I was at this fabulous exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this month.

Items on display are part of the Costume Institute collection. The fashions were reawakened! Many pieces were under glass due to their fragility. The garments that were not under glass were of course, roped off.

The technology used was amazing. All of your senses are tapped as you walk through the exhibit. Your sight, sound, scent and touch are all engaged. You could touch a wall that would let you feel the texture of a dress. There are tubes that you can lean over and smell what a hat behind glass smells like. In my opinion this was l little funky because you could actually pick up the scent of sweat and hair oil! I can definitely live without that, but the technology was a great way to let the viewer smell flowers that were the inspiration to creations. There is light projection and soundscapes. Tools of artificial intelligence are used as well as computer generated imagery film projection. I am glad that taste was left out of the sensory experience!

There were 220 garments and accessories in the exhibit spanning 4 centuries. It was visually connected through themes: Earth (flowers and foliage), Air (insects and birds) and Water (shells and fish). You could smell the flowers that were embroidered on a dress in front of you. You could hear birds chirping and see overhead moving pictures as you looked at styles featuring feathers or insects and butterflies.

Here a few photos to give you the flavor of this magnificent exhibit. If you can get to the Met, the exhibit runs until 9/2/24.

We are in the second “heat wave” of the summer and it is only 7/8/24!! So that must mean it’s time to look at colors for Fall 2024. I can hear the chuckle and groan…Fall? We just started the summer season and it’s HOT! Fall starts months ahead in the fashion world. The colors shown here were detailed in February. Manufacturers are receiving finished garments and are shipping to their customers. But I always figure that those of you reading my blog are more interested in seeing the colors closer to when you will be seeing apparel. I think a good plan for me is to publish this prior to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

Here are comments from The Pantone Color Institute experts for colors seen at New York Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2024/2025. The colors are rich and earthy. The colors are reliable but have energy.

I can’t wait to see these colors in the clothing we’ll be wearing in a few months.

Remember, color is a form of self-expression. The important thing with color is how it looks on you. It doesn’t matter if it is the “IT” color for the season if it does nothing for your complexion. You should also be asking, does this color suit my personal style? If you feel the need to be of-the-moment with color, accessories can make that happen. And, as I always say, have fun with your colors and fashion. Color can put you in the BEST mood!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to photograph doors when I am traveling. As I have said before, Doors represent many things. The obvious, of course, is a place of passage. Doors lead to places other than where you are. For me, seeing an interesting door is an opportunity to let my imagination run wild. What is behind that door? Is it open and welcoming me in? Perhaps that would lead to a new opportunity or adventure for me. Doors when opened, are symbols of transition. Am I being invited to be part of a new adventure? I am always looking for that open door.

The color selected for a door can also tell you something about either the location or the person behind the door. Several years ago, I wrote about a blog I had read about selecting the color for your door and what it represents. Does your door reflect something about you? Red says Welcome. Orange says you are social. Blue says you enjoy peace and truth. Gray is indecisive and says you prefer compromise. Green says you have traditional values. Black says your world is ordered and controlled. White says simple and organized. Brown says you are warm, reliable and stable. Yellow says you are positive and logical while also being creative. Turquoise speaks to emotional balance, a romantic dreamer. Pink is for a hopeless romantic. Purple says you are comfortable taking risks. Wood says you are generous and down to Earth. Did you learn something about yourself? Think about this the next time you need to have your front door painted.

Here are several doors that I photographed on my spring UK trip. One thing that I really loved seeing in London was the entry way draped in garlands of green and flowers. So inviting!

On to Inverness and Edinburgh Scotland

I always find at least one open door on every trip!

Just got back from a trip to the UK which included London, Inverness and Edinburgh. My trips to Europe have always given me lots of food for thought on the fashion front. But, aside from enjoying seeing men in Kilts, the street fashion is not much different than it is here. To add to this, it was extremely chilly everywhere. So, the views you will see are mostly outerwear. Fashion is truly global. You could see the same looks walking in NYC. The addition for this trip was seeing men in kilts (In Inverness)! I have also included some photos in stores from London (Selfridges and Marks & Spencer) and in Edinburgh (John Lewis & Partners and a couple of windows)

In LONDON

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

In the stores:

SELFRIDGES

WINDOW at SELFRIDGES Photo from Marks & Spencer

EDINBURGH-John Lewis & Partners,

Windows in Edinburgh

MEN IN KILTS- INVERNESS, SCOTLAND

Reading my journals since the day we met. Torture or Therapy?

Reading and looking at all my journals and photos from our extensive travels. Torture or Therapy?

