Iconic Style

There's a huge emphasis right now on "individual style."  Throngs of attacks have been launched against shows like What Not To Wear for essentially telling people that their personal style was horrid, throwing everything away, and stripping them down to a few shopping rules, and then sending them home in a cookie cutter style.  

Personal style is a wonderful thing, the trouble is that most people are not interested in having truly unique style, they just want to look good without thinking too much about it.  And many people who have individual style...well, it's bad.  Guidelines or fashion rules aren't really a bad thing, and I'm sorry to say that most people don't want to go it alone, they want trends to follow and rules to cling to so they can just get on with their lives while feeling confident they look good.  And now we can't do that.  Everyone is left to their own devices, which means some confident, creative individuals are feeling total freedom and loving every second of it, and, yes, looking good doing it.  While nearly everyone else is kind of feeling lost at this point and just wearing the very safest and most thoughtless of outfits: jeans & t-shirts, active wear as regular clothing, etc.  And really...not just looking awful, but feeling awful about themselves too.  Not everyone can handle freedom and not everyone wants that kind of limitless freedom.  In other words, cookie cutters work.

 

If this much freedom feels like utter chaos to you, if you are feeling overwhelmed and lost instead of free, or worst of all you just hate the way you dress and don't know how to change it, the best way to start is to find your own style icon and mimic the hell out of them until you get your footing.  One of two things will happen:  1.  Over time, you will isolate the key things you love about their style and begin adding in your own touches until you have a style that can be called uniquely yours.  Or, 2.  You'll continue just mimicking that style and go on living your life.  Occasionally people will say, "you like just like X," and you'll say, "thank you, I love her!" or more aggressively, "how dare you speak to me!"  Read the situation on that before responding.  By simply using a person whose style you admire, over time you realize what it is you like about their style, what works for you and what doesn't, and begin incorporating elements from others you admire or simply from great pieces you find until you find your look and what looks best on you.

Today's post is dedicated to a great style icon, Bernie Dexter, whose likeness features on this dress from her company.  Important to point out that her own icon was Bettie Page and yet she now has her own brand and style.  We all just need a little guidance now and then and there's nothing wrong with that.

Outfit Info:  Bernie Dexter Dress, Leg Avenue Petticoat, B.A.I.T. Shoes, Jessica McClintock Clutch.

Fall In Its Own Good Time

The fall colors have finally arrived and precisely on nature's own unpredictable schedule!  I think we may only get to enjoy them for a week or two, but they certainly are lovely.  Ivy City Co. recently had an amazing sale, everything was 40% off, so I bought the two dresses that had been on my wish list for three months at an amazing price. They're here just in time to wear to the Thanksgiving gatherings I have planned and I love them both, though if pressed for a favorite, I'd have to say it's this Nash dress in Sepia bows.  It's so pretty, perfect neckline and a corset back.  I adore it and can't wait to wear it 

Outfit info:  Nash Dress in Sepia Bows from Ivy City Co.  Shoes from B.A.I.T. Footwear, Cardi from YeMak

Movie Review: Frankenstein

A recent date night took us to the theater to watch Guillermo del Toro's new iteration of Mary Shelly's 1818 classic book, Frankenstein (or A Modern Prometheus).  I am a fan of the book and a fan of del Toro's, so I had reasonable hopes for their creative pairing.  Just when you think this story has been done to death.  Shelley herself released a second version in 1831 and as far a visual productions, an generic internet search there are to date 423 movies, 204 short films, 78 tv series and 287 television episodes that mention or refer to Frankenstein, not to mention characters like Lurch from the Addams family that are obvious references.  Plus there are at least 60 film versions of the story itself.  

How was Guillermo del Toro going to resurrect this story?  Del Toro has an artistic and story telling style that have always stood out from the crowd, so I was interested to see his fresh cuts through a well worn path. The result?  A touching story about obsession, humanity, forgiveness and the redemptive power of a father's love.  Wow.  This is hands down the best version of this film I have ever seen.  Even among Del Toro's own body of work I would rank it near the top.  

The performances of one and all were superb, including from actor's I thought were just so-so in other works...about Star Wars.  Mia Goth is rapidly rising on my list of acting talent.  I've just enjoyed her in Marrowbone and she truly shines in the role of Elizabeth as a person who struggles with her own desires, integrity, purity, and humanity.  Instead of just being the beautiful, vapid doting female of the story, her character brings depth and intelligence to the story that is usually overlooked in this role.

The sets and costumes are beyond gorgeous with stunning art concepts and direction.  Color symbolism abounds -Red for Victor and his mother; blue for his sweet brother and Elizabeth dons both blue and green.  Also note the details in Victor's vest are reflective of the pattern of the Lymphatic system.  Likewise, Elizabeth's clothing is vibrant with nature patterns similar to those of butterflies and beetles that she loves so much.  Lots of thought went into the clothing in this film and that's something I can definitely appreciate.

Although there were some changes to the story from the original, I would say they were well done and the story from start to finish is a delicious feast for the mind and the eyes.  

