grace coddington photographed by tim walker.
it would seem that in a week that could be all about highlighting couples, a lot of strong, independent and admirable women are popping up all over the place for me. tina over on swiss-miss posted a list of suggestions for Female Entrepreneur speakers and the list was awe-inspiring. she asked for more suggestions and so i added rena tom, founder of makeshift society because she personally rocks my world with her constant investment in community and her support of makers everywhere. so my thoughts for a friday are leaning towards sharing some other women who inspire me endlessly. do you have anyone you’d like to add to the list? i’d love to hear about them — give us all something to think about over the long weekend. monday’s a holiday, so i’ll see you all back here on tuesday.
• i first became enamored with grace coddington the creative director of american vogue in a documentary entitled The September Issue, where she single-handedly made anna wintour appear almost wallflower-like. her creativity, wit, intelligence and no nonsense common sense just shined so brightly in a fashion world gone mad with self-absorption. i’m excited to read her new book, grace coddington: a memoir. have you read it? do you love her, too?
me, traveling alone in paris; diana vreeland in the vogue office.
• “You can feel just as insecure in your own backyard – if you’re going to feel sorry for yourself, do it somewhere cool.” — a wonderful quote I read in this article by Katka Lapelosa a tour operator living in New York who also writes for several travel websites and shares her own experiences on her blog katka travels. i’ve traveled alone quite a bit, and i always learn something about myself. sometimes good, sometimes bad, but invaluable lessons all of them. have you traveled on your own? did you have any epiphanies?
• “There’s only one very good life, and that’s the life that you know you want, and you make it yourself.” — Diana Vreeland. For decades, Diana Vreeland was a leading authority in fashion through eccentric self-taught skill and a unique stylistic audacity. the new film Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel follows her career from her youth in Paris to successful magazine fashion editor, challenging preconceptions and presenting a new definition of beauty and vivaciousness where nice clothes were just the beginning of something much, much deeper. i’m super excited to see this film!
TED Talk: Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability.
• do you know about Brené Brown? she is one of my personal heroes. Brené Brown is a research professor who has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame. she’s funny, and accessible and quite brilliant. i saw this TED Talk she gave, The power of vulnerability and it was kind of life changing. i identified with what Brené had to say so deeply, that i think i shared with anyone who would listen. i don’t think i shared it here though, and i want to now. if you haven’t seen it, please watch all of it — or at least save it for when you can watch it and really listen. i think you’ll find it well worth it. for more from Brené Brown visit her website.
