What I Wore to SATC

Damn, I'm glad I had the foresight to wear a statement belt!

In full disclosure, I should mention that I am ambivalent about the TV series - which apparently makes me an optimal "adopter" of the film. Thanks to my smart friend Lisa, who just knew it would be terrific fun. Cuz it was.

I realize, by now, you've been inundated with articles and reviews so I won't harp in this addition to the pantheon. It boils down to awesome fashion porn. Turn off the sound and you will still get hot watching it. I mean, if you don't have 3, designer-induced orgasms just sitting through the montage, I can only advise you to get to a specialist stat.

The glib reductionist in me calls it a perfect exercise in consumer and lifestyle marketing. Those cinema snobs may diss it on the basis of its inauthenticity. And Lord knows, there's a vat of subtext about post-feminism - not to mention bourgeois elitism - to consider.* But please, gorgeous readers, can't you just love it for the shoes?!?

*Secretly I love bourgeois elitism. Some of my best friends are bourgeois elitists :-)

The Reveal

So - whatcha think?? (Remember, the back 1/3 is not done yet. That's part of Phase 3, 2009.) Of course, it's very "new garden" and nothing has grown in and the trees look like shrubs but take the long view :-) I have my very own Japanese maple now, a lifelong dream! Note: The path needs more flagstone so the landscaper will return in the next month to sort that out.

I sent my parents some pictures last night and they were truly impressed by the change. My mother said she wished I'd posted a before, before shot, just to give you a sense of the degree of improvement. Then she added, "But I can understand that would have been too embarrassing". More to the point, no such picture actually exists.

(Re)Construction Zone

If I were one of those raw, hardcore journalists, I would have shown you a photo of the "original" backyard. However, that would have burned a hideous image onto your (presumably) delicate brains - Lord knows, it did in mine - and I couldn't be responsible for something so mean. Oh and also, the need to protect my image trumps honesty. Honestly.

Let's just say my mother was traumatized by the "before".

Y'all get to see the "in between":

Afters to come as soon as I have a moment to take the shots.

(And one more thing, the "after" is just the "after for this summer". You'll note that a third of the space is untouched - waiting for patio hardscaping and a panel of lilac trees next year. A gal has only so much debt tolerance per season...)

Tired in Toronto

I'm so numb with tiredness right now. From a day-long conference (wherein I was supposed to determine some kind of intelligent, strategic perspective that will assist a program area in moving forward) to a doctor's appt. (for the foot) to a recital for my daughter to a dinner out with said daughter and her friend (whose single father asked for some tactical support this evening - they're upstairs singing / screaming as I write this) to the work going on in my garden. Man, I'm knackered. And tomorrow, it's a super early day for a super early meeting before which I need to fix (nay, veritably rewrite) a time-sensitive document and think about how to cohesively present myself and my ideas.

So, in lieu of comprehensive - much less exciting - text, here's a photo of some of the tags that came with the great things we got at Apt. 909 on the weekend:

A few weeks ago, Dreamecho wrote about a great vintage store in the Boston area that tags its items in a similar way.

Now if one of these could simply explicate modern living...

Ecru Brute

I know - I'm pushing it with the title.

So, in addition to art and children's clothing (more examples to come), I managed to find some of the best vintage loot ever at Apt. 909. Pls. note that yesterday I erred by calling it Apartment 909, which isn't technically its name. (I've linked to it in my Places I Love to Shop roll on the right. Aparently, they'll have a website up and running soon.)

In short, you really must visit this place. Even if you live in California, please do yourself a favour, hop on a plane and come check it out. I'm sure the lovely owners Ria, Beth and Dai will appreciate it as much as you do.

Chic cohabits with kitsch and some of the most delicious designer finds around. I saw (and tried, natch) awesomely well-preserved Lanvin, Pucci, Chanel, Gucci, Pierre Cardin, Louis Feraud, Yves St. Laurent, Givenchy, Thierry Mugler and the list goes on... These people care and it shows. Oh, and while not cheap, it's reasonably priced given what's on offer.

