Project Runway

You know how much I love this show! But what's the deal with Blayne? He's a native of NQPS, he's addicted to tanning, he uses the word "girrrlicious" obsessively, and his designs have ranged from simply underwhelming to ridiculous. Does anyone out there know him? Is he really as empty-headed and shallow as he seems on the show? Holla atcha boy! Please tell me he's not! euuuww.

Who Wore it Best?

Who wore it best? In this case, it's a shopping cart. Here's Rob Stewart, wearing a Red Apple woven plastic cart, and being pushed down Yakima Avenue by Deb Krautwurm. There may have been alcohol involved.

But around that same time, Courtney Love was being pushed around LA in a label-less wire cart by her bodyguard (or someone) because (she says) she had a broken toe. There may have been heroin involved.

So I present for your decision, Alert Blog-Readers: Who wore it best? I vote for Rob. I like red.

More Weddings!

Is it my imagination, or are all my friends' kids getting married at once? This has been a summer full of weddings, and they are a great place to find blog-worthy style in NQPS.

This is another version of the cotton sundress seen earlier in green & brown. This one is a red/brown/peach print that looked so cool & comfortable on a hot August night. Accessorized with the matching beer cup.

A gaggle of girls in their summer dresses: bright floral print, black & white polka-dots, tiny print, and perfect cotton LBD. Dresses like these can take a girl lots of places in the summer--they're easy to wear and can be accessorized up or down for lots of occasions.

Loved this polka-dot dress from Guess! It had black satin bustier-like details on the bodice and was just generally a really fun design, plus she looked fabulous in it.

And how often have you seen the MOB in pants? But Patty looked great in this one-piece jumpsuit the ruched silk bodice, flowy crepe pants, and scarf-like detail tying in front. She told me she tried this on at Corday's going-out-of-biz sale and it was perfect for her daughter Gwen's summer wedding.

Even the teeniest wedding guests can show some style. This pint-size dancing machine was wearing a pink cotton tiered sundress that kept up with all her moves! And the sandals were perfect, too. Makes me wish I had a grandkid to dress. Sort of.

Expressions in Fiber

Anyone who loves style should hop on by Allied Art's new show "Expressions in Fiber" which is on display in the Peggy Lewis Gallery until Sept. 14. Here are just a couple of the wild & crazy things on display:

This is a piece titled "The Kelp Queen" by Debbie Bone-Harris. It's a mannequin adorned with beads, tulle, Tyvek(?), and yarn--all orangey and green and looking as if she's just emerged from the deep blue sea.

This blogalicious gown is called "Peacock Splendor". Carolyn Schactler created this piece with a beautiful aqua blue fabric and adorned it with real peacock feathers: all around the neck, down the back, and surrounding the hem. Might be fun to actually wear, if you could be sure no one would step on your tail.
The show also includes lots of wall-hangings, jackets, even little post-card size pieces of fabric art. Fun!

Red High Heel Shobooties

Suppose you've just finished a 5-day state golf tournament, you won every match and placed first in your flight. How do you celebrate? Well they may have presented you with a lovely crystal vase, but that's not really what you wanted, now was it? So here ya go--treat yourself to a pair of lipstick-red, perfie-leather, 3" heel, round-toed ankle boots. Congratulations Cindi, that's exactly what she did. I loved these babies so much I wore them around her house all Saturday night! And face it, I'll never win a tournament. So I'll have to find some other reason to celebrate. Real soon. By BCBG at Nordstrom.

Here's another view, just to up the YUM factor:

Crocs Revisited--Not Just for Nerds Anymore

Ok, so if you've been reading NQPS for any length of time or if you know me at all, you know I've been given to huge nasty radomantades about Crocs. Crocs in the airport, crocs in the mall, crocs out dancing. Euuwwww!

How can I say this? Crocs are changing. And so must I. An alert blog-reader recently opened my eyes to some new crocs, and I have to say--they're not so bad. In fact, they're pretty good. Well, in fact some of them are actually....well, cool. Look at these men's crocs: They have the same croc sole but a denim upper that makes them look a lot like the ol' boat shoe. Plus they're extremely comfortable (especially if one has just had hip surgery--and it seems now like everyone has....). AND they weigh nothing. They're as light as marshmallows. I hear they make men's golf crocs but I have yet to see those.

And who knew? Croc wedges! In beige & white here, but in lots of other color combos. These are great for airports where you have to walk for miles but you also have to be able to get your shoes on & off fast through security.
So there you have it.
I still have to hate those round-toed garden clogs tho. For anywhere but the garden. And on anyone but a 2-year-old.

Dressophobia

Why do women have such a fear of dresses?

American women have sportswear/separates so ingrained into their wardrobes and their heads that for some reason they seem terrified of adding a dress to the mix. While their closets are bursting with pants and jackets, sweaters and skirts, there's a puzzling paucity when it comes to the dress rack. I've noticed that even at formal events many women will be wearing a sparkly top with a black skirt or (worse) pants or (lots worse) skirty-pants--which serve no purpose whatsoever. Why this fear of wearing a DRESS?

Dresses are flattering, fun, interesting, easy to put on, easy to accessorize, and best of all: no worries about what goes with what, does this fit into that, tucked or untucked, oops that's in the laundry, yada yada yada. Just put it on and you're dressed. Hey--what a concept.

So Ladies, let me say this once and for all: Bring back the dress! It comes in so handy for weddings, funerals, church, dinners, lunches, fund-raising things, and whatever. Get over this dressophobia! Put one on and make a statement.

Here's my undying approbation for dress wearers! Here are two I found last Saturday night:

This is Roberta, who was attending a wedding at Apple Tree. It's cotton, it's a fabulous shade of blue, and it has a cute obi tie in the back. Great additions: statement big-bead necklace and silver wedges. Perfect.
Lori's a young mom with a great outlook on style: this is a cotton voile sundress in a green, brown & white deco print with a little shrug sweater over it, plus orangey-red beads--not too matchy-matchy. And here's the kicker:
Matching flip-flop wedgies in exactly the same fabric! How'd she do that???? Objet Trouve!!! Amazing.

Neither of these is specifically a dressy dress for a wedding--either could be worn at lunch or to a show--Lori's would even look cute over a swimsuit.

So there ya have it. Do a dress sometime soon.