Sweater- Burberry
Tank - H&M
Vest - vintage Bobby Brooks
Jeans - Earnest Sewn
Belt - vintage
Necklace - family heirloom
Shoes - Jimmy Choo
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Emerald City
Tunic - Diane von Furstenberg
Trousers - Banana Republic
Bracelets, Earrings, Necklace - H&M
Shoes - Lanvin
Let's Play Rollerball
Game over.
These studded flats (loafers?) from Christian Louboutin have a haute steamroller of a name - Rollerball - and have drop-kicked themselves into my heart.
These studded flats (loafers?) from Christian Louboutin have a haute steamroller of a name - Rollerball - and have drop-kicked themselves into my heart.photo via Jak & Jil
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My Life in Pink
Sweater - Theory
Tank - H&M
Pants - H&M
Earrings - my godmother
Necklace - vintage
Shoes - Missoni
I'll See You Next Time
This Friday marks the last day that Reading Rainbow will be on television. Although production of new episodes ceased in 2006, PBS continued to air re-runs of the show, but recently chose not to renew it's contract. Reading Rainbow will leave the airwaves forever this Friday after a remarkable 26 year run, unless another network decides to pick the re-runs up. Something broke inside of me when I read this news yesterday; if there was one element of my childhood (outside of school and family) that shaped me the most, it would without question be this show.
You can't really talk about Reading Rainbow at all without including it's host and executive producer, LeVar Burton. For me, LeVar is the heart and soul of the show. I was born in 1980 and was all of three years old when Reading Rainbow first began airing, originally as just a summer program on PBS. LeVar put on his sneakers and walked into my life, mustachioed, gold chained, and cool as could be. There was something so true and friendly about his demeanor. Not unlike Mr. Rogers, but with more of an older brother vibe than a kindly grandfather type. The super fun but just-responsible-enough kind of babysitter you always dreamed of getting.
But babysit LeVar did not! He could go twice as high, and had more for us in mind, not least of all was showing an entire generation the correlation between what you read in a book and what happens in the world around you. A book about birthday cakes? Let's go to a fancy patisserie and see a pastry chef create a cake that looks like a basketball. A story about life on the docks? Let's follow it with a video about tugboats and shipyard equipment. Pigs, quilts, puppetry, camping, New York City's garment district, and even heavier issues like poverty and slavery were addressed and presented in ways that were accessible to youngsters.
Some of my friends are librarians, and within that group, a few staunch characters who proudly call themselves children's librarians. One in particular, Amy, sees firsthand the incredible power that the simple ability to read gives to children, and how when this activity is not encouraged (or even worse, not fully achieved) the troubling path they go down. Amy witnesses kids and teens who should be old enough to express themselves verbally, but because they lack vocabulary and a solid relationship with words, become handicapped in social situations. She sees the frustration, fear, and anger cloud their faces. Time and again, when children cannot express themselves with words, she sees them resort to actions instead, and most of the time these actions hurt both their peers and themselves. Sometimes it's a learning disability, but all too often a lack of reading and the absence of books played a key part in hindering their development. Meanwhile, I hear news reports that the majority of adult inmates in the California prison system can not read at a fourth grade reading level. I'm not saying that achieving a sky-high literacy rate is the magic cure that will effectively eliminate crime, but one cannot help but begin to connect the dots.
You might think that after I reached a certain age, when I put away the Barbies and flipped on MTV, I left my days of Reading Rainbow behind me. You would be wrong. I never stopped watching it, even when the books featured clearly were not targeted toward someone my age. Through junior high, high school and college, I watched. Taking half an hour a day to just sit and be quiet and maybe see a video about how toothpaste is made became a comforting ritual through the years, and the fact that LeVar was always narrating and experiencing everything right alongside me felt like hanging out on the porch with an old friend. It was a welcome anchor through some chaotic times in my life. And LeVar hosted every single episode of Reading Rainbow from it's inception in 1983. In the late nineties and early aughts when money for the show was drying up, LeVar used his own personal funds to keep the show going. When I learned of this news, he became nothing less than a hero to me. That's not a word I throw around.
