An easy pack with Dries van Noten sandals

The green embossed leather Dries van Noten Sandals worked well with the Vince dress, Cynthia Rowley dress and the Chloe long skirtVince Boy t-shirt + Dries van Noten pareo worn as a wrap.  An easy way to pack for three dinners.  The Cesta bag was a great help, too.

Sometimes dievca gets the easy way right. 


the completed seaglass project

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Interesting, right?  Its the “French Blue” Jelly Color with the Matte top coat.  Apparently, the color has been renamed as “Morningtide”.  Two ladies stopped on the sidewalk to comment on dievca’s nails as she took the photo.  They liked the combination…


Sea glass for Summer

seaglassnails-IMARNINAILS Instagram dievca is not a “nail goddess”, she’s not going to be on the cover of a magazine showing off her manicure (each of her nails is a different shape)
dievca is interested in this nail trend for Summer – “Sea Glass”

“Sea glass” is physically and chemically weathered glass found on beaches along bodies of salt water. These weathering processes produce natural frosted glass.

Is there a difference between sea glass and beach glass?

sea-glass-primer-1“Genuine sea glass” can be collected as a hobby and is used for decoration, most commonly in jewelry. “Beach glass” comes from fresh water and is often less frosted in appearance than sea glass. Sea glass takes 20 to 40 years, and sometimes as much as 100 to 200 years, to acquire its characteristic texture and shape.

Sea glass nails are exactly what they sound like: a semi-sheer, cool-toned manicure with a matte finish like a piece of glass that has been swept around in the ocean for months, if not years.

Jelly polishes, which give nails a sheer, translucent wash of color reminiscent of Jell-O, are ideal for creating the see-through charm of sea glass. Jelly colors are what makes sea glass nails unique from other pastel manicures. The finish is sheer so one can still see through it after two coats. dievca plans to use Cirque Colors Jelly in Aqua, Jade and French Blue, finishing with  Orly Matte Topcoat to complete the sea glass look (Note: its recommended that you use a fast dry top coat before the matte coat for longer wear).

dievca has everything ordered from online and will let you know how the “sea glass nails” step out goes!

Photo: sea glass nails from IMARNINAILS @instagram
A "Thank You" to the website BYRDIE for guiding dievca to a cool trend!

Net Value

Clare V., J. Crew, Amazon, Shein, Old Navy, etc. offering a Woven Tote for Summer ($22-$145).  dievca is really shopping her closets before buying, here’s what she has:

OK, not quite the “net” look, but dievca thinks she has an olive green cotton net bag for grocery shopping in a drawer…

French Mesh bag olive


And it worked to the best of her ability~

Two outfits for the viewing and funeral – flew in at 4:30 pm, viewing at 6 pm, dressed and did make-up in the car backseat which scandalized prudish friends. Deal with it.

The viewing:

dievca has not said the Rosary in years – she finally realized that its a form of meditation.

The funeral Mass:

The black Stuart Weitzman 50/50 boots were a challenge to dievca’s right foot.  she had to solicit help to get it on – a 7 minute process of pulling out the heel out from being crushed, getting it over her heel bone and profusely sweating.  she donated the boots to a Gen Z who admired them and had a smaller foot after the funeral.

Flying back now – a < 36 hour go~


Speaking of Spring with Cynthia Rowley

dievca has an upcoming Fundraising Event on a boat. She’s looking into wearing this Cynthia Rowley dress with a jeans jacket and her Dries van Noten chunky green platform sandals Her hair is cut in a bob and will blow everywhere, but the  red lipstick and green drop earring will keep it together. 
Cynthia Rowley Isla Dress Red Preint $525
The Ultimate Pretty Meets Sporty! Sleek and sporty lycra with silk twill skirt.

  • Scoop neckline
  • Scoop back
  • Side pockets
  • Fabric content:
    • Top: 67% nylon, 33% spandex
    • Bottom: 100% silk
  • Care instructions: dry clean recommended

Fit: model is 5’8″ and wears a size S.

Size Small measurements:

  • Length from shoulder: 52″

MSRP $545


Mavette: Nola d’Orsay

Mavette_Nola_Blue_037_400x $480

With elegant color-blocking and silver trim details, our Nola d’Orsay heel is a head-turner. Features a d’Orsay style design and adjustable foot and ankle strap. The Nola shoe has it all including a roomy round toe box and integrated comfort technology. Pairs perfectly with jeans, white pants, or a flowy skirt, you’ll love the killer color-blocking and stable chunky heel.
  • Integrated All Day Comfort Technology
  • Adjustable ankle strap
  • Athletic grade cushion at the toe box
  • Suede upper
  • Leather lining 
  • Leather sole with anti-slip
  • 3-inch (85mm) heel 
  • Hidden platform at the toe box
  • Handmade in Italy
  • $480

Mavette Nola d'Orsay _Blue_M1_400x


Master Presenting…

Master is a quiet dresser.  He will say that He likes to be the “backdrop” for His dievca.  That said – Master does like DIVERSITY and Master/dievca ran into an outfit that Master said He would be willing to try!

