On My Mind: Librarian Glasses and Little Bo-Peep Hats

I briefly considered looking for round frames akin to Jackie Kennedy in the Onassis years. Or Gloria Steinem’s aviators circa the first cover of Ms. magazine. But no. I can be “the librarian extra in a John Hughes film” I want to be in this clear, square pair.

In addition to new glasses, I needed new sunglasses. These are cheaper than the Gucci 1947 with the bamboo handle, and I figure they justify the cost-per-wear formula. I got them in a now sold-out green, but would’ve gotten the tortoiseshell otherwise.

The Locavore Guide’s Caroline Weaver discovered an Essie Clambake replacement with Kure Bazaar’s Juicy back in 2023. Based on Weaver’s swatch-testing card, Tenoverten’s L.A. is the same red-orange and equally as Clambake-esque. Just add a coat of Tenoverten’s Outlast (as promised, it’s “chip defying” — I included it in a previous installment of Strat Haul).

You know about getting initials on an Officine Universelle Buly lip balm? You can now get your full name on this Officine Universelle Buly pendant that opens up to a refillable lip balm.

In intimation of an E.M. Forster heroine in a Merchant-Ivory production, I’ve been piling my hair up with this claw clip (that resembles a Tiffany lamp).

I really like how this skirt fits. It’s not tight in the hips. The slits aren’t high on the thigh. There’s a drawstring waistband rather than a side zipper. And the beading is great. It complements a T-shirt nicely.

Spring 2026 Bourgine is Renaissance themed. But this top’s bodice reminds me of an Elizabethan-inspired Christian Dior dress Dita von Teese tried on at the Way We Wore (the location of L.A. Frock Stars). It’s a deep cut, but I think about that dress weekly. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a neckline like it outside of museum-exhibition stills.

[Editor’s note: The brand lists prices in euros, so this is an approximation to dollars.]

The millinery of Between Beauty (by Polish artist Wiwien Adamiec-Jadwiźak) is divine. It’s where you can buy a chapeau that resembles a wig of Madame de Pompadour’s, the bicorn for a mourning Napoleon Bonaparte, and the helmet of Hermes. I’d give anything to try on this Roman Little Bo-Peep headpiece.

[Editor’s note: The brand lists prices in euros, so this is an approximation to dollars.]

Last time on “Strategist Brain,” I was thinking about a 30th-birthday present for myself and deciding on shoes. To mark the occasion, I went with bejeweled mules from Roger Vivier, the “Fabergé of footwear.” It might have something to do with the fact that Queen Elizabeth’s coronation shoes were Vivier, but you can’t help feeling like a princess in them.

Grimaud has been making playing cards since 1848, and the Louis XV deck, designed by artist Jules Habert-Dysh with Art Nouveau floral motifs, was created for Paris salons. Imagine gambling with these whist-size cards — you’d feel like a courtier at a Versailles shindig (well, pre-guillotine).

This is about me missing the Victoria and Albert Museum’s exhibition “Marie Antoinette’s Style” (sponsored by Manolo Blahnik, of course).