In 2004 I was well out of college and living in a punk house in southeast Portland. Home from my meager food service job and alone in the empty house, I sat down on the futon and switched on KOPB, the local PBS affiliate, one of two channels that our TV's rabbit ears picked up. By the time one of my housemates came home half an hour later, I was in tears. The story of the day had been Follow the Drinking Gourd, and watching LeVar at a museum pointing to chains and shackles and calmly talking to his audience about America's legacy of slavery in a way that a younger age level could comprehend cut right through me. I hadn't learned about slavery in school until fifth grade, and it struck me that if younger kids were going to learn about it, who better to give them an introduction than LeVar. Not just because of the Roots connection, but because underneath the educational current was someone who cared enough to give them the information with an honest, friendly tone.
Thanks to his Twitter, I can still keep up with what LeVar is doing these days, which includes education outreach and advocacy across the country, acting in theater productions, and (spoiler alert!) being on Mad Men (OMG!). He's still the intelligent, fun guy he always seems to have been. One day he tweeted that someone asked him if they could name their new Kindle after a character he had played, since he had informed their experience with books to such a degree. They wanted to name their Kindle 'Kunta Kindle.' LeVar was flattered. "Sure," he replied, "as long as you don't call it Toby."
Fare thee well, LeVar. I say this as a kid who was lucky enough to be read to as a child, who was physically pained to have to put her book away and turn off her lamp every night, who grew up to major in English and get her Masters in Creative Writing. I'm sad your show won't be around for my little niece and nephew. But I'll take that as a sign for me to pick up a book and sit down with them instead. I think we'll all be better off that way.
You can't really talk about Reading Rainbow at all without including it's host and executive producer, LeVar Burton. For me, LeVar is the heart and soul of the show. I was born in 1980 and was all of three years old when Reading Rainbow first began airing, originally as just a summer program on PBS. LeVar put on his sneakers and walked into my life, mustachioed, gold chained, and cool as could be. There was something so true and friendly about his demeanor. Not unlike Mr. Rogers, but with more of an older brother vibe than a kindly grandfather type. The super fun but just-responsible-enough kind of babysitter you always dreamed of getting.But babysit LeVar did not! He could go twice as high, and had more for us in mind, not least of all was showing an entire generation the correlation between what you read in a book and what happens in the world around you. A book about birthday cakes? Let's go to a fancy patisserie and see a pastry chef create a cake that looks like a basketball. A story about life on the docks? Let's follow it with a video about tugboats and shipyard equipment. Pigs, quilts, puppetry, camping, New York City's garment district, and even heavier issues like poverty and slavery were addressed and presented in ways that were accessible to youngsters.
Some of my friends are librarians, and within that group, a few staunch characters who proudly call themselves children's librarians. One in particular, Amy, sees firsthand the incredible power that the simple ability to read gives to children, and how when this activity is not encouraged (or even worse, not fully achieved) the troubling path they go down. Amy witnesses kids and teens who should be old enough to express themselves verbally, but because they lack vocabulary and a solid relationship with words, become handicapped in social situations. She sees the frustration, fear, and anger cloud their faces. Time and again, when children cannot express themselves with words, she sees them resort to actions instead, and most of the time these actions hurt both their peers and themselves. Sometimes it's a learning disability, but all too often a lack of reading and the absence of books played a key part in hindering their development. Meanwhile, I hear news reports that the majority of adult inmates in the California prison system can not read at a fourth grade reading level. I'm not saying that achieving a sky-high literacy rate is the magic cure that will effectively eliminate crime, but one cannot help but begin to connect the dots.You might think that after I reached a certain age, when I put away the Barbies and flipped on MTV, I left my days of Reading Rainbow behind me. You would be wrong. I never stopped watching it, even when the books featured clearly were not targeted toward someone my age. Through junior high, high school and college, I watched. Taking half an hour a day to just sit and be quiet and maybe see a video about how toothpaste is made became a comforting ritual through the years, and the fact that LeVar was always narrating and experiencing everything right alongside me felt like hanging out on the porch with an old friend. It was a welcome anchor through some chaotic times in my life. And LeVar hosted every single episode of Reading Rainbow from it's inception in 1983. In the late nineties and early aughts when money for the show was drying up, LeVar used his own personal funds to keep the show going. When I learned of this news, he became nothing less than a hero to me. That's not a word I throw around.
In 2004 I was well out of college and living in a punk house in southeast Portland. Home from my meager food service job and alone in the empty house, I sat down on the futon and switched on KOPB, the local PBS affiliate, one of two channels that our TV's rabbit ears picked up. By the time one of my housemates came home half an hour later, I was in tears. The story of the day had been Follow the Drinking Gourd, and watching LeVar at a museum pointing to chains and shackles and calmly talking to his audience about America's legacy of slavery in a way that a younger age level could comprehend cut right through me. I hadn't learned about slavery in school until fifth grade, and it struck me that if younger kids were going to learn about it, who better to give them an introduction than LeVar. Not just because of the Roots connection, but because underneath the educational current was someone who cared enough to give them the information with an honest, friendly tone.
Thanks to his Twitter, I can still keep up with what LeVar is doing these days, which includes education outreach and advocacy across the country, acting in theater productions, and (spoiler alert!) being on Mad Men (OMG!). He's still the intelligent, fun guy he always seems to have been. One day he tweeted that someone asked him if they could name their new Kindle after a character he had played, since he had informed their experience with books to such a degree. They wanted to name their Kindle 'Kunta Kindle.' LeVar was flattered. "Sure," he replied, "as long as you don't call it Toby."Fare thee well, LeVar. I say this as a kid who was lucky enough to be read to as a child, who was physically pained to have to put her book away and turn off her lamp every night, who grew up to major in English and get her Masters in Creative Writing. I'm sad your show won't be around for my little niece and nephew. But I'll take that as a sign for me to pick up a book and sit down with them instead. I think we'll all be better off that way.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Think Again
Look what finally came in the mail today.
You know, I thought that having a subscription to a magazine would allow me to get it earlier than the rest of the folks buying it at the newsstand. Not, like, a whole week later, after seeing it at the grocery store, and reading everyone's thoughts about it on Twitter. Just when I think I have my finger on the pulse, I flatline.
That's all.
You know, I thought that having a subscription to a magazine would allow me to get it earlier than the rest of the folks buying it at the newsstand. Not, like, a whole week later, after seeing it at the grocery store, and reading everyone's thoughts about it on Twitter. Just when I think I have my finger on the pulse, I flatline.That's all.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Moving On
My two pairs of skinny Helmut Lang slacks have repeatedly ripped themselves to points that are beyond repair. I have forgone those spendy trousers for a cheaper substitute in the interim. We'll see how this goes.
Sweater - Trovata
Tank - Banana Republic
Trousers - H&M
Shoes - Christian Louboutin
The Edge of the World
Sometimes that's what it feels like to travel to the outer limits of the furthest reaches of the Sunset district. 
Oh yeah, and the food? Incredible. You'll have to trust me on that one; we were too busy eating it up to take photos.
The fog enshrouds you in a cloak of damp cold, the ocean is within rock-hurling distance, and it's hardly the place you'd expect to find a homey, cozy, indie-cool restaurant like Outerlands. And yet.
The doors open at six for dinner, and Ted and I took in the view from 45th and Judah until they let us in.
The decor draws from wood dredged from the sea.
Zines in the bathroom.
Oh yeah, and the food? Incredible. You'll have to trust me on that one; we were too busy eating it up to take photos.Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tsumori Chisato Tights
Holy damn, gurls. When I see tights this hot, it makes me want to take a giant creative leap, cheat death, call them leggings, and do the 'pants optional' thing that certain folks have been sporting as of late. Plus the fact that they are from Tsumori Chisato, whom I have loved for years, makes me swoon all the more.
