TREND I-SPY

Walking around my West Village neighborhood recently on an autumnal Sunday afternoon I played a little game of "who is not wearing jeans?" and out of the approx. twenty people observed, was somewhat dismayed to realize that I could count only two and that one of those was in sweat pants. We all look so samey now, we might as well be wearing Mao suits. Not that I am against the idea of having a fashion uniform, certain individuals have made a name for themselves with a signature style that screams their name, and I applaud them for it. Here are a few of my favorites. Dame Edith Sitwell 1887-1964 Signature Style: Ornate "dressing gown", turban, rings Edith Louisa Sitwell was born in 1887 to an aristocratic family and began writing poetry when she was about twenty. She complemented her marvelously Plantagenet looks with a combination of Pre-Raphaelite, Oriental, and Surrealist styles to create a specific look that included turbans, dressing-gowns and las...

L-R Isabella Blow, The Alexander's Issie Rose, Alexander McQueen Hilary Alexander from The UK's Daily Telegraph has reported the following, "A beautiful rose, a coral peach floribunda, became a dual fashion memento at (this year's) Hampton Court Palace Flower Show . The rose was specially selected by the British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, before his untimely death earlier this year, to honour his mentor, the late Isabella Blow. Lee McQueen personally chose the rose, now named "Alexander's Issie", to pay tribute to his close friend, the international style icon and former fashion editor of Tatler, who committed suicide in 2007. "Alexander’s Issie" was presented to Blow’s sister, Julia Delves Broughton. Lee McQueen had been due to attend the show to see the rose launched, in honour of the woman who had bought his entire Central St Martins graduate fashion collection and championed his early career on the British fashion stage. Julia D...