Met this stylish woman waiting in line at a store, and was instantly impressed with how well she dressed for running errands. Love the way the scarf, belt, shirt, and cardigan coordinate in aqua tones that are set off with black… and especially love the shoes! She said of dressing well: “it makes a girl feel good.” So true!
As I was prowling the post-holiday sales at my local shopping mall, I got to thinking about shopping strategies. A common piece of wardrobe-building advice – regularly offered in fashion magazines – is to invest more money in “classics” – like a crisp, white dress shirt or black slacks – and then save money by purchasing cheaper versions of trendy items.
I’m going to flout the fashion pundits and confess, on record, that this approach has never worked for me. Continue reading
The brooch has fallen into disuse. Once a signature of precise, well-planned grooming, in the decades after its heyday, it came increasingly to be seen as too fussy to be modern. The time is ripe for its resurrection.
The unerringly stylish diva also known as Nelly recently demonstrated how to reinterpret this historic accessory. At a family holiday party, she turned out in a black dress with a grey shawl and ivory-colored magnolia brooch. Gorgeous! The trick, I think, was that the brooch wasn’t constructed from a traditional, metallic material. This change, together with the contrast of the white brooch on her black dress, made the brooch fresh. And, as a party accessory, the corsage referenced by a floral brooch was perfectly on key. With the effortlessly elegant neutral color palette as a backdrop, the brooch was reborn as a witty, modern accoutrement.
My colleague Sara sashayed into my office this morning in a black, draped cotton top with an oversized turquoise-colored beaded bracelet. The dark, demure top was the perfect backdrop for the exuberant bracelet. I complimented her on the bracelet, and Sara mentioned that it was a gift from a friend, and she often receives compliments on it… so she wears the bracelet when she’s with her friend, so her friend can hear the compliments, too. Which I found even more elegant than her lovely outfit!
The ideal souvenir captures the exoticism of a distant locale and transports it into one’s daily life, sparking an intriguing transformation whereby the familiar is rendered more exotic by a hint of distant adventures. I’ve found that few souvenirs integrate as seamlessly into daily life as those that are wearable. In that spirit, I was inspired recently by the pair of exquisite sandals with which Lahnna returned from Cyprus. She traveled over the Thanksgiving holiday, and purchased a lovely pair of metallic sandals as a souvenir. They are a silvery leather, with ornate black beading and decoration. After returning, she wore them with bright red nail polish, jeans, and a wide 1960’s-style headband. Perfect post-vacation glamour!
Benefit “They’re Real” mascara. Only one word will do. Magical. When a make-up artist at the Benefit counter applied this for me, my eyelashes looked startlingly longer and thicker – so much so that I could see a pronounced difference between my newly Benefitted right eye, and my left eye, which was still wearing my former mascara of choice. I purchased an extra tube for my mother, who was promptly converted, as well. Two months later, I still love it.
Praise for the Clarisonic face brush. I received my first pimple when I was a solidly pre-pubescent 10 years old. My mother popped it while I sat next to her in the car, my grimacing, upturned face committed to the task while my body squirmed away. That lone, unwelcome protrusion on my chin turned out to be a harbinger of things to come. I’ve spent the past 25 years grappling with acne. Along the way, there have been some humorous moments. One year, for Christmas, a well-meaning relative gave me the unsolicited gift of acne medication. And some less humorous moments, as well… a high school friend, whose skin reacted badly to borrowed make-up, pronounced herself hideous for acne that was much more mild than mine, and contemplated releasing her prom date from his commitment.
Despite assistance from innumerable dermatologists, medications, facialists, skin care products, a little hypnosis, some acupuncture, and my largely unswerving commitment to regular exercise, a low glycemic index diet, and sufficient sleep, I’ve been able to win isolated battles, but not the war.
With the advent of the Clarisonic skincare brush, I’ve made the leap to guerilla warfare. Nothing else has effected such immediate, pronounced, and sustained change. Existing product reviews (among them, Allure magazine’s 2011 Best of Beauty list) breathlessly bandy about descriptions of soft, dewy, fresh skin. This is not hyperbole. Allow me to add my voice to the chorus: the Clarisonic brush is really as spectacular as the claims suggest. Within a couple of days of using it, my skin looked clearer, fresher, and somehow more youthful, and felt smoother and softer.
Unsurprisingly, my dermatologist recently disclosed plans to begin selling the Clarisonic brush from her office.
N.B. I used the Clarisonic brush with the blue, “delicate” brush head. Friends who have used the regular brush, with which the Clarisonic comes, report finding it a bit rough. The brush heads are replaceable – and should, in fact, be replaced every couple of months – so this is not a difficult alteration.
The Carolina Ballet’s performance of “Dracula.” A time-tested horror tale, musical crescendos rendered even more riveting by the live orchestra, the dancers’ exquisite grace and power… A performance so beautiful it cannot be translated into language. What to wear?
Attended with my good friend, Lahnna. Lahnna dressed for the occasion in a swingy, plum-colored A-line dress, knee-length pink suede jacket, gold metallic strappy sandals, and a champagne-colored Coach purse. The gold tones in her shoes and purse created a satisfying cohesion, and popped against the saturated pink tones in her outfit. Her look communicated poise, while maintaining a youthful sprightliness.
I opted for a hip, slightly insouciant look in an original design from fashion designer Laura DiMarcantonio’s Fall 2011 individual line. I wore a navy-colored dress in a slightly firm, taffeta-like fabric. The dress had a fitted bodice with asymmetrical, diagonal pleats and an A-line skirt. I paired it with boots to dress it down a little.
Encountered my friend and colleague Tanya with her friend Elizabeth at Mapleview Farms. They were lounging in the rocking chairs on the front porch, eating ice cream. Elizabeth was wearing skinny black Capri pants – so Audrey Hepburn! – with a coral-colored sweater, oversized yellow-beaded necklace, and cat’s eye sunglasses. With one leg tucked under her and the other used to propel her rocking, the entire look said laidback cool. What a wonderful, early fall weekend look!