Pausing to honor the individuals who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military.
Archive for May, 2023
Memorial Day 2023
Posted in Events, Uncategorized, tagged Memorial Day on May 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Fashionable Quote of the Week by Virginia Postrel
Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged fashion history, fashion news, fashionable quotes, history of textiles, textile books, The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel on May 22, 2023| 2 Comments »
In her white ensemble, she looks every bit the ageless fashion icon. Her straight skirt, falling to mid-calf, ends in a precise fringe, its sharp lines contrasting with her softly knitted bustier. A scarf tossed insouciantly around her neck completes the look. Its navy borders and the matching ribbon in her upswept hair add a touch of sophisticated color. You won’t find this Barbie in the toy department … She and her one-of-a-kind outfit live in an office at MIT … Research scientist Svetlana Boriskina uses Barbie to model her vision of future apparel.
Virginia Postrel – American journalist and independent scholar. This quote is from her book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, published by Basic Books in 2020.
Postrel refers to Boriskina’s work creating fabrics that will keep humans as cool as if they were naked. Clothing traps the heat that our bodies are constantly releasing, which is great in cold weather but not on hot days. (And with Climate Change the world is only getting warmer.) What if a fabric (made of altered fibers) allowed the body’s heat to move right through it? “Your clothes could let you feel as cool as you’d be without them while protecting you from sunburn and stares.”
This story is from Chapter 7, titled Innovators, and just one of many fascinating things to learn about the past, present, and future of textiles. A book rich in information covering the history of fiber, thread, weaving, dyeing, trading, buying, and what the future may hold, The Fabric of Civilization reminds us just how important textiles are in our daily lives.
Q&A With Kasia Maslowski, Creator of Kasia Lip Balms
Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged Kasia Lip Balms, Kasia Maslowski, Killers of the Flower Moon, Leonardo Di Caprio, lip balms, Lysine in lip balm, Norman OK, Second Fridays Art Walk Norman on May 17, 2023| 3 Comments »
Cześć! That means “Hey” (as in Hi or Hello) in Polish. I just learned that from Kasia Maslowski, founder of Kasia Lip Balms.
Kasia and I met at Second Fridays Art Walk in Norman, OK where she was a vendor selling her line of lip balms. I have a thing for lipsticks and lip balms; Kasia’s fun and colorful display caught my eye so I headed over. Kasia is friendly and outgoing, so we easily chatted about her product and bonded over the curse of cold sores.
Originally from Austin, Texas Kasia now lives in Tulsa, OK (a fabulous Art Deco city, BTW) where she works full time as a process engineer for Kimberly-Clark. She launched her business in 2019, but she says she started taking it more seriously in 2022.
What inspired you to start making lip balm?
I was working for Johnson and Johnson back in 2015 and met two powerhouse women engineers who had previously worked at Neutrogena (owned by Johnson and Johnson) in LA. I thought to myself, what a DREAM it would be to work as a CHEMICAL ENGINEER in skincare! I quickly inquired about them finding me a job with Neutrogena but though they tried, there was something like a “hiring freeze” happening at the time and they couldn’t get me in. Still intrigued by the idea, however, I thought to myself, how am I going to get this same kind of Research and Development experience? I’ll start a skincare line myself! And thus Kasia Lip Balms was born a few years later.
I appreciate that your ingredients are vegan and all natural. How did you choose what to use?
I like to use products from other small businesses so I’ve tried to stick with ingredients that may be a little more expensive but that provide extra quality to my products.
I also really like your fun packaging – where did you get the inspiration for the graphics?
I find a lot of inspiration from Trader Joe’s and LaCroix sparking water. These brands are not afraid to just go there and express some serious color pop. The color pop I infuse in my packaging is also a full expression of my personality!
Let’s talk cold sores, because they are a reality for some of us. You use the amino acid Lysine in some of your lip balms. Is Lysine the primary ingredient in those balms? Please tell us how you came upon Lysine as an answer to battling cold sores.
Yes, so as an engineer (and an entrepreneur), you want to solve a problem with your business. Getting cold sores had always been a part of my life and always made me feel a little self-conscious. The main product I used was Abreva which was quite expensive, didn’t smell great, and honestly didn’t always work. So my mission for busting into the skincare industry was to come up with an all natural alternative to Abreva that made people feel confident and something that looked FUN!
What do you like the most about your business?
I love people and face to face sales. It gives me the chance to connect with others and share my story.
What do you want customers to know about Kasia Lip Balms?
Most skincare brands you see on the market have a French or Spanish translation or affiliation. Mine has a Polish twist, as a tribute to my family and my ancestors who motivate me always to persevere.
I love a good twist and a sense of originality. That’s what makes you stand out! Thank you, Kasia for chatting with ODFL.
Kasia Lip Balms come in several fruit flavors and are made with coconut oil, Shea nut oil and beeswax, which comes from cruelty-free beehives in Austin.
