If I say jump...

I'm back! Actually, I don't know which direction I'm going in these days. Lots to do at work in the next few weeks and I'm working on a show (Edward II, at Spotlighters) so keeping very busy. J and I had a lovely trip to South Beach recently, but both of use are so swamped now that it feels like ages ago rather than a mere two weeks.

When I first visited South Beach in 1999, the shopping scene was very different. Lincoln Road was still home to a few high-end antiques stores and clothing boutiques as well as some of those bizarre "art galleries" that I believe one can still find in parts of NYC... you know, the ones that sell outrageously over-the-top chandeliers, paintings of dubious aesthetic merit, and bejeweled iPhone cases. All of that is gone now; Lincoln Road's stores are primarily chains, which distresses me even though I have been known to make a purchase at Anthropologie on that street from time to time. I'm also surprised and disappointed that Desigual couldn't make a go of it there; L'Occitane now has their former space. Note: there is a great open-air antiques market on Lincoln Road, but it isn't held every weekend.

Collins Avenue has a fairly interesting assortment of stores, even if most of them are also chains. There are a few "high street" stores that Baltimore lacks, notably Club Monaco, where J has had better luck than I over the years, and Zara, where the fit of garments can be incredibly random, but when they make something well, it's TDF. The latter's Collins Avenue outpost (one is coming to Lincoln Road soon) is located very near Puerto Sagua, a Cuban diner with amazing food and very friendly staff. So, after a delicious, somewhat decadent meal, I decided to try on clothes. Brilliant, no? Here's one of the pieces I came home with.

Yes, it's a jumpsuit. I've always liked them and are happy that they're currently (ugh) "on trend", otherwise known as available in stores. Vintage shopping is delightful, but has its downsides - condition, availability of sizes, etc. When I spotted this jumpsuit in Zara, I thought, ooh, comfy! Then I wondered... hmm... am I too old to make this work? Will I look as if I should be working on someone's car? Most importantly, do I give a damn? After I tried it on and determined that I needed my usual size - small - the answer to all three questions was an emphatic no. It didn't hurt that I texted a dressing room pic to a good friend, also a jumpsuit fan, who sent back her emphatic yes-you-need-that response almost instantly.

This outfit got a few quizzical looks last night, but it's the pants equivalent of a DVF wrap dress: as comfortable as wearing one's pajamas in public, yet with much more style. Paired with my motorcycle boots, gloves, jacket, and helmet, it makes me feel like a badass on my scooter.I've gone and ordered a similar Topshop jumpsuit from Nordstrom in grey; fingers crossed that it fits.

Oh, and just in case you're wondering if my style has suddenly changed dramatically, my other recent Zara purchase was a sundress with a big, pouffy skirt.   

A Fresh Start and Some Seriously Adorable Sweets

Since my last post in this space dates from September 2012, many of you no doubt thought I'd dropped off the blog-earth.Well, not really - I have been posting on my professional blog quite a bit, so my writing energy was needed there. Also, 2013 was a very difficult year for me as a performer, so I wasn't much inspired to write. These days, I'm trying to find new people to work with and fresh ways to challenge myself both on and offstage (hello, roller skating lessons!) I took up quad skating last year after a hiatus of nearly three decades and absolutely love it. Great fun, nice people, and very beneficial for the waistline.That last bit is especially pertinent to this post, since its real topic is not lazy blogging or diva drama, but... SWEETS!

I don't bake much, nor do I often order dessert in restaurants. Don't often have time for the former and can't generally afford the calories that come with it or the latter. However, Valentine's Day is coming, and yesterday, the new Dean and Deluca catalog (better known in our house as Food Porn) showed up in our mailbox, packed with sugary treats that look tempting enough to warrant a few extra revolutions around the rink.

If your sweetheart is a chocolate-loving bibliophile, how about this cake?

             
Or perhaps lingerie-inspired cookies would better set the V-day mood? These are flavored with cinnamon, anise, and orange. Yes, please.

  
If you'll be flying solo on February 14th, these "Breakup Box" whoopie pies might help ease the pain. Might I suggest sharing them with a good friend and a bottle of bubbly? Both are excellent at lifting one's spirits!

J and I will be staying in this Valentine's Day, feasting on lobster, wine, and perhaps Option 1 or Option 2 from the list above. A hint may or may not have already been dropped. Whatever you're doing that night, I hope it's great fun and wish you a sweet, happy 2014!    
   

