June in Northern New England

 

We've been experiencing real spring weather, from rain to lovely sunshine and everything in between. 

 Revolution celebrated its 20th anniversary in White River Junction, VT. To celebrate, Nancy the Girl  the vintage store, brought some goodies over to the parking lot behind Revolution. I found a linen skirt made in Italy (not pictured) that goes well with a denim blouse I picked up at J.Crew (also not pictured). 

At Revolution, I acquired this dress because it was so well designed, with pockets, and great bias cut. It's a perfect summer dress! With it I wear the necklace I picked up in Glasgow on Otego Street. The sweater is an old personal favorite that I bought at the Gap a long time ago, along with a green and beige one. 

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I spent an overnight in Cambridge MA to see singer/songwriter Aldous Harding at the Sinclair. Before the concert, walking across Harvard Yard, I spotted this gentleman who knew how to dress for hot weather in the city. 

A favorite tee-shirt was perfect for dining outside and attending a concert. Another Revolution find! Cheers! 

Black and White and some color

New York City on the first hot weekend yielded some interesting wardrobe strategies, including, quite simply, the choice of black and white. Top image has white mostly, with black footwear. Bottom image has the reverse -- the woman is wearing white Birkenstocks. I love the accent of the lime green iPhone case. I also love that their purses match the color of their outfits. 

Working Moms

 

clothes swap 2022

 Yeah, it happened! It finally happened! I hosted my first clothes swap since the pandemic started. It all went so smoothly, as if we all have it down. My friends Julie and Judith with whom I have shared hosting duties in the past, laughed that some of the clothes being exchanged had made prior appearances. 

That's okay. They have found new owners while we shared our own woes and misgivings. What will happen to Roe v. Wade? Why is this country so fucked up? What can we do? 

Julie holding a bathing suit top that she is ready to part with. 

Anyone want a cashmere turtleneck? 

The dress was one I bought in Italy a few years ago. Deborah is taking over ownership. 

The hostess -- aka me -- wearing a hand tailored silk jacket made in Vietnam, and a Monsoon dress found in a charity shop in Edinburg. The jacket went to Judith -- for now. Pants are mine (TJ purchase). 

Judith tells the story of this red dress. The "narrative" is the best part: each garment holds a story. 

Alicia now owns cute black suede platform shoes. 

And the red dress goes to... Deborah!

A silk skirt remained orphaned. 

A Boden dress has found a new owner. 

Interesting how the same dress looks different on different bodies. 

More movies with old clothes

 Last night, I was looking for something to watch on Amazon Prime and came across this little known oldie with Helena Bonham-Carter and Gina McKee. In "Women Talking Dirty" (not sure I like the title), the two actresses play women who end up with lousy men. Fortunately, they end up becoming best friends, and helping each other out with single motherhood and identity crises. It's very much an end of 90s film, with strong(ish), unconventional women bonding, with single motherhood presented in a bohemian light (not great, but not bad either). It's a bit mysterious why HBC keeps her babies, but oh well, it's not a great film, and lots of things don't add up. 

However.

Edinburgh looks great. And HBC 's outfits were extremely entertaining in and of themselves. 

So great and inspiring were her clothes that this morning I decided to dress in the spirit of color and a little wildness in the hair. 

Happy love day!

 

It's a hallmark holiday, but I see this mid-winter date as an occasion to celebrate whatever you feel like celebrating with whomever. Including just yourself. 

As long as it has red in it. 

I live in a cold region where winter can last up to six months, so a nice warm bright color like red can really cheer me up on another cold, grey day. 

I bought that wool coat  in White River Junction, VT at a consignment store that specialises in outdoor gear. It was a COVID purchase in that it was meant to be worn on many walks taken with friends, in the woods and in the streets around where I live. I love that coat, it has kept me warm and visible during many months of our pandemic. Thank you Woolrich for making this coat. 

I bought the necklace in Glasgow during my visit to my daughter who lives there. It was also found in a consignment shop, on the best street in Glasgow in my humble opinion: Otago Street. It has used clothing, books, furniture and a very old cafe. The dress is new but rings of vintage (1920s?). My French cousin thought it looked Irish. It's by Côtélac, my favourite French designer.  

In the winter in New Hampshire, I cross-country ski when the snow is good. My ski clothes are mostly hand-me-downs from my other daughter: the striped head and neck gators, the vest and ski pants. The long-sleeve Smartwool shirt I did buy new. 

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I discovered artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp at MOMA in January. What a talented woman she was: she worked in all media, including watercolor, tapestry (as seen above), wood and beading. She was married to artist and poet Jean Arp, but she was innovative as well, and merits her own legacy. 

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Meanwhile, while we are in the fiber arts, the streaming service, Kino Now, sent a delicious selection of "bad romance" films to mark Valentine's Day. Included in the list was this retro Italian gem from the 1970s, "The Seduction of Mimi," by Lina Wertmuller. I did not love the violence, especially the violence levelled against the women. But perhaps that was part of the point of the film (a weird approach to denunciating violence against women is making the protagonist uncontrollably violent? Is it genetic? Can men really not evolve?). However, the scenes in Turin in which the female inamorata played by Mariangela Melato is shown surrounded with handknit colorful sweaters and blankets was so delightfully nostalgic, I have to recommend it. Rarely does knitwear trigger a "madeleine de Proust" like effect in me. As a teenager in the 1970s,  I didn't particularly gravitate toward hippie dippy homespun fashion. I might have knit for a few days...But the scene shot in an attic room, with skeins of wool draped over the rafters, the macrame throw on the bed, and the characters in those colorful sweaters made me laugh out loud, and feel the authentic bohemianism of an era.  It was as though wearing handknit wool was going to solve all the world's problems. 

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Happy Valentine's Day!

(cardigan sweater is also a hand-me-down from a friend)

Paris in a pandemic

 

The decision to go to Paris during the pandemic went from a relatively simple one to one that became more complex, as a new variant decided to emerge. After many hours spent on the phone with friends and after reading through pages and pages of web sites, I decided to go, and see what happened. 

Paris turns out to be very open, and the reason for which the city can be so open, for the moment, is that people wear masks and are vaccinated. I have been relatively careful, always mindful of wearing my mask when indoors, and always ready to present my proof of vaccination when asked. 

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On this trip I found myself looking at new clothes rather than used ones. I think it's psychological, but it's also because I haven't been to the city in two years, and the fashions are amazing: the colors, the patterns and the styles are beautiful of course. 

                                              The Galleries Lafayette on the Champs-Elysées

I've been mostly obsessed with the coats. Winter coats now come in all kinds of tweedy and windowpane patterns, with all kinds of color combinations. I brought my trusted black boiled wool Geiger coat, thinking that black would be the dominant color, but I was wrong. Maybe people want to express themselves with color, as a way to fight back against the difficulty of living with COVID. The woman on the metro in the above photo was dressed so nicely, and the blue bag that she is holding added a touch of color to her overall look. I almost walked up to her to ask her where she had found that fantastic coat. 

On one of my many walks, I encountered "Le Village suisse" in the area that borders the 7th and the 15th arrondissements, where loads of galleries sell old art, furniture and bibelots. If I had a place in the city, this dresser would have to be a center piece. 

The quartier Saint-Paul in the 4th had some vintage stores. I found a brooch in a store that specialised in vintage jewelry. 

Finally, Paris means museums. After a visit to the Institut du Monde Arabe which had a really well documented exhibit on "Jews in the Arab world," I had lunch with my cousin in a brasserie across the street that had a classic fussball table. It stirred feelings of nostalgia for my childhood, parts of which I spent playing fussball on a beach in the south of France.