Molly Bloom knows style

Dublin style was under wraps (and raincoats) during our visit. There was a cold snap during our stay and it rained every day. Like San Franciscans, Dubliners own some nice outer layers. Lots of belted car coats for the ladies and Euro car racer-style jackets for the dudes.

Women are still rocking the pointy-toed shoes, especially flats. When in Europe I always marvel that women can navigate those uneven medieval streets in heels and Dublin is no exception. Lots of women were in boots but blame that on the rain. Luxury denim and big earrings were other notable trends. I was charmed by all the hipsters carrying the cane-style umbrellas, very dapper.

There was one style “don’t” that I saw too often: Oompa-Loompa orange fake tans. I don’t mind tan in a can so long as it doesn’t look like a fake tan. Believe me, fair ladies, I understand the desire to be less chalky. If I had a freckle for every time someone commented on my complexion by asking if I’m Irish… oh, wait. I have those freckles and then some. But if your orange legs are the first things I see when you’re wearing a minidress, the fake tan is not a success.

Despite all intentions to hit Top Shop, I never made it. I wanted to check out Kate Moss’ line and maybe pick up a few inexpensive trendy bits. But it was not to be. My lone fashion purchase of the trip is a pair of skivvies I picked up at the Guinness storehouse with Tookie the Toucan printed on the bum.

I’m back from Ireland with stories to tell. What a wonderful country! The dress I made for Bloomsday was a hit and wasn’t too mangled in the travels. Stuffing the arms full of paper and the body of the dress with my shawl did the trick.

We started the day at the James Joyce Center, where foreign dignitaries and members of various literary societies read passages from Ulysses. I was interviewed by a reporter for the Irish Times who was doing a story on the festivities.

Next we headed to Davy Byrnes’ Pub, where Leopold has lunch in the book (”Mr Bloom ate his stripes of sandwich, fresh clean bread, with relish of disgust, pungent mustard, the feety savour of green cheese. Sips of his wine soothed his palate.”) The gorgonzola sandwich was actually delightful (hold the mustard, thanks) and went well with the Guinness we drank in place of the storied Burgundy. One of the servers said the pub had sold 500 of the cheese sandwiches that day.

Plenty of people at the pub wore period costume. One group held court in the back room singing old songs. Up front people took turns reading passages over the bar’s intercom system. There were men in waistcoasts (what we call vests) and women in Edwardian day clothes — big hats and blouses belted into layers of skirts. One Dubliner commented on my costume, “Loverly dress — bit posh idn’t it?”

And so went this Molly’s first Bloomsday. The real Molly Bloom wore bed clothes — she stayed in bed all day. But a nightgown wouldn’t have been as fun to make.

In a few days Ted & I are off to Ireland. First stop: Dublin, where we will be taking part in Bloomsday festivities. I made an Edwardian dress for the occasion (think Titanic), a confection of rose-colored dupioni and smoky organza and dove-gray velvet. The conundrum: how to pack this gown and get it there in decent shape.

I’ve searched online and have come up with zip. I’m thinking of stuffing it with a bit of tissue paper and packing it in a full-size hanging garment bag. I think the wee garment bag in my rollie case will crush and smush the dress.

Any of you dear readers have experience flying across continents with gowns? I think the old school way was to back a valet and steamer trunk and then have your handmaid deal with the results. Since it’s the maid’s week off I’m on my own. Please post in the comments. Gratzi!

A photoset of geek shirts at South By Southwest, courtesy of Smith mag. You may see someones you recognize.

photo by Scott Beale/Laughing Squid

I just returned from South By Southwest Interactive in Austin. Geek conferences aren’t known for fashion flair but a few trends stood out:

- Guys in hats, mostly fedoras and a few top hats. I am pleased.
- T-shirts with geek slogans that mix start-up branding and hipster irony. The Bloom Award for Best T-Shirt of SXSW goes to Consumating for “nice_tags,” modeled in the above photo by Marjorie Case. Runner-up: “Wearing My Twitter Shirt.”
- Girls in glasses.
- Free stickers applied to inappropriate places. Upcoming, indeed.
- If underwear are given away at a party, people will put them on over their pants. Again, I am pleased.

