I basically spent half the day in Mayle and Lyell. It was good, although I didn't buy anything today. First, Mayle. No new items--yet--although there is a chance of some being available tomorrow, likely Avignon and maybe other pieces. I spent a good part of the day talking to Elise, Doris and Christina. Doris is moving back to Dallas--tomorrow is her last day--where she will open a boutique and online store selling Steven Alan, Rachel Comey, Jeffrey Monteiro and other favorites of this blog. Christina, I know you will want to visit. The store will be called Domahoka.
I also met Julie and Kim which was absolutely wonderful. It is so good to meet people from this blog and they couldn't have been nicer. I really look forward to seeing you both again. Both wore Mayle: Julie had the Mitsuko in Paradiso, a black Mayle cardigan and the black and white belt (not Deauville) from resort; Kim wore the blue Odette and her Jeanne bag in black. Both looked amazing.
I also visited Lyell and saw the fabulous spring collection. This did not disappoint. Beautiful detailing, amazing fabric, the perfect craftsmanship Emma is renowned for and fabulous cuts. I put an orange floral linen romper on hold that made my hips and stomach look streamlined and my legs appear a mile long. I also found the best pair of black linen shorts in a vintage tap-pants style that will find their way into my closet soon (once the weather permits). I also fell in love with a gorgeous green cardigan with the signature crocheted Lyell neckline and a delicate blouse with an embroidered collar. I chatted to Emma and Mike for two hours. They are the nicest people and so talented. I am glad we're not losing Lyell as well as Mayle.
Tomorrow I'm heading back into Mayle. I hope to find at least one piece from the re-editions to cherish. And, yes, I did feel like a stalker and apologized about half a dozen times to all the girls. I think they understand, however. And, yes, I think many of us are holding on for that perfect piece, the dress that got away or that we have worn to death.
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27 comments:
Thanks for updating Moya! I'm going to come into the city on Saturday. It will probably be a madhouse. Now I feel the pressure to find a great Mayle item to wear for my trip to buy the perfect last piece.
I love your post. It's refreshing, after this hot and heavy Mayle chasing, to hear about fresh starts arising from a sad closing. It's so exciting that Doris is pursing her own retail venture! She has amazing aesthetic instincts. I will try to stop by tomorrow to offer my well wishes. Moya, if you're in the shop a little after 6, I'll see you there!
Interesting that Doris is opening her own store...I will definitely check it out...but I find it slightly odd that both the name and brands are exactly like Totokaelo.
The brands are not the same as Totokaelo, but they are dealing with the same increasingly limited pool of independent designers in an era when many are closing down because of the economy. Dallas is so far from Seattle and so in need of more boutiques that I think it will be a success. The name is a play on Doris's own full name, so nothing strange going on there.
Agree with Moya. From what I gather, Dallas doesn't have outlets for youthful, independent fashion; many of their boutiques cater to local socialites with cash to burn (so they're on the pretentious side and not very accessible). Plus, the only retailer in TX w/ any online presence is Raye (in Houston, and is awesome by the way), and it's super limited in merch. I think Doris is making a smart move.
Quick- eluxury is having 30 % off sale items. I just snapped up the riri and aiko size S
Hi Moya -- Did you happen to hear anything yesterday about Petulia and if it'll be re-cut in more fabrics than the 2 that already came out (the black aztec and pink hue that no one here seemed to like)? Any thoughts on sizing for this style?
Thanks!
P.S. I'd love to hear more about your book some time! I'm an academic too and always like to keep an eye out for cool projects.
I agree with Cindy and Moya 100%. I did not make a totokaelo connection (a site I love and Jill is awesome). impulse has a huge Pacific NW presence and Doris will be reaching out to an entirely different region. I wish her the very best-she is a sweet person who deserves it.
Hi Joyce,
They didn't say what was coming in other than Avignon in two lengths. I think there is a chance of more Petulias--I didn't like the neon/pastel one at all--too much like a nightdress for me, but I did see somebody buy one while I was in the store.
My book is on Progresssivism (as in the political/social context of the 1900-1918 period) and early cinema. I use it as a context for thinking about the period's exhibition, with its neighborhood theaters displaying the era's concern for community, its emphasis on collective theories of spectatorship (and some of the ramifications for censorship/regulation as well as filmic address) and for film form.I look at the period's self-awareness/self-analysis and its investment in monitoring public and private space to discuss elements of film form and the era's celebrity culture. I consider the film industry's efforts to assert American film as a national cinema in terms of Progressivism's investment in stabilizing national identity, and focus on problems inherent in this project (race/African-American cinema, fragmented definitions of national identity in the WW I years). I also frame this within Progressive discourses of uplift and its reconsideration of Victorian ideals of public/private. Part of the intent is to provide a critical and historical/historiographic context for the era that includes the transition to features, resituating this event as more complex, not as an endpoint for early/transitional cinema but instead as something that needs to be read as precisely not transitional.
Your project sounds amazing, Moya. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm a historian (US) and have done a little bit of work on the Progressive Era, mostly re. the City Beautiful movement. I love that period, though now my research is A LOT different. But I teach a great deal on the early 20th c. period, so I will definitely keep an eye out for your book.
On another note: That's interesting about the 2 lengths of Avignon. Will one be a mini and the other the tea length? Or maybe one will be floor length?
