Cozy, oversize, knit sweater. The alpaca and merino wool bold plaid is on-trend but still a classic buy. $270, netaporter.com.
J. Crew’s red and navy plaid, fitted nylon trench is not suited for the polar vortex. Best for fall weather or early winter warm days. We just couldn’t resist including. $298, jcrew.com.
TOMS’ shoes look and do good. And these are adorable. $59, toms.com.
Not your same-old, same-old bomber jacket. DKNY’s rose plaid stands out in a crowded field. $699, dkny.com.
Kate Spade New York’s super sized the silhouette of its Cameron Street Plaid Margot. For those who want to lug their life around with them. $265, katespade.com.
When you want to dash from the car and be unencumbered by a weighty winter coat, this Kooples plaid poncho with leather collar fits the bill. $350, saksfifthavenue.com.
Jump puddles with abandon. These Saltwater Duck Boots will keep your feet dry, stylish and warm. $99.95, sperry.com.
We’re suckers for buffalo checks and oversized watches. This one’s a men’s. Timex Expedition Scout Plaid Watch, $45.46, kohls.com.
Coach 1941’s polo sweater with plaid front mixes retro and new. An update for your 2017 wardrobe (it is expected to ship Dec. 25, 2016). $295, saksfifthavenue.com.
IS IT THE Outlander influence or just the coming of winter that makes us want to rekindle our love for plaid? Besides adding pizazz to a bleak outdoor palette, colorful tartans are perfect attire for cozying up to a roaring fire in a country manor. Lest you think plaid is too traditional, preppy or dowdy, remember how the late, great, Alexander McQueen reinvented the tartan of his heritage look modern, appliquéing a red, black and yellow dress with black lace and adding an underskirt of tulle. And who can forget Cher Horowitz’s yellow tartan jacket and skirt in “Clueless?”
Here, we suggest some ways to wear plaid for the bold and the not so fearless.
— Janet Kelly MyLittleBird editor Janet Kelly most recently posted on dual-purpose lip and cheek products.
THE LITTLE BIRDS have flown out of the office for Thanksgiving. We’ll be sharing a big bird with our family and friends. We wish you a terrific holiday.
And talk about being thankful! We appreciate your readership and are working hard to make your experience on MyLittleBird better than ever!
Be sure to come back Saturday morning for an MLB special: It’s Small Business Saturday, and we’re shining a light on Takoma Park and its independent shops.
Color your lips and cheeks with Trish McEvoy’s blendable, fun-to-use crayon in five shades. $31, trishmcevoy.com.
Niche cosmetic brand Ilia’s multi-stick tint with Vitamin E works for lips and cheeks as well as eyes. Easy application for a natural flush. $34, sephora.com.
Dior’s limited edition holiday Lip & Cheek Velvet Color is more highly pigmented and easier to apply and the matte finish is more vibrant than its older lip glow product. $38, sephora.com.
Thanks to the applicator, you can manage the amount of color you apply for as much or as little as you desire. Available in 12 shades. $40, yslbeautyus.com.
Lots of good-for-your-skin, good-for-the-environment ingredients go into the making of RMS’s Lip2Cheek product that comes in nine colors. $36, rmsbeauty.com.
Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks is $30 at sephora.com.
Burberry’s new makeup collection gets rave reviews for looks and choice of colors. Our favorites: hydrangea and poppy. Lip & Cheek Bloom, $30, us.burberry.com.
WHEN ALBERT EINSTEIN was asked why he used a bar of soap instead of shaving cream, he was rumored to have responded, “Two soaps, too complicated.”
The same might be said of lipstick and blush. Using one item instead of two simplifies one’s makeup routine, streamlines the clutter in the bathroom or dressing table and cuts down on expenses. And as makeup artists know, one color on the lips and cheeks instantly coordinates a look. For the busiest few weeks of holiday partying, it’s hard to deny the convenience of a twofer.
Enter products like Bobbi Brown’s best-selling pot rouge, a cream-based formula for a sheer, stained lip and cheek; Yves Saint Laurent’s Baby Doll Kiss & Blush with a mousse consistency and RMS’s new Lip2Cheek product filled with all environmentally friendly ingredients.
An oversize envelope in royal blue. By Malene Birger’s Balero sweater is knitted with mohair, wool and stretchy fabric. Warm and soft. $415, netaporter.com.
U.K.-based active wear company Sweaty Betty tests its clothing for performance. This wool-blend chunky knit with funnel neck and thumbholes on the cuffs passes with flying colors. $220, sweatybetty.com.
Wool and alpaca cable knit turtleneck with dropped shoulder says comfy, cozy and warm. $250, zady.com.
Wool-cashmere knit with raglan sleeves, a notched-front hem, and a spacious neck that functions like a scarf. $120, everlane.com.
We’re mad for Suno’s multicolor mohair plaid sweater, cut in a flattering silhouette. $495, stevenalan.com.
Be fierce and stylish at the same time in Zara’s jacquard leopard crewneck. $68, zara.com.
Spice up your fall/winter wardrobe with Tibi’s Gleam Turtleneck (also available in loden green). $395, tibi.com.
Ante up your protective layer from tip to toe with Tibi’s maxi sweater dress. $450, tibi.com.
A decorative front tie adds sass to this wool-blend sweater with a neck that’s high enough to hide in. $89.50, massimodutti.com.
SOME DAYS you just want to pull the covers over your head and hibernate for four years. But inevitably work demands your attention and you’ve got errands to run, book clubs to attend and holiday shopping to face.
But in the face of the cold winds of this election and its after-effects, our best clothing advice is to hunker down in the comfort of a cozy sweater. We’ve chosen eight we think you’ll like, plus a sweater dress for head-to-toe coverage.
