Whoopee! Is It Really 200?

Yes, this is my 200th blog and, truthfully, I’m stunned when I look at this number. It’s been a great ride that started with an interview with one of the charming ADEA principals at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

I started writing these blogs in 2014. I focused on writing about fashion at first. But soon, this morphed into writing about travel. I’m proud of our three-part series titled Adventures in Cuba that was posted in 2015. CLICK HERE(Open Link in new window) to refresh your memory.

We also covered NYC museums, Kips Bay Designer House, the Xmas windows on Fifth Avenue, the High Line and many more spots. I was chatting with someone I met at a play reading and said, “I find unusual things to cover. I’m currently writing about the Gangster Museum.” His mouth dropped open as he replied, “I’ve never heard of that one.” Luckily, he wasn’t around when I tackled the Belly Dance Museum.

In 2017 I wrote a four-part series to honor the movie Casablanca. CLICK HERE(Open Link in new window) to view these blogs. And, to keep current in the digital age I’ve also touched on female entrepreneurs plus the inroads being made in unusual careers (female airline pilots). It’s been challenging and a lot of fun.

SOME LAST-MINUTE THOUGHTS

This blog is about “tying up loose ends” because I have things I want to say. I do a lot of research and I toss about 90% of it. All of these blogs are 675 words or under – for the sake of readability – “eye fatigue” sets in faster on a screen than with hard copy. I see blogs with long, long paragraphs all the time and I say to myself, “Sport, nobody’s going to read you.”

AN ACTOR PREPPING FOR A MOVIE ROLE

This was supposed to go in the Oscar blog, but it missed the cut, so here goes. I find talented, creative people fascinating and one of the best actors I’ve seen recently in a movie is Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread.  

Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread – photo courtesy of Elle magazine, January 2018

I came across an interesting piece in the New York Post of 12/28/17 by Raquel Laneri that describes how Day-Lewis prepped for his role as Reynolds Woodcock, the 1950s fictional London fashion designer. Day-Lewis is famous for his immersive approach to acting. He trained as a butcher for his role in the Gangs of New York. 

For Phantom Thread the actor spent a year as an intern in the New York City Ballet’s costume shop working among the seamstresses and cutters in the shop. He worked with Marc Happel, director of the NYC Ballet’s atelier who taught him how to drape, sew and measure. He also had Day-Lewis spend time taking measurements of whoever happened to be in the shop. The film’s costume designer, Mark Bridges was impressed with the end result and says, “The whole thing of studying, stepping back, looking, turning your subject into the mirror so you can look at a reflection, even looking over the glasses thing that I do – he got it absolutely right.”

 MISSONI AND ITS ADVERTISING

In the blog I wrote about this famous Italian company CLICK HERE(Open Link in new window) to take a look, I also noted that out of 20 magazines I never saw one ad for Missoni and that was a mystery to me. Now I know. Missoni was simply waiting for the new spring season because I saw smashing ads both in Bazaar and Elle magazines in March. I’m glad we solved that one.

A striking ad courtesy of Elle magazine that appeared in March 2018

THE FRENCH LOVE NEW YORK

The New York Post of 3/6/18 reported that the French find New York accents sexier than any other US inflection, including Southern, Bostonian, Californian, Texan, Midwestern and Minnesotan. A study by language-learning app Babbel found 57% of French workers loved to hear, “Hey, I’m walkin’ here!”

French expats in the Big Apple say everything New York is très chic back home. “It’s the most iconic US city,” says an executive at the Alliance Française. “A Parisian will be completely attracted to someone coming from New York,” she adds. Across all Europeans surveyed, Southern accents were the most popular, with New York coming in second. I’m glad we solved that one, too.

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