En vacances

Poster from here.

By tomorrow afternoon, we will be here.

For most of next week, I'll be somewhere in the vicinity of:

Posting may be light to nonextistant, in stark contrast to this week's snowfall (32" in last 7 days) which promises to make next week's skiing stupendous.

Webcam photos from www.beavercreek.com

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Foulard de la semaine

This is my new "H en Voyage" scarf. I spotted this one at the boutique a couple of weeks ago while out with my Purse Forum friends, and couldn't resist once I saw those colors. It's a smaller (70cm) silk square, and the fabric is softer and more "slippery" than the standard size carrés. The design features old-style suitcases stacked to form an "H".

Edited to add: here's a link to the scarf on the Hermès website, so you can see the whole thing.

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Imogen Rocks!

Imogen Lamport, style blogger and Image Consultant Extraordinaire has generously and graciously answered my pleas to Help!!! me dig out of my Boring Black Style Rut.™ She asked for some information regarding my size, proportions and what impressions I wanted to convey, et voilà!


Une Femme - by imogenl on Polyvore.com

I absolutely love what Imogen has put together here, and she's even included my favorite... leopard print! (How did she know?) Imogen says,

As far as Deja's body shape goes, I've not drawn attention to her waist as it's on the shorter side, any belts will make her appear boxy.

As she's got a larger bust I've chosen some larger pendant necklaces and earrings to draw attention away from her bust and up to her face.

The skirts have some flare or frill to balance her hips, but work best in more drapey fabrics. Ideally they should sit just below the knee, and no longer.

High heels elongate her legs and give her a couple of extra inches in the height department. Colour blending shoes to trousers helps to do this too.

You can read the rest of the rationale behind her choices here.

I have some items similar to what she's selected, so here's my first Imogen Inspired ensemble:

(It's a bit tough to tell from this picture but the bag is dark green and the boots are brown. The earrings are dangly and I've added some green and orange bangles.)

I wish I could put Imogen herself in my pocket and take her shopping with me, but the Polyvore she's created is the next best thing, so I'm going to print it out in color and get it laminated, and carry in my bag when I'm on the retail beat.

Imogen, I can't thank you enough!
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Gender Studies: Girl Meets Boy

Even before Diane Keaton as Annie Hall launched a thousand baggy menswear looks, une femme was a fan of androgynous style. Growing up I loved watching old movies on TV, not the least for the clothes/costumes; I particularly loved the fluid trousers and crisp shirts worn by Katherine Hepburn, and the unfettered, intellectual style exemplified by Audrey Hepburn.

In the 80's the androgynous look found its heyday again, influenced by Annie Hall, Annie Lennox,and Laurie Anderson.Androgynous dressing has always appealed to me. I don't know if it's because girls' clothes were so uncomfortable when I was little with their tight collars and stiff petticoats, or because my mother tried to instill in us the stultifying femininity of the 1950's, or because my childhood passion (horseback riding) became associated with boots and jeans, but I've never felt at home in uber girly-girl garb. When I was thirteen, our middle school finally relented and allowed girls to wear pants. I showed up at school almost every day in my embroidered Mexican peasant blouse and corduroy trousers with my boys' desert boots and felt myself in my clothes for the first time. In my twenties I wore baggy oversized blazers, pleated trousers, ties. I enjoyed how wearing masculine garb felt subversive, powerful. Over time I also realized that a full-on Annie Hall/Annie Lennox/Laurie Anderson menswear look requires a boyish figure to pull off without looking like a Mack truck.

In the 90's, I graduated to tailored pantsuits for work, but lately that look has felt too structured and boxy for me. Though currently I'm feeling more comfortable (physically and emotionally) in moderately feminine styles that have some fluidity, softness and drape, or are more simple, clean and Audrey-inspired (see above), I still enjoy including a masculine element or two like a bigger watch or chunky boots to add some edge and satisfy my subversive streak. I also would probably not pass up an oversized "boyfriend" blazer if the right one were to cross my path. I've read and observed that mixing feminine and masculine styles is a hallmark of French chic, a way to keep one's look from becoming to staid and predictable.