Mural on Coney Island

Mural on Coney Island, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'm back! Actually, I never left; have just been sorely neglecting my blog once again. We've had a very busy summer of performing, visiting friends in NY, & working. J took this picture of me during our August NY trip - we hadn't been to Coney Island in ages & were a little concerned about how the place might look post-renovation. Were we riding the subway for an hour only to find ourselves in a corporate-looking theme park? Although we were very disappointed to see that the wonderful Astroland entrance (complete with fabulous 50's faux rocketship) is gone, for the most part, the boardwalk & amusement areas still have a funky retro feel. The beach was packed with people of all ages, races, styles - hip-hop, preppy, vintage, you name it. We people-watched, listened to live music, ate a decadent lunch at Nathan's, & rode the Cyclone & the Wonder Wheel before making our way back to Manhattan. It's great when places, like people, can change & evolve without losing their spirit. Happy end of summer, all.

Do not adjust your monitor. I'm wearing pants.

Do not adjust your monitor. I'm wearing pants., originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I rarely don pants, jeans, slacks, or anything of the sort. That's partly because I often find them unflattering, but also due to the fact that they've become almost mandatory apparel for the 21st-century female & any form of mindless "groupthink", sartorial or otherwise, grates on my nerves.

That said, I've been drawn to the colored denim trend since I first started seeing it last year. J & I were at dinner in Hampden one night & an impossibly thin young woman (think Audrey Hepburn, but blond) passed by the restaurant window wearing bright red skinnies, a simple black top, & black ballet flats. She looked fabulous & I wished I could find a pair of bright jeans that would flatter my older, non-size-0 body. After a good bit of searching & a few dressing room mirror incidents that left me needing a stiff drink (H&M, how could you?!?!?) I found not one, but two pairs of bright jeans I adore.

The ones in this pic are Calvin Klein, from Marshalls - really. They're surprisingly curve-friendly & don't make me feel as if I've stolen my teenage niece's pants. I grabbed a Velvet Heart pair in purple at Century 21 during our recent visit to NY & am still trying to figure out how to style them so I don't appear to be in Ravens fan gear (does someone perhaps own one black sweater too many?) If & when I figure it out, I may post a pic. 'Til then, I dare you to think beyond blue, denim-wise, & have some fun!

Green. Gorgeous. Mine.

Green. Gorgeous. Mine., originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

J & I took a trip to New York last weekend, mostly to see Verdi's "Ernani" at the Metropolitan Opera, but also to shop, eat, drink wine, & generally enjoy one of our favorite places in the US. We left on an obscenely early Friday morning train - what crazy person booked us on Amtrak at 6:13AM? - oh, wait, I did. Over the course of three days, we visited a number of our favorite shopping haunts, including La Boutique Resale, Century 21, the Garage Flea Market, & The Showplace. I scored some amazing deals & am going to be on a shoplite for some time!

Here's my best find of the whole trip: an emerald green Ferragamo bag, in near-pristine condition. I scored this for less than one would pay for a lower-end Coach bag at the mall. Not that Coach's designs haven't improved over the years - many of them have - but I think you know what I'm saying, price-wise. Given that this beauty is my favorite color & was made by a design house for which I have great respect, J knew it was going home with us the minute I spotted it.

The opera was fabulous, even though it's early Verdi, & it was great fun to catch up with several of our New York friends, one of whom sings in the Met chorus. (Her SO also does, but the poor guy was under the weather during our visit, so we didn't get to hang out with him.) Food-and-drinks-wise, we indulged at places we've loved for some time: I Coppi, the Campbell Apartment, Maison du Chocolat, & Bagel Boss. We also discovered new delights at Eataly & Shalal.

So, here we are, back home. Our feet have recovered - good thing, as I still have to work off some of that amazing food! - & we're already plotting our next trip to the city

Va va vroom: Prada, Spring 2012 Hot Rod Flame Shoe

Va va vroom: Prada, Spring 2012 Hot Rod Flame Shoe, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Dammit, Miuccia. You've done it again. By "it", I mean you've come up with a collection that is filled with the retro references that are so near & dear to my heart, but also tweaked them in a wonderfully irreverent way so that not one item is too serious or precious. I would happily welcome any number of your Spring 2012 pieces into my wardrobe, especially the shoes, but with prices well into the four figures, that's not happening anytime soon. Since I don't give a damn (or perhaps a stronger word or two) about wearing "last year's" stuff, I can only hope a pair of these babies will eventually make it onto the shelves of one of my favorite Upper East Side consignment stores. Size 6.5, please.

I'm a gym rat & general exercise nut, & this Wednesday, my Spin class was led by a sub for the sub. To put it mildly, her workout was a disaster. She didn't seem to know the vocabulary of Spinning, which is quite specific, & as such, she called out almost no cues when it was time for us to switch moves. We basically had to watch her & guess what we were supposed to do next. Most of her in-class chatter centered around a fake travelogue, during which she mentioned that "we'd like to stop at McDonald's, but we're not going to." She also engaged in a a few moves that are known to be unsafe, such as doing push-ups on the handlebars of the bike. The kicker (so to speak) for me came during our cool-down stretches, when she launched into a lecture/rant about the evils of high heels. Out of the blue. This from a woman who was touting fast food a few minutes earlier? Maybe Morgan Spurlock should have made a documentary about superspiked footwear rather than supersized meals. Obviously, I got quite annoyed at this point, sprayed down my bike, & went downstairs to spend some quality time on the elliptical.

