The Rosemarie Look features vintage photos of my English grandmother, Rosemarie, combined with links to similar pieces that loosely replicate her style today. The weekly series is a celebration of my grandmother and of timeless style, but it's also a way to honor everyone who's traveled to the U.S., as she did in her 20s. It's for every foreigner, past and present, who came to this country, fell in love and stayed; who, at times, didn't feel they belonged, and yet who left an indelible impression on their loved ones and everyone they knew.
This week's Rosemarie Look switches it up a bit, with my grandfather, Edward, as the focus. This one is for the boys.
My grandmother said that he was the first person she met who really listened to her. My grandfather, Edward, grew up on Long Island, the son of a butcher and the oldest of three. He was a very neat, organized person who always looked put-together. It wasn't that he had expensive tastes, according to my mom, more that he knew what looked good on him. (I'm wearing one of his sweaters here.) He loved buying stylish things for my mom, too.
"When I was a teenager, I had the coolest stuff and he was really good at finding bargains," my mom, Heidi, says. "He would get boots for me, long skirts, tops, everything you can think of. There was this lavender leather coat he got me, the front had rabbit fur trim and the hood had rabbit fur... Even when he went to work, he wore nice clothing."
I look at this picture and I think James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. To me, the best part of this photo is the huge smile on my grandfather's face. I knew him as someone who didn't always laugh and smile so easily, so it brings me such joy to see him looking happy here.
Here, some picks for the must-have closet staple for every gender, the blazer. Think of wearing these loose and unbuttoned.
The Essential Blazer
Guys: Love this color, slim fit linen, white, gray checks, textured wool
Ladies: Open style, linen, long, double-breasted with ruffles, wool check
P.S. Feel free to click on the links for both the guys' and ladies' styles—a lot of them are menswear- and unisex-inspired so they'll look cool on everyone.
Wishing you all the best weekend with lots of big, genuine smiles! xoxo
P.S. You can see the whole Rosemarie Look series here.