The year Kurt Cobain died I quit my job in advertising and became a nanny. His death had nothing to do with my leaving advertising for nannying. They just happened to occur in the same year. It may come as no surprise to regular readers, but the King of Grunge didn’t impact my life much back then. It feels …
Now that we’ve turned the clocks back, the sun sets around 4:30 in Seattle. From where I sit, the bottom of the sky is pink, the water and overhead sky are steel, and the hill rising up from the Alki Peninsula sparkles with lights of people living past dark. Here in Seattle, early darkness generally means chilly evenings. To …
Another Halloween has come and gone for another year. Did you dress up? I didn’t dress up this year, but it used to be something I did every year. These days, I put that energy into creating modern styles using elements from past decades of fashion. My goal is to create real style, something I would …
It all started with this skirt…. And then there was the Fab Collab on plaid that I did with Jodie and the ladies of JTouchofStyle.com. I got plaid fever, I tell you! But seriously, the skirt spoke to me from a place I visit often when I’m looking for thrifted inspiration. You may have heard …
The Fab Collab is back! Jodie, Nancy, and Charlotte from JTouchofStyle.com have joined me this week to feature a pattern many of us associate with fall — plaid! Pretty much all of us have some personal experience with this classic pattern, even if that experience goes back several decades. For this collaboration, the ladies and I share our stories …
The starlets of the 1930s loved their jewelry. Pictured above, 1930s actress Myrna Loy appears to be dressed casually but her bracelets are the stuff of red carpets today. When it came to jewels and accessories, the rich and famous in the 1930s believed in the old adage that “more is more.” Even as the rest of the world struggled …
While all of you brave and beautiful ladies are basking in your swimsuits by the pool this summer, you’ll find me in the shade, likely nowhere near the pool, but still embracing a beachy trend straight out of the Twenties and Thirties: Beach Pajamas. This loungewear got its start as bedroom attire. Before long, it was being …
“It’s no longer smart to be chic … The new mode is casual, bold, chunky, and realistic.” ~ Vogue, 1936 The 1930s was a turbulent decade, to say the least. The market crash in 1929 which brought about The Great Depression left many people destitute. Those who had already been on the margins were left to …
Lessons of Feminine Fashion from Truman Capote Did you ever read the book Breakfast at Tiffany’s? Maybe you saw the movie? They were two very different presentations of the world Truman Capote created, but they both had a very feminine rebel at their core in the form of Holly Golightly. As I work through this month of …
Nothing says Spring like a Breton top. Each year, this long-sleeved striped shirt returns to clothing stores and catalogs as faithfully as pink blossoms pop out of the tips of tree branches. The design of it is somehow linked deep down in our minds to Spring. Because it’s such an iconic piece for the season, I’ve chosen it to begin this …