Help!

I need your expert advice on a clothing issue.

This week I bought an adorable dress from the Sixties -- and it's authentic vintage clothing. It's rare to find a 50-year old item, especially large enough to fit me.

One problem though. It has a ruffle-detail down the front which was popular at the time. Because the dress was crammed into an overstuffed clothing rack, the ruffles are flat as a pancake. I tried to fluff them up with my hands but they continue to lay flat.

How can I restore the ruffles to their former glory? What will fluff them up?

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

The Urge That Never Dies

A 90-year old man, who was a war-hero in World War II, just came out publicly as transgender. He (now she) says she's always known since age 3 that she was this way. (There's something about that particular age: it was the same for me.)

What kept her from living virtually her whole life as a woman? Social oppression. The cruel refusal of others to accept her as who she actually is. Thirty years ago when she was 60, she cautiously ventured forth but was slapped back. A too-familiar story.

All we really want is the opportunity to live our lives authentically. We don't cause trouble, just seek the freedom to be ourselves. Why is that a problem for other people?

(Article here)

Welcome, Spring!

I'm welcoming Spring in an all-white ensemble. This outfit started when I spotted a pretty Charlotte Russe dress at a thrift-store ($10). The fringe-hem appeals to me. It reminds me of the Sixties when fringe was hugely popular.

I add white gloves, shoes and choker, along with a flower-pin from a friend -- again a Sixties reference.

What do you think? Are you ready for Spring? Is your wardrobe?

The Female Form

Well, you never know what you're gonna find at a thrift-store!

In addition to clothing, I often buy vinyl records and odd items; however, I never expected to see this. My local thrift-store is selling full-sized mannequins. I don't know where they got them, probably a clothing boutique that went out of business. The mannequins are selling for a ridiculously low price of $20.

I bought this one.

Why, you may legitimately ask? Let me try to explain...

There are three reasons. First, I have a Girl Cave and this mannequin will make a beautiful decoration for it. One can't look at this mannequin without thinking of femininity and that's exactly the theme of my private room.

Second, it offers me a chance for some interesting art-photography. Like these photos. I can also put stuff on the mannequin for whimsical photo-shoots in the future.

Third, and this gets personal, a female body-shape is something I've always wanted. For my body. Reality, however, is that I've never had this shape and never will. But seeing it life-sized, in three-dimensions, brings me emotionally closer to my dream. This form is more corporeal than a nebulous image in my mind and that gives me solace. When you can't reach your dream, taking steps closer to it is satisfying, even if they're baby-steps.

Do you understand? What do you think of the pictures?

Mother-Daughter Outfits

Lately I've been enjoying looking at mother-daughter outfits. Sure, the matching clothes are cute but they have deeper meaning to me. You can probably guess why.

Scenes of a mother and her daughter, happy together, engaged in shared femininity. It's what I always wanted in my youth. Sadly, my every effort toward it -- and there were hundreds because, for years, I refused to give up -- was rebuffed and condemned. Looking at pictures like these is healing balm on an old psychic wound.

Spring Fever

I don't know about you but I have spring fever. Bad. The recent snow (and sand on the roads) kept me from riding and that has got to change. Rain or shine, I'm heading out today on the bike.

I plan to visit Red Hook in Brooklyn again. Here are some pics I haven't shown you from my last visit there.

What are you doing to celebrate Spring?

Someone painted a mural on a wall in the street which beautifies the area.

Having a Ducati parked in front of it doesn't hurt either!

You can see Russia from here!

Actually, that's Manhattan in the background.

Love this French bistro. Serves delicious coffee drinks.

Despite the sign this is actually a hip bar.

They decided to keep the old sign for nostalgia.

If you look closely, you'll see they added "+ Bar" to the bottom line.

Made me laugh!

Love the name

This is a crane they kept as a monument

to Red Hook's shipping past

I love Betty Boop and saw these cute costumed dolls in a store window

"The Gong Show"

Oh, no! Chuck Barris just died.

