Making a Move

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Could you script this any better?

For more British quirkiness, visit my former high school english teacher's blog, blog.londonconnection.com.  Prolific, interesting, and a fan of Camilla Parker Bowles, but we forgive him because he introduced me to literature and shaped the person I am today.

Savage Beauty

Favorite McQueen Moment

My copy of "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" came in today's post.  Amazing, amazing, amazing.  Robert and I sat down and immediately went through each page like reading a favorite children's story.  Each photo is breathtaking.  Each quote inspiring.  And the tragic ending is bittersweet when you consider what an impact McQueen had and the respect he deserves for living a life on his terms.

Favorite Alexander McQueen quotes from the book:

"I want to empower women.  I want people to be afraid of the women I dress."

"I'm an avid follower of the news, and sometimes you just can't take any more war, any more disasters, and you want to remind yourself there's beauty in the world."

"Birds in flight fascinate me.  I admire eagles and falcons.  I'm inspired by a feather but also its color, its graphics, its weightlessness and its engineering.  It's so elaborate.  In fact I try and transpose the beauty of a bird to women."

"Women should look like women.  A piece of cardboard has no sexuality."

Robert and I are going to NYC in a few weeks and I'm so looking forward to the exhibit at the Met.  Today's new treasure has been a great little moment!

Why why why? You can have any dress in the world, and you chose this?

Four outfits from the Met Ball that perplex me...  I understand it's meant to be theatrical and an evening when fashion splashes out, but still...  

First, why is Blake Lively 'all that?'  I've never seen the show and her choices are very hit and miss.  This is a costume - mermaid comes adrift, wraps herself in a sail, tries to find the prince, and realizes she has no voice...  yawn...

Second, why would Beyonce reveal weird top cleavage and then choose a pattern that draws all eyes to her crotch, culminating in a poufy mermaid tale?  This makes no sense.  She's the villain in Blake Lively's movie, above...

'Stellaaaah!'  This is not flattering.  At all.  It makes you look short and awkward and lumpy.  Why would you do this to yourself? 

Ginnifer.  The hair is cute.  The shoes are weird.  And this green dress makes you look fat - bizarrely - because, clearly, you're not.  It's not daring.  It's just weird. 

Oh, and Andre Leon Talley showed up in another massive colored parachute caftan - this time it was blue. That's really all you need to know...

Britain's Queen of Shoes

It was a fabulous night for British Fashion at the 2011 Met Ball, honoring Alexander McQueen and featuring many British designers.  Daphne Guiness, fashion icon extraordinaire, was tricked out gorgeously in a feathered McQueen dress and shoes by Natacha Marro - my favorite British shoe designer.

I wore a pair of Natacha's amazing hot pink platforms in 2009 to a wedding at Deer Valley, Utah and they were the talk of the event (aside from the bride, of course, my beautiful friend Robin, who looked stunning!!!)  The silhouette of a Natacha Marro shoe is distinctive and, unfortunately, frequently ripped off by other designers.

Natacha is a true artist whose attention to detail and buoyant spirit have brought celebrities from Lady Gaga to Chloe Sevigny and on and on through her tiny door in London.  All of the Lady Gaga's at Madame Tussaud's around the world are shod by Natacha -- she even has a Lady Gaga leg that is kept in her workshop to ensure she gets the perfect fit.  (I must say, it's sort of surreal to touch a Lady Gaga disembodied part!)

Natacha's recently made me a perfect pair of patent black platforms to serve as my London 'trainers' to hit the cobblestone streets in style without sacrificing comfort.  They are intense and I love them -- not sure if they're appropriate for a 41 year old mum of three, but if Daphne Guiness is okay, I'm okay!

Natacha is also the pioneer of the heel-less shoes - see above for a glittering homage to the Wizard of Oz.   I've tried on these shoes in Natacha's workshop and they're actually very comfortable!  A lot of fun to walk in and amazing how they balance.  The tricky part is the glitter - it's a gorgeous effect but catches on delicate fabrics so not a good choice with a long dress or something that can pull and tear easily.

Natacha's now working on a special collection with my husband, Robert Masciave, inspired by his new hair collection "Rock Candy."  Natacha frequently says ice cream and sweets inspire her - so this collaboration should be delicious!

