Winter Pidgeon Pose
Posted: January 11, 2020 Filed under: Discussion, Entertainment, Vintage | Tags: BDSM, D/s, dievca, erotic, exercise, Life, Morning, nude, photo, stretching, submissive, Yoga Leave a comment
Photo: Zoltan Glass
Yoga fiends have their morning “sun salutation”.
dievca has her morning “back resetting” flow
which includes the pigeon pose.
(sometimes in the nude)
How does one’s a** get so tight while sleeping?
An absolute mystery.
David Samuel Menkes = leather god.
Posted: December 18, 2019 Filed under: Discussion, Entertainment, Fashion | Tags: BDSM, bondage, Clothing, D/s, dievca, Elegant, erotic, Fetish, Leather, Presentation Outfits, Shopping, Slave, submissive Leave a comment
;Boy Meets Girl’ W Magazine David Samuel Menkes Collar
Jennifer Lopez Elle Magazine Cap, $125, DAVID SAMUEL MENKES
Dominique-Hollington-Louis-Daniel-Botha robe TRIPLE Err Pants David Samuel Menkes
Anna Ewers by Inez and Vioodh for Self Service FW 2017 – Calvin Klein leather shirt and pants, David Samuel Menkes leather skullcap, Lacrasia leather gloves
Lady Gaga Riffle Bra custom David Samuel Menkes
Cap DAVID SAMUEL MENKES PHOTOGRAPHY MARIO TESTINO FASHION ANDREW RICHARDSON MODEL SKY FERREIRA FASHION’S FAVORITE NEW M
Living in NYC you have a good chance of finding someone who can reweave a hole in a cashmere Missoni sweater or create a stunning one-of-a-kind dress.
David Samuel Menkes sounds like the gentleman to connect with for custom leather pieces. dievca offered a blog post which had photos using his work: BDSM in Haute Couture – Strict Magazine
If she ever becomes brave enough – she might stroll into his studio and ask if he can make a leather ‘Day Dress’ for her to wear presenting for Master.
Spirit And Flesh Magazine
DAVID SAMUEL MENKES
Interview by CYNTHIA ALTORISO
photography by DAVID CARLO
CYNTHIA ALTORISO: I met David Samuel Menkes by serendipity. I had gone to his building to visit the atelier of a neighboring bespoke tailor on his floor. When I noticed the wonderful quilted leather and studded door, I stopped in my tracks. Beyond the door was a pleasant-faced, blue-eyed and nosed-ringed man, who invited me in. To step inside David’s studio was akin to visiting Ali Baba’s cave of treasures!
There was David, at his heroic wooden work table, covered with beautiful leathers and interesting findings and tools. Behind him were steps leading to an outdoor Victorian quadrangle encompassing a secret garden unique for its exotic specimens and random classical statuary. This was only the beginning…
Appreciating my joy for his aesthetic, David pointed out the ‘walking stick corner’ which held a vast collection of wondrous vintage walking sticks, many of which I have had the good fortune to borrow for shoots.
Close by, above the wardrobe is a collection of marvelous old hats and hat boxes. Next, we moved into his bedroom with its’s centrally positioned canopy bed, draped with fine old paisley shawls.
One wall was covered in shelves holding antique sewing implements. Another wall held a vast collection of classical music covers, the many spines proudly proclaiming impressive works. And then there are the 2 drawers full of the bone button collection, the pleasure of which is to run one’s hands through. And there are the charming vintage children’s chairs. There’s more, much more, and, after these many years of knowing David, it has become a custom for me to bring visitors to experience this creative field trip.
David’s skills are not limited to the demimonde. For a project I was doing with Amy Arbus, he made a Picasso clown suit, for a shoot with Alan Cumming he made a spy’s binocular case, and for a shoot with Ellen von Unwerth, he crafted a lovely muzzle. I also arranged for a custom-made leather jacket, with the Union Jack, for Zombie, Rod Argent. Too many to list here, David has made or lent me many cunning pieces and accessories…the random eyepatch, the leather corset, the riding crops, etc., etc.
David is an old school artisan lovingly plying his trade, making up one of New York’s living, creative treasures.
I call him ‘The Leather Master’.
David Samuel Menkes Spirit and Flesh Magazine
David Samuel Menkes established Custom Leatherwear in 1980. After graduating from Carnegie-Mellon University/ BA Costume and Scenic Design, he arrived in NY with theater dreams but soon found the Leather Scene more interesting. Applying a certain theatrical flair allowed for a wide range of designs within a strict code of dress. Developing a specialty in leathercraft also brought Fashion and Theater projects, as well as crafting for Artists, Interior Designers, Performers, and private customers, with projects ranging from Dog Muzzles to covering a giant head of Stalin with a hood!
Interview Magazine David Samuel Menkes
and sometimes…
Posted: December 6, 2019 Filed under: Discussion, submissive | Tags: BDSM, D/s, dievca, erotic, exhaustion, Life, photo, sleep, submissive 1 Comment
…you pass out because you are just that exhausted.
dievca hopes you slept as hard as she did.
An odd post…..
Posted: November 5, 2019 Filed under: Discussion, Neighborhood Anecdotes (NYC) | Tags: D/s, Death, dievca, Life, Love, Mass Cards, Relationships, Religion, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, sympathy 3 Comments
The WSJ: Saint Patrick’s Cathedral NYC
dievca hasn’t gone to Mass in a long while. she’s no longer a practicing Catholic. The drift happened many years ago and started with an unwelcoming Diocese and misuse of funds from a family Parish.
Oddly, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC is welcoming enough to allow anyone to offer up a Mass. One does not need to be a Parishioner of the Church. A Mass card can be sent as an acknowledgment of passing by anyone of any Religion or Church. A chance to have a devout group add their prayers to dievca’s more secular wishes.
It’s pretty much the first time since dievca’s Theology courses in College, the Catholic Church has shown her a form of tolerance and inclusiveness. Granted a donation is involved – but whatever works.
The Gentleman at the Parish House now knows dievca’s face and name, she’s been in 11 times this year. Family members, friends, friend’s family members have passed and dievca had a Mass said and sent a Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Mass Card.
What to Say When Someone Dies
- When in doubt, reach out
- Show up in person
- Send a Sympathy Card
- Consider sending a gift
- Anticipate their needs
- Don’t try to “fix” their grief
- Don’t avoid saying the deceased person’s name
- Keep checking in
- Don’t worry about getting it 100% right
(click here for more information)
Olisipona kneels
Posted: October 13, 2019 Filed under: Discussion, Entertainment, submissive | Tags: BDSM, D/s, dievca, Elegant, kneeling, lisbon, nude, photo, São Jorge castle, statue, travel 1 Comment
Hidden in the trees.
Visited by peacocks, kitties, and tourists.
Olisipona kneels
Offering herself.
Offering the City.
The city of Lisbon’s ancient name, Olisipo (Ulyssipo), may be derived from the Phoenician alis ubbo (“delightful little port”) or from the legend that the city’s founder was Odysseus.
Olisipo was used by the Lusitanians, the Visigoths changed the name to Olisipona and the Moors modified it to Lishbuna – moving towards the modern-day Lisbon.
And in the Castelo de São Jorge which stands majestically above Lisbon. The Lady – Olisipona, from whom the City of Lisbon gained its original name, kneels.
Photos: dievca, Castelo de São Jorge Lisbon Portugal 08/2019
A bit further than a stone’s throw…
Posted: September 28, 2019 Filed under: Accessories, Discussion, Fashion | Tags: 1968, 50 years, BDSM, Birthday, crossbody, D/s, dievca, Elegant, fashion, France, Life, Shopping, Sonia Rykiel, submissive 1 CommentThe May 1968 events in France refers to the volatile, two-month period of civil unrest throughout France punctuated by demonstrations, major general strikes, and occupations of universities and factories. At its height, the events brought the economy of France almost to a halt. The protests reached such a point that political leaders feared civil war or revolution; the national government itself briefly ceased to function after President Charles de Gaulle secretly fled France for a few hours. The protests spurred an artistic movement, with songs, imaginative graffiti, posters, and slogans. (more below)
Half a century after student protests gripped the Left Bank of the French capital, a crowd was drawn to the Sonia Rykiel store to celebrate a new handbag, the Pavé, or cobblestone, meant as a playful nod to an era when angry protesters lobbed the stones at riot police.
