Style over the age of 50

As you all know I could not move much last weekend and so I was reading every single magazine/newspaper/book I could get hold of.

In one magazine I found something absolutely interesting. The title was "Masochism from the wardrobe". The article describes what women in Switzerland wear after they have turned 50:

Shapeless clothes with odd patterns. The writer (a woman) says that someone who designs clothes like this must hate women... However, in the article Iris Apfel is presented as one of the laudable exceptions. Iris Apfel (who does not know her?) is 91 and has never given up searching for style and wearing it:

I think she is incredible and her style very individual and distinctive. Like a piece of art alive. She has given her opinion on some style questions:


Upper arms: Until recently it was difficult to find dresses with long sleeves. Wobbly arms, which we all get during our lives, should be covered or only be shown if the arms are well-trained and well-shaped. 


Heels: It is very difficult to find nice flat shoes for festive occasions. Sooner or later one is fed up with ballerinas. If you are used to, you can wear high heels as long as you can walk in them. But Iris Apfel says that she would break her neck if she still walked with them.


Skirts: If you have got nice legs, you can show them, no matter how old you are. The skirt must cover the leg to the knee though. A mini with 50 is ridiculous.


Make-up: The older one gets, the less make-up should be applied. Iris Apfel wears lipstick only. They should be fair in color - according to her orange or red is best for her. Older women should not wear pale colors and eye shadow is a no go! 


You may agree or not but I believe from time to time it is important to look into the mirror with a critical glimpse and ask yourself whether you should update your looks. (I will do that tomorrow morning). For how long have you had your hairstyle? It's not about trends but how to look good and ergo feel good.  I know it's a contradictable topic and not the only issue in our lives (luckily) and it is a matter of culture as well (you may get arrested here in Berne with clothes which are normal to wear in New York). Individual style is not necessarily a question of money. Iris Apfel,  for instance, wears junk jewellery and feels great in it. A few classical pieces like some pullovers, jeans, a trenchcoat, a leather jacket, a white blouse will do (quote by Inès de la Fressange). One should not stop experimenting and not be afraid of mistakes and wrong purchases. It's about moving and not the standstill. A question of shape?Nope! No! 

In the article the blog "Advanced Style" by Ari Seth Cohen is mentioned. He roams the streets of New York looking for the most stylish and creative older folks. It is so encouraging!

Take care and be bold and individual in whatever you do!


♥ Emilie's daughter ♥

PS 1: Those who would like to read the original article can do that  in "Das Magazin No. 12" dated 30.03.2012
PS 2: Check out Inès de la Fressange's new book Parisian Style.

Swiss Watching - An Englishman in Switzerland

Diccon Bowes is an English man who lives in Switzerland. He has observed the way of living here and of course he has also observed the Swiss... He writes about his life in Berne on his blog and has also published a book called "Swiss watching" (like whale watching). I have heard an interview with him on the radio and he made me laugh and smile. He writes about strange things in Switzerland which we, who are of Swiss native, think are normal. Looking at those things from a different angle may make them particular also for the Swiss and make us grin.

I must get that book in order to learn something about myself.

 That is always interesting, isn't it?

A ‘Best Book of 2010′: Financial Times

Forget everything you thought you knew about Switzerland. Swiss Watching is an original and intriguing read about this fascinating country. Expect the unexpected as the book unlocks this landlocked island, going behind the stereotypes of banks and skis, francs and cheese. In Swiss Watching, Diccon Bewes’ expert knowledge dispels the myths and unravels the true meaning of “Swissness”. One country with four languages, 26 cantons and 7.7 million people (but only 80% of them Swiss): there’s nowhere else like it in Europe. Switzerland may be almost 400 km from the nearest drop of seawater, but it is an island at the centre of Europe.

This is the country that not only gave us the Red Cross and an army knife, but also the Toilet Duck (1980) and Velcro (1955). It’s a country famous for punctual trains, strict neutrality, and Roger Federer – but what lies behind these stereotypes? What does Switzerland look like from the inside? 

Swiss Watching is a revealing historical journey around Europe’s most individual country. While seeking Heidi and meeting Tell, it relives a bloody past and explores an uncertain future. Unexpected facts include that for a country known for its cleanliness and courtesy, it has some of the worst graffiti in Europe and forbids recycling on Sundays; the Swiss consume the same amount of chewing gum per head as Americans, and most of it ends up on the pavement.  It is also known as a conservative nation, with the anti-minaret vote and right-wing politics, although this doesn’t stop Switzerland attracting over 15 million visitors a year! 

In a land of contradictions, this is a picture of the real and normally unseen Switzerland, a place where the breathtaking scenery shaped a nation not just a tour itinerary, and where tradition is as important as innovation.It’s also the story of its people, who have more power than their politicians, but can’t speak to one another in the same language – and who own more guns per head than the people of Iraq. As for those national clichés, well, not all the cheese has holes, cuckoo clocks aren’t Swiss and the trains don’t always run exactly on time. Swiss Watching puts the wit into Switzerland  

Swiss Watching is published by Nicholas Brealey, and is now on sale everywhere.

♥ Emilie's daughter ♥

Fairie Fashion

I have received an enchanting book from my sister-in-law and my brother.

Fairie-ality

from David Ellwand (born 1966). He is an English photographer, illustrator, and author. He is a trained photographer, who has exhibited his landscape and abstract photographs throughout western Europe and the United States.

Ellwand is known for his photography on award-winning, bestselling fashion books for fairies. 

This romantic book takes the reader into the secret fairie fashion world where dresses are made out of flowers,  petals, feathers, leaves, seeds, ivy, cones and tiny branches. 

A fairie-tale not only for grown-ups. 

But see the for yourself:

Furthermore the book contains little stories and dreamy poems of the fairie world. 

Eyes and soul are fed:

"Arise, my love, my fair one

and come away;

for lo, the winter is passed,

the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,

and the time of singing has come."

These words make me feel like a fairy queen!

Thanks for your today's visit.

  ♥ Emilie's daughter  ♥

Walker Books Ltd.

87 Vauxhall Walk

London SE11 sHJ

ISBN 0-7445-8065

Hand Made Home

There are so many beautiful and inspiring photographs on the web. But sometimes I like to lie on the sofa and hold a book in my hands. This way I can study the pictures from every angle! I recently bought Hand Made Home by Mark and Sally Bailey and I am pleased to share some of the content with you. Pay special attention to the last photo: Wouldn' it be marvelous to relax in that bathtub and  at the same time observe nature... Heaven on earth!

Love hugs!

♥ Emilie's daughter ♥