style is as varied as the people they present. Style is suddenly seen as very democratic. With some thought, care and creativity, anyone can express their authentic self by how they dress. There is great power in that.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">The cover reads "Hundreds of money saving hints to create your own great look," but the practicality of that description belies the mystery and exoticism within. Like opening a book of magic potions, it describes all the ingredients for creating your own great style by using inspiration from around the world, movies, historical eras and most of all, it features people who are proudly, fiercely and resourcefully inventive and original with their style. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In one chapter, Ingeborg Day describes her "Cost Per Wear" method of shopping, a technique that I still use today. If something costs $300, but you wear it 100 times, it's only $3 a wearing. But if you buy something on sale for $20 and only wear it once, it becomes much more expensive than the $300 item. Remembering the CPW factor in the dressing room has stopped me from a number of buying mistakes. She advised wearing a work uniform, black in winter and white in summer. Rather stringent, but the trim all-black outfit with a black T, pearls and Guatemalan bag Day wears in the photo above would be just as chic today. A strange side note, I just looked up Day to learn what she's currently doing and read <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/who-was-the-real-woman-behind-nine-and-a-half-weeks"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #0000ad; text-decoration: underline;">this</span></a> disturbing and fascinating story.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;">What’s magic about</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;"><i>Cheap Chic</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;">is that it so purely captured the zeitgeist right when a fashion revolution was just bubbling to the surface. Up until then, dressing rules were rigid; wear white only between Easter and Labor Day, no sequins or sparkles until night and no black to weddings. And shocking to remember, but due to strict rules, I wasn't allowed to wear pants to school until 1973! Consequently, in 1975 when I saw these stylish, smart and independent women featured in the book I saw another world of possibility and it was a world I wanted to be a part of.</span><br />
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What was revelatory back then is gratifying today. Forty years later, so many of the looks are still relevant and timeless. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 16px;">Inspiration for personal style is not limited to fashion magazines and definitely not shopping malls. It can be found everywhere.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";">I realize that even though my old copy is always within an arm's reach at my desk, I haven't really read it for years. I thumb through, glance at the photos, grab an idea here and there (wide-legged trousers are suddenly looking very appealing again!) and put it back on the shelf. But now I'm re-reading it and it's like the pleasure of running into an old friend and the conversation is like no time has passed. <i>Cheap Chic</i> and I still have lots to say to each other. </span></span></div>
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-3075919784552569272015-09-08T20:30:00.000-07:002019-10-10T09:51:33.850-07:00An early fashion editor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I took advantage of the long weekend to tear into my files and do some purging and organizing. Not the most exciting activity, but there were little rewards during the process. I found things I'd completely forgotten about. One of them was this report I did in third grade. As soon as I saw it, I remembered cutting, pasting, writing and how completely absorbed I was in the process. I clearly recall the pleasure of selecting the outfits, describing them, imagining the girls wearing them and imagining me wearing them.<br />
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Over the years, I've taken classes and seminars about "what do I want to do when I grow up?". The instructor usually asks attendees to write about a time when we were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_%28psychology%29">in the zone or in the state of flow.</a> This elementary school report would be an example of that for me. It's amazing to feel the power of being in the zone; the focus, the fun and the satisfaction came back to me so distinctly after many years.<br />
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Writing for my blog gives me a similar feeling.<br />
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Something for me to pay attention to.<br />
