Photos by Kathleen Photo by The Style Crone The SC continues to find comfort in Nelson's closet. He had the ability to make any outfit shine! We shared a vintage tie collection; each piece was discovered within the unending cornucopia of estate sales. I stumbled upon this tie which played off the colors of his fringed vintage scarf; the tie has touches of 'glitter' which called for repetition in the form of vintage rhinestone earrings from my costume jewelry collection. Nelson's black fedora was waiting to see the light of day again, and the consignment store pumps finished off the
Photo by Camille Photos by The Style Crone Camille and The SC attended an afternoon performance of 'Dream Songs' by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble click here. On the way to the theatre we stopped in City Park for a quick photo shoot; the gardens are at their peak and the vintage silk Pucci blouse bounced off the floral display in the background. Even the orange patent leather open toed pumps had another outing before the weather turns as autumn unfolds. The outfit was topped off by a vintage black velvet pill box. I am fortunate to live a
Photos by Daniel N The SC has been dabbling on the edges of Nelson's desk and closet, going through files and memories and touching items of clothing. In recognition of this passage I donned the distinctive vintage houndstooth fedora that I found for him at an estate sale many years ago (one of his favorites frequently seen knocking around the city and recognized by all who knew him) and the long vest that I purchased for him at an antique market in Northern California where I was participating in a health care diversity conference. The vest envelopes me; its oversized
Photo by The Style Crone The memorial service hat has been sitting on the ceramic sculpture in the living room since the beginning of June. It felt comforting to walk by its veiled splendor multiple times per day. The hat was made by milliner Erin Saboe of Go Go Chapeaux HERE. I treasure the memories of my time with Erin during the hat making process as I prepared for the service. Her empathetic and gentle manner during that difficult time will always be in my heart. I plan on featuring Erin as a part of my milliner/hat shop review, which
Photos by Kathleen The Style Crone's acupuncture appointments now begin with a photo shoot, which involves a few moments of laughter prior to needle placement. I have posted about this healing modality before HERE, and continue to enjoy the benefits provided by this ancient form of complementary medicine. Kathleen, my acupuncturist, has now generously added intermittent photography to her extensive list of talents. I found this Betsey Johnson sweater at a consignment shop sale providing thrift store prices, and discovered that I love wearing 'hope' on my sleeves, with 'charity' going forward and 'faith' following from behind. Hope that The
Photo by Camille Photos by The Style Crone Celebrating a dear friend's 65th birthday brings out a veiled teal/navy evening hat which The SC was gifted by a friend from England who wore this beauty to her daughter's wedding in the 70's. Vintage charm bracelets provide bling for the teal and navy background and leopard print shoes that have been hanging around for over 20 years joined the party. The vintage straw bag with gold hardware makes a return appearance in celebration of the divine color navy. Some of my friends are extremely disappointed if I wear the same hat more
Photo by Daniel N Four weeks ago at The SC's hospice creative arts support group, we were asked to paint our grief on paper using a choice of two colors from the palette provided. The first photo above is my visual/visceral projection of this request, which I would not attempt to describe without producing an essay. We were then asked to take our 'piece' home and transform it, sharing it later with the group. Last evening I displayed my finished project; I had known immediately that it would take the form of headwear. I had constructed a primitive paper sculpture
Photos by Camille The Style Crone and Camille planned an overnight escape into the picturesque foothills of the mountains of colorful, magnificent Colorado. About 40 minutes from Denver lies the community of Evergreen, where we enthusiastically embraced the experiences of a night at The Highland Haven Creekside Inn HERE, relaxing massages, dinner at a charming bistro, and a long luxurious stroll through the the streets in the morning. The SC discovered a fabulous consignment store to explore, which falls under the category of 'mood elevation' and ensures more frequent visits to this magical place. We shared precious time together, discovering
Photos by The Style Crone The SC has been a member of a hospice creative arts grief support group for the past four weeks, with two weeks to go. Each week we are asked to express our grief through a different art modality. It has been extremely helpful to be amidst others who have recently lost loved ones, and to provide and receive support within an empathetic and facilitated setting. Last week we were asked to visualize and visit a location that felt safe, a place where we could communicate with the person that we had lost, and then to
Photo by Camille The weather has radically shifted, and autumn is in the air. The SC marks this transition with a voluminous royal blue top ideal for draping paired with a vintage Patricia Underwood straw hat, accessorized with vintage jewels. I welcome and resist the change of seasons. I am comforted by the layers of fall, but I am saddened by approaching the 'chill' in my solitary state. What to wear to embrace ambivalence? Marvelous, brilliant, generous blue!