If you went to my high school and could recite whole scenes from The Nightmare Before Christmas, your ass owned a pair of tights just like these, except in black and white. And my preppy ass was all sorts of neck-snappy at your sartorial shenanigans. These babies are just one step away from those black and white striped witch tights and now look who's lusting for them - the gal who named her cats Banana and Republic, that's who. (I'm kidding!...or am I?)
Paris is burning!
If you went to my high school and could recite whole scenes from The Nightmare Before Christmas, your ass owned a pair of tights just like these, except in black and white. And my preppy ass was all sorts of neck-snappy at your sartorial shenanigans. These babies are just one step away from those black and white striped witch tights and now look who's lusting for them - the gal who named her cats Banana and Republic, that's who. (I'm kidding!...or am I?)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tabitha Simmons Boots
I am really loving these suede and leather booties from British shoe maven and former model Tabitha Simmons. The stacked heel, buckles, and smattering of fringe put me in a perfect mood for fall.
Once only available at Bergdorf Goodman, they can now be purchased off of Net-a-Porter, whose service I have only good things to say about. That said, these boots are almost two grand. No joke.
There is a cool article and profile on Tabitha and her style in the August issue of British Vogue (Julianne Moore is on the cover) which explains her love of footwear and then some. Check it out!
Once only available at Bergdorf Goodman, they can now be purchased off of Net-a-Porter, whose service I have only good things to say about. That said, these boots are almost two grand. No joke.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Tumbling Dice
Cardigan - James Perse
Shirt - Majestic Paris
Jeans - Habitual
Belt - vintage
Shoes - Christian Louboutin
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Urban Outing
Earlier this week Amy and I hopped into a borrowed Ford F-150 to pick up some furniture and household knicknacks. Our ultimate destination was Urban Ore, but first we came face to face with a dusty old Thunderbird that had a sprinkling of brand new, unused toothbrushes on its hood. Documentation was mandatory.
To visualize Urban Ore, picture a Costco completely gutted of anything new, and fill it with every odd accessory that could possibly comprise the contents of a home a hundred times over. Every cake mixer, pair of skis, kitchen chair, sausage grinder, chandelier, teddy bear salt and pepper shakers, and life-size cardboard cut out of Steve Martin from The Jerk, all at thrift store prices.
I found this illustrated portrait of an African American couple. Judging from their clothing, it seems to be from the 1910s or maybe very early 1920s. The lady's hat is very Mary Poppins-esque.
The inner fabric lining was stained and peeling away, and all I could think of was how all the children that have gone for a ride in that thing are probably all dead by now. Then that reminded me of this story I recently heard on the news of how the last known survivor of the Titanic recently passed away. She was but an infant girl when the ship went down. But I'm normally an upbeat person, I swear! Totally the life of the party. Trust.
Amy found some vases for her new apartment, and I got a ceramic lizard-green ashtray straight out of a Mad Men prop closet.
There was also a sewing machine graveyard. They were all clustered around each other like snails, tired and hunched over in a rainbow of colors.
To visualize Urban Ore, picture a Costco completely gutted of anything new, and fill it with every odd accessory that could possibly comprise the contents of a home a hundred times over. Every cake mixer, pair of skis, kitchen chair, sausage grinder, chandelier, teddy bear salt and pepper shakers, and life-size cardboard cut out of Steve Martin from The Jerk, all at thrift store prices.
Hallways like this conjured up images of Portland's Rebuilding Center in my mind.
I can't remember what these things are called.
I found this illustrated portrait of an African American couple. Judging from their clothing, it seems to be from the 1910s or maybe very early 1920s. The lady's hat is very Mary Poppins-esque.
Here's more of that, from the same time period I'd wager, but this white Edwardian lady is hatless and silently judging you!
Creepiest of all was this decrepit straw baby buggy that had to be just as old as the portraits.
The inner fabric lining was stained and peeling away, and all I could think of was how all the children that have gone for a ride in that thing are probably all dead by now. Then that reminded me of this story I recently heard on the news of how the last known survivor of the Titanic recently passed away. She was but an infant girl when the ship went down. But I'm normally an upbeat person, I swear! Totally the life of the party. Trust.
