Color! Pants! Fun!

I was playing around today.  What do you think?

The Royal Wedding

Did You Watch The Wedding?

What Do You Think?

Romance

The moment my eyes set up this dress, I thought romance.  The dress is ethereal and dreamy.

I put it in a setting suitable for something romantic.  The dress may not be practical for everyday wear but it certainly is fun to play with. 

During the photoshoot, the dress whispered in my ear and suggested new poses.  I explored them and wonder what you think.  Care to tell me?

Our Core



This is me, half a century ago (1961).  The funny thing about looking at this picture is how much I still resemble my younger self.  Same eyes, same crooked smile.  Same attitude toward life.

And ya gotta love the decorations on the vest.  I cared about fashion even then.

Do you have any childhood photos?  If you do, we'd love to see 'em.  Post them on your blog and let us ooh and aah over how cute you were.  :)

Female Life

Today's Question:

In real life, are you shy or outgoing?

Do you wish you were any different?

Things I Saw Today

Tea Party

 

Would you invite me to a tea party?  I promise to use good manners.  :)

On the off-chance that you'll extend an invitation, I went and bought a pretty dress.  A black-and-white polka-dot shirtdress that crossed my path while I was in Kohl's trying to decide how to spend a free $10 coupon I got in the mail.  The dress, normally $60, was on sale for $36 and, with my coupon, it cost only $26.  Score!

I love the dress's wide skirt which improves my body-shape.  And I can hear your voices saying, "Add a pop of color," so I'm accessorizing with red jewelry and a handbag.  Last week, I bought a pretty yellow belt and yellow necklace which I'll add next time.  Because the dress is black-and-white, the possibilities for styling it with bright colors are wide open.

What do you think?  Am I invited to your party?

P.S., Yes, I know the dress is too tight and too short.  It wouldn't be on an average-sized woman.  Sadly, I'm not an average-sized woman and this was the largest one they sell.  Please make allowance for my mastodonic magnitude and imagine the dress fitting better than it does.  Thank you.  :)

Gratitude

I want to thank you all, sincerely and deeply.  I want to thank you for viewing my attempts to create fashion and commenting upon them graciously and instructively.  The whole process of planning outfits, putting them together, wearing and photographing pretty clothes, posting pictures, and then reading your feedback makes me smile wide and often.  Nothing else in life has ever given me such pleasure.

There is an old story about a dancing bear.  The point of the story is that you don't judge how well a bear dances, you're just surprised that he can dance at all. 

I feel like that.  I am a dancing bear.  I know my clothes are ordinary, I know my skills are basic and, truth be told, I know I'm not attractive.  That's okay.  I accept it.  What makes me happy is simply that you let me play the game.  Participating in this activity is intensely joyful for me.  It's something I always wanted to do and was never allowed.  Blogging opened a gate for me and you nice people were on the other side of the fence.

I hope you are proud of yourselves for your efforts to help someone who is different, someone who achingly needs this type of support.  Every view you take of my blog and every comment you make on it is an act of kindness.  I am immensely grateful to you for that.  Thanks.  :)

Monday Delight

New top, new heels, new smile!

I fell in love with this colorful top at first sight.  I spied it in the window of a local boutique.  First off, I've never shopped in a boutique before and, second, I've never bought anything on display.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn the top was inexpensive (only $30), so I snapped it up and have felt good ever since.

These are my new pumps from Zappos.  I like 'em.  You?

Sunday Musings

How are you?  What are your plans for today?  Anything exciting?

I try to avoid working on weekends but, occasionally, have to make an exception.  I'm running out in a few minutes to meet a group of new clients.  I agreed to see them today so they wouldn't miss work; they're regular working-class people and I want to make seeing me convenient for them.

This week at work was hard but, to balance that out, I squeezed in some shopping.  Found five fabulous items, all within my budget.  I saw a gorgeous multi-colored top in a store-window.  I've never bought anything displayed so prominently but really like it and learned it wasn't too expensive ($30).  So, I bought it!  If I have a chance later today, I'll wear and photograph it for you.  It'll look great with black leggings and some heels.

Speaking of which, I just got a new pair of pumps from Zappos.  I only own one pair of pumps (in black) and thought a lighter color would perk up some outfits.  I've never bought anything from Zappos before but their selection was wide -- they even had size-13! -- and the purchase was easy.  They pay for all shipping.  Have you bought from them?  Any opinion?

Here are the shoes...

Have a great day!

Female Life

In most relationships, one person takes the lead and the other follows.  The dynamic is often subtle and expressed in acts like who chooses where you're going to eat, who decides where you're going for the holidays, who decides when to leave a  party, etc.

In many couples, the woman is in charge.  Because of sexism, that fact is often deliberately obscured to maintain a facade of male-dominance.  For example, in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", the mother tells her daughter that, while a man may be the "head" of the family, "the woman is the neck... and she can turn the head any way she wants."

Today's questions, assuming you're in a relationship, are:

Who Leads In Your Relationship And Who Follows?

Are You Happy With That Dynamic?

Gender and Shame

A wonderful blogger, Lori, just posted her response to a controversy brewing over a J. Crew ad which shows a boy wearing nail-polish on his toes.  Please check out Lori's post on it.  She's terrific.

This is the picture in the ad:

Simple Elegance

Sometimes simple is good.

I bought this simple black dress at a thrift-store for $6.  It appeals to me because of the material: the top is soft velvet and below the bodice is a silky wrap.  They go beautifully together.

I paired the dress with a striped cardi to give it some graphic interest but, honestly, I prefer the dress by itself.  Yes, it is plain but in an elegant way.  I'd happily wear it to a fancy party, maybe with a diamond necklace.  (We can dream, can't we?!)

The shoes are lace-up Oxford heels.  I think they suit the dress.

Any opinions? 

BTW, I'm lovin' doing more outfit-posts.  They exercise my creativity and your responses teach me valuable tips.  Also, your comments make me feel like I have friends who accept me -- the real me.  I can't thank you enough for that.  You guys rock!

Female Life

Today's question is:

How Do You React

When Someone Pays You A Compliment?

Do you accept it gracefully?  Do you feel awkward and protest you aren't worthy?  Do you argue with the person?  Or do you simply smile, say "thank you" and feel good about yourself?

Pent Up Passion

After a long bout of working too hard and being ill, I'm like a kid at Christmas -- I want to play!

Here's a new dress I thrifted ($10), along with a cardigan I got to complement it ($5).  The bracelet was a gift from sweet Marilou.

Does the dress look better with or without the cardigan?

Spring Is Here!

Here's my new Spring dress and shoes.  I love 'em!

Sad News

Dimi's cat got hit by a car today and died.  It's a very sad tragedy.

Dimi, while new to fashion-blogging, has quickly made many friends through her charming personality and generous spirit.  Her blog is here.  Please send her your condolences so she can shoulder this burden a little easier.

NYC Nights

I had a wonderful time in New York City tonight.  I had dinner with three young women and we saw a fabulous foreign film.  Everything about the evening was perfect.

The women, in their mid-20's, are delightful.  They have interesting lives, interesting jobs and vast travel-experience.  They are all immigrants from Russia and have been here for about a decade.  Their English is better than mine.

We had an awesome meal at a vegan restaurant on the Upper East Side (Candle Cafe).  I ordered grilled tempeh with quinoa (which I've always wanted to try).  The tempeh had a tasty chipotle sauce.

Afterward, we saw a powerful drama from Norway called "Troubled Water".  It far exceeded my expectations.  The movie -- which was free! -- is part of a film-series at the Czech Center, located in the Czech Consulate General.

In case you doubt New York has wildlife, I had a pidgeon walk up to me in Penn Station -- *inside* the Station.  There's a picture of him below.  Also, while taking the subway, I saw a rat the size of a kitten.  Yow!

I socialize with groups of men and groups of women.  I find differences in behavior between the groups to be fascinating.  One thing I often observe is that women, when eating together, offer each other tastes of their meals and seem to enjoy sharing their food.  I have never seen men do that.  Why do you think that is?

I hope you had a nice evening.  Here are some snapshots I grabbed.