How Many Shoes??

 

Most of us love shoes and have a few dozen.  Maybe 20, or 40 or 50.  That's normal, I believe.

I have a friend who collects shoes.  Emma has 300 pairs -- and mostly high-end brands like Christian Louboutin.  You might find that excessive but, for Emma, shoes are a passion, not just something to wear.  She displays them in her house like artwork.

How many pairs of shoes is too many?  Well, we finally have an answer to that burning question.  Last week, singer Celine Dion revealed in interviews that she has over 3,000 pairs of shoes.  3,000!  She admits shoes are an addiction for her.  She even buys shoes in the wrong size, simply to own them.

My question is -- where does she keep them?!  What closet could contain so many shoes?  Then again, she's rich so she probably built a new wing onto her house just for shoes.  Seems a bit crazy but, then, I'd display motorcycles in my living room if I could afford it.  :-)

On a side-note: Celine brags that her 2 year old son Nelson loves to wear her heels.  I applaud that.  Not every parent is so open-minded.

Last, you knew this question was coming -- How many pairs of shoes do you own??

Romper Room

I've always wanted to wear a romper but didn't know where to find one.  Fortunately, a pretty romper just crossed my path.

Kohl's is smart -- they send me $10 gift-cards which are irresistible.  I always take them to the local store and buy clothes I wouldn't otherwise.  This past weekend, I found a $52 romper on sale for $29 which, with my gift-card, cost me only $19.  Wow!

And I haven't told you the best part yet -- the print is of two-wheeled scooters!  Red and white scooters.  And cute buttons on the attached shorts.  I love it!

Do you ever wear a romper?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonder Woman!

Recently I saw a great documentary on PBS about Wonder Woman, who was created back in 1941.  Wonder Woman was a superheroine in comic books for decades before becoming a TV show in the Seventies.  Some of you might remember Linda Carter's portrayal in that classic show.

Wonder Woman is a warrior princess of the Amazons and is known in her homeland as Diana of Themyscira.  She is gifted with superhuman powers and superior combat skills. She also possesses an arsenal of weapons, including the Lasso of Truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets that stop bullets, a tiara that works as a projectile, and an invisible airplane.

My good friend Fuzzy just bought a Wonder Woman costume for herself and, at my gentle request, she agreed to let me wear it.  I'm thrilled!  Every little girl wants to grow up to be strong and beautiful like Wonder Woman.  I'm proof it's never too late.  :-)

Before I show you the pictures, I want to dedicate this post to Sheila whose Wonder Woman poses have amused the fashion blogosphere for years.  You go, girl!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Short Is Too Short?

I've always been curious about the length of hems and shorts.  How short is too short?  Does it matter what age you are?

Miley Cyrus attracted some attention this week with shorts that some say are too short.  Here they are, with back- and front-views.  What do you think?

 

 

 

The Tree Of Life

The park I visit is a hidden gem -- 2,000 acres of virgin land, preserved in natural condition since the first Settler acquired it from the Indians.  Few people know about the park, which I find remarkable.

Within the park is a majestic tree, hundreds of years old.  It is huge in size and attractive in shape.  The tree is ancient and grand.

During my last visit, a young teenage girl rode her bicycle down the grass to the tree and perched on a lower branch.  The scene was striking, both visually and metaphorically.  Here was a contemporary girl, in her impermanent youth, connecting with an elder being who had seen the Revolutionary War.  You sensed she felt a connection to the tree which was manifest in her physical interaction with it.

I previously gave you a glimpse of this scene in a truncated photo.  Now, I want to show you the entire experience, both from a distance (to show the relative sizes of the two beings) and close-up (to show you their interaction).

Do you have any favorite trees?

 

 

 

Things I Saw Today

I went for a long walk in the park.  It cleared my head and gave my body some needed exercise.  Of course, I brought my camera along with any visual opportunities that might arise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers!

A sure sign of Spring is seeing flowers.  The re-birth of plants.

I know nothing about gardening.  I consider it one of my future hobbies.  When I slow down, I'll learn about growing plants.

Last year, a friend gave me some bulbs and said, simply, "Put 'em in the ground."  I did.  A few months later I was shocked to discover plant-life growing.  And later, pretty flowers (here).  Funny how easy that was.

I was just equally amazed to see that, without any assistance from me, the same flowers are sprouting again.  I hadn't expected that; I thought they were a one-shot deal.  You gardeners can probably tell me what kind of flowers these are (I don't know) and whether they come back every year.  (I'm sure there's a name for that but I don't know it.)

Do you garden?

Serendipity

My best creations are accidents.  Happy accidents.

Tonight, fatigued from work, I refreshed myself with a walk through the mall.  After a stiff cup of Starbucks coffee, I wandered into my favorite store, Anthropologie.  It sells both (pretty) clothes and (stylish) housewares.  It is a nice store.

For fun, I browsed the sale racks.  I spotted two fabulous items -- a deer-print top and a whirly-patterned skirt.  Both appeal to me -- and both are on sale ($19 each).  They aren't my size but, hey, I'm used to dealing with that obstacle.

What do you think?  Do you ever find stuff by accident?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes

The title is a David Bowie song.  Bowie was a rockstar in the Seventies (and later), best known for his sexual androgyny.  Bowie's music opened a door for sexual ambiguity and widened popular culture's view of gender.

The subject of today's post is change.  Changes I've seen over the past five decades.  Some are subtle; some are dramatic.  They are fascinating if you contemplate them.

What changes have you seen during your lifetime?