Amy found some vases for her new apartment, and I got a ceramic lizard-green ashtray straight out of a Mad Men prop closet.
There was also a sewing machine graveyard. They were all clustered around each other like snails, tired and hunched over in a rainbow of colors.
Two by two.
And tea for two.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Illusion of Exclusivity
The DSW in downtown San Francisco had been loud and proud about its latest shipment of Gucci merchandise, a haul that was allegedly quite massive. I have never owned anything by Gucci, and my curiosity was piqued, so this weekend I popped in to see what was what.
Walking into a massive discount chain store to encounter a flurry of people tripping over themselves to examine row upon row of the exact same brown boot was one thing, turning a corner and coming face to face with a wall of dozens and dozens of the exact same Gucci bag hanging on hooks as if they were Spongebob umbrellas at Target was quite another. Upon seeing this wall of bags, bags that I am accustomed to seeing displayed one at a time like museum pieces under soft lights, one word immediately came to mind: bonerkiller.*
I have never had the inclination to swing a logo-a-go-go Gucci bag from the crook of my arm, but seeing them stacked up so high, shoved into a space so tiny they reminded me of mass-produced cheeseburgers lined up right behind the counter under the heat lamps ready to be grabbed, made me want it even less. There's something a little off-putting about seeing a brand that works so hard at maintaining an air of luxurious, high-end exclusivity suddenly stuffed in with the Steve Maddens, and in such high quantities at that. The idea of scarcity, or the myth that only a certain kind of person with a certain kind of bank account could afford these bags, (Dana Thomas explores this idea and much much more in her awesome book Luxe: How Luxury Lost It's Luster) completely disappeared. All the gloss and mystery was instantly washed away. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, more like watching the most stylish woman you know walk out of the bathroom after accidentally tucking her skirt into her white granny panties. Whoopsie. The spell is broken.
But DSW is not about exclusivity. This Gucci merchandise had become so attainable that you literally had to bend over to pick it up. Even more off-putting was the sheer number of items right there in plain sight, and any illusions of grandeur attained from acquiring something that is perceived as being rare or exclusive were dashed then and there.
(*I realize 'bonerkiller' might technically be two separate words)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Makeup Counter Shenanigans
Tonight Ted and I hopped in the wayback machine for a movie date. We thought watching something that took place in New York would conjure up fond memories of the weekend we recently spent there. Instead of opting for a Woody Allen film (or Ghostbusters!) we took a slighty different approach.
This is my favorite scene from the movie, even moreso than the one with Liza Minelli. Obvs.
This is my favorite scene from the movie, even moreso than the one with Liza Minelli. Obvs.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
The Sexy-fiying Makeover of Janine Melnitz
Well hello. Long-time readers of this website are aware of the fact that I have a heavy crush on the subject of costume design for film and stage. Having studied theater, film, and costume design in college, I find it to be a whirly combination of so many things that I already love and I find it endlessly fascinating that costume has the power to augment a character's presence, backstory, personality, and development.
And hey, you know what else I love? Ghostbusters! And not just because both the movies in the franchise star the amazingly talented and fantabulously gorgeous Sigourney Weaver! Though Ms. Weaver is a total dreamboat, the focus of this post is not on cellist Dana Barrett, but on a more minor female character, and the dramatic transformation this character makes from the first Ghostbusters movie to the second. Ladies and gentlemen: Janine Melnitz.
It is a crime that there are not more photos of Janine Melnitz, played superbly by Annie Potts, on the internet, especially since this post is a comparison between the costuming choices for this character in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and the dramatic aesthetic shift that takes place.
And hey, you know what else I love? Ghostbusters! And not just because both the movies in the franchise star the amazingly talented and fantabulously gorgeous Sigourney Weaver! Though Ms. Weaver is a total dreamboat, the focus of this post is not on cellist Dana Barrett, but on a more minor female character, and the dramatic transformation this character makes from the first Ghostbusters movie to the second. Ladies and gentlemen: Janine Melnitz.