- Orange, Peaches ‘n Cream, Coconut, and Rich Coconut have SPF
- Watermelon and Citrus Twist are ultra moisturizing
- Cherry and Blueberry have Lysine for cold sores.
I purchased a trio pack – Watermelon, Citrus, and Cherry. I’ve used the Citrus several times a day since. It’s smooth and glossy and it gives a tingle of mint on my lips. I like to swipe it on as a base and then add a touch of lipstick for color. The citrus scent is light and the yellow tube is just plain fun! Hey, Leo Di Caprio knows what I’m sayin’. While in Tulsa filming Killers of the Flower Moon he popped into a local shop and picked up a tube of Kasia Lip Balm. Smart guy!
The whole line of Kasia Lip Balms is available online.
Fashionable Favorite Things: 100% Pure Nail & Cuticle Oil
Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged 100 % Pure, 100% Pure Cuticle Oil, cuticle oil, Fashionable Favorite Things, Mom style, vegan beauty products on May 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I used to give my mother manicures. I tried to make it fun by laying out a white linen towel and a pretty bowl of warm soapy water. She had her own manicure set, which I used and I always put on her favorite Michael Feinstein CD for uplifting background music.
Mom had beautiful hands and long tapered nails that were as hard as nails! She used to call them her tools and she’d say to me, “Don’t cut too short, I need those.” After I trimmed and filed her nails I’d push back her cuticles, but I hardly needed to do that. I was always so envious of her perfect and NOT dry cuticles. Mine were such a struggle to keep nice.
For years I looked for a good cuticle product – Burt’s Bees, Sally Hansen, coconut oil, baby oil – you name it I tried it and nothing worked. Miraculously I finally found Nail and Cuticle Oil made by my favorite all natural vegan beauty product company, 100% Pure. When I heard that they had just come out with a cuticle oil I was anxious to try it and I’m so glad that I did.
I think the magic ingredient is the extract from a Mediterranean plant known as Blue Tansy, which has anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties. Combined with jojoba oil and vitamin E this is a winning combination for healthy nails and cuticles.
As part of my morning and evening routine, I swipe a little oil over each nail with the handy brush provided and massage into my cuticles. The scent is light and sweet and the oil itself is a pale green. Now my nails and cuticles are always in excellent shape just like my mom’s were.
(This is not a paid endorsement.)
Fashionable Book Review: Pat in the City
Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged book review, costume design, fashion history, fashion in Sex and the City, fashion news, Pat in the City, Patricia Field, stylists, vintage fashion, vintage style on May 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I’m a big fan of fashion memoirs because each individual’s story provides a different and unique take on fashion and style. So, I’ve been looking forward to reading stylist Patricia Field’s memoir (written with Rebecca Paley), Pat in the City: My Life of Fashion, Style and Breaking All the Rules (Dey Street Books).
Pat in the City does not disappoint. Field is known for styling the fashions on hit TV shows Sex and The City and Emily in Paris, among others, and creating iconic looks such as the tutu-as-skirt.
Born and raised in New York, Field, now 81, is of Greek decent. She was the eldest daughter of immigrant parents who ran their own dry cleaning business. A rebel from the start, Field created her own style early in life, combining her mother’s preferred Pringle cashmere sweaters with a Burberry (popped collar) trench coat and boots. “My style, inside and out, was not girly girl but cool and fierce,” she explains. This was the beginning of her penchant for mixing contrasting looks, something that later would set her apart in the world of costuming.
In eleven chapters Pat in the City takes the reader through Field’s childhood (surrounded by her three unmarried aunts) to her first retail shops where in the 70s and 80s she created a haven for club kids and drag queens. Each of her first commercial costuming successes – Sex in the City, The Devil Wears Prada, and Emily in Paris – get their own chapters filled with behind-the-scene tidbits. For example – early on in costume discussions, Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, declared that she would not wear hose, no matter the season or the weather. Field explains that historically for women hose were essential. Even as late at 1998 when SATC premiered, women, in the workforce especially, were expected to cover their legs. SJP saying no hose, was remarkable. (Later Meryl Streep, who played Amanda Priestly in The Devil wears Prada went the opposite direction announcing that bare legs were not for her and she would be wearing hose.)
I learned a lot about Field that surprised me. I didn’t know that she was nominated for an Oscar for her costuming work on The Devil Wears Prada and that she designed a line for Payless Shoes. I didn’t know that she has closed all her retail stores and now runs her own fashion gallery called ARTFashion in Manhattan.
Another pleasant surprise is the book itself, which is quite stylish and heavy with more than 250 coated pages. There are many colorful illustrations, photos, and photo collages. The images of Field, her family, and other people in her life help complete the story for the reader, plus they’re just fun to look at.
I really enjoyed Pat in the City and I recommend it, particularly to fans of her work, but also for anyone who is interested in costuming, fashion, and style.
(Thank you Dey Street Books for providing a review copy to ODFL.)