Soft Miracles

Autumn arrives each year and yet, I wait with such hopeful expectation to see this soft miracle time and again.  I never tire of seeing the changes, day by day, or like this year overnight.  Life is filled with these occasions, reliable, often taken for granted, but worthy, oh so worthy of pausing to marvel.  In a world that seems increasingly despondent it lifts my spirits to soak in glorious beauty .

Outfit Info: Blossom Tree Wrap Dress by Love Your Look from Modern Millie, Shoes from B.A.I.T. Footwear, Clutch is vintage Jessica McClintock

Stardust & Stems: A Perfume Review

It doesn't happen often, but occasionally I do succumb to Instagram ads.  I try to never impulse buy, but rather to save the item, think about it, then research to see if it's legit, then think some more before finally buying.  The whole process can take a week to several months.  When I saw this ad for Stardust & Stems perfume, I definitely save it and got to thinking.  I waited two weeks before buying and I'm excited to share the results with you since the gift giving season is right around the corner and perfume, though very personal, does make a great gift.  *I am not in any way affiliated with any of these companies and clicking my links doesn't earn me any money or brownie points with them.*

Since I've entered my late 30s and early 40s, I have realized that the body spray I've been using since high school just doesn't really work for me anymore.  I still love the scent, black raspberries, but I need something that has a little more staying power.  To that end, I've been on the search for a signature scent.  Two Decembers ago I found this White Peach and Peony perfume at a TJ Maxx and purchased it. It's floral and fruity and I like it, but it may be a little too youthful for me.

The search went on and back in May '25 I purchased La Vie Est Belle L'Elixir during a Mother's Day sale from Lancome which promised a blackberry scent.  It delivered.  It is a lovely fragrance, but so rich I find it overpowering.

My next attempt was simply using vanilla essential oil.  It was my favorite of all, but I don't like the feel of oil on my skin, particularly in summer, so I didn't dilute it with a carrier oil and within a few months I developed an allergy.  So that was out.  I decided to try Vanilla Fields instead to get that natural vanilla smell without the awful rash.  It is a lovely scent, but still not quite what I was looking for, so the search continued.

As mush as I love the look of the cottage witch ad, I was more intrigued by the Roseberry Briar, Lilac, and London Fog.  Those are the three I purchased, and yes they did give me a promo code for signing up, so I saved 15% off my first order.

All of these lovely scents arrived within two weeks and were wrapped very nicely complete with testing strips.  Unfortunately, none of these scents are really my cup of tea.  They are pleasant and unusual, and seem perfect for a younger person, (I'm sure that's their key demographic) but nothing is quite harmonious with my vibe.  Perfume is a very personal thing and these just don't work for me.  I took a risk, ordering a scent from the internet, but I don't regret trying something new.  I'm sure if given enough time I could find a scent I loved, but for now my daughter loved and immediately took them all, and the search continues for me.

...

I'm not quite back in the swing of daily life after our mini break, and unfortunately, the autumn colors still have not made an appearance, so today's post is another day at our charming little air b&b.  Hopefully fresh fall pics will be here by next week, you know, now that autumn is nearly over :D

Outfit Info:  Dress is old by Stop Staring!, Shoes are old from Charlie Stone

R&R

Every year for the past eight, Mr. Bleu and I have taken an autumn mini-break.  Our anniversary is in the autumn and I spent 7 years working at a local festival in early autumn which was 100+ hours of work for 12 straight days, so a little break was exactly what I needed to recover.  Our tradition was to go to some sleepy little tourist town during the off days when it was sleepier than ever and just relax.  We order takeout or go to nice restaurants, take lots of long walks to look at all the old buildings and yearn for a return of such beautiful architecture.  We always make a visit to the spa for a massage and sauna.  And if possible, we book a place with a hot tub so we can soak our stress away.  And I sleep.  A lot.  One year I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. and slept 13 blissful hours straight through.  But mostly, we just talk and reconnect.  I know it doesn't sound like a very interesting vacation, but not every holiday needs to be an adventure.  I normally take a stack of outfits with me and spend a little time taking photos in the autumn colors, but while the weather was perfect for our walks, it was just a little to summery for there to be any fall hues as yet.  Since our bed and breakfast had some very nice colors within, we just snapped a few while we were lounging.  *P.S. the cigarette is just a prop.  Smoking is bad.

Outfit Info:  Out From Under Lounge Dress from Urban Outfitters, Vintage Canyon Group Wedding Cake Robe, Vintage Daniel Green House Slippers

Canyon Group Robes: A Very Negative Review

Back in the 90s each week my favorite Must-See-TV shows on Thursday nights featured at least one fashionable character wearing a chenille robe.  The Nanny, Daphne on Frasier, Phoebe on Friends, and then Brad Pitt wore that famous coffee mug robe in Fight Club, forever sealing the deal and making me want one of these robes desperately.  Their popularity grew to the point that one year they turned up in our local mall.  There were an assortment of adorable robes, but they were rather pricey.  I begged; I pleaded.  I guess my mom passed the word along to her mother, who was a little more financially well endowed than we were.

