June 1st, 2023
On My Mind
Summer Starts Now!
I’m hardwired to know which way is north, the elevation of my current location, and where we are in the lunar cycle, so, breaking tradition with the Gregorian calendar is a big deal for me. However, I’m determined to override the fact that the Summer Solstice is the official start of summer and adopt the notion that summer starts June 1 — today!
I pulled out my white Dr. Scholl’s and straw market baskets. Flowers from the garden, a strawberry-Rhubarb galette, opening the pool, and the French Open = bliss!
:
Yes!!!! I also love baking tomato pies from fresh tomatoes from the farmers markets. Also, where is that swimsuit from?!
Swimsuit is Hermès from about 5 years ago.
Bottom right white shirt tied by own hand and blk mini and mass of humid weather hair is always perfect summer look in Provence or NYC while eating what sounds divine – a Katie baked fresh tomato pie!!
I love my ivory Dr Scholl’s and have a back up pair, just in case!
I vividly remember getting my first pair back in the day, when they were first launched in the U.K, they were in red and I thought I was “It”!
Re the black Hermes swimsuit, never owned but have always loved their swimwear, especially the simple shapes from the Margiella years, when it was a 3 piece, top, bottom and a band for the middle, genius!
This year Marks and Spencer’s have seriously “upped their game” and have some beautiful black swimwear pieces and straw bags.
Happy summer, Preston! Looking forward to your chic warm weather looks. Marcheline Isabelle
Perhaps my favorite aspect of this blog is the depth of knowledge and reference among the readers and the many wonderful memories that are unearthed in these ‘fashion conversations.’ Allison has just made a reference that makes my heart skip a beat! The Margiella years at Hermes! I had no idea who the Hermes designer was at the time, but I sure knew when I saw the discreet, luxurious, sophisticated clothes from Summer 2000, that I had to have it. Having never purchased any high designer clothing in my life, and anticipating a European trip late summer, I went for a deep-V-neck ink blue dress, white sleeveless ‘tee’ underpinning, and a dark blue swimsuit with an underwire bra and a very 20’s neckline! The associate suggested a small cotton pattern scarf with bright colors of yellow, orange, blue and an adorable orange ‘thong’ style sandal, both which I wear to this day. The dress, shoes, and scarf are still in my closet (the swimsuit, of course, got eaten alive by sea water and chlorine over the years) and I can’t wait to wear them again. Fashion-aware women notice and ask about the dress and shoes – totally unrecognizable, no logos to be seen, just a super chic silhouette, fabric, and color. It was a splurge at the time, but 23 years later, it still sparks happy memories.
Interesting to me that there is another person who is “hardwired” to know where north is; I always know what direction I am facing. A crisp white shirt is my uniform and now that I live in casual Denver it ups my fashion game ever so slightly.
I bought Dr Scholls in the 70’s and wore them on and off for years, in a multitude of colors (even Chanel made a gorgeous dupe that I took great care of), but now I find I fall out of them, boo hoo. Thanks for the summery photos and happy June, Preston and to all your readers!
Around here the Victoria Day weekend is the harbinger and as much as I wanted to I couldn’t make myself wear linen before May 24. Too ingrained! I had to laugh at what Bets said, I also fall out of the sandals now, wish I shared your sense of direction. The middle photo of the girl in Morocco was one of my first “pins” and still love it. Thank you for sharing your memories Paula.
Paula and Alison brought back all kinds of memories!!! 2 of my favorite harbingers of summer were Lilly Pulitzer and Marimekko. Both have such colorful prints. I wore both of them at different stages during my misspent youth.
Happy summer!
I’d break my neck in Dr. Scholl’s now – and I used to wear them all the time! There was a Dr. Scholl’s store near my first job at an art gallery. We had a very cold winter (for So. Cal) and I’m looking forward to a hopefully not scorching summer, in my Birkenstocks!
Still have tucked away in the closet the long wraparound (reversible) Lilly Pulitzer skirt I wore for our rehearsal dinner –
hot pink is the ground color with alternating panels – one with pale pink carnations and other small white flowers;
the other with large iris’s in a gorgeous shade of iris with jade green flowing throughout the panel.
It has long sashes that I could tie into a dramatic bow.
I wore it with a long sleeved round necked chiffon blouse (with covered buttons down the back) in a paler shade of iris.
Sits next to the skirt in the closet.
As I recall I wore the skirt for many more occasions.
