invisibleclotheshorse

For once, big business does the right thing

2012-02-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not accustomed to hearing that a huge corporation has done something positive for equality or human rights, yet that's exactly the sort of news I found posted all over Facebook today. It seems JCPenney has decided to defy the wishes of One Million Moms (was the name 40,000 Bigots already taken?) & retain Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson. I didn't shop at JCPenney for a long time, but found several cute pieces of clothing there last year, & this recent news sent me directly to their website after work today.

As one who works outside the home, I don't often catch Ms. DeGeneres' show unless I have taken the day off to get a mani/pedi in preparation for a vacation or other special event. In the broadcasts I have seen, Ms. DeGeneres has come across as a talented, engaging, funny host & interviewer. Sexuality aside, she's damn good at her job & has every right to a hugely successful career. With regard to her orientation, I am a longtime supporter of GLBT rights, including marriage equality, so between this incident & California's rejection of Proposition 8, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic this week. Thanks, JCPenney & California, for doing the right thing. May other companies & states follow suit, soon.

Now, off to check out that cute polka dot dress I saw on the JCPenney website earlier...

Men do make passes at retro divas who wear glasses.

2012-01-23T19:00:00.001-08:00

Men do make passes at retro divas who wear glasses., originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I've needed reading glasses since middle school, mostly due to astigmatism. If I read or surf the 'net for long without them, I will get a blinding headache - literally. Since 2007, I've basically needed the things all the time to avoid that fate, although I'm still able to go onstage (I do theater, opera, & cabaret performances) or attend a dressy event for a few hours sans specs. If that changes as I age, I will seriously consider Lasik. Some friends have urged me to get contacts, but the idea of sticking little things in my eyes every day makes me queasy. Sounds silly coming from someone with two tattoos, but it's true!

Glasses can be horribly expensive, which is one reason I've held off on replacing my beloved Bellagios (the rhinestone-trimmed frames I'm wearing in many of my posts.) At $250 for a complete pair, they're hardly at the highest eyewear price point - I understand frames alone can cost $1500 or more if one is wealthy & a bit insane - but I've just been finding other things to spend my money on lately (more vintage dresses from eBay & Etsy. Oops.) Still, as it had been two years since my last eye exam, I recently dragged myself to the optometrist, knowing full well that I'd end up ordering new glasses even if my vision hadn't changed substantially, which it hasn't - hooray!

While the Bellagios were on order, I found the fabulous cat-eye specs I'm wearing in this pic on eyebuydirect. I'd taken care to obtain a copy pf my prescription from the optometrist's office, & with that at hand, I was able to order these babies for $49.95, lenses & all. They fit well, do their job, medically speaking, & I absolutely love how they look! I am finding that the over-the-top shape works best with simpler silhouettes, so my more outrageous outfits may still call for the (new) Bellagios, which have arrived & are also wonderful. I love having a wardrobe in which blinged-out eyewear can pass for subtle.

Santa rocked out, as always!

2011-12-30T10:28:00.001-08:00

Detail of Iosselliani ring, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Whew! The last few months got away from me, blog-wise, but for very pleasant reasons - I had a great performing gig, was spending a lot of time with friends, & had plenty to do at my day job, including writing a bunch of blog posts for our soon-to-be launched, much-upgraded website. Since we're about to "ring" in 2012, I thought this might be a good time to post a pic of my major holiday haul.

I'd never heard of Iosselliani until Barneys sent me an email featuring this ring & several others. As you may know, I am a design snob, especially re: jewelry, & can't be bothered with most new baubles that are anywhere near my price range. My tastes tend to lie at either end of the spectrum - very classic or totally bizarre - & it's usually much easier for me to satisfy them with vintage sparkles. Most moderately-priced new jewelry is so "safe", aesthetically, that I find it visually offensive. I adore much of Tom Binns' & Delfina Delettrez' work, but due to their price points, must admire their most interesting pieces from afar. In a similar vein, this ring was outside of Santa's current budget when I first emailed it to him. Sigh.

Fast forward to mid-December, a 60% off sale, & more utterly shameless hint-dropping. Santa took the bait & this fabulous sterling-&-faux-gem rockpile made its way into my Christmas stocking. He was rewarded with a bottle of each of his favorite after-dinner tipples: port & single malt Scotch. Milk & cookies would hardly have been adequate!

I hope all of your holiday wishes came true & that 2012 will be a great year. Cheers!

Vintage "Carmencita" dress, Chanel bag, Sesto Meucci heels

2011-10-03T11:26:00.001-07:00

Vintage "Carmencita" dress, Chanel bag, Sesto Meucci heels, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

What a weekend! Last Saturday was J's birthday, & for once, I didn't have to work. I love what I do for a living, but this time of year tends to be busy & I often end up with gigs on J's birthday, our anniversary, or both. We decided to celebrate by making the weekend revolve around two of our favorite things: food & movies.

On Saturday afternoon, we saw "Contagion", which is brilliant & very scary because the plot line is so realistic. The characters are well-written & acted & there are several strong female roles, something one doesn't always get from mainstream Hollywood. Following the movie, we went home, changed into dressier attire, & headed to The Prime Rib, our favorite steakhouse, for dinner.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the manager came out to meet our car. How often does that happen? Okay, he's a great guy & we're Facebook friends, but really, J & I felt like movie stars! Once inside, we had delicious drinks (a rye Manhattan for J, a Champagne cocktail for me) before settling into our cozy table. There, J feasted on roasted tomato soup & the "split cut" of Prime Rib (despite its name, not a small steak!) while I tucked into a Caesar salad, followed by the most perfectly cooked piece of rockfish I have ever eaten. We shared a fabulous bottle of Chianti & two side dishes: green beans & tomatoes as well as mashed potatoes. Dessert was a slice of chocolate mousse pie, gratis because we were celebrating J's birthday, & of course I had to accompany my share of the sweet with a glass of Chartreuse. If the food sounds old-school, well, it is, & it's the sort of cuisine that's becoming increasingly hard to find on restaurant menus, especially high-end ones. Service was marvelous, as always; we left full, happy, & in my case, slightly tipsy.

J & I love all kinds of food, from fine dining to street-fair fare. We can both find dishes we love from almost any culture or region. When dining out, we just want to have a great experience, especially on a birthday, anniversary, or other "big night." Alas, many establishments fall short in at least one of the areas that matter to us on all occasions: food, wine list, atmosphere, & clientele. Gimmicky menus, bar food at crazy prices, & snobbish customers who are rude to the staff (& perhaps even to other diners!) are not for us. Fortunately, none of the above was in evidence on Saturday night.

One great meal deserves another, no? That was our line of thinking on Sunday, when we headed to Gertrude's, another favorite spot, for an amazing brunch. J had a mimosa & a garden omelet; I chose a "Dirty Gertie" (spicy Bloody Mary, garnished with a shrimp) & Eggs Gertrude (eggs Benedict, but with crab cakes instead of meat.) Naturally, we each had a cup of red crab soup to start - not doing so would have been unthinkable! Again, food, drinks, & service were superb.

We finished off our festive weekend by watching Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" on satellite TV. Missed this one in theaters; & what a shame - the special effects are marvelous & actually enhance the plot rather than being an excuse for lack of one. All of the performances are terrific, as is the script. Even on the small screen, not to be missed.

And now it's Monday & we're back to reality, but our anniversary is at the end of this month, so perhaps more weekend decadence awaits!

NY skyline skirt detail

2011-09-04T14:01:00.001-07:00

NY skyline skirt detail, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I just had to add a detail pic of today's find. Check out the Chrysler Building at top left!

NY skyline skirt

2011-09-04T14:00:00.001-07:00

NY skyline skirt, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I can be a snob about antique/vintage reproductions. Many are dumbed-down in design & quality, usually with the excuse that they've been "updated", but it always looks to me as if the manufacturer just didn't want to put in the effort to make a good copy of the older item. When J & I stopped in our favorite antiques mall this afternoon, I found this skirt on a rack & gasped. I was sure it was "the real deal" - from the 50's - but in amazing condition. Was it dead stock? I looked inside the waistband for a tag & nearly fell over when I saw a label that read "twenty one". Yes, as in Forever Twenty-One, the mall store. I've found some cute things in there over the years, including an embroidered satin cocktail dress that some of my friends still insist is D&G, but this is the best retro-repro piece I've seen them produce. Even if this isn't a copy of an older garment, it's brilliant IMO; nothing ersatz about it. The fabric is nice, the colors & pattern are true to the era it's trying to evoke, & it's got enough of a sweep that I can definitely wear a crinoline under it. I have no idea when this skirt was in stores & our clothing dealer friends weren't in their booth today, so if you're after it for yourself, my advice would be to check F21's website & then eBay. Snagged this baby for $18 - a steal, even though it's several inches too large in the waist. I know a very good alterations lady, but I may have to belt this baby & wear her once before surrendering her to needle & thread.

Jet parure, probably mourning jewelry, circa 1860

2011-09-04T09:47:00.001-07:00

Jet parure, probably mourning jewelry, circa 1860, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

More fabulously unaffordable goodies from last weekend's antiques show. This is probably the nicest complete parure of jet jewelry that I've ever seen. If I'd had $4500 to spare, it would have come home with me, but alas, we had to give it back to the dealer after he was kind enough to let me take a pic. J loves this sort of set, too, as much for the case (original & bearing the name of the Regent Street shop at which it was originally purchased) as for the contents. Every single piece in this group was in amazing condition, no mean feat given its age & the fact that many women wore mourning clothes & accessories for four years or more after the death of a spouse or child.

The aesthetic beauty of antiques is only part of their appeal, at least for me. I'm not interested in collecting for reasons of status, either. I love the social & cultural significance behind the objects, even when, as here, they were most likely purchased during less-than-happy times. I wonder how I would have dealt with wearing mourning? The nonconformist in me would have been appalled at being expected to wear only certain styles & colors due to societal expectations lest I be accused of not grieving sufficiently or having loose morals. Both men & women wore mourning attire during the Victorian era, but standards were stricter for women. The feminist in me bristles at that, as at many things, but I must admit I'm glad beautiful objects like these were created & that some have survived for us look at & ponder.

A diva can dream, can't she?

2011-09-02T11:28:00.001-07:00

A diva can dream, can't she?, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Last week was pretty weird. First we had an earthquake, then the entire eastern seaboard anxiously awaited the arrival of Hurricane Irene. I'm pleased to say J & I only lost power for about 30 minutes, & overnight at that. Many of our friends & colleagues weren't so lucky. Our sun porch roof also leaked a bit. but it's been known to do that in far smaller storms.

In the midst of Mother Nature's drama, I paid 3 visits to the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair. I saw lots of friends, including some European dealers I only get to chat with once a year, & of course I had a chance to ogle all sorts of fabulous old stuff. At this point, our house is pretty well-stocked with furniture, china, glassware, etc, although you'll never catch me admitting that around J ("But we don't have *green* wineglasses yet, honey!") I'm still on a budget, too. So, the show was primarily a social event/learning opportunity for me, as it has been in some years past. I've been attending this temptation-packed show for over 15 years & have learned to set my budget before leaving the house. If there's nothing truly amazing in my price range, I leave empty-handed.

Enough maturity, sense, & good financial judgment for now. Time for a trip to Fantasyland. In this pic, I am wearing the most amazing necklace I have ever seen. I often go for elaborate designs - think Moderne pieces from the 1940's or delicate-but-not-cutesy Deco filigree - but here is photographic proof that simplicity need not be bland. Not if you have big enough rocks, anyway. I can't even remember the total carat weight, but yes, those are diamonds - big ones - all the way around my neck. They're set in gold topped with sterling silver, which was common practice before white gold & platinum came into use. The necklace dates from the Victorian era & I would love to know who has owned it over the years. It's obviously been lovingly cared for, & who wouldn't treat such a spectacular piece like the work of art it is? I hung out at this booth for a long, long time - two days in a row - just so I could enjoy the sensation of having all this gorgeousness around my neck. Okay, the fact that the dealer was hot & all of his merchandise was spectacular didn't hurt, either. I think he actually believed that J & I were going to buy this fabulous bit of bling, which is too hilarious for words given its price tag: $130,000, a/k/a more than we currently owe on our house. Yes, you read that correctly. Most reluctantly, we gave the necklace back to the jeweler.

I know there are people who love to moralize about expensive wearables, especially the kind that sparkle. "There are people starving", "No one NEEDS that sort of thing", blah blah blah. That's very true, but do most of us *need* our of-the-moment tech gadgets, super-duper coffee makers, pricey jeans, or "good" bags? Of course not. We buy them because we like them. If J & I had the wherewithal, this necklace would have been mine in a second. We don't. We never will. We're both perfectly okay with that. There's more to life than obsessing over material things you'll never be able to own. Cool stuff enhances life - a lot! - but it won't make up for being in a career you hate or a soul-crushing relationship just to have a certain amount of purchasing power. Leave that to the Joneses & enjoy your life.

