The last time I got a new frame, I was becoming a little burned out on my usual purchase: plastic, statement-y frames in black, tortoise, or purple. I decided on a nondescript, semi-frameless metallic pink pair, which I chose with the full intent of people looking at my eyes instead of my glasses. I still love 'em, but lately, I've been longing to put a little wow on my face. I still have a beautiful pair of seafoam-green vintage cat eye frames that my step-grandma gave me. (She has always had the most impeccable taste!) They have rhinestones and a little star in each corner... and also unfortunate puppy teeth-marks on the lenses, which we had replaced with my own prescription when I was fifteen.
I haven't been able to wear contact lenses since I was in high school, due to a corneal ulcer I had around that time. Fortunately, I don't really even miss them most of the time, except for in cosplaying situations. I usually just take off the glasses for photos, but rock along in my own signature framed way the rest of the time.
So, I'll be keeping the nondescript pink frames as a spare, most likely getting a second replacement of the lenses in those vintage cat-eyes (surely my prescription has changed in thirteen years anyway) and there are my new black and white checkered sunglasses to update with my prescription. I've been itching for a new statement frame, though, and I've come up eligible with my vision insurance, so why not indulge?
Frankly, I think I've already got my heart set on this pair:
Pretty sure my vision insurance doesn't fully subsidize Versace, but that pair is my second-favorite after the purple Love pair with those adorable hearts in the corners! I also think those Tiffany frames just kill with those tiny keys on the earpieces! I die! How could anyone NOT envy a lady in some stylish glasses?
Which pair do you crave the hardest? If money were no object, what would your fantasy eyeglass frame be?
I'm probably being too hard on myself. I've got my jewelry weeded down to a small box, and all my belts and scarves (and now these collars) still fit in one drawer, my hosiery in another, and my undergarments in a 3rd, so things could be downsized more, but I don't think that's too bad for starters. After the weather FINALLY warms up and I can have my yard sale, and we haul off my old bed and desk, my possessions will finally be pared down to a level I can stand.
What's your accessory poison?
So, I spent the weekend indoors, sneezing my head off and reading Life Magazine's biography on Audrey Hepburn. My friend Nicole did talk me into going out for a few hours on Friday to the local karaoke bar, where I knocked back a Woodchuck and like 3 enormous glasses of water, somehow nailed Bohemian Rhapsody on karaoke even though this is one hellacious cold, and then called it a night.
Of course I had to dress a little like my muse for the evening:
I thrifted everything but the pants/leggings/whatever, which are Simply Vera from Kohl's, and the pearls, which were a gift from my step-grandma. I'm far from a dead ringer, especially given that I'm 5 inches shorter than Audrey and outweigh her by a good 30 pounds, but this was a fun and comfortable outfit that felt somewhat classy. In other words, completely at home in a hipster bar, not so much in a dive.
Side note: I think I want to buy some clip-on bangs, because styling the real deal is SUCH a pain in the neck. But I have quite the five-head, and sometimes I get tired of looking at it. How do y'all feel about these?
Moi. Straight-up diva, yo. (Got the hat at Dillard's!)
1) We already love them for occasions.
The Kentucky Derby. Easter. Fancy-dress parties. People freakin' love hats. People are just so far in the closet about their love of hats, they can probably see Narnia.
MY GOD YES.
Isabella, the ultimate hat-wearing diva of our time.
2) Why should the trilby wearing douchebros have all the fun?
Gentlemen, I submit to you a small collection of acceptable, sexy, non-douchey (unless the wearer is a douche) manly fedora-ish hats:
Gentlemen: to try a brimmed hat, but afraid of looking like a douche? Go for a true fedora or a derby, rather than a trilby (Their brims are bigger, and they're usually accented with a little feather.) Or try a porkpie, top hat, or bowler. Or the standard driving hat, which is also generally a winner.
Indy residents, you are so lucky, you are soooo so lucky to have such a talented fashion community in your midst. One of the fashion community's best, Maggie, talks here about the magazine's successful launch, and about interviewing powerhouse local designer Nikki Blaine.
