Let me expand on what Francesca’s surely sainted mother said. Don’t leave the house without something that makes you feel fierce. If putting lipstick and earrings on makes you feel all stepfordy and weird, don’t do it. Plumcake herself, who’s got big ole Angelina Jolie lips, doesn’t wear much lipstick at all but I’d rather let Heinrich Himmler give me a Brazilian than leave the house without the eyelashes –extensions or individuals, depending on whether my fantabulous stylist friend has been over for Scarves and Sunnies Night* recently– that make my blue eyes bluer and lets me look pulled together and glamorous even if I wake up hung over, covered in bulldog slobber with 10 minutes to get to church which quite frankly, happens more often than you might think.
(Plumcake loves Dior Sunglasses, while hers aren’t available online here are a similar pair on big sale from Amazon.com)
It’s all about what makes you feel good about you. A wise old nun –seriously, penguin get-up and all (speaking of which, black and white is going to be all over the place for the next few seasons and I love it) — once told me to “always have more fun than anyone else” and I don’t know about you ladies, but it’s pretty hard for me to have fun when I’m tromping around feeling like the unfortunate and frumpy love child of a yeti and an Amish drag queen.
*Scarves and Sunnies Night: when Plumcake and her friends put on their glammiest sunglasses and scarves and pile into Stella, Plumcake’s fabulous-beyond-words classic Cadillac convertible, and drive around
“Don’t leave the house without something that makes you feel fierce.”
Ah, now THAT is different, and perhaps if the Annalucia were not so lamentably literal-minded, she would have realized that the “lipstick and earrings” post was meant in that spirit. Luckily she has been blessed with such good hair – abundant and very curly and (finally!) cut to flatter her face – that the mere act of washing and combing will set her up for the morning.
And now she must finally tear herself away from this excellent blog and go and study her French. A bientot…
Comment by Annalucia — August 9, 2007 @ 11:44 am
What makes me feel “fierce” when I leave the house (who came up with that, anyway..fierce? Now really) is (wait for it)…a jacket. Any kind of jacket. Long sleeves or elbow length..it does not matter. No matter what else I wear, if I have a coordinating jacket, I feel pulled together and ready to meet anything that comes my way. Even a matching sweater will not do as much for my “fierce-ness” as a jacket will do. Today’s outfit consists of: black NY and Co. slacks, brown sandles, a brown, red, beige and orange knit v-necked top (on sale right now at $7.99), big wood bead necklace from Newport News circa 1985, and..a black long sleeved jacket. I’m going to two, count ’em, two political fundraisers after work and no one, but no one is going to call me Hillery tonight (heh, the cleavage factor will put pay to that for sure).
Comment by Toby Wollin — August 9, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
>
So funny!
Looking the whole package definitely brings out the fierce in me, but I think the key elements are: big-ish hair, cleavage, makeup, skirt and heels. Big sunglasses and bold designer bag in a fab color are usually in the mix as well. I’m very Stepford meets Kitten With A Whip.
Totally jealous of Plumcake’s crew and their Cadillac expeditions. Even as a tiny girl, I tried to be the ingénue in a scarf and big glasses. Never understood why my parents wouldn’t let me wear it on the plane…spoilsports.
I am decidedly not fierce today, but I woke up when I’m supposed to be leaving for work after a nightmare about shopping ALL DAY LONG for trapeze dresses with two very skinny, very shallow ex-friends who wouldn’t stop talking. It was awful. I need a hug.
Comment by sara — August 9, 2007 @ 2:53 pm
As a blonde, I can not leave the house without mascara. My hair might be a mess and my legs unshaved but by God I’ll be working the mascara.
Comment by Elizabeth K — August 10, 2007 @ 7:07 am
Aha! Mr. Boots and I will be in Austin next weekend. If I see a classic Caddy filled with fabulous womens, we will be sure to honk and wave!
I will be the one rocking the new hairdo.
Comment by DasBoots — August 10, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
Though I agree with Francesca’s mother’s friend about the earings and lipstick (or gloss for a gentler look), my best trick for a morning where I don’t feel super fierce and don’t have time to take out the whole bag of tricks is to toss on a cute little dress. Add shoes, a pair of Luvees ( http://www.selanicorp.com/Store/LuveesStore/home.aspx ) to beat the inner thigh chub rub and a bag and you’ve got an adorable outfit. There are so many great dress options out there these days too so it makes it super easy to find cute ones.
Comment by Kimocean — August 11, 2007 @ 3:08 am
sara — hugs to you for the horrific dream. I used to have a best friend who was about a third of my size. I hated going shopping with her…or anywhere there would be the men types to oogle…now the KateriBella’s best friends are the ones shopping in the same department (and the men types to oogle are oft pointed out to me by the hubby!).
Comment by KateriBella — August 13, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
For me, fierce is a hat. I have a wide selection and almost never leave the house without one. From the garnet red velvet beret (often worn with a fabulous brooch) to my glorious black and beige straw sunhat with a brim wider than my shoulders to my purple canvas short topper with the gold sunbursts that literally has stopped traffic when worn in conjunction with my awesome purple suede coat, it’s the hat that lets people know it’s me coming down the street.
And I can’t wait for the weather to turn cold enough to wear my glorious suede coat again! It’s one powerful piece of clothing.
Comment by Twistie — August 30, 2007 @ 3:03 pm