Counting the number of times the pandemic is referenced. This still makes my knees go weak. Torture or Therapy?

Every morning telling Alexa to play songs we liked to listen to. Torture or Therapy?

Posting all kinds of memory posts or sharing thoughts on managing grief on my Facebook page. Tom used to say I was a serial poster!! Torture or Therapy?

I have deemed all of this to be Therapy rather than Torture. Making that statement alone feels therapeutic.

Today marks 4 years since Tom’s death.

I am still looking for a soft place to land. I am still working on learning to fear less. I am taking the time to meditate daily. I am making lots of travel plans. I am trying to envision going out on a limb because I do believe there is still sweet fruit out there.

In the meantime, I will dance in the kitchen each morning to whatever I tell Alexa to play. I will try my best to have my wonderful memories make me smile more often than bring tears to my eyes. I will continue to talk about Tom with our family and friends and the little humans because he is worth it. He isn’t a footnote in my story. He checked all the boxes for what you would want in your ideal partner. I consider myself very lucky to have found him and known this incredible love.

My artist friend, Karen, painted this and gifted it to me. Still I Rise. We were both widowed 4 years ago. We are helping each other through the grieving, and this is our plan. We will rise up and continue to make ourselves and our husbands proud of our accomplishments.

Life does go on with or without you. I think it is best to get in step, even if the steps are small. Eventually you reach the place you are supposed to be.

The calendar and the weather are telling us that Spring 2024 is arriving. The runway shows are finished for Fall 2024. Let’s tuck the trends from the shows as well as the street styles seen into our memory bank and pull them out when we are ready to look for new items for fall. I’ll pick this up again when fall merchandise is landing in the stores. At that time, I will photograph what is going on at retailers.

NEW YORK…PARIS…LONDON…MILAN…as well as thoughts from Australia and Copenhagen

Transparency- lots of sheer tops are already out and will get stronger. There are lots of sheer skirts. Some skirts and dresses are partially lined. Some are so transparent that high waisted panties are visible underneath! This story will be highly visible (no pun intended!) through this spring and summer. There will be many variations on the transparency theme -“see through it”-several layers of translucent fabric creating depth. No pants, no problem!! Hot pants return!!

In formal wear- You will see large full skirts and off the shoulder tops on floor length dresses.

Preppy looks- There will be many preppy inspired looks-Cable knit sweaters, Varsity sweaters, pleated tennis skirts, white button-down shirts, short and long sleeve polos layered under t-shirts, light knit sweaters and oversized blazers.

Plaid skirts and matching blazers. Jackets are oversized. Some jackets also have bold sloping shoulder lines.

The Canadian Tuxedo-head to toe denim. Structured denim jackets with matching jeans. Legs are both straight and as well as wide.

Menswear inspired fashion. Neckties will be front and center as an accessory.

“Wild things”- furry and feathery accessories (both shoes and bags) and will be used as trim on garments.

Fringe on jackets and skirts and dresses.

In outerwear- Faux Fur, cool Trenches (signature of the season), capes.

Bold over the knee boots-do you think Taylor Swift and Beyonce are influencers here??

Bright tights.

Metallic Gold coming on for Fall 2024.

Belts and Buckles- edgy looks on shoes and accessories as well as bold details on dress straps. Buckles will be seen at the neckline rather than at the waist as you would expect.

Frills and ruffles-neck, sleeves, down the side of a garment, at the waist.

Red continues. Expect Crimson Red to deepen to Burgundy. But there will also be delicate colors-blush pink, mint green, powder blue.

Also expect to see cool, quiet luxury looks in chocolate and creams, grays and dark greens. You will see edgy outfits in monochromatic colors which shout out confidence.

I think that’s enough to think about for now, right? More to follow in the months ahead when stores receive their fall merchandise.

In the meantime, HAPPY SPRING!!

Talk about high energy! This morning was The Beauty Trend Show at Nordstrom. The store opened at 7:30 for those who had tickets for the event. A light breakfast was available for all to enjoy. The cost of the ticket was $25.00 but everyone got a $25.00 gift card in the “goodie bag” which was a canvas tote bag. In the bag one also found an assortment of samples. There are always great “goodie bags” at Nordstrom’s events. My favorite goodies are the fragrance samples. I love trying out a new scent. After the show if you previously made an appointment, you could get a facial, skin care advice or make up instruction. To say the least, the joint was jumping!! The DJ’s and the vendors involved in the show were all highly charged and got the crowd going. So much fun…and all at 8:00 AM!!

Each of the featured lines had well informed representatives who spoke briefly on the products they were showcasing. Many additional companies offered gift with purchase and percents off purchases.