Secrets of the V&A

The V&A Octagon Court, 1920

Access to the V&A Fashion collection is one of my favorite parts of living in London.  This amazing museum is just a hop off the tube at South Kensington, a quick walk through the subway (British for a sidewalk that goes underground, keeping tourists from getting hit by cars and buses as we inevitably look the wrong way before crossing the road.)  And it's free! The Fashion Gallery is currently closed and won't be reopened until Spring 2012 - but there are always some pieces on display and special exhibits like the recent Grace Kelly retrospective and the current  Yohji Yamamoto exhibition.  

The V&A has collected clothing, accessories, jewellery, gloves and handbags (or 'dress') since the 17th century with a focus on current fashion influences.

 Vivienne Westwood platform shoes, autumn 1993-4. Museum no. T.225:1,2-199




The world's iconic fashion moments are displayed inside, including the platform shoes Naomi Campbell famously tripped over on the runway.  It's funny to see how the world of fashion changes.  In 1993, those Vivienne Westwood's were considered shocking and fetishistic.  This week, Victoria Beckham wore Louboutin shoes in the same vein to the Royal Wedding and didn't raise an eyebrow - and she's pregnant! 

But my favorite part of the V&A is the secluded 'Members Room'.  As part of your annual membership, you get free access to the special exhibits and if you wind your way up the stairs to the 4th level, go through the architecture collection and the glass collection (past the amazing Dale Chihuly pieces) you find a discreet mirrored door at the end of the hall with a small sign.  Enter with your membership card and you get access to a small private cafe with fabulous London views, free wifi and accessible power outlets for laptop plug ins, and it's so quiet.  A wonderful place to hide and write, work, have coffee with a friend, and reflect on the inspiration surrounding you! 


Learn more about the Fashion Gallery restoration below: 

The V&A is undertaking a major renovation of Gallery 40, which currently houses the museum's fashion collection. Opened in 1909 as part of Aston Webb's expansion of the museum, the gallery was first known as the Octagon Court. It was designed as a spacious domed court with large alcoves, architectural columns, mosaic flooring, and glazed roofing that provided natural light throughout the gallery. It had an upper gallery added in 1962 and the lower space was turned into a space for the display of fashion, which remains its purpose.

A programme of refurbishments will reveal the historic features of the gallery with a new lighting scheme and the renovation of the gallery's mosaic flooring. Gallery 40 will be closed from mid November 2010 while these works take place and will reopen in Spring 2012 with a temporary fashion display, as part of the V&A's commitment to fashion within the public programme. A large part of the Fashion collection is always available to view online at Search the Collections. There are also examples of British fashion to be seen in the British Galleries at the V&A. The renovation is a much needed project which will restore the gallery to enable the space to showcase both temporary exhibitions and permanent collection pieces.

Royal Fashion Extravaganza: Fascinating Fascinators, Horrifying Headgear, and Fashion Failures

What a fantastic time to live in London!  Woke up, got my coffee in the one piece of wedding memorabilia I allowed myself to purchase (a 'Catherine Close' and 'William Place' mug from John Lewis) made up a breakfast tray of a scone with clotted cream and raspberry jam, and went back to my bed for the rest of the morning to watch it unfold live.  As a major fan of Princess Grace's style, it was wonderful to see a classic fashion moment that didn't disappoint when Kate Middleton stepped out of the car and walked down the aisle.  The inspiration was immediately evident - from the silhouette to the lace to the veil.  I wallowed in the Royal Wedding all day until I was sated and fulfilled for another thirty years.  My poor husband has had his fill, too! (He doesn't understand the American connection to British Royalty - frankly, I'm not sure I understand it, either.  Yet, my fellow female American expats concur that we're all smitten with Royalty and find the British who disdain and despise are a bit sad.  Why not celebrate?!)     

Robert and I also watched the press coverage of our acquaintance Richard Ward, whose salon was charged with creating the 'demi-chignon' for the special day and who executed it beautifully. It's not every day you have to integrate a priceless tiara into a hairdo that will be seen around the globe.  Wonderful job and a great moment for British Hairdressing!

Herewith, my take on the fashion parade that was the Royal Wedding 2011:

Because not everyone got to wear a tiara to the event, the Royal Wedding appears to have formally introduced 'fascinators' to America (see above for an example.)  Sadly, this happens as they have now become passe in the UK, so the American girls who think they've discovered the latest trend are already behind.  Fascinators at their best are strange 'Alice Bands' with bits of feather or fluff attached as a 'youthful' alternative to a proper hat, the mainstay of British social wear.   At their worst, they look like a bird landed on your head.  It's hard to go right with a fascinator - and easy to go very, sadly, troublesomely wrong.

