It’s gross outside, ladies. I mean, the sky is orangish gray in a dystopian movie kind of way. For the last couple of weeks, smoke from wildfires in British Columbia, Eastern Washington, Oregon, and California have swirled their way to Seattle and settled in for a short summer’s nap. I can’t imagine what it must …
Breaking News! Missing blogger found in the 1970s! After weeks of broadcast silence, Sherry Dryja, also known as Petite Over 40, was thought missing from the blogosphere. Readers last saw her travel through time to practice outfit magic with a glittery puffin and a renegade penguin on the set of the 1960s hit tv show Bewitched. …
Who watched Elizabeth Montgomery play Samantha Stephens on Bewitched? Anybody else watch reruns of that show even today? (I do! I do!) Oh, how I dreamed of being a witch when I was a kid! I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to clean their house with a twitch of the nose? Plus, the …
I’ve been watching old America’s Got Talent clips on YouTube recently. It’s been a balm to my weary soul in these darker times. The earnestness of the people on stage who make themselves so vulnerable draws me in like a moth to a flame. It soothes something deep down inside and gives me a glimmer of …
Cue up the Out of Africa soundtrack. We’re going on a safari. I don’t remember much about the plot of Out of Africa but I remember everything about how the costumes and the music made me feel. The tailored elegance and exquisite fashion filled my artistic soul. It etched in me a desire to dress just like Meryl Streep’s …
Cruise season started for Seattle last week. Flocks of giddy passengers are arriving in town as I write this to take a dream trip up to Alaska for a week or so. I know this because I can see the tail feathers of a Norwegian cruise ship from my balcony. Cruise season means spring has …
Lauren Hutton turned 74 last year. Throughout her career, she has been known for her “All-American Style.” It’s timeless and chic and surprisingly simple. She perfectly balances feminine polish with masculine casual. She is one of my style gurus. That’s why, this week, I’m emulating one of her looks from from ELLE France. The Elements …
One of those nasty cold bugs got hold of me a couple of weeks ago. It pummeled my body and left me to wither, whine, and cough up a lung for more than a week. I was in Phoenix at the time, there to spend time with family. The visit included my 95-year-old grandmother who …
The jumpsuit has so much history. It was originally designed by Italian designer Thayaht in 1919 to be a practical garment for sportsmen–hunters and skydivers. During World War II, it was used as a work uniform by men and women. Elsa Schiaparelli–one of my favorite designers of all time–saw its potential as a fashion statement …
When my friend Kelli was a little girl in the 1960s she told her mother she wanted to be a musician. Her mother pointed to the television set and asked, “Do you see any women in the orchestra? No? Women aren’t musicians. Women are secretaries.” About a decade later, Debbie Harry hit the music scene. …