Modern style

I love to study an interesting woman's style:  I adore the good, the bad, and the ugly, but eff the banal.  Banal to me would be the ultra-polished/finished, impeccably manicured woman whose life is ruled by her lipstick, nails, or shoe polish; although the discipline required to remain that coiffed no-matter-what is noteworthy, it isn't captivating, or at least not to me.  Banal is also the woman who dresses exclusively for men; the women who forcefully jettisons her assets and attitude and sensuality with too much calculation. To me, banal style is stiff and/or vulgar style(s) simply because the real woman and spirit disappear.

That said, there is no formula or prototype for je ne sais quoi: I mean, look at Nan Kempner; of course she was the UES clothes-horse who wore looks a little too literally (for my taste), but hey, she smoked like a chimney, danced on tables, wore Le Smoking sans Le Pants to dinner, and wore white bikinis with heels on holiday...my type of girl... There's regal-icy Cate Blanchett in copacetic Givenchy:  unusual, unexpected and dramatic clothes for a same actress...there is Amanda Brooks with her waspy air, extreme-sport alter-ego, and unabashed love of fur and Celine; I can see her with a fresh-scrubbed face and an over-the-top Fendi stole...  And we have to note that beauty habits integrate/influence:  I love how Lauren Santo Domingo is perfectly polished and yet, skips the ubiquitous manicure/trendy nail polish; I think her Into the Gloss interview started a boycott of pointless manicures by chic women everywhere. There are so many others:  my dear friend Bisi, an exotically gorge model/stylist in her skinny jeans/Comme de Garcon kimono/kitten heels/afro waiting in line for Tom Thumb fried chicken, circa 2000, Minneapolis:  crazy, funny and chic...just like the woman herself.

So there you have it:  female mystique is an odd and fickle blend.

Katharine, Phoebe, and Carolyn:  My go-tos for style-and-otherwise inspiration: