Peplum at the Met

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Tonight’s Costume Institute Gala proved that peplums are still a thing.  A big thing, in fact.  I  went through and saved all the examples and, at one point started to get exasperated at the sheer number of them and all the work it was causing me.  Carpal tunnel’s no joke, dammit!

Elizabeth Banks is channeling a little futuristic Effie here.  I think I would prefer it without the  cape/shawl thing going on up there.

Linda Evangelista keeps it sleek and classy, though I don’t really know what’s going on with that hairband (scrunchie?!) on the back of her head.  But, given that’s she’s had a rough week of custody battling, I give her a pass.

This look, on Solange Knowles, is a great lesson in balance.  She lets her gorgeous hair take front and center and doesn’t fussy it up with statement earrings or a gigantic necklace.  The color of her dress is standout and pairs really well with the sleek construction.  She has the “fun stuff” on her wrist and hands (and I do love that bracelet), so there is a bit of flash, but it’s not overwhelming.

Eva Mendes is one absolutely striking beauty, and I like the color of this dress against her skin, but…the peplum on this is just too long, or too flat, or something.  It looks drab.  The detailing up top could have stood alone and worked without this extra fabric.

I love Amy Poehler.  I think she is a beautiful, hilarious woman and that smokey eye is fantastic.  Not so fantastic?  Both a peplum and a big feathery train.  She’s a short lady (I am, too, I know how tricky it is), and this is just too much and it overwhelms her frame, making her look shorter.

Perhaps the rule is, the younger you are, the smaller the peplum?   I actually like this look on Emma Roberts a lot, it’s an interesting detail without going buck wild with extra fabric.  I think the cups should have been a bit better tailored, but over all I’m a fan.

Took me a second to recognize Jessica Stam.  But, darn she looks regal.  Perhaps she should be in Game of Thrones, dress and all…

Sofia Vergara is one striking woman.  She looks poised and confident, really radiant.  I just think the peplum on this looks a bit like they attached the bottom half of a topcoat just under her boobs.  A bit much, maybe.

See, I wasn’t lying.  That’s a metric ton of peplum in one event!  I’m calling Solange Knowles the winner in the battle of the peplums.  What says you?

 

Girlfriends

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One of my crew who moved far away several years ago came back into town for a visit, and she is struggling to make good girlfriends in her new home.  My heart feels for her because I know how lost I would be without them.

I truly never trust a woman who says she doesn’t get along with other women.  I can’t imagine my life without my girlfriends.  I don’t see them every day, or talk on the phone for hours every night.  Sometimes group emails are our only interactions for weeks.  But when we are face to face, it’s as if no time has passed.  I feel a sense of relief when I see them, like I can breathe a little easier, like I feel when I am home with my husband or with my family because my girlfriends are an extension of my family.

Every stage of my life, I have found my group, 7-8 friends upon whom I rely.  We buoy each other and rally around one another during rough times.  We let loose and act like fools together.  We give each other the straight talk we don’t always want to hear, but know we need to hear.

We had a reunion with our friend last night and hopefully gave her a lift that will last until the next time we see her, or until she finds her people, far, far away from us.

 

High Anxiety

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I have bad genes.  These genes of mine have me hard-wired to worry.  My brain hums at me, almost constantly, with worst case scenarios.

Did we leave the dogs out of the kennels?  If we did, when will the mailman come?  We won’t be home in time to put them back in the kennels and they will lunge at the mail slot when he puts the mail through.  What if they end up biting his finger?  Oh God, then they will call animal control…what then?  what then?

It’s never-ending.  Any ambiguity leads to a tailspin of what if and oh shit.  My face turns bright red, my heart pounds, I feel nauseous.

It’s a peculiar thing to observe myself while it’s happening.  I can know something is absolutely irrational, but that fact does nothing to stop the chain reaction.  And when it collides with a day that is somehow crappy anyway, or when I am generally feeling low, then the tears even fall, which is all kinds of frustrating.

