Allure

When Allure magazine was first published, it felt like a breath of fresh air for the thinking fashionista. For a couple of years its articles were wry, suspicious of trends, and very, very smart.

But somewhere along the way, the powers that be decided that Allure should be reimagined as a celebrity fashion mag. That original fresh air became more and more recycled gossip about uninteresting starlets and I stepped away.

But lately I’ve been giving Allure a second look. Although it still puts celebrities on the cover and is jam-packed with product samples (I had wondered where all the perfumes inserts had landed. Answer: in Allure), it does contain some editorial styling that I quite like.

Here, for instance, are two images from September. In winter I do like a handsome, fitted turtleneck, and I’d love to wear this one (above) with that extraordinary necklace. (And this from a non-jewelry person.)

I’ve blogged twice before about this silk “feather” texture from Burberry Prorsum (below) in a dress, and see here that it’s rather, well, alluring in a jacket too.

I’d hold back on that slash of blush, though, which reminds me too much of Diana Vreeland’s famous red cheeks that extended to and powdered her ears.

By the way, when I worked in NYC, the first play I saw was Mark Hampton and Mary Louise Wilson’s Full Gallop, in a little Off Broadway theatre, starring La Wilson as the ever theatrical DV.

It was a treat to see her reimagined, as a celebrity of the theatre. She continues to have real allure.