Worth Repeating Blowout

Former smokers are inherent mathematicians. If you were a pack-a-day girl like me, the price of all goods is in relation to whatever the going rate of a box of Parliaments Lights currently is…times seven. It is a wonderful way to justify frivolous spending so if you never smoked, grab a pack quick and then go shopping.


Last week at the much publicized Worth Repeating clearance bonanza I spent approximately 6 days worth of cigarettes and for that price I got four new little black dresses, a Juicy Couture sweat suit (new with tags), a BCBG sundress and an Asian inspired orange dress that was so compelling I had to bring it home with me. Below is a sampling of my booty (and the clothing)








My new favorite LBD. I think SJP wore this to an award ceremony long enough ago for it to no longer instantly mark me as a SATC drone to wear it in public now. (though referring to she and the program by abbreviation sadly neutralizes this fact considerably)




Mother calls this dress "Shanghai Hooker." I wonder where I got my sense of humor...









BGBG- This dress was worth the price of admission (of which there was not actually one) You see- math math math










This tunic might be my favorite from the sale; it is an Eileen Fischer for Nieman Marcus. It may look as though I am standing on a sinking ship but it actually has a gorgeous asymmetrical neckline that is not really flattering- but is quite interesting.

Betsy and Cathleen, the heart and soul of Worth Repeating. Thanks for the sale ladies.

It's Fundraising Season Again

Wedding season used to be my favorite season. For years looked I forward with great anticipation to the pomp and circumstance which embodies our modern take on the ancient ritual. I love the toasts; I love the music; and of course I love the clothing.

But alas, everyone got married. Damn that cupid…such a workaholic.

Who knew adulthood would bring a whole new season of events; Fundraisers. They are like weddings: everyone dresses up and hires a babysitter for the night, there are 15 young boys in tuxedos who for a 10 spot will ensure you get first dibs on his tray of filet mignon on toast-points, there is a harried woman preying that the evenings events will flow as mellifluously as they have in her head. Plus, as an added bonus you can win stuff- I won a basket of Godiva Chocolate at an affair two weeks ago which I devoured in the car on the way home.

And it is all for a good cause!!!

This past week I went to my second of four such fundraisers this season. This one was a wine tasting for the School for Language and Communication Development.

I snapped some photos of looks that caught my eye but as I said it was a wine tasting and boy did we taste. At one point I pulled a chair up to a venders table and downed samples of Malbec (my favorite wine) like they were shots. By the end of the night I was lucky I knew my name.

These were the standout looks of the affair.

I love this dress. Here in New York we rarely see color. Just black, black and more black. Regardless of you r activity for any given day, a pair of black pants with a black shirt and black shoes is totally appropriate. Hence the expression: Black is the new black. I was so happy to see green. Doesn’t this lady look adorable? And the dress itself is so glamorous, like she should be stepping on a subway grate a la Marilyn Monroe.

This ladies hat is just too cute. It makes her look like she just stepped out of one of your better vintage blogs but this woman was a teenager. Kudos to you for having such style so young. When I was your age I was wearing Keds and my boyfriend’s Champion sweatshirts inside out (I assure you it was the look).

And of course, my lovely date Suzanne. She always looks great though. I call this outfit her “Hot librarian” look. You know there is something freaky behind the demure neckline and below the knee length. Check out her Rock-and-Roller TODS bag too- It says I summer in the Hamptons but I party until they kick me out of the bar.

My lovely date and I.

You Like Me...You Really Like Me

My first blogging award and I am thrilled.

I have to thank Looking Glass Vintage for awarding me this. Coming from you it is such an honor. I feel like you are my like a fun neighbor who I can play dress-up with when the kids are watching Nick Jr. Tonight I will drink a cocktail in your honor.

And thank you to everyone who reads and comments on my blog. It always makes my day.

I am passing on this award to 10 blogs that I love. Who I read obsessively and who inspire me.

Also, Looking Glass Vintage and i have changed the rules of the award. Originally you are supposed to just nominate people, but since most of the blogs I am awarding are revolve around fashion , vintage or both (with tongue planted in cheek)you have to pose for the acceptance in your finery. If you don’t want to pose in finery, find a photo of you posing in finery and Photoshop the award into your hand!