Where on the femme-homme style continuum to you tend to reside?

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Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2009 is the Year of the Ox. The Ox sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. May it be so!
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Sunday snippets

The latest food trend in Los Angeles seems to be Pho Noodle joints popping up everywhere. The puns are almost irresistible. The one nearest us is Pho Show. If I were to open one, I'd call it Pho Pah. Or maybe Pho Reel Tho. Pho Nit Inn.

Comments are open. Go ahead, you know you want to!

Foulard de la semaine et dejeunner avec La Belette Rouge

This is my attempt at the softer grey and pink look that Duchesse and Karen posted about. (Originally featured at The Sartorialist.) The only light grey piece I own is the sweater; the trousers and top are both charcoal grey. The scarf is my pink "Ecole Portugaise" which I'm finding myself wearing frequently.

I had a much-anticipated, lovely lunch with the gorgeous and vivacious La Belette Rouge yesterday, after which we wandered over to the Big Three (Barney's, Saks, and Neiman Marcus) to sniff out some new fragrances. At our final stop, Choo Choo the very fast-talking sales associate for the Clive Christian perfume line was dropping names like Perez Hilton on crack. "Oh I sold this one to Beyoncé, to Celine, to Katherine Heigl, to Marie Curie! And this one, Katie wore it at her wedding to Tom!" all the while spritzing La Belette's and my wrists. "Wear it around, you'll be back, everyone comes back to buy!"

The one fragrance I sampled ("made with the flowers of fifty thousand baby white roses!") wasn't bad at first. For the first twenty minutes I liked it. Then it started to bug me, its cloying propensities increasing to the point that I was scrubbing my wrist with an alcohol-soaked kleenex three hours later trying to remove it. But this stuff is Zombie Perfume! It wouldn't die! Finally, I tried dousing my wrist with some Neutrogena Sesame Body Oil, which didn't entirely kill the fragrance, but cajoled it back into a somnolent stupor.

On a whim we popped into David's Shoes right before saying goodbye, and La Belette found....wait, I'll let her tell you.
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That Touch of Mink

While Doris Day's "professional virgin" characters never really appealed to me, and this movie is a particularly execrable entry in the "sex-and-the-single-girl-will-she-or-won't-she-or-will-someone-think-she-did" titillation film genre (even Cary Grant can't redeem it for me), I couldn't resist employing it to introduce my latest indulgence. Because baby, I sure did.

I hope you all have been checking in over at Couture Allure Vintage this month. They've been offering one item each day at 50% off the ticketed price. Which is how I came to own this gorgeous 60's vintage mink jacket for $112.50.

When I was in high school, I had a rabbit fur jacket with a hood. I did feel bad for those bunnies, but every time I wore that jacket in freezing weather and was so warm and toasty, well... I currently would never consider buying a new fur, but before you threaten to turn me in to PETA, remember that these particular minks have been dead for some 40 years now. And see how fabulous it looks on!

I'm planning to pack this one for Colorado to wear in the evenings. I'm pretty certain it's safe to wear there without someone throwing blood on me. As far as anyone in LA is concerned, it's faux. ;-)

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In Other News, Hindsight Still 20/20

I've been kicking myself for not picking up one of those green velvet jackets that were everywhere this last fall.

Photo (again) from The Sartorialist.

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O frabjous day!

Callooh! Callay!

(I suspect everyone will be dressed in much warmer attire today...forecast high 31F, snow flurries.)

Edited to add:

1. Something told me I shouldn't bother putting on mascara this morning....
2. Aretha Brings The Hattitude!
3. Yo Yo Ma always looks like he's enjoying himself when he performs.
4. LOVE Michelle's dress!!!
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Color Inspiration from The Sartorialist

Swoon. Other than the tights and the little pouch, I would SO wear this or a version of it. I love this mix of colors!