Poppy King, entrepreneur and founder of cosmetics brand Lipstick Queen, has been a devotee of lipstick and its transformative powers ever since she was a child trying on her mother’s slick stick of burgundy from Biba. In her new pocket-size book, The A to Z of Lipstick, King advises readers on everything from color choices and application tricks to how lipstick is made.In the excerpt below, King paints the history of lipstick with its colorful characters, including Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I. The A to Z of Lipstick can be purchased at local bookstores as well as at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
THE ART OF PAINTING the lips dates all the way back to ancient times where it was done as part of rituals and to honor the gods. Lipstick first appeared as a symbol of glamour in Egypt with Cleopatra, who became famous not just for her dark kohl eye makeup but for her ruby-red lips painted with rouge made with carmine (a pigment derived from an insect called the cochineal). Carmine is used in lipstick to this day.
It became very aspirational to paint the lips red, but with the fall of the Egyptian empire and the rise of the Dark and Middle Ages in Europe, the Catholic Church took over as the ultimate dictator of acceptable fashion and grooming practices. Lip color was associated with Satan and therefore relegated to the very bottom of the social ladder.
There it remained until the late sixteenth century, when Queen Elizabeth I brought it back into vogue, with her stark white makeup and crimson lip stain made from beeswax and red plants. Like Cleopatra before her, Elizabeth elevated lip coloring, and soon many high-class women sought to imitate her style.
After Elizabeth’s death, lipstick slipped from fashion, and until the late nineteenth century lip coloring remained a practice reserved for performers and prostitutes.
But by the end of the nineteenth century, the rise of industrialization had allowed lipstick to be mass-produced, and its usage started to spread again. In 1884 the French cosmetic company Guerlain created the first commercial lipstick. They made it from deer tallow, castor oil, and beeswax, and then covered it in silk paper. Lipstick did not yet come in a tube, but came in small pots, and was applied with a fine brush.
Around this time, famous French actress Sarah Bernhardt began wearing lipstick
in public—and by 1912, fashionable American women were using lipstick as an important part of their daily beauty regimen. In 1915 Maurice Levy invented the cylindrical metal containers that hold lipstick today, but it wasn’t until 1923 that the swivel-up tube was patented by James Bruce Mason Jr. in Nashville, making lipstick much easier to apply.
The 1920s saw a rise in photography and cinema, which made movie stars fashion icons—and their lipstick was sought after. In the 1930s the cosmetics company Max Factor capitalized on the growing mystique around film stars and started replicating the products that were worn onscreen, including lipsticks.
During World War II, lipstick became scarce due to rationing, yet wearing it was also considered patriotic, as it denoted optimism and strength in a time of hardship.
This was thanks to Rosie the Riveter, the famous depiction of a female factory worker with red lips doing the work that was needed while men were away at war. She became a symbol of carrying on in good faith.
By the 1950s, movie star glamour was in full effect, with stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor sporting dark red lips and popularizing them for the masses.
With the 1960s and the rise of rock and roll came dramatic new ideas in fashion, as well as lipstick. Anything went—from pastel shades to white and silver. By the late ’60s and ’70s, however, lipstick had lost some popularity, as the hippie trend took over, and a more natural look came into favor.
Lipstick returned with a vengeance in the 1980s with the rise of the power woman and her bulletproof shoulder pads. Lip colors were bright and garish—mostly hot pink and fuchsia. The 1990s and the emerging grunge trends saw a backlash to this, with browns and deep hues coming into fashion.
By the early 2000s, lipstick had taken a back seat to lip gloss, which was considered a fuss-free alternative. These days, however, we are seeing a renewed interest in lipstick—not as a makeup “must-have” but as a personal fashion choice. Major cosmetics houses are revamping their lines, releasing new lipstick formulas, which contain varied ingredients and allow for a vast array of finishes.
Lipstick remains one of the world’s simplest and most glamorous products. And its application is one of the few grooming rituals that connect us back through centuries to the experience of being female. In any given age, lipstick—its presence or absence—tells us something about the world we are living in and the hopes and dreams of the era. It is a true cultural barometer—one that measures not just the state of fashion but that of the psyche.
Excerpted from The A to Z of Lipstick by Poppy King.The book was published last week by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.
THE END OF daylight saving time in the fall always sounds luxurious: an extra hour of sleep on a crisp fall morning. But the days afterwards (although not as bad as the springtime change) can feel groggy and off-kilter, especially if you kept late-night weekend hours.
The best remedy, according to Dr. Kelly Brown at Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center, is a morning walk: “Light is the most powerful way to control the internal clock,” she says: both getting sun exposure in the morning and avoiding bright light–especially blue light from electronic devices–at night.
Exposure to the first light of day stimulates a nerve pathway from the retina to the hypothalamus, which signals the brain to raise body temperature, release stimulating hormones like cortisol, and delay the release of the hormone melatonin until later. Around 9 p.m., melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply and stay elevated for about 12 hours until they fall back to daytime levels at about 9 a.m. Even when the body’s clock says 9 p.m., melatonin levels won’t rise until the lights dim. Dubbed the “Dracula of hormones,” melatonin only comes out in the dark.
As a supplement, melatonin works best to make adjustments for jet lag and shift work. While some studies suggest melatonin tablets can also shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and reduce the number of awakenings under normal circumstances, other research shows no benefit at all.
Melatonin is present in some foods, especially walnuts–which also contain the amino acid tryptophan, which helps the body make melatonin. Dairy products contain both tryptophan and the calcium needed by the brain to produce melatonin. Melatonin occurs in milk–with higher concentrations in milk produced at night, whether from cows or breastfeeding women.
(Among 36 possible interventions used in the first research showing the possibility of reversing memory loss, .5 mg of melatonin every night was given to help flush potentially destructive amyloid beta proteins from the brain; along with 500 mg of tryptophan three times/week for waking at night.)
Other melatonin-containing foods: almonds, raspberries, orange bell peppers, tomatoes, cherries, olives, barley and rice. Foods that increase the presence of melatonin include pineapples, bananas and oranges–in declining order, with pineapples producing the highest levels. While diets rich in vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products contain healthy levels of dietary melatonin, experts say their influence is “minor if compared with the power of the light-dark cycle.”
Because melatonin occurs naturally in foods, it is sold as a dietary supplement along with vitamins, thus not regulated by the FDA. As a result, the labeled dosage is not completely trustworthy. While there have been no reported cases of toxicity, too much melatonin can make you irritable, dizzy and sleepy during the day and can cause nighttime confusion and nightmares. So start with a low dosage: some experts suggest .3 mg.
