Henri Bendel Giveaway

When I see something fun, my first instinct is to share it with you.  Tonight, I discovered something fun.

I live walking distance from a shopping mall that is undergoing major renovation.  As part of that, they are bringing in new, upscale stores.  One of the new stores, which just opened, is Henri Bendel.

I wasn't familiar with Henri Bendel because its only New York location is in Manhattan.  The new one near my house is their first store on Long Island.

What a great place!  They sell fashion accessories, handbags and pretty items for the home.  All their products have noticeable style and flair, and their quality is manifest.

I learned that Henri Bendel opened their New York City store in 1895, over a century ago.  It was the first retailer to bring the designs of Coco Chanel here from Paris.  The store has heritage.

While there, I got a great idea.  What better way to share this with you than a giveaway!  I picked up a Lemon Verbena fragrance diffuser, a dark chocolate bar and the most adorable coffee mug.  The coffee mug is made from bone china and has gorgeous fashion outfits painted all around the side.  There are three pictures of it below to show you the different outfits.

To enter the giveaway for these items, just leave a comment.  (If you're shy and don't want to publicly comment, shoot me an e-mail at fhu@pipeline.com.)  I'll pick one at random on Friday.

Have you ever heard of Henri Bendel?

P.S., I don't do sponsored posts.  I wandered into this store on my own, propelled by curiosity, and liked what I saw.  I bought these items with my own money.

My Authentic Style

If I could be a girl, this is how I'd dress.

I found this polka-dotted cutie in a thrift-store for $6.99.  The dress reached out to me and opened its arms.  I couldn't help but embrace it.  To add color, I pulled out my red bag.

The reason I like this outfit so much is because it's me.  It's my style.  It's what I would wear if I was allowed to dress like a woman in public.  Can you see that?

 

Things I Saw Today

The Olympics

Did you see the Olympic Opening Ceremonies?  What'd ya think?

They were quirky but engaging.  Odd but interesting.  Designed by Danny Boyle, the London filmmaker who did "Slumdog Millionaire."

My favorite parts were Rowan Atkinson ("Black Adder") comically playing an organ and the Queen herself jumping out of a helicopter.  :)

Are you an Olympics fan?

The athlete I'm rooting for this Olympics is Holley Mangold, a funny and confident 22-year old woman who weighs 340 lbs. and can lift heavier weights than any man you know.  She was profiled in Rolling Stone magazine.  Here she is...

Blah Blah Blah

Are you tired of me yet?  Do I annoy you by going on and on about myself?

Actually, I worry about that and have always been cautious not to overstay my welcome.  IRL, people think I'm very quiet, even shy, because of my reticence.  Partly, it is because most people can't handle who I really am and partly because I don't want to bore strangers.

So it's a delight to be ASKED questions!  I like sharing and, given the opportunity, will tell you my life story, my parents' life story, my dog's life story...

Carrie, a graduate student in Hawaii, just tagged me with the Liebster Award and invited me to answer questions.  Carrie's blog is almost a year old and displays her interesting take on fashion.  Take a look on your coffee break.

Here we go with the questions...

1. If you could invite any 5 people (living or dead, real or fictional) to do something, who would it be? And what would you do?

I'd invite five blogger-friends -- including YOU! -- to come over my house, show off our fancy outfits, sip drinks, eat hors d'oeuvres, chat about our lives and get to know each other better.  At the end of the evening, we'd realize how much we like each other and pledge to do it again.

2. Coffee or tea? Or neither?

Both.  I love the flavor of coffee but can't drink more than a cup a day or my heart races.  So after savoring one cup, I switch to tea and drink 5-6 big cups of strong black tea.  At night, I'll sip green tea.

3. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, it would be ...

Ooh... tough question.  It would have to be cheese.  I love cheese.

4. A bad habit you have ...

Caring too much about what others think.  Worrying about it all the time.

5. A good habit you have ...

Being brave.  Facing my fears and overcoming them through sheer effort of will.

6. You can't resist ...

Wanting to be close to people.  Learning about their lives, their hopes and their ideas.  People fascinate me. 

7. If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, it would be ...

Stop worrying about life.  It will unfold naturally and, even when you can't predict how, everything manages to work out okay.

8. Something that made you happy today was ...

Reading other blogs.  That always makes me smile like a fool.

9. One book you haven't read but have always wanted to is ...

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe.

10.You have $50 to spend on yourself. What would you do/buy?

A pretty dress!  With ruffles and bright colors and feminine design.

Thanks for listening!  If any of these questions appeal to you, tell us your answer.

Pure Inanity

Often confused with "insane," the word "inane" means something completely different.  It means silly.  So the title of this post translates to pure silliness.

As I wander around the Internet, odd things appear in my path.  They amuse me.  Because I like you guys, I collect these images for you.  Here are some...

Getting Old

Man, it sucks getting old.  You read the newspaper (yes, kiddies, that's what we do; we don't get our news from Twitter) and every day someone you knew from your youth dies.

Monday was Sally Ride (whom I posted about).

