My funny valentine

My sky-blue portfolio is not the first instance in the history of Ashley + Autumn that I’ve encouraged my sister to wear something new and different—perhaps something that she was unsure about at first—and taken pictures of the resulting look for posterity.

One notable time happened when Autumn was only a toddler, and I, the doting older sister that I was, wanted to play "dress-up” with the adorable doll of a girl. It was a Saturday afternoon, and I remember our mother was cleaning house, which seemed to allow me all the more freedom for the activity. Somehow, I persuaded little Autumn to put a pastel blue ballet tutu around her neck—she really had not wanted to do it.

Many people who know Autumn know that she has an aversion to garments that make her itch, and the tutu episode must have been somewhat traumatic for her, because she can still recall how the stiff tulle felt on the tender skin below her chin. (What we do for fashion!) I think that it’s time that I give my sister credit and thanks for being so obliging towards me, especially concerning my styling efforts:

Happy Valentine’s Day, Sport! (Um…that sounds more like one of those classroom valentines that children slip through slots cut on the tops of decorated shoe boxes, specifically of the baseball player variety…better switch gears…)

Autumn, I would like to thank you for letting me help dress you sometimes. You already have great style on your own, and I love that you’re willing to try new things. I don’t ever mean to make you look like a clown, honest.


Mostly, I would like to wish my stylish sister a happy day!

Conspicuous and complete

This week, I was remembering the different coats that I've had through the years: there was red coat that I wore when my family went to Sweden and so on, when I was seven; the light springtime coat of a lavender hue, that was part of my Easter ensemble; another red coat, this one with full "swing" styling, that I thought looked very smart with a pencil skirt--also red; and the United Colors of Benetton pale camel-colored wool coat, which I thought, at age 18, was a sign that I was really grown-up (I still wear it).

I recall going to a winter wedding once, wearing the "real grown-up coat," where a remarkable number of people made favorable comments about it. One or two women said that they admired my "retro look" ("1940s" was the characterization, I think), but interestingly, most of the complimenters were men. Though modest, coats have a way of making the wearer stand out.



Melissa Hellstern has written a thought-provoking book about Audrey Hepburn's life and style, called How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life, which includes this quote by the coat-wearing actress herself:

I cannot look back with nostalgia at a coat I enjoyed wearing years ago. I was inside it, and it kept me warm, but I am still here and the coat is something of the past.

I can't help but sigh inwardly--Audrey Hepburn's words are practical, yes; some people like to remember the actress and her coats. They were memorable. They were part of her graceful sophistication. But, she goes on to say:

What I always wanted, what I still want, is to create a warm and loving atmosphere for those I care about--my family and friends.

Audrey Hepburn was both graceful and gracious, and this passage shows that her attention was focused on other people. Coat-wearing, I would like to argue, is a kind of graciousness, because although you might feel conspicuous in your nice coat (it's often the trend to dress down rather than up in Southern California), your taking care against the cold puts others at ease. Imagine how other people feel when they see you shivering?

My sister, Autumn, (gratefully for me) is a wearer of coats, and this is a new coat that she got just lately. I can see why she's already received quite a few compliments for it: the coat looks Swiss ski vacation-ready (you know, like in "Charade" with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant) with its sporty silhouette. And, Autumn's outerwear is super warm because it's filled with down--though I'm sure the faux fur helps.



Here are some other nicely memorable coats that I've seen lately:

First Lady Michelle Obama, Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009






Jennifer Connolly (I love the lipstick, too.)

Envy

I looked in the mirror
and saw
a woman
filled with contentment.
She had bright eyes
that looked with delicious mischief,

and I envied her.

--Maram Al-Massri

I was working my late night at the library this week and decided to browse some of the new books to the collection. It's a treat that I allow myself sometimes, when the collection development lists and professional readings are temporarily completed, and I took three titles back to the reference desk. One of them was a poetry book by Maram Al-Massri, A Red Cherry on a White-tiled Floor, translated by Khaled Mattawa.

Thumbing through this Syrian poet's writing, that is direct and simple, was a pleasure, and reminded me of being a student at UCLA. I hope that Autumn sometimes consults with friends about writing projects, as I did, on the floors of dormitory rooms. Al-Massri moved to Paris in 1984, and although she is fluent in French and English, she relies on the Arabic language and poetic forms.

This suspendered skirt of my sister's, I envy. Its form is simple--and striking. It's appropriate for class with any woven blouse or knit skirt, and this time Autumn chooses a blouse with stripes and ruffles to show the teacher that she's a serious student.

For your enjoyment, here are some other selections from A Red Cherry on a White-tiled Floor:

What did I do in your absence?
I changed
the water
in the goldfish bowl,
I watered the small plant,
I regulated my breathing,
and began knitting
the woolen sweater.

I beg you...
come...

I've ordered a cup of coffee
and fearing that I'd be late
I forgot
my purse.

Santa Anita

The December 2008 issue of Vogue had a feature, called “Coastal Blend,” with the following write-up:

On a glamorous getaway to L.A., actor Jon Hamm plays leading man opposite model Catherine McNeil, who wears a retro Hollywood-worthy mix of rich Technicolor, graphic prints, and bold bijoux.

Read: glamorous, getaway. L.A., retro, Hollywood, Technicolor, graphic, bold, and bijoux.



A day at the races. This first weekend of 2009, my sister and I wanted to “try something new” (one year it was a collective resolution for us sisters to opt for the new, and we thought to bring it out again) and so we visited to the Santa Anita Park. For all the years that we’ve lived in the San Gabriel Valley we could not remember when we had been to the racetrack in Arcadia.



With the racetrack’s Art Deco architecture and the foothills framing the big sky, the views were cinematic, and oh—there was drama! “Nine To Dine” sounded like a great name for a horse, and—privately—we chose it to win.





