Uncategorized

November's Hat Attack features the mini beret Taxi! by Mademoiselle Slassi HERE.  My collaboration with Karima Slassi began this past July when she and her daughter visited Denver.  Karima is from Paris, but had lived in Colorado years ago.  We had been Facebook friends for several years, and I was very excited when she contacted me and we arranged a meetup for dinner. "The Taxi! line of hats is emblematic of Mademoiselle Slassi because the yellow color perfectly expresses the spirit of the brand: an ode to joy, elegance and originality. The mini beret Taxi! plays with the chic and the

I've known for many years that I'm a collector of hats, vintage and recycled clothing and accessories.  This would be difficult to ignore.  All I need to do is look around my living space to realize that my home is a closet. Most every piece in my collection is organized by category.  Hats in one area (except for a few favorites on display in the living room and dining room), shoes in another, and on and on.  You get the picture! At this point in my life, I embrace my desire and love to collect. I have no shame about

As autumn arrives full-blown, with its stunning display of colors, I've been reflecting from an inner distance on my own life's transitions.  Seasons of the year can be perceived as analogous to the stages of life. I see myself in fall as I gaze upon the trees as they shift from green to brilliant red, orange and yellow.  The stage before their leaves fall to the ground in heaps of crisp and spent beauty, they are at their most lovely.  Before they appear stark and barren against the frigid winter background.  Or as with humans, the end of life on

Several weeks ago I traveled to Los Angeles to the Advanced Style: Older And Wiser HERE book signing at Louise Green Millinery HERE. How could I possibly miss Ari's book signing in a millinery studio? This West Coast adventure lived up to my expectations and beyond.  I met many new and interesting people and had the opportunity to explore the millinery wonderland created by Louise and her husband Lawrence (as described in my post of last week). The above video of the event was created by Lawrence, and depicts the fun and frivolity of an experience that I will never

Photo By Mr. J After traveling for weeks, I'm ready to be home.  I find myself behind in every area. I'm in the midst of unpacking and my sanctuary is disorganized and cluttered.  It will take time to process my adventures and learn from them as I move forward. As I resume my yoga schedule, everything will become more clear.  My path will open before me.  I need rest and quiet. And contemplation. I feel that I have taken on too much, and my spirit is tired and overwhelmed.  Every bone and muscle in my body yearns for rest and

Photo by Ann Wood and hat by milliner, artist and blogger Carol Markel HERE. After visiting my mother, I traveled to Minneapolis to visit friends and explore art in the city.  My first stop was meeting up with artists Ann Wood and Dean Lucker of Woodlucker HERE in their exquisite studio. I followed Ann during the time that she was blogging as Blue Hue Wonderland HERE.  Dean was her photographer.  Her style was amazing, the photographs were excellent and the backgrounds always artistic. When Ann stopped blogging to focus on her art, she and Dean launched a Woodlucker Instagram account, which I

I just returned from a visit to Minnesota to visit my 96-year-old mother Norma.  Living in an assisted living facility, she continues to be an inspiration to me.  She loves to play bridge, and every evening in the facility, a group of residents gather to play cards. For this activity, my mother wouldn’t miss an opportunity to adorn her hands with rings from a collection which she has maintained over a lifetime. Her white hair is her crowning glory, and since I've grown my hair out from red to white, I'm happy to say that our hair is now the

I made this rose-colored straw hat in the 90's when taking a millinery class taught by a talented milliner who had graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and was living in Denver. The hat was first blocked and then I molded it into a free-form sculpture. This is not the first chapeau that I had created.  I experimented with blocking during my hat shop days in the 80's.  There's not a lot that I remember from that time of learning and expansion.  I would have to practice and repeat to improve, just as with any practice, art

Every weekend Mr J and I have made a ritual of shooting  photos for Instagram as part of our time together.  As we drive through the city or on our way to dinner or breakfast, a background pops out that catches my eye.  This practice has become spontaneous, and it takes only a few minutes.  It's a fun and interesting way to document our exploration of Denver neighborhoods. The photo above was taken in Cherry Creek North before dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.  The vintage fabric turban was discovered at a consignment shop several years ago. This image

Incorporating summer whites into my compositions has been new for me.  Along with other bloggers, I have been influenced and inspired by Sylvia of 40+Style HERE.  Her blog post, "How to Wear White" HERE, gave me insight into its appeal.  Soon I found myself attracted to white pieces at the estate sales, vintage shops, thrift shops and consignment stores.  When she visited Denver around this time last year, I wore a white shirt in her honor. I think that I've had a resistance to white because I wore white uniforms, hose and shoes (plus nursing cap) in the 60's, when

