The Professor's Book

The Neiman Marcus fall 2008 *book* arrived chez Cavendish today, and before even opening it, I was captivated.

I love smart fabric art, and this cover delighted me. It incorporates embroidery, appliqué, and a tactile mix of textures.

The inside of the book had its pleasures too, and here are a few of my favorites for work (I’m a literature professor, and these would suit the classroom):

This Jill Sander, with its gentle form-fitting flannel waves:

This Alberta Ferretti, though not a typical color for me, wins with its mix of silk, velvet, and the funky burn-out waist:

And for the commute, this Marc Jacobs bag. I LOVE the colors (dark orchid and lavender; silver-tone hardware), and though the chain link confuses me—is this extra strap even necessary?—I’m willing to give it a closer look:

But I won't be buying these pieces from NM--that store lost my business during my tender graduate school years. I'm willing to accept new bids, though!

Caged Feet!

I confess: I rip items out of magazines while at the salon.

Yesterday I went in for some pre-fall maintenance—a little color to complement my salt-water blonde highlights, a slightly shorter sideswept fringe—and paged through Lucky magazine.

These cage shoes by Klub Nico immediately caught my eye. I don’t know how they’d look in person—cool or cheesy—but I’m tempted. I’d like to see them with some opaque black tights for fall and winter.

On a Tyrade

Bazaars are full of novelty—they’re a genial clash of color, shape, sound, smell, and texture. While I welcome such novelty in an open-air bazaar—Marrakesh, anyone?—I think that one fashion magazine is taking its name too literally.

Last month I paged through Harper’s Bazaar and found a novel spread: Lucy Liu wearing designer clothes as an Olympian. The concept irritated me a little—an Asian model for the Bejing Olympics seemed too Orientalist—but the spread annoyed me more. Lucy had to strike seemingly awkward poses (on a balance beam, for instance) while trying to show off the clothes. With the exception of the Javelin and the archery shots, Lucy looked uncomfortable, hence, so did the clothes.

This month we have another novel story to anticipate: Tyra Banks styled as Michelle Obama. The never subtle NY Post gave a sneak preview today, and called the spread “vaguely unsettling.”

In the NYP image, I think that the little girl is darling, the presidential hubby looks professional, if young, but Tyra is hamming it up. Indeed, this spread as well as her new promotional ad for ATM are a step back from her elegant photos for Italian Vogue.

My verdict is out until I see the whole spread, but I hope there are some sophisticated, yet novel, surprises hidden within.

Purple Reines

It can be challenging to be a Canadian in the United States during an election season (which seems to go on for years). I don’t have a vote for president, but can express my voice by analyzing political fashion.

Don’t worry—this will not be a post on red vs. blue.

Rather, I’ve been thinking about a happy merger of those hues: purple.

On the national front, I loved Michelle Obama’s purple sheath with the super-savvy Alaia perforated belt. I don’t think I ever imagined that a candidate’s spouse (or a candidate) would wear Alaia!

And internationally, it’s hard not to see that purple is quickly becoming Carla Bruni-Sarkozy’s signature color. After all, it’s regal and, as I tell my students, is associated with once-silenced women finding their voice (The Color Purple, the [grim] story of Philomel).

And how unusual that political wives may actually be influencing fashion in a positive manner—perhaps for the first time since Jacqueline Kennedy.

To wit: check out Dior’s fall 2008 campaign above. Starring Daria Werbovy (a Canadian!), it features a mod purple coat grounded with a black alligator bag--not at all unlike Mme. B-S's ensemble.

This Canadian’s voting for Alaia with Dior as VP.

Summer Wraps

I was reading the NYT today and saw Bill Cunningham’s photos of women wearing summer dresses with mufflers—to combat the workplace air conditioning.

While I like the look, this perpetually overheated fashionista (I credit this phenomenon to my Canadian tempera-ture-ment) couldn’t imagine donning neckwear on the street in summer, no matter how gauzy and cottony soft.

I’d carry a wrap in my bag and accessorize at the office; my street wraps usually include spinach and sprouts.

But in an ironic moment of taking fashion’s pulse, I did order three Indian-print long scarves from Anohki before leaving for vacation and expect to receive them tomorrow. Will I wear them this August? Maaaybe, while preening in front of a mirror chez moi, but I’ll probably save them for my cashmere cardis in early September.

And always on point, the lovely pve illustrated the same phenomenon. Love the slouchy posture, the sheath, the sandals, and the cropped hair.

I’ve been paying attention to short crops, as I have a salon visit on Wednesday and am seriously contemplating short layers. But that’s another post . . . And all this talk about wraps is making me hungry. Bon appetit!

If You Can't Judge a Book, Buy Its Cover

I’ve written about the marketing of literature by women before, but thought I’d show you this blog post by Diane Shipley at the Guardian (courtesy of Jezebel).

Shipley notes how women author’s book covers are getting the “chick lit” treatment, whether or not the book fits the genre.

And I suppose that men authors will soon be getting blue covers, with the sturdy Courier font.

Booties on the Beach

I’m feeling a little bit like a beached blogger today, complete with a slight cold, so I thought I’d show you these pewter peep-toe booties I bought for late summer/early fall.

The designer is not typically in my good books, but I’ve given him a pass because I like the shape of this footwear so much.

I’m seeing them with a pencil skirt or perhaps the Christiane Celle wrap dupioni silk dress . . .

But right now I’m seeing the clouds begin to clear, so I’m hopeful for one more beach day before hitting the road to Boston tomorrow.