Deco Etc's booth at the 2011 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

2011-08-26T06:40:00.001-07:00

Deco Etc's booth at the 2011 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

It's that time of year again. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is going on through Sunday at the Baltimore Convention Center. I've been going to this show for over 15 years & jokingly (?) refer to it as a religious holiday. If you are even the least bit interested in antiques, regardless of period, & can get to this event, you must. All of the "usual" stuff is available: jewelry, handbags, china, silver, furniture, etc., but you can also find super-binoculars that came off of the Berlin Wall & a US Navy ship, an actual lobster cast in nickel, & other fabulous oddities. The dealers at this show tend to be fun people who really know their stuff, so it's easy to spend half an hour or more chatting at one booth.

I cruised the show for about four hours last night & didn't see half of it, even at a rapid pace, so am going back today & tomorrow (have to work Sunday, or I'd probably go then, too!) Favorite booths this far: Deco Etc., Frank's Specialties, Jo & Olly, Daniels Antiques, Deco 2 Midcentury, Bridges Over Time, & Jane Fletcher. And now, if you'll excuse me, I must get dressed & head for the show!

Shabby Apple dress. This could be yours... or mine, hehe... free!

2011-08-25T10:21:00.001-07:00

Shabby Apple dress. This could be yours... or mine!, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'm half-Irish & I'm told I wear jewel tones very, very well, so you can imagine my reaction when I saw this gorgeous green dress on my friend's blog, Consume or Consumed. I'd never heard of this brand, Shabby Apple, but apparently their designs tend toward feminine/vintage-inspired styles. Uh, count me in!

So here's the deal. If you'd like to win this baby in your size, *free*, you need to be a subscriber of Consume or Consumed. You can gain extra entries (one possible entry per action) by doing the following:

Blog the giveaway with a link to the post.
Like Shabby Apple on Facebook.
Like Consume or Consume on Facebook.
Tweet the giveaway at jesspgh (with a link to the tweet.)

Here are some more contest deets, lovingly ripped off from Consume or Consumed:

The contest will close at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

The winner will be chosen one week from today via drawing on random.org to receive the Mariposa Grove dress which will ship directly from Shabby Apple. I will contact and announce the winner on Friday morning.

If you can't wait that long, Shabby Apple has offered an exclusive 10% off discount to readers of Consume or Consumed. Use coupon code consumeorconsumed10off (available and active until September 24th, 2011) at checkout. Have fun exploring the adorable women's dresses, little girl's dresses, and maternity dresses available on Shabby Apple's website!

Here's a link to the original contest on Consume or Consumed:

http://consumerconsumed.blogspot.com/2011/08/win-adorable-dress-in-your-size-from.html

Outfit for train to NY, 8-12-11

2011-08-21T08:38:00.001-07:00

Outfit for train to NY, 8-12-11, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'll begin today's post with a quote - quite possibly the most brilliant fashion-related quote I've ever read: "A dash of eccentric glamour gives you the power to keep the wrong kind of men away." - Isabel Toledo

Isabel Toledo is a Cuban-American fashion designer who has dressed First Lady Michelle Obama, among many others. I've admired Ms. Toledo's work for some time, & having stumbled across the above quote on Facebook this morning, I have a newfound respect for her attitude toward life & relationships as well.

As a society, we invest clothes & accessories with tremendous meaning. We're constantly told "what not to wear" in various situations - to job interviews, on special occasions, & especially when trying to attract a partner. In some ways, it seems, the mating game has even stricter rules of attire than the office. I can't count the number of how-to-dress-for-a-date articles I've skimmed online. Some are aimed at men, but the vast majority are directed toward women. According to pretty much every one of them, my personal style should be a one-way ticket to eternally single, crazy cat lady status. I wear intense lipstick (usually red or deep pink), I almost never don jeans, I have to wear glasses most of the time (okay, I'm pondering Lasik; not sure I could do contacts. I have two tattoos & sat through both inkings like a trouper, but the idea of sticking little things in my eyes every day makes me a bit queasy.) I wear vintage on a regular basis & have recently begun rebuilding my hat collection. To top off all of that, I'm 41 & short, but am I miserable & alone? Nope. I'm married to a hunk who adores my style & is a very natty, retro-fabulous dresser in his own right. According to those articles, the way I look should keep me right out of the workforce, too, but I've been at my current job for almost 18 years. Granted, I work for a nonprofit arts organization, but I have a great gig at which dressing pretty much as I please is but one of many perks.

I'm both fascinated & repelled by the messages popular culture sends about fashion. The one that makes me cringe most, however, is the myth of the woman who drastically changes her appearance to please a man. This one just won't die; it's been a theme in countless movies over the years ("Grease", "Rear Window", & "Pretty in Pink", to name only a few.) I have yet to see a single film in which a man gets a makeover to attract a woman or improve his current relationship.

Have I had guys try to make me over? Oh, yes. One particular incident stands out in my mind. Back in the early 90's, I was planning a trip to North Carolina to visit a guy I was in a long-distance relationship with. He was a corporate type, & just before my trip, he expressed a desire to buy me some polo shirts & khakis, explaining that he was concerned about me being "too warm" in my floaty, Natalie-Merchant-esque chiffon dresses (hey, I said it was the early 90's!) in the southern heat. More to the point: he didn't want his friends to see how I really dressed. Next, please.

Obviously, he wasn't the right guy for me. We didn't fit, not only in terms of fashion, but in many other ways (political & religious views, desire - or lack thereof - for children, etc.) He wasn't a bad guy - he helped me through one of the worst times in my life, & we did have a lot in common intellectually. We just weren't compatible for the long haul.

So, quirky girls (& guys) of the world, if you happen to read one of those makeover articles or get dire warnings about the damage your style will do to your life, consider the source & take it with a grain of salt. You may, in fact, be helping yourself to stay out of the wrong relationships, which gives you more time & energy for the right ones!

Deco green glass beads

2011-08-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

Deco green glass beads, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

So here's what I bought on my summer vacation... well, one thing, anyway. J has been doing consulting work for a few weeks now, & while he's not raking it in, he is doing well enough that we were able to take a quick trip to New York last weekend. We snagged the cheapest possible Amtrak fares ($49pp each way) & also got a great deal on a room at the Hotel Belleclaire, which proved a great place to stay.

What can one do in 48 hours in Manahttan? How about cocktails, vintage shopping, dining, & 2 10-mile runs? That's what J & I did. We don't always go on such long runs on vacay, but J is training for the JFK 50-miler this fall & I love to eat, especially in New York, so decided it was in the best interests of my waistline to go the distance with him. We met up with several friends, some of whom we've known for years & one who I had previously only known through the internet, but who is even more fun in person.

I've picked up a few singing gigs recently, so I was able to do a little shopping, mostly at flea markets. I hadn't been to the Hell's Kitchen market in years, but a friend said it's a great place to shop for vintage clothing, & was she ever right! It seemed almost every vendor had at least a few clothes, & many were offering items at $10 each. My finds included two designer skirts (Louis Feraud & Ungaro, respectively), two dresses, & a fabulously full 1950's skirt - all for $65. We also visited the Garage flea market in Chelsea, which is apparently moving to an outdoor location soon. There, I got a gorgeous black straw hat for $35 & the necklace in this pic for $25. The latter was an astonishing deal; I usually see Deco glass bead strands priced at $75 & up. I couldn't resist stopping in the Chelsea location of Shoegasm & cruising their clearance rack. When they have a sale, they really have a sale! One pair of black velvet evening shoes, one of black leather peep-toe pumps, & $60-some later, we were out the door. We stuck our heads in the UWS Loehmann's - I can't stay away when there are "Italian Event" signs in the windows - & I fell in love, or at least in lust, with some D&G shoes & a Moschino cardigan that were out of my current financial reach even at deep discounts. Sigh. At least I found a Moschino umbrella for $17. I left the store delighted with my new bumbershoot & highly annoyed that the Loehmann's nearest our house (Timonium) has become so junky. I like to call it "Where Denim Goes to Die." Oh, for the days when I found DVF dresses there for as little as $20!

If you're headed to NY anytime soon, I highly recommend that you check out the Hotel Belleclaire, as well as the store & flea markets I've mentioned. Once you've worked up an appetite shopping, head for Bagel Boss, Eataly, or I Coppi. See why I ran 10 miles - twice - on vacay?

Victor Costa SATC2 dress

2011-07-30T07:11:00.001-07:00

Victor Costa SATC2 dress, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Yes, I did it. After a year of searching eBay & Google, I've tracked down the Victor Costa dress that Charlotte wears in the second SATC movie, & I've managed to do it at a price that fits my recessionista budget.

I don't usually buy clothes I've seen in films or on celebrities. Most "it" items have little or no appeal to me & I think many celebs should have their stylists publicly flogged. There are some famous ladies whose closets I'd happily raid, including Debi Mazar, Lulu Guinness, Diane von Furstenberg, Dita von Teese, & Sarah Jessica Parker, but I don't want to be a carbon copy of anyone. I can't think of any present-day films whose wardrobe departments I'd like to ransack, unless we go back a few years to "The Devil Wears Prada." Most contemporary flicks simply do a brilliant job of illustrating why I dress retro.

This dress, however, is not just any movie dress. It's pouffy, it's strapless, & it's by Victor Costa, my go-to label for vintage special occasion frocks. When I saw Kristin Davis wearing this dress in an SATC2 promo pic, I gasped. I knew who it had been designed by & set out to find it.

Needless to say, once the film came out, eBay sellers & other vintage clothing dealers saw an opportunity to make big money on this dress. I saw several examples of it online & for a while, the going price was well over $200. I do a bit of eBay & Etsy selling myself, so I can't say I wouldn't do exactly what those other sellers did, but I also couldn't shell out that kind of change for a semi-formal summer dress. Even we don't get gussied up as often in the warmer months as we do in the winter. So, I kept searching.

Finally, about a month ago, this popped up on eBay & the seller apparently didn't know it's a "movie dress." I got it for $22 + a few bucks for alterations (it was too big in the bodice.) I wore it to the symphony last night & got tons of compliments, both from friends & complete strangers.

A very late-to-the-party note on SATC2: I enjoyed it. I went with DC-area girlfriends, did some shopping after, & treated myself to the most enormous falafel sandwich in history before driving home (yum!) The movie is incredibly silly, but a feast for the eyes. I do wish more of it had taken place in NY, but it's good fun. I never watched the TV show until it was in syndication - J & I watch almost no TV - but I love the episodes I've seen. Apparently there's an SATC prequel in the works, using younger actresses to play the girls earlier in their NY lives, & I am less than excited about the prospect. The four actresses who starred in the show & the first two films embodied their characters so beautifully that I can't imagine anyone else doing them justice. Maybe I'm just old & crotchety, or maybe the later "Star Wars" movies (I saw the first two in that series & stayed away from the third like the plague) have put me off prequels for good. I think I'll stick to catching the occasional episode of the show, perhaps seeing the films again if they pop up on TV when I'm not busy, & wearing this amazing dress whenever the right event comes along.

Betsey Johnson dress, Michael Antonio shoes, Chanel bag

2011-07-23T08:10:00.001-07:00

Betsey Johnson dress, Michael Antonio shoes, Chanel bag, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Hey, look, I have a bouquet growing out of my head. Actually, I'm standing in the lobby of the Belvedere Hotel, home of The Owl Bar, one of our favorite local watering holes. It's a gorgeous old room with a storied past - apparently, during Prohibition, the Owl was a notorious speakeasy. If the owl statue's eyes were blinking, patrons could imbibe without fear of getting busted. If the owl was staring straight ahead, that meant the feds weren't far away & a "wise old owl" would "say less & hear more", to paraphrase the bar's slogan from those days. Presumably, he or she would also need to get rid of the liquid "evidence" in a hurry. If the Owl's bartenders were as generous then as they are now, the resulting speed-tippling must have led to some interesting nights, not to mention mornings after!

I've been a Betsey Johnson fan since the 80's; found this dress at Loehmann's several years ago. I still peruse her stuff online & in stores, although not all of it fits my style (or, alas, my budget) at this point. Have Betsey's designs gotten younger, or am I just reluctantly admitting to getting older? I still wear lots of strapless dresses, pouffy skirts, & the occasional ruffle, but I don't always feel comfortable combining all of those things in one item or outfit, especially if there's a micro-mini or pastel color involved. There's a fine line between "still looks good enough to wear that" & the dreaded MDAL, or "mutton dressed as lamb."

