It's back....

Ladies, have you noticed? Have you seen them everywhere from Old Navy to Nordstrom's? Or maybe you saw them in a fashion magazine somewhere between the cosmetic ads. Everyone's wearing them, it seems.

I'm sure it's no accident this was influenced by the success of Boardwalk Empire, about to start its second season on HBO.

I am referring to the cloche, that bell-shaped bucket of a hat that was popular in the 1920s, the hat my grandmothers wore. 

Now, as it happens, I have something to go to on Sunday. I don't have the bod or the dress (ir the time to make one!) to pull off a slinky party dress like this, and it's an afternoon event in an old plane hangar in any event. I do, however, have a skirt and top that can be pulled together for a daytime look. And this, found at the Nordstrom Rack on my lunch hour.  (Yes, it's a bit dorky. I look dorky in most hats....)


This link, however, does prove that women of my grandmothers' generation didn't all look like Mia Farrow. They came in all sizes, just like now. Check out the plus-sized beauty exiting a car at the bottom of the page.

When a cat and a duck love each other very, very much.....

I blame la_peregrina who posted this. Evidently Aflac combined their signature duck with the traditional Maneki Neko and brought forth (DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!) "Maneki Neko Dakku." A search turned up stuffed cat-ducks, trucks with giant kawaii cat-ducks sailing through city streets and even indications that the jingle was getting airplay as a pop song ("Maneki Neko Duck No Uta"), kwa kwa kwa.  Cute sells, especially in Japan.