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( 3.3 / 637 )there was a song in the original presentation of "the wiz" sung by the wicked witch called "no bad news". she sung it as a threat to her henchmen in an effort to ward off any evil not of her doing. as i clicked the remote on the TV the other evening, it was tempting to burst into song bellowing "don't nobody bring me no bad news!" as hard as i tried, as fast as i clicked the talking picture screen was gloom and dooming it from channel to channel. then, thankfully, there was a stream of beautiful people on a red carpet decked out for honor at the quill awards. a worthy moment of network television honoring the efforts of those who actually still write books. what occured to me was a replay of our experience at the 'manhattan vintage show' just a couple of weeks ago. no matter how high oil prices climb, no matter how shaky the housing market becomes, no matter how frustrating our political situation, people still love fashion. from the folks who sit and write award winning books to the treasure hunters at a show, a perfect piece of adornment helps to ward off the bad news. maybe it's a simple case of visual and tactile pleasure, maybe it's the universal penchant to adorn. whatever it is that inpsires us to dive into the pool of fashion diversity, it seems to override the otherwise unescapable "woe is us" format. thank you to donna, marc, karl, nikolas, calvin, muiccia, stella, vivian, michael, ralph, roberto, vera, peter, and the endless alphabet of fashion industry artists who bring us the good news!
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( 3.4 / 627 )i have a friend.... a bff (according to the blackberry shorthand with which i still struggle). her name is bonny and she is my daily confident, my daily source of laughter and the delicate balance of "leap" to my "look before you do". she lives in east hampton, sells fancy schmancy real estate and is, in her heart, a grown up hippie. her ethics are pristine, her heart huge and her style decidedly "bonny". no fuss, no frills, no conciously chosen designer names. i once gave her a pair of gucci loafers and the logo was just too much for her. (now she wants a pair, but calls them "moccasins") bonny likes what she likes and doesn't bother with what she doesn't. so, much to my surprise, several years ago, when visiting her "cooks falls spa retreat" (my house and barn) she discovered my stash of 1980's fringed schmates. i mean STASH!!!!!! we have an entire room of just scarves and many of the boxes are the schmates. every college student alive in the 80's owned one or two or ten and wore them folded into a large triangle with the point down the front, wrapped around back and fringed ends dangling forward in a nice little scarf sculpture. i had never ever sold one, not one of these. bonny fell in love. you see, she takes a beach walk daily with her beloved lucy dog and needs neck and head protection. bonny has schmates in her car, in her office, scattered througout her house and needs at least 12 at all times. remember, this is the bonny who coined the rule of cashmere! cashmere rule number one: you need to have 50 at all times not including black or the ones that ride in the car. of course when your bff is in the biz that is very easy to accomplish. back to scarves. so, for years, bonny has encouraged me to put her favorite scarves out for sale. for years i reminded her that not one single person would buy any. a few years ago i gave in...bonny is VERY insistant. i sold not one. so you will appreciate my surprise when the weightiest vogue arrived in august and there in full color, full page, was a very upscale version of bonny's beloved schmate. it is the gorgeous embellished balenciaga version....but still, without the bells and whistles, it is bonny's schmate. so, i rejoiced, called bonny and told her she is a fashion forward trend setter. i went to the dreaded fourth floor of our warehouse, pulled out those schmates, washed them and gave them a trial run at the amagansett show labor day week-end. they flew out of the display basket and everyone thought i was so clever to present them for a cheap cheap anyone can buy one or two or ten price. you could buy 50 and still not be paying what you would for the single balanciaga offereing. but the heroine here is bonny and her faith in the almighty schmate. thank you bonny. and you, dear customer can thank her as well. i will have 100 of bonny's schmates (balanciaga?) at the manhattan vintage clothing show oct. 12th-13th. go the manhattan vintage site for a discount coupon toward the price of admission. come early and snag your favorite scarf of the season. see you there!
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( 3.5 / 581 )it is august 22nd and i am wearing cashmere! my wolf hybrid (no, he is not a car, he is a dog) has started to shed his entire undercoat. i am well aware that it will, in fact, be hot again, but for today it feels like fall. lo and behold....what arrived in my mailbox on this pre-curser of weather to come? the two-ton tessies of the fashion world. september fashion magazines. now, i haven't yet lifted the weights and opened the pages to be lectured on the seasons hottest "must-haves". BUT, the sheer heft of the volumes is enough to demand your undivided attention. when i am all finished digesting the "shoulds" and "should nots" of the 2007 fall season, i will then close my eyes and imagine those rules for real people with real bodies. then, as is my habit, i will visualize a person actually wearing a plaid which is screaming rather than speaking quietly, a silouette crushing the ribs making an enjoyable meal a fanatasy, and all the other impossibilities that mold the extremities of fashion. i do this because you, dear customer, like i am, are a mere mortal. you like to eat, you like to see your facial expressions without competition from your blouse and you like to look, well, like you! some folks are born to wear the sculptural art from the runway, most of us are not. our amagansett show is on racks in the prep area of our warehouse, along with our sturbridge show. i assure you, all is wearable, current, and affordable. i do believe that extremes are necessary to keep the rest of us on our toes....to give us a jolt to move along in the stream of creativity....but please....let me breathe, bend, and eat while wearing the latest and the greatest.
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( 3.5 / 579 )the vintage clothing industry is famous for encouraging an expression of "self" through unique and sometimes flamboyant creations. we use our own bodies as dressmaker forms to layer, wrap, cinch and re-style limitless choices from the past. the result is performance art at the most personal level....what we choose to wear. lynne finch was a vinatge clothing devotee who was just such an artist. each and every show she attended was graced with her always upbeat attitude occasionally upstaged by what she wore. the depth of her spirit was colorful and patterned showing itself to the world through her passion for clothing. gorgeous pucci emsembles, amazing mexican skirts, embossed cowgirl boots....these were a mere appetizer to her extensive repetoire. what was most impressive about lynne was that her eye catching outward presentation was surpassed by the engaging and inclusive content of her character. the southern sweet voice accompanied by a requisite friendly hug made you feel welcomed to the world of lynne finch. and now that lynne has lost her battle with the cancer that made her life full of new challenge, we offer that same requisite hug to eachother...for comfort. we think of bill, lynne's husband and her daughters, knowing that the hub of their family mandela-like wheel is physically gone. we wish them peace in their grief so that in time the depth of that sadness will metamorphasize into living memory. we salute you lynne, for your courage, artistry and laughter. at the risk of sounding trite, you will be in our hearts, alive, always.
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