Danielle Steel's Blog, page 60

Life, In Real Time

Hi Everybody!

It’s still rainy, cold and gray in Paris—-what kind of May is this? People write love songs and have dreams about spring in Paris, and none of them include long-johns and umbrellas!!! And either there is some kind of worldwide lousy weather thing happening, or I’m cursed, since I arrived from the same kind of unseasonable weather in New York, Los Angeles before that (pouring rain and freezing cold), and 3 weeks of miserable cold weather in San Francisco. And to top it off, I’m going to New York in 2 days, checked the weather, sure it would be balmy and warm with spring in full swing, and discovered that the weather in New York is more of the same. Yerghk!!! I hope it warms up and dries out somewhere that I am soon, since I’m heading off on my usual rounds to see the kids.

Our family is BUSY these days!!! I’m heading home to San Francisco for Mother’s Day (my favorite holiday EVER. I get presents and don’t have to add another year to my age!! good news!!), I’ll be stopping to visit two of my daughters in New York first, always a joy, then celebrating with the others in San Francisco, and then the ENTIRE family will be getting together for the graduation of my youngest daughter—-and it’s no mean feat to get all of us together these days, with jobs and busy lives in many cities. But we are all getting together for that!! A huge victory, and unless someone goes to graduate school (two have so far, one in business, and the other as a social worker), it may be our last graduation, after many, many many years of them, starting with kindergarten graduations, 8th grade, high school, college, and the two who earned Master’s degrees. And of course, I always cry. It will be strange not having a ‘child’ in school, and not living by school vacations anymore. I have even planned my writing schedule around their school vacations for all these years. So it looks like we’ll all be graduating to adult lives. It’s a bit of a shock after shepherding nine kids through school. Did you finish your homework? What do you MEAN you have a test tomorrow…..a science project…..an oral presentation on the hundred year war???? And’ forgot to tell me’ so you could go to the baseball game instead. My son Nick was one of the most creative with reasons why he ‘couldn’t’ do his homework, and once told me he had no homework assignment in about 6th grade because his teacher had died. Yeah, right. Feeling smug, and determined to catch him out on it, I called the school, and to my shock and horror, I discovered that his teacher really had died suddenly that day. No homework. Oops. But on the whole, they have been a hard working lot (and are now too in their jobs and careers), no one ever flunked out (though we’ve seen academic probation a few times. It happens), everyone managed to graduate, some with honors, and all the nagging, begging, pleading and watching paid off. The daughter who is graduating has done a fantastic job, with amazing grades and pure hard work, and I’m very proud of her. We all are!!! And it will be a joy to celebrate her!!! And I’m happy to say that she’s walking at graduation, although 2 of her sisters didn’t, because it went ‘out of fashion’ for a while (“No one does, Mom”). I felt cheated when they didn’t. I want to stand there crying and taking photographs through blurry eyes, with the camera upside down, while the graduates all snicker, giggle at bad jokes about the teachers (or us, the doting parents), and look intensely bored, until that sudden moment when it all becomes real to them, a dignified professor hands them a scrolled up piece of parchment, it all kicks in, in a single instant, and then they are throwing their caps in the air, screaming with glee and relief, hugging each other, and crying too. It seems to take forever while you’re getting there, for both parent and child, but it’s amazing how fast the time flies. One day you’re dropping them off at kindergarten while they look terrified (I cried then too), you blink, and they’re wearing their black robes and mortarboard hats with a tassel at graduation. I would gladly start the film all over again!!! And then for them comes the scary business of “holy shit!!! What do I do now???”  It all comes together in the end, but that leap from school, whether high school or college, is a BIG one!!! (For parent as well as child. and that scary empty nest thing I’ve dreaded for all these years comes soon thereafter).

