Elegant Survival

A Rare Find at Bergdorf Goodman:

Colleen Caramel-Coloured Corduroy Peplum Jacket by Milly

Town and Country Suit by Burton of Leeds

Read the measurements carefully for this elegant man's wool suit, vintage 1960s

Please read the measurements carefully. This elegant, double-breasted British tweed trench-coat is a treasure for the elegant man. You definitely ought to forgo the bottom-feeders' two-inch fly pants while wearing this classic piece of menswear from Great Britain.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OUTSTANDING-VTG-BRITISH-TWEED-TRENCHCOAT-44-/380393889801?pt=UK_Men_s_Coats_Jackets&hash=item58913e2009

My husband cuts my hair (I have resisted beauty-salons like the plague since Y2K), and is particularly fond of this recent photograph he took of his handiwork. He says that the haircut is "ideal for a mature woman of substance".  I am wearing an Eddie Bauer Skyliner down jacket, a pleated skirt knitted by Gi-Bi in Venice, Italy, gloves by Sermoneta, stockings by National, and a pair of Himalayan Khombu boots.

©M-J de Mesterton, December 2011

Elegant Haircut, Elegant Winter Dressing

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WOMENS-STUNNING-PURE-WOOL-VINTAGE-60S-SKIRT-SUIT-10-12-/290644034238?pt=UK_Women_s_Vintage_Clothing&hash=item43abbc02be

Elegant Deerskin Gloves

for Winter Survival Dressing

Where Is the Waist? Editorial by M-J

Where is the waist? That's what I wonder every time I look at photos of the newest "fashions." What is new about the same old tragic clothing-concepts bobbing up again, masquerading as innovative? For the past ten years, pants and skirts have consistently been manufactured without even coming close to the waist, yet they are touted as the "latest." To paraphrase General Honoré of Louisiana, someone's "stuck on stupid." I thought last spring that the tide of bad clothes was turning, but having perused some catalogues this month, it is apparent that clothing designers  are still denying their customers ample fabric to cover their "plumber's cracks." Snide cracks about "mom jeans" and thoroughly ignorant comments calling anything that indeed does come just up to the natural waist "high-waisted" are still being heard  and read by those of us who actually remember where the waist is located on the human corpus: the place for belts, sashes, snaps and buttons is an inch or two above the navel, depending upon one's height. The designer of the human body gave us the waist as an elegant way of keeping our pants, skirts  and trousers from falling down; also to enhance our corporeal proportions. The true waist never comes below the navel, and it certainly cannot be found two inches above one's crotch. Garments are falling down from where they rest on the hips, and the fashion world has insisted on staying down in the gutter after what seems to be a devastating, permanent fall from elegant, figure-enhancing style. Fashion-victims are afraid now to go against the hideous dictum that you must wear your clothes no higher than the hip. This is a big mistake, because if one follows the lines of his or her body, they will see that clothes descending from the waist lengthen the legs, while clothes that only come up to the hips turn even the slimmest among us into pot-bellied, short and sloppy -looking people who would have been laughed-at throughout the previous decades and centuries. Wearing six-inch heels to compensate for the bad deeds done to your figure by stingy clothing manufacturers and designers does nothing but make one look even sillier. Extra-high heels will damage both your feet and back, and will not give back the height robbed from you by idiotic torso-stretching trousers and skirts. For men, extra-long trousers do not visually lengthen your legs; rather, they make you look dumpy. The fail-safe, time-tested method of developing real glamour and style is to dress in natural, luxurious cloths and fabrics from the waist-down; wear two-to-three inch heels if you are a woman, and keep your trousers from heaping into a puddle on top of your shoes if you are a man. And don't forget the stockings and socks. No one will notice that you are not blindly and self-destructively following bad fashion. But, they will wonder why on earth you look so good, while their trousers are slipping into the mire together with all sense of style. Now, there is the waist, our anchoring feature of elegant style. Pants, trousers and skirts constructed without it are a waste! © Copyright M-J de Mesterton; September 14th, 2010 Waist-to-Height Ratio and Your Health: an easy-to-use page that tells you how to find your waist, recommends its ideal measurement for your height, gender and age, calculates your body-mass index and displays one's optimum daily caloric-intake.

M-J de Mesterton is elegantly dressed for a wintry Saturday evening at home with her husband. An Eddie Bauer classic  Skyliner down jacket, a Casio G-Shock watch and black pearls complement a form-fitting gown.

©Elegant Survival November 2011

Bali Skimp-Skamp

Here is a proper pair of ladies' underwear that clings to the waist for smooth lines and a pulled-together feeling: Bali Brief # 2633

©M-J de Mesterton, Elegant Survival 2011

The Classic G-Shock DW-5600-1V by Casio has a battery that will last for many years (some have reported it lasting 18 and 20 years), and basic functions like digital day/date, seconds, optional light at the press of a button, and a rugged, replaceable watch-band. Its easy-to-set alarm, resistance to water and impact makes this classic Casio watch perfect for wear during trips away from home. This is an elegant time-piece, highly recommended in reviews on Amazon.com. ©M-J de Mesterton

Loulou de la Falaise

Elegant woman's tweed suit with velvet collar and twin-pleat skirt. Listing says size 14, but read the measurements carefully--it is more like a size 8 or 10. Superb Cambrian Welsh Tweed Double Breasted Skirt Suit, by Laura Ashley--the quality is amazing; beautiful heavyweight pure wool cloth by a mill no longer in production; fully-lined, amazing red, green and blue colour combination, superb styling, black velvet colar, side patch pockets. This skirt suit will get you through the winter and Christmas parties in classic style. The warmth of this luxurious double-breasted tweed jacket may even eliminate the need for an overcoat on some dry, cold days, when worn with a cashmere or wool scarf. This Laura Ashley vintage suit is in excellent condition, and is offered at a very low starting bid by our sterling friend Peter in Herefordshire.