At night, the darker your bedroom, the more melatonin your body will produce. And because bright light suppresses melatonin production, turning on a light or electronic device during the night can disrupt your sleep cycle. Use as dim a light as possible.
If you prefer not to take supplements, research also supports the soporific effects of chamomile tea–the stronger, the better. And when the weather is bad or morning walks don’t appeal, turn on electronic devices ASAP and gaze into the blue light. Don’t forget caffeine.
Sleek and toasty-warm, this turtleneck ($19.90, uniqlo.com) is your go-to to keep winter chills away.
Channel Carine Roitfleld’s swagger in a cape coat ($149.90) from her collection for Uniqlo. Pair with her print dress and rose-patterned tights ($9.90, uniqlo.com).
Quintessentially Parisian, Ines de la Fressange’s tweed coat ($149.90, uniqlo.com) will get you through the cold in style.
This collar-less, shapely light down jacket ($59.90, uniqlo.com) is a wallet-worthy alternative to its expensive competition.
Christophe Lemaire’s mandarin collar oversize denim blouse ($39.90, uniqlo.com) is the wardrobe equivalent of Type O blood.
Stay warm in Uniqlo’s knee-length, shapely coat with water-repellent shell ($149.90, uniqlo.com). Removable hood with faux rabbit fur trim.
Corduroy leggings ($19.90, uniqlo.com) will keep you warm and your budget happy.
Guys can wear these basic socks ($2.48, uniqlo.com) year-round. Peacocks, take note. There are colors to match every outfit.
ADD UNIQLO —10,500 square feet of it — to the roster of stores in suburban Tysons Corner Center. The Japanese behemoth, a branch of which opened here last weekend, is one of the largest clothing chains in the world.
The sheer size and selection make it easy to become bewildered. So, let us help you navigate and narrow down the choices from the benefit of past experience.
Despite global warming, we will have winter. Keep Uniqlo’s Heattech turtleneck ($19.99) as a comfortable, soft and close-fitting layer that can be worn under a shirt or sweater. A cold-weather go-to on the streets of D.C. (or the slopes of Vail).
Before setting off down the Rhone River on a barge cruise, one of our group feared she would be cold with just her sailor’s windbreaker. Uniqlo in Paris to the rescue with an ultra-light down coat. Subseqently, on a late-December weekend in New York City with the same D.C. and Philadelphia-based group, a trip to the store’s Fifth Avenue location resolved winter-coat woes. A few of us sprang for warm corduroy leggings, mostly because we couldn’t resist the price.
God bless Uniqlo for partnering with two older-women French style icons — Ines de la Fressange, the one-time muse of Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, author of Parisian Chic City Guide, and eponymous boutique owner; and Carine Roitfeld, editor in chief of CR Fashion Book and global fashion director of Harper’s Bazaar. Their clothing collections include tailored coats and jackets, as well as print blouses and accessories, such as Carine lacy tights.
Thanks to another partnership with Christophe Lemaire, former Hermès designer, Uniqlo offers attractive poor-boy sweaters, knit dresses and oversized, on-trend blouses.
Finally, the cashmere v-neck sweaters in a rainbow of colors for $69.90 a piece is a too-good-to-miss deal. My significant other bought one in navy two years ago and it’s still a wardrobe staple, as well as his $2 pink socks.
Uniqlo is located at Tysons Corner Center, 1961 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, uniqlo.com.
A high neck that looks like a choker, ruffles, black and gold floral print and sexy see-throughness tick all the boxes on the state of blouses for the season. From Suno’s fall 2016 runway collection.
Eating is not recommended when wearing either of these. Left, Massimo Dutti’s boat-neck blouse with pleated sleeves and decorative bow in the back ($89.50, massimodutti.com). Right, Chloe’s diaphanous crepe blouse, seen on the fall 2015 runway, is trimmed with ruffles and finished with a black velvet neck tie.
Left, H&M’s interpretation of the lacy blouse with a stand-up collar, buttons at back and long sleeves with wide cuffs. ($49.99, hm.com). At right is Amy Smilovic’s runway lace blouse for Tibi fall 2016.
Left, Frame’s silk crepe de chine blouse with bow in fresh-looking navy is versatile — to wear casually with denim or with wide-leg pants for the office. ($270, netaporter.com). Right, Michael Kors’ 2016 fall collection ruffled silk blouse with French cuffs is veddy Victorian.
Left, dress up cropped pants with Kate Spade’s peplum lace top. ($328, katespade.com). Right, floral print blouse with tie-detail at the cuffs ($125, us.topshop.com).
Left, insouciant attitude required for wearing Cuyana’s crepe de chine blouse ($185, cuyana.com). Right, chic navy blue and black oversized tunic with a touch of metallic should make what to wear for holiday parties a snap decision. ($330, aliceandolivia.com).
BLOUSES ARE BACK and big for fall fashion 2016. Just like that, we’re swooning over ruffles, bows, lace, satin, see-throughness and impossibly long sleeves. Sooo feminine, romantic and yes, a little Victorian.
The styles shown on the runways of Chloe, Tibi and Michael Kors are, admittedly, extreme examples of the trend, but we’ve hunted down several just for you. You’ll want to add at least one to your wardrobe.
Here’s why we think you’ll find them handy: You can go bold and pair a ruffly, endlessly long-sleeved blouse with velvet pants (to channel Prince?) and/or have a sure bet in your closet to wear for the holiday circuit of cocktail parties, charity galas and dinner dances. Too froufrou, you say? Take down the drama a notch by wearing one of these romantic confections with jeans or a pencil skirt. Good to go for weekends or work.
— Janet Kelly Janet Kelly is the editor of MyLittleBird. She recently wrote about how to wear velvet this fall.
“STAY AWHILE,” the trees call out in Mary Oliver’s poem, an invitation to “forest bathing.” The term, translated from the Japanese shinrin-yoku, means immersing yourself in the woods; it’s an attentive way of being among trees, under the sky, on the earth.