- Music came on vinyl records, contained in large cardboard squares with art on them.  The covers told you everything you needed to know about the band and its vision.

- Teens went to "record stores" to browse, hang out and meet friends.  They were fun places with music, irreverent posters and playful pot paraphernalia.

- Old or obscure records were discounted to $1 so it was okay to take a chance on something unknown.  Later, when CDs came out, you never saw a discounted CD because record companies prohibited sales by distributors (in violation of antitrust law).

- Wives always took their husband's last names.  There was no discussion about the subject or "choice" to be made.

- Kids were set free in the afternoon and told to return home by dinner.  You wandered the neighborhood on your bicycle, doing whatever you wanted.  Parents didn't hover or even know where you were.

- There were only three real TV stations, so everyone watched the same shows.  When cultural critics observe that "there will never be another Johnny (Carson)," what they're saying is that there will never be another person commanding the attention of such a large percentage of the population.

- Hollywood never caught on to the youth movement, so its depictions of hippies, et al. were laughably unhip.

- Smoking cigarettes was common.  If you protested smoking, you were the oddball.

- When someone talked about driving drunk, people laughed.  It was a joke, not a crime.

- When the police pulled over drunk drivers, they gave them coffee and drove them home.  Nobody got arrested for doing this.

- When the phone rang, you were supposed to answer it.  Calls were important and you didn't duck 'em.

- People wrote real letters on stationary.  Women sent greeting cards.  There was no e-mail.

- Terrorism occurred only overseas, never here.  Americans felt safe and protected.

A Portrait

A talented artist whom I don't know did a sketch of me.  It's shown below.

The artist is Anne Bray and she's sketched several prominent fashion-bloggers.  You can see these beautiful images on Anne's blog.

Thanks, Anne!

Best Dress Ever

From the moment I spotted this dress, I knew it was the one.  My soulmate.  My eternal companion.

Before I even touched it, I just knew.  It has a perfect design.  And a wonderful print.  Best of all, it's made of a stretchy material that accommodates my quirky shape.

Certainly, this is a simple dress.  Some might say an unglamorous one.  But that's its charm.  The dress is "normal" and not some extreme fashion only a runway model would wear.  It is a dress for ME.

In all my excitement about showing it to you, the hardest thing to figure out was how to present the dress.  To accessorize it without distraction.  To enhance the dress but not overwhelm it.

I decided to add black fishnet stockings (from Selina) which maintain the color-scheme while adding a tiny bit of pizzazz.  I included colorful bracelets, also from Selina, and cute gold hoop earrings from Finnley Mae.  And a necklace from my growing collection.

This is what I came up with.  What do you think?  Any suggestions?

Do you have any clothes you love?  Absolutely love?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Dress Up?

Why do we make the effort to look nice?  Not everyone does.  Some people just throw clothes on.  Others, however, have a spark that ignites the desire to dress well.  We care about the clothes we wear; we consider how best to present them, and we make endless choices to arrive at our peak appearance.

Why is that?  What motivates us?

I'm sure the reasons are different for everyone.  For me, there are three motivations.  First, it's fun.  I enjoy the creative exercise involved and view fashion as art.  Second, I like sharing my creations with friends whose feedback helps me learn what worked and what didn't.  Third, dressing up brings me closer to the female identity I have inside.

How about you?  Why do you dress up?

Spring Fever

Have you felt it yet?  That impulse nature gives us to blossom with new life?  Spring arrived in New York when temperatures soared from cold to hot overnight. 

My top and shorts are from Nordstrom Rack; the cute socks came from a specialty store.  I tried to create a bright color-palette and like the top's design.

For those who think I dress young, I plead guilty.  What's wrong with young?!

 

 

 

 

 

From B.A.D. to Good

Do you remember me?  It's been so long.  A full week since my last post.  Normally I have to restrain myself from posting too often, so this lengthy absence is a break from routine and may have prompted some of you to check local hospitals and the morgue...

The explanation is simple -- work is crushing me.  Absorbing all my time and energy, it has prevented me from blogging.  And that has me feeling B.A.D. -- which is a medical acronym for "Blogging Absence Depression."  Do you ever feel B.A.D.?

To cure this affliction, I vowed to blog today no matter what.  I played with some gifts generously given me by Selina, paired with a new blouse I found at Forever 21.

When people give me women's clothes, I become overwhelmed with emotion.  Up until now, I never believed I'd be allowed to wear pretty clothes, so to receive them as gifts is oneiric encouragement.  A dream come true.  Receiving gifts makes me cry with joy.

Selina is an attractive young woman living in London.  She recently started following my blog and I started reading hers.  It's fun to meet people who are different from you 'cause you can learn from each other.  Selina fascinates me in several ways.  She also introduced me to Lookbook.

Without any reason, Selina sent me a box of cute clothes and nice jewelry.  I'm wearing them in this outfit, with a cute blouse I just ran across.  Before last week, I'd never visited a Forever 21 so, walking past one in a mall, I couldn't resist entering.  The color and print of this blouse hollered for my attention.  "Ally!  Take me home!"  I stood in the checkout line, a fifty-year old guy in biker-gear, surrounded by young girls who wondered why I was there.  My life is stranger than you imagine.

What do you think of the clothes?  Two technical points.  1. Selina included fishnet stockings which I don't normally wear but like a lot especially in this outfit.  2. I've learned -- from you guys! -- that it's okay to re-purpose clothes (e.g., wearing a dress as a skirt).  My "skirt" here is actually a halter-top.  I like it both ways so now it has dual-purpose.

Thank you, Selina!