Plissé

Love the look of those pleated silk scarves from Hermès or Ferragamo, but not the prices? Check out this pleated scarf, new from Banana Republic at $69.


My guess is that this one will sell out quickly.
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Cinéma Femme: Édition Printemps

Une femme has managed to procure a copy of Linda Grant's new book, the thoughtful dresser, which I believe is not yet available in the U.S. In fact, I have managed to procure two copies, which means that I can share one with one of you. What better excuse for a contest?

To enter, write a comment about the Polyvore below. Tell a story or just share whatever thoughts come to mind by midnight Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday April 5. This time I'll do a random drawing from the entries and announce a winner next Monday.

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Shuffleboard, anyone?

Any readers out there with experiences/recommendations/reviews of Alaska cruises? We're gathering information for a potential family vacation (including kids). Thanks in advance for your input!
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I am not worthy!

I haven't forgotten that a few of you have presented me with Blogger Awards, for which I am very grateful despite my lack of timely blog response. I promise I will properly acknowledge these honors very soon.

In the meantime, a little classic Wayne and Garth to get your weekend attitude on.

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Desperate times call for desperate measures

Une femme has reached the point where reality trumps ideology. At first, I tried accepting the ten pounds I gained suddenly last year, but I just don't feel like myself. I've tried eating like a French woman, cutting carbs, skipping dinners. Nothing seems to be budging the extra avoirdupois. Even my doc says, "Weight Watchers." So a-Pointing I will go. I feel like such a sellout, but I'm tired of squeezing into my clothes and not feeling my best.

At least they don't make you eat liver once a week any more, or yummy meals like this one:

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Dreaming in Paris

I love Paris in the Springtime...


I love Paris in the Fall...

Ennui

Anyone besides me feeling a bit "meh" about what clothing retailers are offering right now? I'm Bored with Banana Republic, Tired of Talbot's, Not Inspired by Net-a-Porter, Ambivalent about Ann Taylor. It's not that I'm particularly looking to spend money right now, but I miss being able to glean inspiration and enjoy some online RRT (Retail Reconaissance Therapy). I'm envious of women who have "their" brick-and-mortar boutiques and resale stores; I just never have the time to spend hunting down those that carry the right mix (and in my size!) or to visit regularly. Usually my retail malaise is just seasonal; I always gravitate much more toward Fall fashions than Spring. But I've also noticed that retailers seem to be paring down: fewer styles, limited colors. And lately I've seen almost nothing that could be considered Paris-worthy.

Is it just me, or is it boring out there?

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Mad Men Style, Redux

Photo from http://www.amctv.com/

Apparently Talbot's received the memo:

Betty.

Joan.

Peggy.

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Foulard de la semaine

More pattern mixing. This is a small Chanel scarf I picked up on ebay last year. I wasn't sure about pairing the light aqua blue of the scarf with the teal shirt, but I think it works!
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The Wonder Years

Watching the atom bomb test...

When it rains, it pours...

Will you buy me a Dior dress?

My love of handbags developed early...

We are the goon squad and we're coming to town, BEEP BEEP!

Caught in the act of looking up Barbie's dress?

If the glove does not fit, you must acquit!

Suburban Cowgirl

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Contradictions: a daughter's unvarnished rememberance

Over the last few days, so many people have talked about my mother's generosity, her kindness, how much she enjoyed helping people. All of this is true. Even as she was getting sicker, she helped some elderly residents in her building with their cooking and cleaning. She loved to cook and have people in for dinner, and in her younger days often invited people who were almost total strangers to meals if she thought they needed a place to spend a holiday or were far from home and missed their mother's home cooking (this was how we came to be friends with a bunch of professional football players who were renting a house down the street). Sometime in the early 70's she invited a bunch of foreign exchange graduate students whom she'd met through a friend's Rotary Club to Christmas dinner. That night we had an Egyptian, an Israeli, a German, and Brit all sitting around the dinner table. Peace on Earth. She was generous with what money she had, often to a fault and would come up short in her own finances after having given a friend or acquaintance some money because she thought they needed it more. She was fun-loving and an excellent teller of jokes (most off-color). She came from very humble beginnings (her father was a coal miner) and though she always wanted to better herself, she also taught us not to look down on anyone, that "there but for the grace of God go I." Despite some of the ethnic jokes she told, she was a fervent supporter of the Civil Rights movement, and cried for days when Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot. "He was a hero, a real hero," she said over and over. She held firmly to the idea that we should always try to help out those who were worse off, rather than blame them for their circumstances.

The image, though, that kept flooding my mind on the flight home from Ohio was the time she tried to drown our dog in the swimming pool, laughing maniacally while she held the struggling animal's head under water. She was drunk at the time, and mad at her boyfriend and hence the world. When she got into one of those moods, it was frequently taken out on those who were smaller and more helpless. My sister was able to push her away and we rescued the dog, but the next morning we took our pet to the animal shelter, hoping it might be adopted but figuring even if not the end would be more humane, as we could not be there all the time to protect it.

Though they knew her as a mercurial and at times stubborn and difficult woman, most people outside our immediate family did not see the very dark side of my mom's personality. Yes, they knew she drank, but they saw the good-time party girl who bought rounds for the bar and then brought everyone home at 2am to cook them breakfast. They usually didn't experience the anger and the meanness that came out once she passed a certain level of intoxication, though eventually a few friends were on the receiving end of one of her tirades which ended with being abruptly and inexplicably cut out of her life. She had the capacity to be downright cruel at times. As children, we were often on the receiving end of her anger and frustration which when we were young she expressed with physical abuse, and later verbally. I walked on eggshells around her, never knowing when what seemed to me to be an innocent and neutral remark would set her off.