And after we’ve celebrated the graduation properly (with a big party for her and her friends), we have a family wedding to look forward to this summer, the fourth among the nine kids to marry, and the first among the younger kids. And in today’s world, where people seem to marry less and less in the young generation, and wait longer and longer to do so (very few among independent young career-oriented people seem to marry much before 35 these days, or considerably later, while they establish their careers. and they have kids later and later too, if they do so at all)—-it seems remarkable now when young people do marry. I know so many who don’t.  I guess my generation scared them off, with divorces and marriages that failed. But in spite of whatever failings in the institution (of marriage), or in us, some are still brave enough to do it, and to stand up and make a lifetime commitment to each other. I admire their courage and dedication to each other, and I still believe in traditional values, although I’m a lot more open minded than I used to be (and more cowardly about marriage). But we will all be celebrating the family wedding this summer, and trying to squeeze in our annual family vacation together before that. It’s going to be a busy summer. I just finished my main writing projects, so I can enjoy the family, spend time with my kids, and work on the wedding. And I’ll be going back to work on new books in September. (Although I always sneak in a little work here and there during the summer, but not at my intense winter pace, where I work for months without taking a day off).

So that’s what we’re up to this summer. It will be a busy one for us!!! And I hope a good one for you too, with memorable moments, and some quiet relaxing times!!! I’ll keep you posted on all of it.

Love, Danielle

Friends Forever

Friends Forever

In Stores: July 24, 2012

Gabby, Billy, Izzie, Andy, and Sean—each bursting with their own personality, strikingly different looks and talents, in sports, science, and the arts. Each drawn by the magical spark of connection that happens to the young. At the exclusive Atwood School, on a bright September day, starting in kindergarten they become an inseparable group known to outsiders as the Big Five. In this rarefied world, five families grow closer, and five children bloom beside one another, unaware of the storms gathering around them.

As they turn from grade-schoolers to teenagers, seemingly perfect lives are buffeted by unraveling families, unfortunate missteps, and losses and victories great and small. And, one by one, they turn back to the Big Five to regain their footing and their steady course. But as they emerge from Atwood and enter the college years, the way forward is neither safe nor clear. As their lives separate and diverge, the challenges and risks become greater, the losses sharper, and the right paths harder to choose, in a journey of friendship, survival, and love.

In what may be her most intricate and emotionally powerful novel yet, Danielle Steel tells a heart-wrenching, ultimately triumphant story that spans decades, weaves together a vivid cast of characters, and captures the challenges we face in life—sometimes, if we’re lucky, with a friend forever by our side.

Spring?

Having grown up alone with an older father, and married two men who were twenty years older than I (who often had friends even older than they), I have often spent my life with considerably older people, and discovered (to my dismay when I was very young) that older people have 3 favorite subjects of conversation: how well they slept the night before, how well their digestive systems are working, and the weather. I always found all 3 topics incredibly boring, but maybe I’m slipping over the edge now too. I’ve never had trouble sleeping and sleep very little (I don’t need more than 4 or 5 hours a night), my digestive system has always worked fine and I pay no attention to it (and find it an appalling topic of conversation), which leaves the weather. And I find that lately, I’m getting obsessed with that. I left Paris more than a month ago in gorgeous nearly summery weather, sat on terraces outside restaurants soaking up the sun during lunch wearing just a shirt, and headed back to New York, then California, and finally back to Paris ten days ago.  From warm sunny summery Paris, I landed in New York in chilly, rainy weather, grateful to have a warm coat with me, spent four days in Los Angeles, literally freezing, and in the pouring rain, headed to San Francisco for more of the same, and have been back in Paris for ten days of the worst cold rainy weather I’ve seen in years. It’s been in the 40′s and low 50′s everywhere, in all 4 cities, constantly raining, and EVERYONE is complaining about the weather. And what I’ve been discovering is how depressing it is, living in gray, cold, rainy weather day after day for a month or more, without a single day of sunshine to give one hope that spring is near. (And scientific studies tell us about some forms of depression coming from lack of sunlight. I can easily see why).

