During the pandemic, while everyone else was making beautiful sourdough loaves, I invested in feathers.
So to speak. Does anyone remember, not saying you should, that I bought this dress? Perhaps I never told you. On deep sale, from an unknown designer in New York City, it required alterations–duly implemented–and never made it out of my closet.
Global pandemic, what can I say?
But my daughter’s wedding has given me a real desire to Gussy Up and Go Out. So for Christmas my present will be dinners at restaurants as fancy as the SF Bay Area allows, which is to say, not very but celebratory and free from “performance” hoodies. Performance in this case meaning both a moisture-wicking fabric and the I Am So Powerful And Brilliant Also Rich I Don’t Have To Care look our tech industry sadly invented.
This morning I practiced Style for trip later this month to Boulevard in SF. Goals:
- make sure I didn’t feel funereal. I didn’t.
- see if I was psychologically ready for a bright lip. I was.
- figure out which jewelry would suit. I did.
The somewhat slapped-together results?
You can’t see my left arm, but I’m wearing this:
And a makeup closeup below. Eyebrows darkened as much as I can tolerate without startling at my reflection, and red lips. You can see from the photo–makeup is serious business. What you can’t see, because the light at this angle wouldn’t cooperate, is the long feathers attached to my hip by a black beaded ornament. While I needed the bracelet and vivid coloring to liven up the part of me not in the dress, so as to show up along with my clothing, in keeping with the Do Not Try Too hard maxim I wanted minimal earrings. Little pearl drops reporting for duty, ma’am.
Now to think about what I might eat. There’s plenty of room at this waist.
Have a good weekend everyone. I haven’t forgotten what’s going on out there. Except the runup to the afore-mentioned wedding I have bought no new clothing and have no plans for any in the upcoming 3-6 months. What I might have spent on new clothes now goes monthly to Democratic candidates via a site where Charles Gaba has created what we might call “donation baskets.” I know Charles via social media, and he’s an exceptionally dedicated and nice person. 11/10.
We can’t do it all. We can do what we can do , and let our imaginations run a little wild at the same time.
25 Responses
Looking Good!!
Thank you ma’am!
You look gorgeous!! I remember the dress, and “Who would wear this?”, but not that you had bought it. Now we know who! It suits you perfectly: creative, intellectual, fun with a little mystery. <3 That sounds like such a fun Christmas.
I'm not having a fancy holiday at all, but for housewear I've finally given completely up and bought little fleece jackets with collars that stand up. I love them and wish I'd done it sooner. I have a shoulder/upper back injury and also, my neck gets so cold if uncovered. I hope the mailman won't mistake me for a tech bro.
Happy weekend!
Thanks, Jess. I love your description of who it suits and hope I can become her in these decades of life;). Comfort is key at home! Stand up collars sound sublimely cozy.
Elegant, discrete and original. A lovely look.
Oh my gosh, thank you so much.
Yes to all of this! You look great in the dress and accoutrements. Nice balance of interesting, unusual but not overly flamboyant. Bonus points that it can be called plumage.
I have a similar problem with Seattle dressing. Love your summary of “performance clothing”. Even at the ballet, theater, or fundraising fetes half the patrons could walk directly to a hike. Too bad for them. With my roots in New England old school I can’t go full Advanced Style. But I can enjoy dressing up and I’m old enough not to care how I fit in. Thanks finally for a practical way to organize donations for action to repair the country. Sorry to go on and on-your little essays do rev me up. Thank you for that!
Yes. Let us all look for occasions to use the term “plumage.” Resolved. And I did notice that about Seattle, when my daughter was up there for the 7 years of her residency. Exactly that I will never be Advanced in style but I do love to dress up. Put so well.
You are welcome to go on as long as you possibly please. We are all just walking each other home, and revving each other up, as needed.
Oooh! Boulevard is our go to restaurant whenever we’re in SF (which has been a looong time ago) and want to celebrate. Except for having to buy new jeans and pants because of putting on weight , I’ve not bought anything new this past year. Instead, shopping my own closet for stuff that still fits. Love your bracelet and the drop earrings. As always you look amazing.
Thank you! Guess you need to come back to SF soon;). I feel like putting on a little weight after 65 is a goal!
I love it! The pearl earrings and bracelet give the dress something special.
Thank you:). Putting on the jewelry is sometimes my favorite part.
You look great as always Lisa. I spent an hour today shopping my closet to decide what to wear to a holiday party tonight. I have options—not sure if any of them are up to date or even acceptable. I’m going with one of the option anway!
Thank you. And I love this attitude. No need to care about what’s up to date, and I cannot imagine you wearing something that would be unacceptable altogether. I hope you enjoyed your closet!
I remember that dress and love it ~ it looks great. Would look wonderful with your wedding shoes as well for a dressier occasion. I’m actually beginning to notice that people are dressing up a bit more – even in casual Ojai. Or at least with more “intention”. I’m even seeing jewelry, elegant bags, less sneakers when going out. We just need more occasions to dress up for!
Thank you! And I’d love to wear this with the wedding shoes sometime. Definitely another notch up. I am happy to hear that Ojai is dressing up a bit more. Maybe we’re all exercising our imaginations:)
I saved your post for reading at the end of my day— housebound in Santa Barbara while sitting by the fire working on a Christmas project. Ooh, I’m not going out tonight but you look so inspiring. What a beautiful dress and your red lipstick is just the right touch for what an evening in the city warrants, Lisa.
I still have my Boulevard matchbook from about 21 years ago…
Bon Appetit!
I have to say, housebound in Santa Barbara by a fire working on Christmas sounds lovely:). I spent more than one happy night like that when my mom lived there. Thank you so much. Maybe I’ll pick up a matchbox myself. I kind of love that idea.
Love the dress, Lisa. Have you seen the new Stella McCartney collection? I read about it on Brett Standiland’s substack account. Apparently Stella is showing “fevvers”… a new faux feather. Cool eh?
Hope you have a lovey Christmas and an equally lovely 2026. xox
Thank you. Sue. Yes, after I bought the dress I learned from a friend of mine that there are issues with feathers. Apparently they are not always humanely obtained. Stella McCartney is profoundly committed to animal rights, so that’s great she’s making something to fill the design need. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!
What a fun, elegant look, and so personal.
I love seeing people wearing all sorts of things as long as they’re engaged. Messaging cynicism and ennui is rude, but a mixed crowd in their versions of comfortable, expressive, formal, outrageous — there’s nothing like it.
Thank you! I love a great mix too. Two reservations – first being that the tech culture often feels so aggressive and inauthentic to me these days that their uniform unsettles me. It’s sad, I LOVED the engineers I used to work with, they were so smart, and so open to everything except undefined parameters;). Second, at times I just want to dress up and feel like I’m part of a crowd doing similarly. Unquestioned mutual elegance, if that makes sense.
You look terrific and very well styled.
Do some upscale restaurants and country clubs in CA have dress code requirements? They are rare but alive and well in Boston, MA. Sometimes we just want elegance and ambience of a great meal in a wonderful setting.
The sneakers, jeans and jogging attire work just fine but sometimes I want something else. ..old school elegance in a wonderful setting serving gourmet meals with a great wine list.
Thanks! There may yet be one or two places in the city that ask for jackets on men. Nowhere is a tie required. But I don’t know about the country clubs, as I don’t hang out in any. Maybe yes? Certainly the old school private men’s clubs, the couple remaining, do.
Coming back full circle from when you introduced the subject of Hope many weeks ago, to today:
“Hope is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words..”
-Emily Dickinson