AND DON'T FORGET TO PASS IT ON


1. Style is the New Black- Every outfit you wear makes me smile. You always look so happy too.

2. Vintage Christine – Your blog is awesome– I love the photos and stories about your life.
Someone once commented to you that you must have lived a thousand lives- they must have been fun lives. Also, you watch RuPaul's Drag Race too which in my book automatically makes you awesome.

3. If I didn’t have a sense of Humor- Thank god for you and my laugh of the day

4. Va Voom Vintage – Hubba Hubba

5. Midwest Habitat – I love your observations and the fact that you have so many kids and still have time to write a blog is amazing to me.

6. Paradigm Thrift- You make the finest Bowling Pin Art in the land

7. Pink Champagne is for Dancing- Could you be any cuter? I love how daring you are with your outfits and that you include stuff about your life. I love when bloggers include stuff about their lives.

8. My Shopaholic Confessions- For being young and stylish and hip. Someday you will be old like us and grateful that leggings came back because they are slightly more stylish than the sweatpants we live in. Savor your youth.

9. Twila from the Mysterious Life of a Metropolitan Housewife – First of all, why do you get to have such a cool name and I am stuck with Bethann. Your momma needs to have a little chat with my Momma. Second- great clothing.

10. And last but not least, It’s Exhausting Being this Juicy- because it really must be exhausting being that Juicy. Someday I will die and wake up in your closet.

Thanks for reading my blog and as Vintage Christine Says “If You Follow Me, I'll Follow You (in a non-stalking, kind & gentle kind of way)

Ode to my New Prada Pumps

Once in a lifetime a love comes along that is so perfect and pure it illicit emotions that one never knew one could feel. Such a love has the power to instill us with the strength to move mountains and the confidence to address stadiums. Love affairs like these are not common. History has seen very few such perfect unions; Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra, Harold and Maude and now…me and my new Prada black satin peep toe sling back pumps with flower heels.
To mark the occasion I have penned the following poem to my amore.

Ode to My New Prada Black Satin Peep Toe Sling Back Pumps With Flower Heels

Oh Prada pumps my new favorite shoes;
With satin peep toe and heel of many hues.

When first we met our union was forbidden;
My pregnant belly and your price tag, who were we kiddin?

I never gave up hope; I kept coming back;
But alas Bergdorf’s does not have a clearance rack.

Ah, but that EBay my true Cupid splendor;
Availing me to my beloved but for considerably less tender.

Your graceful sling back cradles my heel;
And the height to which you lift me only adds to the appeal.

I will pair you with skirts, with suits and maybe a tailored short;
No mind your lack of ergonomics, my feet are quite willing to contort.

Care not do I about your minuscule nick;
Organic imperfections befall all stems and sticks.

So thank you Prada, deannacombs22 and Ebay too;
Instead of six seventy five they were only two hundred forty two.

Right on Maude!!!

As I was perusing my closets this morning I considered the day that lay ahead. I asked myself, "Who shall I channel today fashionisticly (is that a word)?"

The sophisticated charm of Audrey Hepburn?


The seductive innocence of Ann Margaret?


The trendy youthfulness of one of those lovely Kardashian ladies?

There's Audrey, Ann, KimChloeandtheonewiththekid…and then there’s Maude!

Today I feel like channeling a middle-aged bawdy housewife from Queens, NY. An Emmy winning middle-age housewife from Queens, NY.

My students were unenthusiastic about this look this morning, mostly because it means business. Today’s lecture was not on a fun subject. It was not on theories of relationships that segued into a discussion of why women stay with men who cheat. It was not about how to read people’s non-verbal behavior and the ten ways to tell if someone is lying. Today’s lecture was about Task Groups, homogenous versus heterogeneous. Even writing the subject makes me yawn. It is a dry dry subject. Pragmatic, yes…even snarky at times, but for the most part a dry but necessary component in an otherwise fan favorite of a freshman level college elective. In this way it is much like Maude. She is dry as the desert- snarky even when she is asleep and without her the show would be called Walter and who wants to see that?




The ensemble is built around a recent acquisition from Mother Belen. She purchased this dress for slightly more than a smile and a wink at a church sale and immediately called me to say “I bought you a dress…you’re not going to like it.” I love gift that are introduced with such positivity. She offered to make it obscenely short so I could wear it as a minidress or tunic, but I told her I like it as a duster just the way it is…so long, so confident…Right On Maude!