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-45712178544870989182015-07-20T21:45:00.000-07:002019-10-10T09:55:36.907-07:00Beauty, inspiration and debauchery, in that order <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Fashion films and documentaries are like rare jewels. Sparkly and beautiful they appear infrequently and when they do I look forward to seeing them with unabashed excitement. And some I have watched many times, such as </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><a href="http://bienvestido.blogspot.com/2011/10/bill-cunningham-quips-quotes-words-of.html"><i>Bill Cunningham New York</i></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> or </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><a href="http://bienvestido.blogspot.com/2013/01/dv-dvd-eye-has-to-travel.html"><i>Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel</i></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">. I relish the behind-the-scenes glamour and the inspiration I get from these fabulous colorful and creative people.</span></span></span><br />
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At this bountiful moment there are three fashion films showing and I recommend seeing all of them for various reasons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.diorandimovie.com/"><i>Dior and I</i></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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This movie documents the arrival of Raf Simons as the new artistic director of the Christian Dior fashion house and follows him as he creates his first Dior haute couture collection in the Spring of 2012. Simons has only eight weeks until the day his designs walk down the runway. And he has to prove himself. Since he is known for his minimal design, many wonder if Simons is the correct choice for Dior.<br />
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The vulnerability of Simons is sensitively shown by film director, Frédéric Tcheng. Tcheng also wrote and directed the excellent <i>Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel</i> and edited <i>Valentino: The Last Emperor. </i><br />
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It's curious, who is the "I" of "Dior and I"? It is the man himself, Christian Dior, and it is Simons. During the film, a voiceover reads from Dior's 1957 biography, "Christian Dior and I". Dior sees himself as two people, the private person and the famous designer. Simons begins reading the biography as he starts to design his first collection, but the similarities between his experiences and Dior's are so close, he has to put the book down and focus on the collection. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px; text-align: start;">And the talented people I admire so much, the "petite mains" in the workroom. They are the women and men who bring the sketches to life with great mastery.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.magpictures.com/iris/"><i>Iris</i></a></div>
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When getting dressed in the morning I make an effort at a bit of self-expression. I’ll add an oversized silk flower to my lapel, wear a mix of prints or a piece of heirloom jewelry. But all that seems feeble and pale now that I’ve seen the powerhouse of original style, Iris Apel, in this documentary. </div>
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There are few people with her joy for self-expression, intense esthetic pleasure of dressing and sheer life force energy. All this is fed by her hunting and gathering clothing and accessories from all over the world. She shops everywhere on the fashion spectrum from the heights of couture to a discount shop on a side street in New York.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px;">Iris Apfel in IRIS, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: © Bruce Weber</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt;">If you go to the <a href="http://www.magpictures.com/iris/">official site for the film</a>, click on the trailer to get an idea of the fabulousness of Iris and this documentary. Iris has her 94<sup>th</sup> birthday this August 29<sup>th</sup>.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">And I just had a great idea. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"> Wouldn't it be fun to celebrate Iris and the expression of one's personal style by having a dress like Iris day on her birthday? Let's do it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">Here are a few of her pizzazz-packed quotes:</span><br />
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"It’s better to be happy than well-dressed."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"I like to do things as if I am playing jazz."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Life is gray and dull; you might as well have a little fun when you dress."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"I’m not pretty and I’ll never be pretty, but it doesn’t matter. I have something much better. I have style."<o:p></o:p></div>
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"More is more and less is a bore."<o:p></o:p></div>
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And my favorite:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">"When you don’t dress like everyone else, you don’t have to think like everyone else."</span><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSr14SM61bk">Saint Laurent</a></i><o:p></o:p><br />