Recently, I blasted a famous fashion house (okay, Prada) on a certain Very Popular Social Networking Site for releasing a scent that not only smells like candy, it's actually named after it. I know many people love sweet fragrances, but do we really need another foodie/gourmand spritz in the world? Prada's previous perfumes have been plenty sweet IMO, so much that they turn into hideous, sticky monsters on my skin. A true shame, as I am a fan of many of Prada's clothing & accessory designs & would love to express my admiration for the brand in a way I can actually afford, maybe without even snagging it on eBay. I can't even imagine what "Candy" would smell like on me. Perhaps a cake that's been left in a Baltimore trash can for about a week, in late July? *shudders*

My remarks provoked a most unexpected reaction: I got trolled. Really. I would have been fine with someone saying my ideas about fragrance are silly & old-school - that happens all the time, yawn - but some bozo took it upon himself to click on my profile pic & attack my fashion sense as... MDAL. Them's fightin' words, dude, but I didn't diss his wardrobe in retaliation, even though that would have been ridiculously easy. Who wears "muscle" shirts in 2011...? I refrained from commenting & simply blocked him, which apparently means we can't see each others' posts, etc. from now on. That's more than fine with me. What makes the incident even weirder is that this guy apparently thought the perfume sounded icky, too; he just needed to pick on a complete stranger (preferably a female?) online. Nice.

I see all sorts of similar negativity on the 'net, of course. Some people seem to truly believe inane slogans like "it's the internet, wear a helmet." Of course, they're the same ones to post all-caps rants or leave discussion boards in a huff the moment anyone dares question the veracity or wisdom of something they've posted. To me, a bully is a bully, online or IRL. If you can't treat others, including those who disagree with you, in a respectful manner, please step away from the keyboard, and don't expect the mods of any site to give you carte blanche to violate their TOS, no matter how frequently you've posted there. I love the internet, but it has a very ugly side, one that reflects & quite possibly even contributes to the decline in IRL civility.

Whew. Rant over. Now I'm off to put on whatever I damn well feel like wearing. Haters gonna hate. Have a great Saturday, all.

This kind of sums up the past week.

2011-07-16T08:46:00.001-07:00

This kind of sums up the past week. , originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Along with J's job-hunting stress, financial worries,& summer cold issues (I've been fighting the nastiest warm-weather bug I can recall for over 3 weeks, & I think it's finally gone - whew) we had to deal with this mess when we got home on Thursday afternoon.

J & I are faithful recyclers. Every Thursday morning, he takes bags &/or boxes of recyclable items out to the alley behind our house & leaves them for pickup. It seems the workers responsible for carting away our recycling were in a bit of a rush this week, so when they spilled a good bit of what we'd set out, it was too much trouble to pick it up, & they left a huge mess for us to deal with. Grr. I've emailed our city council rep, who is fabulous, as well as the head of public works. I am doing my best not to be one of those Baltimore residents who bashes local government or says "What can you expect? It's the city..." every time something unpleasant affects them. This sort of thing happens everywhere; it's just very annoying when it happens to you.

There have been many negative stories about Baltimore in the news lately. Okay, there usually are. Crime grabs headlines. "If it bleeds, it leads." Don't get me started on the kinds of comments that crime-in-Baltimore stories generate online. I have to keep my reading of such nonsense to a minimum or I risk damage to my health, my computer, or both.

I'm not saying the media shouldn't keep the public informed, nor am I insensitive to the very real damage that crime does to our city & many others. Having been the victim of a violent crime myself, I know all too well how hard it is to recover, emotionally, after such an incident, & I was lucky enough not to be physically harmed. I can't imagine how horrible it must be to lose a loved one to street violence. Still, city-bashing really gets on my nerves, especially when it comes from people who have never lived here or think that Baltimore's problems (mainly crime & poverty) mean that when visiting, one can act like the trash that litters far too many of our public places. I've actually overheard suburbanites saying it's okay to get drunk & vomit all over Fell's Point, Federal Hill, etc. because "like, it's the city & like, no one CARES about the city." Uh, except those of us who call Baltimore home. Not all visitors are like this, of course, & we're glad to show our hometown off to anyone who wants to visit, provided that they treat the city with the same respect they would their own town or suburb. If you're going to come into town & act like a yahoo - destroying people's property, using the street as your bathroom, or just catcalling & making disgusting remarks to women, please stay home. J & I are skipping Artscape this weekend because we just don't want to deal with the drunken idiots who've made the event so unpleasant the past several years. Honfest seems to attract a more civil crowd, perhaps because it's a smaller event.

I used to trash-talk the suburbs on a regular basis, but as I've gotten older, I've come to see that they offer a lifestyle that suits many people. Much as J & I love it, city life isn't for everyone. We wish there were easy solutions to Baltimore's ills, but there aren't. We just do our best to stay safe & keep our little corner of the city clean.

Barbara Feinman hat, vintage maxi dress & bag, Lulu Guinness espies

2011-07-16T07:58:00.001-07:00

Barbara Feinman hat, vintage maxi dress & bag, Lulu Guinness espies, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

There aren't a lot of holes in my wardrobe at this point, but I am a bit short on casual summer dresses. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of shorts. Most of the ones marketed to women fall into one of two categories: "Daisy Dukes" (barely enough fabric to cover the essentials - not a good look IMO even if you are 18 & a size 0, & I am neither) or "For When You've Given Up" (pleated, baggy, pouffy, & generally resembling khaki garbage bags.) Even when I see a reasonably stylish pair of Bermudas, I tend to shy away because the damn things never fit my body (just as longer pants usually don't) so I stay in my skirt-&-dress comfort zone. My office is pretty casual, but the clothes I wear to work still seem too businesslike for running errands & heading to the flea market in 90-degree heat, so I've been on the hunt for casual options that are a bit boho but don't scream "granola".

Enter this fabulous eBay find from a few weeks ago. I adore maxi dresses, but am so short that many of them overwhelm me or end up creating puddles of fabric on the floor. I also love "peasant" styles, especially anything that makes me feel like I should be singing Carmen when I wear it. This dress fits both bills & is incredibly comfortable as well.

Photo: Souris River Rising in North Dakota Forcing As Many as 10,000 to Evacuate | Denver Post Media Center — Denver, Colorado, Photos and Video

2011-06-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Photo: Souris River Rising in North Dakota Forcing As Many as 10,000 to Evacuate | Denver Post Media Center — Denver, Colorado, Photos and Video

Talk about a flood of emotions. Imagine the city or town you grew up in - the club your dad has golfed at for decades (& where you swam every summer as a kid,) the gas station your parents always filled their cars up at, the house you used to live in, etc. Now imagine that they're all under water, or likely to be.

I left Minot, North Dakota at age 19 because I wanted a life that I didn't feel was available there. After my graduation from the University of Iowa (& a year of frantic job-hunting) I landed in Baltimore, Maryland, a city I've proudly called home for nearly 18 years. My husband, J, & I never want to leave this area unless we're moving to an even larger city, perhaps one with palm trees, or maybe Europe. Still, that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like hell to see pictures of familiar places being destroyed. My parents' "new" house (the one they've lived in since I was 15, LOL) is on a hill, so they've been watching their sump pump closely, but will likely be spared. Some of my childhood friends still live in Minot, or have loved ones who do, & may face the loss of their homes, businesses, or both. One of my old boyfriends probably won't lose his home, but has been bailing out his basement for weeks (sometimes with the help of another of my old boyfriends... hey, it's a small town.)

Minot doesn't make the national news very often, & when it does, it's usually because of extreme weather. Then again, when Baltimore makes headlines, they tend to be crime-related. Ouch. There's more to both places than that, but you know the old saying about the news media - "If it bleeds, (or in this case, floods) it leads." I've been reading tons of online news stories about the flooding, both on local & regional TV stations' websites & from farther-flung sources. My parents were rather surprised to learn that the flooding catastrophe had made the NY Times. Some of the comments posted after the online stories have made me want to reach through the computer screen & shake people. There are those at various points on the political spectrum (ahem) who feel the need to turn everything into a platform for their own views, & much as I tend to agree with those who think global warming may have at least contributed to this crisis, I feel that we can wait to address that later; it's more important now to offer help to those affected, even if we only do so by sending good thoughts. Other posters wonder why we should care about people being turned out of such "ordinary" houses.... maybe because they are people's HOMES? I recall reading similar comments after Hurricane Katrina & feeling sick to my stomach. Same thing this time around, only worse; I have no connection to New Orleans.

One type of comment that I find hard to take in this case is "it's just stuff", directed to those who might lose their residences &/or places of business. Yes, I understand that people who say these things do so with good intentions. I just can't sit here in my nice, dry house, safe & sound, surrounded by my husband, our cats, & all of our belongings, & say such a thing. I'd feel too smug. Amazingly, one of my old friends made a remark along those lines on Facebook & he IS in danger of losing his business to the flood. Maybe he has an inner strength I wasn't given, or perhaps people just deal with adversity differently in order to stay sane.

Of course it's true that loved ones are more important than possessions. J & I have faced a couple of life-threatening situations of our own, namely a serious accident & later an armed carjacking. (I hope we're done with those sorts of drama.) Still, I'm reminded of friends of my first husband's, whose house was gutted by fire while they were on vacation. Not only were they spared injury or death, they are well-to-do & were able to live in their vacation home while their primary residence was being repaired, so they had it far better than many fire victims, to be sure. When they mourned belongings lost in the blaze, we never once heard them mention antiques, art, clothing, or furniture. What hurt them most was that prior to going away, they'd spent an evening looking at old pictures of their wedding, their kids growing up, family holidays. Had they taken time to put them away, the mementos might have been spared, but sitting where they were, every single one of those pictures was devoured by the flames. Sometimes it really does hurt most to lose the "little" things. Hearing their story, I cried a little & gave big thanks to my lucky stars. I'm feeling the same way toward those affected by this awful flooding. Good thoughts are all I can send them right now, but I'll keep 'em coming. Be safe, everyone.

Victor Costa "Commedia dell'arte" dress

2011-06-24T07:02:00.001-07:00

Victor Costa "Commedia dell'arte" dress, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Up, up & away... when I first found this vintage Victor Costa dress in a local thrift store, I called it the "Hot Air Balloon" dress because it has such pouffy sleeves. I also had a slight fear that it might make me look like said aircraft, but was so in love with the thing that I bought it anyway. Victor Costa dresses are beautifully constructed & with the exception of a long velvet gown that had to be chopped off at the bottom due to my short stature, I've never had to alter one. No wonder VC has been my go-to brand for special occasion dresses for years.

I recently wore this to opening night (er, day) of a play that my husband is in. The theater has a large Orthodox Jewish clientele, so all their shows are staged according to that culture's standards of modesty, which means that J has had to learn a few "new" (to him) rules of conduct during the rehearsal & performance process. One that's been rather difficult for him: no touching between unmarried (or otherwise very closely related) men & women. J & I are both huggers from way back, as are most secular theater people, but even innocently embracing a female co-star would be extremely inappropriate in this context, so he's contented himself with verbal congratulations. When in Rome, right? The show is great - brilliant script & wonderful cast - & has been a learning experience for both of us. I wore this dress to the show partly because I love it, but also due to a desire to be at least somewhat respectful of my environment. I have plenty of chances to wear sleeveless, spaghetti strap, & strapless things; didn't feel the need to stick a lot of skin (& some ink) in people's faces that day.

Which got me thinking, because I usually bristle at words like "modesty", so I went online & began researching Orthodox Judaism. I found a lot of very interesting information about the faith & its practices, especially on www.jewinthecity.com., a site created by Allison Josephs, who began to take an interest in Orthodox Judaism as a teenager. Ms. Josephs is a very talented & persuasive writer, & the videos on her site are hilarious. I can't say I agree with everything I read on her site, but I have issues with almost every faith due to my personal beliefs (childfree by choice, staunchly pro-gay rights... you get the idea.) That said, I have tremendous respect for the strength of her convictions & her willingness to live by them, even when it's not easy. Oh, & by the way, Orthodox Judaism has high standards of modesty for men as well as for women, both in dress & behavior. To me, that makes it quite different from certain other cultures (hello, mainstream America) in which women, or even very young girls, are expected to show lots of skin, but demonized if they actually express their physical desires, yet men can do as they please.

DIY Rhinestone Clamper Bracelet

2011-06-24T06:14:00.001-07:00

DIY Rhinestone Clamper Bracelet , originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

On a recent trip to NYC, I went out for a run & spotted some fabulous KJL cuff bracelets in the window of a vintage store. Unfortunately, such pieces coast around $300, even on eBay (yes, I checked.) With J still between jobs, such an expenditure is not an option.