Interestingly, I’m not sure most people make the connection between the gloomy weather and their lives. I find that after all this bad weather, married women friends are complaining about their husbands, and how difficult and dreary they are, and even questioning their marriages and choice of mate. Unmarried ones are fighting with their boyfriends, children with their parents, everyone suddenly hates their jobs or their apartments, and I finally gave up wearing spring clothes, and climbed back into my dreary grays, somber blacks, or army greens. It really is depressing living with gray, cold, rainy weather day after day. I think it affects our mood, our outlook on life and everything seems so much worse when you’re cold and wet and haven’t seen the sun in weeks. And worse, I think we all think that our bleak mood is real, and don’t realize that we’re just suffering from a lack of sunlight, blue skies, and warmer weather. It seems obvious, but I really think that consistently bad weather really brings us down, and for some even causes serious bouts of depression. Of course a sunny day, or a string of them, will change of everything. Our partners will seem infinitely more agreeable and appealing, our children better behaved (even my dog is crabby and hates going out in wet weather in whatever city we’re in), our jobs will seem more tolerable again, our homes brighter with a splash of sunshine in them, and we’ll even look better when we look in the mirror (I’m so tired of my own pale face!!).

There’s not much you can do about bad weather, but I decided to declare war on this wintry spring a few days ago, and decided to pretend it was spring. Yesterday I wore bright orange, with matching high heeled sandals. A few days before, I wore screaming yellow (and probably looked like a canary or a banana, in a big bright yellow sweater), and today I wore red and royal blue (together). I just couldn’t stand looking so dreary anymore; I looked as depressing as the weather. And maybe I looked ridiculous all decked out for spring, but wearing ‘gloom gear’ wasn’t doing it for me either (my worst old sweaters with holes in them that I wear when i want to crawl into a corner or under the covers when I’m sad). And I find that I’m happier today, and people have commented on how cheerful it is to see someone wearing colour. I think at times like these, when everything seems ‘off’, it’s good to remember that a down outlook may just be because of the weather, your partner, job, kids and apartment may not really be so bad, maybe you’re all just sick and tired of lousy weather, and who could blame us. I hope it lets up soon, but until then, I think I’m going to try and remind myself that life isn’t as bad as it seems, the crappy weather won’t last forever, and if you see me wearing wild, crazy colors, you’ll know why!!! love, Danielle

May Day in Paris

As I’ve mentioned before, May Day (the first of May) is a big deal in France, and it is to me as well, for several reasons. It’s the French equivalent of Labor Day, and often the French get to do what they call ‘make a bridge’, like this year the 1st of May falls on Tuesday, so everything will be closed all week end, Monday (the bridge), and Tuesday (the actual holiday). It’s a particularly nice holiday, because everyone gives everyone else ‘lily of the valley’ for good luck. they are sold in little pots, bouquets, or just a sprig, and there are vendors on nearly every street corner selling them, with the delicate scent of lily of the valley fragrant in the air.

This holiday is particularly dear to my heart because my son Nick’s birthday was May 1st, which has always added special meaning to that day for me. And now that he’s gone, I give a May Day dinner for close friends every year on that date. I have lily of the valley on the table, and give everyone who comes their own little vase of lily of the valley. I even have plates and glasses and napkins with lily of the valley on them. It is a special day for me, and even though I am sad that he is no longer here, it warms my heart to be with friends, and celebrate the day. It is a day that is about good feelings, and warm gestures of friendship as people exchange the pretty flowers. Lily of the valley will always make me think of him!!

This year I’m having an Italian dinner in my kitchen in Paris, and there will be ten of us, eating yummy Italian food, with lots of delicious pasta and maybe tiramisu for dessert. And at the end of the evening, everyone will go home with their little vase of flowers.

Usually, May Day in Paris is a beautiful warm spring day, and we had gorgeous warm spring like weather in March, but April has been cold and rainy and it feels like winter again. So I hope we get a reprieve from the weather on May 1st. It’s a beautiful feel-good day, and I hope the weather will make it even more so, instead of shivering in the rain. It has been very chilly in Paris!!!

