August « 2009 « Manolo for the Big Girl

August 31, 2009

The Monday Hotness: The Last of the DIY Hotness Edition

Filed under: The Monday Hotness — Miss Plumcake @ 2:33 pm

Well gang, it’s been fun, but all good things must come to a time when Plumcake gets bored and wants to put up pictures of that guy from The Green Wing (zomg I love him so much, he is everything a guy should be: namely funny and ginger with good hair). I want to thank all you crazy broads for the dozens and dozens of submissions. We’ll do it again sometime soon, so if your guy didn’t get lucky this time, don’t let him jump off a turret.

Let’s start with Chris submitted by our much-beloved Class Factotum.

I was hesitant to put Chris up because the only thing some people love more than children are cats and then I’d have a million cat photos and since the only relationship I’ve ever had with cats was with Mister Hifi Banjostrings, the hateful tabby I rescued when I was 21 and who spent the next four years of his life trying to kill me in my sleep. Bastard. Banjo I mean, not Chris. Although he does totally look like he could play an evil-but-sexy Bond villain with a six-thousand dollar suit and a generic European accent, in which case the cat makes sense. What would be his Bond name?

And then we have Eric, modeling this season’s formal tweenage field hockey uniform.

I kid, I kid (mostly just because he could probably beat me up.) Turns out Eric isn’t Scottish or Irish but German and Scandinavian but I guess he wanted something to show his knees and it’s hard to find formal lederhosen on short notice. I hope y’all at least had the decency to serve that “great chieftain o’ the puddin‘ race” I can forgive a lot for a good haggis. Oh and those spats? He made them himself!

Next we have Kyle:

Sarah, whose email arrived just a hair before the cut-off time is Just Friends with the Cap’n here, who belongs to her pal Stephanie. Sarah would like to assure everyone that this is NOT payback for Kyle setting her up with a hot Jewish firefighter, which I think we all know is a big fat lie, but whatever gets your ladder extended, Sarah. Go get ’em.

Finally I’ve got three of my own to submit.

That’s right, two hotnesses for the price of one. Will and Nathan (who has earned the nickname Nips Akimbo for reasons that shall not be divulged on this blog) are one of my favorite old married couples, they look great in kilts and I’m sure they’d look great out of them too but cruelty of cruelty, I doubt I’ll ever know.

Last but certainly not least is your friend and mine, Mister Charm himself, photographer Nathan Black.

Nathan, aside from being a genius photographer, bon vivant and all-around Good Egg is launching a crazy-exciting project called 30 Days in the Air. See, Mister Black was one of the lucky folks who caught Jet Blue’s “Jet Anywhere for $599” and is going to document his travels across the country as he hops hither and yon, one couch at a time. Subscribe now so you don’t miss a minute and be there for the takeoff.

Comments (4)

The Daily Kick: Our First (I think) Poll!

Filed under: Flats,Honey. No.,Shoes,Survey Says,The Daily Kick — Miss Plumcake @ 7:00 am

I think we all know I hate this shoe:

Yes. It’s a lug-soled mary jane with a wraparound kitty design.

However, once upon a time in the not too hazy past I actually owned a pair of these, except they were black and the kitties were, you guessed it, pink. To my credit I only wore them once before my better nature (and friends who called me “pussy foot”) took over but there you have it. I owned these shoes.

The question is, are those kitty creepers better or worse than these discosasters from Irregular Choice:

I mean, a lug-soled, top-stitched, “Punk died and all I got were these stupid kitten shoes” creeper is only going to give you so much. It doesn’t get above its station.

And yet these platforms — even though I really might wear them sans kittens– might be the worse offense despite their cheesecakey goodness.

I am torn.

Which cat shoe is more offensive?

Display Poll Results

Comments (13)

August 30, 2009

Twistie’s Sunday Caption Madness: The Manolos on the Loose Edition

Filed under: Twistie's Sunday Caption Madness — Twistie @ 11:31 am

Hey ho, everyone! It’s time once again to play Twistie’s Sunday Caption Madness! You know how this works. I post a picture that’s simply howling to be captioned. You send in your best captions via the comments section, and next saturday I announce a winner to general rejoicing.

This week’s pick is sort of my version of the Daily Kick. Have fun!

Ready…set…snark!

Comments (21)

August 29, 2009

Retro Cool and the Art of the Salad

Filed under: Food — Twistie @ 8:30 am

My wintry summer has turned into an inescapable sauna bath. I went in two days from wearing turtlenecks and contemplating boots to wondering if taking up naturism wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

All of this, of course, has me thinking about how best to cool myself, and the thought came to me in a flash: salad.

