Lunch At the Ritz

I was at a vintage store and spotted the earrings below.  I love the colors of Autumn reflected in the enameled leaves and crystals.  And, of course, they are super long and eye catching.  I was not familiar with this brand called Lunch at the Ritz so I did a little research and discovered they were founded in 1982 and they are still in business producing the same style jewelry.  They make mostly earrings, very colorful and in whimsical designs, which lend the pieces towards being very collectible.  Their website is extensive and has a section where they picture some items from their archives by year, which is fabulous for collectors and lovers of vintage.  I also love their description of the company that acknowledges that some women love the brand and will buy hundreds of pairs of their earrings and have requested to be buried in them, and other women essentially wouldn't be caught dead in them.  I appreciate a retailer with a little sense of humor.  That is definitely reflected in their fun designs.  Check them out:  www.lunchattheritz.com. 

Orange Is The New Pink

As temps drop in the Northeast I'm switching to my Fall/Winter wardrobe and that means pastel and light colors will be hibernating in my closet until Spring.  I certainly will wear light colored shirts, but all pants, outerwear, shoes and bags are now dark or deep jewel toned.  Unfortunately, this means no light pink, baby blue, pale yellow, or celery green for a while for me and since I like a pop of color against my black wool coat, and I feel like red bags have become commonplace (although still very nice), I went in search of something fabulous and discovered orange.  Obviously I've been aware of the color orange all my life, but it's not a color I have ever worn much.  I don't think it looks that great near my face and kind of washes me out, but I've decided that an orange bag, nowhere near my pale skin, would bring a breath of fresh air to the dull gray of Winter.  Orange is sort of pink with a tan, (which I wish I had at the moment).  And, it goes with black, brown, winter white, tan, navy...all the staples in a Winter wardrobe. 

My new orange crush was discovered in TJ Maxx at less than 60% of the retail price.  It has already made its public debut to rave reviews.

Orange Dooney & Bourke bag

I always like to have a color appear in an outfit in more than one place so it doesn't look random and the outfit looks more pulled together.  I have almost no orange in my wardrobe, but I do have the two necklaces that will work.  The one on the left is now vintage and was given to me by a friend when I was probably about nine or ten years old.  Her father was a diplomat and I think she got it at the UN gift shop.  I love it, because it's so 70's.

Dooney & Bourke bag with orange necklaces

Vintage '70's necklace

Off I trudge into the first day of snow flurries here in NYC with a bright orange bag and dreams of Spring.

Caught in the Web

I think I've established that I like hats, particularly fascinators.  I envy the British, like Kate and Pippa Middleton, who get to wear them at social events.  If only all the stylish ladies in NY would start wearing hats to the luncheons we attend.   I tried to drum up hat enthusiasm for a few luncheons, but my friends pooped out and I just got weird looks.  So it remains in NYC that the only luncheon where hat wearing is de rigueur is the annual Central Park Conservancy's Hat Luncheon.  I'll keep trying, because I love the way they look and because I think people behave better when they're wearing hats.  There's an old fashioned civility that seems to emerge when a hat is worn.

In the meantime, Halloween seemed a good time to wear a headpiece.  I found a fabulous spider web fascinator in a little shop in Grand Central Station and I wore it on Halloween.  I love it and need to find an excuse to wear it again.

Spider Web Fascinator