Saturday, July 28, 2012

The Gap Stole My Name!



When I was little, I rather hated my name. And because my mother kept my hair short, people didn't know if I was a boy or a girl, and my name, well, it didn't give them any further clues. I could never find never barrettes, notepads or other fun personalized trinkets with my name on them. At some point, around high school, I started to appreciate the uniqueness of my name. But now, many years later, my name seems poised not to be so unique any more. And the fact that The Gap has turned my own personal brand into a cut for jeans doesn't make me as happy as it might have when I was, say, seventeen. What's worse, they are made for some other fictional Hadley, one with no curves and that's definitely not me.

The truth is, I've kind of liked being (more or less) the only one all these years. While there is a website, a registry for all the Hadleys in recent history, in all of my years I've never met another one, and neither have most the people I meet. Once, years ago, a friend of a friend I wasn't so sure about asked me if she could name her daughter Hadley. I told her I'd rather she didn't. Was that mean? Am I selfish? Perhaps. But now it seems there may not much chance of stemming the tide of Hadleys to come, so I might as well just face that I've been paving the way for a new generation of "Hadleys" everywhere.


Saturday, July 21, 2012

Former 944 Interns take Fashion Week Swim!

Me and Simonett


These are the days when reporting from the front lines really gets interesting and South Beach really does live up to it's sexy reputation. Thursday marked the beginning of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami Beach. But it's not quite like Fashion Week in New York. This one sees women on that catwalks in skimpy swimsuits instead of ready to wear (out the door) fashions and hooked-in locals rarely get shut out from shows they really want to attend. As an editor, I'm on the lists, but connected non-media and buyers can usually wiggle their way in as well, making the shows much more social than other cities. It doesn't hurt that they do these at night, after all the buyers are done perusing the biggest swim trade show in the world at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and more recently, Salon Allure at the W.

On Thursday at Soho Beach House, I attended an event thrown by a former 944 intern-turned-serious-stylist, Rachel Russell. It is called Style Saves and it's a fundraiser to help disadvantaged children get back to school duds. While waiting for the show to begin, I caught up with another former 944 intern, Simonett Pereira who is now a fashion blogger. I must give her props - blog looks fab.  Never say an internship can't change your life! Check it out www.fringemiami.com.


Friday, July 20, 2012

Beauty in Ohio: Swans at Buckeye Lake


Get too close and they'll hiss like Naomi Campbell

Buckeye Lake was always filled with ducks. Lots and lots of ducks. But now, they have become replaced by hoards of Canadian Geese, which the locals hate because they settle on land and leave such a mass of droppings everywhere it is impossible to avoid stepping in them. (See the strings below that were installed by my husband as a barrier to keep the geese in the water and off the yard.) The geese are still there, but lately there have been a new breed of visitor: swans. The most recent sitings have involved a husband and wife team with a brood of four cygnets. 

They are so cute, but if you come close -- they will hiss. One day my mom decided she must feed them - with the only thing she had on hand - saltines. While I implored her not to, I didn't have any hard fast evidence as to why this was bad for them. She did it nonetheless and was excited when they ate some of it. I have since learned that it is very bad to feed these birds, because the typical foods people try to give them are harmful to their intestines, and keep them from eating their nutrient-dense diet of super foods like algae. The only time it is ok is if it is winter or late fall / early spring and their natural food is not available. Then it is ok to give them natural popped corn, cooked brown rice or lightly steamed vegetable scraps. Got it? Good! If you don't believe me, stop by Wild Birds Unlimited in Dublin and let tell you what they think. Whatever you do, just don't tell them my mom gave them saltines! 


Pappa swan in Buckeye Lake