One can view the entire magazine at Pattern's Web site, but if you really want a stellar publication right on your coffee table, pick up a glossy copy at any of the following establishments: Barnes & Noble, Indy Reads Books on Massachusetts Avenue, the IMA gift shop, Retro 101 mobile boutique (like a food truck but with CLOTHES which is so much cooler!), and Books a Million.
*squeal* Why YES, I'm excited! Very excited! Pardon me while I scamper off to read Pattern Magazine!
Okay, I know that Indiana has a rep for being all wheatfields, cornfields, cows, misogyny, and boring nights with nothing to do but do weed or meth and have a lot of sex. I managed to avoid all those things growing up, but, having observed the pioneering status of my old high school as one of the first to offer a nursery (Ostensibly for the teachers, but yeah... right.) it's safe to say a lot of teens weren't so resourceful.
I could see how the "nothing to do" stereotype may be true in some little towns (I mean, the town I grew up in was 30 miles from the nearest place we could BUY SOCKS, for god's sake) but if you're anywhere near Indy, Evansville, or Bloomington this weekend, and you're bored, it's your own gersh-dern fault.
Here's the goods!
Women In Art Market at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis. Saturday, March 23, 10 am to 5 pm Eastern time. Support amazing indigenous women who create beautful art. Over 40 regional artists will be showing off their baskets, jewelry, textile art, painting, photography.... y'know what? I'm utterly depressed that I can't make it to this. So PLEASE go if you can!
TedXBloomington in Bloomington (well, duh) Friday, March 22, 9 am to 6 pm Eastern time. From the freakin' website:
This year's TEDxBloomington conference theme, JumpIN! puts the spotlight on presenters who've taken Ideas Worth Spreading and moved to improve their communities and the world. INnovators, INsights, INtrigue and more all await you in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on March 22, 2013! We trust you'll find plenty of INspiration from a wide variety of presenters from Chicago to Tampa, from Silicon Valley to New York City ... as well as a variety of voices from right here IN Bloomington! Each presenter and performer has his or her own twist on the theme, so expect surprises!
Come one, come all to the greatest show on earth! Step up and see a night a freaks, geeks, weirdos, and more at Harley Dren and Co.'s Circus Sideshow Spectacular. There will be fire, burlesque, bearded ladies, suspension, hooping, juggling, glass walking, belly dancing, and so much more!
DJs FOR THE NIGHT:
JIN-XS
COPPER TOP
KRAZY KAROLINE
DIABLO
SIDESHOW FREAKS AND GEEKS:
Jezebel Sinfell
Miz Viola Michele
Barbacoa Jones as Snappy the Clown
Vivian Lashes
Maella Cai Vane
Bo Peepshow
Tea
Orlean Velveteen
Tom Foolhery
Bunny Barebuns
Souxie Snapdragon
Cory Dory
Harley Dren
AND MORE
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES BY:
Sacred Circles
Phantom Watson of Subculture Suspension Arts with a flesh hook horrortainment special
21+
Cover: $10
Music starts at 9pm
Performers start at 9:30pm
Visit society and the wicked backlife of Indianapolis in this tour. Visited are haunted theatres, businesses and other areas where the living chose to become dead and walk forever. This tour lasts 1:45-2 hrs. and begins on the north side of Monument Circle. Tickets: $18, adults; $13, children and seniors (65+). Reservations required.
Come join Rusty Redenbacher, Mr. Kinetik, The Native Sun, Echomaker, MC Sparkplug and DJ Ganzarelli for a night you sure don't want to miss. The Official CD release of the Rusty Redenbacher's new album "Lower".
Tickets $10 + a free copy of the new album "Lower".
Tickets available at the door or at:
http://lower.eventbrite.com/
Sponsored by Tri-State Art Guild and the Friends of Angel Mounds. Exhibit hours: Tues. – Sat., 9am – 5pm, Sun., 1 – 5pm. Call 270-826-6674 or 812-401-3076 for exhibit information or visit www.tri-stateartguild.org. Exhibit is FREE and open to the public. Not open on Mondays. This event goes from March 17th - April 26th, 2013.
Spatterdashers and boot toppers. What easier way to make one pair of shoes/boots look like half a dozen?
