The other day I pulled out a merino wool handbag that I don’t carry very often, but I love it for spring, especially Easter. It was made in Ireland by Boyne Valley Weavers and actually, I have two – one in vibrant purple and one in natural. I think this color is a standout.
Something else unique about this bag, the satin bow tie. How charming is that? I remember my mother telling me that I had to tie the ribbon as that’s what made the bag unique. I agree, and so I always do tie the ribbon into a nice big bow.
Bows are huge this season. Designers were showing bows all over the runways and now we see them on shoes, barrettes, gloves, embroidered onto fabric, anywhere a bow can go. So, I’ll do my subtle nod to the trend with my wool handbag from Ireland.
Posted in Fashion, Mom's Closet, Uncategorized | Tagged handbags, fashion history, fashion trends, fashion news, fashion designers, spring accessories, wool handbags, bow trend, bows, Boyne Valley Weavers | Leave a Comment »
We should stop and really consider what it is that we’re wearing every day. And how we came by it and what it means to us, and what we are saying through what we’re wearing.
Professor Dilys Williams – Professor of Fashion Design for Sustainability, London College of Fashion.
It’s Fashion Revolution Week! This is an annual event that recognizes the anniversary of the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, where 1,100, mostly women seamstresses, died and 2,500 people were injured. FRW is a movement that seeks to raise our awareness of what’s really going on in clothing/fashion industry.
This week is an opportunity for all of us to think about our fashion and clothing choices. Where and how can we cut back? I believe what we wear matters and I’m taking Professor Williams’ quote seriously. Particularly, what we are saying through what we’re wearing?
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged fashion designers, fashion history, fashion news, Fashion Revolution Week, fashionable quotes, London College of Fashion, Professor Dilys Williams, sustainable fashions, who made my clothes? | Leave a Comment »
This week I attended something fun – Sustainable Fashion Workshop – hosted by Sustainable Walnut Creek. It’s a well known fact that clothing production is a significant contributor to climate change; there’s currently a movement to buy fewer new pieces and thrift shop instead or use what we already have in our closets.
Around twelve of us showed up for the Sustainable Fashion Workshop at the Downtown Walnut Creek Library to hear about and discuss ways to reuse, repair, repurpose, and recycle our clothing. Ellie (SparkEllie on Facebook) led the discussion and offered advice. Some attendees brought in pieces they needed help repairing or repurposing and others came for inspiration. Ellie contributed a large bag of fabric scraps that we all enjoyed sifting through. Among the gathering of likeminded people was a five-year-old girl who quickly put together a pile of fabric and set to work designing something for herself. (Her enthusiasm was delightful to see.)
A local Walnut Creek resident found just the right white cotton ruffle to add to the bottom of a t-shirt. I asked for advice on mending a sweater with rips under the arms and got several great ideas.
If this is of interest to ODFL readers there’s another Sustainable Fashion Workshop coming up on Monday, April 15, 5-6:30 at the downtown Walnut Creek Library.
Do you have some clothing that could use a little TLC? Want to refashion some of your wardrobe? Just need some inspiration? I recommend popping into the Sustainable Fashion Workshop to meet some really nice people who also want to help save the earth, one item of clothing at a time.
It’s free! Click here to register.
This workshop is just one event in April to celebrate Earth Month. Among the list of fun is the Earth Day Celebration and a sustainable fashion show on Saturday, April 20th at Walnut Creek Civic Park, 11-4.
Posted in Uncategorized, Fashion, Arts, Vintage, Events | Tagged Earth Day, Earth Month, fashion news, repair clothing, repurposing fashion, SparkEllie, Sustainable Fashion Workshop, sustainable fashions, Sustainable Walnut Creek, vintage fashion | Leave a Comment »
I remember walking in and just being hit with the sense – Oh my god, they’ve bottled this. They have absolutely crystalized everything that I hate about high school and put it in a store.
Moe Tkacik – American journalist.
Tkacik is speaking about her experience at the retail store Abercrombie and Fitch in the documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie and Fitch.
Once I walked into the A&F located in the Westfield Mall in downtown San Francisco. It was loud and it was dark and I walked right back out.
I just watched this fascinating documentary and there’s quite a story to A&F – the rise under CEO Mike Jeffries – financial success – illegal business practices – mottos such as “we go after the cool kids.” Apparently, corporate managers really did not want what they considered unattractive people to work in their stores or even to buy their clothes.
Did you know that A&F was originally a sporting goods store? It opened in 1892 and sold everything outdoorsy – golf clubs, tennis rackets, camping gear, hunting rifles, sports clothing, and so on. When business declined in the 1980s, Limited Brands bought A&F and revamped it, selling an American collegiate look to teenagers. It was a huge hit, until it wasn’t.
As I said, this is quite a story! White Hot is currently streaming on Netflix.
Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged Abercrombie and Fitch, fashion history, fashion icons, fashion news, fashion retail, fashion trends, fashionable quotes, Moe Tkacik, retail stores, White Hot: The Rise and Fall ofAbercrombie and Fitch | Leave a Comment »
Color, print, and pattern all evoke an energy, a frequency, and when you’re wearing them, you can feel different. A lot of people are doing this subconsciously, putting on those pink pants! It’s one way to raise your vibration.
J.J. Martin – American fashion and home goods designer and founder of La DoubleJ.
This is a quote from an interview with Martin in Vogue magazine, winter 2024.
Martin believes in the power of energy and approaches her designs with that in mind. She’s known for busy, bold prints in bright colors for both her clothing and homewares, which are all made in Italy.
I’ve noticed that I’m drawn to certain colors at different times. All of a sudden for seemingly no reason, I want to surround myself with purple, bright green, or yellow. Most recently it was mauve or soft pink – I just couldn’t get enough of it, like candy, and I think it’s because I find it a comforting shade. Patterns also call out to me; often it’s plaid but this past year polka dots are my thing because they’re such fun. Perhaps subconsciously I’m shifting my vibe. Whatever is happening, I’m enjoying it!
How about you, readers? What colors and patterns are you attracted to this spring?
Posted in Arts, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged color in fashion, fashion designers, fashion icons, fashionable quotes, J.J. Martin, La DoubleJ, pattern in fashion, vintage style | 3 Comments »
A change of season means a change of hats. It’s time to don our pretty bonnets trimmed with flowers and ribbon.
I have enjoyed the cold and wet winter we had in my part of the world, but I’m excited for spring and all that it brings – sunny skies, colorful flowers, and spring fashions.
Happy spring and if you celebrate, Happy Easter.
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged antique hats, big hats, Easter bonnets, Easter holiday, Easter style, fashion history, hats, spring hats, vintage fashion, vintage style | Leave a Comment »
I was quite dark when I was young. I was a punk, not the popular kid – going to thrift stores, cutting things up, burning little teeny cigarette holes into things. That was me as a teenager, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Maybe that part of me wants to push back.
Angelina Jolie – American actress.
This quote is from an interview with Jolie in Vogue magazine, November 2023.
Adolescence is a time when we have the space to experiment with style and clothing. I know I did! I played with color and unexpected layering; for example – blue bobby socks underneath pink Capezio stirrup dance tights. I was excited about vintage clothing and started collecting 1940s jackets. A regular at Macy’s makeup counters, I favored purple eyeshadow with gold eyeliner and “opalescent” lipstick by Borghese (that’s where a lot of my babysitting money went).
I wasn’t the only one experimenting, we all did in different ways and you could see it in school hallways, classrooms, and on the street. But I don’t see any fashion play these days. I see packs of kids that all look alike – jeans or leggings or pajama bottoms, t-shirts or sweatshirts, and sneakers. No color, no pattern, no originality within the clothing, certainly no experimenting.
One theory as to why this might be is that kids (and others) now live on their phones. Social media is what counts, not real life. Dress up for your TikTok pics. Also, for girls it’s all about makeup – that’s where the experimenting is happening.
I’m with Jolie; I wouldn’t trade my teenage years for anything.
Posted in Arts, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged Angelina Jolie, experimenting with fashion, fashionable quotes, playing with style, teenage fashion, teenage style, unique style | Leave a Comment »
I somehow persuaded the managing editor’s office that Issie needed my help with shoots, and spent a blissful six months working for her. I would arrive at 10, dressed in my uniform of black jeans and a black polo neck (all I could afford then), and sit in the dark corner Issie had been allocated in the spacious fashion editor’s room (her ebullience distracted the other editors, who placed her as far away as possible). I would start organizing what we were going to do that day … Invariably the phone would ring about 11, with Issie on the line saying, ‘Darling – could you come round to Elizabeth Street? Had too much gin last night.’ I’d grab a black cab, head over to Belgravia, sit by Issie’s narrow four-poster bed taking notes, and spend the rest of the day executing her wishes.
