Molly Bloom knows style

Marimekko is a Finnish textile company famous for their bold prints. They have a sort-of retro, sort-of contemporary feel that’s timeless and enduring. They were made famous in the United States by Jacqueline Kennedy, who wore their prints during the 1960 presidential campaign.

These designs aren’t limited to runway shows and design stores. I made kitchen curtains from an orange Marimekko cactus design and my work table is skirted with a large version of the flower print shown above (on a dress from Oscar de la Renta). Rounding out my collection is a set of Lokki sheets in the bedroom. I once cut up a vintage Marimekko sheet to make a clown costume (and later learned the print was an imposter).

These prints are timeless but they are seasonal for dress. Summer is the perfect time for a giant-leaf sun dress or flower power shift. It’s time to get your bold on.

I bought Hollywood Fashion Tape on impulse. It was in a little display at the cash register of a boutique and I was curious about what I could do with it.

This stuff is life-changing. It’s double-sided tape that you can use on fabrics or skin. I use it most often to keep blouses from gaping between buttons. I also use it to keep the collar of a shirt dress laying just so. I keep a few strips in my bag in case of fashion emergencies — it’s great for sagging hems, lost buttons and other emergencies.

Last summer I forgot to pack the correct undergarments for the dress that I was wearing to a wedding. A bit of this tape kept my brassiere from showing (and I think you have figured out by know how much I loathe a visible bra strap).

I’ve tried using regular double-stick tape and it doesn’t hold fabric well or stick to skin. I usually cut the strips in half to fit between buttons, so I’m really getting 72 strips instead of 36. The same company also makes a Red Carpet Assortment, which are different shapes of the double-sided tape.

If you’re a sweaty glistening girl, you may want to check out Behind The Seams.

Precious few things are true classics. Many so-called classics are tweaked toward the trends of an era, with changes to color, size or shape. True classics are dignified and unchanging, like a single string of pearls. A single strand of pearls is timeless — they bring a quiet and respectable touch of glamour.

My pearls were bought by my grandfather in Japan during World War II and given to my grandmother at war’s end. My grandmother gave the pearls to me as a wedding gift. They’ve been with me through four-star dinners, at least four weddings and a funeral. They allow me to dress up without being too flashy.

I never thought of myself as a pearl girl. Jewelry isn’t really my thing. I’m fair-skinned and thought pearls would get lost on my decollatage. Sometimes I still think of myself as a rebellious youngin’. Like other true classics, pearls take a level of maturity or at least wardrobe restraint. Perhaps my wedding was a turning point, signaling that I was mature enough to carry off the pearls.

Like other classics, pearls are pricey. This is one investment you really will use more and more with time. If you’re not in line for your grandmother’s but yearn for a single strand, start saving, marry rich or start scouring pawn shops. You can have pearls restrung to the correct length or update the clasp. I’m not an advocate of fake anything and I’m certainly not telling you to buy faux pearls to pass off as real ones (but for costuming purposes, by all means, layer them on!). Patience is a virtue, my pearl.

I’m not a jewelry kind of girl. I wore the same pairs of tiny hoop earrings (three in one ear, two in the other) through college. My cellphone has replaced the need for a watch. Necklaces and bracelets don’t cross my mind most mornings, except that time in Hawaii when I went back to our room to get my bamboo bangles that look too cute with a two-piece.

These days my peridot birthstone earrings and wedding set are no-brainers. If you sleep in jewelry, you don’t have to remember put it on the next day. But there are occasions when big glamour is needed. And that is when I pull out my other pair of ear bobs: chandelier earrings.

I’m not talking about gift-store variety shoulder-dusting baubles. I’m talking about heavy crystal earrings. My friend Steven made them out of real chandelier bits.

They’re long and sparkly and they give any ensemble a good dunking of glamour. They turn a demure black turtleneck sweater into a starry-night backdrop. I’ve worn them to weddings, glam rock parties and four-star restaurants. They are the perfect versatile piece of Pow! Just spray with Windex and hit the town.