In the spirit of the season of gratitude, I am wishing my followers a peaceful and meaningful holiday, however you celebrate, or don't.  Thank you for your support and for following Style Crone, which would not exist without you. On the day after Thanksgiving in the US, I am thankful to Ari Seth Cohen of Advanced Style HERE  for the opportunity to contribute to his Advance Love Project HERE.  It was an honor and privilege to collaborate with Bill and Eva Kobus-Webb, and write the following interview about their inspiring life and their love. It has been one of the

The weather has been unseasonably warm and the Colorado earth is parched.  The dry wind whips through my garden, and takes everything in its path that is available and ready for a ride to another location. And then it snowed.  Daniel and I took off to play at the Cheeseman Park Pavilion, which provided shelter from the white winter wonderland and the wind.  We had to keep moving because it was bone-chilling cold and the wind cut like a knife.  The day before had been 80 degrees.  I was in denial that it was time to search through my winter

I've been a fan of estate sales since the mid 70's.  The people who frequent this unique and interesting shopping destination are a diverse crew.  Antique dealers, pickers, neighbors of the identified house, random regulars, collectors or someone who drove by and stopped in on a lark.  I know many of the people who work for the businesses who host the sales.  The entire scene is like theatre and I always enjoy the show. Most of the vintage pieces that comprise my collections were discovered at estate sales.  The components of the ensemble that I wore for this post were

I met Colorado fashion designer Brooks of Brooks LTD HERE about a year ago in Denver at the "Cuffs" workshop presented by Debra Rapoport HERE visual performance artist and hatmaker from NYC.  Since that time, we have been working together on projects.  It's been an exhilarating and productive collaboration, which has included a spin as a model for her mother-of-the bride photo shoots. Recently I was visiting her at her studio and my gaze rested upon this gorgeous kimono/opera coat constructed of luxurious silk fabric.  Brooks states that "the pattern was designed specifically for large prints. The oversized re-embroidered floral pattern

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

Two weeks ago I had the privilege and honor of visiting Louise Green Millinery HERE during my trip to Los Angeles to attend the book signing for Ari Seth Cohen's Older And Wiser HERE.  The book signing took place at the Louise Green Millinery Studio, and was hosted by Louise and her husband Lawrence (I will be blogging about the event next week). I was embraced with open arms and felt very welcomed by their generosity and kindness. During the book signing I meticulously scanned the hats on display. I was stopped in my tracks by this lush sage green profile fedora with

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

September's Hat Attack celebrates my first formal collaboration with a milliner.  Months ago Cha Cha HERE contacted me by email, asking if I would be interested in working together.  In the past, nothing of this nature had peaked my interest, but when I visited her website I was very impressed and to my surprise, and without hesitation, I said "yes." During my most recent trip to New York I visited her studio, and it was then that I realized that my instincts had been right.  Cha Cha was warm, fun, interesting and engaging.  Her staff was welcoming and her workroom was

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

August's Hat Attack was discovered at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival at the beginning of July.  The milliner Diane Harty HERE from Frisco, Colorado is usually present as a vendor with her beautiful headwear made from fine sewn straw braid.  I attend the festival just to see her new creations. This year I was captivated with a black headpiece adorned with fuchsia feathers.  It reflects the color of the roses in my back garden! I love movement in my accessories!  Spontaneously throwing about a black silk scarf seemed like the only thing to do to accentuate the feathers.  This chapeau makes me

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