A couple of days after I got home, J & I needed to make a "mall run" & I decided to see if any of the stores had similar cuffs in stock, or perhaps something I could customize. I found a plain, hinged black plastic cuff bracelet on sale for $7 at NY & Co. Then I checked a few vintage stores for a broken pin or brooch that I could use as an ornament (I generally dislike altering old jewelry if it still "works") but found nothing suitable. I went through my jewelry armoire at home & came across a gorgeous old rhinestone brooch that I hadn't worn in ages because its pin back was glued on at the wrong angle, which made it impossible to get the piece to hang right on a jacket or dress. I pried the pin back off, got out the super glue, & went to work. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Due per Due silk sundress - fabric detail

2011-03-22T18:22:00.001-07:00

Due per Due silk sundress - fabric detail, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Ouch. I've been a bad, bad blogger. After I posted the sundress pic below, I realized I hadn't written a single word in my invisibleclotheshorse guise since 12/7/2010, a/k/a my birthday. Sorry! There were the holidays, & a show ("The Mikado") & there was also... wait for it... another layoff of Mr. Altocat. On 12/23/10. Really. Nice timing, no? Jobs are insanely scarce in his field these days, so it seems some employers feel quite free to get a great deal of quality work out of staff members, then dump them without warning.

So, I haven't been the most cheerful critter lately, & didn't want to infect the blogosphere with a series of rants about the alleged economic recovery being a load of bunk, people not appreciating hard work, etc. I've been doing enough of that in person. That said, I'm also trying to take better care of some things I've sorely neglected over the past three months, like reading (my book club is helping a lot with that!), cooking, the house, & yes, this blog.

Fashion always helps lift my spirits, but I can't spend like I used to. We have debts to pay off & are living on a drastically reduced income. I'm actually rather enjoying going back to my twentysomething ways of buying mostly vintage clothing. It's (usually) cheap, it's "green", & it seriously reduces the odds of my ever showing up at an event in the same dress another woman is wearing. I still browse in stores & look at "regular" shopping websites, & I've slipped a couple of times, but I'm doing pretty well in terms of not buying anything that isn't a replacement for a worn-out item & not using credit cards. I'm no paragon of financial virtue, & I probably never will be. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't pine for the income J & I had three years ago, before the economy tanked. We probably miss travel the most - used to visit New York & South Beach pretty frequently, went to Florence for my birthday in 2009, & were dreaming of more European destinations before our recent bad news. For now, we have to stay put, but at least we can do so in style.

Thrift score - Due per Due silk sundress, $4.

2011-03-22T17:49:00.001-07:00

Thrift score - Due per Due silk sundress, $4., originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Spring is sprung in Baltimore. Well, sort of. Over the weekend, I noticed a few blossoms on trees during a morning run, & today, I awoke with a scratchy throat & slightly congested sinuses, which sent me into a bit of a panic until I realized that it's late March - pollen time!

I had the urge to go thrift shopping over the weekend, so I headed for the Value Village on Eastern Avenue, a store that has yielded some pretty amazing finds over the years, including a California Pottery "gypsy girl" figurine, a St. John skirt, & this dress. The brand is Due per Due, which I'm only vaguely familiar with, & since a Web search turned up their site, but with collections from 2008 listed as current, I fear they may be out of business. This is 100% silk, lined, & set me back all of $4. Not only that, the red shoes in the print are almost identical to the Faryl Robins I'm wearing in this picture! I always enjoy sundress weather, but I do hope we get a bit of spring (70 degrees, please, not 50 & not 90) first. If anyone has info on Due per Due, please post, & thanks!

Miu Miu Harlequin Shoes

2010-12-07T07:23:00.001-08:00

Miu Miu Harlequin Shoes, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

After our Bergdorf browse-a-thon (see post below), J & I had a delicious lunch at 3 Guys on Madison Avenue, then decided to check out some of the consignment shops in that area. He had warmed to the looks of the floral-trimmed pumps as I walked around in them, but their price tag still put them in the "no way!" category, so he was only too happy to point out the lovelies in this picture... also by Miu Miu & $80 at La Boutique (1045 Madison Avenue.)

While I was trying these on, we spoke to a very nice couple, around our age & stylishly dressed. The wife sighed when she saw these & said "I could never get away with those where we live!" That came as a surprise; I'd assumed they were from New York, & said so, which made her laugh as she'd thought the same about us. Turns out they hailed from North Carolina - I'm not sure which city or town, but apparently it's one where high fashion doesn't go over well. I'm only too familiar with that, having grown up in a small town in the era of acid wash jeans & overpriced Benetton rugby shirts, but preferring to copy outfits from old movies or the pages of Vogue.

When I moved to the east coast, I assumed most people would be familiar with fashion, even if they didn't care much about it or dress unusually themselves, but I still get a fair amount of snark for the way I look, & sadly, much of the negativity comes from other women. Actually, it seems to be getting worse. Are we living in ultra-conservative times, aesthetically speaking (don't get me started on politics!) or is my age the main reason for the dirty looks & occasional not-too-nice comment? Are "women of a certain age" really supposed to relegate ourselves to boxy business suits, Crocs & polar fleece, or $400 jeans & way too much Botox? Sigh. That's too depressing to contemplate, especially since today is my 41st birthday. I'll just keep flying my retro freak flag high & remembering all the smiles & kind remarks I get when we go to New York.

The Ones That Got Away... For Now

2010-12-07T07:02:00.001-08:00

The Ones That Got Away... For Now, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Greetings, readers; long time, no post. My apologies, but this has been a rough year in the Altocat household. Over the summer, J was let go from his job with no warning, so we had three anxious months of job-hunting, & during that time, we lost our beautiful, sweet, 16-year-old boy cat, Winston. Things have improved; J is once again employed, & we've adopted another furbaby, Fabrizio, who is a giant, 7-year-old kitten & loves to chase his older sister, Carmen. It just took me a long time to feel like writing again.

Very few things will inspire me to type away like fabulous design, & the shoes in this picture are among the most insanely gorgeous things I've seen in ages. I had the privilege of trying them on at Bergdorf's shoe sale last weekend, & even though J's initial reaction was "I really don't like those!", I fell in love. My most comfortable pair of heels is by Miu Miu, so there's more going on here than looks & a label. Alas, even at 30% off, their price tag was far too steep for our current budget, so I had to leave them behind, but am asking friends to keep an eye out for a truly super sale. They are haunting me - I've never had an actual dream about footwear, but these might inspire one - so I had to share this picture (from the Bergdorf Goodman website) with you.

Anthro Chorus Girl Romper

2010-07-16T11:27:00.001-07:00

Anthro Chorus Girl Romper, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I don't think I've owned a pair of shorts in two decades - not even for working out. Most of the shorts I see in stores fall into two categories - they're either of "Daisy Duke"-esque length & cut for 16-year-olds with thighs the same circumference as their ankles or they're so boxy & matronly that they may as well carry a tag which reads "For When You've Given Up". Even Bermudas are hard to rock if you're 5'3", which I am. So, even though I live in in area where summer temperatures frequently top 90 degrees & the humidity reaches steam room levels, I have stayed true to my sundresses & lightweight skirts.

Occasionally, I'd watch an old movie that featured Broadway dancers - "42nd Street" or one of the "Gold Diggers" films - & become insanely jealous of the cute little rompers some of the girls would have on in the rehearsal scenes. I'd wonder why on Earth no one made shorts outfits like that nowadays. Well, at least for the moment, they do. Anthropologie has had some darling rompers this year & there are plenty of vintage ones on eBay as well. (Check out the one I'm wearing in the post below.) One of my online friends very sweetly RAOKd me the romper I'm wearing in this pic - thanks again, V!

How long will this trend stay around? As with most trends, that's anyone's guess, but I hope rompers will be with us for at least a year or two, & even if they go "out", I may well continue to wear them. I firmly believe that "dressing casually" & "giving up" are not synonymous, & outfits like this one are excellent proof of that. Oh, & they're comfy, too. Do you have a romper you're loving this summer? If so, where's it from?

Biker Chick

2010-07-12T11:28:00.001-07:00

Biker Chick, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Talk about arriving in style! Okay, so I don't usually dress quite this well when I bike. I generally ride very early on weekend mornings, which means I leave the house in gym clothes & no makeup. I'm a tan-phobe, so I'd have to wear pretty serious SPF if I biked in the afternoon, & many drivers in this city are so completely clueless that I'd fear for my life if I tried to cycle in "real" traffic.

That said, I'm tempted to make my bike more than just a piece of workout equipment. I had to work early yesterday morning, all by myself, so I decided to try commuting on two wheels rather than four. (Since I was working solo, I felt free to arrive sweaty & disheveled, then "fix up" later.) I left the house 90 minutes before I was due at work; the ride, about seven miles, took just over one hour. Along the way, I encountered very few cars, but I did discover that there are more hills on my commute than I'd realized - whew! I loved the sense of connection that I suddenly had with the all-too-familiar streets & the buildings on them. All those cool houses I've admired for years looked even better with just air, not a car window, separating us.

So, did I ride home? Um... no. As I said, I'm a tan-phobe, & being of 100% Northern European ancestry, I can broil like a crab cake even with SPF 85. My husband picked me up after work; we put my bike in the back of his car & drove home. So much for being "green", but at least I got a good workout & had a very pleasant commute.

This morning, I went back to commuting by car, & as usual, the experience was pretty nasty. (How on Earth do some drivers manage to take up two full lanes with a Ford Focus...?) Even with a combustion engine at my disposal, I have to allow at least 30 minutes for my 7-mile drive to work, mostly due to stop lights & traffic. Once again, I considered leaving my car at home & biking to work on a regular basis, as two of my colleagues do. That's probably not realistic for me, but perhaps my husband & I can ride our bikes to local restaurants & summer festivals on weekend evenings. That way, we can burn off some of the food & wine we consume, connect with our hometown in a fun way, & save a little gas money. I don't agree with those who think that people who believe in climate change have to live "off the grid" to be true to their ideals; that's far too unrealistic. I feel that if we all made some small changes (& perhaps one or two big ones) the world would be much better off.

DSQUARED2 Mummia sandals, $1650

2010-06-24T15:33:00.001-07:00

dsquared Mummia sandals, $1650, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Sometimes I think "new" fashion has lost its edge forever & everything I like is so retro, I might as well just buy the (usually cheaper) vintage version. Then someone proves me wrong. This time, it's DSQUARED2. A friend posted these on fashionism today & my jaw dropped. These babies won't be to everyone's taste, but they are very much to mine.

What? Ms. girly-retro herself likes spinal-cord-heeled shoes called Mummia? Okay, perhaps I have a bit of goth-kid left in me, or I want to channel Lady Gaga, or I just love beautiful, insanely high heels with a sense of humor. Wit is another thing I find lacking in many new designs, but DSQUARED2 has supplied it in ample quantity here. Other bone-heeled shoes in their fall collection have names like Frank N Furter & Rif Raf. Not all of the styles work IMO; the Mummias are definitely my faves, but I'm just thrilled that someone out there is making stuff like this. I can see a couple of my online friends rocking them with avant-garde dresses (perhaps by Comme des Garcons or Helmut Lang?) I'd pair them with a very simple dress in black or blood red; perhaps a full-skirted, rather innocent number, perhaps the tightest sheath I can find. Either way, at $1650, these lovelies are, alas, unlikely to find their way into my closet any time soon. That's a lot of bones. Sorry, couldn't resist!

Portion Control Fail Waiting to Happen

2010-06-22T17:30:00.001-07:00

Portion Control Fail Waiting to Happen, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

One of the best things about living in a metropolitan area is the variety of food that's available, not just in terms of restaurants & farmer's markets, but also in grocery stores. The Baltimore-Washington area is very culturally diverse &, as such, there are all manner of specialty grocers here. Looking for an Afro-Caribbean food store? Kosher? Indian? Halal? Latin American? Asian? You probably won't have any trouble finding those. If only there was a Scandinavian food store in which I could purchase lefse, but I digress.

This afternoon, I needed a few ingredients for an Asian cabbage salad, & even though mainstream grocers in these parts tend to carry such items, I decided it would be far more fun to venture over to Asia Food on York Road. I picked up the necessary items, then wandered around the store for a bit, enjoying both the central air conditioning, which our house lacks, & all of the delicious-looking food for sale. Spring rolls... gyoza... steamed buns... I wanted to fill my cart, especially with frozen items. Since our freezer is about the size of a shoebox, I went for a jar of kimchi, which can be kept in the fridge, and this little bag of goodies.

