Royal Clothespin Dolls

I know I should be saving more for retirement and doubling up on mortgage payments. But these clothespin dolls based on British royalty, found at uneekdolldesigns.etsy.com, make me want to take up a serious collection.

When I was a little girl, my father told me we were distant relatives of Katherine Parr, having the same surname. Do not ask me how a child in rural Alabama could entertain such a notion. But I think it goes far in explaining my deep-seated delusions of grandeur. Here, the Katherine doll has a gold collar, rhinestone trim, and a. velvet brown hood trimmed in gold and brown beads. For $40, I think that is a lot of handiwork.

Let’s face it … Mary Queen of Scots was the original drama queen. She drove her cousin Elizabeth I to distraction with her many attempts to assume the throne, so she finally got the axe. Of course, that was after many years spent under house arrest, during which she did needlepoint designs of an orange cat (shades of Elizabeth) torturing a mouse. Love that.

Here’s Elizabeth I in her coronation gown. Mary Queen of Scots should have known not to mess with her.

Poor Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife. Her marriage with Henry wasn’t even consummated; he thought she was too unattractive, and quickly annulled their marriage. Can you imagine?

Of course, Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, met a worse fate than Anne of Cleves: The chop. But at least Henry allowed her the courtesy of an executioner who used the French method of a sharp sword, rather than the clumsier English hatchet. Yikes. But isn’t this doll simply darling?

The man who started it all: Henry VIII, shown with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who never accepted that he had divorced her to marry Anne Boleyn. Somehow I feel Kate Middleton will have better luck with her royal.

Hats Off! Mamie Eisenhower, Kate Middleton, and Others

With spring begun, hats are on my mind. Gardening and sun protection are mere excuses ... 

Do you even know what this is? Why it's Mamie Eisenhower’s pink petal hat, perched on her hatstand! Those were the days. 

Wouldn't it be fabulous to rock this pill box on Easter? Appropriately named Melbury Court, this little number was designed by British designer Gina Foster. At savannah.com. 

Look who knows how to wow them in a "fascinator." Worn at society events, this traditional headpiece normally includes feathers, flowers, and beads. Mizz Middleton -- wait for it -- always fascinates in hers. 

I think I would get the most mileage from straw fedora, like this one from Eugenia Kim at Neiman Marcus (Victor Osborne also has a chic, pink-ish one at Barneys).  I actually met Kim when she was just starting out. I was an accessories editor at Women's Wear Daily. She was a recent college graduate. She came to our office, unannounced, with two hats in a box, and wanted to meet an accessories editor. That was me. I put her in touch with the stylists for WWD and also for W magazine. It was obvious, even then, that she had talent. 

Okay, I love me some Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy, but honestly, I just love a good old-fashioned head kerchief (babushka). I used to sport a pink cashmere babushka by Tracy Watts when I worked for Women's Wear Daily in NYC. They sold them for $70 at Barneys, in various colors, and they were just the answer for a bad hair day. (This photo is from Heather Evans Smith Photography on Esty. Love her). 

I mean, who doesn't look cute in a babushka? (Photo from paulasbrain.blogspot.com).