Almost Fall

  

This Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 look is nothing short of spectacular. Although my piggy bank won't allow me to own it, I can borrow a few elements from this beyond perfect trio combo and build a couple of nearly Fall looks of my own.

                                                                           

Leather, glitz, long sleeves and flirty skirts. Yup, I can find those pieces in my closet: twice!

  

This season, practical oxford shoes harken back to our grade school uniform days. Years ago, I detested wearing them. Today, my feet are saying: hooray! How happy was I to find this never worn pair of Ferragamos... in my exact size... at The Goodwill!?!

                                  

Until you give it a try, you won't believe how yummy this veggie topping is. After cooking and rolling your veggies in butter, simply frost them with a combination of grated Italian cheese, crushed peppers and agave syrup. I borrowed the Brussel sprouts hors d'oeuvre recipe from Park Tavern in San Francisco and the corn on the cob finishing touch from a street vendor in Oaxaca, Mexico. Yum.

                                                     

If you just haven’t had it in your heart to toss out any and all of your ancient oversized winter coats... well, this season you are in luck: They are IN, IN, IN and: the bigger the better!

Recognize these two young men? Karl Largerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent... prize winners, nearly 60 years ago, of the 1954 International Secreteriat Competition. Not 100% aware, these designers were soon to become two of the most outstanding designers...ever. I'm tickled pink..or black and white with this photograph.

Staying on the black and white wicket, Nichole Kidmen just keeps getting better and better and remains one of the lead dogs in the fashion-red carpet world. I was thrilled to find this vintage LLD Little Lace Dress at the flea market. It looks terrific under an oversized cashmere coat that I've had since around the time I was wearing oxfords in grade school... well maybe not that for that long but for a long, long, long time.

                    
    

Summer is almost over but S'mores will never be over. How cool is it that marshmallows are now available in a ginormous size. This Fall, for a grown up dessert, try broiling them and adding toasted slivered almonds and cocunut to this traditional gooey-n-good “never too old for it” treat.

From year to year, I seem to grow in and out of this Austrian dress. Whoo, whoo this year it fits... and this year it is front and center on many catwalks and in most Fall catalogs. If you have a bit of room in your closet, some treasures are worth keeping.

                
                                                                     

                           

Maybe I'm getting old (yah think) but this faux croc ad..titled "HOT PROPERTY" really turns my stomach. Come on ladies...to me this faux croc ad is just that: “a crock”... a HOT MESS rather than a HOT PROPERTY.

      

    

Once again... from head to toe for another dazzling year, and in every collection, royal purple is outshining every other jewel color. Elegant and simple or trimmed in glitz, this primary color works with animal prints, stripes, paisleys or sensationally solo.

     

                 

Because this “had to have” bubble skirt was so fun, so NOW and on $ALE, I bought two.

For the top, my “can make anything work” Mr. Magic tailor removed the bubble part and cut arm slits into skirt number two. My grandmother's house slippers and a nearly vintage purse finished off my IN STYLE NOW jeweled tone cocktail suit.

       

                                                            

Although real and delicate jewelry aways works, these dinner plate-sized faux pieces are show stoppers in $$$ and trendy showcases everywhere... especially in passionate purple.

Among the top designers, Miuccia Prada and Louis Vuitton have sprinkled mirrors, big bold beads, metal tubes and chains in Deco patterns onto every piece of clothing and accessory imaginable.

 I thought: “me too” as I embellished a tired suede vest which I now call my “Prauda" piece. I gave a fresh twist to this vintage bag and again a trusty pair of Ferragamos made my feet happy all evening

                                                               

In the CAT dept:  I even “copycatted” Prada by wearing  this “I've had it forever” animal print Perry Ellis velveteen skirt with my brown "trimmed to the nines" brown suede vest.

                                        

      
 

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may”... oh and gather ye mint leaves and cherries too. Simply immerse mint leaves in bourbon and hide them in the freezer for Spring mint julips. Next: pit and drown cherries in brandy and let them sit for a while in a jar in the frig to trim up the best Manhattans ever.

 

Gaga, gracing Vogue's September issue and McQueen design on the edge have made it nearly OK for me to wear this outrageous “hotter than HOT pink” boot and jacket combo. In my golden years, I still haven't found a reason to take life or fashion seriously.... seriously!

Back to the freezer: keep a lemon...frozen... at the ready. Infuse a little vitamin D on fish, in a salad, whatever...it grates so easily and there isn't any waste or addition to your waist.

                                        

Talking waists and: "the waist is a terrible thing to mind"... this idea is so simple. We all have old “got too small just sitting in the drawer” belts with buckles that can now be recycled and made new again. Just buy ¼ of a yard of thick plastic and double stick tape. Cut to fit your waist or hip line and tape your buckle in place. Once you feel confident in the plastic department, try your hand at bringing tired fabric or leather belts back to life. This project is a can't fail simple process.

                                     

After seeing metal studs... all over the place … trimming boots, bracelets and clutch bags for Fall 2012... “ I just had to have me some”. I found this “biker looking” trim in a local hobby shop. Now... I'm just waiting for inspiration...it'll happen.

