Loafing Around

Remember back to school time?  If you weren’t outfitted with a pair of brand new saddle shoes with eraser colored soles you probably had a pair of penny loafers.  Didja have a shiny copper penny (or for the big spenders, a nickel) inserted into the coin slot? Yeah, me too. Well, now you can relive those days with this season’s hottest shoe, the chunky heeled loafer.

A perennial preppy favorite, you can find these kicks at any price point.  Makers include Nine West, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Burberry, True Religion, Chinese Laundry, Gabrielle Rocha, and Boutique 9.

Wear them with to work a suit for extra attitude, and pair them with your favorite jeans on the weekends.  You may not be able to jump double dutch in them, but you’ll double your cool fashionista points.

Carmen Jones

Harry and Dorothy

Back in the day, movies about regular folk had style and elements of glamour.  The stylish 1954 Otto Preminger film Carmen Jones inspired me with an all-black cast led by the fabulously talented and gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge and the still smokin’ Harry Belafonte.

Carmen Jones is a sexy, tragic love story where the lead character seduces, abuses, and subsequently drives a naïve young army pilot mad. Years earlier, Oscar Hammerstein, Jr. had taken Georges Bizet’s Carmen, switched the story's focus from 19th century Spaniards to World War II blacks, and the locale to a Southern military base.

As Carmen Jones, Ms. Dandridge is as sultry as a mid-August day. She struts, flaunting and taunting, heating up the screen while she flirts shamelessly with her prey and her film audience.  Ms. Dandridge is rarely mentioned as a style icon; other black stars such as Diana Ross or Lena Horne are usually cited.  But, as this film shows, she absolutely had the stuff.

Check out this 2009 post from the "Gettogethablog," and read more about this slice of black Hollywood glamour. And if you haven't seen Carmen Jones, what are you waiting for? Add it to your Netflix queue!

The Blushing Cow

Red is smokin’ hot for fall. It’s the color of passion, and whether is it cerise, flame, cardinal, ruby, or cranberry it is an attention getter. So stoke the fire this fall and stand out from the crowd with a red topper! I’ll be wearing a fabulous red leather coat from The Wardrobe Boutique that feels like it soaked in a milk and honey bath for a week. This tomato red will stand out in a sea of urban black biker jackets this fall and look great with everything!

So, my lovelies, pick up a pair of radish red suede flats, a burgundy blazer, or a crimson pencil skirt. Grab some scarlet lip color and dip into some of that Bettie Page glamour.  Bust out of that shy and retiring box and get your plumage on!

Off The Cuff

Tiffany Cuff Bracelet

An alternative to the jingly-jangly charm bracelets and clickety-clackety of beaded bangles is the cuff.  Big. Bold. Bodacious. Legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland was known to wear one on each wrist. Wonder Woman deflected bullets with her cuffs.

Feel like an empress and personalize your look with these statement bracelets. You can find them sculpted, bejeweled, or studded at jewelry retailers everywhere including Ten Thousand Villages, Saks Fifth Avenue, Evesaddiction.com, or Shimmerandstones.com.  You can also find gorgeous tooled leather cuffs that scream hippie chic at Etsy.com.

My favorite is the Tiffany’s “LOVE” cuff that was inspired by one of their 1970s designs (pictured at right).  At $15,000 for the 18K gold piece, it’s absolutely unaffordable for this fashionista but as Debbie Harry once sang, “dreaming is free.”

Don’t Butt In! (Another Summer Style Tip)

Got flashed today.  Not by a creepy old dude in a wrinkled trench coat, but by a middle-aged woman wearing a micro romper and minimal underwear.  She was lowering herself onto a blanket laid out on the grass at an outdoor concert and belly flopped down within a few yards of me with her butt sticking up in the air. The romper didn’t cover her ample bottom so I saw way too much flesh, including those creases that the sun never reaches. It was as if she was sending an invitation.

Here’s another style tip for summer--make sure that your street clothing offers enough rear coverage so that your booty isn’t served up to others. If you want to beat the heat at an outdoor event, nothing beats a lightweight skirt or a pair of cropped cargo pants. Knee length shorts are also hot, paired with a sweet graphic tee or a cool camisole.

Don’t be a bad example; you don’t want someone like me writing about you!