Golden Age

Every season infuses elements of season's past.  Trends that are current always have a hint or an echo of style from day's gone by.  I am all about the seventies and eighties influence in fashion right now.  I wasn't a fan of jumpsuits or color blocking for myself the first time around..maybe because I was too young to be concerned with anything other than riding and all things equestian.  I do remember though, how fond I was of the high necked, ruffled Gunny Sax blouses and gold jewelry my mom wore.  I thought she was so beautiful; she was the poster woman for femininity and grace in her lace blouse with camisole underneath.  With these blouses, my mom wore a pendant gold coin that was encircled by a gold rope setting worn with a gold rope chain.  Think Italian mobster with a big gold necklace, and you aren't far off. 

 She wore this all by itself.  I wear several of them at one time.  I love the chunkiness of these pieces.  I think they are best worn with an off the shoulder blouse in a jewel color or black.  I have also been wearing them with very long, heavy gold chains and large gold hoop earrings...I'm channel Mr.T. 

My mom asked me if I'd like all of her herringbone, v shaped chains as well.  I told her to hold on to them until next fall...I'll be wearing them soon enough and thinking of a Nagel lithograph.

Marimekko

It seems I have been hearing 'Marimekko' a lot of late.  I was just discussing my sister in law's boyfriend who has several websites and a brick and mortar store that carry large lines of Marimekko: from fabric to dresses and dinnerware. Then I saw a capsule collection from Katy Kane of  vintage Marimekko dresses that are so fantastic. Here are a few  dresses below. They begin with my favorite then are positioned accordingly.

This dress is from 1974 and is $600.00

This dress was a part of a 1979 collection and is $400.00

This dress is circa 1965, it was bought for $500.00

Each of these pieces are from Katy Kane's capsule collection for 1st Dibs.  She has a very evolved collection of vintage pieces, both by period and designer. She also has a great mix of accessories.  I was very impressed that she was able to find then offer several vintage Hermes bags; that is a rarity unless you have the opportunity to scavenger Paris flea markets with regularity.  Katy's website is http://www.katykane.com/ .  She deserves a look for sure.

Missoni Fall

Here are a few pieces from Missoni's fall collection that I love:

This is quintessential Missoni, uunmistakably so.

This dress and maxi coat are perfect together.  It would be a mistake to separate them.

The dress and coat here are my absolute favorite.  The muted hues clearly echo Missoni and the coat makes this just spectacular.  The length on this dress would be a bit longer on a gal of medium height. 

It's doubtful Denver will have these pieces.  Missoni appeals to a more artistic sensibility.  It is more downtown than uptown.  I'm sure those yummy, hip Brooklyn moms will have a piece or two from this season's collection.

See Ya, Summer!

Most people have bathing suit anxiety in the spring.  There is a frenetic attempt to get into shape before the pools open and days are long.  It's funny, because I always notice how it is a topic of conversation with both men and women, single and committed.  The conversation goes something like this " Oh my god, I need to be in a swimming suit in 8 weeks! I need a vat of protein powder, pre measured, pre packaged meals and P90X stat!"  Talk of body fat, work out regimens, salads, and whether or not tanning is a possibility are fodder for a lengthy discussion.

Not for me. I think it is much more daunting to think of fitting in into fall clothes.  When the school buses start to be apparent in traffic again and when it's time to retire the gauzy fabrics of summer is when I go into a high panic. The tailored, structured looks of fall really let me know where I am in terms of my blubber to lean ratio.  It is easy to strategically place summer clothes like swimming suits.  They can be hiked up, adjusted.  Skin with a combo of bronzer and self tanner (add some air brushed muscles and contouring for the trifecta) gives the illusion of a body to die for.

Yes

No

Try to wedge yourself into a Elizabeth and James blazer that's in your size, and then realize that during the dog days of summer, the swim ring from the pool has made it to your midsection.  I have nightmares of the 'fat man in a little coat' scene in Black Sheep.  Fall collection pants and skirts are fitted.  Belting is also de rigeur.  Nothing is worse that pulling on your Theory pants this way and that to keep them where they're meant to be or spilling out over the top of a waistband.  Not only is it unattractive, it is also uncomfortable.  These possibilities spur me on in the quest to not embarrass myself.  With all of the beautiful clothes of the best fashion season of the year, they deserve to be worn well.  Swimsuits: I'll see you next year with no hesitation.

Abi Ferrin

I recently bought the Nikki 5 way dress by Abi Ferrin.  Initially, tying the dress was an challenge, to say the least. I tried both versions of off the shoulder.  The look below is one I tried. The problem with it was the extra sleeve didn't hang well at all. It should look like the picture below, but on me it just looked like extra fabric with no where to go.

My next option was the dress worn on both shoulders then tied at the waist, similar to the look below. 

This wasn't ideal, either.  The unfinished sleeve that has the open ends to enable all these variations was part of the problem.  Ultimately, the dress just isn't suited for me. I am fairly petite and the dress just overtook me.  I've seen it look so sexy and  fantastic on tall or even larger gals. It was a bummer, because I do like the edgy 80's throwback feel it has.  There are similar dresses with the same idea.  I think I'll give the others a try.

Tiffany Blue

Famed jeweller and luxury goods company Tiffany and Co. is not just the go-to place for bat mitzvahs and graduation presents any more.  They have expanded their line of leathergoods and wow, are some of the pieces fantastic.The glazed croc Pierpont Duffel in Tiffany Blue (below) is my favorite of the collection. It is extremely expensive, as all exotic leathers are. ($11,500)

How beautiful is this? My other favorite is the Ellie clutch that has all the right signs of a Tiffany piece to me; tasteful and not reminiscent of a necklace or bracelet worn by a sophomore in high school. The bow gives this a very high fashion yet lady like feel. It retails for $895.

The bag I am most likely to actually purchase (besides the same crystal hostess gift I give everyone) is the reversible tote below. At $595, I feel like this a bargain..I mean it's like 2 bags in one. It comes in quite a few different color combinations, but I like the Tiffany blue and platinum best.

I think these are the best in a pretty strong collection from veteran design duo Lambertson Truex.  In fact, some bags in this collection remind me of their designs under their own label. There are a few pieces that are in the collection that are a bit matronly, but I understand the need to have included them in the collection. Hopefully, the pieces shown above will help launch Tiffany leathergoods into  the class of relevant, iconic and sought after bag companies.



Fascinator Fabulous

We just can't get enough of looking at pics of the royals.  Here are a few pictures of Princess Eugenie wearing an Alexander McQueen sheath to the fifth day of  the Royal Ascot.  The look was made, though, by the navy fascinator she wore along with matching pumps.  My eyes were drawn up toward the headpiece, and that was a good thing; red can be unforgiving, especially if you're a bit north of a size 2.

Fascinators are in full swing, and not just for brides and hipsters.  They can be worn on the top of the head, as shown on Eugenie.  They are best, and a bit less stuffy (and easier to pull off), when pinned to the back and to the side atop a side swept ponytail or bun. I love these in all feathers with tendrils of hair swirled around or through it. The look below echos a bit of refined class, particularly in a monochromatic color scheme.

They are best suited with a summer weight tailored suit or dress with a trim silhouette.  I envision a dress by Victoria Beckam or Oscar De La Renta.  They will work with suits and dresses from fall collections as well.