TURNING 35

It's hard to believe, but The Official Preppy Handbook is thirty-five years old this year.  It was released in October 1980, and I think I purchased my copy around January or February of 1981.  I can't tell you the impact it made in my life.

Form middle school on through high school and early college, I was already cultivating my clothing style and "look," leaning toward a more traditional look, but truly "wing it" without a guide or direction.  The Official Preppy Handbook gave me that direction.  My parents taught us the importance of dressing well and the art of good manners, so I was already following some of the "rules" of prepdom, but is wasn't until I discovered the Handbook, that I finally felt I had found my niche.  

All of my life, while everyone else was wearing very casual t-shirts and jeans, I was wearing khakis and button downs.  In fact I never even owned a pair of blue jeans until I was in college (yes, I know this seems odd since I grew up on a farm in rural Iowa).  This book taught me that I wasn't such an outsider after all, and gave me direction as I fine-tuned my personal look.

This article on the Garden and Gun Blog, gives us a great insight into the impact The Official Preppy Handbook had on people at the time.  Hopefully you will enjoy this article (and the book if you can still find it) as much as I do.


***How has The Official Preppy Handbook impacted your life?

SOLO SHOT SATURDAY: THE REHAB

This beautiful old victorian mansion in St. Paul, owned by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, is currently being rehabbed into new office space for one of their sites.  I really love when historic buildings like this are repositioned rather than simply torn down.


***What historic building rehabs are happening in your area?

HOOKED ON BOW TIES

I apologize that my Bow Tie Friday post is so late today, but work has been so crazily busy this week, and, unfortunately, I got behind on some things.  As I was thinking about summer and bow ties, I decided to continue the nautical theme I started last week.  As I’ve said before, water and summer just seem to go hand-in-hand.

This week’s Bow Tie Friday pick is this great tie from Tommy Hilfiger.  Unlike the usual displays of anchors, boats, nautical flags, and sea creatures, this unique bow tie boasts a fun fishhook pattern on a blue background.  The fishhooks are silver, and mimic the metal they are made from, while the lovely shade of blue reminds us of the relaxing azure sea – a winning combination all around.

  

I have to admit I love this fishhook bow tie from Tommy Hilfiger.  It gives us a fresh take on the nautical theme, while offering a new perspective on the relationship between water and summer.

***Do you have any fishing themed pieces in your summer wardrobe?

THEATRICAL AUGUST

Each year, at the beginning of August, the Twin Cities play host to the Minneapolis Fringe Festival.  Fringe Festivals happen all over the world, and Minneapolis has one of the larger one in this country.  While I always try to attend some of the shows, I had no idea that this year it would overlap with another theater adventure.

On the Sunday evening of the first weekend of Fringe I had the opportunity to attend the closing performance of Kinky Boots.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it, but my friend Mike who ushers at that theater, told me it was amazing and that I had to see it.  So I did, and it was awesome. 

I had seen the movie so was familiar with the basic story line, and I knew that Cyndi Lauper had written the music so that would also be stellar, but I wasn’t prepared for how truly impressive the show was.  I ended the evening by simply saying, “WOW!!!”  If you have a chance to see the show, I highly recommend that you do.

A few nights after seeing Kinky Boots, I attended a friend’s show at the Fringe Fest.  My friend Dillon, who was diagnosed with autism early on in his life, wrote and produced the play, An Autistic Life Through Historty.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the show was so incredibly well done.

Dillon gave us a glimpse inside an autistic person’s world, in a way that was both humorous and informative.  It was such a brilliant way to help us understand how they see things, and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to see his show.

Last week turned out to be quite the theater week for me.  I wasn’t planning on seeing Kinky Boots, but then the opportunity presented itself, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see any of the Fringe shows, but then I realized that my friend Dillon’s play, An Autistic Life Through Historty, was scheduled on the only night I had open.  It sure seemed like the universe wanted me to be at those shows, and I’m so glad I was.

***Have you seen any good theater productions lately?

VANE POULTRY

Nothing more stereotypically depicts country living than a weather sitting proudly atop a barn, house, or other outbuilding on a farm.  (Growing up in Iowa, we had an Arabian horse weathervane on top of our horse barn.)  There's just something about a weathervane that makes the building, and indeed the whole farm, more charming.

One of the more popular animals to traditionally grace the top of weathervanes is the chicken, and since I have an affinity towards chickens, I'm always drawn to poultry related items. 

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) has a small, but wonderful, collection of chicken shaped weathervane toppers, and I couldn't resist snapping a couple of photos on a recent visit there.


***What are your favorite toppers for weathervanes?

RESTORATIVE MUSIC

My friend Renee Larson was commissioned to create an art piano for Calhoun Square, a small shopping mall near my home.  You've heard me mention Renee many times for the beautiful bow ties she creates for her business The Bow Tie Shoppe, and the art pianos she creates throughout the city are equally as beautiful.  The wonderful thing about these pianos, is that they are installed in random locations, and individuals are encouraged to play them, allowing people to interact with the art.

A work in Progress.

Vandals leave their mark.

Not long after she finished the Piano in Calhoun Square, it was vandalized with paint smudges and handprints.  What makes the vandalism sadder, is that these pianos are designed as a way to bring art, music, and ultimately joy to the general population, and now that outlet felt somewhat violated.

Music heals, and transcends all things.

However, music transcends all things - even vandalism.  Last week as I was walking through Calhoun Square, I heard someone playing the piano.  The music soared and echoed throughout the mall, bringing healing, and restoring sanctity one again to this beautiful piece of art.


***Are there art piano's in your area?

SOLO SHOT SUNDAY: THE WALK

"Are you cock of the walk when you're walking alone?"

"Jellicle Songs For Jelllicle Cats", from Cats.

***What helps you feel on top of your game?

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offense

Robert Frost, Mending Wall

***What are you choosing to wall in or wall out in your life?

A MUST SEA BOW TIE

Summer and water just seem to go hand-in-hand, and on those warm sunny days we long to be at the lake, at the coast, or resting on a beach.  There is something relaxing and rejuvenating about water and our souls seems to yearn for it.  I suspect it’s this longing for water that creates our love for all things nautical.  This love of nautical manifests itself in the décor of our homes, the outdoor activities we participate in, and above all in the clothing we wear.

Recently, I added this great nautical bow tie from Brooks Brothers to my collection, and it's my Bow Tie Friday pick this week.  This reversible bow tie perfectly carries the nautical theme to a new level.   A navy blue background with red and white rope stripes adorns one side, while the other presents us with white anchors and narrow navy and white stripes on a light blue background.  The navy with red and white ropes stripes is classic nautical, while the light blue background with anchors gives the illusion of clear, pristine water.  The combination of these two sides creates winning bow tie that can't fail.

Whether you’re near water or not, this is the perfect bow tie for summer, with just the right nautical theme to quiet and refresh your soul.

***What are your favorite pieces of nautical clothing?

THE WATER CAUGHT FIRE

"The sky broke like an egg in full sunset

and the water caught fire!"

Pamela Hansford Johnson

***Do you love sunsets as much as I do?