Happy Easter everybody!
I’m going to try out a new featurette inspired by some of my favorite perfume blogs. It’s a sort of open format thing where you can write whatever has been on your mind over the weekend. Great shopping find? Kiddo’s birthday? Go out on a date with a guy who has his own initials waxed into his back hair? I want to know about it. Think of it as as our little community message board. It’s also a good place to put questions for me with quick answers.
I’ll start off with a rumination to get us going, usually a few little subjects. Let’s see how it goes!
Easter has always been my favorite holiday since it combines three of my favorite things: Hats, cheap black licorice and Jesus. Here are a few musings on some of my favorite Easter things.
Black Jelly Beans:
My weakness for black jelly beans is legendary, and the trashier the better. Sure, for the rest of the year I refuse anything but the very blackest of Dutch licorice, but for Easter? Give me Brach’s Jelly Birds or give me death.
Before I lost my sweet tooth I would pick up two bags of the things and proceed to eat them both over the course of Holy Week. This was, in retrospect, not especially wise since I am not what one might call a naturally mellow person to begin with and the introduction of vast quantities of sugar and licorice into my person did not do much to improve my Zenlike state. I haven’t had black jelly beans for years, and am not moved by the upmarket offerings from Jelly Belly, but I’ll always have a fondness for them.
Hats
I do love a hat. And I love vintage. Then why is it that I don’t tend to like people wearing vintage hats? I think my problem is they are usually done in such a costumey way. If you’re going to wear a vintage hat and gloves, you’d be wise to have at least one other major component of your wardrobe be aggressively modern. Otherwise it’s too musical theater for it to be really chic.
Also fascinators. I kind of have an issue with fascinators because they feel so played out now, and they’re surprisingly harder to wear than you might think. A fascinator typically wants a heart-shaped face and dramatic eyes because you’re competing for attention with a very localized object. Then there’s the eyebrow grooming situation. Good hats require good brows. And “done” (usually up) hair. That’s a lot of commitment for a hat.
I think fashion historians will back me up when I say the immaculately tailored strong eyebrow of the forties and fifties was a direct result of the hats that were en vogue. Without a good brow, all the attention goes to your hat and not to your face, which makes the whole look go top-heavy-in-a-bad-way. I swear I’ll get to doing that eyebrow tutorial. Someday.
Judy Garland (I know I said Jesus, but I don’t have any youtube of Jesus):
Easter is about Judy Garland because of Easter Parade.
Next year I swear I’m going to do an homage to Hannah Brown (Judy Garland)’s Easter outfit. True, the high pink gloves might be a bit more Miss Piggy than Miss Garland on me, but that doesn’t make it any less fabulous.
Comments, questions, thoughts o’ the day? Put ’em in the comments and let’s see where this takes us!
My friend (who is mid-30’s) wore the HELL out of a vintage Easter Hat yesterday. Though maybe it helped that it wasn’t actually an Easter hat – it was the hat her Mom wore when she left her wedding reception, some 50 years ago. It was fairly simple and not too large, but she was still unique in wearing a hat at all. She did go modern with the rest of her outfit: a form fitting yellow sweater, gray pencil skirt, and stilettos.
I would also like to register my complaint that none of the left over, on sale easter candy is jelly beans. I’ve tried two stores, and no dice. I’m not even picky – I’d take any type of bean. :(
Comment by jen209 — April 5, 2010 @ 3:26 pm
Jen, I bought Starburst jellybeans for my rental childrens’ baskets. Meh. Give me the old disgusting Brach’s any day of the week.
Also I want to be clear that I don’t object to vintage hats, it’s just they’re rarely well-deployed. Your friend sounds like she did it Just Right, and thus gets the much sought-after Plumcake Seal of Approval (not made of actual seals).
Comment by Plumcake — April 5, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
I love how you went from Jesus to Judy Garland there. Unfortunately I have nothing in my brain at the moment except “why the hell did I eat so many pistachios.”
Oh, wait, I know. Proper care and feeding of perfume, like how hot is too hot in an un-AC’d apartment and should you put everything in the fridge for the summer?
Comment by Violet — April 5, 2010 @ 4:00 pm
I miss getting an Easter Dress every year. Should I start again?
