Swan

Growing up, if you were to ask “How do I look?” in an attempt to garner a compliment from my family for a self-put-together outfit, wearing something new or especially for donning something considered “fancy,” the ingrained and immediate response from my mom would have been, “You look very swan.” followed by some dramatic hand motions and laughter. Looking swan (probably a muddled version of soigné (the french word for elegantly dressed/well groomed) or maybe suave? originated with my Uncle Frank who famously was dressed up for his date with my Aunt Kathy before they were married and asked my grandmother when picking her up, “Don’t I look swan?” It’s been a family go-to ever since. I almost named this fashion blog Swan or Soigne—a nod to style yet not taking it too seriously—but figured the french spelling was fussy and readers might not connect Swan with style. But since starting the new FX series Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans, I am now kicking myself, as the Swans of New York Society, Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, and Lee Radziwill are the epitome of ladies who lunch style and I am obsessed. So tie a scarf around your neck, set your hair and make a fancy lunch date with a few of your own stylish besties, wearing something that will make you look and feel very swan.