I also don't know about Petulia sizing--it seemed true to size, maybe even a little big but I'm too large to fit into the 4s (all they had).
Also, there will be some wool pants coming in with pleats at the front. It seems Jane likes the pants and wants to redo them, which is odd considering most people covet the dresses, tops and coats the most.
Thanks for looking out for my work, Joyce. Progressivism is really neglected in early cinema (just seen in terms of reform, while people carry on historicizing the era either in terms of Victorianism or bypassing it with a more monolithic notion of modernity). I have some work on the City Beautiful movement, urban planning and playground movements in my diss but I cut most of it for the book as it seemed to get too far away from cinema.
From what I gathered, the Avignon will be in a below the knee version that's already in (albeit only in black, thanks to the anonymous celeb), but not very much below the knee. It would probably hit my knee. The other will be quite a bit shorter. Honestly, if I get it, I'd like the short one (which looks more modern to me), and I'd probably only get it if I could get a madcap print. I bet I need a 10 in this one. I needed the 10 in Therese too and I suspect they are made from a similar pattern.
Joyce--what is your research on these days?
Moya,
My work is on US-China relations during the early Cold War and how orientalism transformed American politics, specifically the Republican Party and its concept of foreign policy. I finished the diss about 2 years ago and am **just** getting to work on revising it into a book mss. I used to do a lot of stuff on San Francisco and Chinatowns (hence the City Beautiful interest).
It's funny how you start grad school thinking you want to do one thing and end up studying something completely different. At least that was the case for me.
That's really interesting (and hot) work, Joyce. Who is publishing your book?
Ah... no one just yet. I've had requests for proposals from a couple of presses but I'm still too insecure to send them out. Cambridge would be my dream press, though. UC would also be wonderful.
I'm having a difficult time finding time to write, to be honest. Teaching is so time-consuming (I want to reserve Fridays for my own work and yet have a stack of papers to grade). Any tips?
I hear you--I am terrified of the process but you must send your book out. It is hot material and right now, it can take years for a book to come out (and that's time the tenure clock doesn't allow for). Submit your book to the presses you love. UC--University of California--is the press that hopefully will publish my book. I know some presses (like Wayne State) won't accept simultaneous submissions, but contact editors you want to work with and tell them about your project. Ask if they need a proposal--some will take the diss instead.
Writing is always tough. I try to get at least three days in a week, although with grading (and Mayle) it is impossible right now. I reserve at least three afternoons/evenings (my good writing time) to the book. As with everything (diss, papers), progress can be uneven. I turned one chapter out in a month, others have literally taken years. Just as long as you keep plugging away, you'll finish. I'm on the intro--the very last thing--and it has taken longer than I'd like. But you must just find some time--even if it is only a few hours a week--or else the teaching will swallow up your life. As you know, there is no reward for good teaching. Institutions are single minded about the book. Do you have friends with whom you can set up a writing group? I did that with my friend Sue for two summers and it was great to have deadlines and to have someone to share drafts with. I also got some of the best feedback I've ever had.
I actually just joined a writing group and the other members have been great -- I feel very fortunate to have found that type of support so quickly (I started a new job this past Fall).
You've inspired me to just bite the bullet and send something out. I'm completely scared of rejection but no pain, no gain.
I am the same way, but I think your project will be really warmly received. I'm glad you are going to send something out.
Thanks for the pep talk, Moya. You're a doll.
I have a feeling that the avignon in the shorter version is going to be SHORT. Most of jane's "short" dresses are almost scandalous. Moya you sound tall. you would be better in the original.
I love this academia chatter! Moya, please put up posts now and then about your academic project developments or about the courses you're teaching (if it isn't too much of a pain to do so). I work in a non-academic setting and I sorely regret not getting a more well-rounded education while I was an undergrad.
Joyce - if isn't too demanding - what is the "City Beautiful" movement? I'm curious...
The short isn't too short, Marti--a few inches above the knee rather than unwearably short. I couldn't fit into any of the shorter Avignons--they were mostly in 2-4. I think I'm likely going to skip this dress unless it is in madcap or iris dot (and I would need a 10).
Hi Cindy--I will put up posts from time to time about my academic work. I guess the Mayle closing has dominated for some time. Right now, I have to prep some classes for next week--I teach Gender and Media, Contemporary Media and History of Broadcasting this semester.
Hi Cindy,
Moya can probably speak more eloquently to this topic, but here goes: The City Beautiful movement was an effort by Progressives (an unwieldly, informal coalition of politicians, social activists, architects, intellectuals, etc. who pushed for a broad range of reforms) to change the place of cities in American life. They wanted to "beautify" public spaces so that urban inhabitants would take civic pride in their environments and thus cultivate a deeper sense of citizenship and moral responsibility. Lovely, clean spaces = better citizens, basically.
So in the late 19th and early 20th century there were movements in cities across the country to make themselves more attractive and create beautiful public spaces and buildings. City Hall in San Francisco, the Chicago World's Fair, and the master plan for Washington, DC are all major examples of the City Beautiful movement. Neo-classical style that referenced Greece and Rome was the aesthetic of choice.
Probably more than you wanted to know! Sorry to ramble on!
Joyce, thanks for explaining - your comment was excellent!
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