Falling for a Coat

DG facing Winter (credit: John Musnciki)

 
It's still 90 degrees; I haven't even picked a pumpkin, but I bought a coat. This is how I know it's Fall. For many years the only way I could deal with the frigid months was to buy a new coat. I hate the cold so much, I needed to find one I loved enough and that would (hopefully) keep me warm.

Calling Julie not Omar

The search has come up with a few duds. There was the Russian-style suede with a shearling lining. It was "Dr. Zhivago" snazzy but weighed a ton. There was the full-on full-length fur from a thrift shop (in London no less). It was wonderful, although I did feel like I was wearing one of my cats. It was also very old and in the process of molting. Then came the mohair cape, in theory a giant blanket, but the arm slits let in cold air.

And you can sleep in it

Once Norma Kamali made the down-filled coat chic, life changed for the better. I never owned one of her "sleeping bag" coats, but my versions were toasty if not exactly flattering. Like Pedro, the cold-blooded penguin of "Three Caballeros", at least I was warm.

Now I live where 60 degrees on a winter's day is cold. And it is, if you're not used to it. This still requires a coat, even if the down coats are stored under the bed. Zara is my go-to for coats that are stylish and not too expensive. Sure enough, one recent sweltering day (when the air conditioned mall promised relief), I found this one, and it came home with me:

Brushed wool, Zara, $169

Also comes in navy

Here's why you should find yourself a coat to love. If you live in a cold place, a great many people will see you only in your coat. That all important first impression will be made wearing a coat. You will make an entrance— and exit— wearing a coat. There will be the act of putting it on and taking it off. It almost doesn't matter what you wear underneath. If you know you will leave your coat on in the museum/gallery/store you don't want a lot of frippery getting in the way of an unbuttoned coat, so the simple top and bottom or dress will do.

Anna knows how

If it's not that cold a lightweight version or sweater coat or long jacket works the same way. It can be the third piece that makes an outfit. It can make a statement of its own. Did anyone say "kimono"? Let's face it— a coat can cut the mustard.

A coat and a dress and mustard!

Stylish Cinema Coming Attractions

 
Once fashion documentaries were few and far between. There were Hollywood confections like "Designing Woman" and "Funny Face" (What? Do you mean "Funny Face" wasn't a documentary?) If you ever get the chance, catch at least the last twenty minutes of "The Women" for a 1930s fashion show in color, gowns by Adrian.

"Unzipped" from 1995 documented the charming Isaac Mizrahi's highs and self-doubts, but it wasn't until 2009's 'The September Issue" that fashion documentaries got into gear. Two of my favorites are  "Bill Cunningham New York" (2010) and "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel" (2011). There have been films on Bergdorf Goodman ("Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's") and eccentric fashionistas ("Iris" and "Advanced Style") and documentaries on Valentino and Raf Simmons at Dior.

Here are three new ones to look forward to, coming soon:

Andre Leon Talley's "The Gospel According to Andre Leon Talley". This just opened at the Toronto Film Festival. ALT is larger than life, a force of fashion. If you know who he is, you will be as excited as am I. If you don't, get excited anyways. He's amazing.

 
Manolo Blahnik's "The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards". This is the man behind "the Manolos" of "Sex in the City" fame. MB creates those exquisite, desirable shoes women dream about (and some can even buy). To think he started by fashioning tin foil slippers for creatures in the garden.

Lady Gaga's "Gaga: Five Foot Two". Is she really only 5' 2"? Another force of fashion and a few other things. I feel there's a lovely person beneath the crazy get-ups. Listening to her album "Joanne" was a revelation.

 

What's Old is New Again, Again

Stuart Weitzman @ $575-$598

H&M @ $39.99

 
Flying off the shelves from your local Stuart Weitzman to your neighborhood H&M is the pointy-toe-skinny-heel ankle boot of many, many seasons ago. If you're lucky (like me) and have a big closet* to house your shoes, you may even have a pair or two stashed away.

*About that closet— I think it was meant to be a linen closet, but I don't have that many sheets.

