Blending In

  I occasionally wonder whether being “properly dressed” is determined by reference to normative standards or relative ones. As with many legal questions, the answer is, It depends. While there are normative standards for attire, at the end of the day, proper dress is about respect for your host. You should dress the way that … Read more

The Eye Is Fooled

  A year ago, Marc Jacobs announced that it (he?) was eliminating the company’s diffusion line — Marc by Marc Jacobs — and would only produce clothes under the original Marc Jacobs label. This seemed like bad news to me because I really liked the cute clothes made under his youthful, cheaper (though not cheap) … Read more

Casual Friday: The Foulard Returns!

  You’ve said that you want to see how I re-use and re-wear my clothes. I hope you meant it, because I can’t show you new clothes every week. I don’t even want to show you new clothes every week because I like the clothes I have now. So, let’s visit the crypt today and … Read more

The Only Way Out Is Through

  Despite holding myself out as a pseudo-expert on dressing for work, wardrobe-building, and general efficiency, I have some orphans in my closet.   One such orphan is a purple tweed jacket that I bought several years ago from JCrew. I love the color and pattern — an over-sized, diamond herringbone — but . . … Read more

Blouse Under Dress

  I saw (or think I saw) many more dresses with sleeves in AW2016, and therefore conclude that a trend is building. Women want dresses with sleeves and the market may be responding. Back to business!   The search for a red blouse went like this. I visited a few sites where I do my … Read more

The Wearing of the Plaid

  Typically, I start these posts with a completed outfit and then break it down. Today, just for variety, we are going to build an outfit up. And now . . . Step 2: A cozy, shrunken cardigan. Just the thing to wear over the blouse. The blouse is constrained, but hardly a hostage. If … Read more