Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Word on the street is that we’re in for a little fashion shock this fall. I’ve heard (and seen) the likes of leggings with over-sized sweaters, shoulder pads and neon. My curiousity got the best of me so I decided to investigate what was on the fashion horizon. The logical starting point was New York Fashion Week and it did not disppoint.

I didn’t get through all of the designers, but I browsed through some of the standards: Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, BCBG, DKNY, Ellen Tracy and Anna Sui. So, while not all of these designers embrace the same trends, I think I can give you a quick glimpse into the future.

1. The hot colors are black (naturally), loden green, dark teal, maroon, cream, gold and chocolate.

2. The hot patterns and materials are tweed, plaid, rugby stripes, cable knit, striped tie-dye (check out Michael Kors for that one) and brocade.

3. Leggings were shown tucked into slouchy boots with belted over-sized sweaters. This is a look for anyone who wants to add 10 pounds to their figure.

4. Skirts ranged in length from the mini to the floor and all were paired with tights.

5. Almost all designers featured dresses. Many were layered strappy sundress types over long sleeved ts.

6. Gauchos, knickers and shorts were all paired with boots and tights.

7. Almost all sweaters were belted.

8. Ponchoes seemed to be appearing in a few places, but were worn over leggings as were capes.

That’s all for now. Even though it’s 90 degrees outside, it’s never too soon to think about the next fashion season. I’m going to get a sneak peek at Spring 2007!

Since I have nothing interesting to write about, I decided to start a Topic of the Week column where I’ll pose a question, review, query, whatever and encourage all those willing to respond. So here’s this week’s topic in honor of the upcoming holiday:

Mosquitoes: Should they have been allowed on The Ark? Discuss.

I finished it! One Hundred Years of Solitude is now a distant memory. And I beat my deadline of July 4. Actually, the book was really good once I gave up trying to figure out all the characters. The ending was depressing, but the story was good. I might actually read it again someday.

Now it’s time to start Assassination Vacation, a gift from Greg for my birthday. I hear it’s a hoot and I need something funny.

Now that I’ve whined about my actual birthday, I thought I should mention the fantastic party my sister, brother-in-law, and husband threw me on Saturday night. That way I don’t sound like an ungrateful spoiled brat.

It all started last Thursday with the billboard surprise. I knew I was in for some fun. Friday night, we had a family dinner and multiple birthday celebration at mom and Burl’s. We gave Ralph and Blair their birthday gifts since their big days are July 11 and June 30, respectively. Dinner was delicious and we all had a great time. By the time Steve and I got home, Michael and Suzanne were there and we opened a bottle of wine, sat around the table and chatted. Suz, ever the impatient one, insisted I open all of my gifts that night. One item was a hand dyed silk veil so, with the prompting of another bottle of wine, Suz and I belly danced in the living room for the guys. She’s much better than I, but it was a blast. Shortly after midnight Michael and I decided we were tired so we went to bed and Steve and Suzanne stayed up chatting.

Saturday was busy! We had Julia’s third birthday party at mom’s from 11-12:30, then Suzanne and I went to the MAC counter and had our makeup done for the party. A quick trip to TJ Maxx followed then it was time to get home and relax before the party. I still hadn’t finalized my attire, but it didn’t take long to decide (for once in my life). The party was wonderful! A few good friends couldn’t be there (Doug, Mary, Sherrie, Tim, Jill), but it felt so good to be surrounded by my friends. Thanks to party planners extraordinnaire, Steve, Ralph and Blair, the food was outstanding and there was plenty of it. The large wedge of baked brie was the first to go, but nobody went hungry. Tim and Jill had a banner made of my billboard and everyone signed it. It was so funny to explain my hairstyles to people. In keeping with the party theme, Ralph had buttons made of some of my worst looks and everybody wore them for the party. It was a walking hair history. As the party wound down, Eric invited a group over to Hickok’s for another drink. About a dozen of us headed over there and played 20 Questions. I laughed so hard my throat hurt! Ralph and Blair briefly left to attend a local concert, then joined us for the last hour or so. The night didn’t end until after 1 am proving you’re never too old to party.

Thank you Ralph, Blair and Steve for a party I’ll never forget. It was one of the best times I’ve ever had and a perfect way to ring in a new decade. Now, let the planning begin for your 40th!

A milestone birthday always holds a certain amount of expectation. Along with that expectation comes disappointment when things don’t go as planned. Thus was the actual day of my 40th birthday. Now, before you start flooding my blog with accounts of my fabulous party on Saturday night, please understand this has nothing to do with that. I had a magnificent time. It was an ideal celebration. Here I’m talking about the actual day.

First, I got to work hoping to have a small fuss made for me. I was greeted with a lackluster “happy birthday” then informed we would not be going to lunch as a group because one person wasn’t there and the other was on a 24 hour liquid diet per doctor’s orders. I was mildly pissed. Brent did offer to take me to lunch anyway and told me to invite Steve. So the morning passed with little fanfare. Lunch was sushi at Haruno and it was excellent, but it was awkward. Brent was having a stressful day and it was obvious. Steve sent me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers so that brightened my desk for the afternoon. Ok, so work was a wash and I mistakenly thought my coworkers were my friends and that’s just not true here. So, on we go to the evening.