Here are a couple of (accidentally coordinating) things I bought on Saturday - and wore today:

Vintage 1950s silk scarf NEW, vintage 1960s polyester shorts skirt w/asymmetrical pocket NEW, AA above the knee tights, Jacob burgundy wool sweater

Apologies for the the scowl and muffin head. It's challenging to look cheerful and fresh at 7:30 p.m. Marth, if you're reading this, I'm going to come in for a haircut soon!

PS, Today's subtext: If you care to look like a waif, don't wear a plaid poly skirt with a polka dot scarf :-)

Prom Night

My most intriguing Charlotte experience occurred at a fancy restaurant called M5. It’s new, open 4 weeks now, and it’s fantastic. Hailing from Toronto, land of delicious food diversity, I’m a critical restaurant-goer. I’m a challenge in that I expect fancy dining to include excellent ambience, amazing food, terrific service and great people-watching opportunities. Oh, and I don’t like it to be “pat” i.e. artificially orchestrated to make your heart flutter. I want it to hit me over the head - incomprehensibly - like the scent of Impulse body spray used to hit those unsuspecting cute guys in the commercials from the 80s. (I should mention, I met my husband on a streetcar and he ran after me as I debarked, yelling my name – which I’d had the foresight to tell him – just like those Impulse guys, but not with flowers. And we’ve been together for 13 years.)

At any rate, this restaurant was spot on with the exception of, perhaps, a smidge of orchestration. I did feel the slightest bit pandered to, but the service, atmosphere, great food and super table more than made up for it. It even had this great wine tasting format I’d never seen before (sorry to seem provincial), wherein you could order 3 different vintages from a particular region in order to savour complimentary flavours simultaneously. Perfect for the foodie with commitment issues who likes to drink a lot. We had 9 glasses of wine on the table at one time!

But one of the surreal joys of the evening was in the people watching. We happened to be out on prom night and, although this restaurant was rather cher (one would imagine) for the teen crowd, it was plein de rich kids on the path of inculturated debauchery. Such fun! Groups of begowned girls and boys in tuxes - whom, my mother was horrified to note, removed their jackets during dinner, couples – whom, my mother was horrified to note, each in turn contributed to the payment of the bill… You name it, we saw it. I didn’t realize prom girls of this day and age wear designer gowns and clutches. And, as the girl in the room, formerly, with the biggest rack, I was shocked by the number of girls who had obviously had their boobs enhanced. I mean, tiny gals plus large breasts plus no bra plus no movement plus no sag = no question. The pomp and circumstance were riveting. They went perfectly with the booze.

Not to mention the other, “regular” people in the place who were wearing some truly glamourous things – black and white, sequined tops, slips as dresses, mega heels. People in TO don’t do themselves up like this for dinner. I guess they’re too jaded, playing up the playing it down. It was a feast for the eyes, being exposed to a whole new kind of dinner dressing. And when you add this to the delicious food and conversation, gotta say it was a super night.

Sometimes There's Just So Much Exciting Stuff In My Head that I Feel Like It Might Explode...

Unsurprisingly, given the title of this post, today happens to be one of those days.

I'm not even going to try to get it all out right now. It's going to take some careful consideration over a few different posts. So sorry for the tease, Dreamecho, but maybe these few details will suffice:

• My husband bought me a cell phone for my birthday (which is coming up soon). It's some kind of fancy Sony Ericsson that is so complex I still haven't figured out how to pick up my messages or answer the fucker before the voicemail kicks in. However, I have discovered how to take pictures with it - and how to get those pictures from the phone onto the blog. I'm feeling so FaceHunter right now!



• Then, last night, en famille, we had the kind of shopping fantasticness that rarely happens - much less in the humdrum milieu of one's own town. Seriously, it was a vacation-style stealth mission to one store - Apartment 909, perhaps the best vintage place EVER!, discovered in the most fun way at 8:00 p.m. still open! More special deets about the gorgeousness of this place to come. Let's just say we all ended up with some dream finds. And you know you are hardcore when you buy the art off the walls and walk it home...



• Meet Exhibit A, taken of the new art, with the new cell:

• Then meet Exhibit B, my daughter in one of her amazing new vintage dresses:

What you can't see here is that the dress has a high ruffled collar and the ruffles continue down the left side of this adorable drop waisted, blue and brown plaid piece.