If I had a sugar daddy...

Square-back high-neck wool sheath by Akris
$896, in-store at Saks Fifth Avenue

If I had a sugar daddy...

Square-back high-neck wool sheath by Akris
$896, in-store at Saks Fifth Avenue

McQueen lip gloss is fine and good, but...

...this asymmetrically-draped Grecian style column gown from the brilliant Brit's too tiny section at Saks -a beauty I only intended to photograph but after saleswoman Maria's sweet wink and West Berlin tinted "Darling, just a taste, yes?", I swallowed hard, calculated in my head how many hours of language tutoring it would take to pay off a $5,295 pricetag and followed her into a dressing room "bigger than the Blue Banana"- just might have given me my most favorite fashion moment of my young life.

It's not just that I'm standing next to a blue-sequined shirt dress...this gown really is that stunning.

I think I actually liked the back better than the front...Draping as structured and layered as this is something you really can't find in lower-end pieces

McQueen lip gloss is fine and good, but...

...this asymmetrically-draped Grecian style column gown from the brilliant Brit's too tiny section at Saks -a beauty I only intended to photograph but after saleswoman Maria's sweet wink and West Berlin tinted "Darling, just a taste, yes?", I swallowed hard, calculated in my head how many hours of language tutoring it would take to pay off a $5,295 pricetag and followed her into a dressing room "bigger than the Blue Banana"- just might have given me my most favorite fashion moment of my young life.

It's not just that I'm standing next to a blue-sequined shirt dress...this gown really is that stunning.

I think I actually liked the back better than the front...Draping as structured and layered as this is something you really can't find in lower-end pieces

When bargains collide...

Ruffled halter blouse from Pop: $49

Ruffled taffeta D&G skirt from Neiman Marcus' 'Last Call' sale: $144.20

Burgundy opaque tights by DKNY: $12

Exposed platform pumps by Marni: um, okay, so moving on...

1/6 of a Miller Light longneck handle-pack: $.88*

Cadbury Creme Egg pre-party snack: $.89

Monte's permission to go out: belly rub and $1.50 braided bully stick

Ze Evening at The Source & Clyde's

See, a lady needs not a punch of color to make her outfit stand out -- it's all about creating drama with texture, cut, detailing and a couple of white-hot girlfriends.
(HRL in Alexander Wang; C in DvF)

And what better detailing than a bum bookended between a bow-belt and a row of ruffles? I mean, honestly, a bow and ruffles? For me, heaven.

Don't let my smile fool you -- I'm actually protecting HRL and C from the enblazered asshat who picked up HRL's camera, deliberately licked his lips and instructed us to "get it on all sexy-like".

Um yeah, dude, for you, anything, just as long as you spare us the gratuitous name-dropping, the visible shock at meeting three women smarter than you who don't look like Spam hash and your suffocating downpour of Chaps cologne.

*at The Source and Clyde's, the price went up to $7 and $6, respectively.

When bargains collide...

Ruffled halter blouse from Pop: $49

Ruffled taffeta D&G skirt from Neiman Marcus' 'Last Call' sale: $144.20

Burgundy opaque tights by DKNY: $12

Exposed platform pumps by Marni: um, okay, so moving on...

1/6 of a Miller Light longneck handle-pack: $.88*

Cadbury Creme Egg pre-party snack: $.89

Monte's permission to go out: belly rub and $1.50 braided bully stick

Ze Evening at The Source & Clyde's

See, a lady needs not a punch of color to make her outfit stand out -- it's all about creating drama with texture, cut, detailing and a couple of white-hot girlfriends.
(HRL in Alexander Wang; C in DvF)

And what better detailing than a bum bookended between a bow-belt and a row of ruffles? I mean, honestly, a bow and ruffles? For me, heaven.

Don't let my smile fool you -- I'm actually protecting HRL and C from the enblazered asshat who picked up HRL's camera, deliberately licked his lips and instructed us to "get it on all sexy-like".

Um yeah, dude, for you, anything, just as long as you spare us the gratuitous name-dropping, the visible shock at meeting three women smarter than you who don't look like Spam hash and your suffocating downpour of Chaps cologne.