Everyone was entered in the raffle. There were several spectacular give aways! (my name was NOT called for any of the gifts!)

Here are the companies who participated in this show.

Left to right-La Mer, Cle De Peau, Kiehls

Left to right- Dior, Georgio Armani, YSL

Left to right- Tom Ford, Bobby Brown, Dyson

Left to right- Parfums De Marly, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Lancome

Left to right- Charlotte Tilbury (2), Augustinus Bader

Some Spring fashion was also featured but I will save that for another day. Today I’ll let all of these fabulous beauty lines take center stage.

Last week I went to a fashion exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibit was Women Dressing Women.

The exhibit shows the creativity and artistry of women designers from the turn of the 20th century to present day. It covers how it was a male dominated industry until Parisian seamstresses led to the establishment of the first French guild of women dressmakers in 1675. The guild system was abolished by the start of the 19th century. The appeal of fashion was that it was one of the few trades available to women. Dressmaking was categorized as “women’s work”. The exhibit covers the ups and downs of dressmaking .

Midcentury innovators such as Clair McCardell and Bonnie Cashin in the US introduced ease and freedom in apparel and advocated for professional autonomy. This was the start of what became known as sportswear.

Women designers are featured from 1910 to the present. French houses represented are Jeanne Lavin, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Madeleine Vionnet. American makers Ann Lowe, Clair McCardell and Isabel Toledo along with contemporary designs by Iris van Herpen, Rei Kawakubo, Anifa Mvuemba and Simone Rocha. Among those featured are Betsy Johnson, Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy (Rodarte label), Sarah Burton (previously for Alexander McQueen), Muccia Prada, Jill Sander, Maria Grazia for House of Dior, Phoebe Philo for Celine, Gabrielle Chanel for House of Chanel, Donna Karan, Hanae Mori, Tory Burch, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Muir, (Adele) Henriette Nigrin for Fortuny.

Enjoy the incredible eye candy!

It has been a few years since Blazers were front and center in your closet. And it has taken several seasons (actually since 2020) to get it to the “It’s everywhere” point. So, just in case you are wondering if your choices would be good ones, I’ve checked various sources and here is a list for you. At the end of the blog there are several photos that I took in Bloomingdale’s to illustrate.

Blazers with:

Leather (or faux) pants and leggings- make sure the blazer is a longer length.

Leather (or faux) skirts-this is a good edgy look. Co-ordinate the leather color to the jacket to elongate the look.

Plaid pants-either match the jacket or go with a solid jacket.

High waisted pants.

Flare leg pants-looks best if the waist is fitted and then the leg flares out.

Wide leg pants-flow and movement make the legs look longer. Make sure you choose a shoe that works.

Denim shorts or Denim skirts-perfect combo for a laid-back look or a refined look making an ensemble.

Bermuda shorts-monochromatic is best.

Matching pants for a classic, polished look.

Cigarette pants.

Cropped pants-show off your shoes!

Animal print skirt-a confident look. Wear with matching color bag and statement accessories.

Pencil skirts-very classic.

Sequin skirt-this is a great look and can be totally dressy or put it with a hoodie and its casual.

Satin Cami- very feminine and elegant.

Satin dresses-blazer color should complement the dress, or you can do a matching satin blazer.

Satin pants-if paired with a satin blazer it gives a clean line and will look balanced.

Satin pleated skirt – a fabulous look is a pleated midi skirt with a fitted blazer. Pleated skirts in other fabrics also work well with blazers.

A white button-down shirt- this is a canvas for the blazer.

A white turtleneck is timeless.

Floral dresses-best to keep the blazer in a neutral color or ground color.

Lace skirts-the structure of a blazer looks great with lacey details.

I think that gives you lots to think about! Enjoy!! Here are photos I took at Bloomingdale’s.

I just love thinking and writing about Spring colors when the snow is falling!

The colors for Spring 2024 are really wearable. After these colors were selected, Peach Fuzz was added as the color for 2024. These colors are very familiar and easy to wear. Leatrice Eiseman , Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, says “Colors for NYFW Spring 2024 inspire feelings of release. Opening the imagination and amplifying and liberating our own unique artistic spirit, they enable us to express ourselves in more inventive ways. A harmonious mix of familiar shades infused with a contemporary edge, colors for NYFW Spring 2024 introduce a new interpretation of current times as memories of the past and a glimpse of the future bring hope for the present”. I’m always telling you about the power of COLOR!

Here are the colors you will be seeing. Enjoy adding these new colors to our closet.