Flowers in the Showers

Springtime, rain, everything is blooming, flowers are popping. Did I mention rain?
Ok, so tell me...Can you spot the pedestrian in this picture? I almost didn't.
 Dark skies, shiny streets, wet windshield, the extra sounds of rainy weather, trying to make a left before the light changes- if you're a pedestrian wearing black, you may as well just lay down in the crosswalk and scream "c'mon, run me over!".

Much better! 

Now, I don't expect everybody to sport big yellow slickers (though I do think you'd look cute), but you can be rainy-day chic without the hazards of basic black.

Umbrella ideas: These all fold down to purse or pocket size!

Details:

I'm a sucker for a good novelty print. This calorie motif was very popular for hankies and dish towels in the 40s and 50s. Lulu Guiness has now done her part to keep it going.   Someday I'll figure out how to sew that reflective fabric in polka dots onto an umbrella and create my own little brolly empire... so far it's harder than I expected.

Get ready for the Coolest Rain Boots Ever!!!

My Ashanti booties from Brazilian company Melissa can whoop your Burberry/Chanel/Gucci muck boots All. Day. Long.
Completely made of rubber, no leaky seams, nice platforms inside for comfort and warmth, textured insides that don't rub, nice traction.

or, try the flocked oxfords

I wore these all over NYC in freezing December weather. They kept me warm and dry on a 20 block walk. About three times per block, someone would smile and say "great boots!", so I know they brightened other people's day too, which is half the fun.
So - next rainy day, get out there and be seen!

The Importance of Silly Shoes

Some days we need a pick-me-up before the day's even started. Whether feeling nervous about a social engagement with strangers or overcome with ennui at the prospect of an afternoon filled with routine errands, it is vital that we be able to find secret "superheroes" in our closet when we need them, items that will rescue us from potential dreariness, and lend us a bit of confidence, a dash of humor, a smidge of "It". Today's superhero: Silly Shoes.

Here, some favorites: Big white daisies with cheery yellow centers lighten the mood instantly, a reminder to keep things in perspective and recognize the bright side of every situation. We may have to look for it, but it's there.

Dr. Seuss famously said "I like nonsense, it wakes up the braincells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living...that enables you to laugh at life's realitites."

Personally, I can freeze when faced with business calls. It's hard to remain self-conscious and tongue-tied when I look down and see these:

Yes, they're little vegetables crafted of leather and raffia.  I became obsessed and called all over the country to locate these babies after seeing a teeny photo of them in a magazine. Their creative whimsy and careful attention to detail always bring me a smile, making them worth every long distance minute on hold!

Some other uplifting choices:

Cow-spotted Mice, Ruby Slippers

Bubble Gum Pink w/ silver, Miami Glitz w/ more glitz

After the luau, Excuse me miss, you have Lipstick on your toes.

 Need to lay down the law today? Best tongue-in-cheek shoe e.v.e.r, very Mapplethorpe. Helmut from '04, I pray I'll find a pair someday.

These examples may be a bit extreme for your style, but you'll find your own version. Maybe a pair of two-tone oxfords, some yellow flats, hot pink laces in your sneakers, a midnight run with the bedazzler on your Keds, whatever speaks to you and brings you a smile.

Those daisy shoes have helped save my day more times than I can possibly count, they are priceless. 

 I simply cannot be cranky with daisies on my toes.

**Addendum: Silly does not mean Ridiculous (deserving of ridicule). The examples below cannot be considered silly, happy, empowering shoes. They qualify as travesties, Frankenshoes, footwear that other shoes are embarrassed to be seen with. Please, please, avoid them at all costs! Thank you.

We hope we didn't frighten you...just a cautionary tale.

Style by Numbers

Seriously???   No, really, seriously, what were they thinking?

Ok, so I have some strong feelings about "personal style", as in "How to look your best and most beautiful in a way that expresses your individuality".  It doesn't come in a box, it's not instantaneous and I can gaurantee that you're not going to find it by imitating the Personal Style of any of the 25 chic-sters profiled in this magazine, they're not you and their style is not your style. 

The eternal optimist, I buy these issues every time hoping that, maybe this time, they'll deliver something. They never really do. That "What to Wear at Every Age" issue is even worse: in your 20s? Bright, short, sexy, edgy! 30s? Start toning it down with some professional wear and day-to-dinner looks. 40s and 50s? Stick with neutral colors, no more black, figure hiding cuts, shorten your hair, lower your heels, in other words: blend in and wait it out. 60s? Add some animal prints and hang on a little longer until...70+, now you can let it all out, wear purple, big jewelry and...

OK, enough crabbing! 

Want to find your personal style? Start by asking yourself these basic questions:

-What was your favorite outfit ever (yes, that yellow dress you wore to the first day of 3rd grade counts)

What did you love about it?

-Do you collect anything? What attracts you to that item? Color? Workmanship? Rarity?

-What makes you laugh? Are you a cartoon lover? 3 stooges? Nick & Nora Charles?

-Where are you happiest and most inspired?

-is there a particular era of fashion that attracts you? (even if you don't wear vintage)

What do you like about it?

-Describe your dream living room, then your dream bedroom

-Remember the basics like:

Your favorite color?

Your favorite feature or body part?

Least favorite?

What are your three favorite things that you already own and wear?

Do you have an outfit or item that always recieves compliments?

Personal Style is a matter of learning what works for you, what speaks to you.

These questions are the first step in finding your signature style.

I'd love to hear how it works out for you! 

If you get stuck, I'm happy to help.

Have fun! 

Lust, episode 12

Some perpetually stylish inspiration

or perhaps a bit of...

unless you're in the mood for...

and of course...

XX

A sugar rush of the educational variety

I've often wondered what it would be like to try to feed myself in a country where I don't speak the language, read the alphabet or even recognize many of the main ingredients.  A trip to Nijiya Japanese Market is a mild version of this experience, so I just enter with an open mind. Today, I turned the corner into their technicolor candy aisle and suddenly...What. Is. This?

It's a candy kit, something the maker, Popin' Cookin', refers to as "educational candy" as it requires following directions, mixing powders and water, and building your own treats.  Here's what the kit looks like:

All those little packets are filled with white powders that, when mixed with water, turn colors and change texture.  There's not a smidgen of English anywhere on the box and the drawings only tell you which color packet goes into which well.  I figured out to use the little plastic squirt/dropper thing to add water up to the embossed line, the tiny shovel for mixing and the dowel for rolling out that Tootsie Roll block.  Considering I was winging it, I think things went okay.  Here's a "during" shot:

That orange part on the left? Super cool. I mixed the orange powder and water in the lower well, then used the dropper to drop pearls of it into the blu-ish water mix above and, Voila, instant roe!  So pretty, and quite real looking- and they even burst when bitten.  After about 5 minutes of setting, the yellow and red firm up to a strong jelly and are embossed with egg and tuna patterns, respectively.  The taste? Varying intensities of Tutti Frutti. I'm definitely no sushi chef, but here are my assembled pieces:

My little maki roll on the left is a mess and my rice is a bit deformed, I will not be quitting  my day job- but...it's pretty sexy in close up!

  By the time I was done, my Mad Scientist was satisfied and I didn't really feel like eating it.  Hmm, educational and slimming! Oh, and I think I paid about $4.00, not bad for an hour's entertainment on this rainy day.  

Epicurean Adventures in West L.A.

I found myself on L.A.'s West Side the other day with a few hours to kill, hmmm what to do?  Luckily I remembered the Japanese stretch of Sawtelle, just north of Olympic; gift shops, sushi, noodle houses, bonsai nurseries, the Yakitoria chicken joint and, best of all, Nijiya Market. This traditional Japanese market is great for browsing. Find black cotton swabs (meant for men), ready-made food - some of it recognizable, and the most intriguing junk food selection in town.  I found Japanese Kit Kat!

Nestle releases limited edition flavors like Candied Sweet Potato, Sweet Roasted Corn, Watermelon with Salt and of course, Green Tea. Nijiya had Ginger Ale flavor as well as Royal Milk Tea, now I'm a bit obsessed.
So, do they taste "true"?  Sure, in a candy kinda way. Ginger Ale: yep, pretty close to a soda, with a hit of lemon to make up for the missing bubbles and, thankfully, not as sweet as most ginger ale sodas.
Royal Milk Tea: I love this one! Really does tast like a combination of English Breakfast and Earl Grey teas with enough sugar and milk to make it creamy. Sooo good!  At about $3.00 a pack, they're not cheap but they're a great treat!  Now, if I can just find the Caramel and Sea Salt flavor...
Find a Nijiya market at http://www.nijiya.com/store.html
As soon as I figure out the sushi candy kit, I'll share that with you.
 

All in how you look at it.

It’s all in how you look at it.
Sometimes the world looks tired, cheap and ugly to me, other times it’s stunningly beautiful. Same world, same day, maybe same 5 minutes. It’s a matter of how I choose to look at it. Personally, I can’t live in an ugly world for more than a few minutes without becoming horribly depressed, so turning that perception around is an important exercise.
Today brought an excellent example: Midday traffic on Hollywood Blvd, I’m pinned behind a Russian beer delivery truck with nothing more to do than ponder the cheaply produced beer advert; The model’s thin, limp hair with that flat, orangey bleach job, her shaved eyebrows have been penciled in a bit wonky and the makeup artist has never heard of blending.

Only as I shot these pics with my phone did I suddenly see something more…She looks like a Tamara de Lempicka painting!

 Those limp curls become chunky waves, the unblended colors and shading on her face is perfectly in keeping with Lempicka’s “soft cubism”, her direct gaze and simple, defined areas of color. The photo’s still cheap, the styling still clumsy but now I’ve found the beauty in it and the world looks brighter.

The only thing that has changed is my mind.

Tamara de Lempicka website

Craving these lately. A new view of post-apocolypse, or maybe just post-collapse.