It is a crime that there are not more photos of Janine Melnitz, played superbly by Annie Potts, on the internet, especially since this post is a comparison between the costuming choices for this character in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and the dramatic aesthetic shift that takes place. In the first Ghostbusters movie, Janine is a straight up nerd, and makes no apologies for it. Theoni Aldredge, the costume designer for this film, dresses Janine in buttoned-up casual office wear. She wears high necks, big shapeless sweaters (and not in a Flashdance way, more like a Mrs. Doubtfire way) and gigantic round glasses. She looks like an owl, or maybe a dowdy algebra tutor. Her hair is very short, and she wears minimal makeup and almost no jewelry, preferring to accesorize her oversized spectacles with a droopy red lanyard. Her unrequited attraction to fellow dorkus malorkus Dr. Egon Spangler, played by Harold Ramis, is easy to see. At one point she casually confesses to Egon that most people think she's "too intellectual" in hopes of winning his heart. Her budding crush dissipates to nothing, as Egon does not return the affection. While her character has many funny moments and lines, Janine is cynical, frank, frumpy, and devoid of almost any sexuality.
Five years pass. Ghostbusters II comes along. And all of a sudden, Janine looks...different.
While the character's personality did not change much, Janine's instrinsic nerdiness has been all but wiped away and replaced with quirky intrigue and a dash of edgy hipness (well, a watered-down circa-1989 Hollywood version of edgy hipness). Gone is Janine's bookish, understated aesthetic. Instead we have a sexy leopard swing coat, bright green gloves, red hair dye on her considerably longer hair, choppy Bettie Page bangs, makeup, and off-kilter jewelry. This Janine looks like she shops at Barneys and SoHo vintage boutiques instead of the clearance bin at Dress Barn.
Also gone are her flirtations toward Egon, which is no big loss. I mean, what's the point of chasing after someone who won't give you the time of day? Janine instead falls into a totally out-of-left-field and slighty forced fling with Louis Tulley, a loveably awkward nerdy accountant/attorney, played by Rick Moranis. So instead of fruitless attempts at reaching for Egon's test tube beaker, she's got her hands in Louis' pocket protector and is finding success - which is where (and why) the costume choices for Janine make a crucial departure. I say this because it truly seems like Gozer climbed inside her closet and took over her wardrobe.
Here's a screen grab of Janine looking all tousled after a roll in the hay with Louis on Dana's couch. Smoky eyes, funky earrings, and an overall more femme appearance. Many a frumpy turtleneck sweater and orthopedic shoes knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day I can tell you.
I mean, good for Janine for getting a piece. It's by far the most dramatic thing that happens to her in the whole movie. But the fact that she looks so different from her earlier, homelier, nerdier incarnation begs the question of why. Why did she get such a dramatic makeover in Ghostbusters II when all the other characters, both major and minor, went through no such transformation? All I can think of is that someone involved in the movie (either costume designer Gloria Gresham or someone else) figured that Janine had to be sexy-ed up a bit in order for her to be believable as a woman who has sexual desires and could successfully seduce a man. Because intellectual women who dress conservatively are frigid creatures who neither desire or deserve sex. Louis Tulley still dressed every bit the nerd that he is and he still got layed. Janine's character stayed the same throughout, but it's the Newer! Quirkier! Sexier! visual of her that burns me up with the power of a thousand Stay-Puft Marshmallow men. It's not Janine's fault. She didn't have to pull on those black go-go boots to get in Louis' high water pants. The owl glasses would have been just fine.
Five years pass. Ghostbusters II comes along. And all of a sudden, Janine looks...different.
While the character's personality did not change much, Janine's instrinsic nerdiness has been all but wiped away and replaced with quirky intrigue and a dash of edgy hipness (well, a watered-down circa-1989 Hollywood version of edgy hipness). Gone is Janine's bookish, understated aesthetic. Instead we have a sexy leopard swing coat, bright green gloves, red hair dye on her considerably longer hair, choppy Bettie Page bangs, makeup, and off-kilter jewelry. This Janine looks like she shops at Barneys and SoHo vintage boutiques instead of the clearance bin at Dress Barn.
