Does anyone really remember the 60's/70's?

The first thing I thought of when I saw this group of clothing was Twiggy. Same size girl, thought of as skinny at the time. Same shapes in the garments. But where are the go-go boots? Anyway, these dresses are fabulous in their own way because of the simplicity. There was some great color-blocking in the early 70's. There was Gucci, Pucci, and a host of other designers jumping on the simplicity bandwagon. And in spite of the relative shapelessness of the dresses they came off as very feminine. The gamine short hair was part of the picture as was the structured handbag.

This was also a time of social unrest in the country. This was the time of the hippie, now called bohemian. The people who wanted to drop out and opt out. There were  wonderful bands who extolled the acid, pot, and other drugs available. Drugs to stay awake, and drugs to go to sleep. We saw "Valley of the Dolls". This movie wasn't about Barbies. It was about drugs. We saw "Easy Rider". They were two ends of the drug generation. Our 

 children said to us, "you don't know what it's like." Right. We were offered the same things they were at our age. We were offered ways to leave reality for a while and for some, forever.

Fashion was one of the things that separated the wealthy drug users from the everyday users. And this group of fashions feels like an instant replay of those days. The only difference is the shoes. And then they had square toes. Oh well.

I loved the look when Twiggy hit the scene. I was then still looking at 17 Magazine. And Glamour. And Mademoiselle. Not yet ready to go to Cosmo. Anyway I had another secret desire I was hiding. I knew the Twiggy look would just not do for me. There were some major problems. Like my large chest. And of course the fact that most of the girls I saw weren't wearing the clothes either. We lived in Florida at the time. Too warm.

 I was a bit frightened by the drug scene. At the same time I really wanted to jump on a chopper and head to San Francisco. But I was married and had a child. I did have a motorcycle for a short time but it was sold when the baby was coming.

For the record I did believe the Vietnam was was wrong. Because our guys were being maimed and killed. And very few came back whole, mentally or physically. I hate war. I resent the idea that it is ok to kill someone. My beliefs were basic. Personal. Not political. And I was more caught up in the things at home, husband and child.

Unfortunately now I understand why my mother wanted to run away to Australia. I always wanted to run away. I wanted to be a hippie. I wanted to be a Bohemian. Yes there were bohemians way before hippies. And I wanted to be a hippie in the worst way. The clothing was different from the average stuff I saw around me. We had average jobs, average lives, and I was bored. It didn't help that my most important relationship was just not good. Never. Never was good.

Hippies wore their hair long, painted their vehicles(mostly vans), and went barefoot. Their needs were simple. I am sure
that a toothbrush and deodorant wasn't at the top of the list of
needs. That, and the fact that they didn't know where their lives
were headed put me off. I've always been afraid of being alone, unloved, lonely. But at the same time, I hated marching to the beat of everyone else's drummer. Can we say conundrum?

Well, now I'm retired. I still love the bohemian outlook. But I'd hate to lose my medicare and my social security. I think in a liberal vein but dropping out wouldn't work now either. I can, however, still admire the hippie and boho fashions, ideas, and creations. I can wear some vaguely boho things, including a bag with a peace sign. And I can hope the new folks who love the boho look can enjoy it as much as I do.

What were they thinking?

 A star. Yeah right. Paz de la Huerta is seen at the airport looking like she is going to.... Well just what she is going to is beyond me. I've seen photos of her looking very strange and I'm in no way impressed. Hence this homage to the strange.

Leggings aren't pants. And there seems to be a boot on one foot and a shoe on the other. Brandi can't have looked at herself from behind.

Shauna Sand's relative?

Paz being sexy?

Then there is Russell. I didn't want to leave out the men. I'm not sure what the point is in how he dresses. And there are probably those who think it's really great. OK





I don't think any of the above can achieve their goals with the looks in the pics. Paz is working. But I don't think it's her fashion sense that got her the job. Brandi-don't know if she works. Wearing tight clothing gets her noticed. Maybe she meant to do that. Courtney got noticed. And not in a good way. Russell-----Who knows?

This is proof that fashion and style are different.

Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's not

I've always admired Nicole Kidman and her classic approach to fashion. I'm never bored by what she wears but sometimes it just seems a little off. This is not one of those times. Simple is chic. The other pic is of an actress or singer or something and I actually like her LBD also. I think it is simple and is good with the red shoes. The LBD seems to be back this year. I've looked at the fashion mags and they say Leopard is the new black. Gray is the new black. Etc. Not so. Black when worn correctly is just great on it's own.

 Another trend being seen this year is the dress or top that dips really low. I'm not unhappy with the dress on Lea Michelle but I think the JWoww thing is hideous. When the implants are that obvious it becomes sleazy. The other girl, possibly an actress, looks ok. The bottom slit is also a pretty obvious grab for attention but I'm not sure the attention would be good.

Then there are the jeans. Denim is forever. It is. But I'd trying to suss out the message that slashes send. Everyone knows that most of the jeans are bought that way and originally I think it came from the 80's. Rock 80's. And of course the jeans makers needed to come up with something new. Hence slashed jeans. However there are some people who take it to extremes. Just sayin.