This tutorial, because women shouldn't have to stop feeling glamorous and beautiful just because they're advancing in age! Thank you for sharing this find, Deja. I'm actually much less apprehensive about aging now.
Last week at work, I talked to an attorney who is doing VERY well. Business is good, money is flowing. He's almost a decade and a half younger than my mom. And he recently suffered a massive heart attack.
Why? He's an extraordinarily engaging fellow. He works out regularly. He certainly never has to worry about my number-one stresser, which is "am I going to be able to pay my rent, heat, and student loans this month, or am I going to fall behind again?" But his stress levels are still positively through the roof. He has very little free time, very many obligations, and several family members depending on his hefty income. I didn't see his home, but I have a feeling it's probably enormous.
I told the guy he needs to turn off his phone for a few weeks, go to a sandy beach, and drink pina coladas out of a coconut until he feels better. Or perhaps come here to Indiana and go camping, see a monster truck rally or demo derby... basically, go full redneck.
This fellow absolutely needs to reduce his number of commitments, downsize his lifestyle, cut off the moochers in his family who depend on his moneybags, and engage in work and hobbies that he enjoys, or at the very least that don't stress him senseless. He also admitted to being very inauthentic to colleagues and friends alike. Everything is "Fine, never better, I feel great" regardless of the fact that's almost never true.
The stress-outs and the in-authenticity are going to kill him, it is just a matter of when. I worry for him. I worry for the thousands of people like him.
My own life reflects a bit of a quandary between a desire for the simpler life, and the need to make more money. I want the tiny sustainable house of my dreams. I want to be out of debt. These things require money, though, and more money than I'm currently making. How does one get there without losing their way and ending up like my single-serving friend, the lawyer?
So today's happiness tip is a truth, yes, but I freely admit that it's not one I know how to find just yet.
Look at how lovely it is! This post sports some super-cute photos of little cabins and such. Since my ideal home is 550 square feet or smaller, and the average home in Costa Rica is between 400 and 600 feet, these look to be pretty much perfect. But then I'm one of those weirdos who kind of wish yurts were up to building code. I'm not about to move to the Appalachians and be a yurt-dwelling hermit with goats and chickens, and unless urban homesteading some day becomes yurt-friendly, I'm lookin' at cabins and such. Something with a nice open closet to show off my fashionista pretties, obviously.
TinyHouseSwoon.com: My Little Home
I MEAN LOOK AT IT. JUST LOOK AT IT. I could weep at the beauty. Right down to the spiral staircase I've dreamed of having in my dream home since I was a little kid! I'd build this exact house, but then probably paint its exterior some obnoxious color that pisses all the neighbors off.
Lesson 1? Don't fall in love with your best friend. Preferably, don't sleep with your best friend. If, like me, you fail at both of these... well, just don't in the first place. He *will* end up dating someone else, and you *will* end up emotionally destroyed for several weeks. If you're awesome, like we are, you'll stay friends. But things will be awkward, and extraordinarily painful, for A WHILE. Especially if it's your second major heartbreak in six months. (Bad me! BAD!!)
Lesson 2: There are very few heartbreaks that copious amounts of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic can't fix.
Lesson 3: Friends don't let friends drink and Facebook.
Lesson 4: Therapy window shopping. It's all the fun of real shopping, but you don't clutter up your space or go broke. Just make sure you give yourself cool-off time before actually buying. Make lists. Make sure you actually at least somewhat need that thing you're about to buy.
This gets us, finally, to the point of our new post!
Fortunately, I need flats in a bad way. I got over my short-girl complex a long time ago, honest. But I wear heels because they're sooo very pretty, and they make my tush look better. We pear-shaped ladies tend to be self conscious about such things. Just the same, I'm getting older, and I need to not ruin my feet. Sob. My old roomies, with their orthopedic-looking shoes that they chose for function first, and style... eh, sometimes... would be so proud.
So let's go flat-shopping! Some of these fantastic finds do already grace my closet floor, by the way. I went from having only two busted-ass pairs of flats that needed to be tossed, to five! I go reasonably-priced or not at all. Alas, the Loubotin taste on a Payless budget. Here we go! (okay, we'll look at a few $400 pairs of shoes for funsies, as you wish.)