Sonia Rykiel pavé bag May 2018
That period of rebellion also gave birth to the label, still famous decades later for its striped and colorful knitwear.
And dievca finally found something to buy honoring her age. It took a year :
Sonia Rykiel red pavé bag – ShopBop on sale
Continued.
The social unrest began with a series of student occupation protests against capitalism, consumerism, American imperialism, and traditional institutions, values, and order. It then spread to factories with strikes involving 11 million workers, more than 22% of the total population of France at the time, for two continuous weeks. The movement was characterized by its spontaneous and decentralized wildcat disposition; this created contrast and sometimes even conflict between itself and the establishment, trade unions and workers’ parties. It was the largest general strike ever attempted in France, and the first nationwide wildcat general strike.
“May 68” affected French society for decades afterward. It is considered to this day as a cultural, social and moral turning point in the history of the country. As Alain Geismar—one of the leaders of the time—later pointed out, the movement succeeded “as a social revolution, not as a political one”.
Thank you to Wikipedia, WWD, French Vogue
Midwestern moment….cookies.
Posted: September 27, 2019 Filed under: Accessories, Discussion, Home and Garden | Tags: 1950's Household Kink, baking, BDSM, cookie cutters, D/s, dievca, fox, hedgehog, Life, Love, submissive, Sugar cookies 3 Comments
IKEA Woodland Pastry Cutters (click photo to purchase)
The fox knows many things,
but the hedgehog knows one big thing.
— Archilochus, 700 BC.
Here is a table from Silver’s book describing the differing attitudes of foxes and hedgehogs.
| How Foxes Think | How Hedgehogs Think |
| Multidisciplinary: Incorporate ideas from different disciplines regardless of their origin on the political spectrum | Specialized: Often have spent the bulk of their careers on one or two great problems. May view the opinions of “outsiders” skeptically. |
| Adaptable: Find a new approach – or pursue multiple approaches at the same time – if they aren’t sure the original one is working. | Stalwart: Stick to the same “all-in” approach – new data is used to refine the original model. |
| Self-critical: Sometimes willing (if rarely happy) to acknowledge mistakes in their predictions and accept the blame for them. | Stubborn: Mistakes are blamed on bad luck or on idiosyncratic circumstances – a good model had a bad day. |
| Tolerant of complexity: See the universe as complicated, perhaps to the point of many fundamental problems being insolvable or inherently unpredictable. | Order-seeking: Expect that the world will be found to abide by relatively simple governing relationships once the signal is identified through the noise. |
| Cautious: Express their predictions in probabilistic terms and qualify their opinions. | Confident: Rarely hedge their predictions and are reluctant to change them. |
| Empirical: Rely more on observation than theory. | Ideological: Expect that solutions to many day-to-day problems are manifestations of some grander theory or struggle. |
Master and dievca have their differences, but they have learned to work with and honor those differences. On the other hand, it does make things interesting sometimes.
dievca has found that these pastry/cookies cutters made everyone smile and they fill her heart when she has a ‘Midwestern’ baking moment.
Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
3 c unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c brown sugar (packed firmly)
2 sticks (salted) butter, cold & cut into chunks
1 egg
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.
The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling.
Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4″ to 3/8″ thick, and cut into shapes. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets (I recommend freezing the cut-out shape on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before baking) and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Thank you to 'Bake at 350' and 'gimmesomeoven'.
The Mass has been celebrated in the Cathedral for 140 years. Today at St. Patrick’s Cathedral the Mass is celebrated seven times each weekday and eleven times on Holy Days.
It is a time-honored Catholic tradition to have Masses said in honor of a particular person and to provide Mass Cards to comfort relatives, friends and loved ones.
Mass Requests
Because we take so seriously the need to match every Mass request to an actual Mass time and date, Mass requests must be done in person at the Parish House during regular business hours.
You can request an announced Mass to be said for a living or deceased family member, friend or loved one by coming in person to the Parish House located at 14 East 51st Street and completing a request form.
The suggested offering is $20 for each Mass.
You can also request an unannounced Mass to be said for a living or deceased family member, friend or loved one by coming in person to the Parish House located at 14 East 51st Street and completing a request form.
The suggested offering is $10 for each Mass.
This gift helps to cover the extraordinarily high costs of maintaining St. Patrick’s Cathedral.