Just Dandy

The alternate title of this post that I’d considered - then rejected - was “Men with hats”, but it’s not just about men with hats – though that was certainly the inspiration.











Pork pie (left) Fedora (right)


There’s a whole thing going on in men’s fashion.. grunge is still going strong, but parallel to that (and sometimes intersecting, when it appropriates facial hair and plaid) is The Dandy. The most frequently spotted element of dandy-ism (sometimes incorporated into a head to toe look, sometimes on its own) is the hat.

And in my empirical, non-objective study of the downtown bar and street scene, I’d say the pork pie and fedora have decisively replaced the trucker on men’s heads. And not just downtown.. I was in Brooklyn on Sunday and can cite a pork pie and fedora spotting there too. Will this look move uptown as many trends do? Could the trucker’s balding frat boy cousin, the baseball hat, be next? (yeah, ok.. not likely. That might require caring on the part of the wearer first..)

I admit I chuckled a bit when I counted 8 guys wearing a pork pie or fedora in a bar last Friday (ca 15% of the male population in the bar, a fairly high ratio), but if it reflects a bit of effort on a guy’s part, I applaud it. And walking around New York on Easter, I saw some really impressive efforts – a fedora paired with a 3 piece suit? If you can pull it off, try it – it can look fantastic. (In the case of the bar on Friday night, it turns out the 8 guys were an Irish stag party, none were in 3 piece suits, and one of them has a cousin in NY who is a hair stylist and she bought their hats, so I’m not sure it counts as a style statement as much as a costume..) But that was certainly not the sole example.

As I mentioned, this look is sometimes head to toe –the toe part of the look is often brogues (which they’re still trying to push onto women, by the way) but sometimes, and in fewer cases, high boots. A guy friend of mine asked me what I thought of men wearing pants tucked into riding boots and I said they’re great if you’ve just come off a horse or about to get on one. I have noticed a couple men wearing jeans tucked into green rubber Hunter boots (wellies) and it didn’t look bad. But I’ll tell you how else it also didn’t look: straight. Depends on what message you want to send.

But all kinds of men are wearing hats again. I’ve even seen 10 year old boys wearing hats (granted, they were Tribeca kids). I am guessing the original influence was “Mad Men”, though maybe “Mad Men” caught on because it reflected our desire to dress up a bit more. Chicken or egg? The wellies, I think, come from the Freeman’s sporting/hunting aesthetic, or maybe the floods upstate. In any case, men with hats are here and if the 10 year olds weren’t convincing enough, here’s the final nail in my argument – not only are new hat stores are opening up, but you can find a pork pie and fedora at every street vendor on St Marks.

Maybe you can explain to me...

...because I just got the Bergdorf shoe catalog and I don't understand


$900 clogs

























$600 flip flops





















$650 flats






















Is this supposed to be inconspicuous consumption? The impact of the Great Recession on consumer behavior? We wear peasant shoes but pay kings' prices for them?

Now, I haven't worn clogs since I was 10 (when I was the height of sophistication in my Olaf Daughters clogs, knee socks, corduroy gauchos and cowl necked sweater) and am not going to start again now. But if I were, I'd go for Swedish Hasbeens or something like that. And surely for an unconstructed shoe with no support at all like the Manolo flip flop or Giuseppe Zanotti flats, there are cheaper options? I mean, you're not buying the latest shoe technology here..

Maybe I'm just a height-ist.. flats are second class shoes and should be lots cheaper than heels.

Anyone agree? Yes? No? Anyone buying the Chanel clogs? Or Swedish ones? Dutch ones?



Now THAT's a fashion statement!! :)

What I learned from Art Week

I went to the Armory Art show preview and MoMA after party on Wednesday and still feel the after affects of sensory overload (and maybe wine, though that's worn off by now). Having been to a couple of shows during fashion week, I have to say that the art event crowd can give the fashion event crowd a good run for their money.. Maybe it’s because much of the art I saw was not at all restrained, perhaps that expressiveness inspired people in how they dress. Or maybe it was just the fact that it’s a bigger, more diverse crowd (more people over 50, more straight men). In any case, with miles and miles of art and people watching, it was easy to shut down and just stand in one place simply because you didn’t know what direction to walk or look in. How clever they were to scatter champagne bars around the exhibit!

I didn’t take any photos, but there were a few stand-outs – most of whom I saw both at the Armory and at MoMA later. There was a woman in sheer orange knee socks and a bright floral sleeveless dress, matching her companion’s orange jacket and blond-tipped hair. They were like a bouquet of flowers. I loved her outfit. It was like spring! Another woman looked like a Moscow party girl in high grey Rodarte boots (which I still want, but will just add them to my dream wardrobe and admire them on my friend Michele who does have them), short dress, fur stole and glass of champagne. She looked great, too. It sounds like a cliché, so 2006, and maybe was, but it worked. As always there were some ‘80s new wave glam rocker-types with the long on top Pink/Rihanna/Robyn kind of hair, some slightly bouffant-haired ‘60s art student types, both attracted photographers. Maybe that’s interesting. I saw better. There were a lot of bad prom dresses too at the party (but not the Armory).. why? Why? WHY would you wear that????? Selling bad prom dresses should be banned. No one benefits from fashion victimization. (Though my post would be 5 sentences shorter if that were the case.) There was also Chuck Close whose girlfriend wore sequined jeans and layered t-shirts. She looked cool and about 30 years younger than him. He looked like Chuck Close and since he had a retrospective at MoMA years ago can wear whatever he wants (black t-shirt, black pants.. totally appropriate).

Phew, excuse me! I think I was channeling Cindy Adams for a minute (NY Post gossip columnist for those of you who aren't familiar). Back to style.. So was I inspired? Well, what I liked were directions I’ve kind of been exploring already – the colorful knee socks, well, I like colored tights. Knee socks, maybe, but it has to be in a way that is very very very far away from how an 8 year old would wear knee socks. I’ve seen it done (my friend Anne in Copenhagen can pull this off!) Colors – yes! And I have a fake fur stole that I occasionally wear with a jacket or dress. I’ve tended to play it a bit more retro/classic.. Moscow party girl isn’t really my look, but I might try it with edgier/tougher clothes for something new.

I planned to go to the Pool art show last night - the so-called Salon des Refuses, so younger, funkier crowd.. What to wear? Pulling a few inspirations from Wednesday night (colorful hosiery, "fur", '80s, pouffy hair), this is what I came up with...


But in the end, I felt like dressing like a bee.

(and in the end end, I stayed too long at the bar I went to before the Pool show and never ended up at the Pool show.)

What I learned from Fashion Week

I normally don't comment on Fashion Week. Usually I write about what I feel like wearing, what I saw on other people and was inspired by, or what I just think is striking or funny. But this time, that all sort of ties in to Fashion Week.

I went to a couple of shows this year (Matthew Ames and Ports 1961) and both shows, in addition to showing beautiful clothes on the skinniest people you will ever see (seriously, every time I go, it pains me to see how thin the models are.. please let those girls eat!!), both shows also gave me a bit of inspiration on how to see and wear what I already have a bit differently.

At Ports 1961, a lot of the models had big curly hair. Big BIG curls. And messy. Hurray for messy! It suits my style better and takes less time! Plus, if it gets messy during the day, it stays the same, right? I've been doing messy hair and a single braid (a style Prada has made popular again) ever since my office asked all of us to get to work earlier in the morning. With the alarm set for 5am, it was either my social life, my sleep, or neatly styled hair that had to give first. What would you pick? Btw, if you wonder, as I have, how to pull your hair back when you're going to wear a hat and don't want to look like you have no hair - a loosely pulled back braid is your answer to that as well...

At Matthew Ames, there was no mess, but strong lines and clear colors that make me want to pair colors you wouldn't think would go so well together - and to wear more light colors in winter. Pale aqua and caramel, or aqua and yellow... so much cheerier than all the black the audience was wearing! And a couple of outfits were all in pale ivory. Really beautiful.

It's always also fun to see what the audience is wearing, too. How do fashion show attendees address snowy streets? Lots of high heeled boots - I think they made the same decision that I did to ignore it. Maybe they also hadn't found a satisfactory fashionable solution. My friend, Elena, had a great pair of solid Prada boots - very cool-looking in their sort of military practicality. One of the best solutions I've seen so far!

I was surprised a photographer asked to take my photo outside the Ports 1961 show - she took a couple, one just of my blue tights and and ivory lace-up shoes. I had originally thought of ivory tights when I was getting dressed that morning, but changed to blue last minute as I didn't want to look like a nurse. But some of the most beautiful outfits I saw were pale monochrome, so maybe I'll give that a try next time. I think the way not to look washed out with all these pale monochromes is to wear bright lipstick, which I'm also really into. Orange, red, purple, hot pink. I noticed a lot of this in the audience, too..

Well, hey, I'm going out tonight. I think I'll go mess up my hair, put on fuchsia lipstick and wear head to toe ivory (or as close as I can get)!

Lighten Up

It's usually when I'm really feeling the gloomy weather, when my sunshine-generated Vitamin D levels have fallen to critical lows, and when I realize how much time has passed since my life was filled with Christmas parties and pretty decorations, that I start to see store windows and shelves filling with red plastic hearts, shiny paper, cheap candy and even cheaper sentiment. I think back to my first valentine's memory when I was 6, lying in bed ill from the flu and too much sugar. I don't know, maybe this cheers some people up, but despite efforts from those I love (mostly my mom) to make it a fun day, V-day is not for me.

