The Stars Look Down

Falling Stars by Rainer Maria Rilke

Do you remember still the falling stars
that like swift horses through the heavens raced
and suddenly leaped across the hurdles
of our wishes--do you recall? And we
did make so many! For there were countless numbers
of stars: each time we looked above we were
astounded by the swiftness of their daring play,
while in our hearts we felt safe and secure
watching these brilliant bodies disintegrate,
knowing somehow we had survived their fall.




(The Horsehead Nebula / Photo by J.C. Cuillandre & Giovanni Anselmi)









(Cat's Paw Nebula / Photo by T.A. Redor / Univ. of Alaska, Anchorage)

WHAT THE CAT THINKS #1

Little Rain was helping me examine some jewelry sites when we stumbled upon the perfect Easter prezzies for us both. Designer Servane Gaxotte makes these wonderful charms that can be hung from a handbag or from a statement necklace. They have tons of appeal without being too “cutesy”, I think.

Here are my choices of Cat pendants:


>



Here is Little Rain’s favorite: a Mousie!. “It looks molto delicioso,” she purred.



Find Servane’s goods at www.mardeu.com.

LEST WE FORGET: LIFE THROWS A CURVE

As spring finally, slowly, painfully makes its way into the Hudson Valley, I’ve been feeling euphoric and uplifted. However, it is important to remember for the sake of proportion that life ain’t no crystal stairway, as the poet said. At least, it ain’t crystal every day. This week not one but two official bummers clouded spring’s blue horizon.

The first of this week’s two bummers was the news that Takashimaya is closing soon. Oh, my poor heart just flopped down and slumped when I heard this. There is no shopping experience I have ever had to compare with the absolute joy of a slow, idle wandering afternoon in this most gorgeous of stores. From the magnificent collection of hand-crafted, exquisite objects for the table and home to the avant garde clothing in rich silks and hand-carded wools to the amazing layers of soft fragrance that fill New York’s loveliest flower shop, Takashimaya is just incredible. And when the loveliness is almost too much, you can sit in the tea shop and refresh with a fragile china cup of jasmine pearl tea and feel the world fade away. So sad to think about the end of this beautiful legacy of craft and artistry.

The week’s second major bummer:Anthony's elimination on "Project Runway." I know he isn’t the most envelope-pushing of designers, and this week there was – yet again – another sweetheart-neckline cocktail dress that he described as “ladylike.” Well, yes, but Anthony himself being the epitome of ladylike southern charm is what made us love him so much. Jay was almost literally ripped to shredded Rodarte-style chiffon by Michael, Nina and Heidi, not to mention Vivienne Tam, the guest judge. The fabric he designed was actually rather beautiful: very subtle and quiet and restrained. Tim loved it. Michael Kors compared it to a dirty tablecloth. Heidi fell back on “bee-zaaah”. Nina went straight to “full-on catastrophe.” There was mention of a strait jacket, of sadness, of poverty. All right, some of the detailing was poor, but the judges made Jay into a kind of Dickensian orphan chimney-sweep loser. To make this bummer even worse, Emilio won the challenge with a rip-off LV graffiti/Sprouse-like pattern of his own initials (can we spell HUBRIS, Emilio?) that Tim mistook for a kind of love letter in code to Seth Aaron. Emilio dissed Tim sharply on camera; Tim dissed Emilio in his blog, and Anthony kept his head up as he snapped out his worktable light. There will from now on be precious few laughs on Season 7. My hopes are still alive, however, since there was a hint of a shocking turn of events to come next week. I am praying that the entire Bluefly Accessories Wall will fall on top of Emilio, paving the way for Ping’s triumphant return for more insane fabric draping and Zen hysteria.

THREE ELEMENTS OF STYLE #1

Ray-Ban Aviator Outdoorsman sunglasses. For men or women, the quintessence of gold-rimmed cool. These iconic tear-drop shades will never go out of style, and are the gold standard for any other aviator wannabe. Whether you wear them with your old denims and favorite tee or pair them with haute couture, you will always be chic.



A white cotton shirt. You can pick up this classic at Target, or break the bank on a couture-level high-end label, but either way, if the fit is right, I don’t see anyone missing the boat when they wear this garment. It can be comfy, cozy and relaxed with jeans; a little preppy with chinos or shorts; edgy with dress pants or a black pencil skirt; dressed up with piles of accessories, or left pristine and open-necked – whether you’re young or old, male or female, a white cotton shirt is da bomb. Need proof? Look at James Dean rock it.





Black ballet flats. A go-to shoe for all women, the black ballet-inspired flat looks great with jeans, a flirty skirt and even a sparkly evening look. You can pick up the classic Capezio dance shoe (above) for under $50, or break the bank on MiuMiu scrunch ballets (below) for over $400, but either way, the look will give that Audrey Hepburn cool-girl effect.




