This week, I decided to look up my 2021 “year in review” posts and was shocked — not Casablanca-style fake SHOCKED but genuinely SHOOK — to discover I didn’t write any for the first time since 2011. No year-end Jewel of the Month wrap-up, even though I had conscientiously featured one of my designs each…
vintage
Throwback Thursday: Tiger Morse, Vikki Dougan
I’m always fascinated by the life stories of a wide variety of women. 12th-century empress? 20th-century fashionista? They’re equally compelling to me. Today was my lucky day in the 20th-century fashionista category. I’ve been interested in 1960s fashion designer/amphetamine-queen Tiger Morse since reading the Edie Sedgwick biography Edie by Jean Stein in 1986. In December…
My Fashion Mood for 2020
I want to walk into every room in THIS MOOD for the next 11 months. View this post on Instagram When you arrive at the party… 💃 1958 Arnold Scaasi evening dress, worn by Arlene Francis, white and metallic with rhinestones, interior corset and ruby red satin coat. @mfaboston According to a designer biography provided…
Year in Review: What Wendy Wore in 2019
I started out 2019 with a fashion choice that was simultaneously rare for me … yet typical. What was rare that I wore a dress that I’d never worn before. What was typical for me is that I’d owned the dress for four years before wearing it once. And this wasn’t even the longest I’ve…
What Wendy Wore: Nan Kempner Style
I always attend the conferences organized by Initiatives in Art and Culture. At last month’s New York Fashion + Design Conference, I met designers Anna Sui and Zandra Rhodes — and Anna admired my vintage Ossie Clark dress, so I was on cloud nine. CLICK TO SEE ANNA, ZANDRA, AND THE DRESS. I wore a different…
What Wendy Wore: Glittering for Tina Turner
I love molten-metal looks in clothes and accessories and even manicures — which makes sense for a jewelry designer, right? — so last month, I was transfixed by this Instagram post from vintage store Baba Yaga. I had to have this platinum look! View this post on Instagram Dripping in silver. 80s St.John Lamé top…
What Wendy Wore: Squeeee! Anna Sui!
Last week, I attended the “Blue” conference held by Initiatives in Art and Culture, which included a talk featuring British designer Zandra Rhodes and American designer Anna Sui. I planned to wear my red and pink Zandra Rhodes chiffon dress to that panel, but at the last minute, I was inspired to go with a…
What Wendy Wore: Ceil Chapman at La MaMa
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club celebrated the centennial of its founder, Ellen Stewart, at a fundraiser for its 58th season recently. Stewart was a dress designer when she started La MaMa in 1961 — no experience in theater whatsoever — but she became an icon of the performing arts in New York. I feel like…
Came Through Drippin’
I have searched high and low for this rare vintage Moschino “dripping chocolate” bag for over a decade … and I recently found it on Poshmark. My first thought was that I certainly should not buy a very expensive novelty bag. My second thought was that money should be no object when it comes to…
Shopping My Closet for the Hot Emmys Color Combo
The hot color combination at the Emmys was pink and red, worn by, among others, Marisa Tomei. Embed from Getty Images People have said that I look like Marisa. What do you think? Obviously, I get Liza Minnelli more often. View this post on Instagram Someone asked me yesterday if I’ve ever been told that…