the directrice 
Has there ever been a time in my life when I didn’t have a polka dot dress in my closet? I don’t think so. Maybe college. Dress: Sir the Label; Belt: Pinko Uniqueness from YOOX; Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff * I had an image in my head of Princess Diana in an … Read morePerennial Polka Dots
After five months without leaving Northwest Washington, D.C. — and scarcely leaving our apartment — The Photographer and I decided we needed to get away.+ The arboretum staff are fighting a constant battle to maintain native grasses, plants, and wildlife. Part of those efforts involving controlled burning (which we could not do) and brush … Read moreThe Getaway
I told you that I bought two dresses to bring a little cheer into my WFH habitat. The one I showed you last week was the understated dress. Look at these sleeves! Have you ever seen anything as wonderful and ridiculous? On me? Dress: Ulla Johnson Juniper Dress; Shoes: The Sandals of the … Read moreFirst Place Summer Fun Dress
This post shows two core lessons of The Directrice in practice. No fears! A little Oxyclean removed all of the evidence. Moving the cat was the right call. But I don’t have limitless space, so I only deal in crushable hats. This one is partially satisfying my fixation. Dress: Love Binetti; Hat: … Read moreThe Woman in White Is Not Done
‘Round about May, when it became apparent that I might not be going anywhere for the remainder of 2020, I bought myself two dresses to wear around the house. I wouldn’t call them house-dresses exactly, but they aren’t work-wear. Let’s call them pan-dresses: dresses to get you through a pandemic. O.K. Never mind the … Read morePan-Dressing
At the start of the summer, I had one pair of sandals in the apartment (an oversight in packing seasonal shoes for storage last year) and was too lazy to go down to the basement and bring the summer shoes up.* That collection includes some really fun sandals including these, and these, and these. … Read moreHideo-Marvelous Shoes to Fill
A couple of months ago — during the cool spring weather — I went out for the walk and ran into The Photographer, who was also out for a walk. Since we are in the apartment together all day, we tend to take our constitutional walks separately along different routes. But occasionally we intersect … Read moreWFH in a Denim Suit
Dear Readers: Thank for your thoughtful messages! It’s so good of you to write. Hearing from you always lifts my spirits. I’ll be back. Perhaps next week. The Photographer and I are fine, holed up in our apartment trying to minimize the spread of coronavirus and avoid the oppressive heat of July. … Read moreI’ll Be Back
Sooooooooooooooooo. It’s been an extraordinary 10 days. A moment and a movement that I hope we will look back on in a few years as a watershed. In keeping with the general tenor of this lighthearted blog, I am not going to soapbox. (I’ll hold that until we’re a little closer to … Read moreThe Last Trip, Part II
The last trip I took before coronavirus upended . . . well, everything . . . was to New Orleans. I’d never been before, but had a board meeting scheduled for early February there and arranged to meet a friend a couple of days early to see the sights. Understandably, Hurricane Katrina remains a … Read moreThe Last Trip, Part I