Yesterday, at the benefit luncheon for the Trust for the National Mall (to which I wore my Alexander McQueen suit), I had a enjoyable and completely biased chat with a woman at my table about how the third time’s the charm when it comes to wives. In our experience, men who have been married twice…
In the News
What Wendy Wore: Old Versace Comes Out of the Closet
Last Wednesday, I dressed for a cocktail party in a way that felt “not me.” Anyone familiar with the Family Circus cartoon knows how annoying that little son-of-a-bitch “Not Me” is. As a result, when I got dressed for an event the following evening, I made a point of dressing as “me” as I possibly…
Farewell, Poly Styrene and Phoebe Snow
I was shocked to read that punk icon Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex died of breast cancer at 53. I frequently listen to X-Ray Spex at the gym to get revved up. In other sad songstress news, ’70s singer Phoebe Snow died of complications from a brain hemorrhage she had last year. She was 60….
From The New York Times: Remembering Violet Cowden
In November, inspired by the New York Times obituary for Norris Church Mailer, I wrote about how helpful it is to read newspapers on actual newsprint. I said: “I enthusiastically use teh Interwebs to stay informed, but I’m highly aware of how easy it is to select only what you want to read. That’s why…
She Looks Like Bjorn Borg to Me
Yesterday, The Huffington Post ran my article about fashion writer Suzy Menkes’s use of the word “squaw.” The word appeared in a story about royal headpieces published in the New York Times’s T Magazine, and was used in reference to the late Princess Diana: “Then there is a cabochon emerald collar that the stately Queen…
“Please Refrain From Using Ethnic Slurs”
I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I’m less politically correct than I used to be. It certainly would be difficult to watch nightly reruns of offensive-to-everyone Family Guy were I hypersensitive. Still, when dealing with the fashion world, I sometimes feel like I need to reiterate the warning that Will Ferrell, playing a beleaguered…
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…
A Badge for Your Blog: Fashion Bloggers Helping Japan
People have responded to the disaster in Japan in myriad ways via social media, just as they have in real life. Some have tweeted and blogged about it, some haven’t. Some people care passionately about what’s happening in the world, some continue to be entirely engrossed in their own lives. Several fashion bloggers, including the…
Syria Is in Vogue, Teen Blogger Is in Jail
I ripped out this small Reuters item from the New York Times on February 15, as a reminder that freedom of speech isn’t to be taken for granted: Syria: Teenage Blogger Sentenced to 5 Years A teenage blogger, brought into court chained and blindfolded, was sentenced Monday to five years in jail on charges of…
Don’t Let the Door Hit You on Your Way Out, John Galliano!
In 2009, I told MrB that I didn’t care if I never went to another fashion show except for those of my personal friends … and, of course, those of Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld. I had to see those three. Hmmm. An evil fairy must have put a curse on that statement….