Photos by Kathleen Speaking of summer uniforms, for months The SC has been throwing whatever item meets her gaze over yoga wear and adding accessories. Today I reached for this DarylK silk dress with asymmetrical hemline purchased at a NYC flea market, a San Diego Hat Company fedora with strips of color similar to the lines of color on the dress, and shoes from a summer sale several years ago at a Denver shoe boutique. I am in need of an organizational intervention. The first floor of my home is symbolic of my core; on the surface it appears relatively
Photo by Camille Photo by The Style Crone The SC has become aware that there are periods of time when sadness recedes and my energy level allows for traveling outside my zip code. Recently I wandered to Boulder, and though I have been shopping my closet for months, I couldn't resist a consignment store adventure. I discovered this Catherine Malandrino top HERE at Common Threads HERE, and threw it together with my skinny cropped jeans that have been my 'uniform' of the summer and ventured out to dinner with Camille in the evening. Consignment store shoes and estate sale pearls
Another Sunday morning of delight unfolded as The SC paged through The New York Times Style Magazine, and discovered an ad by the jewelry designer Alexis Bittar with Lauren Hutton as the face of his new campaign, with photographs by Jack Pierson. Click HERE for more photos and a video of this stunning and inspirational 67 year old model/actress who has stated, 'Our wrinkles are our medals of the passage of life. They are what we have been through and who we want to be.' Bravo!
Photos by Kathleen The Style Crone discovered this Vivienne Westwood HERE two piece dress at a consignment shop last summer for next to nothing. The asymmetrical features and complex details are a metaphor for my experience. The ensemble is accessorized with vintage burgundy heeled sandals and vintage jewels, all estate sale finds. The rose colored straw hat was designed and blocked by The SC in a millinery class in the 90's. Pulling the colors of the dress outward into my accessories felt comforting, like meditative brushstrokes on the blank canvas of my life.
Photo by Patty Every Sunday morning The SC reads The New York Times and my first luxury of the day is searching for the 'Sunday Styles' section to feast my eyes on Bill Cunningham's 'On The Street' photo collage. This has been a ritual for many years and this Sunday's edition did not disappoint. Mr. Cunningham focused on yellow and featured sunflowers; click here for his 'On The Street' slide show titled 'In Flower.' I was thrilled to see images of style icons Tziporah Salomon HERE and Iris Apfel HERE . I was immediately inspired and with yellow as my
The SC was mesmerized when this photo appeared, along with similar images, on 'That's Not My Age' (click here), a blog located in London that I admire and follow. Alyson's creation is elegant, witty and beautifully written. These photos reminded me that I have always appreciated my hands for all that they do for me; they have served me well, making it possible to blog, put together an outfit, pick out the hat of the day, and participate in the power of touch. I remember clearly during the first year (that would be 1961) of my registered nursing program, one
Photos by Kathleen and Lonnie As The SC dressed for several appointments yesterday, this vintage silk Pucci tunic flirtatiously caught my eye and within moments became the armor of the afternoon. Its vibrant swirls drew me into its powerful radiating beauty and its colorful and playful pattens brought out a smile and warmed my heart. 'Corrective clothing' has mood altering properties, and with the addition of a hat reminiscent of the 60's, lifted spirits were assured. Could it be that outfits provide respite care? I am determined to keep Style Crone alive, and though my blogging frequency has decreased, I will
Red is the color of grief. As is blue, green, yellow, black, orange, white, or any color that The SC randomly grasps on the days that run together in slow motion. I notice, simply notice. A change has occurred. I walk aimlessly in the hat room, having difficulty deciding which beauty makes sense to me today, which crown will top the outfit that I have little energy to create from a disorganized inventory that seems hesitant to pull me into what used to be a comforting and familiar haven. Spontaneously stopping by a friend's home several weeks ago in my
The South African barbershop sign was installed in our bathroom on the first floor after I purchased it at an estate sale years ago. The entire room was created around its beauty, its colors, its grand presence. African art next to Latino art next to Asian art next to African American art next to Anglo art. Harmony in close quarters similar to riding a NYC subway! A reflection of the life that Nelson and I lived together.
Photos by Daniel N A dear friend gifted The SC with this delightful hat which she found on eBay. Talk about a full blown hat attack! This teal/rust/ecru print fabric hat fits on the head like a small cap and the front of the design presents folds of fabric with wired 'petals' that can be adjusted for varying expressions. A turn of the head offers a significantly different viewpoint. It was great fun to spend the afternoon with my accessory of choice and pull together an outfit comprised of a vintage ecru silk men's shirt, vintage teal earrings, vintage rust