In my twenties, I went to Adult Children of Alcoholics meetings for several months, which turned out to be one of the best things I ever did for myself. I came away understanding her better, as well as myself. Mostly, I realized that to have a relationship with her that I would have to distance myself emotionally. In the decades since, she'd picked fights and cut off communication with me a few times, sometimes for as long as a few years' duration. Then out of the blue she'd call, acting as if nothing had happened and we'd just been chatting the week prior. Each time we'd reconnect, the relationship was more at arm's length, though more cordial and sustainable. To someone who is/was close to their mother, that may sound cold, but it was absolutely necessary for my own sanity and self-preservation. Mom never acknowledged her alcoholism, despite having been put in detox at one point by several of her oldest friends. She continued to drink, sometimes heavily and at other times more moderately. Maintaining a relationship with her required that her drinking was never addressed, that anything which she could possibly construe as negative about her was never broached.

Sometimes I wonder if she had been born in a different time, whether she might have found fulfillment in a career or creative endeavors. She was certainly quite intelligent and energetic, though she had embraced being a housewife and mother until my parents' divorce eventually forced her to go back to work, where she enjoyed most of the many jobs she held. She was never an introspective person, and acknowledged the old joke that her favorite form of exercise was jumping to conclusions. She could be extremely judgemental and critical, though she often did look for the best in people. She taught us from a very early age the importance of proper grammar, for which I am grateful. I know that she loved us, though I don't remember her being physically affectionate. Maybe that was the time, maybe that was how she was raised. She told me I was smart, and expected me to get good grades, but also stressed that I should never let "the boys" know how smart I was or I'd end up "an old maid." She did feel that her children were a reflection on her, and could be harshly critical, especially of appearances and worried about "what people will think." She was relentless about my weight (I can't count the number of times I heard, "nobody loves a fat girl,") but at the same time made sure we had beautiful clothes to wear. She often had fallings out with her siblings, all of whom had passed away before her, but held family in high esteem. Among her things we found hundreds of old pictures, many of her family that I never had seen before, but that she had hung onto though many moves and several very tumultuous decades.

As I told someone recently, this loss is tempered by the fact that I felt like I lost my mom a long time ago to alcohol, and to the rampaging part of her personality. Ultimately, I came to see her as someone with a basically good heart who at times could not control her destructive impulses, or face the devastation they had caused.

I would like to thank everyone who offered condolences in the thread below; they are very much appreciated.
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Short hiatus

My mother passed away yesterday, peacefully, after a long illness. I'm on my way to Ohio to help with arrangements. I'll be back (both to California and the blog) next week.

Chic, two ways

As I sit here with the bottom half of my face slathered in vaseline to mitigate the effects of three days of non-stop, headcold-induced nose blowing, I look at pictures like these and despair of ever being this fabulously put together.

Picture from The Sartorialist.

What works for me: the simplicity, the whimsical use of color, the mix of feminine and masculine elements, the proportions, the quality of the fabrics and the bag (Bottega Veneta, I'm pretty sure).

I would try: the scarf, the knee length coat over the ankle pants, the colorful shoes, the bag.

I'll pass on: the belt.

Picture from garance doré.

What works for me: the clean lines, the mostly monochromatic look, (again) the combination of masculine and feminine elements, and the ankle pants to show off the killer shoes.

I would try: mixed texture monochromatic top/bottom, slim ankle pants with a heeled sandal.

I'll pass on: the black scarf, the shiny snakeskin fabric on the pants, the 4" heels, the trendy bag.

These are her shoes, BTW.

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Will you buy me a Dior dress?

"You don't go to Dior to buy a dress, you go to use the telephone."

If a modern day Patricia were to ask her thug boyfriend to buy her a Dior dress, it might be one of these...






Or maybe this one...
Or this.

All quite lovely but on my budget, I'll be the one over in the corner using the phone.
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File under "Uh, no thanks"

E-mail from Saks, subject line "Jumpsuits you've just got to have!"

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Foulard de la semaine

I'm really liking the softer, smaller (70cm x 70cm) scarves. There's less fabric to work with, but it's easier to get these more casual, insouciant looks.

(Don't know why the quality of this photo is so bad, though; my mirror really isn't that dirty!)

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Program notes

Apologies that posting has been light this week and may continue to be sporadic over the next week or so. Aside from the fact that our monitor went on the fritz (it only works for about 10-15 minutes at a time) and we're still waiting for the new one to arrive, I've been a bit preoccupied with making long-distance arrangements to get my mother moved to a nursing home (she's in Ohio, I'm in LA) and may be taking a few days next week to go check up on her.

In the meantime, the new March issue of Goldivas.com is up, including an article by une femme about incorporating Spring's hot trends now (and without breaking the bank). While you're there, be sure to check out all of the great articles.

More inspiration from The Sartorialist, these lifted from style.com.

Love the slouchy cool of this one! (And there's the lightweight cardigan layered under a jacket, as I mentioned in my Goldivas article.)

Giovanna!! Does she have a fan club? I want to join!

If loving these cropped pants worn with fuzzy shoes is wrong, I don't want to be right.

I love the intensity of color here: hair, lips and pants.

Crazy mad, I know, but I want this kimono/coat/bathrobe/whatever-it-is!

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