I started drafting this post more than a year ago — long before I launched this blog. My feelings about skinnies are decidedly negative, but I’ve had some difficulty wrestling them into a coherent statement until now. After a year of thinking, here it is: Skinnies are not flattering. Let me explain. I was … Read more
If that wasn’t the most misleading headline ever . . . A quick retrospective showing the many faces of The Directrice, which is really just an excuse to play with WordPress’s carousel feature. [su_carousel source=”media: 5545,4716,4584,4215,4105,3921,3730,3630,3994, 3811,5868,5860,5804,5798,5616,5613,5441,5430,4879,4381,4228,4122,3373,2790,5275,4692,4590,4218,4201,3774,3566,3103,3003″ limit=”30″ height=”350″ title=”no”] Now, a couple of housekeeping items. First, I wanted to let you know that … 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
When I was a little girl, about 8, I had a friend who had been taught the rudiments of pattern-making and sewing by her mother. She was precocious, intense, and creative — and sent a fan letter to Priscilla of Boston, which at the time was among the country’s premier couture bridal boutiques. The … Read more
Dear Readers — Perhaps this is of interest to you . . . I was interviewed by 40+ Style this week. You may want to check it out. If nothing else, you will learn my first name. And the website is a terrific (comprehensive, really) resource filled with all sorts of interesting and useful … Read more
Dear Readers, I am so delighted that you are here. I launched this blog in late February and am surprised to find, 14 weeks later, that persons who are not related to me by blood or school ties are reading it. I know a little about you in the aggregate. There are a few … Read more
A friend told me that her sister — lucky enough to retire at a relatively young age — once said of our workplace, “I don’t know how you do it. Wearing those hard pants all day.” You might be thinking that “wearing hard pants” is a euphemism for unpleasant or difficult work, like acrimonious … Read more
A dear friend of mine recently read French Twist: An American Mom’s Experiment in Parisian Parenting and told me she was suprised to learn that French parents discuss clothing with their children – and even believe that teaching them style is part of raising them. Her surprise surprised me because I assumed that her … Read more
The Dainty Sianos, too, were no longer available through the Doc Martens website, but on the off-chance that Doc Martens retail and website inventories were not integrated, I called the Doc Martens store in Georgetown. Bingo! They had the shoes and so I paid for them by phone and told the clerk I’d come … Read more
