Fashion SL's: Black and White with a side of Buzz

Tuesday’s chemo has caught up with me. Big time. As my trusty companion Buzz and I lounge around (because I am glued to the couch!)…

 

I thought I’d get my mind off of my nausea and dream about Fashion Silver Lining’s.

Wearing scarves everyday as really made me think about what I wear. Time and time again, I go back to wearing black and white. Or all white. Or all black.

Black and white does not have to be mundane or extreme.  On the contrary.  I think that it can be quite feminine and it serves as a fabulous blank canvas to add pops of pink and green (my favorite colors).

When starting with such neutrals, it’s easy to add whimsical Hermes scarves (to a bald head) or accessorize.  Just the other day, our daughter, a/k/a Finally Five told me  that “Girls MUST accessorize”.  So, there you go.

 

 

 

How fabulous is this vintage I.Magnin fur vest at Decades in Los Angeles?  I’m drooling over it!

 

 

 

I happen to think that Vogue Editor Anna Wintour is incredibly chic.  We share an affinity for the same designers, e.g., Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera. She is always impeccably turned out.  I respect and appreciate her sense of personal style as well as the fact that she frequently repeats outfits.

 

I don’t know which I like more:  the hair, the outfit or the bike!  In my current state, I’d have to go with the HAIR!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m very excited to wear this Oscar de la Renta dress!  It will be a great traveling outfit (when I FINALLY get to hit the road again!) with which to mix with a variety of options.

 

 

 

 

My all-time favorite white jeans are the J.Crew Matchsticks.  I am typically not a denim jean wearer (quelle horreur, living in California); however I wear these white jeans ALL the time. I hem them above my ankle to make them capri’s.  They have the perfect amount of stretch, ideal pocket placement and last forever!

 

 

I’m equally excited to wear this gorgeous Carolina Herrera dress! It’s easy-breezy and no accessories needed (sorry Finally Five).

 

 

I love mixing color with black and white. This green Hermes Kelly Pochette is a perfect example of how a pop of color works beautifully on a black and white canvas.

 

 

I’ll never forget seeing Lee Radziwill after a Fashion Show in New York (when it was still at Bryant Park).  She stood with Andre Leon Talley (a Vogue editor who TOWERED over her, by the way) waiting for their car.  She was dressed in the skinniest of black pants with a black, leather, fur lined motorcycle jacket. So, so chic.

 

 

Using sculptural silhouettes, impeccable craftsmanship, and to-die-for materials Ralph Rucci always makes black look new and different. He is unique because he designs all of his prints, and works closely with mills to create new fabrics and revive historically important textiles. Ralph Rucci draws inspiration from his own art, Japanese symbolism, and the work of Francis Bacon and Cy Twombly. Love. Love. Love.

 

 

Last week, the de Young Museum in San Francisco opened Balenciaga and Spain, an exhibition curated by Hamish Bowles, European editor at large of Vogue. The exhibit features 120 haute couture garments, hats, and headdresses designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972). The exhibition illustrates Balenciaga’s references to Spanish art, bullfighting, dance, regional costume, and the pageantry of the royal court and religious ceremonies. I’m so excited to see it later this spring – when I can hit the road again!

 

 

 

I loved reading Katharine Graham’s recollection of Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball (that he hosted in her honor).  She considered herself to be the “ugly duckling” among the “beautiful swans” of New York.  Her book, Personal History is a wonderfully inspirational and insightful read.

 

 

This is my basic outfit: white cotton blouse and black pants (or white jeans). Any color added to this basic combination provides a happy, snappy Silver Lining!

I have never known a really chic woman whose appearance was not, in large part, an outward reflection of her inner self.

Mainbocher