Royal Stewart Plaid Kilt from the Scottish Kilt Shop
12538 Basque Pl Woodbridge VA 22192 USA
INTRODUCTION
My plaid passion began sometime in my youth although I can’t say exactly when. But plaid has been a favorite pattern of mine as far back as I can remember.
My earliest memory may have just been the pattern itself. But there is no question that I soon developed a taste for anything with it.
I had clothes, a jacket and tartan plaid sheets and towels. My mother even had a plaid bathrobe.
But it was not until I was an adult that I learned about the Scottish plaids that represented the clans. They proudly wore the tartan and it was not just for decoration.
I later learned that there are many different tartan plaids as well as plaids that are unrelated to Scottish clans.
The Vermont Country Store is where you can get all kinds of plaid sheets and other bedding to your heart’s content
There are two types of plaid that I love. They are tartans plaid and lumberjack plaid aka buffalo check. The former come from the clans that wove this fabric and made their garments from these ancestral patterns.
This toddler’s dress is in the Royal Stewart Dress plaid. It is by George and available on Poshmark.
Their history is described here in this post. In addition, images above focuses on bedding and clothes in the Royal Stewart tartan plaid while images for lumberjack plaid aka buffalo check are on the next blog post.
CONTINUE
My plaid passion has never worn out. In fact to this day, I have found a new object for my love of plaid, handbags. I don’t think I ever owned a plaid one. But that is about to change. Searching online, I have discovered an abundance of plaid handbags. This actually includes those made out of wool and cotton. Then there are my outstanding favorites, patent leather plaid.
This is an outstanding example of a patent leather plaid handbag found on poshmark.
Although the above handbag is not in a traditional plaid, it is still beautiful. Here is a tote that is in a traditional Stewart plaid.
This tote was found on Etsy and is decorated in Stewart plaid.
It is a well known fact in the fashion industry that haute couture can only be afforded by the very wealthy. Thanks to the world of ‘knock-off’ fashion, the extraordinary becomes affordable. Therefore, this blog post provides some really surprising financial examples of this in the handbag industry.
Anne Hathaway’s famous blue sweater that Meryl Streep lectures her about in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
As Meryl Streep deliberately explains to Ann Hathaway in, ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘, the extraordinary births the ordinary. Meryl Streep describes the origins of a shabby blue sweater that Anne Hathaway is wearing. Its history is from glamorous haute cuttiere. Anne Hathaway is totally oblivious to this. At this stage in the movie, Anne has no idea that the the ordinary is inspired by the extraordinary.
WILD ABOUT HANDBAGS
Although I am not devotee of high fashion clothing, I am wild about handbags. Therefore I have been studying the world of glamour in this industry. One of my favorite companies is Rebag. I have been introduced to luxury handbags through their social media and website. This adds to the knowledge I already have to what I consider affordable quality handbags including Coach, Dooney and Bourke, and Kate Spade.
Luxury Gingham bag on left and two less expensive bags to its right
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
Since I have only been able to encounter handbags in the hundreds in person, I can only surmise the difference in the cost of those in the thousands.
My favorite Coach vintage bag is called the Willis bag. Because it is a classic, variations of it have been made over many decades. A recent version, in green, and two original designs are pictured below.
They are all high quality Coach products but their age can impact the price by several hundred dollars. Due to its rarity, the vintage Willis is about twice the cost of the new one.
Three Coach Willis bags are pictured here. The green one is the latest version. Photo from Coach. The two on the right are classic version. Photos from Etsy.
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS
I had no idea that there were handbags that were more expensive than new automobile or even a house. Even those designer bags have imitators or want-to-be handbags. The designer bags include the Hermes Birkin bags which are six and seven figures. Their inspired versions cost a few hundred retail like the totes from Coach and Kate Spade.
Three pink totes ranging from nearly a $1 million Hermes Birkin Bag, a five figure Prada bag to a Coach tote on sale for about $100.