Plans were to have dinner at Agrario with Doug and Mary. When Steve got home, unfortunately, I was still in a bad mood so I wasn’t interested in opening my present. Some prodding on his part prompted me to lose the attitude and open my gift. No surprise, it was a purse I’d seen a month before. I freaked. Not because I was happy, but because I knew how much it cost. I made him return it. Yes, I was making myself miserable. On to dinner, which was a lovely affair. Doug and Mary always make me laugh and sometimes cry. We shared a delicious meal, wonderful wine and fantastic friendship. So while my day might not have been up to milestone par, at least I ended it with a good meal and great friends.

Ok, enough bitching for now. But on my actual 50th, there’d better be a fuss.

Ok, let’s all sing along together:

Happy Birthday to me!
Today I’m for-ty!
Oh wait, I meant thir-ty!
Happy Birthday to me!

For those of you living in the Springfield, MO area, you might want to take a short drive out East Cherry near 65 Highway. Why? Well, there you can see the lovely 23 ft x 11 ft billboard my husband created for me in honor of my upcoming 40th birthday.

Let’s just say it’s quite a nice tribute to the history of my hair. We’ll leave it at that.

Thanks, honey!

I don’t tan. I’d like to, but considering the health risks and the fact I’m very pale, it’s best that I seek alternatives to the sun. I’ve tried many different self-tanning products and have been pleased with the end results, but turned off by the strong smell. The introduction of moisturizing lotions with a hint of self tanner has been great, but the smell still lingers. So I’ve made it my mission to unearth the best self-tanning moisturizing lotions and here’s how it’s going so far:

Jergen’s Daily Glow – The original. Good color, but the strongest smell of the bunch.

Dove Energy Glow – Good color, better smell, but gets stronger as the day progresses.

Neutrogena Body Glow – Provides more color than the other ones, dries in 5 minutes, least
smell. It does take more effort to work it in than the other ones and I don’t think it’s quite as moisturizing, but it’s my current favorite.

What have you tried? I know there are many more brands and formulas to try, but I can’t do it alone. Let me know what’s working for you.

Congratulations go out to our good friends Sarah and Dennis who got married on Sunday after being together for 15 years! I asked her what prompted the wedding now after all this time and she said it was something they’d talked about in the past and just decided to do it. We went over there last night to meet Dennis’s brother and sister-in-law and learn how to play Texas Hold ‘Em. Every time we’re at Sarah’s it seems like a poker game breaks out so we were game for learning something new. Turns out Texas Hold ‘Em isn’t the game for me. It’s too cutthroat. I prefer something more interesting and fast when it comes to cards. It was still a fun evening of wine, cheese, assorted nibbles and lots of laughter. We saw the wonderful masks Dennis is creating and I got a sneak peek at the newest piece Sarah is working on. I need to save my money so I can afford it!

Last week I was asked to model in a fashion show on Saturday held at Twin Oaks Country Club. I said “yes” wondering if this was some sort of joke or if they were trying to make the real models feel good by putting me in with them. Although the show didn’t start until 12:30, we were requested to arrive at 9:30 so our hair and make-up could be tweaked and we could practice modeling.

One step inside the room and I realized this was no ordinary event. About a dozen “ladies” were milling around chatting with each other. The sheer volume of make-up and rhinestones was overwhelming. I arrived in Bermuda shorts, a blouse and Birkenstocks and was severely underdressed. These women were so decked out that I thought most of them were already in their outfits for the show. My favorite outfit was on a 50-something woman who was wearing cropped jeans with ribbon and rhinestone trim, an embroidered jacket, and lucite (yes, I said lucite) heels. I asked her if they were comfortable and she said (laughing), “Oh, honey, no these aren’t comfortable. I only wear them if I don’t have to walk much!” I guess sitting in a chair, having your hair done for a fashion show, qualifies.

After an hour or so, refreshments were brought in to the room so we could nibble before the show. We had a nice cheese/cracker/grapes tray, water and iced tea, and two large carafes of wine. Yes, wine. I guess they wanted to make sure we were relaxed. I can tell you that since my shoes were 4″ tall, I wasn’t taking a chance with alcohol. Apparently, that didn’t faze a few of the other models who polished off the white wine in no time flat. Nobody acted drunk, but I was amazed at the alcohol intake before noon. I was feeling like the stuffy member of the country club sorority set.

Then the show began. The theme of the event was “outdoors” and tables were decorated in camping gear complete with s’mores centerpieces. I was wondering what the purpose of this event was when it dawned on me: this was something for the “girls” to do while their husbands competed in a golf tournament. Call me weird, but I’d be doing something else on my day off besides lunching at the club. But I digress…we modeled, looked fabulous, were praised for our poise, then we immediately changed and got the hell out of there. It became crystal clear to me that I will never be part of the country club set. I barely survived one sorority in my lifetime so I’m not volunteering for another, thankyouverymuch.