I told myself I'd only eat a few. Ha. They're spicy, they're crunchy, they're salty, & they contain seaweed. These little guys were almost gone by the time I got home! Fortunately, the entire bag only had 240 calories, less than many candy bars, & they were well worth eating a smaller dinner. I'll just make sure I have a seaweed-loving friend around to share the next bag.

Getting a dressing down

2010-06-22T16:58:00.001-07:00

Getting a dressing down, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Assuming you would wear this skirt, where would you wear it? The office? The beach? The symphony? A restaurant where dinner for two runs at least $150? Sadly, it seems many people these days would answer "all of the above". "Casual Friday" has become "Casual Everyday", or, for some folks, "Nearly Naked Everyday". Is it time to bring back dress codes? I say yes.

Old-fashioned? Bourgeois? Downright fascist? Perhaps I am, but I am also sick & tired of going to special events or high-end restaurants & seeing denim everywhere. I don't wear jeans often, it's true. The only t-shirts I wear as non-exercise attire have no writing on them & are so sleek that they could pass for leotards. I am also a theater person & a fashion addict. I know not everyone approaches clothes the way I do - as costume, something that's tremendous fun & a creative outlet. Many people have to deal with rigid dress codes in the workplace & just don't want to be bothered with such things on their personal time. I've heard all of this before & I do sympathize, but I don't understand thinking that the same clothes you'd don to cut the grass are fine for an evening on the town.

I am a regular poster on fashionism, a site that is obviously frequented by people who think & care about clothes more than the general population. Over the years, there have been numerous threads about the way people dress to go out these days, with many members saying they deplore seeing people in jeans & such at "special" events, others saying they think it's fine & do it themselves, & others wondering why anyone cares. Once, I even started a thread in which I stated that I'd like to get a group of people in tuxes & gowns to go out to a sporting event, & one member got so upset you'd think I'd insulted her personally, which wasn't my intention at all. My point was this: if it's okay to show up at the opera in denim, why not go to a baseball game in a ballgown & your best bling? To my mind, both outfits would look equally ridiculous, given their settings, yet one is now acceptable, one is not. I would not, & do not, comment if I see someone dressed far more casually than myself when we are out, yet many people do not do me the same courtesy.

I'm not suggesting we return to the days when "well-bred" women couldn't leave the house without a girdle, hose, gloves, full makeup, beauty-parlor hair, & a hat. Okay, I'm getting into hats lately, but I don't want them to be mandatory. I also don't think men should be required to wear a suit & tie at all times. It's well over 90 degrees & humid here today - there are times when certain kinds of clothing are just impractical! I just wish special occasions were a little more... special than they've become, at least from a sartorial standpoint. Dress up in your own, highly personal way, as my rocker-chic friend recently did at a wedding: LBD, black sequined beret, & killer jewelry.

It seems there is strong support for my view in the fashion industry. Okay, I exaggerate. There's one article that I know of & it's in the July issue of Vogue. According to Sally Singer, dressing down is dead & Balmain's $1,624 t-shirt was the final nail in the coffin. Later in the same issue, there's a photo shoot featuring Ewan MacGregor & Natalia Vodianova as a beautifully turned-out"Mad Men"-era couple. Will chic suddenly become "cool" for those of us who probably won't spend $1,624 on tees in an entire lifetime, much less in one shot? Will it once again be unseemly to show up at the office in flip-flops? At the very least, will those of us who enjoy dressing up (some of whom currently don't because they get too much grief if they do) feel a little less pressure not to do so? Time will tell. For the moment, thank you, Ms. Singer

Honfest, 6-13-2010

2010-06-15T05:32:00.001-07:00

Honfest, 6-13-2010, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Whew... I think I've finally recovered from last weekend! Two good friends got married on Saturday & the event was a wedding with a capital W. The ceremony was beautiful, both visually & in terms of the words that were spoken & the music that was sung. It didn't hurt that the choir loft held a truly amazing organist & singers, & there was no shortage of good voices among the congregation, either. The reception, held in a historic hotel that now houses condos, shops, & one of our favorite watering holes, was equally lovely. I did give J a couple of looks because he sneaked off to the bar to check the World Cup score a bit too often for my taste, but he wasn't the only one & he made up for it by taking me for several spins around the dance floor later.

The weekend's festivities didn't end there, however. On Sunday, we braved the steam bath that Baltimore can be any time between May & October to attend the Honfest, a street fair held annually in the city's Hampden neighborhood. We'd never been, even though that area is home to a number of stores & restaurants we frequent. The event is incredibly kitschy, all about celebrating Baltimore "hons" - working-class women with big beehive hairdos, cat-eyed glasses, & over-the-top wardrobes. I'm all about retro, but perhaps I'd harbored a fear that Honfest would be a disappointment, attended by the sort of people who think it's a "cute" event but disparage the city otherwise. Based on what we saw on Sunday, however, I was very wrong. Suburbanites & city dwellers of all races, ages & "types" - longtime Hampden residents, hipsters, families, couples, students, you name it - mingled happily. Given the weather, perhaps I should say we melted happily. There were booths offering all manner of old-school local delicacies (Ostrowski's sausages & The Laughing Crab's fried rockfish sandwiches, to name just two) and trendier fare (cupcakes) as well. I did a bit of vintage shopping & snagged a darling Monet charm bracelet for $18, a true score. We also stopped by local jewelry designer Martha Rotten's booth, which was fabulous, although she wasn't there at the time. Martha, if you're reading this, I still want to meet you! When we were about to keel over from the heat, we made our exit & attended our friend's son's high school graduation party in the suburbs, where things were only slightly less steamy.

Speaking of steamy, we loved the costume the stilt walker in this picture in this picture is wearing, & we found out she was handing out business cards for a local... toy store. It's called Sugar. Welcome to Baltimore, Hon.

Delfina Delettrez

2010-05-19T16:46:00.001-07:00

Delfina Delettrez Fendi, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

My name is Altocat & I am a blingaholic. I have loved jewelry since childhood & I was always begging my mother to let me wear her 50's rhinestone pieces, or, failing that, for money to buy others' old costume sparklers at garage sales. In those days (the mid-late 1970's) no one in the small-town midwest wore such things any more & I could pick up fabulous, dangly earrings & dramatic bracelets that would now fetch good money at an antiques show for a quarter, sometimes less. Sigh.

Once you're hooked on jewelry, it's pretty much impossible to stop loving the stuff, & my inner magpie is still alive & well. To this day, I wear tons of vintage pieces, from costume to fine. Actually, when we were dating, I told Mr. Altocat that I wasn't obsessed with stone size, but if he proposed, he'd better do so with a vintage ring in some form of white metal or the deal was off. He came up with a 1940's platinum & diamond ring (okay, I found it while shopping alone, but he loved the design & agreed to it) so I kept him.

I will freely admit to being a total design snob about new jewelry. Most of the "fine" pieces in my/our price range are utterly boring. I did succumb to the Tiffany key pendant trend this spring, but only after I found a very large sterling one that looks like it could be an actual house key. There is some fun, playful work being done in costume jewelry these days, however, even that tends to be too trend-conscious & imitative for me to plunk down my credit card unless it's by Kenneth Jay Lane or Lulu Guinness. When it comes to accessories, I'm not one to play it safe - I like big, odd-looking pieces, or smaller ones that you look at more closely & exclaim "That's a spider! Eeeew!"

Which brings me to this picture of Delfina Delettrez, heiress, member of the famed Fendi fashion family, & a truly brilliant jewelry designer in her own right. Mr. Altocat & I discovered her jewelry a while ago on a trip to South Beach & now it seems her work is in every fashion magazine I pick up. We wandered into Alchemist, a high-end shop on Lincoln Road, while killing time on our last day in town, & I admired some of the dresses they had for sale, but almost immediately headed over to the jewelry case. Nearly every piece was by Ms. Delettrez & I swooned over her sterling & enamel floral ring. made a bit memento-mori-ish by the inclusion of a tiny skull in the design, her flapper-length strand of cultured pearls spiked with a sterling silver fingertip every so often (the nails are all different colors & can be repainted if the owner is bored with her necklace's manicure) & the piece in this picture, a spectacular sterling silver bracelet in the shape of a spider. Upon opening the spider's back in locket fashion - well, perhaps in poison ring fashion - you discover that she is pregnant; her belly is loaded with cultured pearl "eggs". I tried the bracelet on & wore it around the shop for a while as we chatted with the sales associates, who couldn't have been nicer & admired my antique angel skin coral & diamond ring, an auction find - actually, an amazing score - from a decade ago. Alas, wonderful as they are, most of Delettrez' designs are way out of our price range at this time. The "Black Widow" bracelet pictured retails for $3800. I did manage to find a few of her pieces on Opening Ceremony's website for $190-470, but they don't pack quite the punch that this arachnid delivers.

Ever the bargain-huntress, I recently spotted Martha Rotten's pieces in a local store & they do have a similar creepy-but-very-well-made feel. Skulls, bugs, & eerie baby doll faces abound in Ms. Rotten's work, & prices start at around $38. If you don't live in Baltimore, you can view her work at http://martharotten.com/MarthaRotten/

Prince in a scene from "Purple Rain"

2010-05-19T11:17:00.001-07:00

Prince in a scene from "Purple Rain", originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Ever watch a movie you haven't seen in over two decades & realize you still remember it almost word for word, shot for shot? That's what happened when my husband & I watched "Purple Rain" on DVD last Saturday night. I found myself singing along, too, until my husband, J, asked me to stop because he'd never seen the film & was hearing many of the songs for the first time.

I can't tell you how many times I saw this film when it first came out in 1984. I'm sure I caught it in the theater at least twice, & on cable... who knows? As for the soundtrack album, of course I had it, plus "Ice Cream Castle" by The Time & Apollonia 6's "Sex Shooter". I am a huge Prince fan, especially of his mid-80's work; J is not. I did convince J to accompany me to one of Prince's live shows a few years ago, which helped him to appreciate the star's music more; it's just not his first-choice sound. When I asked him if we could watch "Purple Rain" last Saturday night, he wasn't terribly enthusiastic at first, but I asked him to please give it a chance, & he agreed. After a while, he found himself getting caught up in the film's story as well as the music. I was in heaven from beginning to end.

What is it about "Purple Rain"? Why does this film still resonate so with me (& with many others, judging from the comments on my Facebook page when I mentioned we'd watched it?) As one who wanted to move to the big city & make it as a performer, the story is the stuff of my youthful dreams, & the costumes are pure mid-80's ruffles-&-hair-gel-for-both-genders fabulous. The acting is fine, especially for a rock-&-roll picture, & the music... well, it's simply the best soundtrack ever. Ever! (Okay, the music in "Pulp Fiction" is great, too, but for me, nothing can top "Purple Rain".)

If it sounds like I'm on a rosy nostalgia trip here, maybe I am, but for many of us growing up in the upper midwest at that time, "Purple Rain" was more than a movie. It was a shout-out to the world that the part of America we lived in wasn't all bland, all the time. Same goes for the "Minneapolis Sound" - the music of Prince, The Time, Apollonia 6, Sheila E, Jimmy Jam, & others. Finally, people could see that Minnesota was capable of producing performers with a lot more edge than Garrison Keillor & that not everyone in that area speaks with a "Fargo" accent.

26 years after "Purple Rain" was released, I am living in an urban area, making a living in the arts, though alas, not as a rock star. I did manage to go dancing at First Avenue once in the early 90's (to a DJ playing the hot techno hits of the day) & had a blast. Two years ago, J & I drove past the club when we were in town for a family reunion, & my heart fluttered a little, just as it would have back in 1984. I still listen to Prince's music on a regular basis, hope to catch his live show again someday, & managed to see The Time perform at Artscape a couple of years ago. They sounded great, Morris Day was handsome as ever, & there was Jerome, holding his mirror. For that evening, all that had changed was that we were in Baltimore, many miles from First Avenue & Lake Minnetonka.

Life can change in an instant

2010-04-15T09:12:00.001-07:00

Life can change in an instant, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I usually write about fashion & lifestyle topics here, but April 15th is a significant day in our house, & not just because taxes are due. Seven years ago today, I nearly lost my husband. Actually, he was my fiancee at the time; our wedding was set for October 31, 2003.

What happened? J is an architect & was standing on a 16-foot ladder, trying to get onto the roof of a building that his firm was renovating. It was unusually hot that day & the roof hatch was stuck; as he gave the hatch an especially hard push, the ladder came out from under him. Fortunately, someone was with him & called 911 immediately. The stairs were narrow & rickety, so the fire department had to remove him from the building via a fourth-floor window - downtown, at rush hour, no less. The ambulance immediately took him to Shock Trauma, not far from the site of the accident.