At age 42, I am well aware that high heels are not necessarily good for one's feet. I don't wear them every day or on occasions that will require a great deal of walking or standing (all-day shopping trips in NY, museum jaunts in Italy, etc.) I do, however, intend to wear them on special occasions or just when the mood strikes - as long as my body will tolerate them, of course. Snotty as this woman was, I do have to feel a bit sorry for her; she's aesthetically challenged (she also admitted to not caring much for music - of any kind!) I also can't wait for our regular Spin instructor to come back.

For once, big business does the right thing

I'm not accustomed to hearing that a huge corporation has done something positive for equality or human rights, yet that's exactly the sort of news I found posted all over Facebook today. It seems JCPenney has decided to defy the wishes of One Million Moms (was the name 40,000 Bigots already taken?) & retain Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson. I didn't shop at JCPenney for a long time, but found several cute pieces of clothing there last year, & this recent news sent me directly to their website after work today.

As one who works outside the home, I don't often catch Ms. DeGeneres' show unless I have taken the day off to get a mani/pedi in preparation for a vacation or other special event. In the broadcasts I have seen, Ms. DeGeneres has come across as a talented, engaging, funny host & interviewer. Sexuality aside, she's damn good at her job & has every right to a hugely successful career. With regard to her orientation, I am a longtime supporter of GLBT rights, including marriage equality, so between this incident & California's rejection of Proposition 8, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic this week. Thanks, JCPenney & California, for doing the right thing. May other companies & states follow suit, soon.

Now, off to check out that cute polka dot dress I saw on the JCPenney website earlier...

Men do make passes at retro divas who wear glasses.

Men do make passes at retro divas who wear glasses., originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I've needed reading glasses since middle school, mostly due to astigmatism. If I read or surf the 'net for long without them, I will get a blinding headache - literally. Since 2007, I've basically needed the things all the time to avoid that fate, although I'm still able to go onstage (I do theater, opera, & cabaret performances) or attend a dressy event for a few hours sans specs. If that changes as I age, I will seriously consider Lasik. Some friends have urged me to get contacts, but the idea of sticking little things in my eyes every day makes me queasy. Sounds silly coming from someone with two tattoos, but it's true!

Glasses can be horribly expensive, which is one reason I've held off on replacing my beloved Bellagios (the rhinestone-trimmed frames I'm wearing in many of my posts.) At $250 for a complete pair, they're hardly at the highest eyewear price point - I understand frames alone can cost $1500 or more if one is wealthy & a bit insane - but I've just been finding other things to spend my money on lately (more vintage dresses from eBay & Etsy. Oops.) Still, as it had been two years since my last eye exam, I recently dragged myself to the optometrist, knowing full well that I'd end up ordering new glasses even if my vision hadn't changed substantially, which it hasn't - hooray!

While the Bellagios were on order, I found the fabulous cat-eye specs I'm wearing in this pic on eyebuydirect. I'd taken care to obtain a copy pf my prescription from the optometrist's office, & with that at hand, I was able to order these babies for $49.95, lenses & all. They fit well, do their job, medically speaking, & I absolutely love how they look! I am finding that the over-the-top shape works best with simpler silhouettes, so my more outrageous outfits may still call for the (new) Bellagios, which have arrived & are also wonderful. I love having a wardrobe in which blinged-out eyewear can pass for subtle.

Santa rocked out, as always!

Detail of Iosselliani ring, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Whew! The last few months got away from me, blog-wise, but for very pleasant reasons - I had a great performing gig, was spending a lot of time with friends, & had plenty to do at my day job, including writing a bunch of blog posts for our soon-to-be launched, much-upgraded website. Since we're about to "ring" in 2012, I thought this might be a good time to post a pic of my major holiday haul.

I'd never heard of Iosselliani until Barneys sent me an email featuring this ring & several others. As you may know, I am a design snob, especially re: jewelry, & can't be bothered with most new baubles that are anywhere near my price range. My tastes tend to lie at either end of the spectrum - very classic or totally bizarre - & it's usually much easier for me to satisfy them with vintage sparkles. Most moderately-priced new jewelry is so "safe", aesthetically, that I find it visually offensive. I adore much of Tom Binns' & Delfina Delettrez' work, but due to their price points, must admire their most interesting pieces from afar. In a similar vein, this ring was outside of Santa's current budget when I first emailed it to him. Sigh.