The Sartorialist. (I get the feeling from his recent shots that Milano is having a mild winter.)

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Gender Studies: The Male Gaze

So Saturday night on our way to dinner, thinking of comments on my post here and Duchesse's follow-up post here, I asked mon mari, "what kinds of things do you wish I'd wear more of?"

"Besides whipped cream?"

Then, "Seriously? That's a loaded question and I'm not going to go there."

As I mentioned in comments at Duchesse's post, my husband's style preferences for me often collide with my own. He used to encourage me to wear colorful tailored skirted suits (which I mentally categorized as "Nancy Reagan suits" and made me feel like I was wearing someone else's clothes, most likely a real estate agent from Costa Mesa) or garments that are much tighter or show more skin than I'm generally comfortable with. In a way, he's as blind to my figure flaws as I am to my assets. After a few years of my brushing off his suggestions, he's stopped offering them.

So after repeated assurance on my part that I wasn't setting him up, he finally said, "here's what I think: you dress like someone who is comfortable and fashionable but not fashion-conscious. You stick to neutrals; everything in your closet is black, brown or a dark color. If you had to choose between two identical tee shirts, one in color and one in black or white, you'd choose the black or white every time. You dress like someone doesn't want to draw attention." What he didn't say but what I know he thinks is, "and it's boring." And in a way, he's right; with the exception of some of my accessories, I do dress to blend in.

On one hand, I think that the style of dressing I've evolved in recent years is very practical, and at times quietly chic. I can get dressed in a flash most mornings, and am not limited in what scarf or bag will work with my ensemble. In the workplace, an understated style comes across as more professional, less distracting. On the other hand, I'll admit that I dress to camouflage my body and deflect criticism. In addition to growing up with the sartorial rule that too much bright color is "garish" and to be avoided, being on the receiving end of The Gaze has rarely felt safe for me as my body was constantly (and sometimes publicly) critiqued by my parents. "Pull that shirt down, it's hiking up over your butt." "That dress makes your tummy look fatter." "Solid dark colors will make you look thinner." "You shouldn't wear something so tight, it looks slutty." And I unconsciously sought out those critical eyes in some of my early romantic relationships. Despite the fact that I was quite obviously short and curvy, I seemed to continually fall into relationships with men who were quite open about preferring slim, willowy women, and who insisted that I could be that if only I tried hard enough. And until my mid-30's, my women friends were also similarly weight-obsessed and critical.

Yet there have been times when I felt thin enough or nonchalant enough to dress to be attractive to men, and enjoyed the attention I received. I know some women who say that dressing in a more sexy way feels powerful, but I've rarely felt that way. At best, I've felt accepted, included. At worst, vulnerable; I've never enjoyed having to fend off unwanted advances. If I could have figured out a way to dress to only attract those I was attracted to, I suspect I'd be a millionaire several times over. If I were in my 30's still, I'd probably be trying to dress like Joan from Mad Men, though I probably couldn't tolerate the undergarments necessary to achieve that look for very long . Now, at my age, I'd be worry about appearing too "cougar-on-the-prowl" if I tried to emulate that femme fatale style, or like a woman desperately trying to cling to her youth. It was bit of a relief after decades of being looked up and down by random men (in that way that they do to quickly assess desirability), to begin mostly flying under that particular radar a few years ago. I really don't want to start attracting those random looks again, or dress in a way that feels wrong for me, but I do want to dress in a way that pleases the main man in my life.

Having read Duchesse's post again, perhaps I need to keep a more open mind to mon mari's preferences, at least to try to find a middle ground . Perhaps I'll arrange a shopping trip sometime in the next few months for just the two of us, and we can pick out a few items for each other. Oh, and today I'm wearing a bright green tee shirt.
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The Look for Less: Alpine-Inspired Aprés-Ski Style

The Look:

Aprés-ski - Splurge by deja pseu


Aprés-ski - Steal by deja pseu

Click on images for details.
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The Existentialist

Whoa. Even though I wouldn't/couldn't emulate this look, I am inspired by it on so many levels.

