Last Saturday, I went to an event where I wanted to look serious, so I dug around in my closet for some suits from my (pre-2005) corporate days. First, I tried on a gray skirt suit by Luciano Barbera. I got it at Barneys when I was absolutely desperate for a summer-weight, investment-bank-appropriate suit. I’d…
movies
Elizabeth Taylor: A Diamond’s Best Friend
The world lost a screen goddess today: actress Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. She lived an amazingly long life considering her myriad health problems, which included a bout of pneumonia and an emergency tracheotomy in 1961. Shortly after that crisis, Taylor won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her…
Great Minds Think Alike: Birds by Rochas, Perris, Hitchcock
I’m always looking for pieces that remind me of this gloomy/gorgeous Fall 2006 bird gown by Olivier Theyskens for Rochas. This bodysuit-and-pants ensemble by Bernard Perris, spotted on 1stdibs.com, immediately brought the Rochas to mind. I prefer seeing birds on clothes to birds on jungle gyms. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds has been on television quite…
On the Town: Pre-Oscar Party in Los Angeles
MrB and I are on a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles. Last night, we went to The Weinstein Co. pre-Oscar party, where we discreetly ogled the dashing actor Colin Firth, who is sure to win an Oscar for his work in The King’s Speech. I continued my non-wardrobe-remixing tradition by wearing nearly the exact same…
Crossing My Fingers for Eminem, Lady Gaga at Grammys
Someone asked me for my “girl and boy crushes” at the Fashion Group International Rising Star Awards lunch last month. You know you’re at a fashion event and not the Council on Foreign Relations when you’re asked that question. The query is practically mandatory among the stylish set now: “What do you do?” and “Who…
Jewel of the Month: Black Swan Ring
Phew! January’s Jewel of the Month sneaked in just under the wire. Fine jewelry, like the cheese in Cheez-Its, can’t be rushed into maturity. A jewelry designer without her own factory must work with other people’s schedules. Last year, I wrote about lost-wax casting, a process in which a design is carved in hard wax….
Grease Is the Word
Every time I come across Grease on TV, I have to watch it. I enjoy every second of it … the songs, skinny John Travolta, the Pink Ladies, the cigarettes that the bad kids smoke. Back when it was first released (yes, I was alive then), I wanted to be bad-ass like Rizzo (Stockard Channing)…
If Looks Could Kill: Angelina Jolie’s Jawline
I am fascinated with the ultra-defined appearance of Angelina Jolie’s jawline in this poster for The Tourist, her new movie with Johnny Depp. That jawline is so sharp that it makes me think of a hatchet or a throwing knife. Angelina could cut a bitch with her own face! I like it. It’s good to…
Lace Up Like Vintage Madonna (and WendyB)
I’ve got vintage music style on my mind this week: first, Janis Joplin, then Debbie Harry. Now, the lace-up booties and mid-calf granny boots I’m seeing are reminding me of Madonna’s 1985 footwear. Barneys has a cut-out style by L’Wren Scott that’s a higher-heeled, gray version of the black Peter Fox booties I had in…
The Fight of the Century: Waterston vs. Schulman
As I said in my last post, gorgeous blogger Jennine and I went to see the social-media-inspired movie Catfish. There are two notable things about Catfish. First, the trailer that makes the movie look like a scary pseudo-documentary à la The Blair Witch Project is misleading. Second, Yaniv “Nev” Schulman, the handsome star of the…