So I’m working on today’s Friday Fierceness but had to post this bit-o-brill from Christopher Brosius of CB I Hate Perfume, courtesy of Internet Friend Rebecca.
The subject is Women with Style:
“The meatpacking district in particularly prone to infestations by these people and I find it ironic that, back in my taxi driving days, this was a neighborhood where at night there was nothing but Florent, a few “special interest” clubs, and a flock of tranny hookers. Based on the current dress sense of the women in this neighborhood today, I could easily imagine that the original hooker population somehow proliferated to extraordinary proportions except for the fact that back then they actually had more style and could walk on their heels. Today when I walk through the meatpacking district I have the unpleasant sensation of suddenly finding myself in a third rate sophomoric comedy where a bunch of horny high school boys were able to magically animate a bunch of mannequins from “forever 21″. I’d wonder how much these women charge by the hour but i can’t imagine it could be very much. They look too manic or too bored to be the least bit attractive and all are exactly the same and perfectly interchangeable.”
“Now Mrs Vreeland was no beauty certainly by that age. But then she never was – that was the point. […] She was so clearly having the time of her life and her joie de vivre lit all those around her. Mrs Vreeland was perfectly magical and a good part of that magic was her style. It was unique, it was flawless and it was as bright as the sun.”
“Women have always dressed to reflect what men want them to be and if men want them to be hookers then I am sorry for what men have become. ”
“Instead, I’d like to encourage women (and in fact people in general) to step out of the herd and be once again adventurous, to try new things, to take a chance and Go All the Way. I’d like to encourage them to open their eyes and have a good look around and appreciate all the gorgeous variety that’s out there. I’d like to encourage people to grow up, have some dignity, learn to age with grace and appreciate the wisdom that comes with experience.”
While you’re at his site, check out some of his fragrances. I’m particularly interested in the ones that smell like old books.
Thank you, CB, and thank you, Plummie. Sadly, I do not have faith in the Straight Men of America when it comes to womens’ style. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but pretty much every time you say, “My god, she looks like a $10 crack whore in that outfit!” (What? You don’t say that? Puh-leez…) the response you’re going to get from most straight males within chirping distance will be along the lines of, “And what’s wrong with that?” (And if they don’t say it, believe me, they’re thinking it.) I know there are exceptions, but they are rare. Therefore, hew closely to the following rule: Dress Not to Impress the Men of the World, Lest Ye Be Mistaken for a Hooker and Potentially Jailed for Public Indecency and/or Solicitation.
So saith Style Spy.
Comment by Style Spy — June 12, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
So very, very true. I think “dignity” is the most important word up there. One can certainly be a dignified sex worker (at least in my opinion), but desperation and attention seeking rarely produce dignified style choices.
Also: In the Library is my favorite perfume in the whole world.
Comment by Evie — June 12, 2009 @ 8:39 pm
Before I got my new deluxe office space, I spent a lot of late nights at a cafe down the street from a nightclub. The number of women I saw who couldn’t walk in their shoes even when sober, nor wear their dresses without looking like they were out for some quick money, shocked even this hardened soul. As for what happens to a woman in shoes she can’t walk in, who is wearing a dress she can’t sit down in, after a dozen drinks; well, it ain’t pretty. The least they could do is hook up with men who could carry them to the taxi instead of throwing them into a chair and dragging the chair down the street like some primitive wheelbarrow. I suppose it’s this year’s version of chivalrously seeing the ladies home?
Comment by raincoaster — June 14, 2009 @ 3:49 am