From The Sartorialist.

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Horizontal Stripes: Yea or Nay?

Sonia Rykiel at Net-a-Porter, $670

Talbots Collection, $89

Banana Republic, $34

Marc by Marc Jacobs, $84

One of the Rules when I was growing up was Thou Shalt Not Wear Horizontal Stripes If Thine Proportions Are Abundant. (And "Abundant" meant "Other Than Twiglike.") Do you wear horizonal stripes? If so, do you follow certain guidelines with regard to size, contrast, etc? Are there any other Rules of Style you grew up with that now seem outmoded but that you just can't break?

We haven't done a poll in a while, so I've added one to the right.

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Jaeger Tea

Even though the average temperature in LA this week will be higher than our average temperatures last summer, I know many of you are currently in colder environs. This will melt those icicles.

I found several recipes online, but think this one would best capture the flavor I remember.

Jaeger Tea (1-2 servings)

Ingredients
2 ounces cinnamon schnapps
2 ounces rum
8 ounces water
1 orange, juice of
1 black tea bag
sugar

Directions
1. Heat ingredients together in a saucepan until boiling.
2. Let simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.
3. Sugar to taste.

Recipe from here.

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Let it snow, let it snow...

...in Colorado, anyway.

We're getting ready for our annual ski trip, leaving in less than three weeks. We didn't go last year due to my hip replacement surgery, so I'm bound to be a bit rusty. I only started learning to ski about 15 years ago when mon mari and I started dating and he invited me along on the family ski vacation. Since, I've skied for one week a year, 10 years out of the last 15. I'm not a daring skier; I love nothing more than to just cruise down the green runs (preferably immediately after they've been groomed...I call it "skiing the corduroy") and enjoy the scenery. The great thing about Beaver Creek is that a bunch of the green runs are on the top of the mountain, so even we beginning-intermediate skiers can get the panoramic views. Skiing is a very zen thing for me, one of the few activities that really pulls me into the present moment and holds me there.

They also have an excellent adaptive ski program (for students with both physical and cognitive challenges) and a few years ago we found a great instructor who really "gets" our son, and had him skiing on his own by the second day out. To us, this was nothing short of a miracle. Now, he looks forward to "skiing with Yak!"

I received my annual Gorsuch catalog a few weeks ago. In addition to a level of skiwear I can only dream of, Gorsuch also features the kind of aprés-ski items I refer to as Alpine Kitsch PÖrn.

Tirol jacket, $1,898.

Kitzbuhel Hirsch boot, $998.

Voss sweater, $418.

Stag wine glasses, $398.

Needless to say, we window shop only.

And speaking of Alpine kitsch, no trip to the Vail area would be complete without a visit to the Alpenrose, for lunch and to get sappy happy on the Jaeger tea (I don't know what's in it, but it's hot, it's alcoholic and it cures the common cold). Otherwise, we're planning to keep costs down this year, which means forgoing a few fancy meals in favor of eating in most nights. Fortunately I make a mean turkey spaghetti.

The Beaver Creek poster at the top is from Christopher & Co., in nearby Edwards, Colorado. We always try to schedule a couple hours there to ogle the fabulous vintage travel posters.

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Toile and Trouble?

I'm loving these toile print ballet flats from Talbot's, but am wondering how one would keep them clean?
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Vote Early, Vote Often

For my gorgeous blogging pal Wendy Brandes for Best Fashion Blogger, here. Who else gives you fashion, history, amazing jewelry and Pulizter-worthy celebrity snark all in one place?

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Savings alert!