My husband always goes in for the fix.  What is making you feel this way?  You know that it will be alright, right?  Where is this coming from?  But he is a stable guy, the fearless type who makes others anxious, and just can’t understand that it’s not a simple problem with a clear genesis.  Or that I know I am batshit, but that doesn’t make it any better.

And meds, thank the heavens above for meds.  When it gets unbearable, the Ativan is my savior and lets me cut through the hum enough to function.  Scientologists can go fuck themselves – meds are a godsend.

Between the numerous family members who have any range of the spectrum of mental health issues, I know mine is mild.  But it’s still debilitating in its own way.  I often wonder if I am made for my career.  The pressure can’t be helping.  One day they are going to find me clutching myself and rocking back and forth under my desk, amongst my spare heels. That will be special.

No real point to this, but putting it down in words helps to get it out of my head so I can try to sleep.

I Should Have Known Better

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It was a bad idea to step on the scale tonight. And I knew it before I even went near the thing. A sodium infused weekend piled on top of several (or more, if I am being honest) unwanted pounds that have crept up on me while I was too busy eating licorice and having a second beer to notice. Until I couldn’t blame it on a little water retention anymore.

I hear that nagging voice in the recesses of my head telling me to get myself under control. Have some self-respect. And I want to eat more just to tell it to go fuck itself because I tried to stop letting that voice control me. But part of me still takes that message in and lets it wound me and crank up the engines on the anxiety that is always ready to flare up.

It was a bad idea to step on that scale.

Food at Your Fingertips

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Do you know about Seamless?  If you don’t already, then you are probably going to a) hate me for introducing it to you or b) curse the heavens for not knowing about it sooner.  Maybe a bit of both.

I mean, I like to cook.  And I do it pretty often.  But sometimes you get home from the office late, there’s nothing in the fridge and going to the store seems like an impossible task.  Or maybe it’s raining and the food you have prepared just isn’t “cozy weather food.”  Or maybe you are just feeling lazy.  No judgment.  I’ve been there (confession: as in, tonight, and I am waiting on my food as I type).

Delivery isn’t new, I know, I know.  But say I don’t really know what I want to eat, just that I am not cooking (and husband certainly isn’t cooking or we would end up with an ungodly concoction), Seamless lets me sort by estimated delivery time, cuisine, delivery $$ minimum, etc…it stores my credit card number and lets me add tip right in there so I don’t have to scrounge for tip money (and I never, ever have cash).  I adore convenience and this has made my life better.  Trust.

Plus, there’s now a Korean place that delivers.  This could be bad…for both my wallet and waistline, that is.

On Vanity

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Today I saw a woman who made me sad.  She was clearly in her 60s, at least, but was trying to look 20.  The overly done botox, lip fillers, tight and shiny skin.  The extensions in her hair.  The too-young outfit.  She was moneyed and fighting a dirty fight against aging.  She was clearly unaware that aging was still kicking her ass.  She didn’t look young, just odd, as they always do when too much has been done.

But then I realize, it’s easy for me to say that.  I’m not there…yet.  I can talk the big talk about aging gracefully because, at 29, I’m not facing its major ravages just yet.  Sure, I see a few fine lines that take longer to disappear after smiling or frowning, but there is still no hard evidence of me getting seriously older.  So, I get to have my internal head-shaking at these women, while still pushing back that feeling of “what would I do?”

And what would you do?  I don’t think we can know, and I won’t pretend that when I wake up looking a bit more haggard than I would like, that I don’t start running through my head all my options.  A chemical peel, microdermabrasion, an IPL facial…preventative botox.  I snap out of it before I do anything major, but the promise of turning back the clock is tempting, even to me, so I can only image the siren song it plays to women who are older.

We’ll see how I am holding out in 10, 20 years.  It helps that my husband thinks I am beautiful and that women who augment themselves in a big way look bizarre.  But the scales may eventually tip.  You can never say never.