I knew nothing of this for several hours. When I got home from work, there were phone messages from his office & mine; people had been frantically trying to get a hold of me. I finally spoke with his firm's secretary & was told he'd been in an accident on the job site. The fact that he'd been taken to Shock Trauma made me (literally) sick to my stomach. As the name implies, you don't end up there unless you're in pretty bad shape. Because we weren't married yet, it took me a couple of hours to get the hospital's authorization to drive downtown & see J. All that time, I had no idea what had happened, only that it was very serious.

When I arrived at the hospital, J was on a gurney, naked except for a sheet. His clothes had been cut off at the accident scene. (Ever the smart alec, he informed me of his clothesless state with a smirk.) I stayed with him into the wee hours of the morning, only leaving the room when the hospital staff needed to x-ray him or (ugh) put his right leg in traction. The results of the x-rays were frightening: he'd fractured his right shoulder & broken the right side of his pelvis in five places, including the hip socket. J is a marathon runner who has qualified for Boston twice. When I asked one of the doctors when he'd be able to run again, she replied, "Run? Let's work on walking first." Hardly what I wanted to hear, and I was glad J was on so much morphine that he missed that comment. Eventually, we decided it was best for me to go home and get some sleep (something which was not going to come that night without the aid of a cocktail!)

J spent a week in the hospital. He could have been operated on within a day or two, but the hospital wanted the best orthopaedic surgeon on their staff to do the surgery, so we had to wait untill the weekend. It was a very long week. I paid no attention to visiting hours, staying far beyond those times, & am sure I made a few enemies on the hospital staff, but I was too worried about J to care. I brought him balloons, food, a plant, an Easter basket, magazines - anything I thought might cheer him up. At first, he was on too much morphine to read; he'd even nod off in the middle of a sentence, sleep for a few minutes, & pick up the conversation where he'd left off, providing both of us with some much-needed comic relief.

Finally, the surgery was done; Humpty Dumpty had been put back together again. The breaks had been very clean & J was in great health before the fall, so his prognosis was as good as it could be. A physical therapist began teaching him to bounce up & down a flight of stairs on his backside - an important skill, since he wouldn't be able to walk for 10 weeks - & he was sent home. Despite the stair-bouncing lessons, he spent his first few weeks at home in a rented hospital bed that took up a substantial portion of our living room. He received in-home physical therapy, spent a lot of time watching movies, & even did some work from home (talk about an odd reason to be telecommuting!) Luckily, he had excellent Worker's Compensation coverage through his firm; otherwise, this medical adventure would have cost us a quarter of a million dollars.

J was a model patient & made an amazing recovery. Our wedding went on as scheduled - we even performed in a play together the month before the Big Day - & he wasn't up to much running on our honeymoon, but snorkeling was fine. He was able to resume running marathons in 2004 & has since been in a few "ultra-running" events as well, including a 50-miler to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2008. The doctors warned him that he may eventually develop arthritis in his right hip, but so far, he's had no sign of that.

Awful as this whole ordeal was for us, we were very lucky. J could have been paralyzed or even killed in such a serious fall. As I mentioned before, we were well-insured, so we were spared the financial ruin that can accompany a medical catastrophe. We also had amazing support from our families, friends, & co-workers, for which we're grateful every day, not just on April 15th.

Oh, & I caught J on a stepladder in the kitchen this morning, which gave us both a good laugh. He has to climb a larger ladder in the show he's currently rehearsing. As long as there's no roof hatch involved, I guess I can deal with that... but I'll try not to think about it.

J. Peterman skirt, Lulu Guinness bag, BR outlet twin set, Ferragamo shoes

2010-03-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

J. Peterman skirt, Lulu bag, Ferragamo shoes, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Last Friday evening, my husband & I were able to have our first outdoor meal of the year. After the insane amount of snow we had this past winter, dining al fresco was an extra-special treat! We went to b, a cute neighborhood bistro with amazing food. I celebrated by wearing the Ferragamo shoes we both fell in love with on our trip to Florence last December & carrying my new Lulu Guinness bag. The Ferragamos are reproductions of a vintage style originally created for Peggy Guggenheim. They're amazingly comfy & I plan to seek out more shoes by this brand, although my subsequent pairs - like the ones I purchased before splurging on these - will probably have to be clearance sale or secondhand finds!

Gershwin Hotel lobby, NYC

2010-03-18T20:22:00.001-07:00

gershwin hotel , originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

My husband & I are notorious NYC hotel-hoppers. We like to have a safe place to stash our stuff during the day, & lack of bedbugs is always a plus, but we're not in Manhattan to hang out in the hotel room, so we've been known to overlook many things (unbelievably tacky decor, hard beds, & lack of washcloths included) to snag a great rate. This past weekend, we scored big-time, because we managed to land a great deal at a place with style, great service, & a killer location on 27th street (just steps from some of the best vintage/antiques shopping I've ever found!) Unlike most hotels in this price range, the Gershwin isn't decorated in watery pastel shades & generic furniture. Paint colors here are vibrant & many of the furnishings appear to have been hand-selected at flea markets or really, really good yard sales. If we'd had some kitties to pet, we'd truly have been right at home.

Lulu Guinness large icon Jenny bag

2010-03-18T20:10:00.001-07:00

Lulu Guinness large icon Jenny bag, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Let's see, it has a black cat, a cameo, red roses, & all kinds of other girly stuff on it - yes, it was meant to be mine. I had actually been stalking this bag since last fall & was lucky enough to snag it for 70% off last weekend, both due to persistence & the great sales associates at Lulu's Bleecker Street shop. Now I have my eye on another Lulu bag, but isn't that always how these things go?

NYC umbrellas... well, former umbrellas... 3-14-10

2010-03-18T19:15:00.001-07:00

NYC umbrellas... well, former umbrellas... 3-14-09, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

How can you tell you love a place? For us, one way to know that is to visit in absolutely hideous weather & still manage to have a good time. After the nastiest winter we've had in years, & with other stresses consuming way too much of our time & energy, Mr. Altocat & I decided to spend last weekend in one of our favorite cities - New York! The weather was rainy & icky on Friday & even worse on Saturday (add even more rain & high winds, & you get the picture.) Things were clearer on Sunday, but it still rained a bit. Neither one of us is the type to stay in the hotel room & watch TV - we've walked around Manhattan in snow halfway up our calves before - so we put up our umbrellas (we "killed" two over the weekend; they ended up looking much like the ones in this picture) & ventured out. Our weekend was filled with performances (burlesque at the Slipper Room & "The Nose" at the Metropolitan Opera), great food (Zucca, I Coppi, & Bagel Boss), shopping (a Lulu Guinness bag for me, a vintage Armani coat for Mr. Altocat, & a big surprise - a Tiffany key pendant *from* him!), & friends, one old, one new. New York, we love you, and you are a magical place, even in awful weather.

Carolina Herrera skirt, Miu Miu shoes, Saks Sweater

2010-02-25T05:09:00.001-08:00

Carolina Herrera skirt, Miu Miu shoes, Saks Sweater, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Another opening, another show... my husband is playing Roscoe in a local production of "Follies" & this is what I wore on opening night (last Friday.) The cast lost a whole weekend of performances due to the ridiculous snowstorms we've had recently, so they'll only get to do the show 6 times, but audiences & reviews have been good. After schlepping around in "snow clothes" for a few days, it feels great to wear "real" outfits again!

I found this Carolina Herrera skirt at Century 21 in Manhattan. Even at a deep discount, it cost more than I usually spend on one item, but I adore it & get tons of compliments on it. The Saks sweater was a Christmas gift from one of my Fashionism friends (thanks again, C!) & the Miu Miu shoes were a Saks splurge a couple of years ago. They're surprisingly comfy & I love their over-the-top look. Other details: Betsey Johnson tights, New York & Company tank, vintage jewelry.

Manolo, how could you?

2010-02-07T05:48:00.001-08:00

Manolo, how could you? , originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Just when I thought the obsession with denim couldn't go any farther, or get any uglier, I've been proved wrong once again. If you're interested in these Manolo Blahnik "sneaker heels", they will set you back $785. That's more than my snakeskin & patent MB pumps (the only pair of Blahniks in my closet, which I scored at a deep discount two years ago) originally retailed for. Manolo has made pricey denim shoes before, in the form of blingy-buckled d'Orsay pumps & Chuck Taylor-type heels, but these are a new low in my opinion.

Many times, I have posted both here & on a couple of fashion chat boards how sick I am of seeing denim everywhere. It's not edgy any more, folks, it's boring. Jeans are casual wear. I say that as someone who owns a few pairs, but seldom wears them, although I will more than likely put on my Old Navy boyfriend jeans to go to our friends' Superbowl party this afternoon since we have over two feet of snow & will have to walk about a mile each way. Heck, I wore overalls all the time in the early 90's, in denim & various other fabrics. Artsy-girl-geek-chic, anyone? I really miss the dark blue matte-finish silk ones I bought from Tweeds & literally wore out. I just want to see a little more variety, especially since I often hear friends & acquaintances complain that they feel they HAVE to wear denim certain places because "that's what everyone else will be wearing".

Besides, these shoes are just plain hideous. Shame on you, Manolo Blahnik, & you, too, Neiman Marcus.

Saddle shoes & gasp jeans

2010-01-28T20:38:00.001-08:00

Saddle shoes & jeans, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I rarely wear jeans. In fact, I don denim so rarely that if I show up wearing it, my friends are likely to ask if I'm feeling all right. Why? First, I am short & have hips. About .00000000001% of the jeans on the market are cut to flatter people like me. It's usually much less work for me to just throw on a cute dress (or skirt & top) than it is to create a jeans outfit that isn't a one-way ticket to Matronlyland.

Secondly, I am heartily sick of seeing denim everywhere. Call me old-fashioned, elitist... hit me with your best epithet... jeans are casual wear. They are NOT meant to be seen at the opera, the symphony, high-end restaurants... you get the idea. They are also not meant to cost more than a mortgage payment, although I have seen some that do. +$1400. Really. In this economy, pair them with a $650 Alber Elbaz t-shirt & you can offend just about anyone, aesthetically & financially.

That said, I have been sufficiently intrigued by the recent "boyfriend jean" trend to purchase a pair (Old Navy, $34 IIRC.) If I lay off the dark chocolate, they're quite comfy & flattering. Paired with a fun cardigan & ancient tank from New York & Company, they make a nice weekend-bumming-around outfit. I really like them with my new Bass saddle shoes, too. The shoes are insanely comfy & I think they're keepers.

"1920's Lady Golfer" outfit

2010-01-28T20:20:00.001-08:00

Saddle shoes & skirt, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

My first attempt at pairing saddle shoes with a skirt. I want to play around with different skirt lengths & maybe textured tights. I'm always on the lookout for shoes that are cute & funky enough to wear all day in NY, & I think these fit the bill!

Bass Enfield Saddle Shoes (photo from Zappos.com)

2010-01-25T15:02:00.001-08:00

Bass Enfield Saddle Shoes (photo from Zappos.com), originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Back in the saddle (shoes) again... actually, I've never owned a pair of these babies, but I just bought some on Zappos. com. I wore classic penny loafers all the time in the 80's & recently bought a black patent pair (also Bass.) I love them - they're perfect with jeans & I may try them with skirts, too. I love my heels, but sometimes my feet just need a break, & I love aesthetic variety, too. I'm all about great-looking retro styles, & if they're comfy, too, that's the icing on the cake. I'll let you know how these work out & post outfit pics if they're keepers.

Mary Sue Easter Eggs

2010-01-14T20:23:00.001-08:00

Mary Sue Easter Eggs, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

What's on everyone's mind in January? How to pay off holiday bills? The beach? Getting rid of extra holiday poundage to look good at the beach? No, according to the folks at Giant food, it's... Easter candy! I was doing a bit of grocery shopping & having a text-message conversation with my friend L last week when I noticed that the Pikesville Giant already had Mary Sue Easter eggs out for sale. Mary Sue is a Baltimore-based candy company, in business since 1948, & they make the best chocolate Easter eggs in the world. No contest. I grew up eating Russell Stover Easter candy & have since expanded my palate by tasting many high-end chocolates, seasonal & otherwise, as the number of Maison du Chocolat charges on my credit card over the years will attest to. Still, for this Midwestern expat who was once married to a Baltimore native, nothing says "spring" like Mary Sue.

