“Merissa” linen dress by Lafayette 148, available in sizes 16, 20, and 22 at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Francesca drools.
May 20, 2008
Big Girls in Art: Sue Tilley
Our readers will be pleased to know that a vivid portrait of Big Girl Sue Tilley, of London, has recently broken art-world records. It sold at Christie’s for over 33 million American dollars, the most ever given at an auction for a work by a living painter. Lucian Freud created 4 portraits of Tilley in the mid-1990’s. This one, the record-breaker, is called “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping”:
What Francesca likes best about this story is Tilley’s superfantastic fattitude:
The portrait’s sitter, Sue Tilley – now promoted from benefits supervisor to manager of a Jobcentre Plus in central London – is delighted. “My life’s changed overnight,” she says. “I’m beside myself, but then lovely things are always happening to me. Still, I’m not surprised – in a way, I always thought this might happen. I love that painting.”
::snip::
“The first painting he ever did of me [Evening in the Studio, 1993] was finished while there was a big show of his paintings on at the Whitechapel gallery,” she says. “So they put it up for the last week of the exhibition. I went in there one day and there was a man giving a talk in front of the picture, saying, look at this revolting woman, she’s so fat and disgusting, there’s obviously something wrong with her skin. I just started laughing. The man stopped and asked if there was anything wrong. I said: ‘That’s me you’re talking about,’ and he just looked like he wanted to die. After that I didn’t really mind what people said.
“I’m not the ‘ideal woman’, I know I’m not. But who is? And he never made the skinny ones look any better. He picks out every single little detail.”
Francesca also enjoys this “that will show them, those ridiculous debt-collectors!” tidbit:
Freud gave her one of the portraits, a print. When bailiffs visited Ms Tilley some years ago, demanding items to the value of £700, they were more interested in her electric kettle and household objects than her Freud. When, in desperation, she offered to part with the print, telling them that it would more than cover the money she owed, they laughed at her. In 2005 it was sold by Bloomsbury Auctions in London for more than £26,000
So, remember ladies, the fleshier you are, the more your image could be worth millions.
Plumcake Solves the Mysteries of the World!
I’ve often wondered why so many writers –poets in particular– are so freaking depressed. I mean, take Emily Dickinson. Cute girl, nice family, beautiful house in the Pioneer Valley…maybe she didn’t date much, but honestly what did she expect with the severe center part and lack of volume at the crown?
But instead of getting up early and banging out a few rhymes about pearls and girls and then spend the rest of the day banging inappropriate men on behalf of the war effort –which is what I’d do if I were a poet– she spent her life writing morbid stuff about public frogs and angels with curious ideas towards haberdashery. Why?
Turns out it was the clothes.
Behold the Style & Co “poet shirt.” Who knew?
May 19, 2008
The Triumphant Return of Moon Boot Monday!
Never let it be said that Manolo for the Big Girl doesn’t care about your needs. We know that most if not ALL of you at one time or another have pulled your hair, rent your garments and moaned “O IF ONLY I had a pair of laughably expensive be-logo’ed moon boots conceived from an unholy union between Run DMC’s old Adidas Superstars and the aged and dessicated hide of Snuffleupagus’s notoriously round-heeled great grandmother, Alma Jean! WHY IS LIFE SO HARD?”
Well, here you go:
What can I say? We’re givers.
Francesca loves florals!
Francesca loves florals. But she knows what you are thinking. You are thinking: Francesca, are you off your rocker? I have not worn florals since 1978, and even then they made me look like I was wearing a sofa cover!
Have no fear, my friends. It is now 2008, and it is possible for the Big Girl to wear florals. We simply need to stay away from the sofa covers, yes?
No:
Getting warmer, but still no for most people:
Stay tuned this week for more feminine, flowery frocks from Francesca!
xoxo
May 18, 2008
Food Friendly May: Agua Fresca
Growing up in California, I was introduced early to a good deal of Mexican food. One of my favorite discoveries as a small child was agua fresca. I will never forget the first time I was handed a glass on a hot, summer’s day and drank deeply of this incredibly refreshing beverage. It was watermelon, still my favorite flavor of agua fresca, though I’ve enjoyed many other delicious versions. It can be done with nearly any fruit, but melons and strawberries always seem to be the most popular flavors. It can also be done with cucumber and lime, though I must admit I haven’t tried that one out. I probably will sometime this summer, because it sounds both interesting and remarkably refreshing.
Anyway, I found an actual recipe (I’d never really used a formal recipe for this before, but the proportions look right and the steps match pretty much what I’d been doing) at a website called What’s 4 Eats, which is devoted to recipes from around the world. Here’s what you do to make agua fresca (fresh water):
3 Cups fresh fruit, coarsly chopped
6-8 Cups water
1/2 – 3/4 Cup sugar, depending on tartness of fruit and personal taste
1/4 Cup lime juice (optional)
1: Add fruit and 2 – 3 Cups of water to a blender and puree well. Strain through a seive into a large pitcher.
2: Add the rest of the water (to the six-cup point) and 1/2 Cup sugar. Stir well. Add more sugar and more water until you reach the desired consistancy and sweetness. Serve chilled. Makes 2 1/2 Quarts.
Trust me, there is nothing better on an icky hot day than agua fresca. In fact, I may make some strawberry today. Mmm…strawberries.
May 17, 2008
Food Friendly May: The Drinks Are On me!
The last few days have been revoltingly hot around here. No, I’m not going to get into a discussion about how much hotter it is where you are or ‘well at least you’re not freezing your nipples off, Twistie.’ I am hot. This bothers me. It’s nine in the damn morning and I’m already doing everything in my power to cool myself off. This is Not Okay.
My cat is particularly unhappy with the situation because he wants to be cuddled and he’s wearing a fur coat…and determined to give back all the heat he sucked from my body in the winter when I was freezing my damn ass off.
In case you couldn’t tell, hot weather makes Twistie grumpy, and I ain’t talking Snow White’s army of little people, either!
And so it is that I turn with longing to the refreshing, cool drink.
Today’s recipe comes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. Trust me, even if you’re not vegetarian (and I’m not) Deborah Madison’s books are well worth every penny, being full of delicious, easy to follow, fabulously imaginative recipes for vegetables. Whether or not you serve them with meat, you’ll definitely find some great stand bys to serve you well for years to come.
Anyway. There’s a small section in this book devoted to breakfast drinks, but many of them are also perfect for cooling down on a hot afternoon. Being fond of nectarines, I’m particularly enamoured of the Nectarine-Mango Frappe. Mmm…nectarines.
2 Nectarines or Peaches
1 Large Mango
1 1/2 Cup Buttermilk or Yogurt
A few drops Vanilla
6 Ice Cubes
Fresh Lemon or Lime juice to taste.
Peel and slice the fruit, then puree in a blender or food processor with the yogurt, vanilla, and ice until smooth. Add lemon or lime juice to taste and serve. Serves 2 – 3.
That’s it. It’s easy enough for me to do even with my brain melting like a clock in a Salvadore Dali painting.
And if I might recommend, these glasses would be superfantastic to serve this in!
