breakfast at hou's

i love cathy horyn.
i think she writes very directly, sans fashion gossip, about the movement and influence of fashion today (see sidebar for link)...from karl's latest resort show to michelle obama's stylistic choices, to mentioning the chicken soup she's currently stirring amidst blogging. it's just really refreshing to see an undaunted and/or honest view of all things fashion without the fluff n' nutter of, well, fashion. and yet, of course, you can tell she has a deep appreciation for fashion because she's writing about it, and has a huge fashionista circle with whom she has personal relationships with...such that when she mentions getting off the phone with tommy hilfiger or karl, it's like me getting off the phone with a bff after an hour of catching up. had i not known she is THE fashion journalist for the new york times, i would still think this way about her work, her reputation not withstanding.

i particularly like her entry on dec. 3 ("just turn right"), because it clearly sends the message that perhaps fashion (and most things) in new york is so hyper-PR'd that we get brainwashed into looking out for certain designers, sales, fashionweek shows, etc. to the point where we may forego our own opinions and stylistic choices. don't get me wrong; this means the PR peeps are doing their job, and the "tastemakers" that promote these ideas come with integrity and experience (or we'd like to think so). nevertheless it takes a discerning ear and eye to sort through the whirls of junk to get to the core of the social/fashionista pie....i admit that i've been a 'fashion victim' on several occasions; hey, sometimes it's easy to get caught up, and that's sometimes the fun of it too! alas, i digress, yet, again.

to summarize, her article journals her trip to Austin, Texas to visit her friend's boutique and understand if/how the recession has affected a retailer that is physically removed from the fashion-centric city that is new york. i'll give it away; recession is recession, so yes the boutique has been affected, but on a refreshing note cathy notes [and i inference] how their selection ranging from lanvin to marni to marant could compete with that of barneys, despite its distance from 'fashionland.' thus the point being, it's not about where or what, but how good you are at doing something. if you know what you're doing, it will show through the said means of expression....

and that fine-tune editing and freshness was prevalent in the breakfast she ate, and what seemed like the people she was hanging out with. there were no 'missing ingredients,' for they were all pure and at the core, stripped of icing.

which brings me to 2 more things:
1) in music and lyrics, the movie, drew barrymore's character and hugh grant's character sit at the city bakery spilling their career downfalls to each other over muffins and ice tea...drew, when describing her story, quotes her idolized mentor to writing in his novel that 'she [drew], when stripped of her literary clothes, was nothing more than [a poor writer]'. ok so i don't have the direct quote; however, point being that 'clothes' (literary or physical or otherwise) should simply reflect the core, and not necessarily define it. at best, fashion will enhance the best features - the heart - of the person. at worst....well, let's not go there right now...

2) food for thought...home brewed coffee, surround sound 'sicut cervus' by palestrina ( a beautiful choral piece, super angelic), and a quiet snowed-in morning chez my mom's mansion in isolated new jersey is equally comparable to a favorite cafe morning in the city. quality, not quantity....