“Forest bathing is slowing down and connecting with nature with all your senses and it’s something you can do very close to home,” says Melanie Choukas-Bradley. The author and naturalist leads forest bathing walks in D.C.’s Rock Creek Park and regional open spaces. Forest bathing, she says, is linked to other mindfulness practices like yoga, Tai Chi and meditation, “but there’s another dimension to it because you’re feeling a connection with nature.”
That connection Choukas-Bradley describes seems to reduce stress and foster well-being. Studies conducted at Japan’s Chiba University, Center for Environment, Health and Field Services and described in the book Your Brain on Nature, found “that spending time within a forest setting can reduce psychological stress, depressive symptoms and hostility, while at the same time improving sleep and increasing both vigor and a feeling of liveliness.”
Guides like Choukas-Bradley facilitate forest bathing on the walks they lead.
“You’re engaged with nature and nature has a slow sweet pace, and it’s very rejuvenating to be around trees and listen to birds and smell the autumn smells from the earth and just feel fully alive.” She adds, “If we’re only engaged electronically, it’s not enough.”
At the heart of forest bathing is quieting the mind and awakening the physical senses. And it works, says Barnesville, Maryland artist and avid walker Tina Brown who took her first forest bathing walk with Choukas-Bradley in Rock Creek Park in October. The women have collaborated on guides to the plants of Sugarloaf Mountain.
“We were asked to focus on a tree,” said Brown, “to look closely at the bark and to pay attention closely to the stream, the water and rocks and smells and sounds.” Choukas-Bradley, Brown said, invited participants to dig deep into their immediate experiences.
A typical forest bathing walk might begin with breath awareness practices or a poem, drawing people into the present moment. What’s called an “invitation” follows, a suggestion to explore a quiet spot alone and notice with all the senses, listening, observing, savoring scents and touching leaves and stones.
“I’m always encouraging people to connect with their own backyard or park down the street,” says Choukas-Bradley, “to find a place of natural beauty that’s very close to where you live and visit as often as you can. It’s a form of intimacy with nature.”
She described her own special sitting spot in Rock Creek Park. The day we talked, she had just seen a kingfisher in the stream.
“It’s so rejuvenating to walk through this forest in a park created in 1890. The trees are huge. I am so intimate with this place that all of the changes that I see over time are incredibly meaningful. It’s like any relationship, the more you know a person the more you love the person; it’s the same thing with nature.”
Spending the time is key. Forest bathers set aside cell phones. They suspend conversations on politics, movies and work. They let go the need to identify a bird or classify a blossom. There are no miles to log. Wonder reigns.
“When I lead walks,” says Choukas-Bradley, “my favorite moments are when everyone gets quiet. We’re looking at Virginia blue bells blooming; I love it when people stop talking and just feel the quiet moments of pure reverence for nature and pure awe.”
A survey sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and cited in an article on forest bathing in The Washington Post states that Americans spend 87 percent of their time indoors and 6 percent in an enclosed vehicle, on average.
Choukas-Bradley believes forest bathing could shift that percentage, inviting more and more people to re-connect with the nature around them.
“Our culture and our way of life separates us from nature, so we have to work at it a little bit. It’s a practice like anything else. If it’s important to you and you make time for it, the rewards are boundless.” she says.
Ready for a dip into forest bathing?
As with any mindfulness practice, you can start small, with five or ten minutes. Next time you’re walking to the train, detour under a tree. Pause. Touch the bark. Lean against the trunk.
Or pause on a bench during errands. Lift your face and watch the clouds, feel the breeze on your cheeks and mist from a nearby fountain. Smell the fresh-cut grass.
Or, on a walk with a friend through a park, agree to drift in opposite directions for a few minutes, smelling the air, collecting fallen leaves. Then reconvene and share what you observed.
Participants in Choukas-Bradley’s walks range from 20 to 80.
“It’s for anybody who enjoys nature and wants to get outside, de-stress,” says Brown, the artist. “You’re not thinking about anything but being present.”
A wonderful aspect of the natural world is that it’s vast enough to absorb our moods.
“When despair for the world grows in me/and I wake in the night at the least sound/in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,” writes Wendell Berry in his poem The Peace of Wild Things, “I go and lie down where the wood drake/rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.”
The peace of wild things is a form of resting in the world. It’s a cleansing: Forest bathing both restores and rejuvenates.
“It’s healing and it’s celebratory,” Choukas-Bradley says. “There’s a great joy in feeling alive in the forest or in the field or any natural setting. It’s true that it’s comforting if you’re troubled or depressed, but if you come feeling happy your happiness will be enhanced by connecting with natural beauty.”
— Alexa Mergen Alexa Mergen teaches small-group and private lessons in yoga, meditation and writing in Harpers Ferry, W.V. and Washington, D.C., and edits Yoga Stanza.
In his fall 2016 collection, Ralph Lauren went for opulent. Case in point: this velvet coat with metallic printed florals made for after-dark glamour.
Stella McCartney favored velvet throughout her fall 2016 collection. Here, a plush dress with satin panels to bring out your inner royalty.
A tiered velvet dress from designer Ulla Johnson’s fall 2016 runway collection.
From the fall 2016 runway collection of Armani, trim velvet pants with plaid trim and matching jacket look ladylike but not boring.
Treat Theory’s Berdyne black velvet blazer ($495, saksfifthavenue.com) like a wardrobe evergreen that can be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.
An update of the sporty bomber jacket in the season’s favorite fabric from Frame. $550, netaporter.com.
Take the seriousness out of velvet in T by Alexander Wang navy blue wide-leg pants with elasticated waistband and rear welt pockets ($458.93, farfetched.com).
You and your feet can celebrate the holidays in Stuart Weitzman’s Gilligan Lace-Up flat in bordeaux ($398, bloomingdales.com).
Jeweled pumps from Ann Mashburn jeweled rose velvet pumps ($495, annmashburn.com) are made for partying.
