December 1, 2006

Style Friday (and the damn contest already)

I am embarassed to admit how far behind I am in answering my e-mail, specifically anything even remotely Style Friday related. Occasionally, I wake up in the middle of the night worried that somewhere someone is sitting around in her underwear wating for me to answer her question. No, not really (good lord, you all aren’t sitting around in your UNDERWEAR, are you? is it NICE underwear, at least? no, wait, don’t answer that) but I do feel a little bad about ignoring such nice people, especially when you all ask really interesting questions NOT about superheros.

So now you think that TODAY is the day I’m FINALLY going to get to YOUR question, isn’t it? Well, no, it’s not. We’re celebrating Snow Day: The Sequal here today (yes! out of school AGAIN! holy cow!) and I have about three minutes to write this post before the boys realized that they are cold and insist on coming in the house, so I’m going to tackle two fairly straightforward questions and leave the rest for later. Again. But I will get to everything, just as soon as my kids go BACK TO SCHOOL. I swear.

In the meantime, put some pants on. Some gaucho pants, perhaps! Which gets us to Nicole’s question (look how clever I am! whoo hoo!):

How long should one wear pants that are NOT long, ie. 7/8 or 3/4 or whatever. I once saw Trinny and Susannah on Oprah saying no one should ever wear 3/4 pants but they aren’t mothers with 2 kids, or maybe they are, but they aren’t me!!

Nic

I remember that Oprah (I’m a little embarassed to admit that) and while I generally think Trinny and Susannah are the bomb, I have to disagree about cropped pants. It’s easy to say NO CAPRIS (and NO SHORTS) when you live in the UK, but for those of us living in places where summer is HOT and our kids want to go OUTSIDE, pants all the time aren’t really an option. Also, I seem to recall that Trinny was really pushing the dress-over-pants look just then, which I just think is goofy.

The secret to cropped pants is to chose a shape that creates a balanced line. Skinny cropped pants are tough to wear because most of us are wider at the hip than we are at the ankles, and very narrow cropped pants emphasize this. A wider leg creates a fluid line from hip to ankle, even in a cropped pant.

The shortest lengths, which are only slightly longer than Bermuda shorts, are the most casual and are the most appropriate with a fitted tee (chose one that covers your stomach COMPLETELY, please) and a pair of cute flat sandals, which would totally work for Nicole, as it’s summer where she lives. For more wintery weather, shorter gauchos can be paired with knee-high boots and a sweater or cropped jacket; be sure, though, that your pants cover the tops of your boots, even when you’re sitting down. Exposed tights look sloppy, not stylish.

I am partial to a longer cropped pant, something that hits just below mid-calf; I think this length is the most flattering for everyone. Nic could wear these with boots OR heels OR flats; because they have a wider leg, they will not create the ice-cream-cone look that one gets with tapered capris. These are, hands down, my favorites.

Moving on!

Dear wise one,

Thanks,
Brandi

Brandi’s e-mail made me laugh out loud, both because “vendors’ bitch” is funny and because I was wearing a turtleneck and jeans when I read it. After all, that’s the Mom’s Cold Weather Uniform, isn’t it?

I think Brandi could start with this basic uniform–jeans and turtleneck–and build from there. She could add some great shoes, something with a little heel, and a jacket (right now I am in love with this one). She could also trade her turtleneck for a crew-neck or V-neck sweater and pop a jacket over that.

A second option would be a cute skirt and some great boots; Brandi could wear her denim skirt (Brandi, do you have a denim skirt?) and a pretty sweater, or she could opt for a nicer skirt–silk or wool–with her jean jacket. She should go with something comfortable, as it sounds like she will be to-ing and fro-ing for the vendors. Brandi can also think about some fun jewelry; Target has some really cool things (earrings! and necklaces! for under $20.00!).

For more inspiration, take a look at the Harold’s web site; click the “Outfit Options” tab and browse away! Harold’s mixes and matches beautiful basic pieces that you probably have in your own closet, and it’s always helpful to look at a whole ensemble together. Plus, they have a lovely taffeta cocktail skirt for a little less than $600.00.

Okay, now I feel a little less behind! Hooray! Next week I’ll get all caught up, I swear.

Was there something else you wanted from me? Oh, yes, that . . . .

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST!

It’s the First Annual Friday Playdate/ThisNext Retro Holiday Gifts Contest! Doesn’t that sound terrific? Okay, except for the “first annual” part; if something is the FIRST it’s not yet ANNUAL, so you really shouldn’t use those two words together. And by “you” I mean “I”. Also, you should never use the words BEEF JERKY and EMPORIUM together. And by “you” I mean EVERYONE. Please.

But! Contest! Okay!

I want to know about your favorite retro holiday gifts–things you remember fondly from your childhood, for example, or just things from another era that you find yourself longing for now. Get on over to ThisNext and get yourself set up to start shopcasting; this part will take you perhaps five minutes. Maybe. If your Internet connection is reeeeeeealy slow. It’s THAT easy. Then start surfing the web (or ThisNext!) and recommending great gifts with a retro feel. Your recommendation should tell me, in, say, twenty or so words, why you love this particular thing–what makes it cool and retro and fun. Who would you buy it for and why will they love it. You get the idea.

Tag your recommendations Friday Playdate so I can find them, please. DO NOT e-mail them to me; only recommendations shopcasted at ThisNext will be eligible for the prize. I’ll surf around at ThisNext every day for the next two weeks and highlight the best recommendations here; the VERY best will win a prize.

The prize, provided by the terrific folks at ThisNext, is a $50.00 gift certificate to City Mouse Tees, home of the marvellous Mommy Has Her Moments tee (which you could TOTALLY get with your gift certificate!). They also have some terrific kids tees. Also, the very very fabulous Marisa, founder of City Mouse Tees, will help me choose the winner.

The contest starts right now and will run until midnight on December 15th. Winners will be announced sometime shortly after that. Depending on what kind of week I’m having. You know how it is. If you have any questions, pop them in the comments section and I will make up some kind of answer. Ready, set . . . shopcast!

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5 Responses to “Style Friday (and the damn contest already)”

1. December 1st, 2006 at 12:19 pm, Annika Says:

   Fun! And the perfect distraction from writing this damn review.

2. December 1st, 2006 at 4:27 pm, Brandi Says:

   Thank you for saving me! I found out last night that I got demoted back to “registration table dancer” since they decided they didn’t need a vendor bitch after all. Since it’s a more casual job, I think I’ll stick to my standard jeans and turtleneck. But now I need to go shopping for a coat similar to the gorgeous one you linked. Now that I’ve seen the error of my ways, I have to have a coat like that to dress up the Uniform a bit tomorrow. Thanks for your help! I think I need to make a Target trip while I’m out for those earrings too.

3. December 1st, 2006 at 4:50 pm, The June Cleaver Diaries Says:

   Okay, this isn’t my contest entry, but I thought you’d like to hear about the retro-vintage apron that my mother-in-law picked up whilst antiquing.

   It came with it’s very own retro-vintage used kleenex in the pocket.

   Yum.

4. December 3rd, 2006 at 5:10 pm, scribbit Says:

   oh how I like to read posts that are interesting and funny. Thanks.

5. December 11th, 2006 at 4:22 pm, Alyson Wilson Says:

   We at ThisNext are delighted to see such fantastic and whimsical holiday picks! Friday Playdate readers are so clever!

   Thanks,
   Alyson
   ThisNext Community Director

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