 

Stay classy, Marc.

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I enjoy Marc Jacobs’ clothes.  I like his runway shows.  I thought he was charming in interviews.  But lately, I have been disappointed.

The CFDA, of which Jacobs is a board member, has been on a mission to have designers not use underage models on their catwalks.  Jacobs put two 14 year olds on his runway this New York Fashion Week.  He chalked it up to his creative vision – those models just fit.

Okay, fine.  Apparently they had parental supervision.  But, if you are marketing clothing to adult women, perhaps it shouldn’t be a 14 year old to sell your vision.  Just a thought.

But now it seems that Marc Jacobs doesn’t even pay their models, not just for runway work, but also for “looks” work.  I know that paying in clothing is fairly common, and I can understand it for the newly starting brands that can’t afford to pay their models.  But, Marc Jacobs is part of a huge conglomerate, LVMH, that rakes in billions of dollars a year.

Marc Jacobs had this to say in response:

No, they don’t have to work with you.  And, given the fact that you, and the company the brand is a part of, make a ridiculous amount of money and yet you only pay in clothes, who would want to?

I question whether he is the best person to be on the Board of the CFDA.  But that’s just my opinion.

Oscars White

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Ay dios mio, oy vey, my God!  In whatever language, I am dying for these looks.  These women were all visions in white (one of the night’s dominant colors).

Okay, so the lovely Octavia Spencer doesn’t exactly look thrilled in this photo – this was obviously pre-win.  This dress isn’t revolutionary, but it works so well on here.  The way it gathers in the middle and drapes at the bottom flatters her perfectly.

Rooney!  What an awesome name.  You know she is never mixed-up with anyone else.  And what a striking dress.  I love that she took a chance, and it really worked.  She has been continuously stunning on the red carpet this award season, and has been definitely leaning towards dresses with structural elements, and this is no exception.  And the back…

I love how it’s somewhat bondage-esque, but sleek and classy.  And her make-up is beautiful.  She keeps the accessories, hair and make-up simple and they don’t compete with the other dress elements.

And then there was Gwyneth…

She is so regal.  When you hear ‘cape’, you don’t think of this.  She’s just perfection here.  And yes, I am a huge fangirl.

What were your favorite looks on the red carpet and at the after-parties?

Burberry Envy

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I looove the energy of New York Fashion Week, but, truth be told, my heart and style align with London.  I dream of living in London, drinking flat whites every morning and layering 9 months out of the year.  I also look forward to London Fashion Week, and especially Burberry Prorsum.  I was not disappointed this year.

The focus on the waist is great.  There is volume, without losing a clear and feminine silhouette.  And I am totally into the deep, yet ever so slightly mute, jewel tones.

Clearly, I am not alone in  enjoying Christopher Bailey’s creations, as the show was very well-attended.

The current face of Burberry, Eddie Redmayne showed up alongside Rosie Huntington Whiteley and Mario Testino.

Kate Bosworth donned a definite Burberry look.  I am a big fan of her hair and that owl…

Clémence Poésy carried a Burberry trench and looked overall chic and effortless.

If I had a choice, out of all the cities and all the shows, this is the one I would attend.  And yes, that includes Valentino, Marc Jacobs, etc…Chanel in Paris would be a close second, alright, maybe a tie for first….

Where and which show are you dying to attend?

Photo Credit: DailyMail, Style.com

F/W RTW 2012 Victoria Beckham

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Posh, I mean, Victoria Beckham, is slowly upping the ante on her collections.  She is still sticking with the very body conscious, streamlined silhouettes that have defined her style for quite some time.  However, we are starting to see some more flourishes in the form of collars, and some outerwear that seems to break her own rules.

I like that Victoria is taking her time to slowly evolve and create a cohesive brand identity despite her considerable, pre-existing fame.  Sometimes innovation is best in small doses.  Still, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with when/if she moves into eveningwear!