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And now for something totally different. Not to be confused with the film <i>Yves Saint Laurent</i> that came out last year, this is not a feel-good movie. See it if you have a passion for the designer and to get a glimpse of glamorous and decadent Paris of the '70's. But be prepared for some depressing scenes of Yves getting too deeply involved with drugs and alcohol. There are some fabulous individual views in the atelier and on the runway, but the movie as a whole is long and feels emotionally empty. And beware, if you are a dog lover, there is a heartbreaking scene with his bulldog, Moujik. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<i>Saint Laurent</i> is too much about the designer's excesses. <i>Yves Saint Laurent</i> featured his original creations, but the film feels stiff with minimal style. I suppose that's the downfall of fashion biopics. They often feel forced without the depth that I imagine the featured person would have. For that reason I prefer documentaries. If you are interested in Yves Saint Laurent, I recommend <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0392931/"><i>His Life and Times</i> and <i>5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris. </i></a></div>
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Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-42061553651752614212015-06-03T19:09:00.001-07:002019-10-10T09:56:17.709-07:00There's a sucker born every minute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And two weeks ago I was one. Feeling sassy after just having my brows tinted and shaped (free because it was my birthday week!) at the Benefit Cosmetics store on Sutter Street in San Francisco, I rounded the corner on Grant Avenue and a nice-looking guy stepped towards me and offered a sample packet of hand lotion. He smiled, I smiled back and accepted the sample. Before I knew it, I was sitting on a stool looking at a mirror as he applied eye cream to my face.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Had this happened at the San Francisco Centre mall, I would’ve had my radar up for those aggressive kiosk sales-type people. When I see them, I make a wide berth and no eye contact. This downtown encounter caught me off guard. Grant Avenue has high-end luxury shops like Anne Fontaine, Prada and Hermès and I was not prepared for huckster tactics.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He talked quickly, interspersing descriptions of the wondrous qualities of <a href="http://www.adorecosmetics.com/shop/">Adore Cosmetics</a> with too many personal questions; Did I just get off work? Where did I work? What did I do for a living? Was I married? My first internal alarm went off, I was not comfortable with all the questions. And as he dished the compliments, alarm number two rang -- my eyes were beautiful, my skin looked great. He wanted to guess my age. I would be celebrating my 57th in two days and I looked at him with trepidation holding my breath as he guessed 40. In a split second my voice of reason said that must mean he thought I looked 50 and said 10 years younger to be flattering. But my voice of vanity said Yes, bring it on! He said I needed just a little something more and began to apply layers of lotions to my face and neck. Alarm number three, he was getting a little too familiar with my neck. Holding up a mirror he said "See! Look at the instant change!" My skin did look more glowy and hydrated, but I could’ve put on Jergens and in that quick moment I would’ve had the same results.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think it was the fast talking and the pumping house music that scrambled my clarity. Then the wheeling and dealing with the prices. The eye cream is normally $589.95 for a small jar. But for me, it was only $99! And then I must try the eye serum, then the neck cream, then the neck serum! Each one around $600, but for me (as he got out the calculator, alarm number four!) I could get all four for only $400! And he would give me for free the “Golden Touch 24K Techno-dermis facial mask”. It’s the same mask George Clooney uses before big events! At the name dropping, alarm number five sounded, but it was a whisper compared to his sales patter. He assured me the product was completely organic. And to seal the deal, he said that if the products were unopened, I could bring it all back.</div>
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Amazing how easy it was to ignore all my inner alarms. I handed him my credit card, signed the slip for $435 and before I could catch my breath I was back on the sidewalk carrying a shopping bag full of new products. I didn’t make it a half block before dread and regret engulfed me. I stopped to do a quick mobile check about Adore Cosmetics and found a long string of bad reviews. I read comments such as "SCAM! Stay away." "DON'T EVER BUY ADORE PRODUCTS! FRAUDULENT SALES PRACTICES! FRAUDULENT PRODUCT CLAIMS!" I read this as I was on the subway going home, my heart sinking deeper every minute. And then I saw on the bottom of the receipt "No refunds, exchanges only."</div>
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Oh! How could I be such a dope? I kicked myself and barely slept that night, distressed that I allowed myself to say yes when my instinct was saying NO! The next day I called Visa to see what recourse I had. The Visa guy could not have been nicer or more empathetic having had a similar experience with the mall kiosk sales people. He said "I'm a guy, I don't even use cosmetics and they talked me into buying stuff." He did give me several options where Visa could help. I now had hope, but my first step was to go back and ask for a refund. </div>