Also gone are her flirtations toward Egon, which is no big loss. I mean, what's the point of chasing after someone who won't give you the time of day? Janine instead falls into a totally out-of-left-field and slighty forced fling with Louis Tulley, a loveably awkward nerdy accountant/attorney, played by Rick Moranis. So instead of fruitless attempts at reaching for Egon's test tube beaker, she's got her hands in Louis' pocket protector and is finding success - which is where (and why) the costume choices for Janine make a crucial departure. I say this because it truly seems like Gozer climbed inside her closet and took over her wardrobe.
Here's a screen grab of Janine looking all tousled after a roll in the hay with Louis on Dana's couch. Smoky eyes, funky earrings, and an overall more femme appearance. Many a frumpy turtleneck sweater and orthopedic shoes knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day I can tell you.I mean, good for Janine for getting a piece. It's by far the most dramatic thing that happens to her in the whole movie. But the fact that she looks so different from her earlier, homelier, nerdier incarnation begs the question of why. Why did she get such a dramatic makeover in Ghostbusters II when all the other characters, both major and minor, went through no such transformation? All I can think of is that someone involved in the movie (either costume designer Gloria Gresham or someone else) figured that Janine had to be sexy-ed up a bit in order for her to be believable as a woman who has sexual desires and could successfully seduce a man. Because intellectual women who dress conservatively are frigid creatures who neither desire or deserve sex. Louis Tulley still dressed every bit the nerd that he is and he still got layed. Janine's character stayed the same throughout, but it's the Newer! Quirkier! Sexier! visual of her that burns me up with the power of a thousand Stay-Puft Marshmallow men. It's not Janine's fault. She didn't have to pull on those black go-go boots to get in Louis' high water pants. The owl glasses would have been just fine.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
New York Minute
This weekend Ted and I re-created scenes from our favorite Mary-Kate and Ashley movie.
Ah, New York City. For the most part, we walked around, ate a lot, shopped, and rode the subway. Our favorite shopping places were Topshop, Uniqlo and What Goes Around Comes Around.
It wasn't all subways, though. I noticed that New York cab fares are a bit cheaper than San Francisco's. Can't really say why, but it is so much more fun to pose on subway platforms than inside taxis. Am I right?
Also fun: posing in Asian grocery stores in Greenwich Village where entire walls are devoted to nothing but Pocky!
We stayed at the Hotel Chandler, which was a couple blocks away from the Empire State Building. I didn't want to be all touristy and take a picture but Ted bugged me about it to the point where I finally caved, and frankly, I'm glad I did.
Hands down, my favorite place we ate was Dirt Candy. It was scrumptiously perfect in every way, with the exception of the mood lighting inside proving to be a little difficult for photography. Everything had a warm, peachy-orange glow, which basically made you look like an Oompa Loompa.
No! No, we didn't. For the record, 'Billboard Dad' is our real favorite. Duh doi!
Ah, New York City. For the most part, we walked around, ate a lot, shopped, and rode the subway. Our favorite shopping places were Topshop, Uniqlo and What Goes Around Comes Around.
It wasn't all subways, though. I noticed that New York cab fares are a bit cheaper than San Francisco's. Can't really say why, but it is so much more fun to pose on subway platforms than inside taxis. Am I right?
Even more fun is to pose near your favorite places referenced in Ramones songs.
Also fun: posing in Asian grocery stores in Greenwich Village where entire walls are devoted to nothing but Pocky!
Which includes Pocky developed Just For Men.
Some of the places we ate were pretty low-brow, and others were fancy.
Opportunities for indulging our sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) abounded.
We stayed at the Hotel Chandler, which was a couple blocks away from the Empire State Building. I didn't want to be all touristy and take a picture but Ted bugged me about it to the point where I finally caved, and frankly, I'm glad I did.
Hands down, my favorite place we ate was Dirt Candy. It was scrumptiously perfect in every way, with the exception of the mood lighting inside proving to be a little difficult for photography. Everything had a warm, peachy-orange glow, which basically made you look like an Oompa Loompa.
Goodbye, old New York. We'll be back.
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