However, when Nine To Dine was parading with its owner, trainer, and jockey, we observed it behaving badly, not allowing the rider to mount it. “And that horse is the favorite?” another onlooker questioned. The jockey, especially, looked put-out. But, wouldn’t you know, that horse was the one to win the race?



Much of the fashions in the Vogue spread were too something-or-other for my sister, but it did not stop her from taking what she admired.

Autumn began with basics: a white button-down shirt, khaki pants, and a tweed jacket by Ralph Lauren. She then added sophisticated accessories: a waist-cinching belt over the jacket, wrist-length gloves in leather, and a square-faced watch. And finally, here comes the confidence: a purse in a color that pops, a scarf that’s a reminder of jockey silks, earrings and bracelets in gold.

I love Autumn’s movie star lip color best of all.








Autumn’s look is a translation and an inspiration.

Sunday amusement

Darlings, my apologies…


This past Sunday came and went without any My Sky-Blue Portfolio writing from me. The reason, you ask? It’s not that these pictures weren’t ready—they certainly were—but it’s because my mind was lolling in the post-holiday-ness. It seems that nothing short of the threat of a term paper’s impending due date would have moved it into swiftiness.

(Because of that last comment, I think that I deserve any of the har-hars that I may get from my sister, who has been in the throes of essay-writing for a while now, or any other similarly employed student…)


Growing up, Sunday was a typically quiet day in our house, save for the movies that we watched that were mostly of the classic cinema or BBC sort. Even so, I am a little surprised by the industriousness that my sisters and I involved ourselves in then.


On these weekend afternoons, we would often open the past months’ fashion and design magazines with a pair of scissors in hand. Sometimes it was for a game, descriptively named “Perfume Company” or “Modeling Agency,” but these “businesses” are not what I would like to tell you about now. It is the making of scrapbooks that still holds my interest…



These scrapbooks had very little resemblance to the photograph albums of the same name popular now. They could have been a spiral-bound notebook or a binder with loose pages—the base materials didn’t matter. They were mostly meant to be idea books, for us to arrange and paste pictures of clothes and things that we liked. Scrapbook-making was a very sincere form of “window shopping.”

So, this past weekend I asked my sister to show her old scrapbook to me. What I noticed in particular was the nuance with which my sister had made her selections. She could say to me—even now—“I like this part, but not this,” which shows that she didn’t simply accept the fashions as they were but was critical of them. Autumn had organized her pages by silhouette or color, and they display poufy skirts and sporty combinations and a lot of oranges, light neutrals, and black. I see my sister wearing some of these looks now, so you could say that her scrapbook helped her to define her personal sense of style.


Autumn’s fashion shoot is based on some pages from her scrapbook, which originally come from the June 2007 Vogue issue. Keira Knightley is photographed in Africa by the ever-popular Arthur Elgort. Need I point out that the safari or adventurer look has long been a favorite of my sisters?




Browsing online I found that other people were also taken with this Vogue feature and even made virtual scrapbooks in response on this website. And, you really should take a look at this preferred actress from the BBC. Be sure to watch the clip’s final minutes to see Justine Waddell’s safari gear!

Darkwing

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited…

--Thomas Hardy, “The Darkling Thrush”

My sister always seems to be prepared for anything, which would befit a girl whose childhood heroes were the resourceful Nancy Drew and any cartoon character who had the ability to crack a case. Need a story for any reason? Autumn’s got one. Have a blister and need a Band-Aid? My sister probably has one in her purse.




“With a mirror right inside the cap touch ups are a snap—anywhere,” reads the box of Autumn’s favorite lipstick. How fitting!



My sister found her Lola brand “lip crème” at a darling, darling store right next to the Metro station in South Pasadena. Puff Beauty Studio specializes in modern make-ups with an old time attitude, as illustrated by the sleek 1950s Barbie pictures on the shop’s walls.



The girls who work there are friendly and helped Autumn to the perfect orange tone to complement many of the clothes she wears. The color’s called “Pucker,” in case you were wondering.



I think my sister looks air-ready with her cute flight jacket. She could be a bird—light at the throat, dark wings and body, and a beak that’s a charming hue. Then, what’s she doing playing with that cat…?



Autumn suggested that we move this time’s photo shoot outdoors and under the peach tree that’s showing the effects of winter. “Wet and wildness” would have been my poetic assessment of the back garden’s current state, but my sister was ready with another more appropriate poem that includes this tree-image: “The tangled bine-stems scored the sky/ Like strings of broken lyres.” This Hardy poem is about a bird who expresses “Hope” at the prospect of a new year and era.



That’s my Autumn, always prepared.

Many thanks to the wonderful readers of My Sky-Blue Portfolio! See you in 2009!

Puff Beauty Studio
1005 Mission Street
South Pasadena, California 91030
626-799-2864

After Christmas anecdotal

We had a set of Christmas crackers this year, and someone, who shall remain nameless, had the good fortune of getting a little red dinosaur in his. I could have used that dinosaur. He would not trade—not for a moment—and joked to me, “They say the dinosaur is our common ancestor, and I’ll be keeping this one in the family.” I asked this person what he would be naming the figurine, and he replied, “I have to go to church for a proper name.”

From my cracker, I got a whistle (to use on the misbehaving kids at the library, of course), a stylish paper crown, and this joke:

Patty: Did you know that it takes three sheep to make one sweater?
Matty: No, I didn’t even know they could knit.

Also delightful this holiday was the Short Story Dog Contest with its 12 entries. You might read my contribution, “Bungalow Dog,” which I’ll admit isn’t really fashion-related, either. However it does include the line, “Molly was a model, and a fairly famous one at that.”