I hope your May Day is lovely too!  love,  Danielle

Spring Cleaning

Hi Everyone,

Here I am—-doing closets again!!! Spring Cleaning!!! I always question why I do them (other than the fact that closets get messy), and I think there are two reasons why I take such pleasure in cleaning out and reorganizing closets. For one thing, it’s something you can control. None of us can fully control our lives, people come and go, things happen, the unexpected and unpredictable turns our lives upside down (romances that go awry, children who worry us, bumps in our careers, lost clients, lost jobs, and all the things that stress us everyday), but when you tidy up your closets, you feel like you’re the master of the situation, you get to make choices, decide where you want to put things, and what you want in your life and what you don’t. You can dispose of every outfit you feel fat or ugly in, the fashion mistakes, the things you bought on a bad day, look at later and wonder what you were thinking. You can streamline what you own, and what you want to keep.  The second reason I think I enjoy cleaning out closets (store rooms, basements, attics, garages, any place you gather stuff!!) is because you can actually see the result of your work in a very short time.  Writing is a slow business, it takes me months or even a year to establish the outline for a book, think about it, work on the characters and plot. And then it takes time to write the book. And once you’re finished, editors go over it, ask for changes, make you do countless re-writes, and after you deliver the final, final, final version, then it goes into galleys, goes to the printer, has to be bound.  From the first moment I get an idea for a book, until you buy it and have it in your hand, it can take three or four years. And some people can take ten years to write a book!!! And even once the book is published there are more delays, with shipping, distribution, then you have to wait to hear how well it’s doing. It takes a long, long, long time to see the result of your work if you’re a writer.

But that’s not the case with a closet. You open a door, you see a mess, you start pulling things out and make a bigger mess. You divide things into what you’ll keep and what you’ll sell or give away, and you reorganize a little. And within a few hours, or at the end of the day, or by the next day, you have cleaned up your life (or so it feels), the closet looks impeccable, everything is neat, sorted out, weeded out and rearranged. And presto magic, instant gratification. You can actually SEE the result of your work. Like painting a house, or building something, or baking a cake. You work, you produce, and you get to see it right away. It’s so different from the long years I have to wait between thinking of an idea for a book, and actually knowing it’s in your hands, or holding the book myself. I love the immediacy of the result of cleaning out a closet, it makes me feel so productive and efficient, and so thrilled when I see a closet all neat and organized.

This time, in a burst of real ambition, I tackled our ‘luggage closet’. We have a room designated for all the luggage of a family of 11, and we’re a family that has always traveled quite a bit, and now more than ever. And when I say ‘luggage’, I use the term loosely. I dug into our luggage closet yesterday, and found the camp trunks of my children, the bags they used to carry dolls and doll clothes when we went away for the weekends. I found dog carriers in various colors, shapes and sizes, hat boxes that were wonderfully old fashioned, a crazy hat box my husband bought for cowboy hats he had bought in Wyoming when we went there on vacation. I found the 1930′s luggage of my mother-in-law, and the 1950′s luggage of my (much older) husband, I found attache cases, boogie boards, skate boards, and strollers. Whatever no one knew what to do with has wound up in that closet, until it was exploding with 25 years of refuse. And there was great stuff in there too, some beautiful luggage that is no longer relevant in today’s world, that would get ruined on an airplane, but it’s too pretty to give up. Some tote bags we bought in England that are wonderfully old fashioned and weigh a ton, but they’re so handsome that I kept those too. Maybe my kids will find them quaint one day. There were suitcases in there that my children have asked about for years (and I had no idea where they were and couldn’t find them in the mess), and there were countless wonderful memories tucked away in that closet, along with wet suits, roller blades, tee shirts from concerts, and souvenirs from baseball games. It was poignant and fun to go through that closet, which when I entered it was literally a mountain of boxes and suitcases, and is now so impeccably neat that I feel like I won the Nobel Peace Prize just for tackling it. There were 25 years of memories and memorabilia in that closet, along with a lot of things we should have thrown away years ago. I kept a lot of stuff, but I gave away dozens of old suitcases that were too battered to keep. And the really sentimental stuff I kept. I can hardly wait to pack for a trip now, go straight to my suitcases and know where they are. It was every bit as gratifying as I hoped it would be. Spring cleaning has begun!!! I feel ridiculously virtuous now, and I had a lot of fun. Someone told me years ago that cleaning out a closet is like life, you have to make a worse mess and take everything out and look at it, in order to end up with everything neat and in order at the end. Maybe that’s why I like cleaning out closets so much, I figure that if I throw enough junk away, and rediscover the good stuff and focus on that, my life will be a better place!!!

