Tiffany's! Cartier!

A periodic feature to the blog wherein we ask the Greats a few questions from the Proust Questionnaire.  Today, we feature one of Marilyn Monroe’s most beloved characters, Lorelei Lee.  If you haven’t seen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, you don’t know what you’re missing!  Marilyn and Jane Russell play “Two Little Girls from Little Rock,” (one of several musical numbers), showgirls Lorelei and Dorothy, respectively.  While Marilyn is at the top of her game here, Jane Russell is pretty dang funny, too.  Of course, all ends well after some silly escapades.  Rent it; you can thank me later.

 
What is your idea of perfect happiness?  Falling in love with a handsome, wealthy diamond mine owner.

What is your greatest fear?  That I am misunderstood.

What is your most treasured possession?  After Dorothy, my diamonds.

What do you most value in your friends?  Loyalty.

What is your motto?  Like the song says:  “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

Seven out of ten women I see on the street and out on the town are wearing black, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that six and a half of those women do not look chic, fashionable or stylish.

Does that sound harsh to you?  Unkind?  Sorry, but someone has got to say it:  black is hard to pull off and flatters fewer of us than we think.  There are women, a very small number of women, who wear black well.  It almost reads as a color.  Their faces glow, their eyes sparkle, and they look stunning.

But the vast majority of us should reexamine all that “slimming” black we have in our closets.  I dare you to try this exercise:  put on one of your twelve black t-shirts, blouses, turtlenecks, sweaters (you get the idea) and take a good, long, hard look at yourself in the mirror:  do you glow?  No, really, I mean it:  you must glow.  If you don’t, step away from all that black and start to figure out what colors make you look like you’re in love.

There are at least three reasons behind this funereal palette.  First, the old “black is slimming” yarn.  Guess what?  Unless you’re under a burqa, people can still see your body, and black isn’t fooling anyone.  Second, wearing black is considered to be “easy.”  Really?  All that lint, animal hair, and other schmutz ruins the onyx opacity of black.  Additionally, all blacks do not go together, because of the variation in fabrics and dyes.  Third, and this is a little covert, but I think some women wear black to disappear, to fade into the background.  Maybe they feel like they won’t be judged as harshly for being dull as opposed to being brave but mistaken in, say, hot orange and fuchsia.

Just this week, I saw two women about town.  The first one was out for a late lunch at a romantic, historic restaurant.  She was petite, had lovely curly hair that was expertly highlighted and framed her face adorably.  She wore unremarkable black trousers, a knit top in a color that I can only describe as a dark green/gray taupe, and a black jacket.  She had medium fair skin and minimal makeup.  With that dark neutral and black so close to her face, my guess is that she aged herself by ten years.

The second woman was a mother with her young child, running into a local big box retailer.  She had her hair and makeup done; I could even see lipstick!  She wore a pretty, small print floral tunic with a ruffled hem over black capri leggings and black flats.  She topped her ensemble off with a cute jean jacket and a bag in one of the colors in the print, a soft raspberry.  Absolutely adorable!  I still wish I’d have stopped her to tell her how fabulous she looked.

I’ll guarantee you that both women spent some time putting themselves together, but I’ll bet it wasn’t hours.  And the results were radically diverse:  one was dowdy and invisible, the other fresh and bright.  We all have to get dressed:  why hide ourselves out in the world?  Why not lift our spirits by looking like the best version of ourselves?

Do we love wearing black?  Or are we afraid to step up and embrace ourselves in full living color?

The fabulous Joan Holloway Harris

Do you watch Mad Men?  Where those the longest eighteen months of your life when it was on hiatus?  Or do wonder what people see in this television show?  Either way, The Fashion File by Janie Bryant (Mad Men costume designer) is a charming guide to assess your shape and style.

Ms. Bryant believes that style allows us to express ourselves.  She also believes that “fantastic style flourishes from a foundation of self-love.  Remember those heart-thumping high school crushes that made you walk into walls?  Well, now is the time to become infatuated with you.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.  She has chapters on shape assessment, making your closet a luxurious space (even if you have a very small space), vintage clothing and accessories.  The Don Draper Makeover chapter includes some pretty handsome male style icons, too!

Most importantly, she promotes a strong self-image and has a “strict” rule about allowing only self-appreciation in the fitting room.  I wholeheartedly agree with her, and am considering a similar policy in my shop!  What could be more Bombshell than that?

Have you read The Fashion File?  What did you think:  fun and body-positive, or too retro for your taste?

Photo by Jill Alexander Designs

Well, at least it’s the question when summer comes around!  I think it’s safe to say that the maxi has made a comeback and moved past the trend stage to dress basic.  Though they are long, maxi dresses generally are not formal.  They are a great casual and comfortable choice for hot and steamy weather.  However, maxi dresses can be tricky, and like many things, it’s all about proportion.

I’m going to go out on a limb here, but if you’re over 5’8”, you can do whatever the heck you please when it comes to maxi dresses!  Of course, there are taller women with shorter legs, but often your torso compensates and you can carry off this style with relatively little concern.  It’s the majority of us who are under 5’8” (and honestly, the majority of us are 5’4” and under) who need to figure this out.

