A Little Sunday Skepticism

Shamelessly stolen from Amy Alkon

who also linked to your Friday dose of woo from the Respectful Insolence blogger who cleverly takes on pseudoscience and pseudohistory.

Of McQueen: Mastery, Success and Despair

My mind has been on Alexander McQueen this week
wondering about his life of extremes
from his mastery of fashion, meaning not just clothes but wearable art
to his success as the world's youngest leading designer
to his despondency and death
He could create clothes such as these
that were so immanently wearable

like this suit, perhaps without the birds nest hat

and this feather dress which we all know was copied on project runway

and this tropical bird of paradise evening gown, utterly wearable without the feathers

He could also create clothes that were pure theatrical genius

Like this "Red Queen" coat, an Orientalist - Georgian confection

and this armored warrior queen - note that the dress without the mail is dazzling in its cut

this basking butterfly headdress

and these iconic "bedlingtons" so aptly named by Miss Cavendish

and this birds of prey in flight headdress seemingly holding up this frock.

How does a 40 year old man at the height of his success succumb to such despair as to commit suicide? Granted that he grieved for the mother that he lost only days before his death, and his friend/champion Isabella Blow that he lost three years previously, but to take his grief to such extreme is for me, not understandable.

When I consider all of the people who are out of work and have families to feed or who are seriously ill from a terminal decease, who get up everyday continue with their lives, I wonder that McQueen couldn't have found the will to go on.

I friend of mine lost his daughter to cancer almost two years ago, after battling it with her for almost 8 years. His daughter was 24 years old when she died. He despaired in fact he still despairs but he goes on with his life. A woman that I work with has had cancer treatment off and on for the last 6 years and now the cancer has metastasized to her brain. She goes on knowing how fragile life is and appreciates each additional day.

I guess that in some way I'm insufficiently sensitive to the trials and travails of the talented, successful and wealthy 40 year old McQueen.

I leave you with this link to part 1 of McQueen's last show, Plato's Atlantis.

The embed code has been disabled, thus the link.

Watch and enjoy the last of his brilliant body of work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eciYA7rygsw

Pure, White and Deadly

After a weekend of enjoying the most delicious cake from Victor Benes bakery and chocolates from Leonidas that are beyond description, I'm glad that Amy Alkon posted this video.
I needed a reminder that sugar is poison and if you have a spare hour and a half you should watch this too.
Your life could depend on it.

Fall Fashion Trends 2009 - Barcelona Fashion Week

I found these freaky photos from Barcelona Fashion Week on Yahoo News.

Considering that Spain has the highest rate of H1N1 in Europe

(there were 3 confirmed cases in the compound where I was staying)

is this going to be the new trend?

Diamonds - Another Reason To Love Them

People, I'm not making this stuff up... really...it's science!

Diamonds Are A Wound's Best Friend

Women tend to like them, meteors tend to make them and De Beers tends to hoard them, but now diamonds turn out to have a more constructive use: making nasty wounds heal faster.

As if we needed another reason to love diamonds...

Food, Inc. - The Movie

Food, Inc. -What every foodie should see this summer

When you travel to Argentina you see the people who consume that largest amount of meat on a per capita basis. They are so thin that they make even French people look hefty. Why do you think that is? My opinion...they eat a high protein diet but they don't eat meat, poultry and dairy that is full of growth hormones.

Don't Bet On Beauty In A Bottle Unless It's Botox (or Retin A)

Do we get more out of magazines like More?

I was thinking about the subject after reading this post by Miss Cavendish and reading what image consultant Karen at Of A Certain Age posted an article about her dissatisfaction with More this week.

Her pet peeve is why do these magazine show outfits that we can only afford to knock off instead of showing outfits that we can actually afford.

Don't make me knock off your expensive fashions, just show me ones that I really can afford, please! Oh! And while you're at it, how to wear them in my real life!

With so many articles about beauty products, particularly about those that buy ad space, can we believe anything that is written?

I don't read More, but I do glance at Vogue, Bazaar, W, Elle, Marie Claire, Lucky and In Style every month to see fashion and jewelry trends. But glance is the key word here.

And I totally ignore articles promoting beauty products.

I have always been skeptical of any cream, lotion or gel that claims to make you younger looking. Aging of course is genetic and perhaps the only way to slow down the process is to live a healthy lifestyle an avoid sun damage. No matter how much you spend on products like La Mer you're not going to change your DNA.