I am the Dancing Queen; Young and Sweet; Only Seventeen (Yea Right...21 Years Ago)

The 5 dollar rack is a seductive temptress. The labels alone make you rethink lifelong fashion ideologies. This dress is the perfect example. It is new with tags from Tart. Not only is it new with tags from Tart, but it is new with tags from Tart and The Girls Room, a posh boutique in a well-to-do town on the North Shore. Plus, not only is it new with tags from Tart and The Girls Room, a posh boutique in a well-to-do town on the North Shore, but said tags read 190.00. Could I really leave it in the store for 5 dollars?



The problem is that this is another example of a great dress that just isn’t me. This is a dress for a girl who takes herself much more seriously than I do. A real “girly girl” ready to go dancing at a moment's notice; a girl who wears nightgowns rather than boy shorts to sleep; a girl who would prefer to be gifted flowers than vodka; a girl who has seen every episode of Sex and the City. This is not me.



My solution are my Miss Sixties-tried and true. I have had these jeans since college and I swear they always come through. They have very few design elements so they lay flat under jersey knit such as this. The high boots cut through a little more of the girlishness and kinda make the whole look remind me of an extra from Hair…not a main character mind you, but one of those dancers in the background. That’s a good look for me; much less pressure but still a whole lot of fun.












Are still singing ABBA's "dancing Queen"? So was I. I decided to have a dance themed dressup day.

Sam is playing Isadora Duncan...

Carly is playing Fred Astaire...

Baby Dean is playing Bob Fosse.

Erin Go Bragh

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day everyone.

I am not Irish…never have been. But I am an honorary member due to the fact that with the exception of my hubby, every boy I ever went out with was (and presumably still is) Irish.

So, I am dedicating today’s blog to them, my beaus of yesteryear…Dan, Craig, Josh, Ben, Fred, Frank, Don, Chris, Harold, Monty, Vinny, Tyrone, Chiam, Sam, Woody, Cliff, Norm, Coach, Hawkeye, BJ, Clinger, Radar, Trapper and Peirce.

In their honor I do three things every March 17th:

1) I make a Rubin Casserole in the slow cooker;

2) I eat an entire loaf of Irish soda bread by myself in my car in the parking lot of whatever store I bought it from;

3) I wear green-ish.


I present to you my Saint Patrick’s Day Ensemble. Besides my sash from my Girl Scout uniform, this skirt is the only green item in my closet. It is vintage Gucci and has that great 80’s bell shape to it. I rarely wear it besides Saint Paddy’s day because it has a teeny tiny waist and the four day pre-soda bread fast is truthfully the only reason it closes in the first place. It was purchased years ago at Housing Works on 77th Street and 3rd Avenue. Just a stones throw from the Blarney Stone. Coincidence? I think not.

In Mourning this Morning

I am in mourning this week. It has been a very emotional five days for me. I had to call in a personal day at work and hide my face under my binkie in hopes that my grief would subside. Thus far it has not.
Thrice this week the grim reaper of American reality programming has shared boxcars with my favorite contestants on their rollercoaster of competition on three separate programs. I am beginning to think it is a personal attack against me.

I will begin my eulogy with the contestant who most touched me and that of course is Morgan McMichaels of RuPaul’s Drag Race II. Morgan darling, through the remainder of my days I will wistfully remember your vivid lip sink to Stacy Q’s “Two of Hearts” and whenever I see a six foot bride in a mini-gown with a pronounced Adam’s Apple I will shed a tear on your behalf. Ms. McMicheals you will live on in my heart.

Poor Crystal Bowersox…poor poor Crystal Bowersox. She and Lilly Scott had drams of taking on New York by storm. Armed with acoustic guitars, squeegees and a tin can they were going to bring folk rock versions of 80’s English Pop and poppy versions of country music classics to the corner of 95th and 1st for all the commuters from Westchester and South Jersey to hear. Now Lilly, you will have to brave the cold NY streets alone (please hum the theme to Midnight Cowboy here). My heart goes out to you.

And last, but not least, but definitely shortest, Ben Chmura, the Grime Reaper’s third blow to my viewing habits this week. Just because he can’t sew a suit and has little understanding of how a woman wishes her crotch to be represented Heidi, Michael, Nina and Frenchy sent him home. It’s a travesty. If it weren’t for the fact that the camera caught you in a telephone conoodle weeping about how you missed your main squeeze we would all really feel bad about your departure. But I am a little glad you are being reunited with Mr. Wonderful. Mazel Tov.