Fashionable Quote of the Week by Patricia Field
Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged fashion book, fashion book review, fashion designers, fashion history, fashion icons, fashion memoir, fashion news, fashionable quotes, Pat in the City, Patricia Field, stylists, vintage fashion, vintage style on May 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I’m disappointed with the trend of sweatpants and sneakers. I mean, come on! I feel it’s not that interesting. Now everyone’s walking around looking like that. It shows no sense of originality. Yes, it’s comfortable. I like sweatpants when I’m in my apartment. But I wouldn’t go out in Paris in a pair of sweatpants. And that happened to me in Paris! When I first went there to do “Emily,” I sent (creator) Darren Star, “I’m in here in Paris. I’m going to check out the French chic.” I do my little routine, go outside. They’re all in sneakers, jeans and sweatpants! I’m like, This is depressing. I want the French chic, damn it!
Patricia Field – American costume designer/stylist.
How sad is that? Paris, historically the city of elegant style, is now awash in sweats and jeans.
This quote is from Pat in the City: My Life of Fashion, Style, and Breaking All the Rules (Dey Street Books).
Check back tomorrow for my review of this fascinating fashion memoir.
Farewell to a Berkeley Treasure: Tail of the Yak
Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Mom's Closet, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged Alice Erb, antique jewelry, Berkeley style, Elmwood shops, Lauren McIntosh, Tail of the Yak on May 4, 2023| 4 Comments »
Tail of the Yak on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley has announced that they will close in June. After 51 years I guess it’s time – nothing lasts forever, but still, it’s sad.
Tail of the Yak is a small gift store offering items like embroidered ribbon, paper lanterns, handmade fruit-shaped paper surprise balls, linens, glassware, candles, cards, journals, and other delightful things. Much of the merchandise is imported from around the world including Mexico, Ukraine, India, and Japan. One of the biggest draws to the shop is a large glass display case of antique jewelry – Georgian, Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco. Rings, earrings, beads, and brooches galore!
Co-owners Alice Erb and Lauren McIntosh have curated the shop to reflect their unique aesthetic, which has become well known and much admired. Cross their threshold into a charming world where the wood floor creaks with every step, signs are printed in calligraphy by hand, and cooing doves greet you from their grand antique birdcage.
My mother introduced me to The Yak, as it is affectionately known, when I was still in high school. Later when I was working at the nearby shop, Primavera, I used to pop into The Yak and peruse the antique jewelry, none of which I could afford at the time. But there was one turquoise and coral ring that I fell in love with and so I put it on layaway, feeling guilty as I was supposed to be saving up for a move out of state. I made that move just fine minus a couple hundred dollars, and I still have the ring!
The Yak reminds me of my mother because we often went there together. For many years it was a destination on either my birthday or hers. Lunch and then The Yak where we looked at the jewelry, picked up beeswax candles and other small treats. When I visit there now by myself, I sense her presence next to me.
There are fewer and fewer stores like The Yak. The modern world is edging out such places of magic and charm. What will be left? Amazon. Walmart. Target. Corporate big box stores with no soul. So it’s important to support the shops that are still here – Lacis, Stone Mountain and Daughter for fabric and notions, Bills Trading Post for Native American jewelry, Elmwood Stationers, are a few I can think of in the East Bay.
The Yak is still here too, until the end of June.
Fashionable Quote of the Week by Anna Wintour
Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged Anna Wintour, fashion designers, fashion exhibits, fashion history, fashion icons, fashion news, fashionable quotes, Karl Lagerfeld, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, Met Gala, Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, vintage fashion on May 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Speaking of her good friend Karl Lagerfeld’s fashions Anna Wintour says:
… uniform, a kind of armor and a way of holding certain moods and memories close. His fashion does for me what fashion should. It makes me feel more confident in being myself.
Anna Wintour – British born editor-in-chief of American Vogue.
This quote is from the New York Times article Anna and Karl, a Love Story in Clothes by Vanessa Friedman, April 27, 2023.
Tonight, May 1st, is the fashion event of the year – The Met Gala, where over 400 invited guests will gather at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and strut their couture fashions up the red carpet. In control of the gala since 1995 is Anna Wintour, who chooses the theme, the food, the décor, and most importantly who gets invited. (Project Runway’s Tim Gunn has been banned for insulting Anna and the entire Kardashian clan wasn’t invited this year perhaps because of sister Kim’s controversial dress stunt in 2022.)
A fundraiser for the Costume Institute housed at the museum, tickets cost $35,000 each and tables start at $300,000, but don’t think that that kind of cash says you can invite who you want to your table. Ah, no! Anna decides who dines with whom.
The Costume Institute fundraiser dates back to 1948 when fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert organized a midnight supper, which soon became the party of the year but strictly for socialites. When in 1973 former fashion editor Diana Vreeland took over, the event began to expand. But it’s really Anna who has created the celebrity circus that it is today; and with the circus come the big bucks. Last year’s gala raised over 17 million dollars.
Each gala theme reflects the current fashion exhibition. This year’s theme is a tribute to late German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld (1933-2019) and the exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty runs from May 5 – July 16, 2023.
OverDressed for Life 