May I propose a couple of alternative holidays for this time of year? Mardi Gras/Karneval/Carnaval anyone? And how about fashion week? Aren't you sick of wearing black and gray wool by now? Surely the fashion week holiday would be welcomed by stores who are trying to drum up sales in the post Christmas/post sale lull...

Celebrating Mardi Gras is pretty easy to figure out.. (and they've started in New Orleans this year already).. My proposal for celebrating fashion week as a holiday? Break out of that black and gray box. Things don't have to be so serious! Wear green nail polish, fun tights, a white dress. Guys can play too - maybe skip the nail polish and tights (unless you don't want to), but bright colors? That's not too hard. And you can celebrate at work! (I'd keep the Mardi Gras/Karneval celebration to after hours...)

Laissez les bons temps roller!!!

Things don't have to be so serious...

I see London, I see France

The wheel that cycles us through the rotation of fashion trends gone by keeps moving and as we move deeper into '90s trends, we hit another old stand-by: lingerie-influenced clothing. And yes, I know attention starved starlets never let this one go, but I'm talking about real designers, editors, and buyers marketing this to real people - for real! Honestly, that old adage of not wearing a trend that you wore in a previous cycle has become impossible, I believe!! (So ignore it!!)

If you're like me, the idea of lingerie as outerwear is not immediately appealing and it's pretty downright impractical right now in the dead of winter. Actually, I don't care how hot it gets, but I can't imagine running around the city or meeting up with friends in a bar wearing a just a slip.. And it's not a cheap trend either - if all of your layers are showing, you can't get away with old, granny underwear.. (not that you or I have any.. of course!!)

On further thought though, I realized that a lot of things that I already wear are lingerie inspired. What is a bustier, for example, or over-the-knee socks? And, while the first images that come to my mind about lingerie-inspired fashion are either some ethereal fairy-like floaty thing or scary dominatrix leather, there are many interpretations that are much more creative and forgiving than that and possibly even appropriate for work (let me clarify.. I mean office work at a desk).

So, I took some photos of outfits I really like that I think are lingerie-inspired and one that is actually technically lingerie (the camisole with metal fringe on it, worn with tux jacket and black pants).

I mentioned to my friend Judy that lingerie-inspired fashion was going to be my next post and she observed that we don't have to follow that trend just because it's come around again. People should feel free to let a trend pass them by and just to pick and choose which ones appeal to them. I agree completely. But I also think it's fun to interpret a new trend in your own way as an opportunity to shake up your wardrobe. Trends can bring up a new shape or nuance that affects your eye and, if you choose to do something with it, it may look nothing like what you see in magazines or on runways. But that's where your personal style comes in - including, of course, the choice to opt out!

No muss, no fuss

For New Year’s Eve plans, I have a rule: keep it as simple and flexible as possible... and my New Year’s Eve outfit follows a similar rule. With available taxis on New Year's Eve about as rare as unicorns, inevitably, I will have to walk home. And this year, with snow forecast to turn into slush, I gave it extra thought as there was no way I was wearing clompy flat boots to a party, nor was I going to destroy my heels walking home in the salty slush. I'd already learned the uneven layering trick for New York winters (flimsy layer for over-heated interiors, thick layer over that to keep you warm outside or if you're next to a drafty window). And this time, I needed to be able to make an easy change into snow boots. So, my solution? T-shirt/jacket/shorts/tights/boots (and a spare pair of snow boots in my bag).

And sure enough, while the streets were filled with cabs and the air resounded with honking, not a single available light was shining. But I was comfortable, my feet were warm and dry (as were my high heeled boots) so I really didn't care... As my colleague Sanne says, "there is no bad weather, only bad clothes". Too true.

A different challenge faced me on New Year's day when I woke up: I was tired, I was hungry, and all I wanted to do was to lounge in my pyjamas with tea or coffee.. but I had no milk. Or food. When I lived on 10^th and Ave A a few years ago, I would go to the bodega in my pjs, boots and a coat, but I can’t really do that in the more civilized Greenwich Village and at an age when I really should know better (i.e., older than 8. I was older than 8 on 10^th St too, of course, but chose to ignore that then.)

Plus in my additional experience in perfecting lazy weekend mornings, I have found how to dress with only slightly more effort than putting a coat and shoes on over pyjamas, but which creates the appearance that I actually am dressed for the day and can actually walk quite respectably a few blocks further from my sofa if the closest grocery store doesn't have what I want.

What's the trick? Bright lipstick and pulled back hair takes care of the grooming in 30 seconds, a dress and boots gets you covered (add leggings if it's cold)..grab your coat (or sweater and vest), your bag from last night, sunglasses, et voila! you are golden! A smile may be asking too much..

And Happy New Year's everybody!!