Growing up I was terrified of public speaking.  I remember fainting in front of a group in elementary school during a presentation.  Even today I can see the people towering above me, wide-eyed with concern, as I awakened from my unconscious state on the floor.  It's an unwelcome and haunting memory! Over the years, my anxiety decreased as I learned to manage my feelings when speaking in groups.  I found that if I felt passionate about the content, I could overcome my overwhelmingly negative psychological response.  My desire to talk about my subject matter somehow became more prominent than my

Last week I traveled to New Orleans with Mr. J to attend a four-day conference, Revolutionizing The Culture of Aging, which was presented by The Pioneer Network HERE.  Originally developed around the vision of creating a culture of aging that is life-affirming, satisfying, humane and meaningful in the long-term care setting, its overall aim is nothing less than transforming the culture of aging in America. Mr J has been involved with the Pioneer Network for many years, and he generously invited me to present at one of the workshops that he led.  Sage Conversations: Reflections On Aging From An Elder Sage offered

It's been over a month since Mr. J and I traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico for a brief hiatus from our usual routine.  It's one of my favorite destinations, with its slower pace, gorgeous views, high concentration of artists and eclectic restaurants.  And fabulous array of vintage, thrift and consignment shops! One of the first adventures on our agenda was a visit to Museum Hill and the International Museum of Folk Art HERE.  The Apache Warrior sculpture outside the museum created a majestic presence as it emerged on the skyline. The Flamenco Exhibit traced the history of dance from

Last week Jean of Dross Into Gold HERE flew into Denver for her annual visit.  Her husband Joey Sommerville HERE was scheduled to perform at the Keystone Wine and Jazz Festival HERE and she arrived a few days early so that we could play.  Play to us means hitting the thrift shops, estate sales and consignment stores.  We discovered treasures at every destination! Jean's visit coincided with Daniel's return as Style Crone photographer, so there was much to celebrate.  Our photo shoot took place in Keystone following Joey's show-stopping performance.  Keystone, Colorado HERE is a resort town with breathtaking mountain views.

Daniel is making a speedy recovery following his life saving surgery and near death experience.  He's resting up for our next photo shoot, so for this post, Finn Wells is filling in.  Finn is also going to help us with videos, so I look forward to exploring a new medium. The fear of losing Daniel was heightened by the death of a much younger and apparently healthy friend who died in his sleep this past weekend.  A talented, creative and generous artist slipped away in the midst of the night. This all against the backdrop of unspeakable gun violence and

This past October my hair stylist retired.  She had been cutting and coloring my hair for many years.  She had been supportive of my decision to grow my hair out from red to silver and I was close to the very end of this process when she left.  I was saddened by the loss, but celebrated the new life that she had before her. I came to accept this change and began to explore options for her replacement. Making a long magical story short (beginning with my nail whisperer), I discovered Charlie Price HERE, artist extraordinaire.  He felt like the

I was going to post yesterday, but my heart was heavy with grief as the reality of the Orlando atrocity hovered with horror.  These photos were taken before the shootings, and they didn't mirror how I felt. My deep sorrow for the victims and their families was at the forefront and I wanted to honor the pain of their trauma.  Today I see the wisdom of moving forward and exploring how I can, in some small way, become involved in a movement to contribute to the prevention of this senseless violence.  Actions speak louder than words and the place to

Over a month ago my friend Brooks Luby, Denver fashion designer of Brooks LTD HERE, asked me to participate in a photo shoot, representing her focus on mother-of-the-bride and special occasion pieces.  I was all in!  I'm always ready for a new experience of interest which allows me to stretch and grow. The shoot took place in her beautiful studio in the heart of Denver's LoDo district.  For this post I chose my favorite editorial photos by photographer Hardy Klahold HERE, wearing pieces created by Brooks.  The above white shirt with open shoulders and lace detail is now hanging in my

Photo By Ari Seth Cohen My magical NYC adventure comes to a close in today's post.  Thank you to the brilliant Ari Seth Cohen for the feature on Advanced Style HERE.  I was thrilled for the honor. My vintage long green satin jacket from Meek Vintage Denver HERE is perfect for twirling, topped off with my gifted  vintage Schiaparelli turban.  The Chanel bag was a recent yard sale find! Photo By Mr. J No trip to NYC is complete without a visit to artist, milliner and blogger Carol Markel's fabulous "Hat Shop In A Box."  Carol and her husband, artist

On my last day in NYC I had the great honor of attending the press preview for MANUS X MACHINA: Fashion in an Age of Technology at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I was invited to this event by my dear friends Jean And Valerie of the Idiosyncratic Fashionistas.  Read their beautifully written and knowledgeable review of the exhibit HERE. In the photo above, which was taken by Jill Krementz of the New York Social Diary HERE, (left to right) Jean wears a straw hat designed by Ignatius from the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Craft Show,  Valerie wears a pale green