That said, I was still appalled at first... our daytime highs weren't going much above 30! Still, I couldn't resist going over to the shelf where the eggs were displayed to see if my favorite flavor, Triple Chocolate Meltdown, was there for the taking. Nope, only Pecan Nougat & Coconut Cream. I do like the latter, but can live without the former. (I rarely indulge in sweets that don't involve dark chocolate.) The whole time, I was texting L about this, rhapsodizing about the incredible yumminess that is to be found in Mary Sue Easter Eggs. L lives on the west coast & is Mary Sue-deprived, so I'll be sending her a care package as soon as I can get my bejeweled little hands on a Triple Chocolate Meltdown or two (or three or...) I'll probably buy some for myself too, to save them. After all, these babies are notorious for selling out well before Easter. Or, in my house, for getting eaten well before Easter, resulting in extra work at the gym & perhaps a few very light dinners to compensate for the chocolate calories.

So am I a seasonal sellout? A hopeless chocoholic? Both? That's open to interpretation. For now, I leave you with an old-school Mary Sue jingle, taught to me by my first husband, & sung to the tune of Gilbert & Sullivan's "I'm Called Little Buttercup":

Mary Sue Easter Eggs
Mary Sue Easter Eggs
People are making the switch
'Cause using pure butter
Makes Mary Sue better
And you've never had it so rich!

(Alternate last line a la 1950's schoolchildren: Now ain't that a son of a...)

Good night, chocolate lovers.

Jeweler's window, Ponte Vecchio, Firenze

2010-01-07T20:01:00.001-08:00

Jeweler's window, Ponte Vecchio, Firenze, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Being a lifelong jewelry addict, of course I made a beeline for the Ponte Vecchio on our first day in Firenze. I was a bit surprised to find that many of the stores offered rather pedestrian designs. Then again, I have been to a lot of gem shows, so my eye is probably a little jaded. I've looked at quite a few hoop earrings over the years. The price of gold was also quite high at the time, which didn't help matters. There were more exotic wares to be had, although many were far beyond my budget. Several shops featured absolutely spectacular antique gems (14,000 Euro Georgian-era diamond earrings, anyone? At this writing, that's about $20,043. Yes, I tried them on.) Further inspection proved that there are interesting, decently-priced gems to be found on the Ponte Vecchio, but one needs a bit of patience, and perhaps a gelato, to search for them.

Nescafe Machine in Firenze

2010-01-07T19:40:00.001-08:00

Nescafe Machine in Firenze, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I can't believe it's the 10th day of 2010 already. The holidays really got away from me this time. Our December trip to Italy may have had something to do with that - we spent a week in Florence (Firenze to the locals) in celebration of my 40th birthday. I had been there, but not for 20 years, and this was Mr. Clotheshorse's first trip to Europe. We fell in love with the city immediately. Florence has so many delights to offer: great art and architecture (much of it dating back several centuries,) amazing food and wine, a vibrant downtown shopping district frequented by locals as well as tourists, and lovely, friendly people. Even the vending machines have style, as evidenced by this photo I took at the Boboli Gardens. Firenze, we miss you already, and we'll be back.

I've gone completely Gaga

2009-11-13T19:21:00.001-08:00

I've gone completely Gaga, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I am so out of the pop music loop. I do have my favorite artists, both from back in the day (Prince, ABC, Depeche Mode, etc.) and more recent years (Gogol Bordello, Stereo Total, et al) but quite a bit of newer pop just escapes me. I do, however, love to dance and I love fashion, so is it any surprise that I'm becoming a huge fan of Lady Gaga? Since last night, I have watched the video/promo for "Bad Romance" at least seven times. The tune and lyrics are catchy, the sets and costumes are outrageously fun, and the whole effect is one of celebrating fame and celebrity culture while giving it a big, very knowing wink. Lady Gaga is the kind of pop artist MTV loved in the early days, back when they took chances, artistically speaking, and played videos... please tell me I am not the only person who remembers that era!

Sandal straps at Morgan Miller, 2009

2009-11-13T16:29:00.001-08:00

Sandal straps at Morgan Miller, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Recently, while strolling down Miami's Lincoln Road, my husband and I noticed a cute little store that claimed to produce custom-made shoes. Custom-made shoes? Really? The sample pair in the window was cute, but assuming that said shoes would either be low quality or cost about a mortgage payment, we went in feeling a bit skeptical. One look at this selection of straps, however, and my resolve began to melt. The variety of colors, materials, and even price points made my head spin. Which to choose - leopard patent? Emerald green ostrich? Rainbow snakeskin? Silver leather? I decided to be practical - relatively speaking - and go with the silver, since they'd work with almost everything in my summer/beach wardrobe. And so, my Cinderella shopping experience began...

Soles at Morgan Miller, 2009

2009-11-13T16:18:00.001-08:00

Soles at Morgan Miller, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Prices vary widely, from around $40 to over $100 based on style, heel height, and material.

Morgan Miller buckles & bling, 2009

2009-11-13T16:17:00.001-08:00

Morgan Miller buckles & bling, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

These start at around $25 a pair and can cost over $100.

Cobblers at Morgan Miller, 2009

2009-11-13T16:16:00.001-08:00

Cobblers at Morgan Miller, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

These guys work on your shoes in the store's front window, in full view of passersby on Lincoln Road. They're also very sweet about posing for pics.

Being fitted at Morgan Miller, 2009

2009-11-13T16:14:00.001-08:00

Being fitted at Morgan Miller, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

At this store, when they say custom, they mean it. Shoes are ready in 1/2 hour or less.

Silver sandals on a silver platter, Morgan Miller, 2009

2009-11-13T16:12:00.001-08:00

Silver sandals on a silver platter, Morgan Miller, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Morgan Miller's presentation is as fabulous as their shoes!

Beach pedicure and custom-made Morgan Miller sandals, 2009

2009-11-13T16:11:00.001-08:00

Beach pedicure and custom-made Morgan Miller sandals, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Of course, I chose blingy ornaments with a Deco feel. It was very hard to walk out of this store with just one pair of shoes, but that means we have to go back to South Beach, right?

Sunrise over the Atlantic, 10-31-09

2009-11-13T15:14:00.001-08:00

beach sunrise 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Long time, no blog - sorry! Fall is always a crazy time for us. This year, we took a long weekend in Florida to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. We fell in love with South Beach in 2007. 1,000 painstakingly restored Art Deco buildings in a one-square-mile area, the most amazing beach we've seen this side of Hawaii, killer food at every price point, salsa or techno music thumping from every storefront, and great people-watching... what's not to love? I took this pic on our anniversary, while my husband was still sleeping.2009 has been an eventful year - not always in a good way - for us and for many people we care about. Corny as it may sound, this trip reminded us that there is still beauty and peace in the world, and that the ocean's salty waves do have healing powers. Thump-thump dance music can be pretty therapeutic, too.

Eat locally, dress globally?

2009-09-02T15:33:00.001-07:00

Maryland crabs, yum. Anyone have a mallet?, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

As the daughter of an independent business owner, I like to support local merchants. In some ways, that's ridiculously easy; in others, not so much.

I'm a chain restaurant hater. Okay, I'll drink Starbucks coffee & will even eat breakfast there if we're on vacation & there's nowhere else to go. For a sit-down meal, however, I'd rather dine at a dive in a questionable neighborhood (or just stay home & eat microwave popcorn) than go to a chain. Why pay good money for frozen food - yes, chains often serve frozen meals! - that might pass muster as food court fare, but costs as much as dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant, where the food is delicious? Fortunately for our marriage, my husband feels the same way. As residents of a metropolitan area, we are also very spoiled for choice when it comes to great, locally-owned restaurants. Baltimore may not be New York, but it is home to a wide variety of eateries, serving almost every cuisine you could think of at many different price points.

When it comes to grocery shopping, however, I'm not such a purist. I hate to admit it, but convenience is a big factor here.There's a major chain supermarket right by my office, a Whole Foods on the way home from work, & a couple of Trader Joe's locations near other stores we frequent. Recently, I have been making an effort to buy most of our veggies at the farmer's market. Produce prices generally compare favorably with those at the supermarket, and quality does tend to be higher. One of the bakers at our local farmers market makes truly amazing bread - seed-filled, grainy stuff that makes my sense of portion control go right out the window at the first bite - but at up to $6 a loaf, it's not the sort of thing I can afford to buy all the time. Besides, the farmer's market only happens once a week, so if I forget to buy a certain item, or if it won't be fresh when I need it in a few days, I'm out of luck.

Shopping for clothing locally is even trickier. Basically, if you aren't wealthy, good luck finding stylish, affordable basics (tailored work clothes, tees, etc.) at locally owned stores. Although Baltimore has some fabulous local boutiques, as an employee of a nonprofit organization, I can only afford to shop their clearance racks. I've gotten some of my best special-occasion outfits that way, but for everyday stuff, I often find myself hitting mall stores, or their websites. However, since my closets & dressers are quite full & my wallet is thinner than it's been in a while due to the loss of my second job, I'm trying to reverse that trend. For starters, I'm simply shopping less. I'm also buying more vintage/secondhand items, both on eBay & in person, & patronizing smaller labels like Trashy Diva as well. Okay, shopping online doesn't keep money in Baltimore any more than venturing into H&M does, but at least it can help support a small business somewhere.

Claribel Cone, Gertrude Stein, Etta Cone, 1903

2009-08-20T06:53:00.001-07:00

Claribel Cone, Gertrude Stein, Etta Cone, 1903 , originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'm taking a few days off from work & decided to spend yesterday afternoon at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Since I'm a decorative arts fan, I wandered around the Dorothy McIlvain Scott wing & period rooms for quite a while, but I also had to visit the Cone collection, which is my favorite part of the museum.

Baltimore sisters Dr. Claribel Cone & Etta Cone came from a well-to-do Jewish family & lived lives that would be considered somewhat unusual even now, but were quite shocking back then. Neither ever married or had children, & they befriended & supported some of the most Bohemian artists of their time. Claribel became a doctor at a time when many considered such a course of study unnatural in a female. Even many physicians of the era, such as Dr. Edward Clark, thought that excessive education caused women's brains to use up blood that was needed for menstruation. Etta greatly admired her sister's medical career, although she had no such ambitions herself. She tended the family home on Eutaw Place & seemed to have no great passions until her brother gave her $300 to decorate the family home. The "Impressionistic" Theodore Robinson paintings she purchased with the money scandalized her family. For Etta, a lifetime of collecting had begun.

I've long been curious to know more about the Cone sisters, so after yesterday's visit to their collection, I stopped in the BMA Shop & bought "The Art of Acquiring" by Mary Gabriel. Ms. Gabriel is a journalist who also attended the Maryland Institute College of Art, right here in town, & her knowledge of & connection to Baltimore really come through in her writing. Since they collected jewelry, textiles, & many other objects in addition to fine art, it seems that some have, unfortunately, come to see denigrate the Cone sisters as mere "shoppers". Ms. Gabriel asserts that, had the sisters been men, they would not have received such a label, & I think she makes an excellent point. I've never heard William or Henry Walters referred to in such terms. At any rate, I'm very much enjoying Ms. Gabriel's book & highly recommend it.

50's rose skirt from NY

2009-08-14T19:34:00.001-07:00

50's rose skirt from NY, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Again, making up for promised posts. So here I am in the fabulous 50's skirt I bought at the Chelsea flea market back in June. Bit of a splurge, but how often does one find little-worn vintage skirts with attached crinolines? This was purchased from Helen, who sets up on the first floor of the market and sells the most amazing vintage clothing and accessories. Her stuff isn't cheap, but it is gorgeous and in great shape (and, I must admit, very reasonable by NY standards.)

Yellow Rose Cake

2009-08-14T19:19:00.001-07:00

Yellow rose cake, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I promised cake pictures a while ago, didn't I? Okay, here goes. This was my final cake for Course One. I think the roses and leaves turned out quite well, given that it is summer in the Mid-Atlantic and it's a miracle the icing wasn't completely liquid by the time it came out of the pastry bag. I was very pleased with the color palette for this cake - so Wayne Thiebaud, no? - and my husband's co-workers said it was delicious. The cake was vanilla spice (Trader Joe's mix jazzed up with Penzey's Cake Spice) with lemon curd filling; the icing was classic buttercream.

Kate Spade "Off to the Opera" outfit

2009-08-14T19:01:00.001-07:00

Kate Spade "Off to the Opera" outfit, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Long time, no see, or rather, no post. My apologies. Have been reading a lot, practicing for my upcoming cabaret performance, & trying not to wilt in Baltimore's infamous summer humidity, which arrived late this year but is making up for lost time. And what always accompanies the steamiest August days? Why, pictures of fall clothes, of course! This outfit, from the Kate Spade website, has me longing for lower temperatures. Besides the fact that it's named "Off to the Opera", I adore this look for its tailored lines and sense of fun. I'd wear this in a heartbeat and am already trying to figure out how to re-create it with pieces from my closet.

