Short Takes
February 8, 2011
Kate Betts: Everyday Icon — Michelle Obama and the Power of Style
Remember Inauguration Day, 2009? Michelle Obama stunned the fashion world — and a lot of Americans — by skipping the traditional First Lady uniform and wearing an Isabel Toledo dress with J. Crew gloves. Now, in Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style, Kate Betts looks through Mrs. Obama’s closet, bridging the gap between silly fashionspeak and serious style analysis. As she writes: “Perhaps more than any First Lady before her, with the exception of Jackie Kennedy, Michelle Obama understands that style is much more than an aesthetic choice or political tool; it is the expression of one’s life, one’s way of being.” Smart. With a concise history of First Lady fashion. And lots of Chicago/New York fashion dish. And scads of photographs. Definitely brain candy.
February 8, 2011
Joan Schenkar and Patricia Highsmith: Partners in Crime
Who would spend 8 years researching and writing a biography of Patricia Highsmith, the dark genius who wrote thrillers packed with evil? Someone who might also have some Issues. In the Paris Review, Joan Schenkar — author of The Talented Miss Highsmith — writes: “I rue the day I didn’t have my late stepmother whacked. I’d rather eat dirt than talk to my larcenous cousins. I haven’t forgiven my father for disinheriting me. I don’t like families.” Wow. What follows? An illuminating look at biographical fascination — and discretion.February 6, 2011
Dominique Browning: India
Dominique Browning, new to the blogroll, has been traveling in India. No surprise: The quality of her dispatches and photographs is exceptional. Two pieces are especially worth your time: her account of trying to experience the Taj Mahal and her eye-opening The Waste of Poverty.
February 5, 2011
The Most Popular Video In Our House (This Week)
An Otis Redding classic. He owns it. Always will. But this excites in a different way. And Mick’s hand gestures…
