Salvatore FerragamoBlack and White Striped Sunglasses

Salvatore Ferragamo, spring 2006 A good friend who is an accomplished actress has described to me how, when preparing for a role, she begins by wearing the shoes of her character. This dictates her posture and how she walks, and helps her to become the character. I find that sunglasses can accomplish the same, but …

Vintage Ivory Star Earrings

Vintage Ivory, early 1980’s 1 ⅜” point-to-point Instant Karma got me when I found these vintage ivory star earrings! They are, quite simply, simply perfect. Perfectly proportioned with crisp edges, they make an out-of-this-world fashion statement. Ivory trading was banned worldwide by CITES, the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species in 1989, but in …

Kenneth Jay LaneGold Star Earrings

Kenneth Jay Lane, mid—late 1980’s 1 ½” point-to-point After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1954, Kenneth Jay Lane (born 1930) moved to New York where he began his career as an art director at Vogue.  It was there that he realized he wanted to be creating the beautiful objects with which …

Puma”Popart” Sneakers

Puma, spring 2009 In the New Orleans tradition of lagniappe, here is a little something extra for your visual pleasure. Pictured are sneakers from the Roy Lichtenstein-inspired “Popart “line, as my son tried them on in the Philadelphia Puma store. They’re still available online ($50-$65)—happy shopping! Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) himself described Pop art as “not …

RodoSplashed Paint Drawstring Bag

Rodo, spring 2004 ⅛” w. x 8 ½” h. with 6” drop Fun! I feel like a Jackson Pollock drip and splash painting is dangling from my wrist when I carry this pretty (young) thing! It’s made in Italy of soft calfskin with applied fabric paint. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) was an American Abstract Expressionist painter …

Anne KleinVintage Black and White Sandals

Anne Klein Couture, late 1980’s You can’t beat summer sandals! These vintage variegated black and white cord flats (amazingly) still look contemporary. They came from Bonwit Teller in Philadelphia shortly before its demise.   [affmage source=”ebay” results=”2″]anne klein sandals[/affmage]

Charles JourdanVintage Black and White Clutch

Charles Jourdan, spring 1985 “Liscorne”, noir/blanc (black/white) 10 ¼” w. 6 ½” h. + 46” detachable shoulder strap This bag could be black or white! Love the contemporary geometric shape and the graphic use of color! Color blocking is not usually my taste—I generally prefer a much more monolithic look, but this was such a …

Charles JourdanVintage Black and White Pumps

Charles Jourdan, spring 1985 “Lucile”, noir/blanc (black/white) Not your mother’s spectators, these black and white kidskin pumps gave me a thrill! They went with ease from power presentations to dinner and dancing in the mid-eighties. Charles Jourdan (1883-1976) was born in the same year as Coco Chanel. By the time my shoes were created, the …

Calvin KleinBlack Lucite Handbag

Calvin Klein, autumn 1999  8” w. x 3 ¼” h. with 7 ½” drop When I remodeled my home in 1986, a wonderful friend gave me some exquisite acid-etched black glass fruit bowls from the Japanese Sugahara Glassworks. They were beautiful in my new environment! This terrific little special occasion bag manages to recall that …