One of the reasons many of us love the Regency period so much is the clothing; the Georgian period, which preceded it, was often ridiculously overwrought, with men wearing red heels and patches and powder, and women wearing oversized, silly hats and wigs.

The Victorian styles were often fussy and constricting for women. The men looked okay, but really, I don’t fantasize about wearing a nice suit, whereas I do fantasize about wearing some lovely gowns.

I am hoping to make it to the Met to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit. It shuts soon, and I’m mortified I haven’t made it there yet. So I went looking at the website, and found some gorgeous designs, which I’ll share.

I haven’t been following fashion much lately–my son is, well, male, and he hasn’t gotten beyond manga t-shirts and jeans yet; my husband is a dandy, but he manages to stay on top of trends quite well without me. I did go out last night to see live music, and there were many twenty-somethings decked out in their glory; it was funny to see some of the fashion I wore as a high schooler thirty years later (yikes!).

I’d heard, and accepted, that McQueen was a fashion genius, but until I scrolled through some of these images I didn’t actually know. I will try to get to the Met soon, and meanwhile, do you have a favorite designer? Or a favorite look of these three?

Megan

Today there’s awful news about explosions in Norway. Now, back in the time of our heroes and heroines, it would have taken days, maybe longer, to find out about things happening in other countries. Now it’s seconds. And people are responding to the crisis with sympathy and offers of help, as they should.

It’s my belief that the more you can find commonality with someone, the more sympathetic you are. It’s not a controversial opinion, and it is why I think many city-dwellers are more comfortable with people of other ethnicities than people who live in more segregated (no pejoratives meant) communities.

Anyway. One way that many of us in the romance community find commonality with others is through our shared interest in books. This is a theme I have talked often about, the great joy and amazing friends I’ve found through reading. It’s hard to dislike someone if they love Loretta Chase as much as you do, for example. Or perhaps if you find you have reading in common, you might find other areas you can discuss.

Not that global crises such as what might have happened in Norway could be solved if we all shared a book; I’m not even close to that naive. But the commonality of reading makes me appreciate what I’ve learned through that sharing with others.

I’m grateful for that, so thanks to all my friends, both on- and off-line.

Megan