The other star of the Royal Wedding was Philip Treacy, milliner extraordinaire, whose collaboration with Alexander McQueen, above, is absolutely amazing and the undisputed king of headgear.  Treacy reportedly constructed over 30 hats for the Royal Wedding and his staff didn't sleep for days.  It must be hard to meet the client's wants and still keep your vision... for example:

How to construct a hat in Navy that befits a pouting pregnant pop princess who designed her own dress?  This was reportedly completed with minutes to spare before Victoria had to leave for Westminster Abbey.

How to conceal a horrifying nose job with a distracting blue satellite for a socialite?

How to bring the Ugly Stepsisters from Disney's 'Cinderella' to life with black eyeliner to spare? (The British obsession with black eyeliner escapes me - more is more here... it's a sea of poodle-rimmed eyes which is a bit much during the day.)   The overtanned Princess Beatrice wearing a beribboned gazelle horn attached to the front of her head at least matched her Valentino coat.  Poor Princess Eugenie - bad from head to wrinkled toe - with a skirt that added inches and pounds unnecessarily.

This proves even a genius like Philip Treacy can be led astray...    I like to imagine that he attempted an intervention or redirection and was overruled.  Or maybe they snuck in and bought them without his knowledge (I write this hopefully... sadly, that's probably not how it went down.)

On the plus side, at least the skirts aren't too tight and short.  The fawn color is nice.  That's about all that can be said positively for these two.  They have reasonably decent figures, access to fashion, and I just don't understand how this train wreck happened.  Did no one from the Palace say "Hmmm... maybe we should have someone ask the Princesses what they're planning to wear?  Make sure it looks okay?"  Was everyone so concerned with ensuring the "common" Middleton's were turned out that they assumed the Royal Tribe would dress properly?  Clearly, 'note to self':  "Next time there's a Royal Wedding watched by billions of people around the world, let's look at what the key players are planning to wear."

Then, later on, Princess Beatrice took off the antlers and changed into a purple dress for the party.

Unfortunately, things only got worse for Princess Beatrice as the day turned into night and then into morning after...  This is not how one wants to be seen leaving Buckingham Palace at 2 am...

Even with that catastrophe, the worst dressed for me was Chelsy Davy.  Honestly, get thee to a stylist!  Any designer in the world would have sent a dress to the girlfriend of the Best Man - guaranteed to be seen.  Instead, she chose an ill-fitting suit that manages to look frumpy and trashy at the same time.  Too tight, unflattering cut, terrible skirt length.  And then we get to the hat/fascinator (this is actually a hybrid - too small to be a hat, too big to be a fascinator, too ugly to be ignored.)  It blends into her hair, making it look like a nest attachment.  It's just a little sad.  She's got a career, is a University graduate, and by all accounts a very clever woman... but this was a major wardrobe misstep.    Would have loved to see her in something like this:

Oh, wait, that's the Alberta Ferretti sketch released that was supposed to be the dress designed for Chelsy.  So, what happened to that plan?

To end on a positive note - Philippa Middleton looked flawless (well, slighly overtanned, but that's just being picky - at least she's bronze, not orange.)  Never has being a train-carrier looked so elegant.  She looked perfect - I disagree with critics who said she had too much cleavage or too much emphasis on her enviable derriere.  I loved this dress, loved her in it, wrap it and have it sent to me immediately and throw in the green party dress too!  Now, I just have to get to the gym and do more lunges and squats to look like that -- and add an extra layer of Spanx...

Bye Bye Burlesque

When iconic burlesque performer Dita Von Teese hit the scene, the art felt fresh, sexy, young and vibrant.  Heralding a revival in the tradition of great dancers such as Gypsy Rose Lee, Burlesque after-hours clubs like Drais in Las Vegas kept the vibe cool and classic - you could smell the absinthe instead of the fake tan.  Add in a glamorous french roll and a skinny cigarette or a Romeo and Julieta cigar held between gloved fingers and you were transported into another era.