Much Love, Danielle

Springtime in Paris

Spring was still officially six days away as I wrote this:  The weather has been so gorgeous in Paris for the last few days, that everyone is hoping Spring is really here. Branches are blossoming with tiny flowers, the sun is out and the weather is warm, and it made me think today that there is nothing prettier than Spring in Paris (or anywhere for that matter, but it’s hard to beat here). And after cold gray days of winter, this is just heavenly. It will probably get cold again, but this is sooooooo nice.

I had lunch at a totally magical place today. There is a small lake in the park here, the Bois de Boulogne, with an island on the lake. And I’ve always heard about a restaurant on the island called “Le Chalet des Iles”. A friend invited me to lunch there today, and you have to take a boat to cross the small expanse of water to the Island. And once there, there is an open terrace, where you can have lunch and sit in the sun, which is exactly what we did. It was absolutely fabulous, so relaxing and peaceful, looking out over the small lake, and baking in the sun as we ate lunch. It doesn’t get better than that!!!  I’m going to go back there again!!! It makes the good weather even better, and there is something wonderfully whimsical about having to get there by boat, even though it’s only a short distance.  And tonight I am having dinner at a restaurant that specializes in souffles, which I love too. So I am having a very fancy day in Paris, in the heavenly springtime sun. It was so pretty at lunch today that I had to share it with you.

Other than that, when I’m not being lazy, soaking up the sun, I am starting a re-write of a book tomorrow, will work on some of my song lyrics next week with the composers, and I am thoroughly enjoying springtime in Paris. Wherever you are right now, I hope Spring is on its way to you too!!!

Love, Danielle

Good Morning America

Hi Everyone,

As some of you may have seen, I was on Good Morning America recently, and even after all these years of 'fame', it still amazes me to be on those shows. I flew to New York from Paris, and had a really lovely weekend with two of my daughters (one of them is getting married, and we're planning the wedding, so there is lots to talk about. But even without the wedding, I love seeing my daughters, and a weekend together is a real gift). And after a nice weekend, I had the show to do on Monday morning. And the show may seem early—-but that's nothing compared to what you have to do in order to be on it. 

I had to be at the studio just after 7:30 am, which meant I had to leave my hotel shortly after 7 am. And you can't just roll out of bed, and turn up at those highly professional shows (or any show) in jeans, with uncombed hair. They want you to arrive "camera ready". In 'real life", when all I'm going to do is sit at my desk all day, a quick bath, my toothbrush, and a quick swipe at my long hair with a hair brush, and shoving it into an elastic band will do it. I have confessed to you before that when I'm working, I don't get all dressed up and wear make-up, so my morning process takes all of about 20 minutes, and then like the seven dwarves, it's off to work I go……well that's not how it happens on national TV. You have to show up at people's breakfast tables, or before that, looking put together and gorgeous. So the first order of the day is hair and make-up. And hairdressers and make-up artists want two hours each, so they're not rushed, to get you ready for national TV. So in this case, that meant 4 hours before I walked out of the hotel fully dressed, combed and made up at 7 am.  The hairdresser and make-up artist arrived at the hotel where I stay at 3 am…..and I was still tired and jet lagged from arriving from Paris on Friday night…..ohhhhh 3 am felt really early. I almost always go to bed at that hour—-but get up at that hour??? I was not looking or feeling fresh as a daisy when they showed up. I was still half asleep. And when the alarm went off at 2:45 am before they got there, my dog opened one eye, looked at me as though to say "you must be kidding", and went back to sleep. So the day began very early. Too early even for food and coffee. But fortunately both the hairdresser and make-up artist are really nice, and we've worked together before, so we chatted as they worked. It was still dark outside, which makes you feel even more like it's the middle of the night. And the make-up you have to wear to look awake and alive on TV is more make-up than I normally wear. And it takes time. And my hair is very long, so once shampooed, it takes a long time to dry it. So we were busy for the next four hours. By then, we had coffee, some muffins, and croissants.  And by 7 am, when I was dressed and ready to go, it felt like the middle of the afternoon. We'd been busy since 3 am.

