Chiapas Ole!

The embroidery on this folklorico skirt and top from the Chiapas region of Mexico is just stunning.  In twenty-eight years of business I have had only three of these in my shop.  It's folk art pieces like this that give me chills.  I love doing show-and-tell when someone expresses an interest in older hand work. They are so much better in person. Stop by for a tour!

Skirt & Blouse: large flowers and shields embroidered in vibrant silk thread on sheer netting, from Chiapas, Mexico

Hat: mini straw faintly striped sombrero 

Matisse Stripes

 

I have loved Matisse's work since my teens, and this dress brings to mind the smaller works he did of exotic women reclining on Middle Eastern prints and stripes. I was lucky enough to see his paintings in Nice and Paris, but truly fine works are in the Chicago Art Institute, and there is a whole wing of the National Gallery of Art in D.C. devoted to his enormous cut-outs (oh my fabulous!).  He's had a big influence on my paintings and styling. Google his work and you'll see why he's still so thrilling, and let me know what paintings you love and where you've seen them.

Dress: 1930s sheer striped silk

Hat: 1960s boater straw, with fuchsia silk belt

Veil: Victorian silk scarf