For those of you under 40, Barris was the funniest, most influential person in television. He produced "The Dating Game," "The Newlywed Game" and, my favorite, "The Gong Show" which he also hosted. The last one was a parody of talent shows. Parody was unknown to TV back in the Seventies.

"The Gong Show" was truly subversive. It mocked the seriousness of contemporary TV by showing raw, even rude stuff. One segment showed two attractive young women seductively sucking popsicles as their "talent." Another episode had every contestant singing the same dumb song, "Feelings." And, of course, Chuck wore wacky clothes and acted like an idiot.

The judges on the show were Jamie Farr (Klinger from "M*A*S*H"), Arte Johnson ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh In") and Jaye P. Morgan -- who once bared her breasts on live TV. Everyone loved Gene Gene The Dancing Machine and The Unknown Comic (a guy with a paper bag on his head).

Chuck wrote an autobiography ("Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind") in which he joked that he was an assassin for the CIA. Many people believed him -- and in 2002 a movie was made from the book starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore.

Chuck Barris changed television and American culture for the better, ridding it of pompous self-regard.

Bangs

I've always wanted bangs. They're so delightfully feminine.

So... I finally got some! Only I'm not sure they're the right length. What do you think?

P.S., After two years I finally got my Invisalign braces off my teeth. I think they look good. You?

Winter/Spring

There's snow on the ground -- and another snowstorm coming tonight -- so it seems Winter isn't gone yet here in New York. And yet... this bad boy is visiting my front yard today. So maybe Spring is around the corner.

Do you have bird in your yard?

What's On Your Clothesline?

Last month I was chatting with my friend Charlotte (My Pixie Blog) and she said something that started me thinking. She mentioned she'd just bought a pretty new garment but couldn't wear it on her blog because it's a swimsuit. Her modesty was understandable. Most of us probably have items we don't display on our blogs for this reason. Only a brazen hussy like me would wear lingerie in public (here).

I chewed over this dilemma and finally found a solution. A clothesline! Like our grandmothers used for drying clothing after a wash. I believe we can "appropriate" old technology to meet a modern need. Even better, it's female technology that women have used for generations.

I really like this idea because it's something we can all do. I encourage you to duplicate the method with whatever you might want to show us. This idea, like my pink boxing gloves and mermaid tail projects, is a something we can share.

The results of my project are visually beautiful in a hypnotic way. Maybe it's just me but I love to look at feminine lingerie and clothes. They give me a warm feeling inside.

Are you interested in hanging your own clothesline? Try it on your blog!

Night Riding

New York's getting snow later tonight (4-5 inches) and, with cold temperatures and another snowstorm next week, my motorcycles will be off the road for a while. In anticipation of that, I went riding tonight to scratch my itch.

For dinner I picked a restaurant 100 miles from home simply to enjoy time in the saddle. The restaurant serves buffalo and its owner has a herd of them. I had a Grilled Bison Filet with a Campari on the rocks.

Walking around town, I went in a dark alley and saw an excellent opportunity for a photo. This is me, looking as tough as a marshmallow like me can look...

Dressing For Myself

I've discovered several joys, all in the female arena. One is clothes-shopping.

Last week I visited a new town I'd never been to before. Walking its streets, I had the good sense to pop into a chic women's boutique. I thought I wouldn't buy anything there due to its high prices but I anticipated having fun simply looking at their wares.

Surprisingly they had a sale-rack on which everything was $25. That's a price I could afford. I found a red velvet dress and snapped it up.

My second discovered joy is creating outfits. I pleasantly spent time contemplating how to display my new purchase to best advantage. The process itself was fun, as you know.

And my final joy is dressing up. I had no party, not even girlfriends to parade in front of, just the opportunity to put on and wear nice clothes. And admire myself in a full-length mirror. So I did.

Do you relate to any of this? What do you think of the dress?

Cold & Color

Braved 20 degrees F. today to get an annual NYS inspection for my S1000R. While out, I scouted locations for photography.

What do you think of this one? It's colorful and, by clever positioning, I got it to spell Long Island!