Quote Of The Day

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

~ Coco Chanel

DVF Volante

One of the many wonderful things about Fashionism.org is that the members of the community are exceedingly generous. This includes the fact that we sell each other gently-used clothing - including DVF's - for generous prices.

Okay, enough dithering - here's my new beauty, with many thanks to the fabulous Marina, a woman who I admire and respect enormously:

(Please excuse the messy hair)

The Only Place You'll Wanna Be is Underneath My Christmas Tree

Yes, I am obsessed with that particular Lady Gaga holiday song.  No, I am not going to let the fact that Christmas is over (or the fact that I'm Jewish) keep me from playing it and quoting it repeatedly.

I think it's time for a fluffier, less emotional post. So, I think I'll share two outfits that I wore over the holiday weekend.

For dinner with my parents on Erve Christmas, a sweater dress from Forever 21 that I picked up a few years ago, along with super cute new boots that are, alas, not pictured:

For Sunday brunch, DVF Pella that was purchased last winter, but never fully appreciated until now:

My Day, In a Nutshell

What I accomplished today, in no particular order:

~ Signed up 30 people for a password-protected area of one of our websites. (Each time I do this, the hardest part is coming up with unique passwords.)
~ Wondered if I'm ready for fall, and reminded myself that I really have no choice. 
~ With a great deal of help from my colleagues in the PR department, I came up with a quote from our CEO for a press release. (Incidentally, it was a press release about the aforementioned website.)
~ Purchased Guerlain kohl eyeliner that my friends at Fashionism.org have been raving about.
~ Confirmed a reservation for a department retreat.
~ Canceled one happy hour and planned another.
~ Email, email, and more email.
~ Discussed why Chicago would have been a great place for the Olympics, and why Rio may be better after all.
~ Decided that these yellow heels really DO match everything.

Time for Happy Hour. Happy Friday, everyone!

Quick Updates

~ My beloved iPhone is back to normal, which makes life in general much better.

~ In the past week, I've attended two of the Stanley Cup Semi?Quarter?I'm not sure? finals to watch the Washington Capitols get pounded; nonetheless, I'm excited to go to the game on Friday.

~ Spring has fully descended upon DC. I love it, even if my allergies have been terrible!

~ So have the tourists - which I do not love. I really wouldn't care -- or complain -- so much if they could just remember that there are quite a number of us who actually live and work in this city. It's not just picturesque monuments and impressive museums, people. And I need to get to work, so please don't try to hold the Metro doors open like they're elevator doors, okay?

~ I realized this morning that I have only dissed female footwear decisions, and not paid any attention to the fashion travesties committed by the men who walk amongst us in DC. That was quickly changed this morning when I heard a jangling sound in sync with the foot-falls of the gentleman who was walking next to me. It was like a chain was attached to his shoes, or, as I realized when I glanced down... Spurs. On business shoes. Oh, how I wish I'd had the chutzpah to take a photograph! I was intrigued and baffled and tried not to laugh. Then I thought: Perhaps this was not as much of a fashion disaster as a fashion statement that I simply did not understand. I just hope someone (else) got it.

Winter? Huh?

This week started with the first REAL snowfall in DC this winter. It was all iced over by the next day, and most of the roads and sidewalks remained slippery. And I noticed on my commute to and from work that a significant number of women, of varying ages were wearing rainboots or Uggs -- I counted 10 pairs of Uggs at my Metro station, and five pairs of of rainboots.

While not a fan of Uggs, I will admit that I'm rather jealous of what I imagine are the wearer's warm feet. I'm not sure how I feel about rainboots, style-wise, but I do know that they're not good on ice. I personally wore hiking boots to brave the DC sidewalks, and I'm sure I'm committing a worse style faux-pas than others.

But the most ridiculous thing I've seen this past week: Women wearing heels with no socks or stockings.

Maybe these women don't want to schlep an extra pair of shoes to the office. Maybe they don't have to be on the frozen tundra of our sidewalks very much. But shoes with no socks when it's below freezing? Maybe the answer here is that I'm more of a Jewish Mother than I've realized... but this seems absolutely, utterly and completely ridiculous.

