My hippie daughter was watching Festival Express on NetFlix “Watch Instantly” this afternoon and I had her grab this shot of Janis Joplin wearing a puffy shirt. I don’t care what anyone says… I LIKE the puffy shirt. Ever since the Seinfeld episode it’s gotten a bad rap like the time Oprah was caught wearing one.

Check out this one from Holly Stalder, a designer from Portland, who has a shop over at Etsy. For more of Holly’s beautiful stylings visit hollystalder.com.

I know that oversized clutches are popular now, but I’m not a Carrie Bradshaw fan. If I absolutely had to choose a designer handbag, I’d prefer the Isabella Fiore ‘Baby Love’ bag, the black and white Betsy Johnson ‘Lady Jungle’ bag, the Prada print shopping bag or even the blue Aida Pouchette from Bulgari to the plain red oversized vintage clutch from Prada. You can find all these bags at Bag Borrow or Steal - and speaking of “Sex in the City” - they’re having a special “One Week Complimentary” to celebrate their role in the movie!

Borrow any designer handbag, jewelry or sunglasses today and you’ll be entitled to:

1. One week free with any monthly rental. You’ll enjoy 4 weeks for the price of 3! Simply enter Promo Code 1WEEKFREE at check out to receive your special offer.
2. No-Regrets Satisfaction Guarantee. if you’re not immediately thrilled with your accessory you can send it right back for a full refund of your borrowing fee.

 Offer good for the first rental term of one item only. One discount per customer. Offer expires August 31, 2008.

Visit Bag Borrow or Steal to learn about this terrific offer.

My young hippie daughter just started a new job as photographer/web correspondent at our local newspaper.  I must remember to tell her most recent subject about Gloomth, a designer devoted to ‘the cult of melancholy.’

According to Taeden Hall, the Toronto-area writer/illustrator who is designer and driving force behind Gloomth -

Horace Walpole was first to coin the term Gloomth, when referring to the members of the Victorian subculture that revelled in the morbid, embraced the strict mourning garb eternally, and frequented the elaborate cemeteries of the era. (read more)

(Reminds me of one of my all-time favorite movies, Harold and Maude.)

The skirt shown above is called “Wilting Tulip” and Ms. Hall writes a terrific description.  She starts off with :

Spring is here, time to plant your tidy rows of belladonna and black fringed tulips!…An ideal skirt year round, it’s comfortable and drop dead Gothic sexy. Made of luscious violet fabric with a sturdy weight like suiting fabric. It has a touch of stretch through the width to make the skirt ultra comfortable. (read more)

How can you resist?

Sites to Bookmark:

• Gloomth Online Shop
• Gloomth at Etsy

Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, authors of style books What Not to Wear, What You Wear Can Change Your Life, What Your Clothes Say About You and their latest, The Survival Guide have all the answers.

Using themselves as guinea pigs, Trinny and Susannah have evolved a foolproof formula for making the most of what you’ve got to look great in any situation.

They expound a simple philosophy: “Looking stylish is not about following fashion, losing weight, being rich or succumbing to the knife. It’s about dressing to show off what you love and hiding what you loathe about your body”

You’ve got to check out “The Rules.” It will only take a minute, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Much disappointment that the Ringo Starr Concert was cancelled last night at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (the site of Woodstock). Apparently a truck carrying equipment for the band broke down at the Canadian border. We visited the museum (which was just okay) but the surrounding countryside was beautiful.

In anticipation of the Ringo Starr concert tomorrow night at Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center, I was looking for information about the Apple Boutique in London. I found this great post at Nicola’s Vintage Boutique’s Blog. She talks about “The Fool” and the rise and fall of the Apple Boutique.

On July 30th 1968 the Apple staff were told to open the doors the next day and give the stock away. John and Yoko were the first to go through the store, they walked away with arms full of merchandise that they piled into John’s Rolls Royce. Paul found one jacket and Ringo said he couldn’t find anything that fit. The giveaway was publicised in the newspaper and the next morning there was a line up outside the store three blocks long. There was no limit to how much stock people could take. It was so busy that they opened the basement so that customers could go right out the other side. (read more)

Sounds like fun!

Nicola has a terrific vintage shop at Etsy. Check out her 60’s Vintage Gauze Bohemian Balloon Sleeve Mini-Dress by margaret godfrey for Bagatelle.