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After I made three polite but insistent calls and two visits to the store, I got results. The store manager agreed to refund my money. He offered me a free large tube of hand and body lotion "for my trouble" and I shook my head no, afraid to say yes to anything in that store. </div>
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Products that needs that hard of a sell and where the price of one jar of goo can fluctuate between $600 and $99, I'm beyond skeptical. And I don't believe the organic claim, I could find nothing on the website with specifics about the products being organic. </div>
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Vanity sucked me in, and perseverance got me out. Note to self!</div>
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Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-53293374506002434322015-05-09T10:28:00.000-07:002019-10-13T08:56:42.544-07:00Auntie Style on Mother's Day<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aunt Caryl, Aunt Mary Ellen et moi. Photo taken in New Orleans last month. </span></td></tr>
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Mothers can take many shapes and forms. If you don't have your mother with you, for whatever reason life throws at you, there are other options. And I am eternally grateful for that. Your mother can be an older friend, cousin, mentor -- whoever gives you inspiration, love and TLC. In my case it is my two closest Aunties. <br />
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My mother died in 1966, she was 36 and I was 8. Tender ages, both.<br />
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And because I had my grandmother, Bootsie, and my mother's sister, Auntie Caryl, I had two women who exemplified love, fun and the expression of personal style.<br />
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Add to that my triple luck of having my glamorous Aunt Mary Ellen, Aunt Caryl's sister-in-law. Which means we are not related by blood. But we are related in our love of culture, style and fashion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--V01o4DqwDc/VUzIUGGBWmI/AAAAAAAADAs/SHDxljS88c0/s1600/image015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--V01o4DqwDc/VUzIUGGBWmI/AAAAAAAADAs/SHDxljS88c0/s640/image015.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aunt Caryl has always been the icon of fabulous, bohemian, California hippie, ultra cool style.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JozUXuEplc4/VUzIk-XSA_I/AAAAAAAADA0/w5_mNYq47HI/s1600/Audrey.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JozUXuEplc4/VUzIk-XSA_I/AAAAAAAADA0/w5_mNYq47HI/s400/Audrey.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aunt Mary Ellen has always been the icon of fabulous, classic, Hollywood style.</span></td></tr>
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I love and adore you both. Happy Mother's Day! XOXO.<br />
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-44297530036126181182015-05-01T20:57:00.000-07:002019-10-13T09:07:25.675-07:00High style and flights of fancy<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jZcofNdO81s/VRhBvKtH21I/AAAAAAAAC8U/uOZlvy2ZBwc/s1600/IMG_8878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jZcofNdO81s/VRhBvKtH21I/AAAAAAAAC8U/uOZlvy2ZBwc/s1600/IMG_8878.JPG" width="448" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tree ball gown, Charles James, 1955, Metropolitan Museum of Art</span></td></tr>
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About a month ago, I spent the afternoon alone in museum rooms with Charles James, Schiaparelli, Givenchy, Coco Chanel, Dior, Jeanne Lanvin and other European and American history-making fashion designers. I was invited to attend the press preview for <i>High Style: Twentieth-Century Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection </i>at the <a href="http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/">Legion of Honor</a> in San Francisco. It was a little bit of heaven.<br />
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One of my main fashion heros, <a href="http://nymag.com/nymetro/shopping/fashion/features/3904/">Harold Koda</a>, was there with the curator and author of the show catalog, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/opinion/sunday/jan-glier-reeder.html?_r=0">Jan Glier Reeder </a>to take us through the exhibit. They are both so modest, knowledgeable and somewhat dishy about fashion history, I would love to spend the day with them just listening to stories. When the Met formed a partnership with the Brooklyn Museum in 2009, it was Jan's job to examine and photograph every fashion item. What a dream job!<br />