Fashion and celebs have always been connected. Since the days of the movie star mags, we have looked to Hollywood to show us good fashion. Audry Hepburn and Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly showed designer fashions well. Now we have so many actors and so much media that fashion magazines and celeb magazines don't carry as much clout as blogs, tweets, and pins. It will be interesting to see where all of this goes.

I don't think so

Brandi Glanville was at the airport. In leggings. That showed her buttcheeks. I don't think so. Leggings are not pants. At least when they are thin.

 Celine had a runway show. The models wore clothing that didn't match. And included high heel bedroom slippers. No not the sexy kind. I don't think so. The two satins were bad enough.

Then there was a Celine pantsuit. With flat bedroom slippers. And there was gobbled together stuff on the shirt. I don't think so. It looked like a pajama party.

Unfortunately I have forgotten who's runway show this was. You know when you see a piece of art and say I could do better. I do think so.

Pardon me

Please pardon me while I laugh. A lot.

The Lohan clan has taken another hit. It seems LL's father has fathered another child by someone besides LL's mother. Of course LL has said she won't meet the girl and she wants to stay from the craziness that is her father's life.

Coming from LL that just makes me laugh.

Sort of unbareable

Admittedly it's the Spring like for Balenciaga. I love the colors and I would probably love a mini skirt and top on those colors. This skirt, on the other hand, is a hot mess. At least I think so. The suit below is totally wearable by anyone with a good body. But I believe that the asymetrical skirt would be hard to wear.

I was hoping to see more feminine things in this runway show. And at first this suit was what I was looking for. But the midriff baring top, especially on someone with no curves, isn't very girly at all. I definitely can see one of the celebs wearing this and "flaunting" tight abs.

Van Noten totally blew me away with this "Spring" offering. A Winter color see thru blouse and a skirt in a mass of dark stuff doesn't say Spring to me. Sunglasses aside, I can't see this pairing doing well.

3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2013

 I have been looking for some things to do with the clothes I have that don't work for me. I'm selling some, donating some, and others I'm keeping. If a garment has something about it that I especially like I want to try and find a style or a restyle that I can use to make it work. I've followed refashion blogs with interest and there are some fun and pretty things that can be done. And on the runway at the Lim show I see some more ideal.

First the dress. I don't wear dresses much. Or at all. Maybe I should. But this dress has elements of a fine blouse, a t shirt and refashion. The whole Spring line has this vibe and it is really useful and interesting.

Also included in the Lim collection are mixed patterns. I'm not very good at this and I'd have to choose and purchase the items together because I don't have any items at this time to do this with. Part of that problem is that I have only one pair of printed pants(leopard print). Anyway, it reminded me that I would enjoy a fairly loose fitted pair of printed pants. And I have some fabrics and a sewing machine. Time to decided about what fabric to use and get going.

This model is wearing jeans. They are real denim which looks to have been cut, restitched and frayed. I'm not going to wear the worn out looking jeans. But this idea is another way to do denim that doesn't look worn out. And adding a different sleeve to a top or sweatshirt is a great idea. Lots of possibilities.

While I'm not into the T shirt thing with sayings etc on them, I do think the T shirt in this pic could be done in a random stripe of patches and made to look great with the pants. And the pants are of several fabrics and I could do that too.

This is one of the few designers that I've been able to look at and take as an example for my use. I'm so glad to see it.

A good word

I'd like to talk about the words we see used in the magazines and TV shows about celebrities.

Flaunt-I used to think of flaunting as sticking  something into someone's face a thing they don't want to see, such as an engagement ring into an ex's face. Now I know that if you have your picture made, you are flaunting something. The caption said JS is flaunting her small waist. OK. Now I know what flaunting is. I also saw a picture of one celebs who had had a baby and got thin again. The caption said she was flaunting her post baby body. I suppose in order not to flaunt, she should have kept herself totally covered.

Style icon-much has been made of those who wear designer clothing. Instead of discussing what a person has on they must answer the question-"Who are you wearing?". And even if they look awful, the designer gets advertisement. I remember the time that Gloria Vanderbilt jeans were the rage. Advertisement on my butt. And to add to the mix, there are those we look to for inspiration and they are called style icons. Well, folks, Chloe Sevigny is supposed to be a style icon. Right.

A couple of other things I have noticed. Among the younger set, the work rocks is common. Gwen Stephani rocks an outfit. She doesn't wear it, she rocks it. And young women don't get dressed. They style themselves or they style a certain piece of clothing.

At one time there was Superman. He was a hero and everyone loved him. Now there are superstars and supermodels. I think a superstar is someone who either has been in the biz a really long time or someone who is really good at it. I understand that just calling someone a star won't get you an interview with them. I also understand that an actor or singer, etc can be a superstar at one point while they are being noticed and just be an actor when things calm down. EG-Susan Sarandon. She is obviously a wonderful actor. But not necessarily a superstar. David Arquette is someone that I hadn't realized had reached superstar status until I read it in a magazine today. And supermodels. I suppose those are the ones I see in magazines with their names listed. Like Christy Turlington(my personal favorite). If their name isn't well known in the US, for me they are not a superstar.