Oakenshawe Antiques, 7-18-09

2009-07-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

Oakenshawe Antiques, 7-18-09, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

We spent this afternoon vintage-shopping in Hampden & loved this window/sidewalk display at Oakenshawe Antiques. Oakenshawe hasn't always carried vintage clothing, but they've always had great furniture, housewares, & jewelry at good prices. I found a wonderful, never-worn petticoat to wear under evening gowns for $16. The sign in this picture sums up exactly how we felt about our hometown today. Lots of people love to run the city down, & it certainly has its problems (unfortunately, we've experienced its violent streak firsthand.) For us, though, the good still outweighs the bad.

I have noticed one very positive trend in the city this summer: many people are dressing better, even on weekend afternoons. We saw lots of women in cute sundresses today, & many guys looked good, too, sporting fun madras shorts & simple tees. Even better, there was nary a pair of Crocs in sight. I don't think today was an aberration... we've noticed people making more of a sartorial effort when we've gone to the Fells Point Flea Market, too. Maybe there's hope for Baltimore fashion. If we could just get jeans banned from the Meyerhoff & Lyric, & from restaurants where dinner for 2 costs over $100... I can dream, can't I?

A very Miami dessert - chocolate cake with coconut buttercream icing.

2009-07-14T05:29:00.001-07:00

palm tree cake, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'm taking a cake decorating class (Wilton, Course 1.) Here's my first attempt at a fancy cake. Since we went to Maui on our honeymoon & love going to the beach in Miami, I decided to do a palm tree design. The icing colors definitely remind me of the Art Deco district in South Beach!

I had a terrible time with crumbs showing through the icing, but a couple of the women in my class said the little flecks remind them of sand. Our instructor said I should have used more icing. What? More buttercream? No problem! The palm tree design is a stencil I found online (yay, Google!) You trace the design onto wax paper & then go over the outline (though not on the pencil marks, use the reverse side) with a wonderful goo called piping gel. Then, you flip the design over onto the iced cake & use a small brush to get the outline to transfer. Following that, you're ready to fill in the outline with your tinted buttercream.

At next week's class, we'll attempt to make buttercream icing roses... watch this space for the results!

Dining room, July 11, 2009

2009-07-12T07:19:00.001-07:00

Dining room, July 11, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

We love going out, but we also enjoy entertaining & want to do more of it. I'm addicted to china & glassware, especially vintage stuff, & have amassed quite a collection over the years. What's the point in owning beautiful things if they only see the light of day a few times per year? With that in mind, we had friends over for dinner last night & pulled out the "good" china & our nicest stemware. The meal was simple - tzatziki, veggies, & sea salt/black pepper crisps to start, then salad, bread & grilled things (the boys had burgers, the girls chose tuna steaks,) and sorbet with chocolate-port drizzle for dessert. We had after-dinner drinks on the deck, & it's amazing how good even a Baltimore alley looks when you're sipping a delicious liqueur in good company. From a vintage etched cordial glass, of course.

Sea Monkeys, Mermaid Parade, 2009

2009-06-22T18:01:00.001-07:00

Sea Monkeys, Mermaid Parade, 2009, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

We went to the Mermaid Parade on Coney Island this year & had a blast! The costumes were great fun & the crowd was friendly & laid-back. These "Sea Monkeys" looked fabulous, didn't they?

Fish purse at Helen's booth, Chelsea flea market

2009-06-22T17:56:00.001-07:00

Fish purse at Helen's booth, Chelsea flea market, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

New York has a well-deserved reputation as a shopping mecca. The Chelsea Flea Market, located in an old parking garage on 25th street, is one of our favorite haunts. This is an amazing place to shop for vintage clothing, jewelry, housewares, books, & furniture. Most dealers are very friendly & will bargain with you... the woman from whom Mr. Altocat bought a gorgeous silk suit kept dropping the price without being asked! These bags were on display at the booth of a lovely vintage clothing dealer named Helen. I bought a spectacular skirt from her, which I will post soon.

Window at Bagel Boss, LES, NYC

2009-06-22T17:49:00.001-07:00

Window at Bagel Boss, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Now you see why Mr. Altocat & I insist on running while we're on vacation. We had breakfast here on Sunday, 6-21-09... best bagels I've ever eaten. I highly recommend the multigrain bagels with reduced fat lox & scallion spread. Unlike the pink, vaguely-fish-flavored goo served up at chain bagel shops, this snow-white stuff has actual pieces of salmon & scallions in it & the flavor is divine. We did quite a bit of eating on this trip, so much that I'm a bit scared to try on certain outfits at the moment! Other places where we noshed & enjoyed: Nathan's (the original location, on Coney Island), Two Boots, Malatesta, Empire City Bagel (we actually had pizza, but I bet their bagels are good, too), Pinisi Bakery, & Dosa Hut. We also had spectacular (& very strong) Manhattans at the Algonquin Hotel, which may well be our favorite NYC spot for tippling. Great drinks & service in a beautiful, storied setting... can't beat it.

Lulu Guinness

2009-06-18T08:26:00.001-07:00

Lulu Guinness, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

This outfit certainly won't be to everyone's taste, but I love it and might even wear it, given the opportunity. I love Lulu Guinness' retro-girly-whimsical designs. To me, she's a latter-day Elsa Schiaparelli. I first discovered Ms. Guinness' work in the 1990's and found her creations a much-needed departure from that decade's oh-please-take-me-seriously minimalism. (The mere thought of teeny, tiny Y necklaces & backpack purses still makes me shudder.) Turns out 2009 is the 20th-anniversary year of the Lulu Guinness brand; this is the outfit she wore to celebrate. Not too many stores in Baltimore carry her line, alas, but Mr. Altocat and I are planning to pay her New York boutique a visit this coming weekend. This could be hazardous to my wallet and is sure to be a feast for the eyes.

Poufffff at Killer Trash

2009-06-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

Poufffff at Killer Trash, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Crinolines & other retro finery available at Fells Point's Killer Trash, one of Baltimore's best-loved vintage clothing stores.

Day-of-the week undies!

2009-06-14T16:55:00.001-07:00

Day-of-the week undies!, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Ah, the amusing stuff one can find at flea markets. Mr. Altocat & I spent this afternoon in Fells Point, a historic Baltimore neighborhood unfortunately known (at least in recent years) mostly for attracting crowds of drunken young suburbanites on weekends. There's much more to Fells Point than that, however. The area is home to two well-regarded community theatres (Vagabond Players & Fells Point Corner Theatre) as well as an eclectic assortment of shops & restaurants. You can find all kinds of clothing, shoes, home decor, and more down here, vintage & new, & most items are very reasonably priced. If you MUST own a "Don't Bother Me, I'm Crabby" t-shirt, they sell those here, too, but please don't wear such a thing around locals. That's the sartorial equivalent of riding a Duck boat. (With regard to the latter, take the Water Taxi instead.) Dining options range from cheap to high-end. We recommend B.O.P. (Brick Oven Pizza) or Burritos en Fuego for the former. If you want to spend a bit more, Mezze offers delicious Mediterranean fare, & their sister restaurant, Kali's Court, is lovely for special occasions. Pitango Gelato is a fabulous place to indulge your sweet tooth.

Back to the pic - the Fells Point Preservation Society's Second Sunday Antiques Market runs the 2nd Sunday of every month through October. There are GREAT deals to be had here on vintage clothing, jewelry, books, housewares, and other items. More information is available at 410-675-8900. One of the clothing dealers had these day-of-the-week undies for sale today; aren't they a riot? Granny panties aren't my style, but at least these are new in the box (a/k/a/ unworn!)

Eugene Hutz in "Everything is Illuminated"

2009-06-13T05:59:00.001-07:00

Eugene Hutz in "Everything is Illuminated", originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Ever since my husband and I heard Gogol Bordello live, I can't get enough of their music, and it turns out their lead singer, Eugene Hutz, is a very talented actor as well. We watched "Everything is Illuminated" last night and I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard at a movie. Based on Jonathan Safran Foer's book of the same title, the film covers familiar territory - a young man seeking to understand his family by making a trip to the ancestral homeland - but does it in hilarious, moving, & original ways. All of the performances are terrific and the soundtrack is a must-have. I'll be picking up the book sometime soon, too.

Coco Chanel

2009-06-09T05:29:00.001-07:00

Coco Chanel, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I just finished reading "Chanel: A Woman of her Own" by Axel Madsen. It's a wonderfully detailed account of the life & times of one of my favorite designers... a woman who came from an impoverished background & was left at an orphanage by her father at an early age, yet eventually ran an internationally acclaimed fashion house & created iconic pieces that are still in vogue today (think: 2.55 handbag, little black dress, &, of course, the Chanel suit.) Madsen goes into great detail about Chanel's numerous amours, who included English polo player "Boy" Capel & the German spy "Spatz". Chanel counted Igor Stravinsky, Jean Cocteau, Winston Churchill, & many other 20th-century luminaries among her friends. She strongly disliked Dior's "New Look" & the designs of Elsa Schiaparelli - styles of which I am a great fan - but I have such admiration for Coco's work that I guess I can forgive her. Almost. At any rate, I would call Madsen's book a must-read for those interested in fashion. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go & spritz myself with Chanel No. 5.

Music & passion are always in fashion...

2009-06-08T05:15:00.001-07:00

Gogol Bordello 6-4-09, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Over the past two weeks, I've heard some amazing live music... tango, opera, & gypsy punk. Yes, my musical tastes are all over the map, & I'm fortunate to live in a region where I can hear such varied performances. There was a common thread in all of these shows, however - passion. People who truly love what they do getting up on a stage & putting everything they are into their art. It's so strange & sad to me that some performers expect audiences to pay top dollar to watch them lip sync. I've been told "It's HARD to sing & dance at the same time!" Really? Tell that to Ann Reinking or Bebe Neuwirth. Or to Gogol Bordello, pictured here during their June 4th appearance at Rams Head Live in Baltimore. They played for two hours, & while their moves may not be as choreographed as those of the average blond pop tart, they're every bit as energetic, if not more so.

18th c. blue glass - Jane Fletcher - WOW

2009-06-07T14:05:00.001-07:00

18th c. blue glass - Jane Fletcher - WOW, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Ah, enamel. 18th-century parure in a custom case. Again, many thanks to Jane Fletcher for allowing me to take & post pics of her wares. If you want to read more about adornments of this period, I highly recommend "Georgian Jewellery, 1714-1830" by Ginny Redington Dawes with Olivia Collings. Beautiful photography & highly informative, engaging text.

Micro mosaic, etc - Jane Fletcher

2009-06-07T14:01:00.001-07:00

Micro mosaic, etc - Jane Fletcher, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

More fabulous vintage bling, courtesy of Jane Fletcher... I spy Georgian, Victorian, & even some 20th-century pieces.

Georgian on my mind...

2009-06-07T13:58:00.001-07:00

Garnets, etc. - Jane Fletcher, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I re-watched "Dangerous Liaisons" the other night & was amazed at how well I remembered the costumes, and even the jewelry. Of course, the clothes & gems in the film were spectacular, & I've always loved 18th-century fashion. Since I just can't get enough sparkly Georgian eye candy, even if I can't afford it, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the stuff with you. These were taken at The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show in 2008. The dealer whose booth I photographed is Jane Fletcher, a very funny, intelligent Englishwoman with a wonderful staff.

Whitby jet necklace

2009-06-07T06:06:00.001-07:00

Whitby jet necklace, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I've wanted a piece of Whitby jet jewelry for years; recently found this on eBay, for an insanely low price! The pendant is carved Whitby jet (fossilized wood) & the beads are a mixture of Whitby jet & "French jet" (black glass.) Whitby jet comes from England; jewelry made from it was immensely popular during the Victorian period. Ladies who were in mourning wore Whitby jet jewelry as well as pieces made from vulcanite, hairwork, & gutta-percha. Whitby jet jewelry is still being made, but this is an older piece.

Welcome!

2009-06-07T05:37:00.000-07:00

I have been obsessed with fashion & design from an early age... perhaps since birth. I adore vintage looks, but am also a fan of truly ground-breaking modern styles (makers of $3000 jeans need not apply.) My fashion icons include Miuccia Prada, Diane von Furstenberg, Coco Chanel, & Elsa Schiaparelli. I love bargain-hunting, mixing "high" & "low", & combining vintage pieces with new ones. Besides fashion, I love the arts, movies, travel, architecture, great food, cats, & interesting people. I'm completely new to blogging, so please be patient with me & watch this space!