Sighs and Whispers

04/29/2026

Clothing, makeup, and hair styling for maximum joy 💕💖💕 “Present Laughter,” an editorial photographed by Neal Barr for Harper’s Bazaar, April 1970, with coiffures by Suga (no makeup artist is credited). The wonderful fashions by Beene Bazaar, Chester Weinberg, Ronald Amey, and Rizkallah by Malcolm Starr.

04/26/2026

Some of the many, many button ideas included in “It’s all done with buttons,” a little booklet published by B. Blumenthal & Co., a New York-based button manufacturer and importer, in 1949. Devoted to showcasing various ways buttons can be utilized beyond their conventional use as fasteners and filled with the most charming ink illustrations, it explores how buttons can be used as embellishments to create visual excitement on all types of garments, accessories, gifts, and even home goods. I just love these illustrations so much! ❤️❤️❤️

04/24/2026

A dash all around New York City with Sean Connery in ‘A Fine Madness’ (1966), shot on location primarily in Murray Hill but also on the Brooklyn Bridge, uptown Park Avenue, Times Square, and midtown Fifth Avenue. Directed by Irvin Kershner with cinematography by Ted McCord. By far the best thing about this movie, just look at all those beautiful storefronts and cars. 💥💥💥

04/23/2026

04/22/2026

Every year on Earth Day I post these photos from when it was an idea in the process of becoming a reality: Denis Hayes, head of Environmental Teach-In, Inc., the organization that coordinated the first Earth Day, posing in the group’s office in Washington DC with volunteer Judy Moody. Photos by Charles W. Harrity for the Associated Press, April 8, 1970. 🌍🌎🌏

04/21/2026

Spring fever with Donna Mitchell in YSL patchwork. Styled by Molly Parkin and photographed by Sarah Moon for the British edition of Harper’s Bazaar, April 1969. 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

04/20/2026

Some letterheads from various fashion, cinema, and beauty celebrities and companies, all from the 1930s through 1960s, found last week while sifting through various archives . And yes, photo 6 is the letterhead for Revlon founder Charles Revson’s yacht, Ultima II. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

04/19/2026

Oh, the glamour! Elizabeth Taylor receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment” at the 42nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, held on January 27th, 1985 in Los Angeles. Her black velvet beaded gown by Nolan Miller sold for $7,500 at the 2011 Christie’s “The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor” Auction. 💜💜💜

04/18/2026

Last year, I was awarded a Travel Fellowship to research in the Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History at Smith College’s Special Collections so I spent the last week (the first time I’ve been away from my son) deeply immersed in so many intriguing women’s archives, taking thousands of photos of documents, and only coming up for air to visit Smith College’s beautiful botanical garden. New England is a dream in the spring. Here is just a teeny tiny mush of some of the things I saw—from daffodils to Sylvia Plath’s typewriter. More to come! 🌸🌸🌸

04/16/2026

I wrote a little piece for the relaunched ***oy about Bunny Yeager and her role in defining the early Pl***oy look. She was the ultimate package: smart, talented, funny, and, of course, gorgeous—as well as the ultimate girl’s girl. As the sole woman taking pin-up photos professionally, she had a firsthand advantage: an intimate understanding of what it was like to create different poses and convey contrasting emotions, as well as how to appear seductive, playful, or coy, and the ability to transform regular women into models. They loved the ease of working with her, the female connection, her joy in the process, and her exactitude: when working with Bunny, they knew they would get the best, most natural, yet extraordinary photos of themselves. This naturalness can be seen in Bunny’s most famous work: her collaborations with the ultimate Pl***oy bunny, Betty Page, as seen in the bottom photo of the story and final image of this slideshow. ✨ Spring 2026 issue on newsstands now. Thanks ! ✨

04/14/2026

Some of Dennis Redmond’s many fabulously seventies illustrations from the 1972 cookbook, ‘Coffee Cuisine.’ ☕️☕️☕️