Pointy toes have been rather looked down upon in recent years. Now they're back. There is no rhyme or reason for this shift in favor. I've seen it happen over and over, and I'm always taken by surprise. This year especially is seeing a record number of Greatest Hits from Times Gone By.

I'm happy to trot out the pointy toes for my trotters to enjoy. My opinion is they make my feet look more like a ballerina's. You may think yours look more like those of the Wicked Witch of the East. This is fashion, where beauty lies in the eye of the beholder and the beholden.

Weighing in on the September Issues

 
The blessed event that is the September fashion magazines weighs in at 10.6 pounds this year. That's a hefty baby but 1.4 pounds less than last year's delivery. The fashionable five are Vogue at 774 pages, Harper's Bazaar at 474, Elle at 496, Marie Claire at 294 and Glamour, the runt of the litter, at 216 pages. Everyone lost a little compared to last year. I fear only the trees will be happy with this news. 

The health of a magazine is determined by its number of pages, signifying many or fewer ads.  Love them or hate them, ads are what breathes life into a magazine. Your subscription at a bargain price is a "loss leader", as they say,  but pumps up the circulation figures. That number determines the price of an ad.

It's a fascinating exercise in economics, but one that pales when I get my hands on the little beauties themselves. New clothes— or the wishes thereof— mean a new season, new activities, new adventures.

This year as well as last I did not include InStyle in the mix. At 440 pages it's pretty healthy, but I've always considered InStyle more celebrity watching/lifestyle wishing. The September issue is called 'The Fashion Issue" and true to itself is chock full of fashion trends and some nice first-person pieces (as well as plenty of celebrity sightings). It might even be the one to have if you're just having one. 

A peek inside September InStyle

I hate to see summer end, but those September issues are a magic bridge to what life may be on the other side. I plan to enjoy them wearing shorts and flip flops while drinking lemonade on my backyard chaise under the shade of an umbrella. Perfect.

Cherchez la Femme

It's rare when corporate America gets the WOACA (Woman of a Certain Age) right. We are many women, and we're not all Fabulous, but for those of us who want to be, role models have been pretty slim pickin's.

That's why this woman stopped me in my tracks. I wanted what's she's having. At first I did think the ad was for a new style magazine to retire to bed with. The brain has many neurons. Then I got it. She is retired; she has great style, and she wants to know how to make the most of her money.

It's a far cry from the way advertisers present this age group. Often we are dressed in perfectly utiliarian clothes but look slightly frazzled.

Or we pull at the heartstrings by appearing truly out of it. One of these two is supposed to have Alzheimer's; I'm not sure which.

Then there is the unfortunate series of ads for Miracle Whip. May the person who dreamed up this bit of elderly abuse and child abuse wake tomorrow covered in liver spots.

Greetings from Houston

"Houston, we have a problem."

No one dared use that old line last week. Houston and Corpus Christi and Rockport and Victoria and Kingwood and Beaumont and Port Arthur all had big problems thanks to Mother Nature's bad seed cousin, Harvey.

We are fine. My family and, for the most part, friends and family of friends are okay. It rained for a solid four days, often with unrelenting intensity. We watched as water pounded us and ran down the street, but thank goodness it kept running. We didn't lose power, water or gas. We were (and are) incredibly lucky. We didn't dodge a bullet, we dodged a cannonball.

Houston is HUGE. There are no suburbs. It's all "Houston" and goes on for miles. Some of the flooded areas are far from us. Houston has many "bayous", slow moving rivers or inlets that snake all through the city. We have one about 1/2 a mile from the house, and it did overflow its banks to a frightening degree, but it is set lower than the roadway so did not impact the neighborhood. This is probably more than you wanted to know but good to know not all of Houston is under water.

What Harvey left behind is at least 100,000 homes in need of major repair or replacement. Schools and businesses and all city services are affected. We want to help, and we will. Houston is an amazingly diverse city, where people work together and live together. Just yesterday I spotted this in a front yard:

My eyes have been glued to the tv. I've been busy letting everyone know we are okay, sometimes more than once. It didn't seem possible to the outside world that anyone could be okay.

I just can't write about fashion yet. Maybe tomorrow, if I can figure out what day it is.