*at The Source and Clyde's, the price went up to $7 and $6, respectively.

K Street's dual personality: Bespoke by day, Bebe by night

K Street, between 13th and 20th, is one of my favorite stretches of sidewalk to click on a new iMix, pop a few Ice Breakers Berry Sours and watch some of the most powerful men in my city preen just like the pretty peacocks you see emblazoned on their $135 Thomas Pink ties.

Some like to see the skinny-denim-clad sort the U Street corridor has to offer; some like the retro-fabulous rainbow invasion found wandering the streets of Penn Quarter and Chinatown; still others prefer the popped collars and Nicole Richie lookalikes populating Georgetown.

Those city pockets and their respective crowds are all fine and good in their own distinct ways, but for me, when it comes to on-the-street eye candy, I want the Willy Wonka fantasy factory that is K Street's lobbyist/lawyer row.

I've lived in DC for three and a half years, the last two and a half in my current, Dupont proximate building. I don't go out socially a tremendous amount -maybe once every other weekend- but by no means would I consider myself a stranger to the nightlife in our fair city.

Until Saturday night, that is, when I came face-to-face with a disturbing urban underbelly that quite honestly I would never have guessed existed within DC proper, much less four blocks from my home, three blocks from the White House and smack dab in the middle of my precious, suit-heavy K Street.

For those of you who haven't had the displeasure of experiencing the weekend scene at this street's eponymous lounge, I'd advise you to continue missing out unless the idea of having tight-on-tighter ensembles like this one flush up against your person while asshat men reeking of Mystic tan and low ambition attempt to bed you with gems like, "your friend's tits are amazing" and "you know where I'd like to put that mouth of yours?" sounds like a good way to waste $24 on cover and coat-check charges.


The good news in all of this is that despite my shock and sadness to see unimaginably unflattering and wrong-message-sending skanky clubwear in my favorite part of DC, this does present me with the perfect opportunity to run with reader Sarah Anne's "If you like ______, how about ______, instead?" idea.

I'm not yet sure with what I'll fill in that second blank, but so far, I already know I'll be inserting these into the first one:

- frayed denim mini skirts/shorts
- muffin-top creating skirts/pants
- "Real Housewives of Orange County" tops
- tube tops/dresses
- wrap-up-the-leg strappy stilettos
- acrylic French tips

Look for this inaugural installment later today or, depending on how many silver peacocks are out and about during the 65-degree lunch hour, possibly tomorrow.

p.s. here's that full-length photo I promised (photog credit goes to HRL):

K Street's dual personality: Bespoke by day, Bebe by night

K Street, between 13th and 20th, is one of my favorite stretches of sidewalk to click on a new iMix, pop a few Ice Breakers Berry Sours and watch some of the most powerful men in my city preen just like the pretty peacocks you see emblazoned on their $135 Thomas Pink ties.

Some like to see the skinny-denim-clad sort the U Street corridor has to offer; some like the retro-fabulous rainbow invasion found wandering the streets of Penn Quarter and Chinatown; still others prefer the popped collars and Nicole Richie lookalikes populating Georgetown.

Those city pockets and their respective crowds are all fine and good in their own distinct ways, but for me, when it comes to on-the-street eye candy, I want the Willy Wonka fantasy factory that is K Street's lobbyist/lawyer row.

I've lived in DC for three and a half years, the last two and a half in my current, Dupont proximate building. I don't go out socially a tremendous amount -maybe once every other weekend- but by no means would I consider myself a stranger to the nightlife in our fair city.

Until Saturday night, that is, when I came face-to-face with a disturbing urban underbelly that quite honestly I would never have guessed existed within DC proper, much less four blocks from my home, three blocks from the White House and smack dab in the middle of my precious, suit-heavy K Street.

For those of you who haven't had the displeasure of experiencing the weekend scene at this street's eponymous lounge, I'd advise you to continue missing out unless the idea of having tight-on-tighter ensembles like this one flush up against your person while asshat men reeking of Mystic tan and low ambition attempt to bed you with gems like, "your friend's tits are amazing" and "you know where I'd like to put that mouth of yours?" sounds like a good way to waste $24 on cover and coat-check charges.