For just a little luxe, add Zara’s burgundy velvet skinny scarf ($15.90, zara.com)
IN THE LATE 1960s, I was living in Rome and encouraged by my mother and her offer of $$, I made the bold decision to have a suit made for me — in black velvet. The tailor was located right off the swank Via Veneto. This was a time when you could do that sort of thing and still manage to afford school tuition or rent. The hip-length jacket with notched collar was double-breasted and my initials were embroidered in the silk, harlequin lining. The skirt was appropriately short — about an inch or two above my knees. Never before had I felt so fashionably cool. The next time I had a relationship with velvet was when I purchased a pair of Armani high-waisted, slightly baggy pants at one of Neiman Marcus’s big sales. I still have the pants and hide the too-tight waist by wearing a long silk shirt on top.
But now that velvet (along with brocade, fur and lace and bejeweled everything) has made a comeback — at least on fall runways of Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, Armani and Valentino — I’m inclined to embrace it again, if cautiously. Too much of a good thing can wind up looking not so good or in the case of velvet, a little costumey. Think the Tudor, the Medici and the Borgia women swanning around in their cold castles swathed in velvet from head to toe.
The season’s favorite fabric is particularly well-suited for holiday wear. A great-fitting velvet jacket can be paired with a pleated skirt for a fancy dinner party or to dress up a pair of jeans for a casual Sunday night soiree. Want instant glam and opulence? Choose velvet accessories — bordeaux pumps, lace-up flats and skinny scarves.
See runway examples and our market picks in the photos above.
— Janet Kelly Janet Kelly is the editor of MyLittleBird. She last wrote about skirts with swish.
Don’t miss the macarons at Bethesda’s Tout de Sweet.
CRISP AUTUMN days make us want to go for long walks with pals and then tuck into a place where we can linger over a perfectly timed pour-over or a decadent dessert. Which is why we thought it was a fine time to rerun our list of favorite local coffee shops and cafes. Thanks to contributor Alexa Mergen and MyLittleBird staffers for sampling and compiling.
A cheerful place popular with kiddies for the cake pops.
The small neighborhood bakery also offers simple, fresh coffee. Grown-ups will appreciate the raspberry bars, available in a vegan version. Sit outside or near the big window and observe National Zoo visitors coming and going from the main entrance right across the street.
At $2.15 for a small drip, you can afford a few minutes to catch up on email or meet up with a colleague at Bakers & Baristas in Penn Quarter. Add a Viennese-inspired pastry or personal-sized quiche to your order and make it a meal.
“It’s not exactly like all the others,” says long-time Capitol Hill resident Lynn McDonald on a visit to Bayou Bakery. Ample and comfy seating is distributed throughout the cafe’s restored carriage house and garden. This is a place for a mother-daughter outing or for lingering with a good friend. And, try the branch in Arlington at 1515 Courthouse Rd.
Is that Chris and Kathleen Matthews having a bite at the counter at the Connecticut Avenue Bread & Chocolate on Saturday afternoon? Yes, but the crowd, mostly local, pays no mind. They also don’t mind the dated decor. Service is gracious; you don’t even have to ask for water. Tables are spaced far enough apart so a private conversation stays that way.
Bread Furst’s slice of outdoor patio on Connecticut Avenue.
The covered patio here is a coveted place for sipping lattes and/or taking a lunch break in the Van Ness neighborhood. The fresh baguettes can’t be beat nor can the classic chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies.
Buzz Bakeshop
818 N. Quincy Street (enter on Wilson Blvd)
Monday-Thursday 7 a.m.-9 p.m., 7 a.m.-10 p.m., 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sunday
703-650-9676
The mix of cozy and contemporary decor, Ceremony coffee, Devi and Damman Freres tea, outstanding baked goods, make Buzz a friendly stop in the high-rise-dominated Ballston area. Dog lovers will appreciate the free pet-treats samples at the check-out counter.
Homesick for la dolce vita? Come Saturday morning late breakfast and you’re likely to find the owner glued to TV watching soccer at the next table while you’re chatting and imbibing heart-stopping espresso Toscana from Counter Culture coffee. This friendly, sunny place, aptly named sorriso, which means smile in Italian, serves up Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) toast and homemade focaccia.
“I walked in and really liked the vibe,” says barista Kirstyn Rowen, “We get a lot of regulars.” Such a down-to-earth feel is uncommon in the nation’s capital. Homemade flyers announcing music shows and writing groups flutter in the breeze of the open door.
Filter’s patio makes a good hangout, especially during early fall days.
“We have high-quality coffee and people appreciate that,” says barista Ben Phillips. Split a pot of French press with a friend on the small brick patio after a trip to the Dupont Circle farmer’s market. Or power up with an espresso while lined up on a stool tapping at your laptop. Phillips adds, “We have a lot of regulars and we know them by name.”
In business since 1994, this unassuming spot predates Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts as well as more refined choices. Hide out at a small table in the clean alleyway with a generous piece of coconut cake.
What better way to begin a spring or any other day than sitting on Kafe Leopold’s fountain-adorned patio protected by a canopy of umbrellas. But an inside table at this minimalist yet somehow cozy cafe is also a desirable location to launch or assess the purchases from a Georgetown shopping expedition. Meet friends for a morning espresso and delectable almond croissant or schmooze over a Sacher torte and cappuccino late afternoon.
Little Red Fox
5035 Connecticut Ave. NW
Tuesday – Sunday 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
202-248-6346
In addition to the city’s best apple pie, Little Red Fox cooks up a variety of fresh soups, salads and sandwiches to satisfy all. Charge up with a snack and caffeine while you ponder questions for author readings a few doors up at Politics & Prose.
A visit to Lourdes Bakery and Coffee Shop in Columbia Heights is a Saturday morning breakfast ritual for John Sanchez, who sits outside on the patio to read the newspaper. “I come from Maryland,” he says. “It’s good for a healthy breakfast.” Enjoy fresh sandwiches on homemade bread, like hot ham and cheese with peppers, tomato and onion, as well as Salvadoran pastries. Basic coffee conjures nostalgia with its styrofoam cup.
Misha’s Coffee
102 S Patrick St.
Monday – Saturday 6 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sunday 6:30 a.m.- 8 p.m.