Yesterday was Chad Everett.  Chad was an impossibly-handsome actor who starred as the dashing Dr. Joe Gannon in "Medical Center", a TV show that was on for seven years in the 1970s.  He won awards and the hearts of many viewers.  His character was heroic and irresistable.

Later, Chad appeared in a variety of movies and TV shows, like "Mulholland Drive," "The Love Boat," ''Murder, She Wrote," "Castle," "Supernatural," and "Without a Trace."

Today's dead man is Sherman Hemsley who portrayed the memorable character George Jefferson, first on the mega-hit show "All In The Family" and later in a spinoff series, "The Jeffersons."

George Jefferson was an obnoxious character but he amused many viewers, black and white.  George Jefferson was perhaps the first black character in our culture to display negative traits in an acceptable way.  His greed and bigotry were the mirror-image of Archie Bunker's.  It was a turning point in our culture when a black man behaving badly could be tolerated and even celebrated.

Have you heard of Chad or Sherman?

First Woman In Space

Do you know who the first woman to go into outer space was?

Her name was Sally Ride.  She died today.  At age 61.  From cancer.

Sally broke ground in 1983 when she blasted off into outer space on space shuttle Challenger. She returned to space a year later for a second mission.

Sally grew up in Los Angeles where she earned degrees in physics and English. She joined the NASA astronaut corps in 1978.  The requirements for that job were extremely demanding and it says a lot that she got in.

After her space exploits, Sally returned to Stanford University where she became a professor.  She also wrote five science books for children.

Have you heard of Sally?

Lace Dress

I'm on Bergdorf Goodman's e-mail list to see the beautiful clothes they sell.  Of course, I've never bought anything from them because of the astronomical cost, but the items are nice to look at.

I just encountered this lace dress, designed by Emilio Pucci and made in Italy.  The dress really appeals to me with its unusual beauty.  I can imagine wearing it -- but I'd need help coming up with the $2,695 price-tag.

Does the dress appeal to you, too?

Off and On

Dar is a Canadian woman who rides motorcycles and has a blog.  She just issued a fashion challenge that is very cool.  I'm jumping all over it.

Dar dares us to wear both motorcycle and non-motorcycle shoes AT THE SAME TIME.  She, herself, started the ball rolling with this post.

I played with the idea and found the experience to be creative and fun.  Here are my pictures.  Tell me which one you like best.

Dolor and Joy

My childhood was onerous.  I struggled every day for years in an effort to persuade adults to see me as female.  None did.  I was punished repeatedly and instructed to accept my fate.

Eventually, I did stop fighting -- but the dream never died.  It went underground.  My desire to identify as female has always existed; sometimes, it's just been hidden.

One of the things I missed most was not having normal girlhood experiences.  I yearned for them back then and the desire has never faded.  So you can imagine my delight this weekend when, shopping in a clothing store, I stumbled upon this yellow cotton dress.  While made for an adult, the dress has the unmistaken style of young girls' frocks.  It appeals to me like you can't believe.  And, amazingly, it fits.

The dress cost a little more than my thrift-store clothes ($27) but I couldn't resist buying it.  Can you put a price on a dream?  An anodyne?

The only problem now is, I don't want to take it off.  I want to wear it all day.  I want to live in it.  I want to watch movies with my girlfriends in it.  I want to eat popcorn and gossip and giggle.  I want to squeal during funny stories and laugh with other girls. 

*sigh*

Oh well... at least I have the dress...

Things I Saw Today

Vintage Telephone

I have very few decorations in my house, so I want the ones I choose to be special.  I gave this subject a lot of thought last year and came up with a terrific idea.  The problem has been finding the object of my desire.

Good news -- I discovered it today!

I want something real.  Something historical -- but with a personal connection to me.  Something old enough to be outdated but recent enough to have been around in my lifetime.  Ideally, something I used in my childhood.

My idea is a rotary phone!  A real, authentic rotary telephone from earlier times.  Back then, telephones were serious equipment.  They were heavy, they were black, and you had to wait forever for the rotary dial to return to its starting position when dialing.  It took serious time and effort to place a call.  None of this press a button business.

I found one today in an obscure vintage shop.  The phone was made in 1964  The store-owner was cool and we chatted a while about his wares.  He laughed when he told me children come into the store, see the rotary phone and keep pressing the dial, unable to figure out how it works.  The idea of putting their finger into a hole and turning the dial around never occurs to them.  (That's the "rotary" part.)

Rotary telephones were replaced by push-button phones in the 1970's.  I remember using the rotary phone in my home as a child in the 1960's.  You felt like an adult when you used it.  "Quiet!  I'm making a phone call!"

Have you ever used a rotary telephone?  What do you think of my idea of displaying one as a home decoration?

What Is This?

I was pawing through the racks of a thrift-store and I encountered this item.  Honestly, I have no idea what it is.  It may even be a costume.  It was only $8 so I figured I'd take a chance on it.  My curiosity was piqued.

It appears to be a long black gown, but what's odd are its long, see-through laced sleeves, edged in long fringe, with matching see-through laced hoodie.  A hoodie!  What is THAT about?!

Tell me what you think this is.  Your guess is better than mine.  I have no clue.