Alas, all good things come to an end.  Modern burlesque is just lame.  At a recent gala with a burlesque theme in London, the look was tired, the staging seemed like something dragged out of a builder's van and stapled to the wall, and there was nothing fresh to be scene.  When did latex = burlesque?  The one exception was a throwback to

That doesn't mean you can make some of the classic elements of the prohibition vibe your own, however.  Think Chanel with nautical strips and lean silhouettes,  look at the classiest characters in Boardwalk Empire, get inspiration from Hadley Hemingway and Zelda Fitzgerald.  The above wardrobe represents Hadley Hemingway - a beloved character (actually my 18 year old son would've been named Hadley Maren had he not become a Connor!) with it's practical ease.  Her victorianism was all that held Hemingway to any sort of moral code - when she was gone, he went on a rampage of danger, lust and loneliness that became one of the greatest literary triumphs and tragedies of America.  The Paris Wife is a heartrending tale and you find yourself rooting for sensible shoes.

Photographed here with Hemingway and son Bumby, Hadley shows strength, confidence, and maternal modernity.  Equally sexy as any dance of feathers or lacquered toenail peeping over the edge of a life-sized martini glass... Vive le femme.

Deliciously Horrible TV Fashion

I'm a Gleek, it's true.  Living in the UK, we're actually a season behind the US, but I faithfully download and watch each week's episode all by myself as my teenaged sons and husband would find watching it far too emasculating!  I have to admit to often fast-forwarding through the songs because I really just like the costumes and drama...  each character is really 'told' through their wardrobe from Rachel's uptight preppiness to the never-ending Sue Sylvester uniform of sweatsuits.

It's been interesting to watch the former Cheerio Brittany exercise her fashion sense now that she's released from her red/white/black straightjacket -  especially in the 'trendsetting' episode where she introduces legwarmers as faux gloves and the Elmer hat with a tank top was amazingly styled.  Quirky, fashionable, not overly sexy and gives her a persona.

But my favorite fashion moment of Glee so far - even more than the My Chemical Romance plaid shirt extravaganza, has to be the blue satin competition dresses with leggings and boots from last week.  Surely it's a tongue in cheek reference to their 'loser' song, because, genuinely, how could you possibly combine any more heinous fashion trends into those outfits?  The tackiest blue imaginable - in wrinkled satin, with the catastrophic bow and black belt chopping them in half, with the boot/legging coup de grace.  It's a fine fashion fiasco and demonstrates why this show is such fun -- tongue-in-cheek costume design just makes me love them more.

Special kudos for the styling of Gwyneth Paltrow's character on the show - sexy, yet age appropriate and fashionable can be hard to pull off and they do a great job.


In another fashion note - if you're not watching Downton Abbey in the US, you must do so immediately! It's a must in your fashion education...

New Town, Same Girl

It's been quite an adventurous five months!  I've moved across the planet with kids in tow and started a new marriage, new life!  Now the kids are all in school, we're in our house, work is flowing and all is 'normal' in the universe.  Spending plenty of time at Topshop on Oxford Circus, Smythson on Bond Street, and Junky Styling in Brick Lane!

What's in my beauty reading radar lately?  I've been on the Tube A LOT lately and reading voraciously.  Loving "Cinderella Ate My Daughter" by Peggy Orenstein and just finished "I Think I Love You" by Allison Pearson.  Makes me strangely happy that I have given birth to three sons instead of daughters... When I found out that each of my boys was, indeed, male, I was shattered.  With each pregnancy I had visions of pink nurseries, hairbows, Barbies, Mary Janes with white anklet socks, and on and on.

Reading these books, though, is a flashback to my own perceptions of beauty and understanding just how deep those roots go...  When Pearson writes about wearing brown (a shade that makes her skin look decidedly yellow!) because she read in a fanzine that David Cassidy liked it, you realize just how early we are conditioned to conform to someone else's vision of beauty.

For me, I remember experimenting with pin curls because I thought boys liked curly hair.  I was about six and one Saturday night I painstakingly crafted the curls.  At church the next day, I flushed with embarrassment when I was convinced that two older teenaged boys were laughing at me.  Even now I can recall that feeling of just wanting to hide - even though the Grown Up Coni knows the boys probably hadn't even noticed me and wouldn't have thought twice about a little girl's hair.

Beauty Workout:  What incidents do you remember from early childhood that defined your image of how you perceived yourself? How do you feel when you think back?