the directrice 
My unbounded enthusiasm for stripes is no secret. I found this top a few months ago; the designer showed it with a matching skirt, but that seemed like a little too much stripe to me. The top is fabricated from an incredibly heavy viscose/nylon/elastane blend, which is a little perplexing because it was sold … Read more
Despite wide variations in the way Business Casual is interpreted across the city, I think we can all agree that strapless tops are verboten . . . . unless you wear something over them or under them. If you wear a jacket over your strapless top, it’s no longer a strapless top, is it? … Read more
A couple of years ago, I got on to a partly-full Metro car and found myself sitting next to a man who began to engage in what the police call “lewd behavior.” Ugh. It seemed to me that the least confrontational way to deal with the situation was to get off the train at … Read more
If you told me that you were going to pare your closet down to one bag for work — a large shoulder-bag, satchel, or tote — I would tell you that it should probably be black. But most of us are not quite so spartan and have a two or three worky bags to … Read more
September 1st seems like a dividing line each year between summer and fall — even though, technically, Labor Day can fall anytime in the first week of September and the autumnal equinox is not until September 23rd. September 1st says back to school for me and that means summer dressing is done. But in … Read more
For the last day of August, I offer: a sundress and bright sandals. The first time my best friend saw me wearing this dress she said, “You look just like Doris Day!” If you have been following this blog for a few months, you may realize (when you think about it), that I wear … Read more
Last Friday I had a hearing, which means I had to wear a suit and was unable to avail myself of the rights, privileges and benefits attached to Casual Friday. This suit is Hugo Boss but was purchased on Rue La La. It’s made of fine wool gabardine and beautifully cut. It’s traditional — … Read more
I am a huge fan of patent leather for both shoes and bags. Why this penchant? (1) Patent leather asserts itself at the edges of an outfit and thereby gives you definition — like a dark outline or a terminal punctuation mark: Outfit within! This outfit ends here! (2) Black patent leather has a … Read more
Occasionally you buy something and realize that it’s perfect, a paragon of fit and utility, and you wish you had it in every color. This is a wish that the Directrice can grant. Well, not me personally, but I can set you on the path: If you find yourself a good seamstress, your paragon … Read more
Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Blue is really not my color, but I find this particular shade of blue (which falls between sky blue and robin’s egg blue) irresistible. Thusly, I buy a light blue sweater every few years, conclude that it … Read more