A figure-flattering skirt in luxurious, elegant tweed, this classic has a waistband that can be let-out to 28".

Elegant Winter Dressing

For daytime, I would wear this skirt-suit with a white, high-necked jabot or ruffled blouse, or a white turtleneck. At night, you could wear a silk blouse in red, blue, green or black under this fabulous velvet-collared jacket. This elegant tweed lends itself to many colour combinations.

A pair of tall, warm black boots would be perfect with this elegant tweed suit, as would some black leather or velveteen gloves. A black or white fur hat would complement the ensemble.

If this classic tweed skirt-suit fits your dimensions, you are fortunate. Good luck bidding!

An exquisite, face-and-figure-flattering classic woman's suit in Islay tweed wool, offered by our sterling friend Peter in Herefordshire. This is a three-season, light wool ladies' suit that has an elegantly-tapered, back-slit, knee-length skirt and a jacket which will lend an hour-glass shape to its wearer. This is the height of daytime elegance for a woman who attends luncheons and/or business meetings.

~~M-J

Elegant Woman's Harris Tweed Riding Jacket, Trimmed in Black Velvet, Available for Purchase

Made in England

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUPERB-VINTAGE-TAILORMADE-TOWN-COUNTRY-SUIT-44R-/380374738996?pt=UK_Men_s_Suits_Tailoring&hash=item589019e834#ht_2900wt_1037

Elegant Men's Tweed Suit, Size 44 Regular, Offered by Our Sterling Friend Peter in Herefordshire

Looking at two men's style magazines this fall, I was appalled at the sloppy interpretations of traditional clothing. Here's one: "waistcoats" or vests that are way too long. A waistcoat is just that, and no amount of fanciful tinkering with length, just to be edgy or to conceal low-slung trousers is going to change the fact. The incorrectly-extended garment needs to be called something else:

Crotch-Coat

And, speaking of low-slung trousers, men are still buying whatever the clothing industry produces, even if their legs are visually miniaturised in the process. Now, to go along with their plumber's-crack specials,  guys are wearing ties that go down to their crotches, as well as clownishly long vests over billowing shirts (additional consequences of mindlessly following fashion).  The clothing culture has become so twisted that people of both genders are confusing "high-waisted" with waist-high--which is the level at which anyone with good taste wears his or her trousers and skirts.

 ©M-J de Mesterton 2011

Why wear socks that only go halfway up your legs? They are neither elegant nor warm. Three seasons of the year, I wear knee-length or long-socks made of wool--here is my source, Woods of Shropshire. In summer, I wear knee socks knitted from cotton, even on the tennis court. Like waist-high skirts and trousers, they make your legs appear long--a classic, elegant look which has always been desirable. 

©M-J de Mesterton

Washing and Drying Your Shirts

By M-J de Mesterton, Copyright 2008

A well-made shirt can cost $500.00 or more. That is an investment to protect. Your shirts will last much longer if they are washed by hand and hung to dry. Don’t use so much detergent that it takes a rinsing marathon to remove it. “A little dab’ll do ya”, as the old Brylcreem jingle said. Ideally, one would hang shirts on a clothesline, upside down, with clothespins. This keeps pinch-marks off the important areas of your shirts. The sun will dry them in no time. Alternatively, one could hang them indoors, perhaps out-of-sight behind the the shower curtain, on hangers. A sturdy spring-rod, placed inside the shower area for the purpose of hanging clothes to dry will not interfere with your existing shower-rod. If you don’t want to get hanger-marks on the shoulders, just put wash-cloths under them, over the ends of your hanger. The worst thing to do, even if you wash your shirts in cold water in the gentle cycle, is to dry them in a machine–doing so will quickly degrade your shirt, which will die an angry death before its time. My husband and I have shirts from France and England that are twenty years old, and in perfect condition. An electric, energy-consuming dryer is an enemy to high-quality clothing. In fact, dryers shrink clothes and wear them out quickly; lint is composed of fibers that a machine robs from your clothes. You’d be surprised at how swiftly shirts dry naturally, and when they are just a wee bit damp, they’re easy to iron.

In cases of stubborn collar and cuff soil (I call it "cafe crud"), when hand-scrubbing fails, you can still wash your white shirts in hot water, soap, and a little bleach if necessary, as long as they are rinsed well, and then hung to dry. (Bleach alternative may be a better choice, if you can get it to work on stubborn stains.) Bleach is to be used only after stain-removal steps like soaking in Zote soap or Octagon (shirtmaker Alexander Kabbaz recommends Octagon for hand-washing his works of art) have been attempted without success. Always use as little bleach as possible, diluted before adding to wash-water, and only on white shirts. Bleach has a corrosive effect on your shirt’s fibers. The sun will do some natural bleaching of white cotton. Save costly energy and prolong the life of your shirts by hand-washing and sun-drying them. Giving your precious shirts to a dry-cleaner or other laundry service is wasteful. They crush buttons and machine-dry the poor things.

Do clothes hanging on a line outdoors conjure up bad images for you? Too bad, because it is one of life’s simple luxuries to be able to dry a beautiful, well-made shirt in the sun–some of the best people do it. Believe me, it’s not remotely infradig to care for your own shirts. After all, who cares for them more than you do? ~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, May 2008