Hunting Dress

VESTING: H&M fall 2009 ad (PHOTOGRAPHER: Andres Sjodin. MODEL: Karen Elson)

Cropped furry vest from old H&M ad; Karen Elson styled it with a tunic & trousers (above look on right), but here it snuggles my shoulders over a girlish frock. Feel ready for a hunting & fishing trip - envision me chanting & cavorting around the campfire (years of summer camp made me an excellent firestarter).

Anna Sui dress (last worn HERE). H&M vest (last worn HERE). Fenton-Fallon necklace. Chanel shoes.

Walked past the Met, where they're erecting a tent over their steps for the Costume Institute gala Monday night. A few blocks away, Central Park's cherry blossoms are blowing everywhere by the Boathouse, boat pond, Alice in Wonderland statue. Wish I could scrunch up silky petals into a billowing bloom dress.

Amelie

DOUBLE WEDDING: Princesses Grace (ABOVE) & Catherine (BELOW)

Swooning over two smooches & winning wager on Princess Catherine's gown. Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton designed Princess Grace's doppelgänger in a modernly modest 1950s silhouette. McQueen was a most fitting choice: British, high fashion, the Met Costume Institute's 2011 exhibit honoree. Elie Tahari 'Amelie' dress (last worn HERE). Vintage belt & ring. H&M barrette. Tintoretta tights. Miu Miu Mary Janes.

I was an ardent Anglophile among all those party hats & fascinators. Catherine's maid of honor appeared pristine in a minimalist column matching her sister & I'm wearing white too: Tahari's Amelie dress laced with sequins. Royal wedding lollapalooza lived up to hype - never been so happy for strangers.

Tulip Town

Ralph Lauren blazer (last worn HERE). Vintage dress (last worn HERE). H&M headband & ring. Miu Miu Mary Janes.

Tulips bloom along Park Ave, ushering in spring (impatiens signify summer, but I prefer these tall flora). Headless stems have been waving in the wind for awhile, but they literally popped their petals just today. Floating above flowers, I tiptoed through in pointy patent bows, vintage crystal couture, boyish blazer.

Hanes tights (courtesy of designer).

Sheer lilac loveliness from Hanes' Silk Reflections collection (shop HERE). These shimmery stockings come in translucent watercolors, transitioning seasons seamlessly - better than my other opaques.

So Long, Snow

Editing old photos gleaned gems from last winter's wonderland holiday in CT. Snowdrifts to shuttered windows whispered white noise: Come bathe in clean snow! Still in my sleep shirt, I leaped into leopard wellies & wrapped up in an embroidered scarf (from a summer's town fair) to play in snowy sunshine. Vintage scarf & Rowes coat (last worn HERE). Staring at Stars hat. Zoe Couture gloves. Tamara Henriques boots.

Snow angels at the snow ball caked cashmere gloves, furred cap, knit tights in powdery stuff that sizzled as I spread them over radiator to dry - luckily coldness vanishes after first few falls. Then I had a proper hot bath & breakfast & drove around making country calls after everyone's driveway was plowed.

Gemstoned

HAYSEED: Anna Sui spring 2010, look #24 (DETAIL) & Jean-François Millet, Gleaners (CENTER)

Millet's sunset spotlights his Gleaners, imbuing them as majestic sculptures & varnishing their clothes. The same powdery golden haze hovers over this dress: tawny tones scattered across starched fabric.

Anna Sui dress (last worn HERE). Linea Pelle belt. Kenneth Jay Lane ring. Valentino Mary Janes.

Kenneth Jay Lane is king of costume jewels, but Victoire de Castellane corners avant-garde fine jewelry at Christian Dior. My outré flowery critter ring is de Castellane-inspired in faux metal. Her recent Fleurs d'Excès exhibit at Gagosian Gallery, Paris, was a gemstoned drug-fuled fantasy - dizzying gaudy opulence.

Falling

3.1 Phillip Lim chubby (last worn HERE). Anna Sui dress (last worn HERE). Marc Jacobs 'Mina' bag. Chanel shoes.

This townhouse courtyard beautifies the adjacent sidewalk with Queen Anne's Lace & hydrangeas. Someone advised me to spiff up my patent purse with Vaseline & a washcloth, but I'm scared to try.

FALL 2009: 3.1 Phillip Lim, look #9 (TOP) & Anna Sui, look #21 (DETAIL)

Shaved shearling & darkling brocade memories... I adored this dress at Anna's show & a shopgirl sent it to me when her collection finally arrived storeside - so hard waiting for sartorial fulfillment. I called the Cali Phillip Lim store to special order this jacket (sight unseen) because it sold out in NYC - luckily they had it.

Easter Bunny

GREEN GIRLS: Tamara de Lempicka, Jeune Fille en Vert (ABOVE) & Atonement movie still (BELOW)

1930s gown envy: de Lempicka's Art Deco Jeune Fille & costume designer Jacqueline Durran's slinky satin worn by Keira Knightley in Atonement. This sensual Cubist painting echoes Ingres' elegance, while Durran's featherweight frock illustrates Ian McEwan's novel (wherein it's as developed as a character).Vintage necklace, dress (last worn HERE), Sportsworks cardi (last worn HERE). Delman shoes.

Ruched organza sallies sunny-side up - fanciness contrasts with oversized knit cardi. Admired Easter bonnets in Central Park while some tourists took photo with me because they liked my festive dress.

Camel Hair

Vintage The Scotch House coat & Saks cardi (last worn HERE). MJ dress (last worn HERE). Burberry scarf. Chloé bag. Miu Miu shoes.

Living in my vintage English camel coat, which probably belonged to a child because of its shortish sleeves - worn with another classic Brit brand scarf. Mad about plaid: jacket's lined in red LL Bean PJ's with label reading 'camel hair' - this photo's funny because the scarf's plum fringe hangs like hair.

♥LOVE COAT♥: Love Story film still

Camel always recalls Ali McGraw's tied topper in the movie Love Story: my bohemian preppy idol. This one has crackled leather mushroom cap buttons & moth-holes along the shoulder demanding a brooch.

Baby Bib

"I go walking in my sleep / From the mountains of faith / To a river so deep / I must be looking for something / Something sacred I lost / But the river is wide / & it's too hard to cross / & even though I know the river is wide / I walk down every evening & I stand on the shore / & try to cross to the opposite side / So I can finally find out what I've been looking for" - Billy Joel, The River of Dreams3.1 Phillip Lim dress (last worn HERE). Vintage jewelry. Valentino Mary Janes.

Blue silk symphony with silver beaded bib necklace flows & shimmers like a liquid body. It ties over the shoulders like the fanciest sundress worn to a lake fairgrounds - costumed to watch Water for Elephants.

A Prim Apron

Jill Stuart dress (last worn HERE). Vintage jewelry & scarf (around waist). Valentino Mary Janes.

Modified Jill Stuart spring 2010 runway dress by sedating the princess sleeves (my tailor removed some ruffled pintucks). They're still pleasantly pouffy but not quite as hard glam eighties extravagant. Easter egg scarf worn as apron: a little vintage silk square in the prettiest print - not meant for cooking.Been wrapping scarves around my waist forever, pointed ends fluttering like Isadora Duncan's dancing. The scarf was both Isadora's signature accessory & death, strangling her when caught under a car.

Funny Valentine

Valentino Red dress (last worn HERE). Valentino Mary Janes.

Eyelet dress with crazy clown collar used to be even more of a layered cake until I removed a few frou - now there seems to be a T-shirt underneath. Ostentatious ornamentation = Baroque or Rococo art...

CLOWNING AROUND: Watteau, Pierrot

Watteau's Pierrot is a stock character from Commedia dell'Arte (improvised comedic theatre) & perhaps his self-portrait. We view the painting from below, watching Pierrot perform center stage: a hauntingly static sad clown glowing white light in a ruffled collar romper, reminiscent of my mille-feuille neckline.

Girl in a White Dress

COUCH CLOTHES: Alfred Stevens, Girl in a White Dress Resting on a Sofa

Stevens painted poems of 19th century society clothed in fine fashion - see the languorously lovely Girl in a White Dress above. Ladies loaned him their lavish dresses for portraits, which remain a source of info on contemporary mode - his archetypal French femmes found in intimate scenes defined modernity.

Catherine Malandrino dress. Vintage belt & jewelry (silver Monet bangle). Miu Miu shoes.

Spring's glorious white trend comes to life with cutouts on this sheer shift - laser openwork designs on refined blanc cotton voile. Hunter-gatherer: scoop neckline & scalloped hem skirt. Delicate gold jewels from last weekend's estate sale include short chain necklaces, cut glass flower pendant, sapphire ring.

Fruit Still Life

Caravaggio, Bacchus (ABOVE). Anna Sui spring 2010, look #50 (DETAILS) & Frida Kahlo, Viva la Vida (CENTER) - BELOW

Caravaggio's luscious grape subject + Frida Kahlo's watermelon picnic palette = Anna Sui runway frock. Looking forward to exposing backless dresses to summer days - sheer polka dot back is best part here.

Anna Sui (last worn HERE) & FOREVER 21 (last worn HERE) dresses. Vintage Chanel belt. Miu Miu shoes.

Mille-feuille dresses: velvet babydoll layered under speckled ruffles - united by rich burgundy undertones. My Chanel belt seems a bit swashbuckler: pirate princess set adrift at indoor garden party.

Grandmother's House

WELL RED: Little Red Riding Hood à la Vogue (PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. MODEL: Natalia Vodianova)

Vogue retells a fairytale through high fashion every year; my favorite interpretations include Natalia Vodianova: Alice in Wonderland (Dec 2003) & Little Red Riding Hood (Sept 2009). Little Red would wear this darling toggle tartan stopping by woods - or scampering down sidewalks eventide.

See by Chloé jacket (last worn HERE). J.Crew skirt. Vintage jewelry. GAP bag. Roger Vivier 'Belle Vivier' shoes.

Minnie Mouse mini's: a delightful eyelet skirt & silver sequined crossbody bag. Fancy lady flats escort me to dinner en famille on the Upper East Side - we always go out to restaurants because no one cooks!

Cosmos Girl

BRIGHT STAR: Rainbow Brite cartoon

The love child of Rainbow Brite & Captain Planet would wear Anna Sui's spring 2009 runway dress. A Milky Way mirage reveals a galaxy spinning with flora & fairytale rainbows: petals flutter the hem & paillettes pierce stargazers' sight. This pattern pleasingly entwines around back (hate one-sidedness).

Anna Sui dress (last worn HERE). H&M headband. Vintage rings. Chanel shoes.

After a too early Saturday wake-up call, I raced to an estate sale a town over in CT. All worthwhile of course for bunches of costume jewels & 1970s maxi dresses (including a lucky Liberty of London floral). Floor-length gowns are au courant again but not in my closet - hemming shall commence after napping.