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It’s a LOOK from the “Fresh Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style, Pushing at The Boundaries of Fashion.” at the F.I.T. Museum.

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Photos: dievca F.I.T. Museum 03/2023


Lime – Aid

On the flight to Los Angeles, dievca picked up a Financial Times and there was a great Sunday Style insert.  she’s been disappointed with Fashion Reporting in the recent past, except for Harper’s Bazaar.  It was a treat that the FT did not disappoint either.

A small blurb showed some Lime-Colored offerings for the new season:

This Lime agenda was pushed forward after admiring Dionne Warwick singing Burt Bacharach:

Since dievca should be saving her pennies –  she shopped her apartment:

Not glamorous, but some Lime-Aid.


Walking in LA

dievca’s heading to LA as Master heads to San Francisco – two different paths – both a bit colder than desired.

Let’s get dievca’s end rolling with a fabulous LA Band and a pair of killer Boots from R13!


A rose by any other name…

Organza Flowers by Cynthia Rowley offer romance no matter which type of flower it is ~

The phrase is from Romeo and Juliet and the full quote is: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.” Basically, what it means is that what matters is what something is, not what it is called.


Simple in the City

After a few years of taking care of aging parents, COVID and body changes – dievca lost interest in Fashion or even a closet revamp.  she’s been coming out of her shell and leaning towards a more practical closet.  Things seem to be coming together because she feels like she can reach in to the closet and find something to wear.  That’s the point, right?

(click on the item to see a larger image and the brand)


Gracefully with Personality: Vivienne Westwood at YOOX and dievca’s closet

The first 7 Vivienne Westwood dresses are available at YOOX.

The second 8 Vivienne Westwood items are in dievca’s closet (starting at the 2nd green dress). she’s missing photos of her indigo “Hangover” dress that has been worn to the woof and her “go to” jersey funeral dress in a very dark burgundy.

When Century 21 was open in NYC – dievca would haunt the Vivienne Westwood racks and if they had a sample sale – she was there.  The items are cut for curvy in mind and ladylike enough for Master, quirky enough for His dievca.

dievca will be wearing the sequin dress for New Year’s Eve.

Obviously dievca did not know Vivienne Westwood, but she admired her boldness in growing old gracefully with personality. May we all grow older gracefully with personality!

Vivienne Westwood Juergen Teller fame laid bare


Where to begin?

vivienne-westwood-boucher-corset-1990

Vivienne Westwood, the designer who defined the look of punk, using rock iconography, royalty, art and religion as recurring motifs in collections that brought a rebellious edge to British style, and who later went on to a long career in high fashion, died on Thursday in the Clapham neighborhood of South London. She was 81.

Via the New York Times on 12/29/2022


when encrusted Thai rubies break the bank

Dolce and Gabbana embellishment looks like the affordable option
for New Years Eve!

The Aqua Blue sequin and Swarovski Crystal Boots are 60% off at MyTheresa!


Prada Pearls

Prada Pearls

BDSM dressing for the Holidays!


Fascination

Part of the enjoyment of heading to Miami, FL is people watching.  dievca got an eyeful when sitting in the lounge before the flight and kept watching her target through the flight and the exit from the plane.

An Asian Lady arrived in the lounge with her highlighted hair in a low bun, but the see-thru lace skirt (over black underwear or bikini bottoms) and rhinestone sunglasses and sunglass strap caught dievca’s eye.  Note: the subject was about the same age as dievca.  Here’s her “NYC-Miami” travel look:

The lady had no coat on in NYC, no need for one in Miami. That see-thru skirt was something. And traveling in heels?  Her hair was shaken out and fluffed after the flight.
dievca’s simple black layers were tediously boring in comparison!
So, when dievca realized that she forgot sunglasses – she decided she needed  to add Rhinestones to her Life and a cheap pair of Foster Grants from CVS  fit the bill. XO

Florida Foster Grant Pink Burgundy Rhinestone Sunglasses


Cut it Out!

Mugler Cut Out Mini Dress #1370Mugler Cut Out Mini Dress #1370 1Mugler Cut Out Mini Dress #1370 2

Mugler Cut Out Mini Dress from
MyTheresa $1370 – take off 30%

The Look For Less version?
AREA for $780 – no discount

Area--CrystalBuckleCutoutMiniDressArea--CrystalBuckleCutoutMiniDress model $680


The surprise inside!

dievca was picking up a few items online from her favorite charity in NYC.  They run a yearly “Fashion for Action” fundraiser and various designers donate items for the BIG EVENT and the online sales portion.

One of the local NYC designers (Cartography.nyc) offered t-shirts with photographs on them – dievca picked up the “Hotel Chelsea” version. Mind you she didn’t look at all the photos listed before buying the T-shirt:

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The surprise was on the inside collar – dievca just started to laugh:

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Rein in the Spending? Normcore and a ~

20221031_160751Reining in didn’t work on dievca’s end….she spent her pennies.

dievca’s friend wanted to visit the “American Vintage” store in SoHo because she saw it in Amsterdam and liked their offerings.  This comes after dievca’s Dutch friend mentioned that she really liked the brand and asked dievca if she had heard of it.  It’s not an American brand,  it’s French.  dievca would describe it as a more expensive version of the Gap or something similar to Vince.

The offerings are an example of:

Normcore

Normcore is a unisex fashion trend characterized by unpretentious, average-looking clothing. Normcore fashion includes jeans, t-shirts, sweats, button-downs, and sneakers. Clothing is considered to be normcore when it is attractive and comfortable and is viewed as “normal” by the majority of people.

Normcore is a portmanteau of the words normal and hardcore. The word first appeared in a guest strip by Ryan Estrada for the webcomic Templar, Arizona in 2008 and was later employed by K-HOLE, a trend forecasting group, in an October 2013 report called “Youth Mode: A Report on Freedom”.

As used by K-HOLE, the word normcore referred to an attitude, not a particular code of dress. It was intended to mean “finding liberation in being nothing special.” (Sounds like the Swedish “Langom”) However, a piece in New York magazine by author Fiona Duncan that began popularizing the term in February 2014  conflated it with what K-HOLE referred to as “Acting Basic”, a concept which involved dressing neutrally to avoid standing out. It was this sense of normcore which gained popular usage. The characters featured on the television series Seinfeld are frequently cited as exemplifying the aesthetics and ethos of normcore fashion.

The word normcore was named runner-up for neologism of the year by the Oxford University Press in 2014. It was added to the AP Stylebook in 2016.

Anyways, dievca bought this American Vintage Puffer coat in Bear – honestly, it looks better in person:

Normcore wearers are people who do not wish to distinguish themselves from others by their clothing. This is not to mean that they are unfashionable people who wear whatever comes to hand, but that they consciously choose clothes that are functional and undistinguished. The “normcore” trend has been interpreted as a reaction to fashion oversaturation resulting from ever faster-changing fashion trends.

Normcore clothes include everyday items of casual wear such as t-shirts, hoodies, polos, short-sleeved shirts, jeans and chino pants, but not items such as neckties or blouses. These clothes are worn by men and women alike, making normcore a unisex style.

Clothes that meet the “normcore” description are mainly sold by large fashion and retail chains such as The Gap, Jack & Jones, Superdry, Jigsaw, and Esprit. They are generally cheaply produced in East Asian countries. Many other retailers such as Marc O’Polo, Woolrich, Desigual, Closed, and Scotch & Soda produce normcore-like clothes combined with individual design ideas.

Normcore is exactly how Master dresses – He buys excellent quality, but He doesn’t want to stand out.

dievca did get her Normcore “Flourish” piece at LeSportSac, the Floral Camo Helmet Bag:


What to wear scrambling around the City

This outfit is not glamourous – but it went from work, to a coop showing, walking with the knee brace underneath, to a dance performance. Practical and clean-lined would be the descriptors:

Click on the photos for the description of the items.


Mamma Mia! via Trompe-l’œil

Miramar-Mia-Jean-418 (1)

Miramar-Mia-Jean-418Miramar-Mia-Jean-021
Trompe-l’œil is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface.

These Rag & Bone “jeans” are part of the Miramar Collection of sweatpants (cotton terry/elastic waist) which are printed to look like jeans.

dievca has fooled many a friend with her two versions of the pants: gathered ankle and straight leg. she would like to upgrade to the Mia cut.

What do you think?

Is dievca cheating by wearing terry cloth “jeans” or just being smart and comfortable?


Rally Cap

rally cap is a baseball cap worn inside-out and backwards or in some other unconventional manner by players and/or fans to will a team to a come-from-behind victory late in a game. The rally cap is primarily a baseball superstition but has been adopted in various forms in other sports such as hockey.

Hmmm~

dievca just thought it was wearing your team hat with pride during a tough stretch in the season.

Gucci-Wool-Hat-NY-Yankees-Patch

Her Cubbie Bears are out, the Mets are painful to watch – so she’ll join Team Yankee because she can wear the Gucci Knit Yankees Winter Hat she won on auction. A little sports and fashion moment….

The NY Mets fans might want to try wearing a true rally hat to give their team some help. XO


dievca desires (no, not that – clothing)

dievca is selling off her closet to revamp her selections.  she is up to $1500 via eBay and continuing the process — here is what she is considering for purchase:

Here’s the good news – things that she already owns that work with this year’s trends:


Scandinavian Eyeglasses – Option #1

So, its been a few years since dievca has been able to upgrade her eyeglass frames in Scandinavia.

These past couple of years, she wore a pair of Laura Ashley Frames and a pair of Chanel frames – but they just weren’t comfortable. dievca had to add nose pads so that the glasses would be place higher on her nose and the acetate frames didn’t have much flexibility for uneven ears…

On her recent trip to Europe, she was able to visit her favorite optical shop in a small Swedish town and at her friend’s suggestion – she bought two pairs of glasses.  They arrived from the USA optical shop today.

This is the pair Master likes best:

OPO Scandanavia Optics NPS_3168_C33

OPO Scandinavia Optics NPS_3168_C33 red(click here)

The OPO brand is created in Malmö Sweden. Here is what they say about the NPS line:

We have been working with the NPS collection since 2005 and it’s a constant development in cooperation with our clients and the market. Today we offer a wide range of metal frames with flex hinges for both men and women, as well as trendy acetate frames in colours ranging from neutral back to transparent red. We choose to also make more priceworthy frames in acetate instead of injection plastic, to maintain the high quality that we are known for.

The frames cost about $65.00. There is a webshop!

dievca got the lenses added at Target.


With a Spring in her step~

Jordan Air Mae Dutch Green

dievca is embracing more green.
(the elusive Jordan’s arrived after two cancelled orders)
XO

dievca has a male Puerto Rican friend who absolutely delights in dievca’s hidden aspirations towards being a Sneakerhead… she has gotten stopped on the streets of  NYC with people commenting on her kicks.  Not bad for a 50-ish old school throwback.


take a spin with me

Into the wild World of Pop Culture, Fashion and ending up in “Memory-ville”.

Daniel Day (born August 8, 1944), known as Dapper Dan, is an American fashion designer and haberdasher from Harlem, New York. His influential store, Dapper Dan’s Boutique, operated from 1982–92 and is most associated with introducing high fashion to the hip hop world, with his clients over the years including Eric B. & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z. In 2017, he launched a fashion line with Gucci, with which he opened a second store and atelier, Dapper Dan’s of Harlem, in 2018.

Lent his creativity to the Gap for an arch logo hoodie, to be sold for $98.

The sweatshirt supposedly sold out immediately on its March 10th, 4 pm release.

It’s now on eBay for $898.88.

When dievca was looking on eBay for the Sweatshirt — this 1970 PlaysKool Dapper Dan Doll appeared:

Dapper Dan Playskool 1970

Which prompted a flashback to dievca’s own Dressy Bessy 1970 PlaysKool Doll:

dievca thought all of her Flashback moments were done when she completed clearing her Mom/ Dad’s house, but apparently there are still memories to be found in the depths. she has a sense of what the doll felt like, what the fabric was, how heavy it was and how irritating it was because the clothes didn’t come off. dievca would almost like to buy another Dressy Bessy on eBay to see if her memories are correct.  

Did anyone else have a Dapper Dan or Dressy Bessy doll?
Are dievca’s memories correct?

Is anyone willing to pay $889.88 for a Dapper Dan GAP sweatshirt?


Pink Lady

Pink Ladies Greasedievca is not a “Pink Lady” – she doesn’t disdain the color pink,

but she doesn’t have much of the color in her closet. 

she can only think of:

eliza-faulkner-sissy-dress

Eliza Faulkner Cotton Sissy Dress

It took awhile, but dievca finally stopped avoiding the dress because

Melania Trump wore a Pink Dress….

Recently, she has now seen an outfit she would be interested in wearing with some flashes of pink

by Rag & Bone:

Rag and Bone Pink top and boots

Who wouldn’t want to wander around NYC in a pink tank and matching boots?

(Tank $95, Boots $550)

Add a Pink Lady cocktail and a Pink Lady apple – Voilà!

Pink Lady Drink Recipe

  • 1 1/2 ounces of gin
  • 1/2 ounce applejack
  • 1/2 ounce lemon juice, preferably fresh
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/5 ounce (or a couple of dashes) of grenadine

Combine all your ingredients in a shaker without ice. Shake it, shake it, shake it to get the egg well mixed. Now add ice and shake some more. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry. You can spear the cherry, stick it on the edge of the glass, or just drop it down in.


Rosabelle: Dita von Teese lingerie

ROSABELLE – FASHION


Coffee Fashion

Fashion Coffee Holder

Time to carry that coffee with elegance and ease!
A leather and faux tortoise shell chain coffee carrier
will complete your look!
From Etsy shop “i am fem