Resort wear is the umbrella drink of the fashion world. It should be fun, colorful and a tad sweet. You wouldn’t order a Blue Hawaiian in a Manhattan wine bar. Nor should you wear grays, dark colors or muted prints in Tahiti.

Men’s resort wear is best when cut in classic styles from whimsical, preppy and occasionally loud fabric. The classic lines are important as they keep you from looking like a Day-Glo clad Daytona Beach tourist. The color is important because it keeps you from looking stodgy.

I love the wacky, bright preppy summer clothes of the 1970s. Think vintage Lilly Pulitzer. Or new Lilly Pulitzer. I also like to see a man in seersucker or madras patchworck pants.

I’m not a big fan of shorts. But since most men don’t have the option of wearing a skirt or dress, I’ll give a pass. Beach vacations are exactly where you should be wearing shorts. Pack at least one nice pair. You’ll have room for them in your suitcase once you throw away those jeans shorts, because there is never a time when jean shorts are right. I am an absolute believer that it is possible to wear the right shorts with a shirt and tie, soft loafers sans socks. Really. Meow.

Try on shorts of different lengths. That lingering trend from the 1990s of wearing really long shorts makes most men look as if they have extremely long torsos and short midget legs. This goes for swim trunks as well, the too-long swim suit being the least sexy thing I personally can think of seeing on a toned body. Boo.

Don’t rely too heavily on T-shirts. Boring. Instead pack a few light-colored dress shirts to pair with shorts. This is an easy look for even the most fashion illiterate. Roll the sleeves up to the elbows or wear them unbuttoned with swim trunks.

A lot of men wear golf shirts for dressier resort occasions. I don’t like golf shirts but I recognize their place in the canon of men’s fashion, so I won’t say any more. Except to say that horizontal stripes, especially on a knit fabric, will make you look chubby.

Be sure to grab a tropical tie. And some nice sunglasses. And a summery, lightweight belt.

Ooooh, one last thing: I suggest a banana daiquiri.

Part 1 in a series of a few columns on vacation wear. Look for a men’s holiday resort column on Guy Friday.

I’m lucky enough to be going on holiday for the holidays. I’ve got a new bathing costume but have been considering what I’ll wear when I’m not in the water. Beach vacations don’t have to mean just T-shirts and shorts.

Resort wear does follow overarching style trends but is more subdued, granting some wearing longevity. You probably already have a good start in a resort wardrobe in your closet.

All those cute short sleeve and sleeveless blouses that were so big earlier this year? They’re back in season. Pair dressy blouses with cropped pants or easy skirts and sandals. Formal shorts are another good pairing and can make an instant 1940s look with wedge sandals and red lipstick.

This season’s long-sleeved tunic tops make perfect coverups, especially when the afternoon sun beats down and you need to shield your skin or shuffle over to that thatched-hut beach bar.

Call me Victorian but I hate to see wet people in wet swimsuits anywhere but the beach or pool. It just isn’t appropriate for the lobby or the elevator. I don’t know why. Perhaps it has to do with being in mixed company, the Drys and the Wets. I just don’t want to see it.

I’ve stopped taking more than one or two T-shirts on vacation. I never wear them or the 10 tank tops I used to tote along “just in case.” Dead weight is dead weight and I’d rather pack lighter and cuter.

Michael Kors does resort well. No wonder he’s so tan (wink). The tunic pictured above is from his current line as are these super hot bamboo-stem shades.

Earlier this week I went to a wedding in Las Vegas. I packed two dresses, sequined espadrilles, a swimsuit and a parasol — all you need, really. I spent my days floating in the lazy river at the Monte Carlo and my nights at swanky lounges. I ordered room service and rode the deliciously air-conditioned Monorail. I saw the Sea Horse Lounge and Forty-Deuce Burlesque. I had a fine time.



In Caesar’s Palace I won playing the quarter slots. I cashed out pronto and headed down to the Forum Shops where I purchased a polka-dot shirt dress at Bebe with my winnings. Eating at Emeril’s I pondered the expense account of a well-dressed woman holding court at a business luncheon two tables down. Then I went ahead and ordered the lobster bisque with my entree and appetizer, Size 4 be damned.



Vegas glitz shined in all its form. There was Grandma Glam, with the zip-front silk jackets in leopard and zebra prints (see above); Stripper Glam, with the impossible acrylic shoes and thin thighs and big hair; Cocktailer Glam, with the sportcoats and short skirts and support hose; and Middle America Glam, with the sparkly halter-back tent tops and tight jeans and French pedicures poking out of strappy slides. There was a lot of glitter going on and amen for it.

I can’t bring myself to take mean-spirited photos of real-live people. If I could, there would be shots of people wearing swimsuits in the lobby of my hotel, too-small stretchy knit tops on otherwise attractive women and cheap plastic flipflops everywhere. I saw more unpedicured and sunburned and downright terrifying feet this weekend. Two dollar shoes aren’t walk-around-town shoes. Please stop taunting me, you’re making my feet hurt.

My nods for most stylish hotels/casinos: TheHotel at Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand and Caesar’s Palace. Somehow the sound-level in the casinos is turned down compared to the louder-than-bombs game rooms in other joints.

This column was originally written for KOIT radio in San Francisco. They don’t archive content so now I can share it with you.

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If you’re thinking of shopping in Hong Kong, be ready for sticker shock. There are plenty of high-end boutiques catering to jet-set tourists and the large number of local millionaires. High-rise luxury malls offer well-known brands such as Dior, Dolce & Gabanna and Gucci. If sterling silver rice bowls and brocade opera coats are your thing, local luxury brand Shanghai Tang has four locations in Hong Kong, and offers couture clothing and homewares with Chinese themes.

Hong Kong is all about the malls. Brightly lit and severely air-conditioned, the malls offer many of the stores found here or in Europe. Hong Kongese department store Lane Crawford is well-appointed. Their selection is vast, and includes several nods to novelty. One noteworthy feature was a do-it-yourself decorating bar for HavaianasTale brand plastic flip-flops. In another area, sneakers moved on a conveyer belt across the storefront windows as a DJ spun records.

While Hong Kong does have counterfeit knock-off stalls selling conscpicuously logo’d bags, it’s not at the same volume as other cities. The quality of imposter bags and accessories is very low due to the inexpensive materials and labor used. Better buys are genuine leather, in classic styles or trendy colors. Open the bags to study the linings and test zippers. You can buy quality handbags styled in the same shapes as luxury brands that don’t pretend to be something they aren’t. Shopping in Hong Kong is the perfect time to buy a flashy evening clutch at a fraction of what you’d pay at an American department store. Asian-inspired purses made of brocade and silk are abundant and more interesting than what can be found back at home, and the hand-beading and other detailing is exquisite.

For adventurous bargain-hunters, sellers lure sidewalk shoppers to follow them to back rooms and private shops (read: homes) to see wares. Sometimes these are counterfeit goods, other times the goods are seemingly well-made products at low prices. After hearing the story of a traveler en route to such a shopping spree who was stuck in a rickety elevator for two hours, this writer decided to stick to the well-lit streets. Such shopping excursions come with a very large Buyer Beware sticker.

The Soho area of Hong Kong is home to boutiques with local flair. This is the neighborhood to visit if independently designed clothes are your bag. Small stores in the hillside neighborhood are more approachable than the slick, brightly lit malls. You may even see someone working a needle and thread, creating the wares sold in the stores. The Soho area has a trendy, slightly upscale feel that is reflected in its restaurants and shops.

Nathan Road in Kowloon, a quick ferry ride across the harbor from Hong Kong, is lined with some familiar names as well as European brands. If your luggage was lost, this is the place to stock up for the next few days. Fairly average casual wear and shoes at bargain prices and an inexplicable number of jewelry stores line the area.

There are plenty of sidewalk stalls where prices are more of a starting point than a final rate. Anything from children’s-size silk pajamas to dish towels and inexpensive watches can be haggled down to a song.