Were fashion retailers reading BOOMERBROADCAST and actually paying attention? A recent full-page writeup in The Globe and Mail, Video Fashion, by Odessa Paloma Parker got me thinking that somewhere, someone might actually be recognizing that consumers are where the money is in retail. It’s a shocking realization, don’t you think? In the six+ years that I’ve been blogging, retailers and department stores, in particular, have…
Shades of Mrs. ‘Arris goes to Paris
In a replay of Angela Lansbury’s Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris movie, I’m thrilled to report that Mrs. Davis is also going to Paris. Yes! It’s true. In June of this year, I’m heading off for week-long writers’ retreat and sight-seeing trip to Paris (the real one, in France, not Ontario) and I’m beside myself with excitement. I’ve signed on with a small group of 8-10…
Who’s your old lady heart throb?
Elvis Presley was my first and most enduring celebrity crush. What began when I first watched him on The Tommy Dorsey Show and then on Ed Sullivan was signed, sealed and delivered when I saw him in Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole at the Saturday matinée in the fifties. By the time G.I. Blues and Blue Hawaii came out in the sixties, my feelings for…
Is Home Ec the answer to sustainable fashion?
In previous postings, I’ve written about the environmental problems created by our obsession with cheap, disposable fashion (It’s time to dump disposable fashion). We’re finally realizing that we can’t keep buying and indiscriminately disposing of clothing without giving consideration to what becomes of the millions of pieces of unwanted items in landfill. As I was reading an article in the morning paper about how a designer…
The history and politics of 20th century China revolved around the three exceptional Soong sisters
The history of China in the twentieth century has always fascinated me. Several years ago I read a wonderful non-fiction family saga titled Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. It was the true story of three generations of women who lived during China’s radical cultural shifts from 1900 to the end of the century. The grandmother was a concubine with bound feet….
High maintenance has taken on a new meaning for baby boomers
Baby boomers have finally reached that age and stage in life we’ve all dreaded —when a major topic of conversation has now become our various ailments. It’s sad but unavoidable. We’re wearing out, getting rusty, past our best-before date. Our maintenance costs have risen dramatically and we require more frequent tune-ups to keep the old girl running efficiently. In the olden days, a high maintenance…