703-548-4089
In a city where just about everything changes, it’s nice to know some things don’t. The laid-back decor of Misha’s hasn’t budged since the late 198os, nor has the reliable flavor of the coffee that’s roasted daily in Old Town.
Open City
2331 Calvert St. NW
Sunday – Thursday 6 a.m.–12 a.m., Friday – Saturday 6 a.m.–1 a.m.
202-332-2331
From dawn past dusk, Open City welcomes locals and tourists alike. It’s a great place to people watch and to strike up a conversation. Dog lovers appreciate outdoor benches, bowls of clean water and dog biscuits. Buy a pound of coffee and get a cup to go on the house.
Tucked in among the art galleries and interior design and antiques shops on upper Wisconsin, Patisserie Poupon’s French-press coffee and chocolat chaud from the espresso bar and fresh orange juice beckon in the a.m.; the petits fours, including mini eclairs and lemon, apricot or berry tarts in the afternoon. If you have lots to confer about, stay for lunch and dig into a crusty baguette filled with prosciutto and brie, topped with a grainy mustard.
Praline
Shops at Sumner Place
4611 Sangamore Rd.
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
301-299-8180
A location in an off-the-beaten track shopping center somehow makes an afternoon get-together at this French bakery/bistro seem like an escape. Cozy up to a table by the fireplace downstairs to while away a couple of hours over a velvety hot chocolate and a flaky palmier.
Society Fair
277 South Washington Street
Monday 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
703-683-3247
A foodie’s paradise, Society Fair is a combination of market, butcher, wine bar, bakery and demo kitchen. For an instant pick-me-up, try their house espresso, Destroyer from Annapolis’s Ceremony Coffee, paired with a pecan roll or bacon biscuit. Sit inside and or out under an umbrella in a quiet patch of Old Town. Entertain yourself watching the bakery making bread and cakes. Take home the delectable coconut cake or Friday’s date-night take-out dinner all ready to pop into the oven.
Bright art creates a funky vibe, encouraging patrons who come for coffee to stay for soup. Gaze out the large windows to rest screen-weary eyes. Or pop over to Books for America on your way to Soho and settle into the welcoming space with a good read.
Tout de Sweet Pastry Shop
7831 Woodmont Ave.
301-951-0474
Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Delightfully decorated in turquoise and chocolate, this iPad-size spot with two small high tables for two serves up perfectly frothed cappuccino with its croissants, pain au chocolat and macarons in more than a dozen flavors, among other divine pastries, produced by French pastry maven Jerome Colin, who shares shop ownership with wife Sofia.
The Gucci G playfully adorns this pleated skirt from Alessandro Michele’s 2016 fall runway collection. One of the fashion world’s new darlings, Michele gives nerdy a cool vibe.
Stella McCartney’s satin skirt in black and metallic silver tones featuring soft fan pleats from her fall 2016 runway.
From Prada’s fall 2016 collection, a softly pleated army-green and red gabardine midi skirt with a utilitarian vibe.
Pair a pleated DKNY midi skirt with elasticized waist band ($398, saksfifthavenue.com) with a hip-length leather bomber jacket.
Go with the flow elegantly in Tibi’s pleated Flume Sunray Skirt ($595, tibi.com). Wear it with an oversize sweater and ankle boots.
Go glam in Zara’s finely pleated shiny dark green midi skirt with stretch waist at the back ($69.90, zara.com).
Rag and Bone’s soft leather, lined skirt sit with two box pleats at the front is a wardrobe evergreen. ($595, netaporter.com).
Comme des Garçons’s wool gabardine crisply pleated wool-gabardine skirt ($560, netaporter.com) features an elasticized drawstring waistband for a comfy fit.
Asos’s midi skirt in a pleated satin material ($56.43, asos.com) is made to move elegantly through the day.
WIDE-LEGGED PANTS, oversized men’s shirts, billowy blouses and stacked heels are the key trends we’ve seen coming down runways for fall 2016 and more recently for spring 2017. Skinny jeans and pencil skirts, take a step away, at least for the time being. Fashion designers are declaring that roomy silhouettes are now officially in vogue. Which is good news for those of us who think that good style and comfortable clothing shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. I’m thinking this is the season to embrace the flowy movement and grace of wearing a pleated skirt. And, make mine midi, please. Put off by pleats? Think elasticized waist bands and oversize pullovers as toppers.
Gucci fashion darling Alessandro Michele has made his name making old-school and nerdy look cool and new. In his fall 2016 and spring 2017 runways, he favored old-fashioned pleated skirts in graphic prints. Stella McCartney put a metallic spin on her pleated skirts and dresses, while Miuccia Prada softened the folds in a utilitarian gabardine skirt.
Here are some ways (in a range of price points) to nail the skirts-that-move look off the runway.
THE LITTLE BIRDS flew off for the three-day weekend. One of us narrowly escaped Matthew in Charleston; others stayed close to home. Today, we’re celebrating that Columbus found America, shopping in observance of National Handbag Day (who knew?) and recovering from last night’s presidential debate. Any bets on whether The Donald will resign?
It’s going to be a gorgeous fall day in the neighborhood. Enjoy. See you back here on Tuesday.
Carrie Bilbo gets inspiration for her jewelry from cicadas and other insects.
This orb pendant above is one of Emma Villedrouin’s favorite pieces. Made from kunzite, aquamarine and 18K gold, it “references a pocket watch.”
Starr Hagenbring’s current Sacred Images collection reflects her studies in pre-Judaeo-Christian ancient religions.
Kathleen Dustin crafts purses that are interpretations of vegetables, flowers or tree bark and resemble small, wearable sculptures.
Marylou Ozbolt-Storer designs contemporary outerwear, pieced, appliquéd and embellished with imported European braids, vintage buttons and treasures sourced from around the globe.
Isabelle Posillico sketches, forms and roller-prints recycled gold with textured papers and then constructs each piece of jewelry by hand.
Michelle Murray starts with bolts of white silk and dyes of primary hues. Then she uses techniques, including shibori, origami and hand-molding, to achieve sculptural effects.
Molly Grant’s Cordwainer Shop, a third-generation family business, has been creating handmade shoes since the 1920s. They’re made to fit each customer’s unique foot.
Namu Cho’s statement-making cuff is made of platinum that is fused on 18K gold with flush-set canary yellow and white diamonds.
JOIN THE FUN this Friday, Oct 7, 5:30-8 pm, with Smithsonian Craft2Wear Friends Night Out at the National Building Museum. The $20 ticket includes admission to the evening event plus the show’s daytime hours, one cocktail and light hors d’oeuvre, courtesy of Main Event Caterers. A cash bar will showcase the best craft cocktails by four of D.C.’s top celebrity mixologists(Matt Allred of DNV Rooftop, Jon Arroyo of Founding Farmers, Taha Ismail of Mike Isabella Group and Jo-Jo Valenzuela of ABSOLUT ELYX). So, mingle with your pals and best of all, meet 80 craft artists, plus 25 artists from the country’s top design schools. The all-star lineup includes talents such as Carrie Bilbo, Starr Hagenbring, Emma Villedrouin and Namu Cho.
Pratt graduate 29-year-old Carrie Bilbo makes jewelry in silver and 14K gold that focuses on patterns and texture found in Nature. Each piece of her signature jewelry item —Mating Earrings — is meticulously handcut in the shape of a wing and designed to make a jingling noise that mimics the sound of the cicada, an insect that most people find annoying but that Bilbo thinks is fascinating. Her newest pieces are inspired by still more bugs — tree hoppers and lantern flies.
Starr Hagenbring combines years of academic study (archaeology, history), sewing and tailoring skills to create her hand-painted jackets. The art pieces from her current Sacred Images take the place of her past collections, which include Old Masters images on tuxedo jackets and swing coats based on insects, a big hit at last year’s show.
Emma Villedrouin thinks her old-world stone and gold jewelry appeals to a woman who’s buying it for herself. “There are so many reasons women buy jewelry. One woman might buy earrings or a cuff bracelet as a kind of armor; another because the color reminds her of fabulous vacation.”
Namu Cho, born in Seoul, South Korea, now works out of a studio in his home in Bethesda. He began his career making big metallic sculptures. Luckily for Craft2Wear attendees, he turned his attention to jewelry. His striking brooches and bracelets are fashioned using a technique called damascene — inlaying different metals into one another, such as gold or silver, into a dark, oxidized steel background— to produce intricate, graphic patterns.
And there’s so much more to see. If you can’t make it Friday or Friday night, the show continues on Saturday (10 am to 5:30 pm).
Cropped, collarless and slightly fitted. Not your average boxy jean jacket. The cropped, tailored fit here makes this a bit dressier than your average boxy jean jacket. 7 For All Mankind Jacket, $249, stylebop.com.
A silky burgundy bomber jacket ($180, massimodutti.com) works for all types of occasions and plays nicely with skirts, slacks or jeans.
This white leather jacket from Asos is a bit of a splurge ($516, asos.com), but think how luxe you’ll look and feel, swapping out your predictable black moto jacket.
L.L. Bean’s quilted riding jacket with flattering fit. Water-resistant for when you’re caught in a sudden shower. $139, llbean.com.
Military looks never go out of style; neither do classic navy peacoats like this double-breasted one from Michael Michael Kors. $395, neimanmarcus.com.
Do you think it’s gonna rain? Wear this practical Everlane anorak ($98, everlane.com) or stuff it in your tote in case.
Zady’s gabardine trench coat ($310, zady.com) is loose and relaxed. The ideal top layer for now or come springtime.
Exchange your old puffer vest for Cacharel’s fluffy marabou one. $540, modaoperandi.com.
AS I SIT in my office the afternoon after the Great Debate, it’s about 72 degrees outside. This morning it was 80, but in the coming days, the temperature is not expected to nudge past 70. Note to self: I need the equivalent of a spring coat — for fall. Something not heavy, not too warm, preferably not black that I can easily wear again when I’m faced with the same fickle weather again next March and April.
Jean jackets are a terrific way to bridge the seasons. Denim is the idea weight for early fall. But the usual boxy style doesn’t do much to flatter most, er, maturer figures, so select one that tweaks the traditional like Seven for All Mankind‘s collarless version. The extremely popular bomber comes in a variety of fabrics (python anyone?), prints (camo, leopard, floral) and price points. Massimo Dutti’s silky burgundy version strikes a nice balance for versatility and price. For looking chic and tough at the same time, it’s hard to beat a moto leather jacket, let alone Asos‘s version in white.
When the weather gets a little chilly, L.L. Bean’s quilted riding jacket with insulated lining will keep you warm as will Michael Michael Kors’s military-style peacoat.
File anoraks and/or trench coats under wardrobe staples. Slip a sweater underneath for cooler weather and Everlane’s anorak and Zady’s trench make great toppers for windy, rainy days.
For a little fall frivolity, trade in your trusty puffer vest from Uniqlo or The North Face for Cacharel‘s oh-so-fun and femme one in fluffy marabou.
Jeweler Carrie Bilbo with two of her favorite pieces — the Niaca ring (top right) and Mating earrings (below right).
CARRIE BILBO WAS studying painting at Pratt Institute when she got the jewelry bug and switched majors to enter the school’s jewelry and metal smithing program. “I had a knack for it and could see a future career,” she says.
The Cincinnati-born Bilbo was fascinated by the cicada hordes that came out the year she graduated from high school. “I thought they were very cool; their wings are little stained-glass windows.” Butterflies may be beautiful, but Bilbo is attracted more to what people fear. In fact, her senior college collection for which she won top honors was based on phobias — of spiders, moths, trees. When she graduated — the first year after the market crashed — there were no jobs, so she launched her own company in 2010, turning her ideas from her senior collection into more commercial applications.
All her jewelry — rings, bracelets, earrings and pendants — focuses on patterns and texture in Naure but done in precious metals, primarily sterling silver, and stones. Her higher-end collection is in 14K gold into which she clusters herkimer diamonds, which are not actually diamonds but quartz. Bilbo prizes them for their clarity and their facets. For the Craft2Wear show, she’ll be bringing this higher-end collection, which includes her favorite Niaca ring and classics like her Mating earrings (each piece is meticulously handcut in the shape of a wing and designed to make a jingling noise that mimics the sound of cicadas). She’ll also be bringing some brand-new brooches, rings and necklaces, inspired by the wings of tree hoppers and lantern flies.