Anyhow. After two days of the cold (and ridiculous footwear, natch) the Boy and I decided to stop talking about him teaching me to snowboard, and actually make a day trip this Saturday to a ski resort for my lesson. We started assembling gear of his that I'd borrow, talked about what I should wear (long underwear, absolutely; fleece would be better than wool; are cashmere socks a bad idea?), and looked up prices for board rentals.

But now, we have to postpone our plans: It's going to be almost 75 in DC tomorrow, and not much colder than that at the mountain. Trust me, I am the last person to complain about nice weather -- when it gets to be spring, I will spend hours rhapsodizing about the warm weather, sunshine and flowers -- but this is insane weather for March.

I suspect the tourists will descend upon us once again. Cherry Blossom season is approaching, and this weekend could be a sneak preview.

I bet they make ridiculous footwear choices, too.

Shoes and Smoking

I wrote an entry last week about the interesting choices that DC women make in footwear during icy weather, but I didn't put it online -- partially from being swamped at work, but also because the weather has been delightfully spring-like for several days now, which made my thoughts (temporarily) irrelevant. But when the weather changes again in a few days, I'm sure the rain boots and Uggs will come out once more, which will provide me with a chance to share those particular musings.

In the meantime, I am fascinated with this article from the American Journal of Epidemiology, about a potential correlation between smoking and HPV:

Is Smoking an Independent Risk Factor for Invasive Cervical Cancer?

The strong correlation between smoking and exposure to oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) has made it difficult to verify the independent role of smoking in cervical carcinogenesis. .... The point estimates increased with increasing age at diagnosis and increasing cotinine level. This study confirms that smoking is an independent risk factor for cervical cancer/SCC in women infected with oncogenic HPVs. These findings emphasize the importance of cervical cancer prevention among women exposed to tobacco smoke.

Evidence that demonstrates the negative consequences of smoking just keep piling up. And when I see how tobacco uniquely effects women, I get more anxious for my friends who smoke. And angry at the tobacco companies ... but I won't go down that route just now.

Big Tobacco's Spin on Women's Liberation

"Why do nearly one-fifth of women in America smoke? The answer goes back to an event almost 80 years ago on Fifth Avenue, which is often regarded as one of the most successful P.R. stunts in American history...." (the title of this post has the link to the whole article; I encourage you to read more)

Yet another article that I find fascinating, not only because of it's connection to my daily work, but it's pretty much what my Masters thesis was about. The manipulation of women by our society, that results in their smoke cigarettes in order to conform to an ideal, which ultimately results in making themselves subordinate to men...!!!

Okay, I'm done. (For now.)


And now for something completely, fashionably different, I would like to present the two dresses I've recently purchased:

those stylin' DC women

A few weeks ago, it was still unseasonably warm enough for my hometown to be a tourist's delight. I was walking from the Metro to my office building and passed a mother, crouched down to her child's height, pointing into the commuting horde, saying: "... well honey, the ladies wear sneakers for walking and carry nice shoes in their purses to change into at work..."

Okay, I'm one of those sneaker-wearing-ladies. Granted, I wasn't until this past summer, when I finished the process of recovering from a broken foot, but I've joined the ranks for women who carry their nice shoes to change into at work.

But that's besides the point. Overhearing this snippet of conversation made me wonder: Why is this child so observant of the footwear habits of DC women? Is DC really so fashionably backwards that wearing sneakers for part of one's commute is that strange? Strange enough for this child to ask his mother why women aren't wearing their heels?

I'm glad the tourists won't be back until the holidays.

another reason not to smoke, ladies

Cigarette Smoking and the Development of Premenstrual Syndrome

Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson, Susan E. Hankinson, Susan R. Johnson, and JoAnn E. Manson
American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published on August 13, 2008

Smoking at various ages was assessed by questionnaires. After adjustment for oral contraceptives and other factors, current smokers were 2.1 times as likely as never smokers to develop PMS over the next 2–4 years.... Results suggest that smoking, especially in adolescence and young adulthood, may increase risk of moderate to severe PMS. These findings may provide an additional incentive for young women to avoid cigarette smoking.

- - - - - -

Why does this fascinate me? Well, since you asked... I was a women's studies minor (so close to a double major) in college; my Masters thesis was focused on women and smoking; and a great deal of my work has to do with tobacco control and cessation. "The time of the month" can be unpleasant, so why make it worse?

And now, from feminism to fashion.. it's time for something completely different...

The Diane von Furstenburg dress that I am craving at the moment: