As Promised...

Pictures of my new Carré Hermés going through her paces. The auto focus on my camera does not appear to be working, so apologies for the fuzzy images.

The scarf arrived this morning and I am thrilled! The colors are even more gorgeous and saturated than the image from the website. The fabric has more body/stiffness than I'm accustomed to, so it will take some practice to get the hang of it. One thing I've figured out is that some of the methods from the Hermés "Playtime With Your Scarf" pdf's require a neck about three feet long to really get the desired look. I'd also hoped to show it with my scarf ring, which of course seems to have vanished today. :-p

1. As tied loosely like a man's tie.

2. Worn closely to the neck; a couple different versions.

3. Loose and casual.

4. But add a trenchcoat, et voila! Instant Parisienne!

Happy New Year!

Hope you're having a swingin', swell & swanky time! Here at Chez Femme the Taillevaint champagne is chilling, the Brie is coming up to room temperature, and the fireplace is ready to be lit.

See you in l'année nouveau!

Once you go Silk...

...you never go back.

At least when it comes to sleepwear. I've recently rediscovered silk pajamas, and I now understand what the fuss is all about. They're warm, but not so much that you wake up at night roasting. They feel good against your skin, and don't stick to the sheets. And there's an aura of 1930's glamour around silk sleepwear. While you might think first of Jean Harlow in a silk dressing gown, for under-the-radar sexiness, you can't beat men's style pajamas in silk.

Winter Silks has some nice options, and their prices seem to be quite reasonable. They also offer some styles in Petite sizes, which is really great for those of us who balk at paying to have our pajamas altered.

This basic style is available in a wide range of pretty colors. Think Claudette Colbert as a runaway heiress, on the road with Clark Gable.

These with the contrast piping are very Nick Charles. Waking up at noon to a cocktail, "just a drop to cut the plegm." Swanky hotels and not-so-swanky dives. A little danger, balanced with a little witty repartée.

What is Hip...

...Replacement?

Une femme has thrown in the towel.

For the last few years, I've treated my arthritic hip with physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, anti-inflammatory meds, and positive thinking. And for the last few years I've been living with varying levels of pain and a pronounced limp, giving me a rolling gait like a pirogue on the open sea. Pas chic!

A few months ago I reached the point where the discomfort was preventing me from sleeping unless I resort to Heavy Artillery pain meds. I feared I'd soon be popping Vicodin like Dr. House. (Well, not quite like Dr. House; I only take one per night max, and I don't throw them down my gullet without a glass of water.) I am hereby yielding to the surgeon's arts. Henceforth I will need to carry a doctor's note with me when travelling to explain to the TSA why I am setting off the metal detectors.

Surgery is scheduled for January 8. I'll be in the hospital for 3-4 days and then off work for 6-8 weeks. In the short term, I'm looking forward to having lots of time to blog, and long-term hopefully to regaining some mobility and sending Mr. Pain packing for a while.

Funky Friday - Beep Beep! Edition

Still a fave.

Carré Hermés

Sshhh...don't tell le mari but I just bought myself a Boxing Day present. ;-) It's the Brise de Charme shown above. The designer is Julia Abadie, and it was originally issued in 1990. I had wanted to purchase a scarf from the Hermés boutique so that I could get the personalized scarf-tying instruction, but a) I didn't see any there that spoke to me, b) the sales associates were less than enthusiastic about helping me, and c) I thought it might be more fun to find something "vintage."

The scarf above is from Luxury-Scarves.com. I'd seen this website recommended most recently by Style Spy, and have been perusing their wares for the last couple of weeks. The colors of the Brise de Charme caught my eye yesterday, and going on the premise that "She who hesistates loses the treasure," I clicked Purchase. I'll post more pics once my lovely arrives.

Best Christmas Song Evah! All of the Words, None of the Visuals

Mix up a pitcher of martinis and settle in for the duration. This song came out during a time I was living in New Jersey, and always brings me back to those days: catching the Dinky to Princeton Junction, hitting the Wawa for late night munchies, standing outside in the snow at the Italian People's Bakery eating canolies.

Best Christmas Song Evah! Abbreviated Version With Visuals

Full version to follow, but this is fun.

Funky Friday - Indigestible Edition

"Oh dear, the cat threw up again! Now where did I put that hairball remedy?"

(This little beauty can be yours for a mere $7,190.)

Les Parfums

Une femme loves wearing fragrance. It's the one thing I can always count on for a "Pretty Fix," even when I have dark circles under my eyes or my pants are feeling a bit tight.

I mentioned in the Office Gifts thread below that I don't recommend giving fragrance gifts when you don't know a person's likes or dislikes. Fragrance is highly personal, and it's so true that a scent that is fabulous on one person can be horrible on another. On a couple of occasions, I've been given fragrances because the giver liked how they smelled on the little paper stick, and both times I've hated them.

But I will admit to being very picky about my scents. I've tried several that I love for a few minutes, but after they've reacted with my body chemistry for an hour or so, I can hardly wait to scrub them off. I don't like anything that's too cloyingly sweet (and a lot of florals that are lovely "on the stick" turn sickly sweet on me), or conversely so "sharp" that it smells like men's cologne. I don't have a single signature scent; I like to match my fragrance to the season and to my mood.

Currently in my rotation are:

Chanel. No. 5 and Chance. I really like Chance as a workday scent in the cooler months. It's warm but crisp, and not overpowering.

Marc Jacobs. The original. Nice for evenings out.

Serge Lutens. Clare de Musc. A soft, more casual scent. I wear this during the day on weekends.

Two new favorites, both from Hermés: Un Jardin sur le Nil, and Kelly Caleche. Jardin is supposedly a unisex scent, but I find it very feminine. I like to wear it during the day in warmer months. The citrus top note when I first put it on makes me happy. Kelly Caleche I just discovered a few days ago. It's floral, but with a little bit of woodsiness, not cloying.

When it comes to fragrance, it's easy to cross over into too much of a good thing. I tend to use the "spray, delay, then walk away" method of application (thanks, Queer Eye Guys!) for most daytime use. (This goes for you men, too!) If I'm going out at night, I will apply more directly to the décollete and wrists.

What are your favorites? Any tricks and tips for application?

Shoe Fascination

I'm supposed to be on a serious budget right now what with all of the holiday spending, but can't get these shoes off my mind.

Strangely enough, what really hooked me was the profile from the back:

Arche "Fiona." I blame this new obesession on Duchesse who suggested in comments I check out Arche shoes and mentioned that they were washable (apparently, they are).

Gifts That Work at Work

Some suggestions for the Office Gift Challenged. (And I consider myself among that number.)

Now that Chanukah has been over for almost a week, une femme is finally getting around to dealing with office gifts. Despite the burgeoning gift basket business, selecting gifts for business associates can be tricky. Unless you work in a small company and/or your co-workers are like a second family, you may know little about the person aside from what you see in work situations, and have little idea of their likes and dislikes. You may need to find gifts at the same price point for a large number of people. One doesn't want to go too personal with business gifts, but neither do you want to give something the recipient has no use for. Here are some I've given in recent years that seemed to be well received.

For anyone (boss, peer or subordinate):

Picture frames. Go with something nice but simple, for a 4x6 sized photo (or multiples).

Wine. But only if you're certain the recipient is not a teetotaler or recovering alcoholic. Tailor the bottle to the person; don't give an oenophile a bottle of whatever was on sale at the grocery store.

Muffin/Cookie baskets, NICE boxes of candy. These are great if you're sending something to another group or department.

For subordinates:

Gift cards. Yes, I know many people feel this is a cop-out. But after several years of trying to select a fairly uniform yet personalized gift for a large group of very diverse (male, female, gay, straight, varying ethnicity's and ages) direct reports that met with mixed reactions, last year I threw in the towel and gave Macy's gift cards. Everyone was thrilled. Put them in a nice card or a small gift bag with some candies to add a personal touch. I wouldn't give gift cards to a boss or someone at one's own level, though.

If your office does Secret Santa or something similar in lieu of broader gifting, you probably have far more knowledge and leeway to get something more tailored to the recipient.

However, some gifts I'd avoid in a business setting:

Fragrance or body/bath gift sets. Too personal, and unless you are absolutely certain that someone LOVES Zuccini Frapucchino Body Splash, probably destined to be re-gifted or tossed after a few years under the bathroom sink.

Purses, wallets. People tend to be picky about these items, and again, a bit on the "too personal" side for most office environments.

Anything overtly religious. Unless you work for a religious organization. (Many years ago I worked with a very sweet, very devoutly Catholic woman who gave everyone in our department little wooden boxes that she'd decoupaged with pictures of Mary holding the Baby Jesus. While I knew her well and understood it as a heartfelt gesture and not an attempt to convert anyone, there were a few raised eyebrows among some of my co-workers.)

Les Chaussures Sans Douleur

Une femme has come to accept that she will probably never be a Manolo/Choo/Louboutin kind of girl. It's not that they aren't lovely, but aside from the fact that they don't fit my life, the flesh below the knees is no longer willing.

I used to take comfort in the fact that shoes were reliable. Regardless of how tough it might be to find stylish clothes that fit, I could always rock the shoes. Though I've never been one to jump gleefully into a pair of 4" heels, I rarely balked when it came to putting form ahead of function where footwear is concerned. Then something happened: mes pieds rebelled. Once narrow, they widened with pregnancy and never looked back from those broader horizons. I've always had a high arch and instep but now coupled with the new horizontal expansion, finding shoes that I can even get my foot into--let alone stand up and walk in--has become exponentially more challenging.

Search online for "comfort" shoes and you are assaulted with a plethora of beige lace-ups that scream "Senior bus to Laughlin!" Narrow the search by selecting wide sizing, and the prospects become even more dismal. Comfortable-yet-chic shoes have become a sort of Holy Grail pour moi.

Some recent successes:

These shoes from "1803" were my go-to walking shoes when we visited Paris, and though not the pair of stiletto's that all Parisiennes are reputed to wear (yes, another myth), they were perfect with the dark-wash and black jeans I primarily wore that week. They are exceptionally comfortable and supportive; I put several miles on them each day without a moment of discomfort or tired feet. They don't come in wide, but the regular size was fine.

I was delighted to find out that most Ferragamo shoes are available in wider widths. (Don't be fooled by the "Luncheon at the Garden Club" styles available online; they actually have many more au courrant options in the boutiques.) So when I decided it was time to invest in a good pair of classic pumps, I was able to find a pointy-toed, stiletto heeled iconic pump in a C width there, and yes they are actually comfortable to stand and walk in, though probably not so much on gravel or cobblestones, nor for hours on end. Hint: they don't sell the wide sizes online, but you can call one of the boutiques and order.

Stuart Weitzman also offers a multitude of styles in wide widths, though the comfort factor is hit-and-miss. You can't always tell just from looking at the shoe either, you really have to try them and walk around for a while. I've never gone wrong with their boots, though.


Here are some other styles I've been eyeing. While they may not qualify as "Superfantastic!" they do stand out a bit from the usual comfort/walking shoe fare:

Pikolinos

Not your typical stodgy Mephisto's

More Pikolinos

Emotional Baggage - Care and Restoration

"There's no point in having nice things if you don't use them." -- grand-mere Lucille

When I bought my first really nice handbag, I babied it for weeks. Every little drop of water was cause for panic. Eventually, I remembered my grandmother's words and my gingerness passed. But I've also learned some secrets for keeping leather bags looking nice, if not new (and personally, I think most bags look better once they've been a bit broken in).

To help make leather more water and stain resistant, many people swear by Apple Garde. I've used this spray on untreated vachetta leather, on Balenciaga leather and on suede, and have been quite satisfied with the results. Don't panic if the leather darkens when you first apply; give it an hour or so and once the leather dries it will return to it's original color. Test it on a small corner or area that doesn't show if you're hesitatant. Apply two coats, and reapply every six months or so. If the leather is dry, use the Apple Leather Care conditioner first.

Thanks to the ever-knowlegeable ladies at The Purse Forum, I've discovered Lovin My Bags leather care products. Pro-Treatment is a cream that protects against water AND oil stains, and I've begun using on all of my non-metallic bags. For Handles Only protects those vachetta, Balenciaga and other light colored handles from turning dark as a result of absorption of skin oils. Shine Restore will put that gleam back in the leather, and they even have "Odor Out Candies" to make your bags smell sweet again (a must for those who buy on ebay!). There are special Vintage and Balenciaga care kits, which IMO would make a nice holiday gift for a bag lover, and various cleansers.

Barbara at Lovin My Bags also offers restoration services and has done extensive research on how various leathers are made and dyed, and how best to preserve and restore them. If you want to see some absolutely amazing pics of handbags brought back from the brink, go visit her blog.

One thing I've also learned from reading her blog is to NEVER use saddle soap on handbags. The soap is alkaline and actually breaks down the leather (one of the reasons it's so effective at softening stiff saddle leather).

A gadget I employ regularly to help preserve my favorite bags is a Purse Hook. No more having to set your bags on the dirty floor (gah!) or hanging them over the back of your chair, and risking that they end up on the floor anyway. It braces on the top of a table, and the weight of the bag keeps it in place. Your bag is out of the way under the table, and conveniently in reach. I keep my Purse Hook with me in whatever bag I'm carrying.

Purse Hook ... Purse Hooker ?

Grand-mere was right. Protect and then use your beautiful bags!

Old Mu Tu

Every bit of clothing ought to make you pretty

You can cut the clothing, grey is such a pity

I should wear the clothing of Mr. Walter Mitty

See my tailor, he's called Simon, I know it's going to fit

Une femme recommends...

I'm always thrilled when someone turns me onto a product that really works and might help make life a little easier. So here's some Stuff™ une femme has discovered recently.

La beauté:

I apply a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to beauty product claims, especially claims of anti-aging products. But Bliss "thinny thin chin" lotion which claims that it "instantly tightens, while firming, hydrating and improving the appearance of neck lines, crepiness and hyper-pigmentation over time," actually is pretty effective. I noticed a difference within a couple days after I began using it, and love the citrus scent.

If you have fine hair like mine that tends to oiliness, the choice is often between shampooing daily and ending up with dry, damaged ends, or walking around for a day or two looking like the Brylcreem guy. About a year ago someone recommended Leonor Greyl Lait Lavant Banana Shampoo for Oily Hair. Latherless, and more the consistency of thin milk than shampoo, it gets rid of the oil without drying the hair, even when used daily. (I've been told it's the lathering agents in most shampoos that strip the hair and dry it out.) Lait Lavant Banana is kind to hair that's been colored too, and doesn't seem to accelerate fading. Yes, it smells like banana, very nice.

Les vêtements:

Want to save on dry cleaning bills? Dryel Fabric Care allows you to dry clean right in your dryer. Put the items to be cleaned in the cloth zip bag, add a sheet of the biodegradable cleaning agent, close and tumble dry on medium heat for 30-40 minutes, and you've saved yourself a trip to the cleaners and un peu d'argent aussi. I've found it works best on items that don't need to be pressed, and use it mostly for sweaters and scarves. I haven't tried the stain removal products included in the kit yet.

Between my intermittent clutziness and the continental shelf that resides on my upper torso, I've been known to wear some of my lunch, or on really bad days, splashes of the crappy office coffee. The universe has taken pity upon me, and provided the Tide To Go® Instant Stain Remover. In a pen form that has become one of my purse essentials, it's great for removing non-greasy stains like (ahem!) coffee. It's also supposed to be great for removing ketchup, wine, and chocolate syrup stains. Not that I'd know anything about those, either.

White vinegar is another item I've started buying in The Big Sizes™ at Costco. Not only is it great for descaling coffee machines, but adding a cup to the final laundry rinse helps soften clothes and removes minerals that make clothes dingy. (Also help keeps your black items from greying over time.)

Les chiens

Some breeds of dogs tend to have eyes that weep, and on lighter colored dogs this can result in red staining beneath the eyes. Angels' Eyes is a dietary supplement that eliminates the systemic yeasts that cause the staining. I've been using this for over a year on one of my dogs, and it has eliminated probably 95% of the staining, providing much better results than I ever had with any topical applications. It's made from beef liver, and mes chiens seem to enjoy it. I sprinkle the powder on their kibble and just add a small amount of water to dissolve.

One of my dogs was an unrepentant leash-puller. I didn't want to use a choke chain or other painful collars, and a trainer recommended the Sporn harness. This harness has two straps which go under the dog's front legs, and tighen there (not around the neck) when the dog pulls against the leash. It's humane, and extremely effective; my dog's pulling stopped almost immediately after I started using the harness.

In the next installment, some great products and a company that provides Ultimate handbag care and restoration...