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After the tour, everyone left and I stayed with the exhibit. It was just me, the clothes and the patient security guards. Taking my time and these photos, I leaned in to study sequin and bead encrusted surfaces; I imagined life traveling with a handmade trunk filled with bespoke lace shoes and I compared the sparkle of flapper dresses with the subdued post WWII practical suits. I lingered as long as I could indulging in flights of fancy: What would it feel like to wear that fitted bodice? What does the swish of a Charles James faille dress and underskirts sound like? And how fun it would be to have a conversation with Schiap. Tin insects on a necklace? A butterfly net wrap? Why not?<br />
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And who wore these amazing creations? Where there is a fabulous dress, there's usually a fabulous woman wearing it. I learned about Rita de Acosta Lydig, born in 1875. She was considered a great beauty and style setter. Known as the Alabaster Lady, she shocked society by wearing a backless gown to the opera in 1910. Koda told us, "Imagine the frisson of excitement that went through the audience. She was not wearing a corset. She was naked under her dress!"<br />
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Here's a peek at the show, on view until July 19. If you are in San Francisco, I encourage you to go and relish the beauty and fashion history.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Worn by Rita de Acosta Lydig. She was bohemian and shocking in pants. Evening ensemble designed by </span><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/23/twenty-one-dresses" style="text-align: start;">Callot Soeurs</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">, about 1910.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRVIyT_9gUw/VS0aFaqfhyI/AAAAAAAAC8w/sL3yIvO0bDw/s1600/IMG_8899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRVIyT_9gUw/VS0aFaqfhyI/AAAAAAAAC8w/sL3yIvO0bDw/s1600/IMG_8899.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Evening dress by Schiaparelli, 1937. Surreal in that Schiap represented the butterflies realistically like a lepidopterist and she used a butterfly net to emphasize that.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VH40UVG48Ew/VS0aF-T_KZI/AAAAAAAAC80/HSk4fNjHRzI/s1600/IMG_8904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VH40UVG48Ew/VS0aF-T_KZI/AAAAAAAAC80/HSk4fNjHRzI/s1600/IMG_8904.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Jan Glier Reeder told us that this is one of fashion history's most important items. Designed by Schiaparelli in 1938, an early plastic called Rhodoid forms the foundation decorate</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Dinner ensemble, Schiaparelli, 1933-35. Gorgeous dress of a custom textile designed to resemble a wood grain motif, transforming the body into a tree. You can't see it in this photo, but the dress has exposed industrial zippers going up the sleeve. So cool for 1933 and even now.</span></td></tr>
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Designed by the Italian Fontana sisters, this dress was created for Ava Gardner in the 1954 film <i>The Barefoot Contessa. </i>According to Reeder, the actress used the cape and high collar to great dramatic effect.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q68PZ6wmCwU/VS0ag3d9P6I/AAAAAAAAC90/Oy-sFRtgeo4/s1600/IMG_8917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q68PZ6wmCwU/VS0ag3d9P6I/AAAAAAAAC90/Oy-sFRtgeo4/s1600/IMG_8917.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">On the left, "Refrain" cocktail dress, 1958, by Yves Saint Laurent for the Trapeze collection, his first for Dior. The show was such a success the Paris papers headline was "Saint Laurent Saves Paris" . On the right, a dress by Balenciaga, 1957.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXrfCkr_RMs/VURFsHR-diI/AAAAAAAADAE/QbKnTO9SL4M/s1600/IMG_8920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXrfCkr_RMs/VURFsHR-diI/AAAAAAAADAE/QbKnTO9SL4M/s1600/IMG_8920.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">A stroll through American designs from a 1944 Greek inspired gown by Madame Eta Hentz to a 1975 Halston tie-dyed caftan.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3TJvIWxFZ4w/VS0afbpVVhI/AAAAAAAAC9s/kUPFcfKHUls/s1600/IMG_8925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3TJvIWxFZ4w/VS0afbpVVhI/AAAAAAAAC9s/kUPFcfKHUls/s1600/IMG_8925.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Fab bouffant evening ensemble, 1961 and incredible walking field of poppies, 1983. Both by Arnold Scaasi.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1lC4aeMqEo/VS0ao3icYmI/AAAAAAAAC-A/64GMHk42yy0/s1600/IMG_8933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1lC4aeMqEo/VS0ao3icYmI/AAAAAAAAC-A/64GMHk42yy0/s1600/IMG_8933.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Close-up of a Charles James ball gown, 1947. He was a master of technique and construction.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VfpXK5CkbhE/VS0ao1pquaI/AAAAAAAAC98/Yak0CC4e-W4/s1600/IMG_8935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VfpXK5CkbhE/VS0ao1pquaI/AAAAAAAAC98/Yak0CC4e-W4/s1600/IMG_8935.JPG" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sexy "La Sirene" evening dress by Charles James, 1939. Worn by Gypsy Rose Lee.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--IcHBn1lp1E/VS0avdSUIEI/AAAAAAAAC-U/Q-5HXB19CPQ/s1600/IMG_8941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--IcHBn1lp1E/VS0avdSUIEI/AAAAAAAAC-U/Q-5HXB19CPQ/s1600/IMG_8941.JPG" width="434" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charles James sketch of "Balloon" design. Circa 1955. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charles James sketch for an evening dress. Circa 1942. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WNY2MswMK3k/VS0bEik8fBI/AAAAAAAAC-8/Wv8TnjiH8nM/s1600/IMG_8953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WNY2MswMK3k/VS0bEik8fBI/AAAAAAAAC-8/Wv8TnjiH8nM/s1600/IMG_8953.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Clover Leaf ball gown by Charles James, 1953. He considered it his master work. Weighing ten pounds, it is constructed so well the "skirt floats and lilts while dancing."</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf-g_VY9rgM/VS0bC-RVIHI/AAAAAAAAC-0/oLEhSp-dCYg/s1600/IMG_8955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf-g_VY9rgM/VS0bC-RVIHI/AAAAAAAAC-0/oLEhSp-dCYg/s1600/IMG_8955.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Tigress evening ensemble, 1949, by Gilbert Adrian. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Rita de Acosta Lydig's custom trunk of custom shoes when traveling. The shoes, 1914-1919, are by Italian designer, Pietro Yantorny. He billed himself as the maker of the most expensive shoes in the world. The shoe trees are purported to be made of violin wood. The conservators at the Legion plan to X-ray them to determine what they are made of and possibly debunk the myth. I like the myth.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7WFE2DONg2A/VS0bHbE3YBI/AAAAAAAAC_M/CSigBY2O5Q8/s1600/IMG_8988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7WFE2DONg2A/VS0bHbE3YBI/AAAAAAAAC_M/CSigBY2O5Q8/s1600/IMG_8988.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A photo of Charles James with his masterpiece dress, The Clover Leaf. </span></td></tr>
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Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-13019312984219861392015-03-12T08:30:00.000-07:002019-10-13T17:02:49.258-07:00I am that certain age, I think<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joan Didion, modeling at eighty years old.</span></td></tr>
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Age, age, age. Lately, it's been constantly on the back of my mind. I'm going to a new yoga studio where I'm nearly twice the age of the instructors and the attendees. I find myself feeling like an outsider in this tribe of young hot yoga nymphs (hot class temperature and hot cute factor). I wonder, what do they think when they see me? How old do they think I am? Why do I care? Why is it so hard to stop thinking these questions? Here I am in a yoga class de-centering myself with self-critical thoughts. </div>
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How old am I? I've been trained by my auntie to never reveal my age. She looks a lot younger than her actual age and I'm sworn to secrecy to never reveal the number. I'm told I look younger too. If the question comes up, I just smile and move on. And now that I'm of a certain age, I find myself reflecting on what I once looked like and where I could be headed. And what is a certain age? It's the age when you hesitate to reveal how old you are. I think I'm there. </div>
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The fashion magazines I so avidly read don't help. Only the super young and skinny appear modeling the latest, making it more difficult to relate to or discern what looks would work for me. As much as I love scanning, scouring and tearing into my monthly fashion magazines, it's a challenge as I study the models and the outfits deciding what I could wear. Models have always been many inches taller and thinner but now they are also many years younger. The mental gymnastics for me to imagine myself in a certain look can get exhausting. </div>
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Where are the ideas and inspiration about what the cool women around my age and older are wearing?</div>
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Perhaps there's hope. Perhaps there is a glimmer. In the last few months, there's been a mass media trend of using older women as "the face" for a few fashion and beauty brands. It definitely works to get attention. I hope that it becomes more than a flavor-of-the-month. We don't have expiration dates stamped on our foreheads, maybe this is the beginning of the end of that notion. Maybe this is the beginning of a democratization of who we see in the fashion pages; all ages, sizes, shapes and colors. And always expressing great style and panache. Wouldn't that be fun? </div>
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Most recently, 80-year-old Joan Didion is in ads for Celine's Spring campaign. While she definitely looks like an older person, she also looks cool, hip and sophisticated.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">One of my top style icons, Charlotte Rampling, is now the face for NARS. She is sixty-nine years old and she has eyes with a million stories to tell.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jessica Lange is modeling for Marc Jacobs Beauty and she'll be sixty-six in April. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tilda Swinton is her own fabulous unidentifiable creature, but even she has birthdays. Swinton is the face of Nars' spring campaign and she is fifty-four. </span></td></tr>
