For those of you who don't know us, we're the Idiosyncratic Fashionistas, "women of a certain age" blogging since 2009, but wearing clothes and having opinions for a lot longer! We met in 2008 at the Manhattan Vintage Show, discovered a shared a love of hats, vintage clothing and Japanese, Israeli and Danish fashion, and the rest is history!
Click here to view the Today Show's Style Heroes YouTube video clip. (We appear in the 10th clip.) In July 2017, The Today Show posted a wonderful video and online article about us and how we are redefining style for older women. Please click here to view the July video.
Included in this year's 40 Style Heroes are such luminaries as Lady Gaga, Pink, Christy Brinkley, Tyra Banks, Serena Williams, Madison Keyes (US Open women's tennis finalist), Paris Jackson, Chrissy Metz (actress from This is Us), Meghan Markle (actress from Suits and girlfriend of Prince Harry), Ellie Kemper (actress from The Office), Zac Posen (fashion designer), Bobbi Brown (makeup guru), Laurie Hernandez & Aly Raisman (Olympic gymnasts), Julianne Hough (Dancing with the Stars), Sophia Bush, Mandy Moore, Michaela Prince (Dutch National Ballet) -- and us!
Bar the door! On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, Today Show Style has turned over its Instagram feed to us. Quick, before they figure out that we don't belong among such an august group, read on to learn more about us and what we're up to! Five of the shots in this post will appear on the Today Show Style Instagram feed.
Since mainstream fashion largely ignores "women of a certain age", we launched our blog to give us a voice. Our mantra is: "We are not dead and we are not invisible". We search out accessories, shoes, clothing and, of course, hats, as well as events and activities that pique our interest. For several years, we also post on Instagram (@idiosyncraticfashionistas). We get to cover gallery shows, museum openings, craft shows, New York Fashion Week runway shows and presentations as members of the press.
The photo above was taken last week at the Museum at FIT's party celebrating the opening of "Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme" which runs through January 6, 2018. Although we rarely consult in advance, we often end up in coordinating outfits. Case in point: we both showed up in black and white at FIT.
Remember when old ladies were expected to fade into the background, not make waves and wear sensible shoes (whatever that means)?
Although society may encourage older women to blend in and not make waves, we choose to ignore that advice and actively seek out opportunities to enjoy life, have fun and make a splash. New York City provides sooo many opportunities for fun. For example, a street art portrait of Salvador Dali provides a perfect photo op. That we both ended up in black with in red accessories was a happy coincidence.
Since fashion rules are made to be broken, Valerie offers the following non-rules: Don't be afraid to wear a green straw top hat with a veil. Match your blue and orange geometric print dress with a green shirt. Wear a Christmas ornament around your neck. (Just be careful not to break it.) Jean says: Skip the sensible shoes! Since most shoe designers do not create fashionable and comfortable shoes for older women, be resourceful. Jean discovered remarkably comfy yet stylish boots by German company Trippen, featuring geta-like double platforms aka "flatforms" for height and glamour. An Ignatius straw turban adds interest to basic black.
We encountered this punk kid in sunglasses artwork (below) in the Peninsula Hotel on Fifth Ave. at W. 55th Street on our way to the rooftop restaurant. Life advice: Don't be afraid to emulate the art work. Valerie's fashion advice? Get a 30-year old Issey Miyake polka dot skirt out of your closet and match it with a 10-year old Guy Laroche second hand striped jacket. Pull them together with a $2.99 cotton camisole from H&M. Jean says look for a hat resembling a flying saucer, add vintage Bakelite accessories, signature sunglasses, black cotton Zara tunic, black Miyake harem pants and voila!
Life is short. Have fun! Interact with street art! Valerie's approach: Tuck in your red polka dot dress and wear it as a shirt. Buy a dull beige hat and spray paint it red. Add adhesive white dots for extra fun. Jean pairs a go-anywhere black jumpsuit with an Ignatius black straw clown hat - just the thing for fleeing Japanese sci-fi critters!
If matchy-matchy is bad, then we're super-bad. For a recent casting call, Valerie unapologetically matched her '90s Ellen Tracy suit with a brand new Norma Kamali turban, then contrasted them with a $2.99 Forever 21 striped cotton cami and target practice flea market plastic earrings. Those donut-sized black cuffs? Hair bun donuts from H&M. Jean is rocking the black & white look with Alembika pants, C&C cotton peplum top, beaded necklace by Carol Markel, Henrik Vibskov bowler and vintage signature sunglasses, bangles and rings complete the look. Are WE wall flowers? On this wall, YES!
To celebrate a DuBuffet sculpture at the Seagram's Building, Valerie advises: Wear a Calvin Klein white linen suit after Labor Day with spectator oxfords. For contrast, pair them with a Forever 21 cami. Show off your gray hair with an open-crowned hat. Add striped foam donut size bracelets. With a Donna Karen top, Brigitte harem pants and vintage Bakelite jewelry, Jean dons a jaunty Henrik Vibskov molded straw bowler with its own topknot and Trippen flatforms. Now, just ask a tourist to take your picture.
Hope you enjoyed our blog and Instagram posts. Tell us what you think! Follow us. Come back again soon.
