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The Clothes Line
      
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Countess Jeanne at O'Farrell Custom Hat Shop,Wearing Her Old Hat and Dreaming of Her New One Photo Copyright Countess Jeanne 2008
Countess Jeanne Wearing Her New O'Farrell Custom Hat (photo copyright Countess Jeanne 2008) Announcing Normajean Designs There is a wonderful artisan in Portland, Oregon, named Normajean. She makes leather flowers and fashions them into headdresses and crowns. You may be able to have a custom floral headdress made just in time for a wedding, a Renaissance fair, or a Scandinavian festival. And because the flowers on Normajean's creations don't fade way, you could wear it next year as well, or anytime! This lasting beauty is not expensive. Please visit Normajean's colorful web-site: http://www.theleatherflower.com
Our Friends the Kings, of Bookster, Are Featured in Savile Row Style
Countess Jeanne on Elegant SurvivalDear Readers, A lot of money has been wasted by ladies and gentlemen who believe that a designer label on a piece of clothing or an accessory is necessary for a person to be elegant. Seventy percent of what one sees on the runways is unwearable by normal people anyway, and makes a mockery of the human form. Let's face it, for every designer piece you have, there are legions of people out there wearing the same item, seriously decreasing the cachet of owning the thing in the first place. There are plenty of ways to dress elegantly without the joke being on you. Elegant dressing doesn't involve plastering your corpus with the latest trendy rage (or rag). True style means choosing classic pieces that don't come emblazoned with someone else's imprimatur or logo. It means finding skirts, jackets, trousers and blouses that are beautiful, well-constructed and will stand the test of time. Be mysterious, instead of an open book; an instantly recognisable fashion designer piece will label you as a striver. Better to seek out well-made garments by doing research either on the internet or shopping around your town, and though this next suggestion requires a bit more effort, having something made for you by a tailor or seamstress from a pattern and fabric of your own choice will pretty much guarantee that no one else wears the same thing. Sheep follow trends: setting your own style will mark you as an individualist with good taste--and save you from sartorial waste. ~~Copyright Countess Jeanne, October 29th, 2007 Our Friends at Bookster UK Today is the First of October. Those of us who love the luxury of fine woollens and tweeds are in our glory this season, when the temperatures allow us to dress in our favourite clothes. It's a perfect time for me to introduce our friends at Bookster, whose custom-made, traditional tweed jackets, coats and suits are first-rate. They are the genuine articles, made right in the English countryside. In fact, when we received our first Scottish tweed jacket made by Bookster UK, it smelled like heather. A modest investment in a piece or two from them would greatly enhance your fall and winter wardrobe. I've written about paring-down one's closet to include only the finest things. And you know that I find it tragically wasteful to wear a completely different outfit each day. With a finely crafted jacket or blazer, some silk blouses, a couple of skirts and an assortment of accessories, a woman can create such a variety of looks that no one will notice that certain components are being re-incorporated. Fewer and better items of clothing in our cupboards lead to ease in dressing with elegant simplicity. The people at Bookster are a delight to work with, and their web-site has helpful links to the web's premier clothing discussion forum, and to a top-shelf hat stockist to complete your look. (There is even a custom-made cane and walking stick maker listed there, for those who want ultra-strong support with style and panache!) For vintage tweed clothing, shoes, boots, bags and accessories from Great Britain, please visit Bookster's on-line shop, which offers interesting, quality items at attractive prices. Start your treasure-hunt here: Bookster UKRadio Canada's Costume Collection: Renaissance Clothing The Probert Encyclopedia of Costume I love this site: Ladies' Church Suits, for gorgeous, elegant clothes and hats at nice prices! Dressing to Suit Your Shape I see so many women of all ages wearing things that make them look misshapen, when, with a few minor adjustments, they could look like they have hourglass figures.
I'll begin with something which was poorly addressed by two British fashion "mavens" on the BBC in their makeover show. The poor subject left looking the same as she came.
If one has a pear-shaped figure, a formula for balancing it out is this, which I have devised: Clothing Advice for the Pear-Shape
1) Starting at the top, a wide-brimmed hat
2) A peplum jacket with a waist and flare, not too long, ending just above the hipbone. Jacket ought to have some shoulder-padding, but don't go to the eighties Dynasty extreme. Resembling a football player is counter-productive! If you don't own a peplum jacket, a full, long-sleeved blouse tucked-in with the addition of a belt has a salutory effect. "Blousing", or loosening the portion just above the waist, is a good idea. You ought to look big on top but cinched-in at the waist.