I arrived at the studio and was startled to see fans and press outside. They took some photographs, asked a few questions, and asked for autographs, which is very flattering, but still gives me that "Who? Me???" feeling, and I always feel like an impostor, pretending to be Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep or Madonna as we walk into the building, after encountering the press and fans outside.

A producer showed me to my dressing room, where they offered food and I declined. I just can't face food that early in the day. A technician comes in to hook up a mike under your clothes (and if you forget you're wired after that, which is easy to do, you wind up saying something you shouldn't, and a gazillion people hear you somewhere in the studio.). Two people from my publisher came to be with me, and the woman who handles PR, and suddenly the dressing room winds up very crowded, as the make-up person fiddles with your make-up for a last time, and the hairdresser touches up your hair and sprays it again. It's a whole process of being fussed over, which I usually don't love.

And then, finally, they walk you into the studio, and set up where you'll sit. By then I'm usually a nervous wreck, but Robin Roberts is SUCH a lovely person, that she makes it effortless. I have always been very daunted and more than a little overwhelmed that I am on 'live TV' with millions of people watching. What if I faint, throw up, or want to blow my nose??? You just have to keep it together for as long as you're on the show, which isn't long. They allotted 4 minutes to me on that Monday, and that can feel like an eternity sometimes, but if the interviewer is good, it's over before you know it.  Robin Roberts is a terrific interviewer, she asks interesting questions, never throws you a curve ball, and makes me feel like a welcome guest, not a hostage.  We talked about my new book, which came out the end of March. It's called Betrayal, and it's about an embezzlement. I hope you REALLY like it. I worked hard on it, as always, to make it interesting and accurate in all the details. So we talked about the new book for a few minutes, and they even showed photos of my Chihuahua puppy, and she looked adorable.

Often on those shows, I have been upstaged by someone more exciting than I, or an oddball celebrity, or someone the audiences just love. Last summer, Lady Gaga was on a show that I was on. And I have to say she was fantastic!!! They interviewed her, and she played a song. She was wearing a checkered suit, with matching hat and sunglasses, and towering platform shoes. She played the piano beautifully, looked adorable, and nothing I could do or say would have been as 'cute'. It's tough to compete to HUGE musical talent, beauty, and youth. She was a knockout!!! Another time, I was on TV with the OctoMom, the woman who had given birth to octuplets (8 babies at once, literally like a litter of children). She had just written a book, and she has 6 other kids, so being on TV with the mother of l4 kids was definitely an experience. (She made my 9 kids just seem like beginner's luck).  And this time I was upstaged by a 4 oz puppy that was described as the smallest puppy in the world. It fit in the palm of any one's hand, and the owner of it was waving it around, showing everyone, and the whole place was totally fascinated by the tiny little dog.  We all were, it was incredibly sweet, but I felt sorry for it. The tiniest puppy was soooo young to be out in the world. And then finally, my interview began.

As always, Robin was incredibly nice to me, the interview went well, and shortly after nine o'clock, we were back on the street with the fans and press photographers again. And I disappeared into a waiting car and went back to my hotel, where I put on comfortable clothes, and felt like me again. Being on TV is always an experience, and never one I am fully comfortable with, but thanks to Robin Roberts, the interview went really well. And late that afternoon, I flew back to California. So that was my moment of stardom in New York. It will always feel strange to me, to be on TV and have to be so focused on 'me'. I hope you saw the interview, but if not, you know all about it now. And it was definitely fun thanks to Robin. And if you happened to watch me, heartfelt thanks.

Love, Danielle

Resurrection

As you know, I don't like intruding on anyone's thoughts about religion, as it's a very private thing. But certain words resonate for all of us, whatever our beliefs, and as much as I like the whimsical side of Easter (my family and I wear bunny ears every year at Easter brunch, and I can never resist chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies and eggs!!!)—-but in spite of that less serious note, the concept of 'resurrection' resonates deeply for me every year.  We all have our private battles, our deep hopes and unexpected disappointments. We carry our burdens, face our challenges, and struggle with our responsibilities, and at times it can be a heavy load. At times we are all exhausted by what we have to face every day. And at its worst, the concept of 'crucifixion' resonates for us too: the unfair blows, an illness, the death of someone we love, an unfair accusation, a lost job, the betrayal of a friend or someone we love. All of those things can come as terrible blows, and seriously discourage us and lay us low. We have all faced those terrible moments where we wonder if our daily struggles are worth it, and feel 'crucified'.