Plum Sykes – British fashion journalist.
This quote is from the article, Goodbye Vogue House, in Vogue magazine, December 2023. The British Vogue magazine headquarters (called Vogue House) is relocating after decades in the same Mayfair building. Three former staff members, including Sykes, chimed in on their memories of working at British Vogue.
Sykes was at Vogue in the early 1990s working for the dynamo fashion icon Isabella Blow (Issie).
Posted in Uncategorized, Fashion, Arts, Vintage, Events | Tagged British Vogue, fashion history, fashion icons, fashion journalism, fashion journalists, fashionable quotes, Plum Sykes | Leave a Comment »
Earlier this month my partner and I attended the Art Deco Society of California Member Mixer at the Alameda Masonic Hall. This is the first ADSC event for us since just before the pandemic shutdown in 2020 and what fun it was to get back into the swing (donning masks).
I had three vintage outfits put together, but it was the weather that would decide it. As it turned out to be a cold and rainy day, my wool dress was the winner.
When creating vintage outfits I like to mix it up a bit. I’ll wear a simple silhouette from any era and add vintage accessories. This time I paired a royal blue 1960s A-line long sleeve dress with a blue 1920s cloche hat, which defined the era of the look. Since it was chilly and wet, I wore cream colored tights and waterproof suede Oxford shoes by Clarks. A vintage pearl cuff bracelet picked up the color of the tights. I carried a blue fabric satchel handbag that I found at a London antique market and my guess is that it dates from the 1960s, but it’s timeless. A blue crinkle silk scarf from Kiss of the Wolf and pair of vintage leather gloves completed the ensemble.
The star of the outfit was a red Bakelite picture hat brooch that I wore on the shoulder to pick up the red crisscross accent on the dress. It received a lot of attention.
I plan all my outfits, but it’s extra fun to put together something like this for a period event. We had such a lovely day catching up with other ADSC members and touring the Alameda Masonic Hall, which was built in 1927. I look forward to more Art Deco events in the future.
Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged Alameda Masonic Hall, Art Deco fashion, Art Deco Society of California, Bonwit Teller, Kiss of the Wolf, period clothing, period costume events, vintage accessories, vintage fashion, vintage fashion event, vintage style | 1 Comment »
I have always loved sweaters; they are cozy, comforting, and an easy layering piece. I have quite a few sweaters including a navy blue cashmere that was my father’s. It’s almost a dress on me, but I pair it with a slim skirt and a wide belt.
One of my favorite sweaters was a black wool cardigan that belonged to my mother. What we both really liked about it was its sailor flap in the back, which “took it out of the ordinary” as Mom would say. Since it didn’t have pockets at some point she knitted a square in thick black yarn and sewed it on, making her own pocket.
Eventually she gave that sweater to me, as she did many of her clothes, and after years of wearing it I managed to lose it. I have no idea what happened. It was there at my desk at work and then it was gone. I looked everywhere possible – all over my office, my car, I tore my apartment apart, I even went to my local cleaners thinking I might have brought it in (and forgotten), but weeks later I had to accept that it was gone for good. It remains a mystery.
That was about eight years ago and ever since I have looked for a similar sweater with no luck. Until recently when I found a wool cardigan at Lesley Evers in Oakland. It’s navy blue, not black and it doesn’t have the back flap, which I can’t do anything about. Nor did it have pockets, but I could do something about that. I took a page out of Mom’s fashion book and knitted a square and sewed it on. Presto – a pocket!
You know that magical purchase that is just right in every way? This is one of those. I love this sweater almost as much as Mom’s and having added the pocket, it feels like hers. I’m so happy it’s now a part of my sweater wardrobe.
Posted in Fashion, Mom's Closet, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged Fashionable Favorite Things, knit sweaters, knitting, Lesley Evers, Mom style, Mom's Closet, sweaters, vintage fashion, vintage style, wearing dad's sweater, wearing Mom's sweater | Leave a Comment »
OverDressed for Life 