Our favorite Talbot's bateau neck tee is $10 off for two days only (through Jan. 11)! At $19 each, it's a great time to stock up.
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Taking it up a notch

Among the recent countless articles about "shopping your closet" and general recessionary-themed style advice, this article from the LA Times caught my eye the other day. Now I'll admit that I often find the LAT style ("Image") section to be celebrity-obsessed and usually outside of my frame of reference, preferring to profile the most avant-garde designers and hippest haberdasheries. But I thought they included some good suggestions, most of which don't require a large outlay of cash. I've cherry picked a few to share and expand upon. These small changes can make a big impact.

20 Ways to Upgrade Your Style

Ditch those jeans and step it up. OK, I'll agree with this one. I love my jeans, but LA is a town that takes "casual" to new heights, or rather, lows. For Pete's sake, if you're going to dinner at someplace like Crustacean, take a few moments to change out of your jeans, t-shirt and baseball cap! While I do wear jeans to work a couple days a week, I try to stick to my dark blue or black denim, and dress up with a jacket.

Invest in an evening bag. I heartily second this! Unless you're coming straight from work, don't shlep your Subaru-sized hobo out for drinks with the girls. There are some lovely clutches out there, but une femme strongly suggests one with a shoulder strap when you need both hands to juggle the drink, crudités, and business card.

Keep it clean. (Lose the embroidery, tattoo prints etc.) Not a problem, my style is generally simple and un-embellished anyway. Wish I still had those vintage beaded sweaters, though.

Grow back your eyebrows. Hah! Like I haven't been trying for the last 20 years??

Stop the 'homeless or Hollywood' hair. Thank you!!! How the lank-and-unwashed look ever gained traction I'll never understand. Remember when men's hair products used to be disparagingly referred to as "greasy kid's stuff"?

Stop for a shoeshine. OK, that one's in the "for the men" section, but keeping your shoes polished and repaired will go a long way to help project a posher image. Actually, one of my favorite chores is polishing shoes. I love the process, and the result.

Learn how to be a gentleman. I don't think this one has to be male-specific either. "Being prepared to produce cab fare for a tipsy friend, a clean handkerchief for a child's skinned knee, a kind word for the cashier," and being helpful in general are qualities we all can cultivate.

I have some of my own additions to this list.

Consider wearing shoes other than flip-flops. Even in weather that dips into the 30's, the flimsy rubber footwear is frequently seen on LA streets. There are shoes out there just as comfortable (if not more so) than flip-flops, which should be relegated to pool- and beach-side wear.

Pay attention to your your nails... even if you've cut back on the manicures. The LAT article mentions cuticles, but keeping nails themselves looking good (filed smooth, at even lengths--shorter looks better, IMO--and clean!) goes a long way to helping you look more pulled together.

Save the tracksuits and yoga wear for the track and yoga studio. I know, you want everyone to know you're committed to that fitness program, but perhaps it's time to re-introduce yourself to the concept of "street clothes."

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Not your Grand-mere's Talbots...

From the LA Times:

Hingham, Mass.-based Talbots (a dress from its spring '09 line is pictured) has recently undergone a major face-lift, with a new image more in keeping with a J. Crew shopper than a woman who loves her Chico’s. From the catalog to the clothing, everything is brighter, fresher and more desirable. Spring dresses evoke the spirit of “Mad Men” with bold florals and retro silhouettes for just $139 to $169. A new creative director, chief marketing officer and design team have dusted things off, reinvigorating the overall look and merchandise, while keeping prices as low as before.

Hmmm, so far on their website I'm just seeing a lot of nautical themed items. But I'll be keeping an eye out for the spring collection. I like that dress above.

One thing I have noticed the last couple of seasons is that their catalog/website models are beginning to have a much more naturalistic, less stiff look, not only with regard to poses, but the hair and makeup are also done with a lighter hand. That speaks to a change in aesthetic overall that I welcome.