 I leave you with two FUN “D” words of the day. My sister's 4 year old granddaughter named her invisible friend: DAMANDA . The other evening, a terrific girl from New Zealand said: “you are DELUXE”. Of course she is now my new BF! IN JOY these lovely... Almost Fall days.

Summer Is Here

A promise of PASTELS.

   

Sherbert shades, muted prints, and “I hafta get usta” these color combinations.

Summer is all about petal soft colors and delicate “catch the breeze like a kite tail” fabrics.

 

 

  

From perfumes to pashminas, the girly girl season is upon us. 

No one channels a lovely feminine twirl better than Nichole.

Picture hats protect and frame the face. Hat boxes hide stacks of hats.

A handful of push pins, four empty guest bedroom walls and the décor is complete.

This year, I finally solved our yearly hat headache dilemma. I poured just enough boiling water around the inside rim of the straw hat, pushed a bowl into the hat and gave it few hours of unprotected sunshine until it was dry and a comfy size.

The too tight hat headaches are officially a thing of the past. The amount of wine consumed “under the hat”... well, that's another kind of headache.

 

Fruit infused popsicles are the “it” summer dessert. Clear grape juice, honey and fruit and yer done. It's like kids play, creating signature flavors with the addition of yoghurt, nuts, chocolate and even bourbon.

Like happy soldiers standing at attention in the freezer, these TOVOLO molds are the best I've found. You too can find them online.

 

For the past few months, I've been obsessed with these rainbow looking espadrilles from the south of France. My sweet friend Kate, found them in a charming French boutique and mailed this pair to me. Dreams do come true. Thank you Kate!

This season, from Bali to Africa, hand loomed and primitive woven fabrics are influencing designers and will continue to be in the spotlight right up and into Fall. Geometric patterns uncomfortably matched up with flowered prints is a “believe it or not” NOW “not to be ignored” combination. Try getting out of your comfort zone. This pairing is a really fun... although admittedly this is an odd way to “mix and match”...still it is a kind of sassy idea.

Kate Moss and I    have two things in common: our initials and this dress in Bazaar’s July issue. My gown and frame are 30 years older than Ms. Moss's : thank God for photo shop. My tongue is deeply embedded in my cheek right now.

Copycatting once more from yet another full page from Bazaar: enter stage left, one more of my vintage knit dresses. Taking the time to play dress-up: priceless. Looking serious and being frivolous was a real hoot of a good time.

Right now, deep colored vegetables and fruits are just too healthy to resist. The cherries, blueberries and kiwis in the frozen fruit bars and these dark luscious beets as a summer salad center piece make healthy foods.... definite no brainier choices.

  Oh, a perfect finish to this salad: goat cheese balls, dipped in olive oil and rolled in breadcrumbs topped with chopped “fresh from the garden” mint leaves.

   

After seeing Jean Paul Gaultier's fabulous show here in San Francisco and harking back to fond romantic memories of Venetian gondoliers, the search and rescue of my stripes was an easy challenge.

Although horizontal stripes aren't the most flattering way to show off inches, if it's happening... I'm either dragging them out of my closet or finding my stripes downtown. Happily, I found this silk sweater...right here at home... behind door number two.

Yummy in the tummy time. Cupcakes are so “IN” that they might just fade out soon. Next time it's your turn to bring the birthday cake... try stuffing cupcakes... with chopped up chocolate truffles, fruit jam or cream cheese. Every bite is a pop/pow of a surprise for every guest.

“Kimono Arms”. If you have “never to be seen in public” pancake arms, you needn’t allow them to stop you from wearing a summer sun dress. Simply start your Summer layering with a thin cotton shirt underneath. Oh re: attitude: collar up and re: age: chin up. There's no stopping you... or me. Right now, I'm in a : “Leave it to Beaver” 50's time warp state of mind.

Once more... here’s to laughing at myself and saving a pile of cold CA$H (right under our roof) for a night or two on the town. OK, so help me out here and let's do the math...OK so a  manicure, pedicure, red faced mud facial, dying and cutting my hair. The only “cost benefit” missing link that I really missed is an afternoon of talking the heads offof  the entire beauty parlor staff . For sure, it all adds up to a weekend away at a POSH resort.

Here's a snip-it of trivia... a sort of an FYI “just in case you didn't know” little cocktail conversation story for you. POSH means: Port Out Starboard Home. Coming and going, English nobility traveled to and from India on the cool sides of the ships...which was a very POSH way to enjoy their hot, hot summer voyages.

Each month, In Style magazine invites their readers to show and tell how they were influenced by “What's Trending”. Until I tried to find a pair of flower dusted jeans, I thought that this was a kind of ageless little LOOK.

Not being in the shopping or spending mood, I decided to paint over a few “can't help it” stains on these jeans . The paint dried and I was good to go...to a pricy POSH resort.

 

This tiny doll house “old as I am” potty is my little reminder to avoid “the pity pot”. Every once in a while, if I can't get beyond feeling sorry for myself, I look at this darling pot metal pot, give my sorrows a royal flush and... with a big smile, I get on with it. I think about rainbow colored espadrilles, fruit infused popsicles and hummm: what shirt I'm going to wear under my sundress. After all, minute to minute, day by day, the sunny side of the street, with protection, is a choice.