3) An A-Line Skirt or fuller--it must widen considerably towards the knees.
4) No matter what shoes one is wearing, remember that the longer the skirt, the higher the heel for a balanced look. As for comfort, a stockier yet still-high heel is tolerable. Queen Elizabeth II wears platform shoes, which are high but not spiky, in order to be on her feet during duties. Personally, I like a stout heel that is a maximum of two inches tall. For night-time occasions when I don't have to walk, I may wear a dressier heel that is taller than that.
5) Pear-shaped ladies are best advised to avoid the Capri pants or pedal-pushers that have been popular for so many years. They tend to truncate (shorten) the legs. As a matter of fact, even the most tall and lithe ladies look short and dumpy in Capri pants! A Recent Fashion Trend that is Unflattering to Everyone A current fashion tragedy is the hip-hugger with short, tight top (I cannot bring myself to call those things "blouses"). Especially painful is witnessing that ensemble on a woman over forty. The combination makes even slim women appear to have a bun in the oven, and I have even heard some men derisively call the phenomenon "the muffin look". A waist must be accentuated, and with that outfit, it disappears. Nonetheless, I have female acquaintances--mothers of teen girls, who cannot resist the dangerous temptation to dress as the kids do, with ridiculous results. At their age, they ought to know better! The Clothes Line: Advice for the Apple Shape
If you are larger in the middle than you are at the hips, you might want to try de-emphasizing your mid-section by placing more emphasis on the bottom and top portions of your figure. To facilitate reading and remembering these ideas, I'm going to use numbering:
1) Wear a skirt that flares towards the bottom, to detract from your stomach. A long, bias- cut skirt that goes to the mid-calf or ankles is effective if worn with higher, chunky heels or boots. Remember that for visual balance, extra height in your heels is important, but doesn't have to be uncomfortable.
2) Keep the fabric loose at your waist. We don't want to emphasize the surplus here.
3) The jacket or top of dress ought to be lined and long-sleeved to avoid looking tight on your arms. The tighter and more clinging the fabric is at your arms, the more their girth is emphasized.
4) Draw the visual focus to your bosom by wearing a blouse or jacket that shows your shapeliness there, or a little cleavage. Ruffled blouses are wonderful, too; I find that the best look is long-sleeved even in summer.
5) Skinny pants, pencil-skirts and Capri slacks will emphasize the contrast in size between your legs and middle, creating a pigeon shape. Instead, luxuriate in a full or flared skirt. Achieving balance is our goal.
6) A wonderful swing coat, like the one pictured here, is very flattering in winter with a pair of tall boots.
Copyright 2006 Countess Jeanne
Hat Life
Countess Jeanne is pleased to present Erin Fetherston: affordable, feminine designer clothing for young ladies at Target
Copyright 2006 Countess Jeanne
Countess Jeanne with Bookster Jacket and Santa Fe Walking StickPhoto Copyright Countess Jeanne 2007
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Les Demoiselles de Avignon, by Pablo Picasso Distorted Body Image, and How It Can Make You Sick When I was a child, nobody had ever heard of a "size one" except for mothers of infants. Now, it seems to be a source of pride for a grown woman to announce that she is a "size one" or a "size four". I just don't understand what it is about themselves that they despise so much as to want to nearly disappear! Is the ultimate goal a "size zero"?
A Brazilian model died lately of anorexia nervosa. Now she's a size zero! A relative of mine in Europe was so influenced by the pop-culture media and glamour magazines that as soon as she was 18, she starved her slim body and became very ill, to the point of hospitalization. When she looked into the mirror, she must have seen something entirely different from what the rest of us saw: a skeleton with hair. Perhaps, as in the traditional fun-house gag mirrors, she saw a fat lady. Treatment in the States would have cost at least $100,000.00, and that was ten years ago. Pop culture, misguided peer-pressure and self-loathing were responsible for her condition, but, mercifully, she did eventually recover.
I modeled some clothing for Chico's in Y2K, while taking part in a charity fashion show (I am not a professional model, quite obviously...). I was astounded that I was wearing a size 2, when I was actually a size 12. The company had devised a system whereby ladies wouldn't be embarrassed by their size! And the suit I modeled for Jaeger was in a British size 14 (equivalent to American size 12). Incidentally, I'm glad that I finally have a venue wherein I can say this: the definition of "plus-size" has been bastardized in the past decade to include regular ladies' sizes 12 and upwards! This is insanity. It makes normal, sized-12 and 14 women feel huge. "Plus-Sizes" were created about twenty years ago for those women who wore sizes above 18, which was once the top ladies' size. Yes, 18, NOT 12! Sizes that previously had no numbers had to be called "plus". Clearly, I am non-plussed by this ridiculous situation! If the touting of child-sized clothes for grown women isn't evil enough, look what's passing for "Plus-Size" now, to further stigmatize normal-sized women: This is an outrage! A mere size 14 being labeled as "plus" is a travesty! There are some cultures where female voluptuousness is prized--my husband claims that is the case in most societies.
My husband also thinks women ought to have meat on their bones, as well as good, old-fashioned fat. He grew up in Provence, France, and says that even there no man really wanted a thin woman. In fact, one of the Rothschild women who was in the family's social circle was tall, plump, and very appealing to men. He describes it as, "looking like a duchess," and revels in my appearance. In Paris, my husband says, young fellows might have had skinny models with them at gallery openings and such, but for romance and enjoyment, they always preferred a more chubby woman. I say that if God made you thin, and it is natural, that is just fine. But to make a concerted effort to look emaciated is counterproductive as well as unhealthy.
The very thin women I have known aged prematurely. A wrinkled sack of skin on some all-too visible bones can turn stomachs instead of heads!
Copyright Countess Jeanne 2006 See my International Equivalency Size-Chart farther down this page...
Packing Clothing for Travel I once carried a Wall Street Journal tote bag on board a New York-to-John Wayne Airport flight, which held dresses, blouses, and shoes enough for a five-day family wedding celebration. It weighed about seven pounds, I reckon. That was in the good ol' days, two months before 9-1-1, an event that ought to have changed the way people pack for trips. Instead, it seems that luggage in the overhead bins has become more ponderous than ever. Summer travel is easy to pack for, when one has light silk blouses and dresses. Packing clothes for a winter trip is a bit more of a challenge. Here is what I typically pack for a trip in winter: 1) Worn on the plane, both going and coming home: a tweed suit with long skirt: ideal for nearly six months of the year in many climates, and always presentable. Wrinkling is almost never an issue 2) Trench coat (also worn in-transit) 3) Worn in-transit: comfortable, yet elegant, mid-height heeled boots (worn with long skirt, one has the choice of woolen knee-socks or nylon hosiery worn underneath--for traveling, I find woolen knee socks more comfortable than garters and nylon stockings, and besides--who wants the airport security challenging one's concealed hardware?) With a long skirt, the tops of your boots and hosiery will not show. It's always a luxurious feeling, when sitting in an airplane seat, to have extra fabric to cover one's legs. 4) Packed in small valise: two silk blouses, preferably with jewel-necked collars. Hand-washing and hanging yields a fresh blouse by morning, and it usually needs very little ironing. 5) Packed in small valise: silk scarves and an oblong cashmere one (I have a cashmere tartan scarf that is so wide that it can be worn as a shawl) to vary the daytime look, and perhaps to wear rather than the tweed suit-jacket for warmth in the evenings under the trench-coat 6) Packed in small valise: some sort of evening dress, in a lightweight fabric such as silk or wool crepe 7) Packed in same small valise: a pair of cordovan (dark, burgundy-colored leather) pumps with mid-height heels for day and night. I don't like black for daytime. 