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And the indefatigable fantastic fashion peacock, ninety-three-year-old Iris Apfel, is modeling for Alexis Bittar. And she does it so well. I remember in 1996 when Isabella Rossellini was fired as the face of Lancome. At forty-four, she was considered too old. Today, she would be the youngest of the older models. All these women are thoughtful, intellectual and beautiful in multi-dimensional ways. They are not just selling the look. They each have qualities that inspire me to be and look as strong and bold as I dare, no matter what age. </div>
<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-46159083431452839112015-02-05T07:24:00.000-08:002019-10-13T17:07:47.798-07:00All the way from London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's not much that can beat the excitement of finding a new favorite clothing item. And when it's on sale, well, that's the best. Last Friday I was at work on a deadline when I received an email from my Auntie with a link to an Isabel Marant blouse. I immediately stopped what I was doing to see it for myself. The link took me to <a href="http://www.matchesfashion.com/womens">Matches Fashion</a> showing my <a href="http://bienvestido.blogspot.com/2015/01/shall-i-wear-my-blouse-tucked-dare-i.html">current fav blouse</a> in a different colorway and on sale. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The site was new to me, but after this swell experience, I plan to be a loyal customer. In less than ten minutes, I ordered the blouse (at 60% off!), used the free shipping promo code, paid and hit submit. I got back to my work project with renewed energy, flush with a giddy frisson of having made a great buy. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">On Saturday morning, I got this tracking information. Imagine! My new blouse was already at Heathrow and scheduled to be on my doorstep on February 3rd. Much faster than I expected. And I have to mention it again, the shipping was free.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">When I got home from work last night, this box was waiting for me, a day early. Opening the package was a lovely experience. The outer brown shipping box was lined with a beautiful marbleized printed paper and the blouse was in this gorgeous marbleized keepsake box with a magnetic closure.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">My gorgeous new blouse was carefully swathed in tissue with a card stating that it was packed by Alida. Thank you Alida and Matches Fashion for the luxurious online shopping experience. I look forward to more!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-20333885565504392562015-01-22T21:20:00.000-08:002019-10-13T17:25:58.179-07:00Shall I wear my blouse untucked? Shall I ship it back?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy 2015!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"> We're already three-and-a-half weeks into the start of a new year. The beginning of the year always gives me a sense of excitement because of the fresh start and possiblities. I’m even thinking it’s possible to get back to writing for my blog. It’s been my longest hiatus and it wasn’t intentional. I let work, travel and the holidays disrupt my routine. Maybe I needed a break. It’s an interesting test to see how I feel not posting to Bien Vestido. Story ideas still pop in my head daily and I’m not even looking for them. And I realize I miss having a reason to write and shoot photographs while exploring my thoughts and feelings about clothes and personal style. I constantly carry a little black Moleskine notebook and write down random ideas and inspirations for stories. Sometimes I'm not sure what I was thinking. Such as "fashion photos interspersed w/ J. Alfred Prufrock". Perhaps trousers with rolled cuffs? The point is, I have fun with all of that and I want to keep doing it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">My current favorite top by Isabel Marant Etoile. I love the color, the print, the loose, casual quality and because of the sheer fabric it shows I still have a shape under there. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">What’s on my mind for early in the New Year? Being true to what clothing works for me. Last November I was in Austin, TX for work and visited a gorgeous and sophisticated dress shop on South Congress called <a href="http://bygeorgeaustin.com/">By George</a>. An Isabel Marant Etoile top caught my eye. It was love at first sight, the sales woman was very nice and clever and also brought me a pair of <a href="http://frame-denim.com/">Frame </a>Le Garcon cropped jeans to try with it. The top and jeans combined to make my favorite kind of outfit - cool, casual, flattering and easy to wear. Not inexpensive, but affordable. And since then, it’s been my go-to outfit, the cost-per-wear (CPW) is decreasing weekly.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">I’m now on their mailing list for notification when a new shipment of Isabel Marant arrives. I got an email last week and this embroidered blouse caught my eye. I immediately called and spoke with darling Bethany. She sent it to me promptly, beautifully wrapped in tissue with a friendly note. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">I immediately tried it on. I tried it untucked but it was too smocky and gave me no shape.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxO5HnrP_Nw/VK_95LcAkzI/AAAAAAAAC3k/pGMH4m4pT6Q/s1600/IMG_8377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxO5HnrP_Nw/VK_95LcAkzI/AAAAAAAAC3k/pGMH4m4pT6Q/s1600/IMG_8377.JPG" width="528" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">I tried it tucked and it was too poofy. I tried it partially untucked and it still did nothing for me. I tried and tried every which way because I wanted it to work! </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">But when it's that difficult to make something work, that's the antithesis of cool and easy chic. Even from the back, it was kind of droopy. This is where photography helps me to see the truth. In a mirror I can imagine I'm seeing what I want to see. But a photo tells all. Seeing the truth, I quickly ended my love affair with this embroidered top and shipped it back to Austin. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">I called Bethany to break the news and she graciously said not to worry, another new shipment of Isabel Marant was arriving soon!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">About six months later I learned that there was controversy about this blouse. A small community of indigenous Mexican women protested that the design of the blouse was plagiarism "because the Etoile spring-summer 2015 collection contains the graphical elements specific to the Tlahuitoltepec blouse". And indeed this blouse is nearly an exact replica of original 600-year-old design. My awareness is now heightened about cultural appropriation in fashion. </span></span>Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530071486799837721.post-86645356184668052912014-10-01T07:54:00.001-07:002019-10-13T17:31:34.152-07:00September 2014 issues: more than six chickens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Above are most of the magazines we surveyed. </span></td></tr>
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September issue mania ensued chez moi last Saturday with BFFF* Karen. In a highly productive four hours, we visually consumed and discussed fifteen different September fashion magazines. Our selection <a href="http://bienvestido.blogspot.com/2014/08/september-issues-more-than-banana-bunch.html">weighed in over thirty pounds</a> for a total of over five thousand pages of ads, trends, fashion editorial, do's and don'ts and proclamations of what's in and what's out. We learned our lesson from our first session two years ago and did preparatory homework by dividing up the issues a week before and bookmarking what we liked and compiling our discussion points before we got together. We take this seriously. Seriously.<br />
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What follows is our take on looks we thought would be possible to affordably add to our wardrobes, what looks we could create with what we already have, what we loved just because and even a little DIY (Karen is very crafty). The trends we noticed: fur, feathers and fringe. One could add a lot or a little. But a touch of any of the three f's looks new. And there are lots tailored looks with ladylike details such a top-handled bags, silk flower corsages and gloves. And flats! After a few years of four-inch plus heels, flat shoes are on the models. (However, just because a shoe is flat, does not mean it is urban-street worthy). And coats, which is great for San Francisco. Lots of coats in bright solid colors, bold prints, double-breasted or bathrobe style. A cool looking coat adds instant dash.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Long and lean looks good for Fall. In the right proportion, it could work on anyone.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The sleeveless coat is a new option. Again, it's a long, lean and tailored look. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Prada and Max Mara showed skinny scarves which is an easy look to duplicate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In fact, all the scarves featured for Fall are a little smaller. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beautiful leather gloves in great colors.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Here's a DIY look that caught Karen's eye: fake fur muff. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another DIY idea, a silk flower collar adds a pretty detail to an outfit.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Our favorite fashion spread was in <i>Vogue</i>, "Dark Horse" shot in Peru by Mario Testino and edited by Tonne Goodman. The above is not an outfit that either of us could wear, but we sure do love it. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And I do love this Bottega Veneta skirt. Black turtleneck, great flattering skirt, boots and bold cuff? I could do that! Interesting to note that most of the looks we ripped out to save came from trusty </span><i>Vogue</i><span style="font-size: small;">. </span></td></tr>
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Bien Vestidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16919041009871637309noreply@blogger.com2