I spent my childhood in Southern California, except for one short year in Southeast Asia, and this was back in the days before sunscreen, when a tan was considered healthy. Of course I was out in the sun all the time.

So now I'm on a regime of sunscreen and Retin-A and when the time comes there will be appointments with my own Dr. Dreamy, Dr. David Sayah who has the loveliest way of saying "we can do something about those jowls"...."yeah, oh great, thanks maybe later".

The Center Epiderme at Frederic Fekkai on Rodeo Drive is Dr. Sayah's salon center for non surgical procedures and I'm thinking about investing in laser treatment. I know that it won't change my DNA but I think that it will be a better investment than $150 face cream.

Question: Has anyone tried an IPL Photofacial and if so what were the results?

Sleep Restriction Puts On The Pounds

And all this time I thought that it was because I sit in front of a computer screen 14 hours a day...
when what I really needed was more sleep
h/t instapundit

May-December - It Will Either Kill You Or Make You Live Longer

From Future Pundit via Instapundit
June 06, 2009
Men Married To Younger Women Live Longer
Many of my readers are looking for any edge they can find to extend their lives. They are willing to embrace scientific research results that suggest that a dietary practice or lifestyle choice will help them live long enough to still be around when rejuvenation therapies hit the market. I share this desire. With this thought in mind I have a tip for the guys: Danish men who marry women much younger than them live longer.
According to the research, if a man marries a woman 15 and 17 years his junior, his chances of dying early are cut by one fifth. Also, it suggests that men cut the risk of premature death by 11 percent if their wives are seven to nine years younger.
Another aspect highlighted by the study was that men who opted for older wives have an 11 percent higher chance of dying earlier.
Now, it could be that guys who do not age as fast are more attractive in their 40s and 50s than guys who age more rapidly. So they have an advantage over more rapidly aging guys when pursuing younger women. Then they also live longer for the same reason they were able to get the young woman. But some readers might want to play it safe and marry a younger woman just on the chance this might help. Maybe she'll care for you with more energy in your old age. Or maybe you'll just find more reason to live looking at a young hottie.
The study used a pretty big cohort of people.
The study, which covered the entire population of Denmark, tracked all deaths between 1990 and 2005.
I hear Randy Newman singing "You give me reason to live".

So for men seeking younger women (sugar babes) they can always try the online dating site
Sugardaddie.com

Being contrarian in all things I can attest to the fact that my marriage was the exception to this study since I was 22 years younger than my husband and he died at the age of 56.

So now what I want to know is
where's the study on older women marrying younger men and longevity?

The Case For Crunches

From the Telegraph

Woman survived paragliding accident 'due to washboard stomach'
A woman survived a paragliding accident because her "washboard" stomach muscles protected her other organs, experts told her.

Miss Williams, who has no children, said: "More than one doctor has said that being so fit is what saved my life. I do 15 sit-ups and 30 bicycle sit-ups, or lateral crunches, every day - it's just a one-minute regime.

OK, so there you have it...a one minute abs routine that can save your life....if you happen to be paragliding in Andalusia or not.

When The Glass Is Half Empty

From Bloomberg
Wine Adds Five Years to Life, More Than Beer, Dutch Study Finds

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- Half a glass of wine a day may add five years to your life, a new study suggests. Drink beer, and you’ll live only 2 1/2 years longer.

I believe in all things in moderation and all that but seriously....who opens a bottle and drinks only a half a glass of wine?

Fashion Week Reporting - Are Sample Sizes to Skinny?

When I want to read quality reporting on the Fashion Industry and Luxury Brands, I check out the Heard on the Runway blog on the Wall Street Journal online. While I enjoy reading WWD, I find their articles to be more product promotion than actual serious reporting about the Fashion industry.

From the blog:

It’s a fair bet that there has been nary a runway show all week without the presence of a model with an eating disorder. The industry has begun trying to come to terms with the high prevalence of malnutrition among the six-foot-tall models who are asked to slip into size zero clothing samples.
One tell-tale sign of severe malnutrition is a blotchy mosaic of mineral deposits under the skin. At runway shows, this is visible on some models’ arms and legs from as far back as the third row. A fashion photographer told me recently that they use special software to digitize this effect out of photographs.