WHIMSICAL
Both very expensive and less expensive handbag companies make whimsical purses. Great whimsy inspires affordability. The most famous of this is Judith Leiber handbags. They are very whimsical as well as expensive. In similar fashion, Kate Spade came out with its frog bag. The former retails for a few hundred dollars. The latter goes for between about $5,000.
A Kate Spade Wicker Frog Bag next to A Judith Leiber Frozen Marguerita Clutch. The Judith Leiber is over 10 times as expensive as the Kate Spade bag.
ALMOST TWINS
These two totes are so similar. In fact, I took a double take when I discovered the Burberry Remington tote. It’s hard to believe that it can cost up to five times as much as the Kate Spade on the right when this designer ‘knock’ goes on sale.
Two bags that look so similar. The Burberry on the left can be five times as expensive as the Kate Spade on the right when it goes on sale.
GUESS WHICH BRAND THIS ONE IS
Sometimes the affordable bags are so well made that one can’t tell the difference between luxury, ‘working girl designer’ (like Coach and Kate Spade) or a total ‘knock off’. This example is from the best knock off company I have found. If you’re curious, the answer is in the Sources and Resources section.
Guess which brand this is. The answer is in Sources & Resources.
CONCLUSION
As a handbag collector and flea market stalker, I am always on the prowl for that special but accessible bag that the seller is practically giving away. Wouldn’t it be great if someone was selling an extraordinary purse for next to nothing. That is my dream. So I continue to search and collect in the hope my dream comes true.
My designer purse gems were not difficult for me to select from my rather large collection of favorite designer and style bags. Some are on my studio wall to provide a decorative view of this room. Others decorate my bedroom, and the rest are housed in their own cabinet. Four of my designer purse gems are featured in this blog post. Indeed these four are my favorites even though I have many others that I love.
For example, I own about a dozen Coach bags. These and others purses are the ones that serve as decoration on my studio wall. They are all still usable as pocketbook. They are truly my designer purse gems.
This wall displays most of my Coach Bag collection as well as others and is the view on my studio wall
My Gems
From the above and other purses that I have collected, there are four that are the absolute gems. The images below or either from my own collection or from the companies themselves. How I wish you could see them and touch them. Maybe one day, they will all be in a design museum or a handbag collection in a interdisciplinary one. Museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Modern Art, also in New York and The Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Then you will able to see them in person.
These are pictures of the bags that I posses or similar ones to my own. From left to right, Coach original Wills bag, new Coach Willis 18 bag, Dooney & Bourke teton bag, and the Furla round bag.
Public Gems
Did you know that there are other museums that do house outstanding everyday objects of superior design? Well, there are. Even though some of my bags are design to last ‘forever’, I hope that as many people as possible will be able to enjoy them by experiencing them. Then my designer purse gems, will be your design purse gems, too.
The banner for Dooney & Bourke All Weather leather bags blog.
THE DUCK BRAND
the famous vintage style ‘All Weather Leather’ duck bag is captured here.
Acquiring an ‘all weather leather’ Dooney & Bourke bag started my collection. That is because a D & B bag was the ideal way to dress on rainy days and fun vintage bag days. So began my collecting. But it did not last forever.
Although this company had it purse beginnings in all weather leather, it have moved on to other styles and materials. When they moved on, I moved on as well.
But their all weather leather is still my favorite Dooney & Bourke. That’s why I want to focus this post on ‘their duck bag’.
Their original styles can sometimes be found on sites like ebay and Pinterest
MEMORIES
The bag shown below is similar to the very first one I ever owned. It was my first step into designer bags. From there, my story continues.
A New Vintage Dooney & Bourke Handbag found on ebay
COLLECTING QUALITY LEATHER PURSES
As I mentioned, my first love was Dooney & Bourke. Coach had not introduced vibrant color yet. Therefore I gravitated to the colorful ‘all weather leather’ that caught my eye when I began collecting. Because of the vibrant, colorful design of all the bags I bought, the one below has always been my favorite. It was the teton bucket purse style.
