Fashion Week Playlist

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1. Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat,  Bob Dylan

2. In These Shoes, Kirsty MacColl

3. Dedicated Follower of Fashion, The Kinks

4. Devil in a New Dress, Kanye West

5. These Boots Were Made for Walking, Nancy Sinatra

6. Hollywood Freaks, Beck

7. Beautiful People, Marilyn Manson

8. Supermodel, Ru Paul

9. Fashion, David Bowie

10. Hell of a Life, Kanye

11. Devil With a Blue Dress, Yo La Tengo

12. Debra, Beck

Snark, drag queens and lots of Kanye. If I could, I'd crawl into this playlist and stay there until editors stopped emailing me about things like deadlines.

Top image came from here, all others from Harpers Bazaar

Style Inspiration: Salt N' Pepa

It's totally not on trend or chic right now, but for some reason late last night I was overcome with the desire to push it real good. 

Chalk it up to overexposure to the 50s/20s/70s worship that seems to be on constant rotation during every fashion week, but something in me is calling for 80s excess and cheeseball-ery. That's a word now.

Furthermore, when did matching outfits become embarrassing? Because I know I certainly am embarrassed of the matching outfits my cousin and I used to wear, but part of me wishes that it was still socially acceptable.

Image courtesy of Style.com

The rest of me totally understands why it isn't though, so don't worry.

Image Courtesy of Style.com

Also, when it comes down to it, I really hate 80s style trainers that designers have come out with recently. So maybe it isn't my personal style but I guess I just like people who take fashion risks. And catchy 80s pop.  Even if I just can't with these damn sneakers. Who wants to spend $300 on these?

Jil Sander Sneakers

At Last

Was very saddened to hear of the passing of Etta James, one of music's most iconic bad girls.

The eyeliner, the hair, the drugs, the recovery and the melancholy sexuality- I see her influence everywhere today.

I saw her at the New Orleans Jazz Festival a few years ago, and apparently her troubles had already begun by then, but you'd never know it. She was vibrant and lovely as ever.

James at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz Festival

She seemed at home onstage, as though from there she could show us her entire world.

Rest in peace, Etta, at last.

Weekend Recap

Some of you may know that I recently had surgery on my sinuses to fix a deviated septum, chronic sinusitus and problems with my hearing that I've had ever since I was a kid. It was one of those things I didn't really think too much of until a friend of mine who had the surgery pointed out that it wasn't normal to get 5-6 sinus infections a year. Also I hadn't really heard my own voice in 2 years.

Immediately after the surgery my hearing improved. While I was in post-op, still groggy and delighted from the medication, I kept poking my nurse and saying, "no, no, no. You don't understand. I sound weird.... like ME. I sound like me. Like me. Can I have jello?"

I was her favorite.

Of course, surgeries mean recuperation so apart from a few castings (where I gave the photographers a pose I call 'Congested Chic') I've been pretty much bed or couchridden.

But by this weekend I was feeling more than a little stir crazy and sick of looking like this:

So I tried poking the Boy until he got annoyed, following the cat around the house, watching movies and yelling at the screen. Nothing worked.

Sometimes a lady just has to throw on her faux fur coat and take herself out for bacon and waffles.

And sometimes that lady spills coffee on her faux fur coat.

The outfit, I think, was due to overexposure to this video, which I can't make up my mind about.



I mean,  love the clothes, love the tigers, kind of like the song. But if she does one more little pantomime motion I'm going to strangle her with her own head wreath.

Happy MLK weekend everyone!

Shut Down the Singing

So, the other day I was stuck in Grand Central due to what I call, "The Shutdown" which is when the number of trains going out of Grand Central drastically decreases, between 10:30pm and 12:30am. Suddenly, people appear lounging on steps, hanging out on the platforms, just waiting for a damn train to take them home so they can have a glass of wine with their cat. Or, you know, whatever it is normal people do.

A few people with guitars gathered together and started singing. It started so innocently. A few longhaired hippies with guitars and a dog. Then another guy with a guitar came along. Then an old, drunk Indian guy with incredibly annoying song requests. And it pretty much fell apart from there. Here is the transcript of a few of my texts to The Boy while I was observing and waiting:

12:15 Missed my train, will be home late. Hippie jam session on the platform.
12:20: Someone's crashing the jam session. He doesn't know who Bob Dylan is. Oh God. I just...it just...
12:22: Oh my god, oh my god, we're going to be on the same train oh god oh God he's playing the Doors.
12:26: Old guy belting 'Lean on Me', Crasher is still playing, "When You're Strange" and the Hippies are sticking with, "Corrina, Corrina". I may die. You can have all my CDs.
12:28: Uuuugh, Crasher has a CD. Should be a law that in order to release a CD you must know who Bob Dylan is.
12:31: Old Guy is demanding Al Green. Drunk girl is leaning on him and giggling. May kill all of them. If I go to jail, you can have all my CDs.

After that, a talent scout came up and handed his card to the hippies. This led to an incredibly uncomfortable moment, as he failed to hand it to The Crasher or the Old Guy. Luckily, Drunk Girl broke the silence by burping.

So now you know a little more about the kind of things my commute involves. Happy Monday!

None of these people are singing the same song

Happy Weekend!

HAPPY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

Image courtesy of Oh Joy!

In the immortal words on one R. Kelly, it's the freaking weekend, baby, I'm about to have me some fun.

In No Particular Order

The music that is currently rocking my socks off:

1) Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Buy it, buy it now. It's gotten the highest possible rating from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and anyone else with any sense. It's as good as they say, and how often is that the case?

2) Florence & The Machine, Lungs
I know I'm about 6 years behind the times on this one, but her voice is killer, the instrumentation is haunting and it has great running music on it.

3) Peggy Lee, Greatest Hits
If you have a low voice, like singing in the shower and feeling like a badass, this is for you.

4) Janella Monae, Archandroid
Also great running music, and she is a pint-sized bottle of awesome.

5) The Jackson 5 Christmas Album
Shut the hell up. It's awesome.

In No Particular Order

A list of women that helped shape and influence me.

1) Patti Smith*

Her book, her songs, her cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, her self.

2) Carol Burnett

She is the reason I am the way I am. She is the funniest woman on the planet.

3) Tina Fey

Because she is awesome. To see her being awesome, click here.

4) Marilyn Monroe

Recently I've shied away from her because of the sad girls of my generation following in her unsteady footsteps. But she was more than a tragic figure: she was funny, curvy and a brilliant actress.

5) Marlene Dietrich

She was a grandmother when this was taken.
Androgynous sexpot extraordinaire. World's sexiest grandmother.

7) Amelia Earhart

I got an antique piece of luggage from the Amelia Earhart collection, which led to a lengthy Wikipedia binge. The suitcase may need to go through several voodoo anti-jinxing rituals before I'll bring it on a plane, but I'm awfully glad I got to learn so much about this extraordinary woman.

8) Rosa Parks

Did you know she wasn't just pivotal in the Civil Rights movement but also in bringing rapists to justice? Check it out.

9) Holly Golightly

Diamonds, aging, friends. This character inspired the hell out of me from the screen and the page.

10) Eugenie Clark, the Shark Lady

She helped me remember that smart girls are cool in the face of bullies.


Thank you.

*Did I already say that? I'm getting blogger's deja vu.