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Foulard de la semaine

"Baby, it's cold outside" edition. This is the silk/wool shawl I purchased in Paris. It's a dark olive (actually a little darker than it looks in the picture) with gold metallic threads. The fabric is very lightweight, but warm. It's also big enough to be worn as a light shawl, which I did one cooler night in Paris.

Edited to add: "it's cold outside" was not a complaint, incidently. I'm loving this crisper weather!

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Les Moods, La Mode

When it comes to defining and refining a personal style, une femme is nothing if not ambivalent. A combination of the aging process and the loosening dress code at work have left me feeling a bit adrift at times, which was one of the reasons I started this blog soon after my 50th birthday (been at it almost two years now!). My pendulum of style experiments has swung a full arc. Results, as they say, have been mixed.

I come by this vacillation honestly. My mother, who came from humbler circumstances and married into an upper-middle-class and more-than-a-little-snobbish family used swing between a very conservative, Jackie Kennedy-inspired style and a more bohemian mode. I've inherited that conflict between wanting to fit in and be accepted among the swells (which rationally I fully recognize as an idiotic premise), and wanting to thumb my nose at stuffiness and convention. My pattern seems to be that when I'm feeling a bit unsure or insecure, I retreat into more serious, structured, classic styles (conceding my need for approval, if not so much from my paternal family anymore, then from the arbiters of style who decree the "classic items that every woman must have"). When I'm feeling more upbeat and confident, I lean toward a simple but more bohemian, eclectic melange with a bit of chien if I can manage it. The latter tends to get me nearer to my own Style Sweet Spot. This wardrobe Clash of the Titans has its fallout; one might be forgiven if they came to the conclusion that my closet was shared by the two stylistically opposite mothers-in-law from Dharma & Greg.

I've never been a natural girly-girl, and have long recognized that flounces and frou-frou just don't work for me, not only because of my shape, but also because the uber-feminine just doesn't jibe with my temperament. I do like to play off certain style references, but usually with tongue in cheek. However, I'm now past the age where I can appropriate and wear certain items ironically; now some styles come across as just too literal, and the whimsy gets lost in the translation.

For example, I spent a few weeks recently studying the iconic Chanel style, in an attempt to translate it into something wearable, only to ultimately conclude that it felt contrived and forced. (In Simon Doonan's parlance, I'm trying to do Socialite when I'm really more of a Gypsy/Existentialist at heart.) These days, a jeans/sweater/jacket/boots/scarf ensemble feels right, much more so than structured tweeds and ropes of chains and faux pearls, though I still admire that look on others.

I don't know if my style will ever settle in one place, though. In the past, when I've purged one of my personalities from the closet, I've ended up replacing many of the castoff items after a few months. So it's not time to throw the Chanel-esque out with the bathwater just yet, but rather to keep experimenting with the elements I like most and figure out how to wear in a way that's aligned with my current sensibilities, and retains a sense of humor.

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New Year's Resolution #1: Weight Reduction

No, une femme isn't talking about the latest Hollywood weight loss regime (rumored to be based on tequila, plankton and bee pollen) or even Oprah's next diet. Several weeks of physical therapy for tendonitis and bursitis in my arm and shoulder have finally convinced me that I do indeed have a weight problem, but it's the weight of my handbags that needs reducing.

I'll never be one of those Carrie Bradshaws who can go from noon until last call toting just a Fendi baguette. Contents-wise, the weightiest, bulkiest items in my bag are the ones absolutely necessary to my life: wallet, Blackberry, cellphone, keys, sunglasses. So it's the bag itself that needs to be lighter.

While I could go the way of many Parisiennes and tote a Longchamp Le Pliage nylon bag,

I'm not ready to give up on some of my favorite leather bags yet. The key is to avoid heavy hardware and leather or suede lining, all of which add to the weight of the bag. I'll be sticking to my Gerard Darel's and Balenciaga's (with the original smaller hardware) and my two cross-body bags.

What are some of your favorite lighter-weight bags?
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