Brimfield Blues

I have to believe that at some point during the Brimfield antique show's 50-year history, some dejected dealer, picking away at an unsold Gibson, came up with the Brimfield Blues. I’m imagining that it was in the 95-degree heat of July, or a solid week of rain. One thing I can say for sure, though, is that it was not written nor sung this year. I’ve never seen a happier bunch of dealers than the vendors at Brimfield last week. I’d say the report on sales ranged from happy to delirious. That’s how good business was—even after one day. I’m sure there’s a economic indicator in there somewhere …

But back to blue. My first treat of the day was waiting for me in the bushes right outside the front door. Four exquisite robin’s eggs, in an expertly crafted nest. Consummate perfection is definitely a good way to start the day.

We stopped at the Sturbridge Coffee House for refueling, and were greeted by this fabulous Plymouth Fury parked right in front. By the way they have very delicious muffin tops and a sign at the counter poses the question, "What's Your Cup Size?"
It was when I watched Terry get out of the car in her cerulean parka, that I realized there was a definite blue thing going on.
Here’s how the theme played out the rest of the day…

Roof level of a multistory toy parking garage










Aren’t these incredible? They were rescued from an old house in Massachusetts and were at the same Antique Therapy booth I wrote about the other day. So far, I haven’t been able to find anything about the Armand Art Studio of Detroit.

Blue eyeshadow--just the right accent for a pink cat. Don't you think?

Artist, Terry Rosen, was scouring Brimfield for vintage New England ephemera. When she hunts, she doesn’t just look on the tables, she looks under the tables. Which is a good thing because her eagle eye spotted this flea market equivalent of “today’s news, tomorrow’s fish wrap.”

where Magazines go to die

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"A magazine is like a best friend.
One always keeps Learning from them &
One Loves them more with Age."

I am a magazine hoarder. It is something I admit with a certain sort of Pride-though when dusting across the bookshelves-I say that in hushed tones. It's hard to toss them, always has been.

What would I do without them?
I never thought I'd have to really answer that question. I will never go without, as my stash goes back more years than I will admit. I honestly find many back issues more inspiring than the current issues I see staring back at me on a bench in my sitting room. Why?

What will the landscape of the magazine be in say-ten years, twenty, thirty?
The future looks bleak...

from my prized possession of all the now defunct NEST magazine issues
One of THE Absolute BEST EVER Magazines of its kind
(it was too good for this cruel world)

NEST issues Archives

Magazines are emotional. No one NEEDS a magazine, (No, You really don't), but there is something about the beautifully laid out articles, the gloss, the text and the photography that a blog page can not do." As one veteran editor once explained to me, the best magazines make you feel like tearing open the plastic wrap the second that they arrive in your mailbox and curling up on the couch with them, ignoring whatever plans you had for the evening." (quote from Gabriel Sherman's article The Magazine Isn't Dying) This couldn't be more true- however less and less do I find a magazine that lures me in this way. Why?



What does the our style and design blogging community bring to the table?
Can it fill the gaps that the loss of magazines such as HOUSE & GARDEN, DOMINO, SOUTHERN ACCENTS ? These my dears represent only a tiny bite from the apple. I miss them- but there are so many more defunct reads-check out the site- Magazine Death Pool- sadly, but aptly named, chronicling the magazines demise. It is Truly astounding.



Domino- for me was the substitute magazine sent to fulfill my subscription when HG passed on to the Conde Nast scrap heap.I was angry with Domino for inserting itself into my post box- when I didn't ask for it I was missed my House and Garden. It was like losing a dear old companion-cat and immediately dropping a crazy little kitten at my door. It was darling,but I just wasn't ready. Out of Magazine LOVE, I grew quite fond of Domino though- and then what happens? Domino- does just that- it folds.

So what is next for design Magazines & Blogs ?
With still standing favorites, Elle Decor, World of Interiors- I find myself heading to the middle or back of the issue to read the content. I will admit- I always "read" them that way. Later I will go through the entire magazine and read regular features and columns, quickly skipping over the ADs- and therein lies the conundrum. Advertisers drive the magazine-It's why we continue to get these rare birds in the post.The magazine world has been glutted for a few years now with offspring- Vogue> Teen Vogue> Men's Vogue> Vogue Living. (Personally I think Vogue had something with Vogue Living but-). Booming economy & business, More advertising. Economic decline-advertisers pull ADs from magazines that do not have viable subscriber numbers. According to a number of online sources- This is the key to a particular magazine's demise.



What I love seeing- is an unstyled, lived in home. I love reading interviews with actual quotes from designers. I recently remember a blog post about designer ELIZABETH MARTIN from Lana Burroughs at Topsy Turvy. The post was an interview elaborating on the Elle Decor cover story about Ali Wentworth's home. The house was also featured in The Washington Post too. For me, the story came to life with the designer's interview from Lana Burroughs. The Elle Decor and the Post story emphasized the owner- front and center as decorator, the Topsy Turvy story focused on the designer. Why the print stories focus attention on much of the work as Wentworth's - I do not kn0w, But that is certainly another story? This example for the most part is a beautiful blending of three sources about one home. The photographs from the Post and Elle did not overlap- the content was unique in them all. (I've linked these three stories in this text).
If magazine articles are what drive a blog's content- extending the story should be a prerequisite when deciding to post magazine photographs lifted from its pages. Light content loaded with images does little to elevate an original story taken from any magazine. I ALSO enjoy the NYSD posts about Designers- it is an interview format with unstyled photographs. The NYTimes- T MAGAZINE is one top notch publication in every way. The most some of the most original content, perspective and photography anywhere. The MOMENT blog dovetails with it seamlessly.