Missing the Bandwagon

Une femme is as susceptible to mass fashion hysteria as the next gal, but there are some items generally regarded as Fashion Holy Grail that I just. do. not. get.

Take, for example, Birkin bags. Yes, they're handmade, they're exquisite, they're next to impossible to get, the workmanship is unparalleled, yada yada yada. So why do women insist on carrying them gaping open and straps askew, conjuring the image of a slack-jawed old man in a stained undershirt with belt undone snoring away in his recliner? I mean, if this is handbag royalty, is there some sort of über status in carrying it like a peasant toting turnips? If you're spending a few month's mortgage payment on your arm candy, why not show it off to its best advantage? Or is the bag actually so inconvenient to get into and re-close that the owners have just given up? If so, is it really such a fabulous bag?

One more...

After having visited the mall yesterday, and having seen three different women over 40 wearing these, I have to add Newsboy caps to the list of d'un certain age don'ts.

Funky Friday - Weird But Wonderful Mix Edition

Last night I went to bed believing that I had found nothing this week Funky Friday worthy. This morning my sis forwarded this to me...Winnah!!!

The band is Uncle Earl, and the song is "Streak o' Lean, Streak o' Fat."

Avoiding the Scarlet "M"

The 1964 book, A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux is an amusing exercise in anachronism, delineating rules for appropriate dress which border on stultifying. It does yield up some gems however, a few of which still hold true. In the section "Age," she says "There is a saying in France, 'Elegance is the privilege of age' - and thank heavens it is perfectly true."

In the days before Fashion seemed to worship exclusively at the altar of Youth, a woman could look forward to achieving an age where more elegant and sophisticated clothing was her due. Now it often feels like we're navigating a narrow space between dowdiness and being branded with an "M" on our not-so-supple cheek should we transgress with attire deemed too youthful.

Reading Linda Grant's article in The Guardian on Monday, I was delighted to see my own style philosophy reflected in her conclusion:

Eternally stylish women find their look and modify it as they grow older; I arrived at the conclusion that to dress well in your 50s and 60s you need to dress more simply, saving the attitude for one item and paring down the rest, so my leather jacket would be worn with jeans and a cashmere sweater, or over a little black dress.

Actually, this has been my style M.O. for several years now, originally born out of frugality and work-appropriateness (in those horrible, oppressive days before it became OK to wear velour track suits to the office /sarcasm o_O ). I learned in my 30's to invest in simple, classic clothing and let accessories (and sometimes jackets) be my "showoff" pieces. This is where I tend to hit my style Sweet Spot and I've rarely gone wrong with this formula.

But I agree with Linda that it's especially true as we move into our 50's and beyond that our favorite leather jacket, or a short skirt, or a Balenciaga motorcycle bag can still work for us, as long as we keep the rest of the ensemble simple. And incorporating current or edgy elements can keep a simple ensemble from looking too stodgy and boring.


But here are some items I assiduously avoid, and think that when worn on most women over 40 tend to look out of sync with our age:

• White eyelet
• Babydoll anything
• An abundance of lace or ruffles
• Jumpers* or rompers
• Any combination of tops and bottoms that allows skin to show in between
• Playboy bunny or mudflap woman jewelry (in fact, these are questionable on women of any age)
• Hello Kitty, Paul Frank or similarly themed clothing
• Pants with verbiage across the ass

YMMV, as the kids say.
*"Jumper" in the U.S. is a sleeveless dress designed to be worn over a blouse or sweater. I've recently learned that in British terminology, a jumper is a pullover sweater, with which I have no beef and in fact, own several.
Picture from: www.fashion-era.com/

Happy Chanukah!

Tackling the Mutton-Shamers

Linda Grant of The Thoughtful Dresser has a great article up today over at the Guardian. Go read the whole thing. I'll post some more thoughts about this in the next day or two.

Les Jaquettes: The Long and Short of It

Une femme is a jacket fanatic. It's my belief that a jacket can pull together just about anything into a cohesive and more polished ensemble.