Easter combines those two elements, the one of great discouragement, and then the dawn of hope, of 'resurrection', of coming to life again, and emerging from the darkness, the rebirth into newness of life. I love that concept, that each of us can be 'resurrected' from the depths of despair, feel freer in the face of our burdens, and face life again with a spring in our step. It's hard to predict what will turn a dark time around, the support of a friend or loved one, a new idea, a burst of energy, or faith, or just the conviction that we can climb back out of the pit again. The whole idea of resurrection is based on hope. And each year, at Easter time, I am reminded of that idea, the notion of resurrection, of being reborn, and starting fresh. And whatever your beliefs, religious or not, I hope that you will be touched by the idea of resurrection at this time of year, to rise from the ashes of disappointment or even despair——and be resurrected on a new day.  I hope you have, or have had, a wonderful Easter this year.

Love, Danielle

Shoes!!!

With apologies to my male readers, this is admittedly a girly subject. Although some men like shoes too.

A few years ago, a disgruntled shoe designer (whose shoes my daughters and I don't often buy any more, new designers emerge, and fashion moves on), anyway he announced in an interview, in a fit of pique, I assume—that I have 6,000 pairs of his shoes. His comment hit the internet, and I haven't heard the end of it since. I wish people talked as much about my books, as about the story of those 6,000 pairs of shoes. It continues to surface, and at every dinner party I go to, someone leans over and says in hushed tones "Do you really have 6,000 pairs of shoes?". No, I don't, of his shoes, nor any other designer's. And the originator of that comment wrote me a very nice apology many months later, but the deed was done. So now I will be talked about forever as the woman with 6,000 pairs of shoes.  But having said that, yes, I do love shoes!!! (Not 6,000 pairs of them, but a lot).

I find that when I'm glum, or feeling sorry for myself, or in a great mood, or want to spoil myself—-shoes are always the right answer. They're so fun. I wear mostly flat shoes in the day time, but high heels when I get dressed up. Really high heels. My fashionable daughters insist that I wear high heels and they look great, 'll admit. But I can't run around in them all day long. They wear 6 inch heels to work, and since they work in fashion, they feel it's a must!!! I try to keep the high heels within reason, but recently wore a pair so high that all I could do was teeter from the car into the house, for a birthday party, and sit down. I sat on the couch all night, unable to move, but the shoes looked great while I sat on the couch!!! Those were a little too extreme!!  And I'm afraid of platform shoes, which just look too scary, the big high platforms, I'm sure I would fall flat on my face.

Most men don't seem to understand our passion, as shoe lovers. I wear mostly black shoes, and men always say when I buy a new pair, "But you already have black shoes!!" Yes, I do. So?? And red shoes are fun sometimes too.

I was cleaning out some closets today, on a gray, chilly Sunday, which is what made me think of shoes. I keep some forever, and they bring back memories when I see them. I have a hard time parting with shoes I love. And others just never work out, and are fashion mistakes right from the beginning. I hang onto them for a while, and then give up. I have favorites, and don't wear shoes that hurt. But nothing pulls an outfit together like a great pair of shoes, and nothing cheers you up like buying a pair of beautiful shoes. I have more fun buying shoes than any other item of clothing.

So there it is, the confessions of a shoe lover…..not 6,000 pairs of them, but enough to keep me happy. I heard a great comment about the movie "The Wizard of Oz" the other day, "It's the ultimate chick flick, about two women trying to kill each other over a pair of red shoes".

Love, Danielle

Paris Fashion Week…..More

As I write this, Paris fashion week is just winding to a close, after a frenzied week of fashion shows all day long, and people in fashion from all over the world in Paris to see the shows. I have to admit, I picked the cream of the crop, and peeked at the other shows online. There were some beautiful clothes shown in Paris in the last week. One of my favorites, Celine, didn't have a show, just a presentation, so I looked at that one online.