And by ‘figure this out,’ I mean:  go and try some on!  If you’re on the petite side, you might look for styles that put your waist a little higher, empire-style, so that your legs will appear longer and the dress won’t swallow you whole.  Those who know me know that I can’t resist a good print or pattern, but in this case, I might be tempted to choose a maxi in a solid color to lengthen a petite woman’s figure.  That’s not to say that there aren’t some fantastic prints out there, though, so if you find one that you love, try it.

Keep in mind, too, what type of shoes you’ll want to wear with a maxi dress.  Because the dress itself is fairly casual, sandals are a good choice.  Make sure to bring the shoes you’ll be wearing with the dress to the tailor if you need to have the dress hemmed.  Some people like a maxi dress to hit the top of their foot/ankle bone, and other want it to graze the floor.  Ask the tailor to pin it both ways, so you can see which is more flattering on you.

What do you think of maxi dresses?  Still in the trend category for you, or are you thrilled to wear yours now that the weather is turning towards summer?

What a stunning girl!

She’s all of twenty-four years old, but I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that Adele has the soul and voice of a grand old bird.  Adele is very of the moment, but I have a suspicion we’ll be hearing from her for years to come:  don’t you?

So girl, get off your heartbreak:  we’ll love you no matter what!  I raise a tumbler of Irish whisky to you!

Indigo blue and Flame orange; photo by C. G. Martinez

Collection from Polyvore

Magenta crab apple blossoms are striking against the leaves of green

Marc Jacobs 2009

Sunshine yellow and dark violet pansies

Oda dress from Bumblesea

How about you?  How do you choose colors to complement your outfits?  Are you as crazy about complementary colors as I am?

Moments before Albert shouts, "Tannins!"

I can’t get over Albert’s dressing room in one of the film’s earliest scenes.  Check out that salmon wall treatment, the similarly colored chaise lounge that Albert is on, all the gold accents, and that over the top headboard!  What is that exactly?  Flames or a plant gone wild?  I love it!

Look hard through the smoke and glass to see the mural!

The mural in their apartment is also terrific.  I couldn’t find a better screen clip, but you can see a bit of it through the glass door.  It’s a jungle-y, wild, tree design.  One of my favorite things about it is it covers the entire wall, and the door is seamlessly integrated in the design.

"We've been robbed!"

This photo demonstrates the color palette of the interiors.  I always have this impression of South Beach having hot, tropical colors, and while I’m sure that’s true, too, most of this palette is pastel.  I love the patterns they both wear:  Armand in stripes (gray or green, it’s hard to tell) and Albert in a soft pink plaid (of course!).  There is some green in the background, and I also am crazy for the complementary color scheme of red (pink) and green throughout the interiors.  (Remember all the pink of the dressing/bedroom against the green jungle mural in the living area?)  There are light and dark wood accents, as well as sculpture and modern art (sadly, I have no photos of these:  watch The Birdcage again!) that tie the space together, as well as informs us of their taste and style.

There are too many good lines in this film, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be Albert’s response to Armand after Armand says, “You look tired.”

“‘You look tired’ means ‘you look old.’  And ‘you look rested’ means ‘you’ve had collagen.’”

How about you?  Any film set you wish you could live in?

The Vicar in all her glory

A periodic feature to the blog wherein we ask the Greats a few questions from the Proust Questionnaire.  Today, we feature the inimitable Vicar of Dibley, Geraldine Granger.  If you haven’t seen this delightful BBC series, I suggest you do!  Dawn French is somehow both comedienne and straight man to the daffy denizens of Dibley.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?  Never running out of chocolate.

What is your greatest fear?  That my marriage to Harry was a dream and I’m really married to Owen.

What is your most treasured possession?  My darling parishioners though I don’t actually possess them.

What do you most value in your friends?  The largesse of their Christmas luncheons.

What is your motto?  Be kind.  Sometimes it’s the hardest thing in the world, but it’s always worth it!

The Divine Miss Angelou

“Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes, and into
Your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.”

Maya Angelou celebrates her 84th this year.  Although she’s known around the world for too many accomplishments to mention here, I am always reminded of her beautiful poem, On The Pulse of Morning.  I love it so.

Happy Birthday, Maya!

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent

When I was little and had energy to spare, I couldn’t for the life of me understand why my dad loved nothing better than to sit in a chair late Sunday afternoon and sleep.  “I’m just resting my eyes,” he’d say, though his snoring gave him away.  Resting your eyes?  What in heaven’s name for?  I had a million things to do:  help my mom in the kitchen, read another book, irritate my brother and sister, etc.

Now that I’m older, my guess is that my dad was as tired as I sometimes am.  But I notice that I get a very specific kind of tired when I actively look at things.  Museums come to mind, but recently, it was my buying trip to Chicago that reminded me that although we are a visual species, some of us have a greater aptitude for looking and seeing colors, patterns, and textures than others do.  Mine is middling, and I’m looking to increase it.

So I’m asking all of the artists out there, how do you increase your capacity to see things while remembering them as well as comparing them to other things you’ve seen?  Are some things easier for you to look at than others?  How often do you actively look at objects or art, as opposed to just seeing your way through every day life?