The good news in all of this is that despite my shock and sadness to see unimaginably unflattering and wrong-message-sending skanky clubwear in my favorite part of DC, this does present me with the perfect opportunity to run with reader Sarah Anne's "If you like ______, how about ______, instead?" idea.

I'm not yet sure with what I'll fill in that second blank, but so far, I already know I'll be inserting these into the first one:

- frayed denim mini skirts/shorts
- muffin-top creating skirts/pants
- "Real Housewives of Orange County" tops
- tube tops/dresses
- wrap-up-the-leg strappy stilettos
- acrylic French tips

Look for this inaugural installment later today or, depending on how many silver peacocks are out and about during the 65-degree lunch hour, possibly tomorrow.

p.s. here's that full-length photo I promised (photog credit goes to HRL):

The NYE breakdown: neck-eating ruffles 'n' all

For reasons related to a New Year's resolution, I hadn't planned on giving a piece-by-piece rundown of my NYE ensemble -and thus, no, I don't have a full-length photo- but since several of you have asked for one and since I did feel pretty darn stylish that night, I felt I owed it to both my readership and to the lovely five-person team on Third Ave. that championed this look even when the gray tights and the black platforms were still very much pie-in-the-sky hypotheticals, to postpone my less-me-more-fashion resolution by one more day.

At last count, I'd unconsciously and consciously broken two of the three life changes to which I'd committed myself yesterday morning; here's hoping I can go the distance with my intent to drink more water and less sugar-free Red Bull.

Enjoy, and please feel free to share what pretty lil' thing(s) you wore to ring in the new year!

My Dress
Ruffled organza dress by Robert Rodriguez
($363 in-store at Bloomingdale's or online at saks.com)*

For those of you who have actually seen this dress -especially the other reader who also wore my baby RobRod Monday night- please join me in convincing the others that its color is much more a muted Dijon gold than the French's squeeze-bottle yellow you see here.
My Tights
High-waisted Tight-End opaque tights in 'Smoke' by Spanx
($38 at spanx.com)

Chartreuse/gunmetal is fast-becoming one of my new favorite color combinations. It looks like I learned to appreciate yet another aesthetic dreamed up by 'Project Runway's' most talented shoulda-won contestant...
My Shoes
Black patent almond-toed pumps with exposed platform by Marni
(unavailable online, a souvenir from 10022-SHOE)With the added lift, their overall height falls somewhere around five and a half inches -- a full 3/4 of an inch higher than the pump in my collection that previously held the "tallest" title. By the end of the second day of navigating busy city streets in my new lady-stilts, I managed to reduce falls, near falls and general tippiness by more than 50%, statistics that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what I've always said about daunting heels: "never quit, for practice will eventually make perfect."
My Makeup:
Cover Girl Marathon mascara in 'Noir'
Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in 'Onyx'
Maybelline Expertwear shadow in 'Night Sky'
Estee Lauder 'Sun Goddess' bronzer
Revlon ColorStay matte lip color in 'Divine Port Wine'
M.A.C. Lip Glass by Alexander McQueen in 'Nothingless'

*OR $363 less 25% (a friend with an aunt who works in-store is a blessing), less another 15% for officially becoming a Bloomie's cardholder

The NYE breakdown: neck-eating ruffles 'n' all

For reasons related to a New Year's resolution, I hadn't planned on giving a piece-by-piece rundown of my NYE ensemble -and thus, no, I don't have a full-length photo- but since several of you have asked for one and since I did feel pretty darn stylish that night, I felt I owed it to both my readership and to the lovely five-person team on Third Ave. that championed this look even when the gray tights and the black platforms were still very much pie-in-the-sky hypotheticals, to postpone my less-me-more-fashion resolution by one more day.

At last count, I'd unconsciously and consciously broken two of the three life changes to which I'd committed myself yesterday morning; here's hoping I can go the distance with my intent to drink more water and less sugar-free Red Bull.

Enjoy, and please feel free to share what pretty lil' thing(s) you wore to ring in the new year!

My Dress
Ruffled organza dress by Robert Rodriguez
($363 in-store at Bloomingdale's or online at saks.com)*

For those of you who have actually seen this dress -especially the other reader who also wore my baby RobRod Monday night- please join me in convincing the others that its color is much more a muted Dijon gold than the French's squeeze-bottle yellow you see here.
My Tights
High-waisted Tight-End opaque tights in 'Smoke' by Spanx
($38 at spanx.com)

Chartreuse/gunmetal is fast-becoming one of my new favorite color combinations. It looks like I learned to appreciate yet another aesthetic dreamed up by 'Project Runway's' most talented shoulda-won contestant...
My Shoes
Black patent almond-toed pumps with exposed platform by Marni
(unavailable online, a souvenir from 10022-SHOE)With the added lift, their overall height falls somewhere around five and a half inches -- a full 3/4 of an inch higher than the pump in my collection that previously held the "tallest" title. By the end of the second day of navigating busy city streets in my new lady-stilts, I managed to reduce falls, near falls and general tippiness by more than 50%, statistics that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what I've always said about daunting heels: "never quit, for practice will eventually make perfect."
My Makeup:
Cover Girl Marathon mascara in 'Noir'
Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in 'Onyx'
Maybelline Expertwear shadow in 'Night Sky'
Estee Lauder 'Sun Goddess' bronzer
Revlon ColorStay matte lip color in 'Divine Port Wine'
M.A.C. Lip Glass by Alexander McQueen in 'Nothingless'

*OR $363 less 25% (a friend with an aunt who works in-store is a blessing), less another 15% for officially becoming a Bloomie's cardholder

Beginning of the night at right...

...end of the night, below:


Chartreuse and Park Slope may not be black and Upper East Side, but last night I learned that happiness isn't determined by the dress you have on or the backdrop against which you celebrate the start of the new year but rather by the steadfastness of friendship, the promise of a clean start, appreciating life for the intangibles, not the materials, and...okay, not really, but it is about the deep-down glee of realizing that after all these years of living in separate countries and having to rely on e-mails, text messages and the occasional phone-card call, your bow-seat bestie is still as deliciously dead-pan, ragingly wry and unabashedly egocentric as she was when you first met eight and a half years ago.

Here's hoping your NYE was filled with as many overdressed antics as ours!

Happy 2008!

Beginning of the night at right...

...end of the night, below:


Chartreuse and Park Slope may not be black and Upper East Side, but last night I learned that happiness isn't determined by the dress you have on or the backdrop against which you celebrate the start of the new year but rather by the steadfastness of friendship, the promise of a clean start, appreciating life for the intangibles, not the materials, and...okay, not really, but it is about the deep-down glee of realizing that after all these years of living in separate countries and having to rely on e-mails, text messages and the occasional phone-card call, your bow-seat bestie is still as deliciously dead-pan, ragingly wry and unabashedly egocentric as she was when you first met eight and a half years ago.

Here's hoping your NYE was filled with as many overdressed antics as ours!

Happy 2008!

She done grown up so quick!

It was 12 short months ago today that I planted my bum in this very chair, donned these same oversized high school sweats, popped handfuls of these identical salty Dutch licorice bits and came to the decision to pass on "Earn it First" and "It's a Privilege, not a Right" and

anoint my new DC fashion interventionist endeavor, "A Serious Job is No Excuse."

Though I've admittedly strayed more often than not from its original mission, I'm still quite pleased with the uniquely focused but not too focused niche I've carved out for ASJiNE. Not only am I pleased with how acceptant you all have been of my desire to bring celebrity shenanigans into the fold, but I'm additionally jazzed you've allowed me a forum in which I can freely wax poetic (and occasionally not so poetic) about the few loves of my life outside of - or only tangentially related to - the fashion world.

You may not agree with my super-structured, high-neckline obsession, my death-to-flats attitude or my staunch belief that bigger is actually the opposite of beautiful when it comes to backless, strapless, sleeveless or waist-less; you may think I take dog fawning to an unreasonable, unhealthy level; you may want to reach through your screen, shake me and scream, "I subscribe to your blog, not your issues, bitch!" every time I not so subtly hint at how heartbroken I still am.

