We were stunned by the simple brilliance of clothing designer Martin Margiela’s packing tape belt. He recognized the most ordinary of materials as the perfect width, and texture to fulfill an instant need with astonishing personal style. It called to mind Anni Albers’ brilliant words.
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With winter fiercely, the covid-mandated necessity to socialize outdoors is challenging for those of us who live in cold regions or are simply cold-sensitive. So I’ve hunted down advice about how to hang out outside, whether at a restaurant or on a park bench or in an ice hut if you happen to have one.
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I first became enamored of sunglasses worn OVER prescription glasses when I saw my friend Fran Black* wearing a pair; I suddenly noticed that there was a pair of glasses underneath her sunglasses. That’s just what I need, I thought, so I hunted a pair down. They made my life way easier. I didn’t have…
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Now that it has sunk in that mandatory wearing of masks will be with us for some time, masks are moving beyond surgical and bandana-ish into serious style and design. Check THESE out.
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Always on the lookout for ways to transform my space and mood, I recently stumbled on a bargain of heady transformation: a $20 way to subtly evoke Nature indoors.
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We’ve watched this little video on instagram many times now, vicariously soaking up its unexpectedly BIG expression of joy AND its insight into the most common of personal catalysts…
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Years ago we figured out a technique that no shoemaker seems to know: how to remove the rough blims and tears that stick up on the scraped toes prevents a truly satisfying, long-lasting shine.
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Like many white things, plain white sneakers are a blank canvas just waiting to be embellished with permanent fabric markers or paint. Here are two favorite iterations for summer.
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Nobel Prize winner Dr. Jim Allison’s headshot filling the back cover of a recent New Yorker got me thinking. Would that photo fly as a full-page ad if Dr. Jim were a woman?
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The messages on the shoelaces of the guy sitting across from me ready “Do I love you?
Do I lust you?” Yeah! Where could I find shoelaces that really said something?
Fran Black resorted to wearing a wig while she was growing her dyed hair out gray. Then she realized how fun and transformative wearing a wig can be, and bought more.
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More astonishing than the 40+ rings on a stranger’s hands, where the hands themselves. Together they taught me an unexpected lesson, the big gift of my day (along with a poem by Robert Bly).
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“LAYERS” is the essential strategy for achieving the right level of warmth in a dicey climate. At Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia took the idea a leap farther…
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Over at Kleidersachen, we occasionally spot boldly stitched clothing that makes us wonder why we don’t take a need and thread to our clothes more often to jazz them up.
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I got so many raves about my tried-and-true method of stretching too-tight shoes, that I’m publishing it again, five years later.
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Suddenly, it is Halloween, one of the strangest and most magic days of the year. If it snuck up on you, here is just the thing:
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What a curious pleasure it would be to spot a slick of gold on someone’s ear…or face or…
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We totally relate to this perfect Roz Chast cartoon in this week’s New Yorker.
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This wonderful live rose jacket got us thinking about ways to use fresh flowers to sparkle up our summer wardrobe…
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After the designers at fashion house Balanciaga knocked off Ikea’s iconic big blue 99-cent tote (in leather for $2,145), frequent contributor Susan Dworski jumped into the fray with a chic, cheap black bag that we hacked to perfection.
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