On Christmas day, I opened my gift and saw a chenille robe!  It was blue, far too large, and covered in a moon and stars.  Now, I know how bratty and ungrateful this sounds, but as excited as I was to have this robe, the moon and stars pattern was, out of all the styles available at the mall, the only one that I didn't want.  I wanted wedding cakes, coffee cups, cherries, or daisies.  Something pink, something girly.  I felt guilty for my disappointment.  Still, it was pretty, very thoughtful, and very, very cool, so I wore it with pride for nearly 30 years, telling myself that one day I would save up and buy a different style.  Unfortunately, right around the time I had enough, the only place I knew of that sold these robes went out of business and it seemed like Canyon Group was just gone.  

I kept an eye out for that coffee cups robe or a wedding cake robe, but unfortunately, people tended to ask double or triple what they originally paid and I could never really justify paying up to $1000 for a used ratty bathrobe.  A couple of years ago, I did find a peach wedding cake robe for $100 (that post is coming up this week!) and I bought a vintage peacock chenille robe for around that price as well, plus I still have my original Canyon Group robe.  Three robes is plenty...but my 90s teenage heart wants what the heart wants.

Last year, while on vacation with my family, I spied my moon and stars robe in-stock in a shop.  And there were lots!  I peered through the window (the shop was already closed for the day) and spied the name on the tag: Canyon Group!  And their website was on the tag!  I went home and immediately searched for a robe.  After nearly 30 years, my robe was showing its age.  The fact that the website had only old, grainy photos seemed like a red flag.  But their payment programs seemed legit and I decided to purchase with Affirm/ShopPay so that I could make payments.  I got a first time buyer discount of 15% and set up my payment plan and received an email saying that although they were a little behind for the holidays, my order was due to ship in December.  No problem, I totally understood.

Exactly one week later Black Friday happened and all the robes went on sale for 40% off.  Ashamed at having missed such a great sale by a narrow margin, I told myself it was OK because I was supporting a small business, and didn't try to cancel the order or see if they would give me a partial refund.  According to the website, orders take 6-8 weeks for delivery, so I proceeded to wait.  At round 6 weeks, I received a letter saying that due to high demand, they were behind on orders, but mine would ship soon and they gave me a coupon for $100 off my next order.  I wished they would have just applied it to my current order, but I thought, That's OK, maybe I'll come back and get another later on, perhaps during the next Black Friday sale.  So, I waited and waited and waited.  My message in February went unanswered until March when I received a message saying my order was due to ship in about a week!  Finally!

The 12th of March came and went and my order didn't ship.  I saw a face book post with a video (gritty and questionable in its recentness) depicting a sweet little old lady on a sewing machine stating that they were working hard to get orders out.  One comment underneath said something about it's been months, no one will answer my messages and my comments keep getting deleted, where's my robe?!  Yikes, another red flag.  They did in fact delete that comment.  I commented something similar and my comment also got deleted.  To be clear, I was not rude, just asking why no one was responding to customer service messages.  In April I received this answer: 

Ok, they were training more people.  I could wait...I guess.

Finally at the end of June, SEVEN MONTHS after I ordered, I asked for a refund.  

I was told that because of their "system change," they would not give me a refund and I would have to go through my bank.  A small business that is entirely at fault and then decides to hide behind some alleged "system" is not one that I or anyone should do business with.  They didn't say what it was that prevented them from giving me my money back after waiting for seven months, while continually promising that my order was on the way when it NEVER was, so that  I had to jump through extra hoops in order to get this refund, but I did inform them that because I used ShopPay it might not be so easy to do.  They didn't care.  I had never asked for a refund from ShopPay, but I didn't want to wait any longer.   

I reached out to ShopPay who directed me to Affirm and opened a dispute over the charge.  I provided proof of my claim to a refund by attaching screenshots of the original date of the order, and the email where I asked for a refund and was told to take this route.  After two weeks, Affirm found in my favor and issued me three payment refunds and the final payment was sent in a paper check to my home!  Canyon Group?  Rude.  Ridiculous.  Utterly Dishonest!  

On August 2nd, several weeks after I got my refund, I received an apology letter from CG, sent to all customers, saying they had had a warehouse fire and basically were lying about being able to ship orders when everything was in ashes.  

A fire?  That didn't explain all the months of delay prior to that, and besides, people would have been understanding, so why weren't they honest?  Well, maybe because this was just another lie.  The video included was again, gritty and vague.  If this was recent video, why wasn't the owner or manager talking and walking people through it to explain or apologize?  It was questionable at best.

While on my mini-break this year, I saw a couple of CG robes still hanging in that same shop window.  I went in to speak to the owner about her experience with the company and she told me that she had known the original owner back in the 90s and since he died, the company had zero integrity.  She also stated that she placed an order to restock her robes, that was 14 months ago, and she was still waiting.  I mentioned that they'd had a fire and she claimed that the fire had occurred years ago and that this was yet another lie.  At this point, I really don't know what to believe except that this company can't be trusted, and you're better off buying a vintage chenille throw, learning to sew, and making it into a robe yourself than waiting on Canyon Group to make good on their promises.