Who buys Carrie Bilbo wearable sculptures? “My customers,” says Bilbo, “are women who appreciate craft and well-made and timeless designs. “I don’t design with current trends in mind,” says Bilbo.
By the way, her attraction to insects runs in the family. Her younger is brother getting a degree in enytmology. And the calendar that hangs in her studio? Pictures of bugs, of course.
— Janet Kelly
The Smithsonian Craft2Wear show and sale will take place at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. For tickets to the October 6-8, 2016 show, go to Smithsonian Craft2Wear. Daily admission is $15, but you can save $2 and avoid the lines by purchasing online.
For even more fun, consider getting your friends together to attend Friends Night Out, a special party on Friday evening, October 7, from 5:30 to 8pm. The $20 ticket includes admission to the evening event plus the Friday daytime hours, one cocktail and light hors d’oeuvre. You’ll also get to meet 80 craft artists, plus 25 artists from the country’s top design schools. A cash bar will showcase a more-liquid craft: the best craft cocktails by four of D.C.’s top celebrity mixologists.
Indigo denim ballgown from Carolina Herrera’s spring 2017 runway at New York Fashion Week.
Diane von Furstenburg’s wrap dress gets reinvented with an asymmetric hem and stripes, thanks to new chief creative officer Jonathan Saunders.
Tom Ford tweed jacket and leather skirt. And, btw, it’s for sale now on tomford.com.
Proenza Schouler canvas and leather spring jacket
A flowy trench with uneven hem tops an oversize shirt and wide, cropped pants on Michael Kors’s 2017 spring runway.
Rosie Assoulin’s safari-inspired day suit is ready to hit the streets.
AS YOU MAY have heard, the fashion industry is in upheaval, the traditional calendar of spring and fall runway shows turned on its head, mainly because of social media. Now, in addition to having to figure out what women customers want, designers must grapple with deciding when their customers want it. Witness last week’s spring 2017 New York Fashion Week. Despite the “spring” moniker, Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford, Thakoon, Rebecca Minkoff and Ralph Lauren showed fall clothes that could be purchased straight from the runway. Going against the grain, Michael Kors made selected looks fresh from his spring collection available immediately after the show at michaelkors.com.
Regardless of when you can buy it or how much it would cost, I put together my personal fantasy shopping list from New York Fashion Week’s runways — six items I’d love to see hanging in my closet.
I’m not a person who regularly attends black-tie galas, but if the occasion should arise, I would be delighted to don Carolina Herrera‘s strapless spring ballgown in washed denim. In second place, a floor-grazing tulle skirt paired with a knit top with the number 35 embroidered on the sleeve and then any one of the black-and-white-striped gowns that strutted down the runway.
Jonathan Saunders, Diane von Furstenburg’s new chief creative officer, revitalized her signature wrap dress with bias cuts, fluttery sleeves, mixed prints and asymmetrical hems. The result: a more modern, elongated silhouette with the same eye on affordability. I’ll take one or three.
Money is no object to Tom Ford. If it were none to me, I’d wrap myself for fall in his luxe, looks, including nipped-waist tweed jackets and pencil skirts in painted leather, statement belts, gold jewelry and color-blocked furs. Clothing for grown-up girls.
Spring may be what D.C. does best, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of damp, chilly days in April and May. Proenza Schouler‘s orange canvas and red leather jacket with neck flap is up to the task of offering protection from the elements while looking very darn cool.
Although I’m not ready to part with my somewhat skinny pants, I’m ready to embrace the more relaxed looks of the runway like Michael Kors’ s oversized shirts, coats and roomy pants.
A safari suit with sleeveless peplum jacket and midi skirt from Rosie Assoulin is my idea of the perfect transitional outfit — whether my day takes me to the office, a charity lunch or sightseeing in Rome.
— Janet Kelly Janet Kelly is the editor of MyLittleBird. Her last post was on Smithsonian Craft2Wear artist Emma Villedrouin.
HAITI WAS WHERE jeweler Emma Villedrouin grew up; she lived next door to her grandmother until age 15. “There’s an attitude there about material — you reuse things and make them work.” Like steel drum sculptures constructed from shipping drums. Art is made out of materials that would have been thrown away anywhere else, she says.
Although Villedrouin doesn’t reuse materials for her elegant pieces of colored stones paired with luminous pearls and 18K gold, she likes things that are functional and relate to the past. Today’s world is filled with too much newness, she opines. “I have an affinity for things that last.”
The jewelry artist Emma Villedrouin
Texture and layering gold and stones are important to Villedrouin’s work, which she says is influenced by the many places she has lived or visited. Her home base is D.C., but she’s currently living in Brazil with her husband who’s on an extended government assignment. She has family in France and has spent time in Vermont. “All of that is woven into the fabric of what I do.”
When she’s designing, Villedrouin thinks about the wearer as someone who will buy the piece because it speaks to her. She says,”There are so many different reasons women buy jewelry.” Maybe one woman will buy earrings or a cuff bracelet because it makes them feel strong — a kind of armor. Another will purchase a ring in a vibrant blue to remind her of a vacation she loved.
“My jewelry is fine without being fussy, says Villedrouin. They’re not pieces that fit in the category of precious; no pave diamonds. I use cabochons and old techniques.” Her jewelry is not set in any time period. “They could have been found in a treasure chest in Europe.”
One of her favorite pieces is the orb pendant pictured above. Made from kunzite, aquamarine and 18K gold, it “references a pocket watch, with a pink tourmaline on top that you would use for turning.” Villedrouin suggests wearing it on a long chain below the chest, the right spot for holding on to it, if you were working on solving a problem, say.
To see more of Villedrouin’s work, click here. For tickets to the Oct 6-8, 2016 Smithsonian Craft2Wear Show, go to Smithsonian Craft2Wear.