I found so many picture of ‘All Weather Leather’ Bags when I was researching this post. To be thorough, I am including this image from ebay.
Images of some of the Dooney & Bourke vintage bags that are available on ebay.
Traveling Coach Style is a very fun and pleasant ways to coordinate a purse with an outfit. As a connoisseur of fine leatherware, I gifted myself a new purse each birthday for many years. In fact, the brand has either been a Coach or a Dooney & Bourke.
Above is the blurb about Coach on their Yahoo page. Note the Coach logo in the top right
Each company has a long history of quality leather goods. Although they both use primarily leather and fabric, their results are uniquely recognizable. So whether one is ‘traveling coach style’ or in ‘all weather leather’, with these products, it is always with fashion in mind.
The original logo of a duck representing the Dooney & Bourke brand of all weather leather.
I have not always been able to afford the latest and newest creation of my favorite leather goods. Since our budget has changed dramatically in recent years, I have become a frequenter of thrift stores. I am always on the lookout for great buys. In this category I have found many.
Rebag is newest, hippest, most affordable ways to acquire re(used) luxury handbags.
In fact, I recently discovered Rebag, re(used) purses that are not just for the shabby. They are very chic but less expensive than to buy them new.
For your viewing pleasure, future posts about this topic will feature pictures of great designs, colorful bags, and some of my very own favorites. Keep reading these fun fashion posts, to find out my most desired bag for my upcoming birthday.
Here’s are illustrations of early Coach bags. When was the Coach Company founded and who designed their early bags?
QUIZ
To answer this Coach quiz question, ‘when was the Coach Company founded and who designed their early bags’?, or comment on this post, scroll to the very bottom of the page and engage in Disqus. If you do not find Disqus, click on the ‘continue reading’ box on the right hand side to reveal it.
Superior home entertainment activities have become my favorite social distancing pastime during the COVID pandemic. In order for me to participate in this luxury of domestic and foreign films, series, and documentaries, I need the following:
1. entertainment equipment (a computer or smart TV)
2. streaming venue subscriptions
3. access to individual films and series
Details about equipment may be featured in a post at some future date. But this post focuses specifically on information about streaming venues. It highlights individual films, series, and actors, especially. Therefore, a group of our favorite entertainment selections happens to be the primary focus of this blog post.
ENTERTAINMENT EQUIPMENT
Samsung Neo QLED
In fact, I was reminded of this when I posted about home entertainment on my my Facebook page recently. I wrote, “What’s on my mind this morning? Did you know that my husband, Phillip Jacobs and I are huge film and TV drama series fans?” We even have a Facebook page devoted to this topic, Streaming Choices by Alison. Now we offer this blog post, too.
STREAMING VENUES
Our two primary venues are Netflix and Prime. Occasionally, we will watch something on Youtube or stumble upon another streaming venue.
The Netflix and Prime logos
OUR CURRENT FAVORITES LIST
As part of this new pastime, many of our choices are off the beaten path of mainstream entertainment. For this reason, they may not be foremost in your memory. Actually, some actors and selections may be unknown to regular movie goers. To me, this is what makes our topic fun, even unique. As a result, choices may expose readers to a whole new world of superior home entertainment options. Immediately below is a montage of non-clickable links.
This is a montage of unlinked images of our current selections of superior home entertainment choices. Clickable links are available from individual entries.
11. Lifetime Acting Achievement Award James Gandolfini
Although best known by far for his award winning role in the Sopranos, Down the Shore, is a little known film that we found very appealing. The story itself will surprise you.
CONCLUSION
So, there you have it. Some of our favorites. Their inclusion has no rhyme or reason. In fact, we just love them. To illustrate their diversity, we have included American selections and International selections. Besides that, there are contemporary choices and classic choices. As you can see, our choices are from a broad range of options.
If you have others favorites, please let me know in the comments area at the very bottom of this post. But remember this, please do not labor over your choices. In fact, you should be spontaneous. In other words, from the heart not the intellect. Mention just the ones you love.
