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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

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shopping stories

Shanghai Chic – Where a Woman’s Style Starts With Her Shoes

December 5, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Canvas espadrille shoes decorated with stars and stripes in red, white and blue on the streets of Shanghai. Photo by BF Newhall

 

I thought I was traveling to China to explore the mysteries of China’s storied past — the big dynasties with their poetic one-syllable names: Ming, Tang, Han. But what really caught my attention was China’s storied present: The skyscrapers. The ubiquitous one-child families. The traffic jams. The fashionistas . . . Read more.

Rugs, Afghans and Scarves — My Pentwater Cousin Weaves Them All

September 5, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A white and cream wool shawl with long fringes handwoven by Mary Helen Blohm. Photo by BF Newhall

I wrote about my outdoorsy cousin Jeanie a couple of weeks ago. This week it’s my artsy cousin Mary Helen’s turn. She weaves gorgeous rugs from fabrics she gets at yard sales. Read more.

Wanted: An Evening Handbag That’s Pretty — And Big Enough to Do the Job

July 18, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A small silver evening bag at Nordstrom with ruching and a chain sells for $268. Photo by BF Newhall

There’s no such thing as a presentable evening bag that can hold what a woman – a real one – needs to put into her purse these days. Read more.

When the Bride Doesn’t Wear White — And Neither Does Anyone Else

July 11, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Part of an orange and green sari and a purple sari at an Indian wedding in the San Francisco Bay Area. Photo by BF Newhall

It’s an Indian wedding with all the trimmings — drums, gongs, garlands of flowers, priestly blessings and flocks of women wearing gorgeous saris. I’m a Westerner. What do I wear? Read more.

At the Sawtooth Building: Earrings for Thirty-Six Bucks . . . And Other Hand-Made Pleasures

June 20, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A colorful assymetrical art quilt and a quilt with black fleurs du mal against a white background by Donna Duguay of Berkeley, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

 

Susan Brooks was in her studio selling handmade earrings priced in the three-figures category the other day. I was not tempted. I’m tightening my belt these days. Instead . . . Read more.

Shopping Stories: Arts and Crafts in Berkeley’s Labyrinthine Sawtooth Building

June 19, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Painter Salma Arastu surrounded by paintings in her Berkeley CA studio. She wears a beige and red sari. Photo by BF Newhall

I caught the last minute of the last day of the annual San Francisco East Bay Open Studios on June 9. I didn’t go there intending to shop. My plan was to stop by painter Salma Arastu’s studio in the funky Sawtooth Building on Eighth Street in Berkeley to talk about my book. Read more.

My Killer Shoes — Brought Down to Size by Those Four-and-a-Half-Inch Heels

April 18, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Barbara Falconer Newhall tries on a pair of Glint pave shoes with 4 1/2-inch high heels. BF Newhall photo

Dress shoes for women right now, as you may have noticed, sport heels that go on forever. Wedge heels, spike heels, stack heels – everywhere I look I see nothing but heels of skyscraper proportions built to lift their wearers four or even four-and-a-half inches off the ground. Read More.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

My Big Brother Loves Me — The Cataract Chronicles Continued

In 1962, when Barbara Falconer Newhall returned from summer in Europe with souvenirs for family. Barbara Newhall photo

When my big brother saw me without glasses for the first time in a half century, his reaction took me by surprise. Read more.

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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

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