I missed Balenciaga (which is always one of the best shows) because I was sick with the flu, and I told you about Dior. On Sunday night, on a bitter cold night in Paris, the whole flock of people in Paris for fashion week turned up at the Lycee Carnot, to sit on benches in a school yard, where Givenchy hold their fashion show almost every year. The show is worth sitting through a blizzard at the North Pole, but as I sit there shaking with the cold every year, I wonder how they talk us into it again. I'm not sure who looks more frozen, the audience or the models, but as soon as the show begins you forget how cold you are. The show was absolutely fabulous, and the clothes were gorgeous!!! There were a lot of Sarwell style pants in leather and fabrics, some great tops and blouses, a few gem colored and black really sexy pretty dresses, and some really fabulous jackets and coats, many of them short in front with a longer panel in back, some encrusted with jewels, and others in fur, and there was a multi colored fur coat. The show was striking, and really beautiful, and despite the freezing cold weather (it's still very much winter in Paris!!), I was thrilled to have been invited and that I went. My daughter and I loved it, saw some really wonderful clothes, and warmed up when we got home.

And the last show I went to is always one of the most impressive: Chanel. It's at the Grand Palais, the spectacular old glass structure with its elegant domes, and enormous expanse inside. Chanel must have the largest group of spectators, I think there were probably three or four thousand people there. The vast area in the middle was covered with fine gravel, and there were what looked like enormous spikes of crystals in various shades of gray, white and purple sticking straight up in the air as part of the decor (the models walked around them). And the usual excitement filled the air in anticipation of the show, which began with the precision typical of Chanel, and it was a beautiful impressive show. The clothes were elegant and wearable, the most frequently seen style/silhouette was of leggings with a matching tunic and a short jacket over it, all three pieces of the outfit in the same fabric, either sporty or dressy depending on the fabric. I thought it was really a 'cool' look. All of the shoes in the show had Lucite heels. The first model in the show was my favorite, a very famous English model named Stella Tennant, a beautiful tall woman with short black hair, and another 35 models followed her. The outfits were elegant and beautiful, and the designer/Karl Lagerfeld adds a new twist, feeling, and element to every show. He continues to be an absolute powerhouse and Icon in fashion. At nearly 80, he is vital, energetic, brilliant, a real genius in fashion, he designs Chanel Haute Couture and Ready to Wear, also collections for his own label, and Fendi as well. And he is a talented photographer as well. He came out at the end of the show, always in his high white collar, snow white hair pulled back in a pony tail, and fingerless gloves, among his personal trademarks. He is a man of endless energy, creativity and talent, and it's always a thrill to see what he does, whether for Haute Couture a few weeks ago, or Ready to Wear.

Paris Fashion Week ended with Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton today, and by today, the buyers, editors, and various spectators at the fashion shows were looking somewhat frazzled and exhausted, after four weeks straight of these shows, first in New York, then in Milan, London, and Paris. It's a grueling schedule for anyone, and it sounds like fun to you and me, but four weeks of it all day long, in order to write about it for the fashion press, or order clothes for their stores, must be overwhelming and exhausting to see that much in four weeks. But for me, it's always fun, just hitting the high spots in Paris, usually with one or several of my daughters. I had two with me in Paris this time. And I'm always sad to see it end, as my children leave to go back to work in their cities. It is sooooo much fun for me to go to these shows with them, and hear their take on what we're seeing, and how it compares to the other shows they've seen in New York. It's an intense business (which represents a huge volume of money, serious business and a major industry), and there's a Cinderella quality to it when fashion week is over. The excitement dies down, the pretty clothes and beautiful models have vanished,the movie stars who came to see the shows have all gone home, tomorrow the halls and exciting locations we saw them in will be empty. The clothes will be ordered now, and photographed for magazines. They will appear in stores six months from now, and by then, another series of fashion weeks will be taking place in the same four exciting cities, and the magic will start all over again. But tomorrow, as I go back to 'real life' in jeans and an old sweater, the glamour of fashion week will be a memory……until next time….it's a fun time and a very exciting week while it happens, and I feel lucky to be able to see it!!!

Love, Danielle