Skinny Model

What I would like to know is how much better do the clothes look on an anorexic model? Would an extra 5 or 7 pounds on these girls be so devastating as to ruin the designer's concept on the runway?

There is a simpler and more effective way to end the extreme pressure for models to look emaciated: show larger sample sizes on the catwalks and magazines.
“We see this as a first step,” says Ms. Billinkoff, the CFDA’s spokeswoman, of the signatures on the petition. “Depending on the reaction, it’ll be time to mobilize. Will the next step be to go back up in a sample size from a zero to a two or a four or a six — which is what it used to be?”

Note: A little over 20 years ago on one of my trips to Paris I did my usual shopping for some pret a porter. Even then I was looking for a bargain so at Ungaro I ended up purchasing clothes that had been samples worn by the models in the Paris shows. They were chic and priced right.

My point...I was reasonably thin but certainly not skinny...and the clothes fit me fine. Today's models would have been swimming in the clothes that fit the runway models from 20 years ago.

Question: Were runway models during the 1980s too big to show clothes properly?

Is 80 The New 60?

Pelican Hill Golf Course in Newport Beach

We all know that 50 is the new 30, but is 80 the new 60?

Well apparently for my father it is.

Last night, as we celebrated my father's 80th birthday, I was wondering what kept him so youthful. Is it something in the Orange County water?

Here's a man who could be sitting in a Lazyboy in front of the HD tv. But no...he's too busy with working out at the gym 4 days a week for 1 1/2 hours each session, playing golf 1 or 2 times a week, working in his garden, singing in the choir at church, going to movies, seeing his friends, volunteering for neighborhood projects, and reading books. Next month, he and my step mother are off to Spain on vacation.

I think that the secret is in the balance of elements in his life, physical, spiritual and intellectual. And moderation in all things.

I Blame The Pill

Plenty of Pills

Have you ever looked back over your life contemplating the men that you've had relationships with and said...

OMG what was I thinking?

Well we finally have a new scientific study that explains why we got involved with all of those men who were...just so wrong.

The findings, from a team at the University of Liverpool, add to growing evidence that the hormones in the Pill influence the way that women assess male sexual attractiveness.

Experts believe that women are naturally attracted to men with immune system genes different to their own because of their smell.
Commenting on the latest study, the researchers said that it could indicate that the Pill disrupts women’s ability to judge the genetic compatibility of men by means of their smell.
They said that this might not only impact on fertility and miscarriage risk, but could even contribute to the end of relationships as women who stop or start taking the Pill no longer find their boyfriend or husband so attractive.

So now we know....it wasn't really our deep seated insecurities causing us to make bad decisions when it came to choosing men....it was the birth control pills altering our sense of smell and leading us astray from the men who should be our true genetically compatible mates.

Fifty Dollar Flip Flops or Some People Will Buy Anything

$50 FitFlops

And...by some people I mean me of course

While Style Spy is modeling her Manolos,

I'm trying to justify spending $50 on a pair of (As seen on Oprah!!) flip flops.

According to the FitFlop spin,

FitFlops are engineered with a multi-density midsole that stimulates your muscles more while you're wearing them. In independent University testing, FitFlops have been shown to trigger increased gluteal muscle response, increased hamstring response, increased rectus femoris (thigh) response and increased calf muscle response.

Now...if only Ferragamo could engineer muscle stimulating technology into their shoes....

Olympians of a Certain Age

The Indomitable Dana Torres

Dana Torres - Just Another Day at the Pool

Mark Foster - The Silver Fox Flag Bearer

Fierce Foster

From the Daily Mail Online

This article about the oldest swimmers in the Beijing Olympics

For anyone who thinks that Mark Foster is a little on the old side for swimming, three months beyond his 38th birthday, meet American Dana Torres.
She won't see 40 again. Olympic swimming pools used to be where adolescents splashed up and down before they went out into the real world to find themselves a job.
The average age was 18 and it was a rare one who swam at more than two Olympics. Not now. Foster retired at 35 but could not stay away. Torres, at 41, is making her third comeback.

Both are competing at their fifth Olympics, a swimming record for a British man and, in Torres' case, a record for a woman of any nationality. Foster was not selected for Athens four years ago and Torres was in 'retirement' when the 1996 and 2004 Games took place.
When she won the first of her nine Olympic medals in 1984 the Games were in Los Angeles, close to her home in Beverly Hills. Carl Lewis and Seb Coe were the heroes and Michael Phelps, who competes here for eight gold medals, was not even born.