8) Stockings, silk nightgown, and undergarments, all flattened into a zip-locking bag or two Packing Logic The boots are heavier than the shoes, thus they are worn rather than packed for transit (and hey, you don't have to untie them, they just slip off so the guys at the inspection area can have a good loook at 'em!). With a tweed suit jacket and skirt already on me rather than packed where it would weigh down my bag, my load is lightened. I either carry my trench-coat or wear it in the airport. I find that there's no need for a heavy winter coat when one has a cashmere scarf and tweed suit jacket under a raincoat. I learned my lesson hanging about airports carrying heavy coats that were insufferably warm! I wear the skirt each day, with a different blouse and scarf, with or without its accompanying jacket. My evening dress is always either of wool or silk, and not prone to wrinkling. My husband also packs lightly; most of what is in his one bag is folded shirts, socks, and underwear. He wears one tweed suit for the duration, changing shirts, ties, and cufflinks for variation. He tops all of this with his own trench-coat, and uses one pair of shoes for the whole trip. When you have high quality clothing, you can go anywhere. We have traveled this way quite comfortably to the far reaches of Scandinavia, Europe, and Canada, in all seasons of the year. And, if I cannot fit my bag easily under the airplane seat in front of me, I have overpacked! That's one woman's interpretation of "Packing Lightly". Copyright 2006 Countess Jeanne Behind the Scenes of French Haute Couture
 The advertisement above is an image that I scanned from the magazine that is in my library, which was produced for the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It shows the foundations of elegant dressing. High-Quality, Low-Priced Vintage British ClothingPlease visit my friends at the Bookster U.K. on-line shop.Please scroll down for the International Size-Chart and Countess Jeanne's new feature, Milady's Boudoir.
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French Fashion, 15th--19th Century: Book at Amazon.com Madame Jeanne Lanvin, Clothing designer, by Édouard Vuillard
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Womensuits.com: Elegant Women's Clothing and Hats at Reasonable Prices Designer ERIN FETHERSTON: Affordable, Chic Elegance for Young Ladies at TARGET Glamour at Home Can Lift Your Spirits I've mentioned that looking as well as possible can enhance your physical well-being. This theory can be practiced when you are home alone as well as out and about. Sometimes, there are just too many mirrors in the house, and going by them in sweat-suits and other comfortable but unflattering ensembles can really bring you down.
The reason that I don't wear my best garments around the house is that I wish to preserve them. I wear them when going out or entertaining, however. I have discovered that looking romantic while working at home doesn't have to be uncomfortable. There are plenty of gorgeous gowns that aren't made of flannel, and some that are, over which one can wear a warm bed-jacket and even look presentable answering the door. Think old movies from the 1930s. Ladies often seemed ready for romance, though they were well-covered in luxurious fabrics. Comfortable slippers can even have a little platform and give you some added height to make you look stately. No, I didn't say stuffy or old, but rather a look that commands respect and admiration!
ebay for Old-Fashioned Glamour...
I've been searching for long, glamorous vintage peignoir sets on ebay, the great American invention where one can find, on a lucky day, almost anything from the past or present that one desires, and deal with nice people who aren't affiliated with big department stores! ebay has been a friendly and satisfying experience for me. My only problem lately is that vintage peignoir sets are selling like hotcakes! Oh, and here I thought I was being different and there would be few gals hunting for these gems, but alas, the competition is fierce! One can even find unused items from the Fifties, for example, so not everything on ebay is in used condition. I find that people aren't going to put things up for sale there which are drastically compromised or moth-eaten. There is a great system in place called feedback, where buyers and sellers alike can comment on their purchases and transactions. It's people helping people, too, which I like. Unload something you think someone else may need, and acquire something that someone else no longer has room to store. Keeps you out of the store, too, and shopping at home can be really peaceful and...COMFORTABLE!
Please consider punching up your home attire as an antidote to mirror-induced malaise.
Copyright 2006 Countess Jeanne  Lined, Knee-Length Cotton Skirts, by George These are proper skirts that fit at the waist, instead of hanging below the belly-button, causing a pregnant look. They are knee-length, all cotton, come in different patterns and solids, and what's wonderful is that the lining is cotton as well, on many of these skirts. Sizes run large compared to the artificially skewed, pretentious designer scale that would have a size ten wearing a size fourteen (I have a theory on why this distortion of size-numbers is happening--stay tuned). The sizes are old-fashioned, as are the designs and prices. George skirts, dresses and separates are available in Wal-Mart stores. A woman could go far this summer with a few of these skirts, by George! The elegant George line is actually designed by a very cool guy from South Africa, Mark Eisen. The skirts are very well-designed, and have high-quality detailing.
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International Size-Chart
Milady's Boudoir
New Find: What is a Cocktail Dress? Definition on Wikipedia
Sources for affordable hidden finery--nightwear and foundations, et cetera, will be revealed here.
There are several reasons to wear stockings instead of tights or pantihose, one of which is economy: when one leg gets a run, you can chuck it and replace it. With pantihose, the whole unit is trashed. Other reasons for eschewing tights and pantihose in favour of stockings have to do with the condition of your skin. When I worked with advertising agencies in Manhattan during the 1980s, I wore a dress and heels every day. Walking from my studio on Fifth Ave. to agencies on Madison Avenue in New York's humidity did awful things to me, not the least of which was a heat-rash induced by pantihose. Keeping the natural folds of your skin free from clinging synthetic fabrics is essential in hot weather.
For stockings and garters (suspender belts), as well as other foundations, I like
Stocking Store.com Inside Advice: Countess Jeanne recommends the Victorian 6-or 8-strap suspender-belts, which are made in England, for longevity and practicality. I've heard reports that Frederick's of Hollywood's suspender belts don't hold up (no pun, just fact), and a La Perla belt I purchased years ago was very flimsy, costing three times as much as the English ones from stockingstore.com.
Another way to acquire stockings, which are difficult to find at department stores, is at a Bali outlet, where one may buy a whole bag of stockings by Hanes, at a really good price. Sure, you can still purchase those $45.00-a-pair nylons from Switzerland for special occasions, and say a prayer over them that they survive more than one night, but for everyday wear, I like Hanes. Countess Jeanne recommends an indulgence to lift your spirits daily: luxurious Provençal scents in triple-milled, long-lasting soaps with skin-softening shea butter, and exquisite natural scents from Provence, France: MISTRAL
To Be Continued...Stay Tuned!
~~Copyright Countess Jeanne, October 25th, 2007
UPDATE, May 27th, 2008
Rimmel Eyeliners are inexpensive compared with Revlon, which, at six or eight dollars each, will break and become useless. Rimmel's product costs less than three dollars. I like their two eyeliner products: Special Eyes, and The Exaggerator.
This store is a good source for high-quality health products. I love the Bass line of hairbrushes, bath pillows, mirrors and sponges. Also, the South of France brand has marvellous hand and body soaps in beautiful, reusable dispensers. Pharmaca is an integrative pharmacy, where one may use their insurance card. The link above is for Pharmaca Santa Fe, right next to Trader Joe's.
December 8th, 2007
Christmas Stockings & Custom Gift-Baskets at Kabbaz and Kelly
To make a lady feel glamourous and pampered...: elegant, well-made lingerie, beautiful wool and Cashmere socks are available on the web at Kabbaz and Kelly of Artists' Woods, East Hampton. Here you will find luxurious offerings from Great Britain and Switzerland. Every piece I have from Kabbaz and Kelly is a treasure. It pays to invest in the best; superior clothing lasts a very long time. Kabbaz and Kelly are also New York's top custom shirt-makers. Read about their custom gift-basket service. ~~Copyright Countess Jeanne, December 7th, 2007 Now, for some additional nightwear and pajama (pyjama) choices:
I've written about this in terms of housecleaning, in re my formula for vinegar/lavender cleaning spray. I have just discovered a South African company, Essential Oils.za, which gives uses for essential oils in several categories. One thing I do regularly with plain, unscented lotions and creams is to add essential oils such as rose or, again, lavender. February 1st, 2008 Introducing a company that I've come to know and appreciate: Countess Jeanne recommends San Francisco Bath Salt Company, a wide-ranging source of bathing products and salts, both exotic and traditional. It is owned by British ex-pat Lee Williamson, and if you call them, you're likely to speak to him or Dan, another British fellow. They expedite products to you upon payment, via the USPS or UPS. I get my Sherpa Pink fine grain Himalayan salt from them, which comes with a guarantee of purity, and can be used on food. It's fantastically good for you. The site now says, after I asked and ordered some for consumption, that their Himalayan Sherpa Pink IS food-grade salt. It is delicious!The San Francisco Bath Salt Company's web-site has lots of interesting and historical information.
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Silk Scarves, photo copyright Countess Jeanne
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