Contentious views aside, at the very least I hope we can all agree on my early-stated-and-still-true belief that the adoption of the following three principles is critical for any woman at any age of any size in any setting:

1. ALWAYS dress to flatter your figure - unless you have a body like JenConn's that can wear anything well, you must approach every item of clothing with complete honesty and the willingness to accept the fact that yes, your calves are too big for ankle booties, yes your bottom-half is too pear-shaped for purple skinnies, or no, your back is not sufficiently in-shape to pull off a plunge that deep. Wearing something just because you like it is fine for a five year old but not for a grown woman.

2. Remember your audience when choosing that day's ensemble. Are you giving a briefing in your office? What about in an office that conducts itself more formally than yours? Are you lounging at home? Is there a possibility that your significant other's much more senior colleague might drop by to pick up a document? Are you attending a dinner party with mostly younger people? Mostly older people? Being 100% aware of the environment into which you will be entering is key in making a good first - and lasting - impression.

3. Wear what makes you feel most confident, not most comfortable. Unless your day is done and you're snuggled up tightly between your pup/boyfriend/husband and the fat arm of your cushy couch, feeling comfortable should never trump feeling confident. Sure, there is the sexy white t-shirt that fits your bits just right and the university-emblazoned booty shorts that make your ass look as high-and-tight as a new Marine's buzzcut, but obvious exceptions aside, there are very few wardrobe components that fall under both the "comfiest thing in my closet" and the "damn, I feel powerful" categories. Giving into one or the other exclusively will change your life -- but only the latter will do so for the better. Anyone who tells you differently is either in denial or Jeanne Bice.

I'm not sure how regularly I'll be posting in the next few days given the drop-dead deliciousness of my six-month old niece's presence in our thankfully-now-at-76-degrees home, but I think you know me well enough that if you check back once a day, you'll probably find a little something from me under the tree.

To B, C, E, K, L, L, M, R, T and the rest of the devoted ASJiNE readers who have helped make 2007 the best year of my life, please strap on your Strawberry Shortcake party hats and join me in blowing out my baby blog's first candle.

love,

J

She done grown up so quick!

It was 12 short months ago today that I planted my bum in this very chair, donned these same oversized high school sweats, popped handfuls of these identical salty Dutch licorice bits and came to the decision to pass on "Earn it First" and "It's a Privilege, not a Right" and

anoint my new DC fashion interventionist endeavor, "A Serious Job is No Excuse."

Though I've admittedly strayed more often than not from its original mission, I'm still quite pleased with the uniquely focused but not too focused niche I've carved out for ASJiNE. Not only am I pleased with how acceptant you all have been of my desire to bring celebrity shenanigans into the fold, but I'm additionally jazzed you've allowed me a forum in which I can freely wax poetic (and occasionally not so poetic) about the few loves of my life outside of - or only tangentially related to - the fashion world.

You may not agree with my super-structured, high-neckline obsession, my death-to-flats attitude or my staunch belief that bigger is actually the opposite of beautiful when it comes to backless, strapless, sleeveless or waist-less; you may think I take dog fawning to an unreasonable, unhealthy level; you may want to reach through your screen, shake me and scream, "I subscribe to your blog, not your issues, bitch!" every time I not so subtly hint at how heartbroken I still am.

Contentious views aside, at the very least I hope we can all agree on my early-stated-and-still-true belief that the adoption of the following three principles is critical for any woman at any age of any size in any setting:

1. ALWAYS dress to flatter your figure - unless you have a body like JenConn's that can wear anything well, you must approach every item of clothing with complete honesty and the willingness to accept the fact that yes, your calves are too big for ankle booties, yes your bottom-half is too pear-shaped for purple skinnies, or no, your back is not sufficiently in-shape to pull off a plunge that deep. Wearing something just because you like it is fine for a five year old but not for a grown woman.

2. Remember your audience when choosing that day's ensemble. Are you giving a briefing in your office? What about in an office that conducts itself more formally than yours? Are you lounging at home? Is there a possibility that your significant other's much more senior colleague might drop by to pick up a document? Are you attending a dinner party with mostly younger people? Mostly older people? Being 100% aware of the environment into which you will be entering is key in making a good first - and lasting - impression.