Lovely crispy, crunchy, cool salad. Mmm…salad.

I’ve always loved salads. When I discovered as a child that spinach came in salads, I was delighted. More spinach for Twistie! These days I make it often. Mr. Twistie has a far lower willingness to experiment with vegetables than I do, but salads usually make him happy.

And so it was that I began leafing (leafing? geddit?) through my cookbook collection for salady inspiration last night. Somehow I knew the good old Household Searchlight Recipe Book would have something of interest to say. Here’s how the section on salads and dressings begins:

Ingredients used in making salads should be selected according to the following rules: There should be a pleasing blend of flavors. This is often obtained by an unusual combination of foods, such as sliced oranges and pickled pearl onions served with French dressing.

There should be a contrast of textures. Soft foods should be mixed with those having fibrous and crisp textures such as fish combined with pickles and celery.

There should be a contrast of color. This may be obtained by combining vivid foods such as carrots, beets, pimientos, or green peppers with those having little or no color. It may be accomplished by topping the salad with a colorful food, seasoning, or dressing.

Particular attention should be paid to the arrangement. The ingredients should be placed neatly and attractively on the lettuce, watercress, cabbage, endive, spinach or Romaine on which the salad is served.

I don’t know about you, but while I appreciate varied textures and flavors, I’m in no hurry to try that orange, pickled onions, and French dressing one.

Of course, I could be wrong. The French dressing might be just the right thing. I’m just not nuts about French dressing.

Comments (5)

August 28, 2009

Read This. Right Now.

Filed under: Food,The Fat's in the Fire — Miss Plumcake @ 2:17 pm

We briefly mentioned Frank Bruni’s memoirs yesterday, but “I Was a Baby Bulemic” which he wrote for the New York Times –adapted from his book– is the most honest, encompassing personal retelling of the beginnings of disordered eating.

I have a fairly healthy relationship with food now –I say that as I’m full from my lunch of mixed greens, pâté, homemade tzatziki (y’all I’m NEVER getting through these two gallons of yogurt) , my famous soda bread and one of those super crunchy foam-caged pear apples– but I recognized myself (and my mother) in almost every paragraph.

Enormous thanks to Lex for pointing this out.

So the rest of you go, read this and come back and let’s have a discussion. It’s a little heavy for a Friday, but who said heavy is bad?

Comments (8)

The Daily Kick: Elevenses

Filed under: Flats,PRADA!,Sales,Shoes,The Daily Kick — Miss Plumcake @ 7:00 am

As an homage to the Greatest Meal Ever AND as a holla (is that right? Did I do it right?) to all my size 11 sisters, we’re wrapping up this week’s Daily Kicks with shoes currently available ONLY in size 11

Lanvin plum and silver t-straps. 60% off.

Balenciaga bright florals. Because sometimes LOUD is GOOD.

Perfect Chloe flats

Ballet pink Prada slingbacks, Flawless.

Overstitched Sergio Rossi heels. Strange, but alluring.

Comments (5)

August 27, 2009

Memoirs of a fat childhood

Filed under: Books,Fat and Famous,Food,The Fat's in the Fire — Miss Plumcake @ 3:00 pm

Loving to eat, I mean REALLY loving to eat is slowly coming back into vogue thanks to renewed interest in Julia Child and several foodie blogs and yet there’s always a frisson of the forbidden. Think about “food porn” and those marginally talented but uniformly busty TV chefs who tongue strawberries in soft focus and moan for the cameras. It’s a dirty little secret that’s not such a secret.

It’s no wonder then, that Dominique Browning called Frank Bruni’s –the outgoing New York Times’ restaurant critic– memoir Born Round brave.

“I hold him in even greater estimation, not only for his discernment and his accomplished prose but for his bravery. “Born Round” is a book about growing up with a love of food, family and friendship. And it is, more important, a book about a lifelong struggle, one that drives an endearing, heartfelt narrative. “Born Round” is about being fat.”

[…]

“His mother worried about his weight, but any diet she imposed was stymied not only by her need to feed everyone, but by Grandma. The problem was simple: food was love. “You love Grandma’s frits? . . . Then you love your Grandma!””

[…]

“Still, he always carried at least an extra 10 pounds. “Once a fat kid, always a fat kid, never moving through the world in . . . carefree fashion.” By the time he attended college, he had become adept at deploying a panoply of weight-loss tricks, from popping amphetamines and laxatives to forcing himself to vomit.”

read the rest of the article here and, if you’re as intrigued as I am –I think Bruni and I might have the same grandma– you can purchase the book by clicking the image below.