Although practical and versatile, I never wore the reverse side as I’m not a fan of patchwork.
Marimekko also brings back fond memories – neatly folded in a dress box in the basement is a M. sundress in deep emerald green with tiny dark red flowers. The top has 1/2 inch straps with pin tucks going down the bodice that gradually yield to the rest of the dress.
Also loved M. long sleeved ribbed cotton turtlenecks – they were part of my “uniform” when I taught in NY –
I bought them in just about every color they came in!
I also bought other Marimekko items – had a set sheets in an eye popping red and white stripe with big flowers.
And in rummaging through a dresser drawer (It is neatly organized!) in a spare bedroom, I came across an unopened package of
tissue thin cocktail napkins in M. iconic red with thin white stripes and bordered in white.
Am not sure what I’m saving them for…
Oh! Just found underneath them – a few left over from an opened package –
again – tissue thin – in a fetching shade of apple green with tiny white iconic flowers.
Southside or Ice Tea Special, anyone?
Bought all of the above and even some kitchen items when Marimekko had a store on 57th Street in the ’70’s.
Was sad when it closed.
But, it left behind very happy and special memories of another era!
I had a piece of Marimekko fabric stretched on a frame — big chocolate brown flowers with black centers on a white background — over my bed in boarding school.
Lilly Pulitzer had a shop on the wharf in Edgartown in the late ’60s/early ’70 and she sold her fabrics by the yard. HUGE bolts hung on the walls. Mother let me pick a pattern — orange ducks on a yellow background — AND, she let me design my own dress — ankle-length with an empire-waist, and puff sleeves — I was in heaven!! I’ll dig out a picture.
I dressed my girls in Lilly Pulitzer and they still wear many of the dresses and skorts from way-back-when. My younger daughter wore the same white LP dress to graduation from 8th grade, high school, and college!
Will be fun to see photo!
Your mentioning bolts of fabric just reminded me of Marimekko fabric I bought to stretch and (staple in back) to wood frames that each were to fit over two windows that were high up on their respective walls in an apartment I lived in before I got married.
They looked great and since they were lightweight, they functioned perfectly for me.
Even though Marimekko fabric is of another time, I still love it!
Ditto many of the color combinations of Lilly Pulitzer.
Both iconic of the late ’60’s / early 70’s.
Ha! Memories! My mother wore Lilly in the 60’s and 70’s and so did I between HS and early NYC days; once I started at Glamour in the fashion dept I gave it up until I went back to it when i moved back to the suburbs from NYC. I dressed my daughters in it until they complained! I, too, had a big Marimekko piece of fabric stretched on a frame in my dorm room. I loved the Marimekko store on 56th St I believe.
I stand corrected: The Marimekko store was on 56th Street. : )
Found a history of Marimekko online: History Marimekko As A Company | We As A Company 1949-1918.
Wonderful photographs with short, interesting narratives accompanying each photo.
If you love Marimekko, this is a fun jaunt down memory lane!
The only Marimekko store in the Boston area was in Harvard Sq. My mother considered it to be a somewhat sketchy area for a young girl with her new driver’s license…which of course made it that much more exciting!!! Back then in the olden days there was lots of protesting going on over the Vietnam war. Little did I know that my future husband was in one of those Harvard dorms during the unrest and destruction that occurred. Luckily the Marimekko store was not touched by the vandalism. Oh the memories that come flooding back with this post!
Hi Pamela- Marimekko was in the Design Research store in Cambridge. Went with my mother often since we had a modern house in Lincoln. The architect Ben Thompson was the founder of D/R. Your comment brings back memories!
Yes, I remember shopping for Marimekko (dresses, shirts, cute coin purses even, and fabric) at DR (Design Research) in Harvard Square. When my family had an estate sale after my grandmother died, they put my Marimekko dresses in the sale and they were snapped up! And speaking of architects, I remember attending a party one summer night at Walter Gropius’ house. I don’t recall how that happened!
Our house was down the road from Gropius’
That’s amazing! So you were neighbors. I wonder if the Gropius house is a museum now.
Preston, OMG now I remember the actual store in Harvard Sq. was indeed called Design Research! I seem to remember it was on different levels with a lot of glass. We always thought we were so cool using the code letters DR as our destination to meet friends…thinking our parents would have no idea that we were going to that dreaded Harvard Sq. One time I came home with an Eames style lounge chair for my bedroom. My parents thought I had lost my mind. Our house was full of antiques.