my long-time reader, phashion plate, tells me that gatsby parties are all the rage these days.  haven’t been invited to any myself, but then i haven’t yet seen the movie either.  mixed reviews not withstanding, esme is determined to see it, if only for the clothes–the 20′s are my absolute favorite fashion era.

i did get a little taste of costume party when i attended an event at the carmel women’s club last month.  the theme was “hollywood glamor” and many patrons were dressed to the nines.  my favorite was a simple flapper outfit in black, complete with pearls, bag, and feather boa.  the wearer explained that all but the pearls were thrifted–brilliant!

and then there were the hats.  these lovely ladies were hawking hats and insisted that even a short, crop-haired, small-headed person like esme could pull off a hat if it were just the right one.  how i would love to believe that!  i did try a few on, but needless to say i came away hatless.  guess i’m just the tilley hat sort at heart (or would that be at head?).

hatless in carmel,

esme

esme is not the sort who tends to win things at raffles, unlike christophe’s girlfriend, who actually won a car.  note to the wise:  when you win a free car, you still have to pay the sales tax, licensing fees, etc.  however, every once in a lifetime even the not-so-lucky luck out.  esme had popped into LLOYD’S shoes on ocean ave. in carmel to see if she could find a particular pair of naot sandals.  turns out they were having an ANYI LU trunk show, and one could enter a lottery to win a free pair of ANYI LU shoes just for trying on the new fall line-up.  esme almost passed, as ANYI LU’s tend to be a bit narrow for her toes.  but what the heck.  it seemed like a fine enough thing to do to on a late saturday afternoon.

imagine her surprise when she received a call the next day that she had won the free shoes!!  and she could choose her pair from any available at the store.  friends, these are not any old shoes.  these are $400 shoes!  esme wondered if she’d have to pay the sales tax.  so, feeling elated and even a tad guilty/chagrined, she returned to choose her prize.  and guess what?  if any of you have tried to park in downtown carmel  you know how difficult it can be.  well, esme found a parking space right exactly infront of LLOYD’S!

as it turned out, there were about 4 pairs of shoes in esme’s size and with heels she could tolerate.  omg, if she could even have worn a little 2 inch heel, the choices would have been boundless.  she obsessed for quite some time among the 4 pairs–2 slides, a loafer and a pair of black sandals.  all would have been pretty wonderful.  in the end, she decided upon the sandals, as her wardrobe in completely lacking in any shoe (sandal or otherwise) that is at all dressy.  she can’t wait to wear them with a dress!

so readers, go down to LLOYD’S and put your name on their email list.  they’ll notify you of sales, trunk shows, etc.  if esme can win a pair of shoes, anyone can.

trippin’ the light fantastic,

esme

esme and mr. noir journeyed up the northern california coast to attend the wedding of a friend’s daughter.  it was a beautiful wedding, with the bride crying throughout the ceremony and even the groom shedding some tears;  when people cry at their own weddings you know they are taking it seriously!  there was not a dry eye in the house.

humbolt county is a place unto itself.  there are more trees than you can shake a stick at, and unusual fashions in men’s facial hair.  it seemed as though everybody had beards.  and i don’t mean neat little urban beards trimmed close to the face.  i’m talking about big bushy beards long enough to keep you warm in the winter.

mr. noir discovered that such beards require a fair amount of maintenance.  for special occasions one goes to a beard stylist.  and the beard should be combed regularly.  what we did not find out was the reasons behind the style.  all i can say is, if every other guy you meet seems to have a big beard, you’re likely in the wilds of far northern california.

appreciating local style.

esme

it must be wedding season.  esme has been receiving inquiries about mother-of-the-bride/groom attire, and is even traveling to the wilds of northern california to attend a wedding herself.  here in carmel we have very few shopping options for this sort of occasion.  if you live near a NORDSTROM or a SAKS you’re way ahead of the game.

what one wears depends, of course, on the time, location, and formality of the wedding.  usually one needs a few different outfits for the various dinners and lunches before and perhaps afterwards.  many of us want a dress for the big event.  i’ve seen some really fetching dresses by komarov, carried at NORDSTROM and some small boutiques (LEAF AND PETAL in palo alto has a good selection). some are quite dressy, suitable for evening, while some are perfect garden party attire.  many come with jackets and sleeves, though quite a few are sleeveless.

esme happened upon a very versatile dress while shopping at SHE in the carmel crossroads.  mr. noir insisted she try on this blue cotton number that came with matching shawl.  it didn’t look like much on the rack but when esme tried it on she received ooh’s and aahh’s from the other customers as well as mr. noir.  this dress can be dressed up or down with shoes and jewelry.  on a hot day it can be worn on its own, while on a chilly evening it’s great with a black ballet top and leggings, tights or black stockings underneath.  when the weather is in-between, just pop on a tank-top.

esme also encourages out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to weddings.  why not try an edgy pants-and-top combo—babette and blanque come to mind.  here’s esme trying on 2 outfits by babette.

now for shoes.  oy, don’t even ask esme about shoes—you know how much trouble she has with them!  ok.  some nice strappy sandals would be good, either flat, heeled or wedge.  i recently recommended a friend check out ANYI LU, even though her shoes tend to be too narrow for yours truly.

yours truly,

esme

oy, mes amies et mes amis. so sorry to have been off the page for so long.  esme has been caught up in so many writing, eating, drinking and walking projects that she has barely had time to draw breath, much less compose a decent fashion post.  Indeed, just recovering from their annual foray to the PBFW OPENING RECEPTION knocked the socks off the noirs for several days.

this event is a gala affair, the kick-off to a long weekend of decadence.  7 large rooms at the INN AT SPANISH BAY are magically transformed into a somewhat crowded culinary paradise for 3 blissful but exhausting hours.  each year esme enjoys obsessing for months about what to wear.  never until this year has she gotten it quite right.

here’s the dilemma.  this is a dressy event.  in past years revealing bandeau cocktail dresses and sky-high louboutins have been a feast for the eye.  it’s easy to feel a bit frumpy in such a crowd.  and yet, knowing esme as you do, i’m sure you can imagine that she insists on comfort, especially went it comes to 3 hours of standing, balancing a wine glass and plate, and darting through crowds.  esme has never been able to wear heels even in the most optimal of conditions.  she can only wonder how those who did managed to pull it off without collapse.

so, comfort plus bling….not an easy combo.  let’s start with fabric.  in past years esme has worn various eur0-cotton drapey things.  not right.  one needs something with a bit of sheen and form. esme purchased her black silk pants topped with a sheer silk skirt with the PBFW in mind–super comfy and yet dressy in an edgy kind of way.  after exhaustive research and experimentation, she topped this with a somewhat sheer, very fitted black ballet top by AMB and her newest cool thing—a black leather vest with side zipper.  at the last minute she decided that her taryn rose shoes posed the best compromise between looks and comfort (really they faded away into invisibility). diamond studs.  watch.  no coat.  no purse. voila!   in a situation like this accessories just become encumbrances.  note that in the absence of purse or pockets a husband serves nicely as a repository for any stuff that you absolutely can’t do without.

even though esme is short, and was dressed all in black, she was surprised to find that she caught a lot of male eyes.  indeed, she was being photographed by someone official when she had the misfortune to choke on her champagne and blow her chance at celebrity.  ah well, there’s always next year.

still a bit tipsy,

esme

this is a hard one, because for esme, tops have tended to be easy.  while shoes and pants present excruciating conflicts between style and comfort, tops tend to be more forgiving.  not everyone feels this way, however.  and the conundrum of coordinating tops with bottoms can be tricky.

for casual wear i’ve always favored the GAP favorite tee, or some variation thereof.  in the last few years, however, even cotton tees have begun to present “issues”.  there’s the infamous phenomenon of back fat.  whereas one’s back might have presented a smooth contour under knits in younger years, even the fit among us find that little blips and bulges are surprising us behind our backs.  what to do?  well, always look in the rear-view mirror.  don’t buy anything too thin or too tight.  and resign yourself to the fact that you’re not 39 anymore.  just the right vest can also address this problem.

here’s a clever trend i’ve noticed in recent years:  blouses and shirts with knit fabric in the back or at the sides and woven fabric in the front.  the woven fabric provides a bit of structure, while the knit adds softness and shape.  the blouse pictured here is by james perse, but i’ve seen variations on the theme by labels at all different price points.  keep your eye out for one of these and try it on!

over the top,

esme

i bought these on a whim.  they’re by TRACY REESE (designer of one of michelle obama’s signature campaign frocks).  just as i was about to escape from LEAF AND PETAL in palo alto without doing any damage, i spied these babies on one of the saleswomen and complimented her on them.  “you’ve gotta try them on,” she opined.  well, twist my arm.  they’re a bit hard to describe:  black silk legging-like pants are topped with a sheer skirt-like garment.  ooh….. sensuous and tremendously swirly, they stole my heart.

i can’t say they are the easiest bottoms to match with a top.  a plain black tee shirt looks good for a casual vibe.  anything long or voluminous turns me into a swirling blob.   i kind of pictured a silk shantung blouse in silvery gray, cropped and a bit fitted, but the world has yet to manifest it.  in the meantime, i’ve tried on all sorts of things.  truth to tell, they look best with my AMB leotard top and maybe a belt or “statement necklace”.  here i am with a leather vest by ELSEWHERE, and a couple of tops by SAMUEL DONG.  whadya think, readers?

on a mission,

esme

OSKA, a german brand, makes what have become esme’s absolute favorite pants.  she now owns 2 pairs, one in wool flannel and another in a wool blend.  the fabrics are soft and sumptuous, and both have ingenius elastic waistbands that manage to look flat.

one of my readers (let’s call her sally) simply cannot believe that a normal-sized woman would wear this genre of slightly voluminous pant.  but then she confides that she has been known as “skin-tight sally” for most of her adult life.  if only sally and esme could have been bred together they might have produced children with just the right amount of tolerance for tight and loose clothing!

if you are a skin-tight type then OSKA is not for you.  but you might skim this over anyway, in case you have a friend who is phobic about tightness.

i like to wear my OSKA’s with a fitted t-shirt, or perhaps an over-sized but cropped top.  both options allow the viewer to imagine that one does indeed have a waist, even if it is not cinched!  the bell-shaped leg on one pair and the knit cuff at the ankle on the other look great with short boots, flats, and IF esme wore heels, would look pretty killer with a bit of a heel.

like DRESS TO KILL, OSKA is not cheap, so try to find them on sale.  on the other hand, they don’t look cheap:  indeed, they look like money…..

still flowing,

esme

ok….at first glance the name of this line is a little freaky.  i picture stiletto heels with little knives along the sides, or…..cleavage with a deadly dose of pepper spray hidden in the v, or….but no, really, DRESS TO KILL is not like that at all.  it’s a made-in-l.a. brand with an arty, slouchy, euro-vibe–no bond accessories needed.

i first discovered DRESS TO KILL at SYLVIE in carmel plaza.  this was a few years ago, before the slouchy pant was in fashion.  i bought the most wonderful oversized black pants that i love to wear with a boxy sweater and a necklace that adds just the right touch of verticality.  it shouldn’t work, but it does.

but these babies are PRICEY, so now i wait until SYLVIE has a sale and try to nab a pair in a small size.  this winter i found one with gray and black stripes and all sorts of asymmetrical seams.  even though they are elastic-waisted and loose, they are oddly slimming, and i get tons of compliments on them.  this is a brand that must be tried on to be appreciated.

i will say that pants like this are not for the faint of heart, nor for the devotee of a tailored look.  they are unabashedly artsy.  esme herself appears to have embraced artsyness in her middle years (as her middle has expanded).  it’s a way to look chic without having to squish into your clothes.

killing me softly……

esme

elastic waist pants…..i know i know…..sounds like defeat.  but trust esme, there are many brands of elastic waist pants out there these days that are both forgiving and flattering.  really.

I discovered the brand CUT LOOSE at PACIFIC RIM in carmel.  as advertised, most of their pieces are indeed cut loose.  but that does not mean they’re dumpy.  ok.  full disclosure:  some are, but you’ve got to try them on to tell the difference between dumpy and darling.  It all depends on the drape of the fabric, the cut of the cloth, and the cut of your body.

CUT LOOSE pants are not just bunches of fabric tied off with elastic, nor are they traditional pants with elastic added (per l.l. bean and land’s end). many fall gracefully from the waist and are shaped with clever seams and darts.  esme happens to look good in pants that have a sort of tapered bell shape at the bottom. 

she also has a great pair of wide-leg khakis with elastic in the back and a flat waist in front.  here i am in CUT LOOSE pants and QUELQUES CHOSES top.

listen to what the CUT LOOSE website says:

“We describe our fit as “implied shape,” meaning the shape of the body is implied in a flattering way. Cut Loose clothes skim the body for a fluid silhouette.  When a Cut Loose garment “fits,” it simultaneously flatters the figure and allows room to really move.”

now there’s a concept you’ve gotta love (at least esme does)!

I will offer one word of caution:  even elastic-waist pants can feel too tight.  make sure that the elastic does not bother your waist!

now get out there and try some on!

loosey goosily yours,

esme