Vogue May 2006 Art: Keira on the Cover
In my series on Vogue cover art, my purpose has been to explain analytically how universal artistic principles apply in a contemporary application; then to explain to readers of this blog how they can use those principles to enhance their own unique beauty. The May Vogue featuring Keira Knightley on the cover has been in stores for awhile now (see more opinion at Fashionologie) and, honestly, I have been struggling for what to say …
How’d you like the new Pride and Prejudice? I’d watch it again.
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Why I Won’t Be Wearing Mascara Today
It’s spring. It’s allergy season. It’s a beautiful day here in the Great Northwest. Thinking I’d be smart and use my Similisan Allergy eye drops, I reached into the medicine cabinet …
It’s spring. It’s gardening season. Yesterday was a beautiful day here in the Great Northwest. Nothing beats cuticle oil for dry, crusty gardening fingers.
I should’ve seen it coming. For a moment I didn’t see much. In case you’re wondering, cuticle oil in the eyes doesn’t hurt; but it would be a suitable make-up remover. Everything’s a little blurry.
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Recognizing a Good Fit
We’ve all had the experience, when shopping, of wondering, “Are the shoulders too big?” or “Are these pants too tight?”. At least, those are my top two questions. Yours may be different, but you get the idea.
(If it’s technical discussion of fit issues you want, I refer you to Fashion Incubator, by Kathleen Fasanella, premier patternmaker and exceedingly gracious blog hostess. Of course, over there I am mostly a lurker, the issues being outside my areas of responsibility, circle of influence, whatever. Still, it’s fun to listen.)
For the everyday person who is just trying to get dressed, this works:
- Vertical lines on the garment = too big
- Horizontal lines on the garment = too small
Yep, it’s as simple as that.
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A Reader Question
Admiring the jacket I wore over my crazy shirt, a reader was wondering where I got it and how much it cost (it’s okay to leave a comment and ask). The answer: I bought it about a year ago at TJMaxx for about $12 American. While TJMaxx is not my regular hang-out, I may be going back soon. $14.99 swimsuits!
If I know you and I know your size, you never know what might happen.
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Bermuda Suits
Or should I say pseudts? har, har … never mind.
Is anybody out there lusting after a suit with short pants? I’ve been seeing them in the stores and in the magazines, but have yet to see one in person. Thinking it through, though, how and where would you wear it?
Some (sum?) of my incomplete thoughts:
- If you work in a conservative environment, just say no. Being accepted as a professional is far too valuable to sacrifice to fashion or fad. But if a suit with short pants fits into your business idiom, absolutely no leisure footwear allowed!
- Wearing a single color or pattern from shoulder to knee is always the simplest way to create a balanced look. Choose shoes in your haircolor.
- Anticipate wearing the jacket and the shorts separately after this season. Accordingly, the fabric and color you choose for the suit should be one that you would choose for a stand-alone jacket and for a pair of shorts. For me, that would probably be khaki; but white, black, or a pattern might also be an option.
Perhaps you plan to wear your bermuda suit to social events, like the one I received an invitation for yesterday . Of course, I was hoping to be able to wear the, as yet unworn, dress-with-beaded-neckline; but the invitation read: semi-casual. SEMI-CASUAL? What’s that? (Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a suit with shorts, doesn’t it?) Turns out, semi-casual was defined when the invitation was handed out. Semi-casual = no shorts.
That’s okay, I’m sitting this one out.
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Crazy, With Shirt
So we went to the Crazy Shirt Party. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t win a prize, and I was right, but I didn’t think people would think my husband’s African shirt crazier than my Italian one. I got a couple of votes, but he came in 7th place! (Out of about 15.) The prize? A handy-dandy cell phone charger (I think it works with my future lap-top).
In this picture, and the person who took it didn’t seem to think it at all strange that we wanted two pictures–one with faces and one without, you can just see my shirt under the jacket. I didn’t wear the jacket the whole time, only when I was sitting in front of the door, but I will probably wear the combination again, even without a crazy theme.
What I really wanted you to see, though, is dug’s cool African shirt. We actually met this young man who was a student here in town and he brought over a trunkload of stuff for us to look at. His family makes it all: shirts for men, shift dresses for women, a few little decorative boxes, and loads of gorgeous jewelry. If he ever gets a web-site up, I will definitely link it, but for now, dug’s enjoying his uniqueness. And apparently so were a few people at the party.
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Carnivale de Couture: Clean Laundry
Danielle’s invitation:
Good question! What does this say about me? Depends on what I wear with it. This outfit, by itself, is just a base. My uniform demands another layer.
Whatever statement I choose to make, however, will be softened by the jeans. Laid-back and comfy-looking, they’re just what a pair of old jeans should be. The comment I get most when I wear them? “You’re so SMALL.” Nothing having to do with any personal statement I may be trying to make, still not an unwelcome comment.
(In my wardrobe, where cost-per-wear is queen, my favorite things are usually those having a limited remaining shelf-life: flared jeans still look fine in the Great Northwest, but the hand-writing is on the wall. I plan to wear these out before I just can’t bring myself to wear them anymore.)
Believe it or not, crewneck t-shirts make my heart go pitter-patter. The sporty or menswear accent is what makes the outfit exciting, in my idiom. But what could be more feminine than a subtlely muted pink? Lip color, and this is pretty close to mine, is another universally flattering accent color.
Now that I’ve explained what I’m thinking when I choose to wear these favourites, I must ask: what does my outfit say to you? Inevitably, it seems, my intended message is not received as intended.
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It’s Alive!
Have you noticed the Coutorture link? If you have, have you wondered what it is? Or what they were thinking when they came up with the name? (I tried to talk them out of it.)
Well, if you want to follow fashion news, are interested in exploring the blogs, and don’t have a lifetime to invest in it, Coutorture could be for you. Here’s a technical explanation of how it works.
By the way, I did have a post appear there today. But not everything you find there will be G-rated.
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Crazy Shirt Party
In case you haven’t noticed, I put a great deal of thought into each invitation. This one almost had me stumped. In my idiom, crazy shirt = ugly shirt, and I just don’t do ugly (I certainly try not to, anyway). But, in honor of our friend (finally) turning 40, I wanted to play along.
With it’s frayed edges, painted on designs, and patchwork, this shirt still manages to be pretty. Ordinarily I wouldn’t spend this much, but I plan to use it for my white t-shirt this summer. I by-passed the orange one in favor of this one in my personal color scheme. The tag says “Luca Moda, made in Italy”; can anyone provide any more information?
What do you think, should I take the tags off for the party? I’m not likely to win any prizes anyway, but I did want to participate.
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Event Dressing
Consider these words of wisdom from the Bargain Queen:
She’s so right (and if you click on the quote you can see her recent $5 purchase). In my post A Single Dress, I talked about having a go-everywhere dress on hand; I have a simple one. I also have a formal. And the $20 black dress I referred to in Cost Per Wear is still hanging, unworn, in my closet. Just below the knee, sleeveless and fitted (with beading around the neck and armholes!), I will no-doubt need it next holiday season, if not for a summer office shindig or a nice dinner out. I’m ready.
So, consider perusing the dresses when you are thrifting, or op shopping as they say in Australia. You could save alot of money. Or just your image.