And now Dana Torres has helped the US team win a silver in the 400 freestyle Relay.

To compete in the Olympics at any age is an amazing achievement. To compete in swimming after the age of 40 is one step away from being super human.

Anyone up for a Swim?

Stevie Nicks - A Class Act

STEVIE NICKS AND A GLOWING SARA

In our culture we are inundated with stories about actors, rock stars, entertainers and celebrities. We know what they wear, where they party, who they hook up with and what drugs they get charged with. But out there in Spin Land what we never hear about is the incredible private acts of kindness. I know about one and I'm going to tell you about it.

Sara, the daughter of Joe, a dear friend of mine, was diagnosed with juvenile Ewing sarcoma about 8 years ago. This is a rare fatal form of cancer that afflicts only about 200 children in the United States.

I don't know all the specific details of this story but here's the gist.

Stevie Nicks, songwriter and singer extraordinaire from the mega rock band Fleetwood Mac, became acquainted with Sara and became Sara's dear friend and supporter. Stevie and Sara both shared a love of Welsh mythology, particularly the tale of the horse goddess Rhiannon...yes that Rhiannon of the famous song. Over the years, whenever Sara was well enough, her father took her to see Stevie perform, all over the country. Stevie, who lost one of her dearest friends to cancer years ago, formed a deep bond with Sara and visited her in po-dunkville Pennsylvania, far from the glitterati of Los Angeles and New York.

Sara's father proactively advocated for her medical care taking her to the finest hospitals in the country and fighting to get her accepted into the most advanced experimental treatment programs. She had the best medical care available.

But I think that the experimental medical treatments had only a part in how long Sara survived after her initial diagnosis. I believe that it was the love of her father and the life affirming friendship with Stevie that kept her alive for over eight years. Stevie was in regular contact with Sara and kept her focused on a project that they were working on together. She gave Sara hope.

The cancer finally advanced to her lungs and on her last days at her home she gasped for breath. On her final day, heavily medicated, her father put some calming music on a CD for her to listen to, which helped to stop the breathing spasms. When the CD finished the heavens opened and a thunderbolt clapped, the rain poured down and Sara stopped breathing.

Sweet Sara, 24 years young, rest in peace. And Stevie Nicks, you are a CLASS ACT.

Take me like the wind, child

Take me with the sky

Take me now

Take me like the wind, baby

Take me with the sky

All the same

All the same

All the same, Rhiannon

All the same Baby, all the same

All the same
And he still cries out for her,"Don't leave me now."

Can I Get You A Drink?

Watermelon Daiquiri

I'll leave the sipping of Sherry to Oxford Dons and Jerez locals.

My drink of choice for these hot summer nights is a Watermelon Daiquiri.

I'll be serving it at home especially now that I've learned of the Viagra like effects of Watermelon.

Here's the recipe

Ingredients
4 cups frozen watermelon, cubes
1/2 cup light rum
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup triple sec
2 cups ice cubes
Directions
1Combine the watermelon, rum, Triple Sec and lime juice in a blender and process until smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally.
2Add the ice in batches and process until smooth.
3Serve in chilled glasses.

Care for a cocktail?

Style Advice from Books or Common Sense from Moi

Christina Brinkley, fashion reporter for the Wall Street Journal, wrote and article Does This Book Make Me Look Chic on the plethora of fashion and style advice books. Since most of us can't afford a personal stylist like Rachel Zoe, an investment in How Not to Look Old and Harper's Bizarre Great Style might be just what we need.
While I can't write a book on the subject...in fact I can barely write this blog....I do have a few style tips of my own.
1. Have your ready to wear clothes altered by an expert tailor so that they fit you like couture.
2. Wear high heals...the higher the better
3. Do yoga 3 times a week for posture and toning, then stand up straight
4. When given the opportunity always take the stairs and walk whenever possible
5. Follow the 3 color rule, or better yet 1 color with high quality accessories
6. Don't eat white foods except for fish
7. Have sex as often as possible for flexibility, toning and aerobic exercise
8. Try on enough pairs of jeans until you find the perfect fit, then buy several pairs
9. Don't buy just a single item of clothing that doesn't match anything, buy an entire outfit
10. Emphasize your best features by wearing the silhouette that is the most flattering