3. Wear what makes you feel most confident, not most comfortable. Unless your day is done and you're snuggled up tightly between your pup/boyfriend/husband and the fat arm of your cushy couch, feeling comfortable should never trump feeling confident. Sure, there is the sexy white t-shirt that fits your bits just right and the university-emblazoned booty shorts that make your ass look as high-and-tight as a new Marine's buzzcut, but obvious exceptions aside, there are very few wardrobe components that fall under both the "comfiest thing in my closet" and the "damn, I feel powerful" categories. Giving into one or the other exclusively will change your life -- but only the latter will do so for the better. Anyone who tells you differently is either in denial or Jeanne Bice.

I'm not sure how regularly I'll be posting in the next few days given the drop-dead deliciousness of my six-month old niece's presence in our thankfully-now-at-76-degrees home, but I think you know me well enough that if you check back once a day, you'll probably find a little something from me under the tree.

To B, C, E, K, L, L, M, R, T and the rest of the devoted ASJiNE readers who have helped make 2007 the best year of my life, please strap on your Strawberry Shortcake party hats and join me in blowing out my baby blog's first candle.

love,

J

A last-minute decision

Unfortunately for you and me both, at the last minute I've been called out of town for work-related reasons from today until Friday to a place that is ASJiNE inaccessible indoors and 25 degrees colder outdoors.

Yeah, I'm pretty over the moon about it, too.

Of all the pictures I could leave you with until I return on Friday afternoon, I wanted to give you something pretty to look at, something somewhat fashion-related and of course, something Monte-focused. I think you'll agree the one I chose of the Baron von Bobbysocks and his trusty pal Burt (obscured by my heavy legs) investigating the new Chanel collection at Saks this past Saturday fits the bill quite nicely.

Before any of you go crazy with your rant-tastic "how could you bring your dogs into Saks?!" attitudes, please to note that the floor manager of the designer section approached Hot Redhead Lawyer and me on his own accord and effusively thanked us for having done so, calling the practice "so French" and therefore, not just perfectly acceptable but correct.

"I do say, Burtie, that one-shouldered dress is okay - a bit Kate Moss for Topshop for me - but compared with the sable-sleeved Prada dress your Mum just bought, it's just so utterly pedestri...oh, oh, come now, little one, I do believe I smell on-sale Gaultier thattaway!"

p.s. before the rumors start spreading, yes, there was a "situation" earlier in the day on Saturday, and yes, it did involve this position in this store. I would like to thank the proximate shoppers who politely looked in the opposite direction during the actual "release," the nice man from the espresso kiosk who so graciously threw away the Border's coupon with which I tidied up the accident, and oh yes, HRL for informing everyone from a small child in the shoe department to a Humane Society volunteer distributing adopt-a-pet flyers to an elevator full of chatty tourists that my dog has a penchant for taking dumps in upscale department stores.

p.p.s. if you too have been feeling a little heart-achy around the holidays, please check out the iMix I put together to make those consciously melodramatic "I wonder what ____ is doing right now..." gazes out the airplane window just a little bit more consciously dramatic:

1. "I'll be over you" (Toto)*
2. "Again" (Lenny Kravitz)
3. "Almost lover" (A Fine Frenzy)
4. "The tracks of my tears" (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles)
5. "All my life" (Linda Ronstadt)
6. "No names" (Kate Rusby)
7. "No one" (Alicia Keyes)
8. "Someone said goodbye" (Enya)
9. "I'm not in love" (10cc)
10. "The search is over" (Survivor)
11. "Ballad of a bitter end" (The Poems)
12. "As long as I live" (Anita O'Day)
13. "How lucky we are" (Meiko)
14. "It ain't over 'til it's over" (Lenny Kravitz)
15. "Answer" (Sarah McLachlan)
16. "If we never meet again" (Louis Armstrong)

*'Anonymous No More' -- I told you I'd remember to download it!

A last-minute decision

Unfortunately for you and me both, at the last minute I've been called out of town for work-related reasons from today until Friday to a place that is ASJiNE inaccessible indoors and 25 degrees colder outdoors.

