Postmodern Jodphurs

It takes a lot to get me excited about a new trouser silhouette.

I hated boot cut jeans when they reemerged, having been miserable in “wide legs” during the 1970s. I even disliked a lowish rise, having adored cigarette pants a la Audrey Hepburn for many a year.

Yesterday, though, I was flipping through Bazaar and saw several examples of a silhouette that looks just right. My favorite incarnation is the Alexander Wang pant (above), with its snug calves and gently draping material. It works with a really strong shoe, like the one here.

But there are a couple of caveats: A woman would have to make sure that her pants are neither too blouson-y, lest she resemble a parachute, nor too long, lest her look conjures up that unfortunate term “harem pant.” And –oh—the pants can’t be too short either, because then she’ll have that uncomfortable sensation of having the cuff ride up in a too-tight manner.

The more I look at these pants, the more I remember a favorite pair of winter white jodphurs that I used to wear in Montreal. With a strong black patent shoe and a slim sweater they were just perfect (this was back in the 1980s, remember—but there was NO slouchy sock!!).

I’ll be looking for this silhouette on my December trek to NYC. Could you see yourself in these?

Hitting the Right Tone with Tim Walker

Last weekend I finally rented Atonement, which I’d been putting off seeing because of my mixed reaction to the novel.

On the one hand, the novel is a graduate student’s dream if one is pondering narrative theory; on the other, it reminds me of the infamous season opener of Dallas when Pam woke up and discovered that the whole rotten preceding season in which Bobby had died, etc., etc., was all a bad dream.

I can agree with myself on one detail, though: the film was gorgeous.

But my eye went not toward Keira in her green dress, doing her fastest impression of Kristin Scott Thomas’ clipped speech. Rather, it fixed upon Lola Quincey and her little red-haired brothers.

This trio appeared as if straight out of a Tim Walker photograph, so doll-like were they lit and filmed. And Lola’s pink clothes, coupled with her beautiful red hair and peachy complexion, made a stunning aesthetic statement.

Too, the shabby ferris wheels and carnival rides on the beach depicted a dreamlike wasteland, in which childhood delights—the bright colors, the promise of cheerful activities—engagingly contrasted with the brown sobriety of all those young soldiers. It’s as if the designer and cinematographer are daring its viewers to take visual pleasure amid a landscape of injuries and uncertainty.

So although the plot may deal with atonement, and perhaps Mr. McEwan might be made to atone for his writerly manipulations, the look of the film is spot on. Nothing to atone for there.

Scarfing Down some Art

Last summer I was doing some research in Salem, Massachusetts, and after climbing up the skinny secret staircase in the House of the Seven Gables, after admiring Hawthorne’s Custom House, and after dodging the kitschy witchy haunts to locate the more serious, sober monument to the trials, I treated myself to the Peabody Essex Museum.

After spending some time in the exhibits I wandered through the gift shop, and, to my surprise and delight, found a scarf by Margo Selby, who had been known to me only through the wonderfully curated advertising pages of Selvedge magazine. (I buy Selvedge as much for the fabulous advertisers as for the gorgeous photographs of textiles.)

Selby is a London-based fabric designer who makes textured, *bubble* fabric in sturdy silk. She crafts throws, pillows, small bags, and scarves, to name but a few items. My scarf is in the *parrot* colorway (see color scheme of the sachet on the left in first photo) and I love how it is both tough and elegant with a jacket or coat.

As the cold, snowy weather comes, I’m drawn more and more to scarves and winter wear, so you may be seeing more of that on my blog. Or maybe not. For as soon as I proclaim something, I usually do the opposite. It’s that contrary nature.

Perhaps it’s frightfully cliché to buy a piece from an art museum gift shop. Perhaps it screams *deliberately arty* in the way that long, boxy clothing with precise architectural cuts does.

Que sera sera. Whatever Selby, Selby.

Highland Things

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that my grandmother was Scottish. I grew up, consequently, with a love for tam o’shanters and Fair Isle knits, though those items eventually morphed into berets and cashmere crews.

Now that winter has officially arrived, however (even if the calendar date says otherwise), I’m feeling a great pull toward those cozy garments of my youth.

And what better company than Thistle and Broom to quench my Scottish knit desires?

Above is a stunning wreath made from Fair Isle gloves.

And below is a Fair Isle sweater, updated for a postmodern woman who might pair it with skinny jeans and tough boots from Balenciaga or even Doc Martens. Wear it on the moors, or by the sea, when the first ice has just formed on the water.

And for those of you true laddies and lassies, check out these great kilts.

I wore one most Saturdays, with my boarding school’s cadet corps. We donned full Highland dress (Black Watch kilt, red jacket, great [faux?] furry hat) and stomped about the hills and dales. I think I even had a fling with the highlander who played the bagpipes. But no, his name wasn't Danny.

Would You Buy a New Bag from . . .?

The new Madonna ads for Louis Vuitton are déjà vu, to my eye.

I see a generic American Frenchified bistro, a la Pastis or Balthazar, back in the day, and a weary circus performer who’s popped in for some absinthe, or just to stretch her legs, before hopping back on the trapeze.

I liked LV’s last campaign for its unexpected models—Gorby, Keef, et al. But this series of ads just seems tired (though I quite like the shoes and bags throughout).

"If I Had A Haa-aaa-mer"

An intriguing new shape by Cie Mihara.

I suppose, on one the foot, you could call these the Hammer Pants of shoes . . .

But on the other, I quite like these for some casual chic.

Slingbacks *can* be annoying to walk in, though, and even though much of my day is spent posing, there are moments when I do have to take a stroll down the hall).

What do you think? U can’t touch this?

Marie on a Tree; or: Let Them Decorate with Cake!

Marie Antoinette made an appearance on my Christmas tree this weekend, as she’s done for the past two years.

I had an idea, a while ago, to make a series of “Royal Court” ornaments in response to the Coppola Marie Antoinette movie.

This is the first, the Queen herself, with her infamous (if mythological) cakes at the bottom of the skirt. You can click on the image to see her embroidery stitches a little closer.

The second, the Queen’s dear friend, the Countess of Chocolate, has chocolate cupcakes around her elegant brown skirt (I gave her to a friend, so, alas, no photo).

I also have bumblebee ribbon and am contemplating making a Queen Bea when all the dust clears from my semester’s end.