Tuesday, 21st of September 2010 at 11:55:49 AM 
Me wearing a color, with writers Tatjana Soli and Jane Smiley
We ARE currently crafting a FASHION and MAKEOVER challenge that will happen starting in October, which is, NOT COINCIDENTALLY, the date I stop traveling. This week I am going fatly to SIBA and even more fatly to New York City. Lordy, how I love Travel Bloat! (Perky exclamation point aside, I say these words with the same enthusiastic love I might show for lice, or cat doots, or a hamburger sandwich from McDonalds.)
I got a jump start by purchasing a BOYFRIEND JACKET, see it there? Because my fashion challenge is going to involve wearing ACCESSORIES and ACTUAL COLORS.
My friend Julie says my favorite color is DRAB as all my clothes are gray or black or navy, or, for daring days when I really want to kick things up a notch, dark olive green. The Boyfriend Jacket is “on trend” which seemed to be important to the Ann Taylor LOFT stylist who was helping me, but to be frank? I was more wowed to see that it was “on sale.” I thought I would be MORE likely to wear a color if I could put a black jacket over most of the color.
And it is true: Black Jacket over pink makes me not feel like I am an enormous Strawberry Shortcake doll. Interesting. (Mir, follow that link and see what I paid for the jacket. You will be SO proud of me! Although in the store I think it was TWICE that price. But still! I got the last one at my LOFT, so call first, if you want one.)
As for accessories: My ears are not pierced, and I own almost NO jewelry. I wear the same rings every day, the same silver cross, and my idea of getting crazy-fashionable is slipping on one of the lovely antique beaded bracelets my friend Anna from writing group makes for me.
Me and my color wearing self reading at a library benefit
Also? I have on MANY accessories. And by many, I mean two. But that is a LOT for me. That’s a necklace I borrowed from our classy and sassy jewelry covered plate (Gray) when I was in San Francisco on tour. She was quite excited to see me in an accessory, so much so that she slipped the necklace into my purse for me to discover on the plane. It was a hopeful present, indicating that she thought I should MAYYYYBE accessorize again. And in the top picture (where the unfortunate LEAN I took makes appear that I am trying to make snuggle-bears with Jane Smiley) you can see I ALSO have an Anna bracelet on. So. I am learning. And come October, I am going to be a whole new lady. I may even buy… A COLORFUL SCARF.
Stop laughing! It could happen.
I think you look fab in your pink and accessories.
I LOVE the bf jacket on you, and also the pinkness. It reflects a lovely shell-like glow onto your porcelain skin. Not blowing smoke up your skirt: look at the pics and tell me I’m wrong. I dare you.
My plate is actually a Fitz & Floyd “palais on white” dinner plate (with a pile of sparkly costume jewelry.) You KNOW how much I enjoy correcting people, so I feel that you said “Mikasa” on purpose as a gift to me, like handing a slightly compulsive child a sheet of bubble wrap.
Thank you, my beautiful friend.
I LUUUUURVE your new jacket and also what you paid for it!! If your AT Loft really has one left in my size, please go buy it for me.
Also I love you in that fuchsia. Very beautiful. You are FASHIONY! You look truly lovely in lots of jewel-tones, you know. Deep teal-y blues and greens and such, too. Can’t wait to see your scarf or whatever other wild thing you try!
GOOD TRY Gray, But I had already corrected that before you caught it. LAR LAR LAR You know how much I love RECORRECTING those who publicly correct me.
AW THANK YOU Mir –
That pink shirt was ALSO on sale at loft for LESS than ten bucks, so I got it in Pink, Purple, a PRETTY blue you would approve of, and um, a comforting and VERY drab Olive.
The price says 12.99 but it is 25% off THAT.
http://www.anntaylorloft.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=26479&Nr=AND(CAT_SALE_FLAG:Y)&N=1200043&pCategoryId=3364&categoryId=273&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_273&loc=TN&defaultColor=Deep Bright Pink&defaultSizeType=Regular
You do look lovely in that pink! Scarves are fun (I may have a couple unused scarf-tying books I can send you), but a funky pin would look great on that jacket, too.
I don’t understand pins. I have an AWESOME antique pheasant pin from my Gramma — very weirdo-chic…But
If you have a pin do you NOT have a necklace? Or a scarf? Is the pin ENOUGH> How BIG a pin? WILL IT MAKE A HOLE???? and thus commit me to the pin forever?
You can have a pin and a necklace but the necklace shouldn’t be a long one. No interfering with one another. It will leave a teeny tiny hole that shouldn’t be visible to the naked eye, especially in black. Scarf would probably make pin unnecessary. Remember only one eye popping accessory at a time.
Jacket is great for you, especially with a color underneath. For those who don’t love to wear jewelry all the time you can wear a patterned colorful top under the boyfriend jacket that kind of does both. Also obfuscates the lumpy parts if there.
I love the Loft and a SALE!
If you want help wearing pins, check out Christina Hendricks’ Mad Men wardrobe! Joan knows how to rock a pin. And a pen necklace.
I’m a poor accessorizer too, so I look forward to this challenge. I do tend to wear colors on TOP, but never on my ass, if you know what I mean. My pants are all grey, black, navy, etc. I do go for the colorful tops because I too am a bog person.
I’m all blingy today. I’m wearing a purple top with gold beadwork and glitter on it.
And, uh, black trousers, black lace-up shoes, no jewellery and no makeup. And that purple? She be dark.
Guess I need this challenge. I’m sucking at the current one so it can’t get worse.
I always think colors look great on everyone ELSE, such as YOU, but when I try to wear them, it makes me feel like people are LOOKING AT ME. Which makes me all hunchy and tense and paranoid (well, even more than usual). I’m much more comfy blending into the background!
BRIGITTE. ME TOO. This is why I hate colors—I feel VISIBLE.
I am very serious about the black jacket—it really helped me feel like I was NOT wearing a color.
I think you should come to Athens to do a signing and come shopping with me (I do realize that gives off an intense creeper vibe, and I apologize but I do want to get Backseat Saints signed and I LOVE clothes). I love colors and accessories. In fact, my sister walked into my room once on vacation and looked at my makeup/jewelry sprawled across the bed and said, “Wow, it looks like a spread in Seventeen or Elle Magazine in here” which made me beam for a week. P.S. Athens has some kick-ass vintage stores for your super chic madmen accessories!
Do you ever wear clip earrings? My sister has been trying to introduce our mother (with success!) to the world of exciting, dangly earrings as accessories. AND, you can usually convert pierced earrings to clip-ons fairly easily. I know I totally sound like QVC, but funky earrings are a great way to jazz up an outfit — and exciting dangly ones look great with pulled-back hair, too — you know, for those billowy Seattle days. Not that I’m saying you should pull your hair back, I’m just saying that’s my go-to for days when I’m feeling less than confident in my hair’s behavior and opt for a ponytail. These are super-cool and vintage-y AND are in exciting jewel tones: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MorningGloryDesigns?section_id=5115522 OH — and this shop has dangly skeletons! For Halloween! http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatinaKorner?ref=top_trail And she’s got some pretty danglies: http://www.etsy.com/shop/JewelrySong
I love Etsy.
It says something that you tend to want to blend in with DRAB, but the characters you create are so VIVID and out there, demanding to be noticed. What exactly it says, I don’t know, because thankfully I am no headshrinker.
I, too, am woefully accessory deficient. I have some great bracelets …..smothered under a layer of dust in a fancy bowl thingee on my dresser. (I am decor deficient, too. UGH.) Necklaces just irritate my neck. My hands are too small to wear rings without looking like a pre-schooler playing dress up. The wildest I can get is with a few colorful scarves…..but I still can’t figure out how to wear them as an accessory. Call me old fashioned, but I tend to wear them with a COAT, when it is wintery outside.
But SHOES?!?!?! Shoes I totally get! I have 15 pairs of Skechers to prove it.
That lady is lovely. . .and also very, very tall. And your pink is divine and that jacket. . .great. heavenly. days. but I’m impressed at the price you snagged. The necklace looks great with the pink and black and adds some sparkle to the solids.
SQUEE!!! If I were ever fortunate enough to stand next to Jane Smiley, I would probably tuck myself under her armpit and attempt to stay forever. Like a giant human sugar glider. Except that I am 6 feet tall & wear heels so (if I were ever fortunate to stand next to Jane Smiley….ZOMG I still cannot believe that you STOOD NEXT TO JANE SMILEY!!!!!!!!!!) we would probably look more like a still photo from “Attack of the Giant Literary Supermodels”
*hehehe*
Which reminds me, I need to reread Duplicate Keys. One of my favorite books, ever. AND she wrote my favorite short story, the one about the kid forced to live back to nature who burns down a classmate’s house. It sounds depressing, but the whole tone of the story, written from the father’s point of view, is so elegiac and amazing.
Oh, so funny. First of all, I’m allergic to wearing accessories. I don’t know why. I never took the class or something. I don’t want to draw attention to my neck or my collarbones or my shirt. Which is black, why do you ask?
Also, why did I not know you and Jane Smiley were in Seattle? I live near Seattle! I would have come and brought my brand spanking new Backseat Saints for you to sign!
Also, Jane Smiley! I heart Jane Smiley! A Thousand Acres! Oh my!
Also? My hair is always very puffy because I can’t help it. And now you know why.