Yeah, I'm pretty over the moon about it, too.

Of all the pictures I could leave you with until I return on Friday afternoon, I wanted to give you something pretty to look at, something somewhat fashion-related and of course, something Monte-focused. I think you'll agree the one I chose of the Baron von Bobbysocks and his trusty pal Burt (obscured by my heavy legs) investigating the new Chanel collection at Saks this past Saturday fits the bill quite nicely.

Before any of you go crazy with your rant-tastic "how could you bring your dogs into Saks?!" attitudes, please to note that the floor manager of the designer section approached Hot Redhead Lawyer and me on his own accord and effusively thanked us for having done so, calling the practice "so French" and therefore, not just perfectly acceptable but correct.

"I do say, Burtie, that one-shouldered dress is okay - a bit Kate Moss for Topshop for me - but compared with the sable-sleeved Prada dress your Mum just bought, it's just so utterly pedestri...oh, oh, come now, little one, I do believe I smell on-sale Gaultier thattaway!"

p.s. before the rumors start spreading, yes, there was a "situation" earlier in the day on Saturday, and yes, it did involve this position in this store. I would like to thank the proximate shoppers who politely looked in the opposite direction during the actual "release," the nice man from the espresso kiosk who so graciously threw away the Border's coupon with which I tidied up the accident, and oh yes, HRL for informing everyone from a small child in the shoe department to a Humane Society volunteer distributing adopt-a-pet flyers to an elevator full of chatty tourists that my dog has a penchant for taking dumps in upscale department stores.

p.p.s. if you too have been feeling a little heart-achy around the holidays, please check out the iMix I put together to make those consciously melodramatic "I wonder what ____ is doing right now..." gazes out the airplane window just a little bit more consciously dramatic:

1. "I'll be over you" (Toto)*
2. "Again" (Lenny Kravitz)
3. "Almost lover" (A Fine Frenzy)
4. "The tracks of my tears" (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles)
5. "All my life" (Linda Ronstadt)
6. "No names" (Kate Rusby)
7. "No one" (Alicia Keyes)
8. "Someone said goodbye" (Enya)
9. "I'm not in love" (10cc)
10. "The search is over" (Survivor)
11. "Ballad of a bitter end" (The Poems)
12. "As long as I live" (Anita O'Day)
13. "How lucky we are" (Meiko)
14. "It ain't over 'til it's over" (Lenny Kravitz)
15. "Answer" (Sarah McLachlan)
16. "If we never meet again" (Louis Armstrong)

*'Anonymous No More' -- I told you I'd remember to download it!

Hands-down, my favorite purchase of 2007

Tasked by a familial client to do some last-minute holiday shopping, I hiked it four-inch heels, thin trench and all up to Georgetown this evening after work to make one last pilgrimage to Club Monaco before my impatience with shove-happy crowds and women who walk six shopping bags across manifested itself in the form of a potentially violent, "As a matter of fact, ma'am, I do have a problem" confrontation.

After picking up a pair of elbow-length leather gloves, a slouchy oversized gunmetal clutch and a few of the gauziest, coziest turtlenecks in three lovely shades of black, blacker and blackest, instead of heading home, something compelled me to abandon my 45-minute target and instead make a quick stop down and around the WiscAve/M St. intersection to Zara.

I didn't need anything, of course, but as Oprah is always telling me, when you hear that inner-voice speak to you, honey child, you better prick up those ears and listen.

So listen I did.

And thank goodness, because had I not, I would never have found this, my hands-down favorite purchase of 2007. There's really not much else to say other than I can now die happy that I've found a way to literally wear my love for all the world to see.

"Oh Mum, it's splendid, just splendid. But honestly, couldn't you have tidied up the box-shelf a bit before we sat for the photo?"

*I do apologize, but I think you'll understand why this post took precedence over the dress-code follow-up. Be sure to keep an eye out for that post (I promise) at some point this weekend...

Hands-down, my favorite purchase of 2007

Tasked by a familial client to do some last-minute holiday shopping, I hiked it four-inch heels, thin trench and all up to Georgetown this evening after work to make one last pilgrimage to Club Monaco before my impatience with shove-happy crowds and women who walk six shopping bags across manifested itself in the form of a potentially violent, "As a matter of fact, ma'am, I do have a problem" confrontation.

After picking up a pair of elbow-length leather gloves, a slouchy oversized gunmetal clutch and a few of the gauziest, coziest turtlenecks in three lovely shades of black, blacker and blackest, instead of heading home, something compelled me to abandon my 45-minute target and instead make a quick stop down and around the WiscAve/M St. intersection to Zara.

I didn't need anything, of course, but as Oprah is always telling me, when you hear that inner-voice speak to you, honey child, you better prick up those ears and listen.

So listen I did.

And thank goodness, because had I not, I would never have found this, my hands-down favorite purchase of 2007. There's really not much else to say other than I can now die happy that I've found a way to literally wear my love for all the world to see.

"Oh Mum, it's splendid, just splendid. But honestly, couldn't you have tidied up the box-shelf a bit before we sat for the photo?"

*I do apologize, but I think you'll understand why this post took precedence over the dress-code follow-up. Be sure to keep an eye out for that post (I promise) at some point this weekend...

Gift-giving on a budget -- a rough ride for us all

I've been avoiding the gift-giving suggestion post for several reasons, primary among them that I'm not particularly good nor well-seasoned at the practice.

So first, I want to thank the very patient readers who asked for help in this area, some of whom I'm embarrassed to admit have been waiting since late October for me to finally put forth a few ideas.

In years past, instead of offering small but meaningful gifts to everyone in my social circle, I would usually choose the one person whose friendship touched me the most that year and invest in a bigger gift for her/him and send cards to the others.

This year, however, I've had too many people who've meant too much to me for there to be just one recipient of my gift-giving wishes.

Therefore, like most of you have done for years, I've had to dip into the $25-and-under idea bin five times over this season - a bin, which, unless you're innately creative (I am not), artistically inclined (I am so not) or a good cook (not sure, haven't tried), can be very, very empty.

Or worse, full of crap.

Instead of starting from scratch or reaching for the December issue of Lucky for help on what kind of scented soap my BFF is "sure to love," I did what any blogger would do: I searched my own site to see if I'd written anything on the topic of girlfriend gift-giving.

Thankfully, I came across this post.

In addition to what you'll find there, here are four new items I'd like to include:

(1) a kicky pair of party tights

(2) a keep-for-a-lifetime holiday book, personalized with a meaningful memory

(3) this, because even though it doesn't scream "gift," every woman must own it

(4) find something on eBay like a vintage photograph of the small town where she spent her childhood Summer vacations or a first (or second) edition of her favorite book

Gift-giving on a budget -- a rough ride for us all

I've been avoiding the gift-giving suggestion post for several reasons, primary among them that I'm not particularly good nor well-seasoned at the practice.

So first, I want to thank the very patient readers who asked for help in this area, some of whom I'm embarrassed to admit have been waiting since late October for me to finally put forth a few ideas.

In years past, instead of offering small but meaningful gifts to everyone in my social circle, I would usually choose the one person whose friendship touched me the most that year and invest in a bigger gift for her/him and send cards to the others.

This year, however, I've had too many people who've meant too much to me for there to be just one recipient of my gift-giving wishes.

Therefore, like most of you have done for years, I've had to dip into the $25-and-under idea bin five times over this season - a bin, which, unless you're innately creative (I am not), artistically inclined (I am so not) or a good cook (not sure, haven't tried), can be very, very empty.

Or worse, full of crap.

Instead of starting from scratch or reaching for the December issue of Lucky for help on what kind of scented soap my BFF is "sure to love," I did what any blogger would do: I searched my own site to see if I'd written anything on the topic of girlfriend gift-giving.

Thankfully, I came across this post.

In addition to what you'll find there, here are four new items I'd like to include:

(1) a kicky pair of party tights

(2) a keep-for-a-lifetime holiday book, personalized with a meaningful memory

(3) this, because even though it doesn't scream "gift," every woman must own it

(4) find something on eBay like a vintage photograph of the small town where she spent her childhood Summer vacations or a first (or second) edition of her favorite book