Mother love

Lucky 13th, I get two covers to play with this week!

The September 13th New York Times Magazine cover is pretty wild, a bit Keith Haring, a bit spritzer cookie dough letters, melting nicely in a blazing sunset.

I guess even though Keith was an icon of the 80’s (and even though he had a studio in our building in NY), I’ve got to go mod 60’s with this one. I’m trying to remember how old I was when I drew the paper doll who lived in my desk at school. To the best of my recollection, I was in the third grade. I was very into this go-go dancer look at the time. I wanted white go-go boots more than anything but my mom settled on teaching me how to dance. She had me stay on one spot on the border of a beautifully knotted carpet, perfecting my go-go moves until I managed to coordinate my discombobulated body to the rhythm of a very early (and totally enthralling) Beatles’ song. As you can imagine, my paper doll had go-go boots. White ones. She also had the flippy scooter skirts I’d always coveted, a trim little skort, bellbottoms, fishnet stockings and large print mini dresses with centrally placed, oversized ring-pull zippers. This doll was quite a departure from the commercial baby dolls I’d cut out from a drugstore booklet when I was five, though clearly the printed dolls provided good practice.

Did you see Rhona Janzen’s Lives conversation with her mom? That was hysterical! A client stopped in with her mother today, and it got me thinking about how much of what we are, has been shaped in a myriad of ways, by the gifts of our mothers. Thoughts of mothers seem to be everywhere, very sad recent losses for some, squiggly new puppies for others…. This week’s bonus Mens’ Style Magazine cover, a tasteful study in black white and red, is reminding me of a much earlier such study of my own.

Flipping through I’m inspired by a model sporting a dashing Armani look, and by a slender faced, gentle looking dog… who you’ll notice upon checking the amusingly sneaky footwork, turns out to have the upper hand!

“Designer, when you’re done with this fitting send your model down to hair and make-up.”

“Tim, this duo is dedicated to my the memory of my mom.”

“Ok, Designer, let’s start the show.”