Adventures today

 Living as we do in Covid-land, face to face contact with people who don't live in my house is a treat. Today, the woman I call Tanta Marcia (Because she does all of those nice things to me that a beloved aunt might do, and the rest of the world knows as Marcia) and I had made plans to have lunch together. We decided to meet at the nice vegetarian Indian restaurant that always makes me feel like I am eating at my Indian Bubbie's house.

The restaurant, Ayurveda, feeds you until you are full. There isn't a menu. They feed you what they cooked that day. You get a platter filled with little bowls of food. "Are you sure you don't want more???" At a time when all of us are in need of comfort, Ayurveda serves comfort up in giant portions.

There are two small tables set on either side of the restaurant door. Marcia sits at one and I sit at the other so we can eat in a socially distant way and still chat. We talk about what is going on in our lives and suddenly I hear my name. My dear friend and her daughter who now lives in Israel just happened to be walking by.  They had passed my house a few minutes before and had thought about ringing my doorbell and asking me to come out and meet them on the street for a socially distant visit. Instead, we caught up while Marcia and I ate. During the before-Covid times, I used to run into friends on the street or at synagogue all the time. My life was filled with short intense conversations that took place on Broadway or between bits of food at Kiddush. Talking to three friends at one time today felt like a celebration.

Tanta Marcia settled up the bill and then we both went on our way.

 

I walked back to Broadway where the pigeons once again congregated on the roof of what was built as a public rest-room but is now an art gallery.

I stopped into our local thrift store because it does me good to see new things. There were wedding dresses for sale. Yes, they are new and are donated by manufacturers. Some are quite lovely.

As I poked around I spotted this jacket.

I loved the unusual stipe and how cleverly the designer used the fabric. There was real artistry in how this jacket was put together. I was prepared to be satisfied with my photos of the jacket. I really don't need another jacket.

I then ran into a friend. We caught up on life and our kids. My friend is a skilled quilter. I wanted to show her the jacket because I knew she would love to see it. My friend urged me to buy it. Of course, I don't need it. Of course, she didn't need the skirt she was holding. But my friend suggested that we buy these items in the hopes of wearing them in synagogue when we can actually gather together again someday.

I don't need the jacket, but I did buy it. 

I checked the label when I got home. It read Babette. I then went down a rabbit hole learning about the designer Babette Pinsky. You can read a little bit about her here. You can read about her techniques and approach to fashion design.

I had found a Facebook page for Babette's stores (there had been several around the country but unfortunately they all closed in 2016). Usually a clothing line, especially a small independent one will have a couple of cuts of garments and call it a day. Each year the same garments will be put in out different fabrics.  It is expensive to develop a new pattern. The Babette garments though are all cut differently depending on the fabrics and patterns used. 

I found my jacket in the 2014 collection. you can scroll through the last few years of her work here My jacket has details in cut that none of the other Babette jackets have. The jacket was designed around the fabric rather than the more usual way of using the same garment shape no matter what the pattern of the fabric.

Babette's garments were fairly expensive when they were new. The company paid their factory workers well. Her collections were small-batch crafted that worked well for grown-up women comfortable in their skin. I am so happy that my small adventure today with friends took me on this new adventure with a designer of such vision.