Fast forward to mid-December, a 60% off sale, & more utterly shameless hint-dropping. Santa took the bait & this fabulous sterling-&-faux-gem rockpile made its way into my Christmas stocking. He was rewarded with a bottle of each of his favorite after-dinner tipples: port & single malt Scotch. Milk & cookies would hardly have been adequate!

I hope all of your holiday wishes came true & that 2012 will be a great year. Cheers!

Vintage "Carmencita" dress, Chanel bag, Sesto Meucci heels

Vintage "Carmencita" dress, Chanel bag, Sesto Meucci heels, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

What a weekend! Last Saturday was J's birthday, & for once, I didn't have to work. I love what I do for a living, but this time of year tends to be busy & I often end up with gigs on J's birthday, our anniversary, or both. We decided to celebrate by making the weekend revolve around two of our favorite things: food & movies.

On Saturday afternoon, we saw "Contagion", which is brilliant & very scary because the plot line is so realistic. The characters are well-written & acted & there are several strong female roles, something one doesn't always get from mainstream Hollywood. Following the movie, we went home, changed into dressier attire, & headed to The Prime Rib, our favorite steakhouse, for dinner.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the manager came out to meet our car. How often does that happen? Okay, he's a great guy & we're Facebook friends, but really, J & I felt like movie stars! Once inside, we had delicious drinks (a rye Manhattan for J, a Champagne cocktail for me) before settling into our cozy table. There, J feasted on roasted tomato soup & the "split cut" of Prime Rib (despite its name, not a small steak!) while I tucked into a Caesar salad, followed by the most perfectly cooked piece of rockfish I have ever eaten. We shared a fabulous bottle of Chianti & two side dishes: green beans & tomatoes as well as mashed potatoes. Dessert was a slice of chocolate mousse pie, gratis because we were celebrating J's birthday, & of course I had to accompany my share of the sweet with a glass of Chartreuse. If the food sounds old-school, well, it is, & it's the sort of cuisine that's becoming increasingly hard to find on restaurant menus, especially high-end ones. Service was marvelous, as always; we left full, happy, & in my case, slightly tipsy.

J & I love all kinds of food, from fine dining to street-fair fare. We can both find dishes we love from almost any culture or region. When dining out, we just want to have a great experience, especially on a birthday, anniversary, or other "big night." Alas, many establishments fall short in at least one of the areas that matter to us on all occasions: food, wine list, atmosphere, & clientele. Gimmicky menus, bar food at crazy prices, & snobbish customers who are rude to the staff (& perhaps even to other diners!) are not for us. Fortunately, none of the above was in evidence on Saturday night.

One great meal deserves another, no? That was our line of thinking on Sunday, when we headed to Gertrude's, another favorite spot, for an amazing brunch. J had a mimosa & a garden omelet; I chose a "Dirty Gertie" (spicy Bloody Mary, garnished with a shrimp) & Eggs Gertrude (eggs Benedict, but with crab cakes instead of meat.) Naturally, we each had a cup of red crab soup to start - not doing so would have been unthinkable! Again, food, drinks, & service were superb.

We finished off our festive weekend by watching Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" on satellite TV. Missed this one in theaters; & what a shame - the special effects are marvelous & actually enhance the plot rather than being an excuse for lack of one. All of the performances are terrific, as is the script. Even on the small screen, not to be missed.

And now it's Monday & we're back to reality, but our anniversary is at the end of this month, so perhaps more weekend decadence awaits!

NY skyline skirt detail

NY skyline skirt detail, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I just had to add a detail pic of today's find. Check out the Chrysler Building at top left!

NY skyline skirt

NY skyline skirt, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I can be a snob about antique/vintage reproductions. Many are dumbed-down in design & quality, usually with the excuse that they've been "updated", but it always looks to me as if the manufacturer just didn't want to put in the effort to make a good copy of the older item. When J & I stopped in our favorite antiques mall this afternoon, I found this skirt on a rack & gasped. I was sure it was "the real deal" - from the 50's - but in amazing condition. Was it dead stock? I looked inside the waistband for a tag & nearly fell over when I saw a label that read "twenty one". Yes, as in Forever Twenty-One, the mall store. I've found some cute things in there over the years, including an embroidered satin cocktail dress that some of my friends still insist is D&G, but this is the best retro-repro piece I've seen them produce. Even if this isn't a copy of an older garment, it's brilliant IMO; nothing ersatz about it. The fabric is nice, the colors & pattern are true to the era it's trying to evoke, & it's got enough of a sweep that I can definitely wear a crinoline under it. I have no idea when this skirt was in stores & our clothing dealer friends weren't in their booth today, so if you're after it for yourself, my advice would be to check F21's website & then eBay. Snagged this baby for $18 - a steal, even though it's several inches too large in the waist. I know a very good alterations lady, but I may have to belt this baby & wear her once before surrendering her to needle & thread.

Jet parure, probably mourning jewelry, circa 1860

Jet parure, probably mourning jewelry, circa 1860, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

More fabulously unaffordable goodies from last weekend's antiques show. This is probably the nicest complete parure of jet jewelry that I've ever seen. If I'd had $4500 to spare, it would have come home with me, but alas, we had to give it back to the dealer after he was kind enough to let me take a pic. J loves this sort of set, too, as much for the case (original & bearing the name of the Regent Street shop at which it was originally purchased) as for the contents. Every single piece in this group was in amazing condition, no mean feat given its age & the fact that many women wore mourning clothes & accessories for four years or more after the death of a spouse or child.

The aesthetic beauty of antiques is only part of their appeal, at least for me. I'm not interested in collecting for reasons of status, either. I love the social & cultural significance behind the objects, even when, as here, they were most likely purchased during less-than-happy times. I wonder how I would have dealt with wearing mourning? The nonconformist in me would have been appalled at being expected to wear only certain styles & colors due to societal expectations lest I be accused of not grieving sufficiently or having loose morals. Both men & women wore mourning attire during the Victorian era, but standards were stricter for women. The feminist in me bristles at that, as at many things, but I must admit I'm glad beautiful objects like these were created & that some have survived for us look at & ponder.

A diva can dream, can't she?

A diva can dream, can't she?, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Last week was pretty weird. First we had an earthquake, then the entire eastern seaboard anxiously awaited the arrival of Hurricane Irene. I'm pleased to say J & I only lost power for about 30 minutes, & overnight at that. Many of our friends & colleagues weren't so lucky. Our sun porch roof also leaked a bit. but it's been known to do that in far smaller storms.

In the midst of Mother Nature's drama, I paid 3 visits to the Baltimore Summer Antiques Fair. I saw lots of friends, including some European dealers I only get to chat with once a year, & of course I had a chance to ogle all sorts of fabulous old stuff. At this point, our house is pretty well-stocked with furniture, china, glassware, etc, although you'll never catch me admitting that around J ("But we don't have *green* wineglasses yet, honey!") I'm still on a budget, too. So, the show was primarily a social event/learning opportunity for me, as it has been in some years past. I've been attending this temptation-packed show for over 15 years & have learned to set my budget before leaving the house. If there's nothing truly amazing in my price range, I leave empty-handed.

Enough maturity, sense, & good financial judgment for now. Time for a trip to Fantasyland. In this pic, I am wearing the most amazing necklace I have ever seen. I often go for elaborate designs - think Moderne pieces from the 1940's or delicate-but-not-cutesy Deco filigree - but here is photographic proof that simplicity need not be bland. Not if you have big enough rocks, anyway. I can't even remember the total carat weight, but yes, those are diamonds - big ones - all the way around my neck. They're set in gold topped with sterling silver, which was common practice before white gold & platinum came into use. The necklace dates from the Victorian era & I would love to know who has owned it over the years. It's obviously been lovingly cared for, & who wouldn't treat such a spectacular piece like the work of art it is? I hung out at this booth for a long, long time - two days in a row - just so I could enjoy the sensation of having all this gorgeousness around my neck. Okay, the fact that the dealer was hot & all of his merchandise was spectacular didn't hurt, either. I think he actually believed that J & I were going to buy this fabulous bit of bling, which is too hilarious for words given its price tag: $130,000, a/k/a more than we currently owe on our house. Yes, you read that correctly. Most reluctantly, we gave the necklace back to the jeweler.

I know there are people who love to moralize about expensive wearables, especially the kind that sparkle. "There are people starving", "No one NEEDS that sort of thing", blah blah blah. That's very true, but do most of us *need* our of-the-moment tech gadgets, super-duper coffee makers, pricey jeans, or "good" bags? Of course not. We buy them because we like them. If J & I had the wherewithal, this necklace would have been mine in a second. We don't. We never will. We're both perfectly okay with that. There's more to life than obsessing over material things you'll never be able to own. Cool stuff enhances life - a lot! - but it won't make up for being in a career you hate or a soul-crushing relationship just to have a certain amount of purchasing power. Leave that to the Joneses & enjoy your life.

Deco Etc's booth at the 2011 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

Deco Etc's booth at the 2011 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

It's that time of year again. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is going on through Sunday at the Baltimore Convention Center. I've been going to this show for over 15 years & jokingly (?) refer to it as a religious holiday. If you are even the least bit interested in antiques, regardless of period, & can get to this event, you must. All of the "usual" stuff is available: jewelry, handbags, china, silver, furniture, etc., but you can also find super-binoculars that came off of the Berlin Wall & a US Navy ship, an actual lobster cast in nickel, & other fabulous oddities. The dealers at this show tend to be fun people who really know their stuff, so it's easy to spend half an hour or more chatting at one booth.

I cruised the show for about four hours last night & didn't see half of it, even at a rapid pace, so am going back today & tomorrow (have to work Sunday, or I'd probably go then, too!) Favorite booths this far: Deco Etc., Frank's Specialties, Jo & Olly, Daniels Antiques, Deco 2 Midcentury, Bridges Over Time, & Jane Fletcher. And now, if you'll excuse me, I must get dressed & head for the show!

Shabby Apple dress. This could be yours... or mine, hehe... free!

Shabby Apple dress. This could be yours... or mine!, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'm half-Irish & I'm told I wear jewel tones very, very well, so you can imagine my reaction when I saw this gorgeous green dress on my friend's blog, Consume or Consumed. I'd never heard of this brand, Shabby Apple, but apparently their designs tend toward feminine/vintage-inspired styles. Uh, count me in!

So here's the deal. If you'd like to win this baby in your size, *free*, you need to be a subscriber of Consume or Consumed. You can gain extra entries (one possible entry per action) by doing the following:

Blog the giveaway with a link to the post.
Like Shabby Apple on Facebook.
Like Consume or Consume on Facebook.
Tweet the giveaway at jesspgh (with a link to the tweet.)

Here are some more contest deets, lovingly ripped off from Consume or Consumed:

The contest will close at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

The winner will be chosen one week from today via drawing on random.org to receive the Mariposa Grove dress which will ship directly from Shabby Apple. I will contact and announce the winner on Friday morning.

If you can't wait that long, Shabby Apple has offered an exclusive 10% off discount to readers of Consume or Consumed. Use coupon code consumeorconsumed10off (available and active until September 24th, 2011) at checkout. Have fun exploring the adorable women's dresses, little girl's dresses, and maternity dresses available on Shabby Apple's website!

Here's a link to the original contest on Consume or Consumed:

http://consumerconsumed.blogspot.com/2011/08/win-adorable-dress-in-your-size-from.html

Outfit for train to NY, 8-12-11

Outfit for train to NY, 8-12-11, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I'll begin today's post with a quote - quite possibly the most brilliant fashion-related quote I've ever read: "A dash of eccentric glamour gives you the power to keep the wrong kind of men away." - Isabel Toledo

Isabel Toledo is a Cuban-American fashion designer who has dressed First Lady Michelle Obama, among many others. I've admired Ms. Toledo's work for some time, & having stumbled across the above quote on Facebook this morning, I have a newfound respect for her attitude toward life & relationships as well.

As a society, we invest clothes & accessories with tremendous meaning. We're constantly told "what not to wear" in various situations - to job interviews, on special occasions, & especially when trying to attract a partner. In some ways, it seems, the mating game has even stricter rules of attire than the office. I can't count the number of how-to-dress-for-a-date articles I've skimmed online. Some are aimed at men, but the vast majority are directed toward women. According to pretty much every one of them, my personal style should be a one-way ticket to eternally single, crazy cat lady status. I wear intense lipstick (usually red or deep pink), I almost never don jeans, I have to wear glasses most of the time (okay, I'm pondering Lasik; not sure I could do contacts. I have two tattoos & sat through both inkings like a trouper, but the idea of sticking little things in my eyes every day makes me a bit queasy.) I wear vintage on a regular basis & have recently begun rebuilding my hat collection. To top off all of that, I'm 41 & short, but am I miserable & alone? Nope. I'm married to a hunk who adores my style & is a very natty, retro-fabulous dresser in his own right. According to those articles, the way I look should keep me right out of the workforce, too, but I've been at my current job for almost 18 years. Granted, I work for a nonprofit arts organization, but I have a great gig at which dressing pretty much as I please is but one of many perks.

I'm both fascinated & repelled by the messages popular culture sends about fashion. The one that makes me cringe most, however, is the myth of the woman who drastically changes her appearance to please a man. This one just won't die; it's been a theme in countless movies over the years ("Grease", "Rear Window", & "Pretty in Pink", to name only a few.) I have yet to see a single film in which a man gets a makeover to attract a woman or improve his current relationship.

Have I had guys try to make me over? Oh, yes. One particular incident stands out in my mind. Back in the early 90's, I was planning a trip to North Carolina to visit a guy I was in a long-distance relationship with. He was a corporate type, & just before my trip, he expressed a desire to buy me some polo shirts & khakis, explaining that he was concerned about me being "too warm" in my floaty, Natalie-Merchant-esque chiffon dresses (hey, I said it was the early 90's!) in the southern heat. More to the point: he didn't want his friends to see how I really dressed. Next, please.

Obviously, he wasn't the right guy for me. We didn't fit, not only in terms of fashion, but in many other ways (political & religious views, desire - or lack thereof - for children, etc.) He wasn't a bad guy - he helped me through one of the worst times in my life, & we did have a lot in common intellectually. We just weren't compatible for the long haul.

So, quirky girls (& guys) of the world, if you happen to read one of those makeover articles or get dire warnings about the damage your style will do to your life, consider the source & take it with a grain of salt. You may, in fact, be helping yourself to stay out of the wrong relationships, which gives you more time & energy for the right ones!

Deco green glass beads

Deco green glass beads, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

So here's what I bought on my summer vacation... well, one thing, anyway. J has been doing consulting work for a few weeks now, & while he's not raking it in, he is doing well enough that we were able to take a quick trip to New York last weekend. We snagged the cheapest possible Amtrak fares ($49pp each way) & also got a great deal on a room at the Hotel Belleclaire, which proved a great place to stay.

What can one do in 48 hours in Manahttan? How about cocktails, vintage shopping, dining, & 2 10-mile runs? That's what J & I did. We don't always go on such long runs on vacay, but J is training for the JFK 50-miler this fall & I love to eat, especially in New York, so decided it was in the best interests of my waistline to go the distance with him. We met up with several friends, some of whom we've known for years & one who I had previously only known through the internet, but who is even more fun in person.

I've picked up a few singing gigs recently, so I was able to do a little shopping, mostly at flea markets. I hadn't been to the Hell's Kitchen market in years, but a friend said it's a great place to shop for vintage clothing, & was she ever right! It seemed almost every vendor had at least a few clothes, & many were offering items at $10 each. My finds included two designer skirts (Louis Feraud & Ungaro, respectively), two dresses, & a fabulously full 1950's skirt - all for $65. We also visited the Garage flea market in Chelsea, which is apparently moving to an outdoor location soon. There, I got a gorgeous black straw hat for $35 & the necklace in this pic for $25. The latter was an astonishing deal; I usually see Deco glass bead strands priced at $75 & up. I couldn't resist stopping in the Chelsea location of Shoegasm & cruising their clearance rack. When they have a sale, they really have a sale! One pair of black velvet evening shoes, one of black leather peep-toe pumps, & $60-some later, we were out the door. We stuck our heads in the UWS Loehmann's - I can't stay away when there are "Italian Event" signs in the windows - & I fell in love, or at least in lust, with some D&G shoes & a Moschino cardigan that were out of my current financial reach even at deep discounts. Sigh. At least I found a Moschino umbrella for $17. I left the store delighted with my new bumbershoot & highly annoyed that the Loehmann's nearest our house (Timonium) has become so junky. I like to call it "Where Denim Goes to Die." Oh, for the days when I found DVF dresses there for as little as $20!

If you're headed to NY anytime soon, I highly recommend that you check out the Hotel Belleclaire, as well as the store & flea markets I've mentioned. Once you've worked up an appetite shopping, head for Bagel Boss, Eataly, or I Coppi. See why I ran 10 miles - twice - on vacay?

Victor Costa SATC2 dress

Victor Costa SATC2 dress, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Yes, I did it. After a year of searching eBay & Google, I've tracked down the Victor Costa dress that Charlotte wears in the second SATC movie, & I've managed to do it at a price that fits my recessionista budget.

I don't usually buy clothes I've seen in films or on celebrities. Most "it" items have little or no appeal to me & I think many celebs should have their stylists publicly flogged. There are some famous ladies whose closets I'd happily raid, including Debi Mazar, Lulu Guinness, Diane von Furstenberg, Dita von Teese, & Sarah Jessica Parker, but I don't want to be a carbon copy of anyone. I can't think of any present-day films whose wardrobe departments I'd like to ransack, unless we go back a few years to "The Devil Wears Prada." Most contemporary flicks simply do a brilliant job of illustrating why I dress retro.

This dress, however, is not just any movie dress. It's pouffy, it's strapless, & it's by Victor Costa, my go-to label for vintage special occasion frocks. When I saw Kristin Davis wearing this dress in an SATC2 promo pic, I gasped. I knew who it had been designed by & set out to find it.

Needless to say, once the film came out, eBay sellers & other vintage clothing dealers saw an opportunity to make big money on this dress. I saw several examples of it online & for a while, the going price was well over $200. I do a bit of eBay & Etsy selling myself, so I can't say I wouldn't do exactly what those other sellers did, but I also couldn't shell out that kind of change for a semi-formal summer dress. Even we don't get gussied up as often in the warmer months as we do in the winter. So, I kept searching.

Finally, about a month ago, this popped up on eBay & the seller apparently didn't know it's a "movie dress." I got it for $22 + a few bucks for alterations (it was too big in the bodice.) I wore it to the symphony last night & got tons of compliments, both from friends & complete strangers.

A very late-to-the-party note on SATC2: I enjoyed it. I went with DC-area girlfriends, did some shopping after, & treated myself to the most enormous falafel sandwich in history before driving home (yum!) The movie is incredibly silly, but a feast for the eyes. I do wish more of it had taken place in NY, but it's good fun. I never watched the TV show until it was in syndication - J & I watch almost no TV - but I love the episodes I've seen. Apparently there's an SATC prequel in the works, using younger actresses to play the girls earlier in their NY lives, & I am less than excited about the prospect. The four actresses who starred in the show & the first two films embodied their characters so beautifully that I can't imagine anyone else doing them justice. Maybe I'm just old & crotchety, or maybe the later "Star Wars" movies (I saw the first two in that series & stayed away from the third like the plague) have put me off prequels for good. I think I'll stick to catching the occasional episode of the show, perhaps seeing the films again if they pop up on TV when I'm not busy, & wearing this amazing dress whenever the right event comes along.

Betsey Johnson dress, Michael Antonio shoes, Chanel bag

Betsey Johnson dress, Michael Antonio shoes, Chanel bag, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Hey, look, I have a bouquet growing out of my head. Actually, I'm standing in the lobby of the Belvedere Hotel, home of The Owl Bar, one of our favorite local watering holes. It's a gorgeous old room with a storied past - apparently, during Prohibition, the Owl was a notorious speakeasy. If the owl statue's eyes were blinking, patrons could imbibe without fear of getting busted. If the owl was staring straight ahead, that meant the feds weren't far away & a "wise old owl" would "say less & hear more", to paraphrase the bar's slogan from those days. Presumably, he or she would also need to get rid of the liquid "evidence" in a hurry. If the Owl's bartenders were as generous then as they are now, the resulting speed-tippling must have led to some interesting nights, not to mention mornings after!

I've been a Betsey Johnson fan since the 80's; found this dress at Loehmann's several years ago. I still peruse her stuff online & in stores, although not all of it fits my style (or, alas, my budget) at this point. Have Betsey's designs gotten younger, or am I just reluctantly admitting to getting older? I still wear lots of strapless dresses, pouffy skirts, & the occasional ruffle, but I don't always feel comfortable combining all of those things in one item or outfit, especially if there's a micro-mini or pastel color involved. There's a fine line between "still looks good enough to wear that" & the dreaded MDAL, or "mutton dressed as lamb."

Recently, I blasted a famous fashion house (okay, Prada) on a certain Very Popular Social Networking Site for releasing a scent that not only smells like candy, it's actually named after it. I know many people love sweet fragrances, but do we really need another foodie/gourmand spritz in the world? Prada's previous perfumes have been plenty sweet IMO, so much that they turn into hideous, sticky monsters on my skin. A true shame, as I am a fan of many of Prada's clothing & accessory designs & would love to express my admiration for the brand in a way I can actually afford, maybe without even snagging it on eBay. I can't even imagine what "Candy" would smell like on me. Perhaps a cake that's been left in a Baltimore trash can for about a week, in late July? *shudders*

My remarks provoked a most unexpected reaction: I got trolled. Really. I would have been fine with someone saying my ideas about fragrance are silly & old-school - that happens all the time, yawn - but some bozo took it upon himself to click on my profile pic & attack my fashion sense as... MDAL. Them's fightin' words, dude, but I didn't diss his wardrobe in retaliation, even though that would have been ridiculously easy. Who wears "muscle" shirts in 2011...? I refrained from commenting & simply blocked him, which apparently means we can't see each others' posts, etc. from now on. That's more than fine with me. What makes the incident even weirder is that this guy apparently thought the perfume sounded icky, too; he just needed to pick on a complete stranger (preferably a female?) online. Nice.

I see all sorts of similar negativity on the 'net, of course. Some people seem to truly believe inane slogans like "it's the internet, wear a helmet." Of course, they're the same ones to post all-caps rants or leave discussion boards in a huff the moment anyone dares question the veracity or wisdom of something they've posted. To me, a bully is a bully, online or IRL. If you can't treat others, including those who disagree with you, in a respectful manner, please step away from the keyboard, and don't expect the mods of any site to give you carte blanche to violate their TOS, no matter how frequently you've posted there. I love the internet, but it has a very ugly side, one that reflects & quite possibly even contributes to the decline in IRL civility.

Whew. Rant over. Now I'm off to put on whatever I damn well feel like wearing. Haters gonna hate. Have a great Saturday, all.