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Observations in Fashion

Traveling Chic Baltimore

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If you are planning a trip back east you must find some time to spend in Baltimore! There is lots to see in this wonderful city on the Chesapeake from historic sites to wonderful food and fabulous museums.

Summertime travel to the East Coast requires a completely different wardrobe than it does here on the West Coast. On the hottest of nights in San Francisco I couldn’t image leaving my apartment without a sweater or scarf. During the hot sweltering summer months on the East Coast my sweaters and scarves are pretty much worn only on the plane and in over air-conditioned rooms. The wet heat of those days might have some choosing to spend their time in loose shorts, tanks and flip-flops. But never let the scorching weather deter you from being chic is my rule!

After packing my carry-on with cotton shirts, cotton tees, cotton dresses and cotton skirts  I was ready to step into the sweltering biosphere of Baltimore.

On our first day we headed to the inner harbor which is in Baltimore’s historic seaport. There is so much to do in this area from visiting museums to taking in the gorgeous views. You will also enjoy eating alfresco at great restaurants. However, a word of warning; check out reviews before you plop down just anywhere for a bite. Like any area with tourist attractions there is a lot of food which is best left uneaten.


After taking a stroll along the harbor and listening to some great street music we were off to the American Visionary Art Museum—fun, whimsical and moving. Located in the Federal Hill area this museum will entertain everyone. The exhibits are considered “outsider art” housing wonderfully curated art with broad-reaching topics. You will take in exhibits like Yumm—The History of Food to more obscure works of art by people suffering from mental illness and using art as a form of therapy. Even before you step into this magnificent museum you will be struck by the wonderful mosaic facade and mirror tiled bus. Plan on spending a good part of your day here and then relax in the restaurant bar on the top floor.

Dinning was a pleasure in Baltimore. Our first of many meals was close to the inner harbor— Cinghaile. The menu is filled with wonderful seafood dishes, pastas, salads and antipasti. You will most likely eat plenty of crab cakes on your visit to Baltimore so experiment with the chef’s tasting menu for other delectables from this outstanding restaurant!

For some of the best crab cakes just about anywhere check out Faidley Seafood located in the Lexington Food Market. The portions are large and the price is inexpensive. You will be entertained by some banners fastened to walls while you chow down on your delicious crab cake. My favorite reads, “If the Lexington Market were in LA we’d charge twice as much and I’d have a show on cable.”

Back to the harbor we caught one of the many water taxis that took us to the historical Fort McHenry which is best known for its role in the War of 1812. They even have a cast of characters who re-enact life on the fort in that period—hokey but fun as well. Note that there are not a lot of shaded areas and that means it gets crazy hot. My advice is to always wear a hat and bring a bottle of water.

Time to eat again. We made the mistake of walking to another restaurant about 45 minutes away instead of taking yet another water taxi but once inside the cool and cavernous restaurant, Gunther’s & Co, we forgot the pain of strolling in the relentless heat. We loved this establishment! The food was wonderful, the people were friendly and the bar was well-stocked.

The museums here, like the ones in Washington, DC, are free and spectacular! The Walter Art Museum located in Mt.Vernon holds collections established during the mid-19th century.

Just a few feet away is the Washington Monument of Baltimore. Climb the 227 steps to the top for spectacular views the city. But be advised there is no AC climbing up those narrow stairs. The delightful staff will offer you a bottle of water because they know you will need to hydrate as you begin your ascent.

The other must see in the Mount Vernon area is the Peabody Library. The architectural detail will blow you away!

Hungry again after an afternoon of exploring made us hungry. Thankfully, the Marie Louise Bistro was a short 15-minute walk away. This restaurant is small so reservations are advised for dinner. However, we arrived around 3 and had the pick of the few tables that are outdoors.

Just one more museum before we leave—The Baltimore Museum of Art. It is not to be missed! You can linger through the many rooms which house Picasso’s, Monet’s, Cezanne’s, Van Gogh’s, Rodin’s and so much more. And here is the best part—there are no crowds so take your time and appreciate the magnificence of these incredible masterpieces.


Gotta’ go–I have a train to catch to New York!

Eat well, laugh a lot, and be chic!

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Your Simple Style Guide For Mixing And Matching Prints

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This simple styling guide for mixing and matching prints is easy to follow but there is one more thing you’ll need in order to pull-off this edgy  look, You are going to need a little moxie.

