Happy Friday

Go have fun with your besties :)

Rompers

If you had asked me last year what one of the big fashion trends for the summer of 2010 would be, I don't know if I would have placed "Rompers" on the list. I'm intrigued by them, though - somebody once said that they had all the positive aspects of a sundress but without the possibility of the skirt getting blown up around your ears in a brisk wind, which could only be a good thing. However, as Ms. Richie and Ms. Simpson will attest to in the pictures above, there is a right way and a wrong way to wear a romper (Jess has fallen prey to the "I will NOT go up a size!" way of thinking here, methinks). Since my figure is much more akin to Jessica's than Nicole's, I'm still not sure if rompers are right for me.

There is only one month of summer left, so I have to decide soon. This is the last summer I can wear a romper if I decide to do so, since it is definitely not a look you can pull off past your twenties.

Stationery

I LOVE stationery (I even have my own calling cards). Letter writing is a dying art, I think, and it really is a shame. There's nothing like getting a friend's letter in the mail...e-mail has become so standard and commonplace that taking the time to write and send a card or letter makes it even more of a thoughtful gesture, especially when it's written on something pretty. The card that is pictured is from Rifle Paper Co., and their designs are just adorable - they even do custom personalized stationery to look like you! More of my faves are here, here, and here.

Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon

Madonna's daughter is 14 now, and she is not only infinitely cooler than I was at 14, she is about a million times cooler than I will ever hope to be. EVERRR. Not like this is a news flash - her mother is Madonna. She looks a lot like her mom did when she was a teen, but her face is longer and she's got dark eyes like her dad, Carlos Leon, who apparently dotes on her and has a great co-parenting relationship with Madge. I love this. I always imagined the conversation between Madonna and Carlos, who was one of her backup dancers, to be like: "Hey C, I'm thinking that I want to have a baby. You're a nice guy, you have great genes, and I really don't need a relationship but you can be in the baby's life as much as you want. Wanna knock me up?" Carlos said yes since, well, who says no to Madonna?

Little Lola has her own fashion collection now, "Material Girl" (it's actually Madonna's tween line inspired by Lourdes), and her own blog to go with it. Lola accompanied Madge to a Jay-Z concert and blogged about it, and I found this part to be completely fascinating:

"My mom was dancing the entire time which is LOL now that I think about it, but in the moment I was just like, ”mom…..no…please no”.

Lourdes was embarassed by Madonna's dancing. AMAZING.

No Spring Chicken

The other night, I was playing with my dog on the football field by the local elementary school. There were a few kids hanging out at the playground next door, two boys and three girls, and I'd place them into the 12-15 year-old age range. One boy in a wife-beater and ball cap shouted something at me, but I ignored it, put the dog's leash back on him, and started for home.

As I was walking up the street, I noticed that the same boy was following me, so I turned when he called out this time.

Boy: "Hey!"
Me: "What?"
Boy: "How old are you?"
Me: (Considered making a sassy comment, but decided that the best way to get rid of him was to tell him the truth.) "Twenty-nine."

The kid actually shrank back in horror, then waved me off and turned towards his friends. I laughed and went on my way, but I was still close enough to hear him yell to the other kids on the playground:

"SHE'S OLD!!!"

Yes. Yes I am. Now get off my lawn.

Chelsea Clinton is Getting Married

The former first daughter is getting married this Saturday to Marc Mevinksy, an investment banker at Goldman Sachs whom she's know since college, at the Astor estate in Rhinebeck, NY. The media is going NUTS over this, and I've got to say I'm kind of annoyed.

Not because I have anything in the world against Chelsea - quite the contrary. I have always really liked her a lot. She and I are almost exactly the same age, and I remember thinking at 12 years old how strange (and awesome and sometimes sucky) it must be for her to live in the White House. I felt so bad for her when people were calling her "ugly" as an adolescent - arguably the WORST time to have to be in the public eye, and so I thrilled at seeing her with her pretty new bob haircut and sleek suit, perched between Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna at fashion week in 2002. She handled her father's presidential sex scandal quietly and with dignity (on the campaign trail for her mother's Presidential run, a reporter had the gall to ask her how she felt about the whole Monica Lewinsky thing, and her reply was, "I don't think that's any of your business."). At a time when Britney and Christina and Jessica (also my age) were gaining fame and fortune by taking off their clothes and/or singing poorly, Chelsea was going to Stanford, then Oxford, then getting a job and enjoying her independent young womanhood - far more of a role model for me than any reality star celebrity.

I guess that's why I'm so bothered by the media coverage. She's lived a normal, albeit pretty exceptional, life since leaving the White House - you can't just let her have this day to herself and her friends and her family without trying to sell it to someone? I guess people just LOVE weddings so much that they want to get in on the action. I have done same thing with royal weddings and some celebrity weddings, but I guess I would just like Chelsea's wedding to roll by with a little online blurb about the details that I could read and think: "How nice, I like Chelsea. I hope that somebody saved her a piece of cake."

OPI Nail Polish

I do my own manicures and pedicures. This means that I end up missing a lot of opportunities for girl-bonding, as salon mani/pedis are a time-honored tradition for bridesmaids and bachelorette parties, but I have yet to find a single salon that does a better job on my toes and fingers than I can do myself. Also, I refuse to spend the extra money since I like to change polish colors a lot.

I've found that home mani/pedis last longer if you use a higher quality polish, and OPI is a long-time favorite of mine. They have such a wide range of colors, and the names are too cute. I prefer flat colors to anything with shimmer. "Dutch Tulips" (pictured) is my go-to year-round choice. I love that it's a red but there is so much pink and orange mixed in that it goes with everything. My most recent color purchase was "You Don't Know Jacques", a dark taupey gray.