Every so often, I’ll be posting more Elements of Style. Favorite things are meant to be passed along, and doing so makes me love them more. Favorite songs, favorite films, favorite books, favorite people . . . life is filled with great things to share.

ConScent #1

For me, there is nothing as evocative and inspirational as scent. It is so closely connected to memory, to emotion and to personality.
I noticed, for example, when I took a quick walk this morning, that there is a real scent of spring after this past weekend of heavy rain and howling winds in the Hudson Valley. It is a mix of thawing earth, damp leaves, and a certain “green” freshness.
This made me spend a little time looking through my collection of scents, thinking what I might wear to celebrate these subtle changes, and to look ahead a little toward warmer weather, longer days, and the coming blossoms.

In the winter, I like scents that are a bit spicy, woody, and complex, even a little challenging. My absolute winter favorite for the past year or so has been Luctor et Emergo, by People of the Labyrinths, a “niche” perfume house. It is a strong, incense-based scent, with an almost hot undertone of vanilla that dries down in a very subtle way. You smell wood; you smell some fruit; you smell something sweet yet mature. I never wear it that someone doesn’t stop me and ask about it, but I always say it isn’t for everyone because it isn’t really what I would call a “pretty” scent at all! It is, however, an amazing and complicated blend.

Another winter scent that I love is by Keiko Mecheri: Scarlett. This is another spicy scent, with a lot of rose that springs into bloom with the first spray. But very quickly, the spices rise up again, and suddenly there is a cold, green scent that lingers until it finally drifts away after many hours. This is a scent that is like getting a bouquet of deep red roses on a snowy day, and although it is aimed at women, I think a man would smell fabulous wearing it.





But now it’s time for something lighter and brighter. Looking at the bottles in my collection, I think of two favorites that are right in line with the coming of spring.




Tocca is one of my favorite perfume houses. I’ve never found a single one of their scents that isn’t lovely and well-designed. For spring, I love their wonderful Florence fragrance. To me, it captures so much about early spring in Italy. When I think of spring, I think of violets and iris, and in late February and early March, flower stalls in Italy are always filled with these flowers. Add to those deep, watery-blue fragrances the sharpness of bergamot, and there it is: a glamorous and fresh breeze of scent that never overpowers, but always intrigues. (When I wear it, I think of those stylish Roman women, zipping around town on their Vespas, Pucci scarves fluttering in the wind – and heading for lunch on the Via Veneto. Don't you wish you were there, too?)



Just about my favorite perfume designer is the great Jean-Claude Ellena of The Different Company. Ellena has designed some of the great modern perfumes for houses like Hermes and so many more, but my favorite of all is his Osmanthus, based on a flower native to China. The essence of this little white bloom is rendered into a paste (“concrete” in perfumese), and is the base of this scent. To this sweet, light, haunting aroma, Ellena added dark green, leafy scents and luscious fruits. You can smell tangerine; there is a note of ripe peach, there is a hint of lemony bergamot. And just when you think the display is over, there arises a lovely, subtle rush of pale roses, warm straw and lingering white musk. It’s just delicious and spirit-lifting!

Another way to enjoy the fragrance of osmanthus is to brew a cup of springtime gui hua tea. Gui hua is the osmanthus blossom, carefully dried and preserved. As the flower dries, the white bloom slowly deepens to a rich yellow color that tints your tea water like sunshine. As you lift your cup, you can inhale the delicate fragrance and taste the freshness and natural sweetness of this treasure. Visit any good Asian tea supplier for this tea, or pay a visit to the wonderful Takashimaya tea shop and sample a cup surrounded by the beauty of this incredible New York emporium.

However you choose to celebrate spring, I wish you well! Come back soon and visit me – you are always welcome.

JINGZHE: The Awakening of the Insects

Until near the end of March, the period in the Solar Calendar throughout much of Asia is called “The Awakening of the Insects”. Late winter is yielding to early spring, and it is a time of thunder and rain. Insects now awaken from winter, and go about their work, which in turn awakens the plants and flowers.




This picture is from a favorite website of mine, NaturalJapan.net “Nature in Japan”. This amazing insect is Pamendanga matsumurae, and resembles nothing more than an intricate Edwardian enamel and jewel brooch, perhaps by Lalique.



To celebrate The Awakening of the Insects:


Winter garden,
The moon thinned to a thread,
Insects singing.
(Basho)

All this is by way of celebrating my new venture: visione. I hope you like some of the things I will post in the days and weeks – and who knows, maybe years – ahead. I will see where my curiosity takes me, and I will share what I find. Perhaps I will find YOU in my travels!

Here are some things I will be writing about, things that inspire me, things I like to think about:

Books and reading; reading and books!

Writing

Fashion and style - beauty and art

Film and film history

Interiors

Exteriors

and . . . . . Little Rain, my familiar and companion on the journey.