A few days ago, there was quite a kerfluffle over at The Sartorialist on the subject of women's jackets. Sart posted this picture, and his comments about sleeve lengths and longer jackets in general closed with, "you don't need to be a model for it to look great." Well, this was a battle cry for me and a few of my other shorter soeurs. Les Soldats Petites came out with guns a-blazing, and argued that petite women would either be swamped by the jacket he featured (a double-breasted number) or the curvier among us would look like linebackers in it. On the field of battle we circled, flanked, and attacked from all sides, but The Sartorialist stuck to his guns and held his ground. At the end of the day, it was a draw.

I am still of a mind that few women look really great in double-breasted jackets, and longer jackets can be tricky for the vertically challenged among us. I'm not a fan of the "shrunken" jacket either, which gives the appearance of wearing one's little brother's cast off Lycée Français school uniform jacket, but I have been enamored of the shorter 3/4 sleeve crop and swing jackets in the last year or so. One advantage to these is that we petites can often buy "regular" sizes without having to trot off to the tailor immediately upon purchase to get the sleeves shortened. Plus, they don't call them "bracelet length" sleeves for nothing; it's a great way to show off those stacks of bangles or unique cuffs.


As mentioned during that skirmish, I believe that the trick for shorter women wearing longer jackets (or any jackets for that matter), is to stick to single-breated styles, and to keep the top and bottom elements balanced. For women like me with a proportionally short waist and longer legs, long jackets can visually create a longer line. Women with a longer waist and shorter legs can wear longer jackets with narrow pants to keep the top and bottom halves balanced.


My current favorite longer jacket is last year's version of this Ralph Lauren Hacking Jacket (take note: this one's on sale!). This jacket is well cut for petites, and has classic design and shaping. If there's one thing Ralph does consistently well, it's the equestrian look.


Other than RL, there isn't much currently available online in longer jackets that are available in Petite sizes. Nada at Norstrom.com, rien at Neiman's. (In fact, I have quite a gripe with Neiman's online Petite department, which seems to be populated primarily by Eileen Fisher potato sacks.)

Talbot's has a few:

Wool gabardine single-button jacket, $188.










Stretch wool gabardine two-button jacket, $188.







Double twill wool stretch jacket, $198. (Here's a nice example of a longer jacket worn with narrow pants.)

For those of you who aren't committed to Petite sizes, here are some nice options from Nordstrom's:

BOSS Black Tuck Detail Jacket, $795 (LOVE the detailing on this but it might not work on those with a pronounced pear shape.)

Theory "Abel-Tailor" Jacket, $360.

Just Because...

From one of my childhood favorites, Gay Purr-ee.

Judy Garland, Robert Goulet and Red Buttons provide the voices. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

Eight Random Things

Just meme-ing around!

materfamilias tagged me for this meme sometime around the last new moon, and I've finally dug up eight things that might be of interest to someone other than my mother or my chiropractor.

Here are the guidelines:

Link back to whomever tagged you.
Post these guidelines before your list.
After you list your eight things, tag eight (of however many you want) other bloggers.


So here goes:

1. I have an almost encyclopedic memory for song lyrics, and have ever since I was a child. Even though I can't carry a tune to save my life, in grade school I was always welcome in the choir, because by the time we hit the 7th verse of "My Darling Clementine" (or whatever quasi-historical/patriotic/seasonal songs we were performing) I was the only one who could remember the lyrics and keep the rest of the group going.

2. I can still remember the botanical names of a few score of plants and trees, thanks to being required to memorize and identify them from a few leaves or a flower in college botany classes. In fact, I am a veritable font of all kinds of useless nickel knowledge, definitely an asset for Trivial Pursuit.

3. I used to make Renaissance and other costumes. Once I made a frog costume for the owner of a car wash for their mascot.

4. I once hung out with The Talking Heads for an evening.

5. I can't read or hear the word "heinous" without hearing it in Bill's (or was it Ted's) voice. Consequently, I tend to giggle every time at the opening tag of Law & Order SVU.

6. I'm extremely claustrophobic. The one and only time I tried going on the submarine ride at Disneyland, I started hyperventilating before they even got underway and had to get off the ride. I also can't ride in the back seat of two-door cars.

7. I prefer Picard to Kirk.

8. I don't own an i-pod or an MP3 player, still listen to music on CD's.

I'm tagging:
Individual Chic , La Vie Quotidienne, The Sunday Best, HATtastic. But only if you feel like it. If you weren't tagged but have a blog and want to carry on the meme, feel free!