So avedazane, sing us out and sashay away Morgan, Lily and Ben. I will see you all again in my well designed, folk-ish music filled, perfectly applied eye-liner laden dreams.

On a brighter note, congratulations Casey James, Anthony Wiliams and Pandora Box, you are my new favorites. Good Luck this week.

Are You a Jeter or a Jagger?

Oh, where shall I begin with this one?


Lets’ start with one of my many Mars and Venus theories. This one regards us “Veni.” Women of the world either likey their jocks or likey their musicians. Period. Oh, I have come across the rare woman who likey her brilliant professor and one who only dates guys whose names begin with the letter "J"…but for the most part…regardless of who you are dating or married to, in your not to deep heart you are either turned on by a low ERA or late nights by the fire composing a song. I think it has something to do with whether a gal assesses merit based on qualitative vs. quantitave methodologies.


Those who know me are well aware of my preference. I don’t just dig jocks…I dig serious jocks. Pitchers and quarterbacks and centers oh my. Hubby’s college fastball was almost in the triple digits. I must clarify that I DO NOT LIKE SPORTS at all, but I like people who like sports. I did my master’s thesis on men and sports so I’d say I have a passing interest in the subject.

That said, I call this ensemble my “Night Ranger Groupie” look. It is my homage to all you ladies who like the sensitive ponytail musical types. The lovely leather mini-skirt is a product of one of many shopping excursions with Mother. Shopping with Mother is a lot like dining with Kirstie Ally. My mother can walk into a hardware store and find four figures worth of items she simply “Can’t live without.” Narre is the boutique that she leaves empty handed and if one has the privilege of joining her on an excursion the same rules apply.

Hence this totally like rad leather mini. She took one feel and said “oh my god it’s like butta” and she was not even channeling Linda Richmond, Belen actually talks like that.

The scary part of this whole post is not that I am in possession of a black leather mini-skirt that Tawny Katan probably owns in every color, but that I actually already had all the
accouterments on hand to complete the outfit; denim jacket with faint tobacco and aquanet aroma…check, white leather boots…check, Bumpit for my hair…check.

This is my attempt to salvage the purchase. I think I will be giving up and sending it via UPS to myself in Jr. High. Lets see how much Mother likes it on me then.

Oh So Pretty...Witty...And Gay (Not That There is Anything Wrong With That)

I am so sorry Junior League Thrift Shop of Roslyn, NY, staffed by a half dozen little old lavender haired ladies who never heard of “Milly,” hence the 35.00 price tag on this skirt and purse combo that called my name from your store window display this afternoon after my haircut and facial at Nubest. I am so so very sorry; particularly in regard to the cavalier nature in which you throw around commas and decimal points rendering what would have cost no less than 600.00 new at Saks or Neimans the same price as a cheesecake from Juniors (plain-not slathered in cherries). By the look in your face and the tone in your voice when I inquired about the price it is obvious, much like Tiger Woods, that you have seen the error in your ways…a little too late to avoid getting caught. But as in love and war, all’s fair in hunting and sale-ing.

This may well be the prettiest garment I have ever possessed with its hand dyed floral silk and inverted box pleats. I feel a little like Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina. When Hubby caught an eyeful he said I looked “sweet, innocent and pure”… then he tilted his head back and laughed for 45 minutes.

Meow

I recently had a tete-a-tete with the devil and SHE assured me that for the mere price of my soul (or what is left of it) I will indeed come back to this great Earth as Eartha Kitt. Word has apparently gotten out about this transaction as I have just been booked for a three night stint at the Carlyle in May (two drink minimum if you are planning to attend.)

This jacket is down payment on the offer.

Actually, this jacket is a hand-me-down…the ultimate in refashioning-recycling-reusing. Three or four times per year for the past 14 years my mother-in-law enters my home with some sort of fabulous trinket that she no longer wears. Sometimes its jewelry, sometimes shoes, sometimes clothing. Lucky for me she was exactly my size when she was my age but lived a much more exciting life than I do. It is said that her ex-hubby (my children’s grandfather) used to take her to the Copocabana through the kitchen just like Henry Hill did in Goodfellas!!!!

So this year’s first quarter trinket was this fantastic leopard printed coat. This is one of those items wherein it does not matter what you pair it with as long as you have an attitude, yet donning the garment itself one cannot help but feel super glamorous. It is fabulous attitude laden glamour circle.

Now Bring Me My Damn Martini!

The Famous Couple and my super cute Hubby