Down with Sleeves!?

In my twenties and thirties I never would have considered wearing a down vest. In fact, I thought it utterly useless, a purely wasteful garment manufactured simply to rid guileless shoppers of their money.

In the last few years, though, I’ve had an abrupt change of heart. I borrowed one from a friend one mild winter’s day and suddenly saw what all the fuss was about: down vests were practical when a coat or jacket had simply too much fabric! And for this Canadian, who’s always too warm, the vest offered excellent climate control.

But: down vests work nicely with a pair of dark wash jeans, and not much else (unless you’re on the slopes).

Couldn’t there be a more upscale version of the same fashion concept?

Enter the short sleeve jacket and coat. The bracelet-sleeve jacket below is from Neiman Marcus's private label; the coat above, worn by the rather querilous-looking model, from Alberta Ferretti.

These have been, if you’ll pardon the pun, hot, hot, hot lately, as evidence from the blog traffic they’re getting. Enc has posted a ladylike stunner from Barneys, and Songy has a great photo of two winsome lasses just rocking the look.

There’s also a sweater coat/cardigan version, as seen here (#10) on Savvy Mode.

So—are you “down” with the short-sleeve look?

Anthropological Digs

I’ve been reading the Anthropologie catalogue for the last six to twelve months with a low resting heart rate. Much of its casual, sometimes surprisingly pricey Boho chic had been too studied, too precious for my taste.

This month’s offering, though, saw a slight rise in beats. So here, for your pleasure, is a peek at my virtual shopping spree (in both senses of the word).

Ordinarily I wouldn’t like a large collar (too girly-cutesy), but the one in the large photo seems like it could be tough enough when paired with that shirt. And the trousers remind me of a beloved pair I had when I was 18. That can’t be bad, no?

I love a slight peplum, and this sweater is both delicate and grown-up enough for work. I’d choose it in the brown shade.

This is the kind of dress I’d wear all summer (why is it in the fall catalogue?). Great color and line (though I’d want to vet those flowers in person). Always a qualification . . .

**Image manipulated by me, with Phixar (per Songy's recommendation)

Paradise Found?

I would n.e.v.e.r. wear anything reptilian

(can’t even type the other word),

but these boots by Malandrino,

with their laser-cut lacy styling on top

made me look twice.

Available at Vivre.

The Dress!

Although I was delighted to see the lovely and deserving Obama family take the stage at Grant Park last night/early this morning, I must admit to some confusion over Michelle Obama’s dress.

Perhaps it was the time of night (morning?), but I couldn’t quite figure it out—there was a shrug; did it tie around the body? But no—there were strips of satin-y material running down the side that matched the criss cross on the waist. And was that ombre? No—more of a dotted blend from red to black. Perhaps it would have made more visual sense to me without the shrug . . .

There’s been debate on the blogosphere over who designed it. Frockwriter has put in a vote for Narciso Rodriguez, and while the dress certainly shares elements of the NR dress that Frockwriter points to, I wonder whether the dress is in fact an homage—something interpreted by another designer.

Any votes for who designed this dress?

In Which Dr. Cavendish Posits a New Blogological Theory

It’s a biological fact that when a group of girls or women live together—say, in a dormitory—their monthly cycles will soon coordinate.

Perhaps the same thing happens in the blogosphere.

Well, not exactly, but here’s what I mean:

Yesterday I spied a pair of Jeffrey Campbell shoes on the Nordstrom website. They were flat, with cutouts and laces and reminded me of a pair of white shoes I had purchased from Holt Renfrew many, many years ago because they were Great Gatsby-esque. I checked to see whether they were available in my size. They weren't. I thought about posting on the shoes but had other things to take care of.

This morning I visited my blogging friend enc’s site and saw that she had ordered those exact shoes (in a different colorway) from a completely different website. Now these shoes are not in the popular conversation. I haven’t seen them featured anywhere splashy or on anyone else’s blog. But we both found them on the same day, on different boutique websites.

So here’s a new blogological theory: once a month, bloggers of style will feel an irresistible pull toward one item. They will blog about it and notice with pleasure and surprise that others are doing the same. Then they’ll return to their divergent blogging styles until the following month.

Have you ever had a stylish item on your mind that you were surprised (and delighted) to discover that someone else liked too?

GOOP-y "I"s

My email in-box was full of GOOP last week.

I’d heard the buzz about Gwyneth Paltrow’s new lifestyle website, GOOP, but it seems like it’s still under construction. For the time being, one signs up for a newsletter, to be delivered via email, and the site will have its grand opening in the future.

Ironically, just a week ago or so, I wryly commented on someone’s blog that I wouldn’t want to read one of Ms. Paltrow’s novels, were she to write one, and here I was, signing up for her newsletter. (I was assuming she wouldn’t have characters in it.)

But she did have a main character, namely herself, which, truly, made perfect sense to me, because she’s writing about what she knows—her experiences in various areas.

Actually, in this installment, she was writing about what she didn’t know—how to overcome some bodily and psychological ailments through proper food and other kinds of nourishment. So she turned to three doctors, who each gave their advice (one mentioned his “best-selling book” for more detailed information).

The advice was simple: get at least eight hours of sleep, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, avoid processed foods, sugar, caffeine, flour, etc. I didn’t learn anything new, but was reminded how difficult it is to follow all of those sound rules during this time of year, when coffee so beautifully accompanies baked goods, when the dark evenings disrupt our sleep rhythms.

Prettily packaged, with soothing visuals, and prose (from Gwyneth) that doesn’t take itself toooo seriously, GOOP is neither POOP nor GOOD—yet. It’s still figuring out its consistency, but without any high fructose corn syrup, please!

India (Th)inks

The first time I noticed India Hicks, I didn’t really, though I should have. But tiny Clementine, the littlest bridesmaid at Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding, charmed everyone, while thirteen-year-old India, with her noble brow and intelligent eyes, was more of the wedding party than the party itself.

I noticed her again, while she was beginning her short-lived modeling career—in the pages of Vogue wearing a white tank top and Isaac Mizrahi ballgown-skirt, bringing credence to Ralph Lauren’s fauxtocratic English country-living adverts. (India and Honor Fraser were my two favorite “pedigree” models; Stella Tennant has obviously transcended that label.)

I liked that she was much more statuesque than waif; she freely commented in interviews that she was not “naturally” reed thin; in her post-pregnancy months she utterly unself-consciously modeled for Marina Rinaldi. (And she actually gained weight while pregnant! No “Body after Baby” triumph stories three weeks later in People magazine).

I cocked an eyeball here and there whenever India made news: her island living aesthetic appealed to me; though I thought her currency sank a little with her line for Crabtree and Evelyn.

And now India’s in the public eye, in the national pop culture, really, as the host of Bravo's surprisingly delightful Top Design. It’s the only TV show that could keep me up till midnight on a work night. I watch it to see what India wears and how she wears it, like this Cavalli flapper-esque number:

And this Tony Cohen knotted beauty:

India may be “never the bride,” but she’s certainly not wearing bridesmaids’ garb any more.