Superlatives are a big deal when dealing with the celebs. And I think these are a sort of modern yellow journalism. They are used to ramp up the importance of the statement being made and sometimes to make the person talked about feel better. But when the celeb buys the superlative things being said about them, sometimes they become insufferable. There are some very well known examples of this out there. You might hear,"I'm ______________." Means I'm important so I get special treatment. Well, some of us think they should earn it by being both good at their craft and by being just good folks.

If you've got it

 I have heard "If you've got it, flaunt it". Maybe there needs to be a rethink on that one.

Sometimes there is

 Sometimes there is TMI.

The rear view

I'm not a fan if the super sized rear end. All my life I've tried to un-supersize myself. And for some reason, having a supersized rear has helped make someone famous. I am all for being proud of the body you have. I surely don't think the rear view here is a good one.

I used to

 I used to check out the celebs for fashion ideas.

Now-not so much.

I've always heard

I've always heard that you can never be too rich or too thin.

The first pic is from a blog called Scandinavian Street style. The outfit is fine. Not my taste, but fine. I'm concerned that girls see
the pic and think they have to be that thin. The girl in the pic
is actually thinner than some runway models. I remember when the media called Kate Moss' look heroin chic. She wasn't this thin,  so is there now a fashion trend called anorexic chic? I am
not taking this subject lightly. I am an avid pinterest follower and a couple of the pics in this blog are from pinterest. And the comments about them indicated that the pinners wanted to look like the girls in the photos. I'm sorry but I think having a body with no curves is only a blessing if you are very very young or a boy.

 The former "It" girl in Vogue Magazine is Alexa Chung. When I first saw her I wondered who the heck she was and why she was an "It" girl. Ok. Now I know who she is. But I still don't know what makes her special other than the fact that she has access to the designers' wares. To me, that name should belong to someone who not only knows fashion, but presents a beautiful face to the world. Maybe some think she is beautiful. I don't. Too thin.

You can say that I'm fat and this is just sour grapes. But I wouldn't trade figures with the very thin. Sure I would like to weigh less. And I'd love to be able to wear some things that look terrible on me now. But not like this.

Funny thing. An oversized sweater makes this girl look thinner. An oversized sweater fits me. And makes me look fatter. I wear them anyway. As for the outfits shown here. Some I wouldn't wear because of my age. But some of the things are great. I love the black slacks and red blouse. And I see nothing wrong with young people wearing just about anything they want to. I just prefer outfits on women and especially those who have some curves.

I'll shut up now.

I musta missed it.

 The fashion rules seem to change every time I look away for a minute. I absolutely fail to understand the Lovato look to the left. Torn up tights or hose just don't seem to enhance one's legs. I had mistakenly thought that the main reason for dressing is to make oneself look or feel better. A torn jacket, t-shirt, studded shoe thing and the hose just make her look like she's trying to join a club of 12 year old goth wannabes. Then I see where she has been modeling in a magazine looking slim and sexy. There is surely something wrong here.

Then there is the sweater which looks torn up. I would have definitely put this one in the rag bag. I've seen it on all sorts of the very young actresses in tinseltown. I'm not impressed. I think I'd have a hard time spending money on a torn up sweater.

Or what about a sweatshirt with a dressy skirt, heels, and nice jewelry? When I dress up in dressy clothes, sweatshirts don't come to mind. Karla, of Karla's Kloset makes everything look wonderful but I can't see how I could make gym clothes work for dressy.

Then there is the ripped jean. The boyfriend jean. The ripped boyfriend jean. I don't have a clue of how expensive these jeans are because I wouldn't want them. So get a pair of cheap jeans that don't fit and cut them with a razor blade and wash them a few times. They will look awful but that seems to be the point.


If the blogs I have been following about fashion are up to date, there are no rules in fashion. Camouflage and Chanel, Tulle and combat boots. What's a girl to do?

 Fashion continues to be totally surprising to me. I remember when many of the Hair bands of the 80's were also often seen in ripped jeans. Of course they weren't baggy ripped jeans but the knees were usually gone. I have borrowed a pic from pinterest to show my lack of understanding of current fashion. The girl in the pic is really pretty. I love her shoes. But to me the jeans are ready for the rag bag. And I don't understand wearing something like that with dressy clothes. Just one of my questions.

Then there is the side boob. Having been around when bras were being burnt, and see through tops and boho fashions were worn, I'm wondering why the side boob is such a big deal that the magazines mention it and point it out. I must admit that I prefer the look on someone attractive and not sleazy looking. But gee. What is the big deal that there is a side boob? What about the shirts that are cut so high the bottom of the boobs hang out. But that was OK. Yeah, right.

 Now on to the next question. Why would someone wear something that looks like a blanket with a belt. And it appears to be sleeveless and to need a wrap.

Last for the day is the tale of the coat. It has zippers. It hangs off at angles. It seems to be worn with holey tights and floppy, sloppy boots. And a see through blouse. And hair that looks like a tornado hit it. Sorry, but I don't get it. Fashion like this is costume to me. The person is dressed as if Armageddon had happened and they were left with this. I used to think fashion was using your creative juices to enhance yourself and make yourself more attractive. I'm now officially lost.