ElegantKB

Vintage Elegant Lady in Stylish Fedora Hat, she is KB's Aunt!

Here is KB's Great Aunt Joanne in a fashion photo from the 1940's.  What I like about this look is the sassy, stylish fedora that tops off her menswear suit.  The ruffle front blouse adds a feminine touch.  The fit on her menswear suit is tight and sexy with the waist nipped in tight.  She looks adorable here. 

Joanne loved fashion.  Her collection of fashion photos are from the heydays of Hollywood glam in the 1940’s.  This is the time when fedora hats were worn by stars like Humphrey Bogart, Gene Kelly, and Lucille Ball. Joanne and her husband Bunny, became merchants in the apparel business.   When I was a teenager Joanne and Bunny took me to the Los Angeles Apparel Mart.  I spent time in their booth and wandered around the clothing market.  This experience pushed my decision to apply for the Fashion Design program at FIDM (the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising).  The LA Fashion District is the capital of West Coast style. Thanks to Aunt Jo for taking me there when I was a young girl!

Amazing San Francisco Opera Costume Sale, Oct 24 and 25, KB dates noted!

Here is a rare opportunity to purchase amazing costumes and clothing from the SF Opera Scene Shop.  It's happening Saturday and Sunday, Oct 24 and 25, 2009.

Fall is time for Sweaters, KB has tips to help you save money on sweater care!

I have a collection of sweaters that are timeless and classic.  They are cashmere, lambswool, and merino. They are cardigans, v-necks, vests, and turtlenecks.  They are new and vintage.  Here's how I care for them without spending a fortune dry-cleaning:

Beautiful Blooms KB found at Flora Farms Nursery in HMB

I loved this garden and nursery shop in HMB, that is - Half Moon Bay, California. I think it's called Flora Farms Nursery as the sign on the barn. You can visit on Purissima Street, behind the San Benito House, off Main St.  Be sure to browse through the my new Photo Album for more inspiration and garden pictures. 

Mark Morris Dance L'allegro at Berkeley Zellerbach, KB is delighted!

What an excellent performance!  Strength, beauty, and color are all present in the 20th anniversary show from Mark Morris Dance Group.  The combination of SF Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Chamber Chorus from UC Berkeley and the MM dancers was incredible.  I'm sure the critics are writing rave reviews again.  Handel's Concerto and the Pastoral ode from the Milton poems are masterpieces already. The collaborative effort is just outstanding.  I completely enjoyed the classic piece of MM choreography with perfectly gorgeous costumes and thoughtful scenery.  These dancers are incredible. Our special friend loaned us a copy of the Celebration book she purchased after the show.  The pages are full of incredible dance images and narrative for each piece. This is an awesome commemorative souvenir.  The cover photo barely does justice for this work.  

Charming Cottage Garden in Petaluma, KB photos

I have a new photo album inspired from a visit to a friend's home and garden. It's called Charming Cottage Garden.  This garden has a wonderful caretaker who let me wander and take pictures.  It attracts all kinds of birds and plenty of bees.  I hope you take a minute to click through the photos.  There is some whimsy mixed in!

Wear a sun hat and be stylish, KB issues a reminder to self!

Ouch!  I felt a sting on top of my head in the shower today.  After only a couple hours at the beach, the top of my head got a burn right where the part is in my hair.  I always wear a hat in the outdoors but this time it was the wrong hat!  It was a visor with a wide brim -- but no head coverage.  So I am writing this reminder to myself and suggest to all my readers -- wear the proper hat for the occasion. Here are some ideas for hats and activities:

• A windy day- wear a tight fitting hat, usually it has some type of elastic or a chin strap to stay put.
• A beach sunny day- wear a big brim hat with coverage all around.
• Morning cafe run, only to be seen in a quick swirl- a beanie cap, I love my Cal Bears beanie.
• Hiking- Western cowgirl hat is light weight, shady, and keeps the bugs off my head.
• Gardening - A washable canvas hat, I like a bucket hat with a wide brim. I like fun floral prints that look good smudged with dirt.
• Street fair - I like my straw hat tied with a scarf to match my outfit.  It keeps me shady, cool, and safe from sun rays that damage my fair skin.  

So here's a picture of me at the Italian Street Painting Festival in one of my favorite hats. 

Start the day looking in the mirror, KB reflects

I might have mentioned this before. That I enjoy looking at faces.  I like them in artwork, in the moon, and on animals. And I like to see peoples faces because they are all so different.  But I don't always look forward to seeing my own face in the mirror each morning.  Some days I would like to avoid the mirror altogether.  But I do follow my own self imposed principles.  Including this:  Put on make-up before going out in public.  This is the way I take care of my own face. And it requires a daily close up with my mirror.  When I was a young girl I was fascinated with my elegant Danish grandmother.  She wore her hair in a French twist and always put on make up before going anywhere.  I would sit on the floor and watch in detail as she went through her ritual in front of her mirror.  It usually ended with the intimidating eyelash curler.   This morning I will drive my daughter to high school and stop for a cup of coffee on the way back to my office.  My mirror is fancy now, it has touch activated light settings in 3 different modes and plenty of magnification. It's almost high def!  So when I smooth make up over my ruddy skin to even out the tone, and line the edges of my eyes.... I will reflect on how I carry on with a woman's daily ritual to put a face forward knowing that the real woman is inside.

Today's inauguration is historic, memorable, and KB feels optimistic about everything!

I am completely optimistic.  Optimism is my usual approach but add some excitement and things will happen!  I picked up my paper first thing this morning.  I missed picking up my souvenir copy after election day so I made sure I was at the newstand before daylight.  I also happened to pick up an Obama post card at the Atlanta airport last week when masses of people were traveling to D.C. to witness today's events.  I was on my way back from a conference in Cancun, Mexico.  Anyway I figure that everyone can clearly see how elegant our new president holds himself.  And his wife is lovely too.  I like the way they interact, it's so natural - even in public.  Happy Inauguration Day people! Here's what the SF Chronicle front page looks like today.  I might have a glass of champagne this morning!

Our new door is stained brilliant crimson- KB likes it that way!

We decided to stain our new front door red.  The day the solid Douglas fir door was delivered we thought the wood grain was so outstanding that we didn't want to paint over it.  My husband did some research on stains because I have always wanted a red door no matter if black is the new red or not.  We figured if the stain didn't work out we could paint over it.  Here is the awesome product we used from the W.D. Lockwood company.  The next photo is the stain in process.  The blue tape went away and now it's red and white exterior and soon to be gray trim.  It looks great!  I'm so glad it was done in time for the holiday open house that we had.  The red poinsettias that I placed in pots on either side didn't survive the puppy.  She pounced on one and killed the other with her tail.  So I gave up on that image! Anyway if you like the stain.  It's user friendly. Just mix with boiling water.