What next? Interestingly enough- as I thought about this post and sought comments from respected friends- few responded. Maybe it is the unanswerable question. It is new territory for everyone.
One of my friends in the business did say this:

"Quite honestly I enjoy blogging (reading them) as much actual magazines, however, I can't imagine blogs replacing magazines entirely. I find that blogs are easier to get through in short amounts of time and you get a much broader array of opinions/outlooks. The one thing that I do especially enjoy is being able to rip out magazine pages to add to my ever growing files." Alex

I agree Alex. I do find magazines exciting, let's face it -It is THE original. Certainly every blogger aspires to write for one of the magazine's left on the stands today- Don't they?

..in a SWIDE interview Blogger Liberty London Girl gave her take on Print v. Web

"Although I get most of my news online, & think most front of book pages have been made pretty much redundant by the web, I still prefer to look at fashion editorial in print. There’s something about the smell & the tactile quality of paper, the saturation of the colour and the size of the pages. I do think we will see dramatic changes in the print world in the next five years as advertising revenues decline and audiences become more sophisticated."

SO the Question to pose is- "As the pool of magazines gets smaller and smaller, it will inevitably mean the interiors available to cover will become more competitively sought after. How many people who read style blogs would be willing to read about a full house online rather than in the pages of a magazine?"

Will the future of your favourite be ONLINE- ? or on your shelves labeled "Magazine Death Pool?"
What do you think?

Read More at the following sites:
Ad Age
Mr Magazine "New Launches"
Blog List from the MOMENT NYTIMES

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Mrs Lincoln regrets...

I admit it- I've always had a crush on Mr. Lincoln- and for that matter his wife Mary Todd Lincoln.

I submit ~ Reader- two of the most complex people to live in the White House and certainly THE most complex couple that ever resided. Fortunately for US Barack and Michelle Obama are SOLID. High intellect- No Drama. It is an exciting time for our nation. Mrs. Lincoln will get in on the inaugural act when the Obamas borrow and dine on Mary's White House china .


Mary Todd Lincoln-latest fashion and showing bare shoulders and cleavage



Mary Lincoln puts her best face forward



The official Lincoln China will be used on January 20 2009



In hearing about All Things Lincoln and his front and center role in the inauguration- I could only think of the many fascinating and tragic tales of his wife Mary Todd- known as "Mother" by President Lincoln.


Family Portrait- The surviving sons- Tad(at AL's side, Robert, standing center)



Throughout the Civil War- Mary herself was a house divided. Her Kentucky roots plagued her in the press and in her personal relationships with relatives. Mary's half brothers were standing with the Confederacy and many of her detractors considered her to be a turncoat- or worse- a Confederate spy.



Portrait of a First Lady



Lincoln and Mary's relationship was complicated by her clinging needs- his stoicism and remoteness. Mr. President's insomnia and the overwhelming weight of the war made him an absentee spouse for Mary's constant desire to be at the center of her husband's universe. Books and more books have been and will be written by the historians about all this stuff- SO for you , my reader just a few more personal insights that make Mary flesh and blood.





The troubled President and husband- photograph by Matthew Brady







A Lincoln White House Ball- printed in Harper's Weekly



Mary was a shopaholic. During the worst crisis of the nation, Mary set about redecorating a truly atrocious and decaying White House. Much of what she sought to do was needed- but no one anticipated her over spending and its repercussions. Mary got caught- though many of her staff and others within the House tried to conceal the whopping bills and juggle credit- it all came to light in the newspapers and Mr. President was left to explain, apologize, scold and withdraw further from the First Lady.



The rosewood bed in the Lincoln bedroom




The infamous Lincoln bedroom- some of Mary's decorating talents exhibited- high Victorian



Mary, also known as the "HELL CAT" by Lincoln's staff, was always getting tied up in debt. She absorbed herself in it all, hoping it would relieve the emptiness she felt from the lack of attention of her husband and the devastating loss of her most beloved child Willie. The night Willie died, the Lincolns were entertaining in the White House and as guests dined and danced the Lincolns kept vigil by Willie's death bed. The death of Willie seemed the final blow and slowly detached Mary a little more from the realities she could not cope with.

Of course- more was to come for Mary- a blessing the spiritualists she consulted could not see that in her future.



Tad and Willie (left) Lincoln-





Mary strikes a pose~



Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

Mary was a clotheshorse. During one four month period it was noted that "Mother" purchased 400 pairs of gloves. Mary adored the French fashions of Empress Eugenie and loved to show some cleavage, shocking Washington society and the President as well. She couldn't imagine not having the best- feeling all the while that she was being judged and scrutinized by her detractors.



One of Mary's dresses~




A fascinating article in NEST magazine years ago that revealed Mrs. Lincoln's estate included 64 TRUNKS filled with European silks basted together to look like dresses- avoiding customs duties.



Mary's purchases scattered about-reconciling the First Lady's expenses was constant for the staff.




A French Silk (late 17th)- one much like Mary's contraband- bastings in tact. (textile in my collection)


Mary's White House life and life after the assassination were troubled- to say the least. After the Civil War, Mary had renewed hopes of reconnecting with her much loved Lincoln- She could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Years of financial problems and her older son Robert's attempts to have her committed- a sad story that- and her last years spent in severely reduced circumstances waiting to join her lost loved ones on the other side seem a fitting end to Mary's obsession with her husband and her undying love as a mother.




Mary Lincoln-RIP.