You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

In a world dominated by negative press, it doesn't hurt to step aside for a moment and celebrate how far we have come.

A few years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, Virginia Slims cigarettes were marketed to young professional women using the slogan "You've come a long way, baby." 

Little did the creators of that ad know just how far women in the US would evolve: from those traveling into space, to those on the Supreme Court, women CEO's and, of course, women running for President. The irony in that ad, of course, is that eventually both men and women would continue to evolve into non-smoking entities educated on the harm of nicotine.

While the progress we have made in medicine, women's rights, and science is not tantamount to how fashion, art, and design have evolved, these creative endeavors are visual testaments to change. Today we celebrate color blends like pink with orange or blue with black which may have been frowned upon in years past. There is no need to adhere to arbitrary fashion rules like not wearing white after Labor Day or mixing gold and silver jewelry.

Similarly, interior designers are have become increasingly emboldened by weaving in the old with the new. A sucker for nostalgia with an eye on the road ahead, I wholeheartedly embrace this design approach because the juxtaposition of furnishings is precisely what describes the life within. With our home almost done (is it really ever?) our dining room was begging for a chandelier. I knew I wanted a brass fixture with a modern sculptural twist. That is where the knowledge ended and the search began. It took several months before stumbling upon the perfect one while searching for an artifact to enhance our bedroom console. 

I love the bold statement it makes without blocking the view. But what is truly priceless is that it looks like jewelry, successfully weaving Designs by Alina into our family narrative. I hope that someday, along with the many pieces that were passed down to us, it will continue to write the story our ancestors penned.