Froth

Alas:

I do not see Oliver this week.

Tonight I have the shrimp parmigiana with a side of broccoli for dinner. It was a mistake not to have a salad for lunch because now I'm fatigued. All I had was a container of raspberries.

I've been wearing the black cashmere long sleeve tee shirt under my green wool jacket. Miraculously I found the black cotton-lycra turtleneck that I figured I'd discarded. It was bunched up on the bottom drawer of my dresser. Today I wear the turtleneck with my purple wool cardigan and I'm hot hot hot in the room where I am. would love to take off the cardigan. Luckily I found the turtleneck because now I can wear it in the spring with jeans or a short skirt and with the wood-and-metal circle necklace I bought in the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego. The Something Silver store also had a bead necklace yet I did not buy that I splurged on the silver necklace.

My birthday gift to myself [for the oh, hell 45] will be a virtual consultation with an image consultant. I would like to figure out once and for all what kind of jeans would flatter me and fit well. I could treat myself to a pair in the spring.

The thing is: I do not like to wear jeans because I'm convinced I don't look good in them. This has been the bane of my fashion existence: finding a great pair. Today I wear the Esprit pair that I bought in the fall.

I find nothing cool about whiskering or horizontally-creased thighs on jeans although that is the trend and jeans with those effects are sold in stores everywhere. Sunday I wore the faded pair from Loft. I know I know: most people see nothing wrong with wearing jeans everywhere. They go to the theater: they wear jeans. They go to a restaurant: they wear jeans. They go to a museum: they wear jeans.

Listen: I wear jeans sometimes it's just that I dislike doing so. I once responded to a guy on a dating website whose profile said he wanted to meet a woman who looked great in jeans. Why was I compelled to do this? He turned out to be incompatible. One thing you're not supposed to do: give a woman your phone number and tell her to call you before you've exchanged prelude niceties via e-mail. You just don't demand a woman do that if you're a stranger. Also women: run away if a guy on the Internet tells you he's separated that's a coy term because he's still married. Do yourself a favor and get a sense of the guy before you jump into a relationship with an online paramour. You don't want someone who is half in and half out. He should give you his undivided attention.

Log on to http://www.dressingwell.com/ and subscribe to the Dressing Well Tip of the Week. I bought Mary Lou Andre's book Ready to Wear: An Expert's Guide to Choosing and Using Your Wardrobe over five years ago. She is the founder of Organization by Design--an image consulting firm that offers $299 virtual consultations via phone. You e-mail them up to 10 photos of yourself in outfits and they suggest improvements or additions.

In early February I'll have a friend take pictures of me in outfits to e-mail to Organization By Design for a critique. Mostly--and this is the truth--I just want someone who is a professional to vet my wardrobe. [I've found a cheaper good digital camera on the Best Buy website.] The consultant also tells you what kind of eyeglasses you'd look good in.

Oh no: this blog entry has devolved into fashion froth. I'm going to wind down now because I see no reason to continue in this vein. Once I get the digital camera I will take photos to place in a look book so I can style outfits and get inspiration for choosing clothes in the morning. Possibly I'll post the photos here in an online look book.

This is all I can give you today: a glimpse of my fashion strategy for the coming season.

What else is there to talk about? You just might see JM take a frivolous turn.

Cheers,

Chris