Tiara, No Sugar

With the holiday season upon us -- and candlelight's call to sparkle, glimmer and shine -- it's fun to discover new old modes of self-adornment.

Recently, I've been looking at tiaras. But not the skinny supersweet diamanté versions favored by Lagerfeld, brides, and Tinkerbelle.

Instead I mean bulky, bold, take-no-prisoners tiaras, like those worn by warrior queens and the guardian of the masses, Lady Liberty.

The model Givenchy created for its haute couture collection (above) is awesome, no? I wish I had the nerve and bone structure and reserves in the checking account to wear it.

Other, less frankly-kind-of-scary examples are also available.

I love the jazz-age skittishness of this little headpiece.


And this silver and turquoise Native-American inspired tiara is perfect for a more casual gathering around an open fire.


Or this amazing non-vintage-but-cool-enough-to-post headpiece from ShopCurious . . .


What would you wear, if you could crown yourself Queen of the Night?

The Golden Bough

From the Bodleian library shop in Oxford, England: a wonderful mistletoe brooch, with freshwater pearls replicating the plant's white berries.


This is contemporary jewelry inspired by a vintage source . . . an even more wonderful illustration from a 16th-century Tudor pattern book.

Mistletoe lore is as dense as the tangles of branches the plant puts forth. Since pagan times, kissing underneath was said to signal peace and goodwill between strangers, and to mend the hearts of quarreling lovers.

The best place to wear a mistletoe brooch? Everywhere! Christmas is only 22 days away . . .

Hot Erté

There are certain artists and designers whose work you take to at first sight. See ... draw breath ... admire, then post a replica as a visual trophy on an inspiration board.

Other artists ignite a slow burn. You see their pieces for years and never feel more than low-level regard. And then you change, the way you see it changes, and abruptly, it's love at thousandth sight.

That's how it's gone with me and Erté. In years past I was vaguely put off by its graphic perfection--too pretty, too calculating, not enough effort evident to make it interesting.

Now I could look at his work all day--perhaps because after so many years of seeing style gown awry, his work's beautifully contained flamboyance, like a jungle bird's, sits just right.

Which is a longwinded way of introducing a designer who helped frame the figural element of Art Deco style. Here are some tidbits about his life and career, from the excellent biography at neonissima.com.

* The name Erté is a shortened version of his birth name, Roman Petrovich Tyrtov.

* His father, an admiral in the Russian Imperial Fleet, wanted him to become a marine officer. Even from the age of six, the boy preferred making detailed sketches of evening gowns to playing battleships. He fled to Paris at age 20, and became a partner of Paul Poiret.

* He designed a dance costume for Mata Hari and countless others at the Ballets Russe, the theatre, opera, and later MGM films, including Ben Hur.

* He created 240 Harper's Bazaar covers, from 1917 to 1937.

Is it possible to bring an element of Erté style to the contemporary wardrobe? I think so, especially if you come across a cap as dramatically deco as the one below.

This is not something you wear to a picnic, or even a big dinner out--it's simply too costumey for that. But it is ideal for a New Year's Eve party, or a Mardi Gras ball . . . where flamboyance is expected, and some personal grand opera is just right for the night.

Nuns, Nannies, and Nurses: The Upside-Down World of the Pendant Watch

Before yesterday, I had never heard of pendant watches. And for all I know, since I haven't yet asked, my mom routinely wore one on rounds as part of her nursing uniform (Mom?).

These fascinating timepieces are meant to dangle upside-down, batlike, from the bosom of a person in service, who, with a quick glance downward could tell it was time to administer drugs, take the children to the park for their afternoon airing, or go to the chapel for matins.

Pendant watches offered the advantage of being practical and discreet, thus appropriate for women in custodial roles, and more importantly, sat well away from the hands, which nannies, nurses, and ministering nuns needed unencumbered due to the nature of their tasks.

Given all this, you'd expect pendant watches to be plain. And yet, look at this one. Rose gold, with art deco molding that, exponentially larger, might be found gracing the Chrysler building. It's gorgeous, front and back.


Who wore it? A mystery . . . but clearly an industrious lady with little free time on her hands.

(photo of nurse at top from Dycken on Flickr, many thanks!)

You Don't Have to Be Dietrich or Slash: How to Carry Off a Top Hat, II

If you're Slash you wear it any way you want . . .



And few could do it as offhandedly as Dietrich . . .


The bold geometrics of a top hat bring their own set of rules. Tips:



1) Keep the rest of your outfit monochrome--the black/white/grey range looks best.

2) While the swallowtail lines of a tux or tailsuit jacket are classic partners to a top hat, it's a tough look to carry off unless the fit is flawless and you're superconfident in your own skin. A sequined blazer is easier to find and more forgiving. A sleeveless satin halter could also be amazing.

2) Stay away from military stylings (brass buttons, epaulets) unless it's a costume party with you as ringmaster.

3) Counter the angular lines of the hat with flowing hair (version above right preferable to version at top). Or, do as Marlene does, affix a big blown flower or feather pin at the lapel.

4) You can lightly embellish the hat to soften it up . . . consider adding band of anthracite velvet, or pin on a black silk flower, or even a skinny rhinestone belt wrapped a couple times around the brim . . .

5) Do seek out a quality hat (of felt or fur) and be sure it fits perfectly. If it rubs or slides around within the first few minutes, you'll find it completely unwearable an hour later.

See here for more top-hat icons . . .

(photo of Dietrich by Alfred Eisenstadt, via art.com, photo below by William Garrett for Red magazine, Dec. 2009, styled by Nicola Rose)

Why I Love Ebay, Part 7

A vendor (who shall remain unlinked) is selling this as a "boyfriend blazer".

BTW, the used lederhosen described months ago are still available.

Jacqmar Scarf Brut

Posting late today because I spent the morning with a class of first graders at London's Tate Modern. The museum's vast and magnificently bleak entry hall frames your mind as does the nave of a great cathedral. In that spirit, a scarf that I'm feeling especially well disposed to today.

It's by Jacqmar (featured previously here). The subject is about as far from a grandma floral as it's possible to get--a brooding, modernist, vaguely sinister architectural print, evoking . . . Battersea Power Station . . . the Wellington Arch . . . something staunchly resistant to the grind of time and the elements.

What mad genius decided this would be appropriate around some lady's neck? I wouldn't be surprised to turn a corner and see it on a wall in the Tate . . .