Category: Ageism
Beauty x
So Boris Johnson is about to extend the 21 June deadline for the UK final lifting of lockdown. Who didn’t predict that? But before he does it, he has to leak his intentions in the press just to make sure he’s made the right choice; such strength, always wanting to give what he thinks everyone wants. Except that only works if your name is Father Christmas; centuries of culture, stories, parables, legends, myths, history, religion and Disney, highlighting the problems of temptation and taking the path of least resistance. And then we have Boris.
Once this does lift, I will be one person hoping the life will not be going back to normal. My wish is that the hot air will be taken out of rampant consumerism the government is so banking on, that stuff will not equals feelings, no matter how often we’re sold that it does. My hope is that things will be valued for what they are, not what they’re seen to be, and that beauty, in all its forms, is no longer limited to the age when we can be groomed into buying products for a dream we’re told will come true, if only we buy the products. Time to break the circle, because there’s only once place it leads – to people like Boris ruining, sorry, running, the country.
(All pics Pinterest)
Laters, Kate x
White hair, don’t care.
There was this post, about Sarah Harris, the Vogue editor who went grey at 16, who learnt to embrace her natural colour despite being called mad. And then grey became a thing. Peroxide’s been a thing for decades, you only have to think of Marilyn Monroe. But more often than not, it’s been associated with a polished, professional look and a fear of dark roots: Those that want to go blonde, want to convince they really are blondes – maybe they really do have more fun. There’s also issues with length – the unspoken rule that women of a certain age shouldn’t have long hair, like they don’t deserve it, that their hair no longer qualifies. But now there seems to be a change, a relaxing of stance, a recognition of merging grey with white, blonde with white, grey with blonde. And as for length…you only need to see the last pictures of Sarah Harris with her almost waist length, now almost white hair to know power in motion.
(All pics Pinterest)
Walls can be as wide as an ocean or a thin, permeable membrane. They’re a word, an action, a sign, a look, an atmosphere, a perception. And it’s for us to challenge them.
Laters, Kate x
The perfect vintage x
Iris x
In astrological terms it’s the first day of spring tomorrow, which didn’t stop winter having it’s final blast over the weekend. Not that I’m complaining: Bad weather is the perfect excuse to hibernate and indulge in some serious sofa surfing meaning I finally got to see, amongst other delights, Albert Maysles film about Iris Apfel, the beloved New York fashion icon and self-styled ‘geriatric starlet’.
Where Iris hits the sweet spot is not her age, her joy of life or her performance art. It’s her deep seated belief that style isn’t about fashion or money or even beauty: Style is about believing and doing.
Until watching the film, I hadn’t realised that Iris had her own shop: Rara Avis, meaning for ‘Rare bird’ where you can purchase her designs and covert a little bit of her.
But it might be more rewarding to follow her sentiments and look at life with a new set of black framed eyes.
Laters, Kate x
Anti-ageing? x
This post is a visual representation of ageing.
Bring it on.
Laters, Kate x
Spot the theme..
Rachel Comey. Homie.
Rachel Comey stirs the spirit, lifts the soul and happily shakes it.
Take her Ready to Wear 2017 collection which she staged, in celebration of 15 years in the business, on the streets of NY in reference to her very first catwalk show.
How apt: The source of inspiration part of the realism.
With garments in different shapes and sizes reflecting reality.
Modelled by real people of all genders, age, figure type yet still sewn together with a signature style.
It’s a gauntlet.
Laters, Kate x
So Wright..
The news around the world isn’t great at the moment. Condensed down, the underlying message I’m hearing is that big things don’t work (Didn’t we learn anything from the Romans?). And yet the drive to continually make everything bigger and supposedly better runs deep, because if you don’t…you’re a failure; The economy has to grow, companies have to grow..countries, even religions all want to expand till they become these slow moving bloated beasts that eat up everything in their way, with no joined up thinking except feeding this thirst for size and dominance. It’s a big day for Greece today. I don’t know what the right answer is..I’m not sure there is one, except maybe they should never have joined the EU in the first place. But it seems to me that things are becoming more and more about power plays than people.
Thank God for the whimsy of fashion….and the joy that is Linda V. Wright, former model and fashion editor, born in Texas but oh-so far removed from a rodeo riding stetson toting stereotype.
Now living in Paris and running her own shop, Crimson Cashmere,
She’s a lesson in graceful, chic yet expressive dressing.
Like the world’s best perfumes, she’s layered in classics all with subtle, different flavours.
(All pics from pinterest)
You want to sit down with her at a striped bistro table in a busy Parisian street and ask, is this really all possible? Can life really be this easy? This sassy?
Laters, Kate x
For Abbie x
This post isn’t symbolic of anything but it’s a look back at the year: It’s been a rollercoaster with a little too much chasing of tails, not helped with building works, the decorating of building works and a third project that’s been slowly ticking over in the background. It’s all led to less time for this place – but it’s been a point of pride to try and get something out each day and a big thank you to all those who have stuck through the chaos! This is definitely my outlet – a place to pin down thoughts and make ideas real and remains one of my favourite parts of the day.
But once again time has a life of it’s own: I’m leaving for Greece shortly – a whole week earlier than expected which means crushing everything into an ever smaller time frame. So I’m very grateful to Abbie and her blog Twenty, Trendy and Thriving for nominating me for a blog award and presenting me with a list of questions to answer. I’m going to be cheeky and use each question as individual Blog posts to give me something to hang my brain cells on.
Her first question is ‘Who is your biggest fashion inspiration?’ It’s a toughie and could be the continuing story of this whole blog, but if you distill it down, the grains of truth could be older ladies, like the Advanced Style girls who’ve learnt the lessons of life, know what suits them and unashamedly flaunt their own type of beauty.
Happy to be so relentlessly wrong, they’re right.
Pulling together looks with nothing more than one hundred percent pure style.
They encapsulate the knowledge that when you don’t dress like everyone else, you don’t have to think like anyone else. Food for thought.
Laters, Kate x
Cover Story x
They’re fitting our two storey steel frame today and cutting off our electricity, gas and water, which also equals no internet. So I think to myself..do you think that would worry these characters?
Hell no!
Laters, Kate x
PS It’s OK Mum – they’ve promised to have some back on by this evening…
Maison Bentley Style 