Butcher ‘rock star’ Jonel Picioane proudly poses in his Ridgewood European Pork Store for The Bushwick Daily. The is located in Ridgewood Queens since the 1930’s. This write up is for The Bushwick Daily.
INTRODUCTION
The Ridgewood European Pork Store transcends modern-day food. It is, in fact, an endangered species. It is located in what was originally an eastern European neighborhood. Amazingly, the store was born in the 1930s with very few changes in ownership and products.The Ridgewood European Pork Store looking similar to the way it did when it first opened in the 1930s. Photo from Yelp.
ARTISAN FOOD
Technically homemade meat products like it had in 1930s US and Europe fill much of the store today. Artisan is the new name that has been given to this type of food. This term represents foods made in small batches, made often for freshness, and traditionally-prepared to taste as it originally did. Artisan is a new word for old-time goodness. Here is a definition for artisan food from Wikipedia
FOOD THAT TAKES US BACK IN TIME
There is an entire movement of Artisan Food. We crave food the way it used to taste, free of preservative for long shelf lives. We want it homemade with a focus on quality, not quantity, wrapped in butcher paper, not vacuum sealed plastic-wrapped. There was time when speed of preparation rather than taste was the priority. But things have changed. We want slow food. We want to go back in time.
FOOD TODAY WITH A TASTE FOR YESTERDAY
Owner Jonel , the rockstar butcher, at work at his butcher shop. Photo from The Bushwick Daily.
CONCLUSIOIN
I haven’t had a chance to visit the European Pork Store yet. But it is on my list of things I want very much to do. Even though I am not much of a world traveler, I love to travel the world and its history within my own world.
Cinema sex is at an all-time high. In fact, the US has established ratings to inform film viewers of the degree of sex to expect. This post will explore four degrees of cinema sex:
1. no sex or G-rated
2. some sexuality or GP-rated
3. a lot of sex or R-rated
4. almost explicit sex or between R-rated and X-rated
SEX AT THE CINEMA IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES
Turkey
Countries review sex at the cinema differently. For example, Turkey is technically tightening its guidelines. Only kissing on the cheek is considered proper for unmarried couples. Clearly, for anyone who is a fan of Turkish dizis, this guideline is not strictly enforced. In fact, it causes much controversy on and off screen.
In Kara Para Ask, lead actors Omer and Elif do participate in some discrete but steamy sexual scenes.
Korea
I am a new viewer of Korean series. My introduction, 100 Days My Prince, is totally discreet. But I am not sure if this is because this is for G rated audiences or this is the nature of Korean cinema in general.
Won Deck and Hong Sim must marry due to a decree from the crown prince.
Israel
In its beginning, this series depicts Ultra-Orthodox Judaism at its strictest. Streaming series overflow with fascinating sagas that are obscure to many Christian and even secular Jews. In this genre, there is no touching before marriages which are usually arranged. There are many rules and restrictions. For members of the various ultra-Orthodox groups, structure, security, and a strong sense of community are integral. For others, like Esty the heroine of Unorthodox this life is unbearable. For Etsy, this streaming sage dwells on transition from observance rather that observance to the laws. The trailer is shown below.
United States
In the US, R- rated TV and movies are so commonplace that they are barely more than scenery. This is the case in the prime example of a Netflix streaming series, @Spinning Out. A short video of the skating pair, Kat and Justin is shown below.
Great Britain
As Kat and Justin skate a very fine line to ice skating victories in Spinning Out, the cast of @Bridgerton, the latest steamy drama filmed in Britain walks a shockingly fine line between R-rated and X-rated.
Out in ‘The Season’, Lord Simon Hastings and Daphne Bridgerton make an impressive couple to all in attendance.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I wish to pose these questions to my readers. Do you agree with the ratings I have given each series? Are you comfortable with the amount of sex or sexual suggestiveness in each series? If not what would you like to see done differently?
Thanks to a holiday homework assignment my great-nephew Westley got, our family has revived its memories of our favorite family traditions, decades of Thanksgiving dinners together.
HOW IT HAPPENEND
Westley, my brother’s grandson was given an assignment for his grandpa to write about his favorite childhood holiday. No hands down, it was Thanksgiving. We had the best Thanksgiving dinners ever.
Norman Rockwell Freedom From Want Traditional American Happy Family Thanksgiving Christmas Dinner Turkey Holiday
WHO CAME
Family and friends attended from across the country. This included California, Kansas, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York. There were brothers and sisters. Step-brothers and sisters. Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and close family friends. That alone could total between twenty to thirty folks. of course, there were both adults and children of all ages.
THE RITUALS
First ritual:
Some of the family arrived Wednesday evening. Since the kitchen was off-limits, dinner was always at our favorite local Italian restaurant, La Serenata. This worked out perfectly because their food was great. So we stuffer ourselves. As a result, we wouldn’t need to eat again until Thanksgiving dinner. The smells throughout the house were irresistible. Because we were so full from dinner, we were able to refrain from tasting anything that night.
Second ritual:
The cooking of the turkeys was an all-night affair. This was because they were so large and because they had to be basted constantly to insure the perfect browning of the skin. I mention turkeys because there were always two turkeys. The only way to ensure there would be enough and to accommodate two types of stuffing was to have two turkeys. One turkey had sausage stuffing. The other had chestnuts.
We required two turkekys to accomodate all the guests and two types of stuffing, chestnut and sausage for taste preferences. Photo from Classy Cooking.
Third ritual:
Two tables had to be set up to accommodate everyone so One was for the adults. Another for children. In order to fit both, the former was in the dining room and the latter was in the living room.
Fourth ritual:
The adult table decor was like something out of a magazine. Every piece of fine china, glass, silver, and table linens came out for use at this yearly event. There were gold-leafed trimmed china and glassware from my grandmother’s marriage; engraved silverware from my mother’s marriage; gold woven table linen with matching napkins coordinated with my grandmother’s dishes. In addition to all of this was a set of two-tiered centerpiece plates. One had a female figure at the top. The other was male.
The holiday shopping frenzy has taken on a new start. Each year the beginning becomes earlier in the season. In fact, this year one could not distinguish the Halloween decorations from the Thanksgiving decor. In addition to that, the spirit of Christmas had started to sneak in too. I really began to wonder,’ what is going on’?
On a recent Saturday afternoon, in mid November there is not a single parking shop available in the Rockville Centre, Long Island HomeGoods parking lot.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Shop
The outcry of ‘On Your Mark, Get Set, Shop’ signaled the beginning of the earliest holiday shopping frenzy on record. Usually ‘Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is the start. That day has also crept up in the seasonal calendar. To the dismay of many employees, stores open right after Thanksgiving dinner or before daylight on Black Friday. I attributed this shift to nothing but mere consumerism. But this year is different.
There are several reasons for this change. Consumerism may be part of it. But something else plays a major part in this holiday shopping frenzy, FEAR. What exactly is the cause? Several come to mind. We are in the midst of a pandemic. Even though everyone hoped it would have subsided by now, it is only getting worse. So how does this affect holiday shopping? People are afraid that stores will run out of items. In addition, there is a fear that stores will have to close down again. Lastly, there is mistrust that things ordered online will not arrive in time.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Stop
This holiday season is going to look very different. Most likely, social distancing and sequestering are going to intensify. For safety’s sake, gatherings will be limited to immediate family. Maybe we need to rethink what this time of year is meant to be about. Thanks for Thanksgiving. Gratitude for Hannukah, the festival of lights, Christmas blessings, Kwanza cheer.
A sampling of the 2020 holiday postage stamps from the USPS
Instead of worrying about getting the last parking spot in your favorite store or mall, this may be the year to stop and think. Let’s think about the true meaning of these holidays. They all fall around a pivotal point in the year. Even before these fairly modern holidays, Mother Nature determined their meaning. The shortest day of the year, the longest night of the year was followed by the beginning of renewal, hope, and light. May the coming year bring all of those to all of us. Amen.
