My fabulous parents

I just returned from a trip to California. One of the things I love about going back to my home state to see my parents is digging through old photo albums. I covet pretty much everything my parents wore in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including my Dad's bell bottoms. I wish I owned more dark denim flared jeans. One of things that impresses me about these photos is that my parents managed to keep their sartorial dignity during an era that was known for some pretty regrettable fashion. I've never seen a photo of them sporting polyester pant suits or crazy floral prints -- in other words, nothing that a hipster would wear ironically now. Both of them really have a classic sense of style.

I threatened to post these photos under "vintage inspiration." Ha ha, just kidding Mom! Though seriously, clothing I wore when I was a teenager is now being sold as vintage. I'm 29! I blame fast fashion.

Lovely Liza

Hello blogging buddies! I noticed that it's been more than week since my last post, but that's not because I've been feeling under the weather. I've actually been on the mend over the last few days. In fact, I had enough energy to go shopping for summer clothes (I basically shop in spurts -- twice a year to reflect the changing weather in Taipei with a few separates, shoes and accessories in between). But my photographer has been working overtime because his co-editor is on vacation and I don't own a tripod. So, no outfit posts! Heh.

Anyway, I wanted to share this enchanting video of a young Liza Minnelli singing and dancing on her mother's show. I've loved Liza Minnelli since I first saw her in "Cabaret" when I was about 12 or 13. I think she has an amazing combination of vulnerability, giddiness and strength and I admire her candor (and her sister, Lorna Luft's) about the tendency to alcoholism and substance abuse that runs in their family. And I am a huge fan of "Arrested Development." Loose seals forever!

My Mom's closet

I love her jacket, flared jeans and the dash of color her scarf imparts to the outfit!

Whenever I visit my hometown in California, I always pore over my family's photo albums. My parents were stylin' in the late 1970s and early 1980s! (They're still stylin' now). When I first got into vintage clothing, I asked my Mom why she hadn't saved any of her clothes and she said "how was I supposed to know you'd like old things?" Boohoo.

My Mom's earrings were made of tiny pale blue silk flowers. I used to wear them. I think I may have destroyed them, actually. Oops! Check out my Dad's gray slacks and plaid shirt.

My parents' first apartment. See how awesome it is? Look at those funky floor cushions! The modernist coffee table! The rug! This is late seventies decorating at its best.

My parents feed a squirrel at Grand Canyon. Check out my Mom's Lopi-style knitted jacket!

In Taipei. My knitted cardigan had orca whales on it and was made by my grandma (my brother had a matching one in pale blue).

Ooh, we look so 1981 here! I love my green crochet poncho with the fringe and my Mom's puffy vest and plaid shirt.

These are just a few of the photos we have of my Mom in her awesome outfits. I'm looking forward to scanning in more pics next time I go home. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! in Taipei

I'm still working on getting my outfit-making mojo back. It's getting warmer in Taipei (finally!) and all I've wanted to do is wear t-shirt dresses and avoid thinking about another muggy, hot summer. In the meantime, I want to share one of my favorite Taipei-based fashion blogs, which is run by the owner of Eureka! Eureka! Eureka!, a cool boutique in Taipei.




The woman in all these photos is Sandy Wu, who opened Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! in her mid-twenties. I interviewed her a few months ago. She's very soft-spoken, a definite contrast to her outfits. I love her sense of color, proportion and fun. Also, her store recently started carrying those Les Queues de Sardines tights you've probably recently seen on a few fashion blogs and the only thing that is stopping me from running over and grabbing a pair is that we have an insane cat who is good at sensing when things are expensive and delicate. He caught him gnawing a pair of socks I'd knit the other day. Bad cat!

I'll be using Sandy's blog as inspiration for my own summer outfit planning. There's a definite art in dressing for weather that's extremely humid. I'm a big fan of just pulling on a sundress, but I realized while going through my wardrobe the other day that I don't actually own that many sundresses. I want to invest in more separates so I have some more variety, but I'm also not great at mixing and matching! Sigh. Anyway, for those of you who are looking forward (or not) to very hot summers, what are your wardrobe survival tips?

Unlikely Sources of Inspiration: "Eastern Promises"

It's been a while since I did an Unlikely Sources of (style) Inspiration post. In fact, I think the last one, about "The Orphan" was also my first one. I like finding ideas in costumes from films that aren't thought of as "costume films," especially if the outfits say things about each character that you can't necessarily glean from the dialogue.

Directed by David Cronenberg, "Eastern Promises" is about the Russian mafia in London and is known for its infamous naked knife fight scene, which involves Viggo Mortenson's character, Nikolai, and two other gangsters (though, technically, only Mortenson was naked and the knives were linoleum cutters, but I digress). The plot revolves around Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a large London hospital who becomes obsessed with finding the family of a Russian teenager who died giving birth.

Throughout the course of the movie, we find out that Anna is motivated by several highly emotional experiences, including a miscarriage and the recent death of her Russian-born father. Her uncle Stepan spends a lot of time with Anna and her mom and I loved the family's interactions because they reminded me of the dynamics between the first- and second-generation Taiwanese-Americans in the community I grew up in.

When she isn't in hospital scrubs, Anna's wardrobe consists mainly of jeans and heavy knits (the movie takes place entirely between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) in neutral hues, but they have little details like unusual closures and intricate stitch patterns. Her character is warm, practical, intelligent and hard-headed -- but at the same time very vulnerable. I think those traits are well-represented by her wardrobe.

In several scenes, she wears a motorcycle jacket to ride her father's old motorcycle, which he brought over from Russia. The jacket and helmet serve as a sort of armor, while at the same time tying Anna to her late father and, in turn, her Russian heritage. In fact, all of her jackets and overcoats are black and sharply-tailored, which links her visually to the gangsters, including Nikolai, that she becomes increasingly involved with.

The set detail in the movie is also great. Most of "Eastern Promises" takes place in Anna's mother's apartment, which is filled with the kind of knick-knacks you'd expect to see in a multicultural family's apartment (an embroidered wall hanging contrasts with Laura Ashley-ish curtains and a large collection of porcelain cows in the kitchen) or an upscale Russian restaurant that is a front for Nikolai's gang. The restaurant is grand and decorated in dark colors (pine green, dark varnished wood, crimson) that look festive or ominous depending on the scene.

I highly recommend "Eastern Promises," but it's a very violent film, so don't see it if gore freaks you out!

The little details in "Elizabeth"

"Elizabeth" was one of my favorite movies when I was in high school. As a (former) theater geek, I adored the little details in the costumes, like the motifs embroidered onto Elizabeth's mesh sleeves, layers of jewelry, ribbons intertwined with braids and the scallops on Dudley's jacket.

Jean Simmons: Strength and Beauty

As you may have heard, actress Jean Simmons passed away last week. I knew her work through two movies at opposite stages of her career: Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" (she played Ophelia when she was just a teenager) and "The Thorn Birds," in which Simmons portrayed Meggy's distant mother.

Simmons was an intelligent, feisty and well-spoken woman who had a long, distinguished career; she also overcame alcoholism at one point in her life. Her amazing personality really comes out in all the obituaries I've read so far -- in fact, every thing I've ever read or heard about her sparkles with Jean Simmons' spirit.

All above photos from the Life magazine archive