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 …
All of our closets contain stories. So many pieces carry memories. Which ones mean the most to you and why? The Fab Collab I’m doing this week with the beautiful ladies of JTouchofStyle.com is all about those memories, centered on a classic fall pattern: plaid. On Monday, I shared stories about a special skirt my mom wore as a girl and a dress …
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 …
Last week I took my first foray into the art of mixing prints. It was a small start–a patterned jacket combined with a patterned scarf, inspired by a look Marlene Dietrich first wore in the 1930s. The outfit itself is not one I would normally wear, though. It’s a bit serious for my lifestyle and personality. …
“Glamour is assurance. It is a kind of knowing that you are all right in every way, mentally and physically and in appearance, and that, whatever the occasion or the situation, you are equal to it.” ~ Marlene Dietrich Class is in session. Marlene Dietrich–Head Professor of Glamour–is leading the class with her stunning polka-dot print …
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 …