Carolina Herrera skirt, Miu Miu shoes, Saks Sweater

Carolina Herrera skirt, Miu Miu shoes, Saks Sweater, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Another opening, another show... my husband is playing Roscoe in a local production of "Follies" & this is what I wore on opening night (last Friday.) The cast lost a whole weekend of performances due to the ridiculous snowstorms we've had recently, so they'll only get to do the show 6 times, but audiences & reviews have been good. After schlepping around in "snow clothes" for a few days, it feels great to wear "real" outfits again!

I found this Carolina Herrera skirt at Century 21 in Manhattan. Even at a deep discount, it cost more than I usually spend on one item, but I adore it & get tons of compliments on it. The Saks sweater was a Christmas gift from one of my Fashionism friends (thanks again, C!) & the Miu Miu shoes were a Saks splurge a couple of years ago. They're surprisingly comfy & I love their over-the-top look. Other details: Betsey Johnson tights, New York & Company tank, vintage jewelry.

Manolo, how could you?

Manolo, how could you? , originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Just when I thought the obsession with denim couldn't go any farther, or get any uglier, I've been proved wrong once again. If you're interested in these Manolo Blahnik "sneaker heels", they will set you back $785. That's more than my snakeskin & patent MB pumps (the only pair of Blahniks in my closet, which I scored at a deep discount two years ago) originally retailed for. Manolo has made pricey denim shoes before, in the form of blingy-buckled d'Orsay pumps & Chuck Taylor-type heels, but these are a new low in my opinion.

Many times, I have posted both here & on a couple of fashion chat boards how sick I am of seeing denim everywhere. It's not edgy any more, folks, it's boring. Jeans are casual wear. I say that as someone who owns a few pairs, but seldom wears them, although I will more than likely put on my Old Navy boyfriend jeans to go to our friends' Superbowl party this afternoon since we have over two feet of snow & will have to walk about a mile each way. Heck, I wore overalls all the time in the early 90's, in denim & various other fabrics. Artsy-girl-geek-chic, anyone? I really miss the dark blue matte-finish silk ones I bought from Tweeds & literally wore out. I just want to see a little more variety, especially since I often hear friends & acquaintances complain that they feel they HAVE to wear denim certain places because "that's what everyone else will be wearing".

Besides, these shoes are just plain hideous. Shame on you, Manolo Blahnik, & you, too, Neiman Marcus.

Saddle shoes & *gasp* jeans

Saddle shoes & jeans, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

I rarely wear jeans. In fact, I don denim so rarely that if I show up wearing it, my friends are likely to ask if I'm feeling all right. Why? First, I am short & have hips. About .00000000001% of the jeans on the market are cut to flatter people like me. It's usually much less work for me to just throw on a cute dress (or skirt & top) than it is to create a jeans outfit that isn't a one-way ticket to Matronlyland.

Secondly, I am heartily sick of seeing denim everywhere. Call me old-fashioned, elitist... hit me with your best epithet... jeans are casual wear. They are NOT meant to be seen at the opera, the symphony, high-end restaurants... you get the idea. They are also not meant to cost more than a mortgage payment, although I have seen some that do. +$1400. Really. In this economy, pair them with a $650 Alber Elbaz t-shirt & you can offend just about anyone, aesthetically & financially.

That said, I have been sufficiently intrigued by the recent "boyfriend jean" trend to purchase a pair (Old Navy, $34 IIRC.) If I lay off the dark chocolate, they're quite comfy & flattering. Paired with a fun cardigan & ancient tank from New York & Company, they make a nice weekend-bumming-around outfit. I really like them with my new Bass saddle shoes, too. The shoes are insanely comfy & I think they're keepers.

"1920's Lady Golfer" outfit

Saddle shoes & skirt, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

My first attempt at pairing saddle shoes with a skirt. I want to play around with different skirt lengths & maybe textured tights. I'm always on the lookout for shoes that are cute & funky enough to wear all day in NY, & I think these fit the bill!

Bass Enfield Saddle Shoes (photo from Zappos.com)

Bass Enfield Saddle Shoes (photo from Zappos.com), originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Back in the saddle (shoes) again... actually, I've never owned a pair of these babies, but I just bought some on Zappos. com. I wore classic penny loafers all the time in the 80's & recently bought a black patent pair (also Bass.) I love them - they're perfect with jeans & I may try them with skirts, too. I love my heels, but sometimes my feet just need a break, & I love aesthetic variety, too. I'm all about great-looking retro styles, & if they're comfy, too, that's the icing on the cake. I'll let you know how these work out & post outfit pics if they're keepers.

Mary Sue Easter Eggs

Mary Sue Easter Eggs, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

What's on everyone's mind in January? How to pay off holiday bills? The beach? Getting rid of extra holiday poundage to look good at the beach? No, according to the folks at Giant food, it's... Easter candy! I was doing a bit of grocery shopping & having a text-message conversation with my friend L last week when I noticed that the Pikesville Giant already had Mary Sue Easter eggs out for sale. Mary Sue is a Baltimore-based candy company, in business since 1948, & they make the best chocolate Easter eggs in the world. No contest. I grew up eating Russell Stover Easter candy & have since expanded my palate by tasting many high-end chocolates, seasonal & otherwise, as the number of Maison du Chocolat charges on my credit card over the years will attest to. Still, for this Midwestern expat who was once married to a Baltimore native, nothing says "spring" like Mary Sue.

That said, I was still appalled at first... our daytime highs weren't going much above 30! Still, I couldn't resist going over to the shelf where the eggs were displayed to see if my favorite flavor, Triple Chocolate Meltdown, was there for the taking. Nope, only Pecan Nougat & Coconut Cream. I do like the latter, but can live without the former. (I rarely indulge in sweets that don't involve dark chocolate.) The whole time, I was texting L about this, rhapsodizing about the incredible yumminess that is to be found in Mary Sue Easter Eggs. L lives on the west coast & is Mary Sue-deprived, so I'll be sending her a care package as soon as I can get my bejeweled little hands on a Triple Chocolate Meltdown or two (or three or...) I'll probably buy some for myself too, to save them. After all, these babies are notorious for selling out well before Easter. Or, in my house, for getting eaten well before Easter, resulting in extra work at the gym & perhaps a few very light dinners to compensate for the chocolate calories.

So am I a seasonal sellout? A hopeless chocoholic? Both? That's open to interpretation. For now, I leave you with an old-school Mary Sue jingle, taught to me by my first husband, & sung to the tune of Gilbert & Sullivan's "I'm Called Little Buttercup":

Mary Sue Easter Eggs
Mary Sue Easter Eggs
People are making the switch
'Cause using pure butter
Makes Mary Sue better
And you've never had it so rich!

(Alternate last line a la 1950's schoolchildren: Now ain't that a son of a...)

Good night, chocolate lovers.

Jeweler's window, Ponte Vecchio, Firenze

Jeweler's window, Ponte Vecchio, Firenze, originally uploaded by retrogemkitty7.

Being a lifelong jewelry addict, of course I made a beeline for the Ponte Vecchio on our first day in Firenze. I was a bit surprised to find that many of the stores offered rather pedestrian designs. Then again, I have been to a lot of gem shows, so my eye is probably a little jaded. I've looked at quite a few hoop earrings over the years. The price of gold was also quite high at the time, which didn't help matters. There were more exotic wares to be had, although many were far beyond my budget. Several shops featured absolutely spectacular antique gems (14,000 Euro Georgian-era diamond earrings, anyone? At this writing, that's about $20,043. Yes, I tried them on.) Further inspection proved that there are interesting, decently-priced gems to be found on the Ponte Vecchio, but one needs a bit of patience, and perhaps a gelato, to search for them.