Combining prints is another great way to step up your look. However, it might seem a bit challenging. We all know someone who has a great sense of style and incorporates just enough edge to make a certain look work. But silently we think, “I could never wear that!”

Well, you certainly can’t if you never try it. Prints in-and-of-themselves are not for everyone. But neither is makeup, bright colors or body shapers. However, if you never try these things on how will you even know they don’t look well on you? The point is to be open.

The first rule of having great style is feeling comfortable and confident in what you wear. Never think you can’t wear something. Instead give something that you thought you could never wear a try. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had clients try on colors and styles outside of their comfort zone and their reaction is surprisingly surprised.

If you are interested in giving new breadth to your look try these simple tips for creating a new look.

~Stay away from pairing two different floral prints. Not that it can’t work when worn together. It’s just that it’s difficult to pull-off and you want to keep it as simple as possible when you first run with combining prints.

 

~The key to combining prints is really in the colors. Make sure there is a common color theme. For example try a black and white print with a black and red print.

~The size of the print can matter. Stay away from combining two large bold prints. Instead try wearing a subtle print like a tiny polka dot with a large floral pattern.

~A good way to approach mixing prints is by combining abstract with florals.

~Abstract or floral prints with stripe designs or dotted designs is also a good choice as well.

Eat well, laugh a lot, and be chic!

Style; Pushing The Envelope On Trends

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Fashion trends can grab our attention inspiring us to get in on the action. We want to be recognized as stylish. What better way to be recognized as stylish then to take those much talked about trends to the next level?

My Instagram and Pinterest feed are awash with photos of ripped jeans in various stages of deterioration. Some are just a simple slash at the knee and others that look as though they were  caught in a paper shredder. But no matter the level of disintegration they are “in”! The ripped jean is the attribute that labels the wearer as hip. It is the trend of trends right this very minute. Like all trends they have a beginning and an end and then sometimes a revival.

In fashion parlance, more is more when something is regarded as the “it” trend. For example, shoulder pads of the 80s and 90s were regarded as a must if you were to be taken seriously as someone with style. Tee shirts, jackets, dresses and sweaters all had shoulder pads and none were restrained. They were large and kept getting larger! It was considered avant garde to double up on pads by wearing a shirt and jacket with oversized pads to exaggerate the shoulder.The result of which only camouflaged the neck. Designers have tried to resurrect the shoulder pad but they have yet to become mainstream again.

The platform shoe, which has really been in and out of fashion circles for some time, was another one of those famous trends. However, the platform has been around since the beginning of 220 BC. More recently, they came back again as stylish in the 70s. We loved them so much that a 1 inch platform and 3 inches of chunky heel no longer sufficed. We wanted something bigger, thicker and taller. Then they were no longer relevant until the 90s when all self-respecting fashion plates craved them.

Vivienne Westwood designed a 9 inch platform that Naomi Cambell wore on the catwalk. Not suprisingly, she fell and face planted while remarkably not breaking any bones. Then, 10 years later the platforms were out of fashion. They came back again in a big way as recently as 2000 only this time on a stiletto heel. But as soon as you could say, “damn, my feet hurt,” the next big trend in shoes was here. And that is the athletic shoe–our “it” shoe of the moment.

In the 60s the hip huggers were king but soon fell out of favor. However, they returned with huge applause in the late 90s. The low rise pant was so uber popular that it was even wittingly referred to as the crack epidemic in an article in Slate in 2003. In her article, Hello Moon, Amanda Fortini writes, “I glanced up to see a fleshy forest of crevices and multiple folds of skin and G-strings that three women in their late 20s were displaying for the world. It was then that I knew: This low-rider style has gone too far.” The low rise pant trend began innocently enough by first sitting a modest 2 inches below the belly button but quickly became ubiquitous at a thumbs distance above the butt line. And now we just laugh at our folly.

But back to the ripped jeans trend. Are we, once again, pushing the envelope on this trend and still calling it style? A few subtle rips at the knees has morphed into a pant that looks literally like it is hanging from a thread. Most certainly this trend will go the way of oversized pads, super high platforms and crack revealing pants. They will go out of style because like an evening of too much drinking we wake up the next day with a hangover the size of a Vivienne Westwood platform shoe and say,”never again!” But if we have learned anything it’s to never say never.

Eat well, laugh a lot, and be chic!