Friends Chat Thread: Wardrobe, Fun, and Whatever

[gracekelly]

Yes. It will be July 23. The issue of the timing was our planned and booked trip to Italy, so it has to be after that. We will be taking a wheel chair with us so DH can take me on the walking tour of Milan. Joining a walking tour was the only way we could get tickets to see The Last Supper. I am mildly apprehensive about getting around in Venice. It is about a 3 block walk from the vaperetto stop to our airbnb. I am expecting narrow cobblestone paths. In Rome I figure I can rent a mobility scooter if necessary. I think, in general, we will do a lot of sitting around in sidewalk cafes, people watching, drinking coffee, eating gelato, and drinking wine.

I hate to say this, but I don't think it will be easy in Venice. I guess a lot depends on where you are staying and when you are going. The place is so packed in summer and the crowds are terrible. So many bridges too. I always wondered how the elderly got around. On one trip we saw boats bringing produce to neighborhoods (they were selling off the boat) and that made sense since some of the residents were too elderly to go over to the Rialto Market. I love the little wine stores where you bring in your own bottle and they fill it with your choice of white or red

 

[Notorious Pink]

Good for you BBC! Thinking about you today - you got this.

You’re right about the teacher/teaching gaps and, YES, taking a class with you would be brill! I don’t get to NY often enough - will be in touch when I go next.

Thank you, @Katel ! I survived and all is well. Instead of the super-tough drill sergeant who usually teaches the Saturday at 10 we got the studio owner, who took it over from his dad years ago. He is young-ish but great, understands all about injuries and such. He also cracks jokes during class. I showed him that book cover and he just shook his head and cracked up.

I just read a hysterical new interview with a goatee-d Karl:
http://www.numero.com/en/fashion/in...anel-virgil-abloh-j-w-anderson-azzedine-alaia
He is always delightfully outrageous and does not disappoint here!

This is all sorts of awesome! There are SOOOO many great quotes in here.

Just came across an article about iconic pieces by VCA. So much eye candy it will give you diabetes.

https://www.christies.com/features/...A30recommended_2_0&cid=DM176730&bid=131025193

Thank you, this is fabulous too!!!

 

[eagle1002us]

You look so pretty! Love the diagonal quilting on the bag. I have a Chanel from 20+ years ago that has diagonal quilting and I thought they were never bringing it back.. BTW, also loved your CC brooch on the denim jacket. I do the same thing by pinning it on the diagonal; somehow, it makes it look better and more interesting.

A gazillion years ago, we had a patient who was a stylist for the studios and she pinned as many brooches as she could on a denim jacket. She was light years ahead of her time. I don't think I would want to tote around that much weight on my jacket, but I could see doing three and not necessarily Chanel or just a combination of Chanel and something else.

I have a small pin that says "Jewelry is life." If I wear it around women, on my denim jacket,, they appreciate it. It's so materialist. On the other hand, I have a Sandra Boynton pin that shows a happy hippo at the dinner table, knife and fork in hand, napkin neatly under the chin, which says, "Take a hippo to lunch today." I never wear that. I totally lack the nerve even tho I lost 30 lbs. recently. (You can never be too thin . . .).
I think a collection of splashy colorful butterflies on a denim jacket would be pretty cool. I really like the combos shown in magazine editorials.

 

[eagle1002us]

Grail time!
View attachment 4019145View attachment 4019146

This cw is more subdued than the brights I’m used to wearing. What do you think? A keeper?

I’m heading to H for that exhibition - can’t remember the name. Something about Harnesses. Will post pics and report back!

Thanks for all the kind thoughts and wishes everyone!

total grail. Isn't it the Asian one with the dragons (or a dragon) in a corner? I think it's beautiful and the way you tied it is super.

 

[Cordeliere]

I have a small pin that says "Jewelry is life." If I wear it around women, on my denim jacket,, they appreciate it. It's so materialist. On the other hand, I have a Sandra Boynton pin that shows a happy hippo at the dinner table, knife and fork in hand, napkin neatly under the chin, which says, "Take a hippo to lunch today." I never wear that. I totally lack the nerve even tho I lost 30 lbs. recently. (You can never be too thin . . .).
I think a collection of splashy colorful butterflies on a denim jacket would be pretty cool. I really like the combos shown in magazine editorials.

Congrats on your weight loss. Tell us how you did it.

It would take nerve to wear the hippo pin, as cute as it sounds. If the wearer is average weight or more, people would think it was a self put down. If the wearer were thin, people would think it was a deliberate insult to heavier people. There is no win with that pin.

 

[eagle1002us]

View attachment 4035466

Dress up Friday. DH and I went to the opening night of a local film festival. Until I get my knee surgery, I am dammed to flats, which are just not my thing.

After the film, we went to a martini bar and had a table outside right in front of the door. Based on the high volume of traffic in and out, I am guessing it was a pick up bar. I saw more designer bags than I have seen my entire 4 years here (continued DH's education by introducing him to Goyard). Also saw a lot of women wobbling in their stilettos. And wow, did I see a lot of side cleavage display. I concluded that looking uncomfortable is not attractive to me, but I rather imagine the fashion message was directed at men who have a solution to that discomfort.

You look beautiful. I have never seen your face before. You are lovely.

I have used my own stationary bike for maybe a decade for exercise. If we are talking kneee replacements, the bike loosens the joints up and regular use dramatically shortened my PT for knee replacement. I now try to use it for an hour at a pop. I know I am more fit from this. Legs feel better, too.

 

[eagle1002us]

Congrats on your weight loss. Tell us how you did it.

It would take nerve to wear the hippo pin, as cute as it sounds. If the wearer is average weight or more, people would think it was a self put down. If the wearer were thin, people would think it was a deliberate insult to heavier people. There is no win with that pin.

Yes, you're absolute right. I used an FDA approved med said to be good for controlling cravings. Worked for me!!

 

[cafecreme15]

Im either 3 days late or 4 days early for dress up Thursday, but went to a nice restaurant with some friends tonight. Wore an olive sateen blazer, white camisole, dark jeans, accessorized with a classic Chanel necklace and black leather booties. This is my outfit pre-some random guy catapulting the contents of my friend’s wine glass into my face and all over me with his jacket.

 

[eagle1002us]

Just came across an article about iconic pieces by VCA. So much eye candy it will give you diabetes.

https://www.christies.com/features/...A30recommended_2_0&cid=DM176730&bid=131025193

I looked with great pleasure at the VCA article. It's possible to date the jewelry by the style and stones used. Just FYI, turquoise & rubies, ballerinas, and bird pins are late 40s - 50s styles. (IMO more a bit more 50s than 40s). (The 40s used red and aqua, too, in the form of chunky emerald cut aquamarines set with small rubies). All diamonds -- the "white" look is also very 50s and there was some of that displayed. Different animal pins like the squirrels, lions, etc., were big in the 60s.
The Duchess of Windsor had a zipper necklace and the article noted her as a VCA client.
Thank you, Cordie, for posted those links.

 

[gracekelly]

Dress up Sunday. @cafecreme15 glad I wasn’t anywhere near your flying wine whilst wearing a white jacket!

 

[papertiger]

I'm still ill which is more annoying than anything because I have so much to do. It's started with the worst toothache from no particular tooth and now my throat looks like a Mount Vesuvius eruption and my head...clank clank clank. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get better so don't worry. It does mean I can't visit my my mother in hospital and that's prob the most upsetting thing.

The following quotes have all come out in the wrong order.

Hey Bikram sistah @BBC! I’ve been doing Bikram’s yoga series a while too, since 1981 (took some time off when I had my kids and other periods but pretty consistent) - I started after meeting the mom of a boyfriend who was in her 60s and she looked like she was about 30 - it was because of Bikram yoga.
She told me about a book that she used called “Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class” by Bikram Choudhury, so I bought it and have loved it as a reference since (many times my “studio” was just a hot room in my home). It was written in 1978 and it is such a blast from the past - it’s very easy to follow, it shows pictures of how the pose should look and cartoons of how you actually feel haha - and there are celebrities modeling the poses like Herbie Hancock and Julia Prowse and Susan Strasburg, Tommy Smothers Quincy Jones, Jeff Bridges, Freda Payne, Herb Albert, Ruth Buzzi, Paula Prentiss, etc. It’s such an easy book to learn the poses - I highly recommend it. I love the way you explained it BBC - the goal is the “best you can do that day” and that’s the very best in the world, and it’s very satisfying as it does keep you in the moment.
The health benefits are beyond compare. It will “heal what ails ya.”
In the book, Bikram tells how he was a yogi master in his youth and broke both of his knees later in life (I think it was his knees) and was told he would never walk again and he said “bring me back to my yogi” and of course he recovered. Then he went to Japan (I believe) where he and a team scientifically formulated the exact series of poses - 26 -to plump all the organs, push blood into all the vessels, stretch and tone all the ligaments and muscles and tendons in your whole body - after you’re done, you feel like you had a complete body tuneup.
Very satisfying!

View attachment 4034871

I've been doing Bikram (off and on) since I was 13, certainly before it was called 'hot yoga'. I think the 'hot' part is a red herring. The body needs to slowly warm up from the inside, whatever external temp. I think BC misses the temperatures in India and prefers people not to wear many clothes. DH begged me to show him the asanas a few years ago and we practiced every day for a while. Now DH now does it every Sat in class and practices by himself the rest of the week. Since it was all such a way of life for me, a very disciplined phase, I find it hard to 'go back' there. But I should, in a more moderate way.

View attachment 4035466

Dress up Friday. DH and I went to the opening night of a local film festival. Until I get my knee surgery, I am dammed to flats, which are just not my thing.

After the film, we went to a martini bar and had a table outside right in front of the door. Based on the high volume of traffic in and out, I am guessing it was a pick up bar. I saw more designer bags than I have seen my entire 4 years here (continued DH's education by introducing him to Goyard). Also saw a lot of women wobbling in their stilettos. And wow, did I see a lot of side cleavage display. I concluded that looking uncomfortable is not attractive to me, but I rather imagine the fashion message was directed at men who have a solution to that discomfort.

You look fantastic, your shawl makes such a beautiful statement. Sensible or not, low shoes are the fashionable choice atm. There is a whole pointed toe/blade heel going on too but they should come with a matching sedan chair and two carriers.

Yes It is PELAGES ET CAMOUFLAGE. It is my only moussie since I sold Under the Waves. I had concluded that the colors in moussies just were not as bright as in silks, and therefore not that exciting to me. But last night I was thinking this is great. A whole other genre to hunt.

All my moussies seem to be very bright. The oranges and pinks I'm not sure I could wear as 'solid' opaque silk seem to look so much nicer as a mousseline.

I’m sorry you’re under the weather, PT. I hope you’re feeling better.

I spent yesterday in bed. I overdid the hot yoga last weekend (two days in a row, and I admit I’m a bit competitive about it with the ladies who seem to care more about depth and ‘looking good’ than doing the poses CORRECTLY ) and this is the first morning that I did not need Advil to get out of bed. I have hip issues and will need a replacement eventually and I’m pretty sure I made it worse.

DH has been feeling lousy too. If I didn’t have to meet a friend who is briefly in town today I would probably spend another day resting.

Thank you.

I hope you've now recovered. Since the world has taken dressing up for yoga I've gone off it a bit. I think most people go to yoga and feel great afterwards because they feel good just for having gone. That's OK too. Just thinking back to when 'manic me' crashed after class rather than feel energised, I'd complain to my teacher. She said maybe what I really needed was a rest.

 

[papertiger]

Dress up Sunday. @cafecreme15 glad I wasn’t anywhere near your flying wine whilst wearing a white jacket!

Looking wonderfully smart, and very much liking the dark red shoes with the rest f the outfit.

 

[papertiger]

Im either 3 days late or 4 days early for dress up Thursday, but went to a nice restaurant with some friends tonight. Wore an olive sateen blazer, white camisole, dark jeans, accessorized with a classic Chanel necklace and black leather booties. This is my outfit pre-some random guy catapulting the contents of my friend’s wine glass into my face and all over me with his jacket.

View attachment 4036989

Looking cool and fabulous cafecreme!

I really hope 'random guy' offered to pay for your dry cleaning OMG

 

[Notorious Pink]

I'm still ill which is more annoying than anything because I have so much to do. It's started with the worst toothache from no particular tooth and now my throat looks like a Mount Vesuvius eruption and my head...clank clank clank. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get better so don't worry. It does mean I can't visit my my mother in hospital and that's prob the most upsetting thing.

The following quotes have all come out in the wrong order.


I've been doing Bikram (off and on) since I was 13, certainly before it was called 'hot yoga'. I think the 'hot' part is a red herring. The body needs to slowly warm up from the inside, whatever external temp. I think BC misses the temperatures in India and prefers people not to wear many clothes. DH begged me to show him the asanas a few years ago and we practiced every day for a while. Now DH now does it every Sat in class and practices by himself the rest of the week. Since it was all such a way of life for me, a very disciplined phase, I find it hard to 'go back' there. But I should, in a more moderate way.

I hope you've now recovered. Since the world has taken dressing up for yoga I've gone off it a bit. I think most people go to yoga and feel great afterwards because they feel good just for having gone. That's OK too. Just thinking back to when 'manic me' crashed after class rather than feel energised, I'd complain to my teacher. She said maybe what I really needed was a rest.

The beginning of you not feeling well sounds like a terrible sinus infection. Hope you heal up soon.

The reason why it’s called hot yoga now is that since the lawsuits studio owners are no longer afraid to make minor changes to the series (including removing a lot of the rests and making it an hour), which technically makes it no longer Bikram. Also, most studio owners here in the US have completely distanced themselves from him....saying his name is like saying Voldemort. If you have not heard Howard Stern’s Bikram impression, oh wow, it’s a riot.

I’m not sure what you mean by a red herring, it’s pretty darn hot, whether internally or externally...both my classes this weekend, no way were they 105/40 (degree/humidity). Years ago my studios had digital thermometers and most of the time it was definitely over, could be 108/55, etc but I’ve seen it higher, one studio did not have great humidity and temps were usually closer to 115.

There are definitely differences among studio cultures based on location. A lot of us New York Type-A personalities are not just gonna feel better for showing up, which is probably not a good thing! Elsewhere (like Florida) they are indeed more relaxed about it. I demand of myself the best form I can do that day; I just have to remember that I have certain limits I must respect. As it happens I did it again - I went both days this weekend - and respecting those limits, I do feel great.

I think you should go back, but you have to respect your limits, too. Why should it be all or nothing? Be kinder to yourself. I don’t use it as an excuse to go crazy with other things, but certainly you can incorporate it into a fairly healthy life of enjoyable moderation, or something like that. [emoji5][emoji5][emoji5]

 

[papertiger]

The beginning of you not feeling well sounds like a terrible sinus infection. Hope you heal up soon.

The reason why it’s called hot yoga now is that since the lawsuits studio owners are no longer afraid to make minor changes to the series (including removing a lot of the rests and making it an hour), which technically makes it no longer Bikram. Also, most studio owners here in the US have completely distanced themselves from him....saying his name is like saying Voldemort. If you have not heard Howard Stern’s Bikram impression, oh wow, it’s a riot.

I’m not sure what you mean by a red herring, it’s pretty darn hot, whether internally or externally...both my classes this weekend, no way were they 105/40 (degree/humidity). Years ago my studios had digital thermometers and most of the time it was definitely over, could be 108/55, etc but I’ve seen it higher, one studio did not have great humidity and temps were usually closer to 115.

There are definitely differences among studio cultures based on location. A lot of us New York Type-A personalities are not just gonna feel better for showing up, which is probably not a good thing! Elsewhere (like Florida) they are indeed more relaxed about it. I demand of myself the best form I can do that day; I just have to remember that I have certain limits I must respect. As it happens I did it again - I went both days this weekend - and respecting those limits, I do feel great.

I think you should go back, but you have to respect your limits, too. Why should it be all or nothing? Be kinder to yourself. I don’t use it as an excuse to go crazy with other things, but certainly you can incorporate it into a fairly healthy life of enjoyable moderation, or something like that. [emoji5][emoji5][emoji5]

Ah I see, that's kinda what I meant by red herring. I meant within the name. I need to check out the Stern clip.

And you're totally correct. I suppose every class is different, even the identity of the group. When I lived in central London and had a membership to a quite posh mixed gym yoga was as competitive as Death Match. When I lived in Covent Garden I belonged to a gym that was 99% men and me. More like a gay bar with weights. We had a very beautiful yoga teacher called Soraya (6', all legs exotic beauty) who basically just did magical things in front of class and never looked at anyone else. I didn't think she was a good teacher but hey, she was worshipped by her devotees. Here, in the provinces people think if they buy the right gear and the membership they're doing fabulously, it's a fight for the back row.

So far, I've stuck to my NY resolutions this year. Maybe I'll do a 1 May resolution and do some yoga everyday and join DH's gym for Sat class. I won't go back to martial arts though even though at the time it was good for me, I think my limits were broken there .

This has been a very helpful conversation BBC, thank you