Comment by Deb — April 5, 2010 @ 4:10 pm
Violet! Plate o’ Shrimp, I was thinking the same thing (I had too many pistachios, plus I found a moth husk in one).
I’m kind of hesitant to put my perfumes in the fridge, because I don’t trust the humidity level. I’ve always read you’re supposed to keep your perfumes in a cool, dry place and while the fridge is cool, it’s not dry. This article seems to back me up. I keep a few bottles on my vanity in the bathroom which doesn’t get too warm, and the rest I keep in a drawer because for some reason I think light affects perfume as much (or nearly as much) as heat does. I’ve never been one to keep boxes, except for my Lutens bell jars. Of course I am a bad, bad perfumista and keep a bottle of L’Ombre dans l’Eau in my glove box (I know, I know) and it hasn’t done anything evil to what is a lovely –but not terribly complex– cologne.
It seems
Comment by Plumcake — April 5, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
Of course, Deb! I’m totally sentimental about things like that, and believe in creating new family traditions, even if it’s just a family of one.
Comment by Plumcake — April 5, 2010 @ 4:18 pm
You know those marshmallow eggs with the different colored and flavored crunchy outsides? I think they’re called Bunny Basket Eggs?
OMG I am not even going to tell you how many bags I ate.
Comment by Janey — April 5, 2010 @ 4:27 pm
@Deb OF COURSE YOU MUST!!!! Good heavens! Of course of course! A new, very summery springy dress each year for Easter. That is *clearly* the right thing to do. Tradition demands it.
I got nothing. Wearing a boring pink shirt, working away on a boring project. My brackets fell to earth weeks ago after Syracuse lost. I’m reading a great book on the Riemann Hypothesis. I got tenure. That’s kind of cool. Oh, and it’s national “Workplace Napping Day.” I’m at home working so it feels less indulgent, but I do like to encourage others.
Comment by Lisa — April 5, 2010 @ 5:02 pm
Congratulations Lisa, now that you’ve got tenure, EVERY day is Workplace Napping Day!!!
Comment by Plumcake — April 5, 2010 @ 5:05 pm
@Janey, ew ew ew and EW. I don’t think those are even food! BTW, it’s been a while since I’ve Seen That Guy! When are you going to update?!
Comment by Plumcake — April 5, 2010 @ 5:06 pm
Thank you, L and P! I may just start with an on-sale After Easter dress. And congrats on tenure, Lisa!
Comment by Deb — April 5, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
I wore for Easter a lovely, lovely dress I got a couple years ago for my graduation. Hadn’t worn it in a while, had forgotten how nice is is. Sweet-heart neckline, and a lovely swirly skirt. Not as fond of the pattern, a black and white floral print, but it’s not terrible. My Easter was complete with several hours of playing video games with my brother, and my father’s delicious pie.
Then I realized that Monday was once again, school, and a gentleman I was formerly romantically linked with has invited me to see his band play. I keep telling myself it’s a bad idea, and I’ll be tired and bored with a headache afterwards, without any consoling nookie this time around, but I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll end up going anyway. It’s a good way to kill the happy Easter buzz I had going.
Comment by ananas — April 5, 2010 @ 6:28 pm
Speaking of Easter Parade, what are your thoughts on coordinating your pets with your outfits?
Comment by Jenne — April 5, 2010 @ 8:23 pm
Jenne, I’ll be honest, when I was in the market for a dog, I knew I wanted a black one because I wear mostly black. That being said, I Do Not Approve of pets in clothing.
Comment by Plumcake — April 5, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
I dress my dogs in Laker gear, USC gear, UCLA gear, Dodger gear and we all sit in front of the tv and watch the games and share tortilla chips. These are bandanas, not clothing, though. It’s too hot here to put more than that on, and I take that stuff off when nobody is playing because I don’t want the bandanas to get caught on anything when I’m not there to get ’em out of it. When I lived in Virginia I might put a sweater on them if it was really cold out. My floors were really cold.
The dogs tolerate it well enough, but boy let the groomer try to put some girly bow or some such on them and it’ll be their mission in life to ditch that thing. It becomes like a project. Normally, they have no focus whatsoever. Put a bow on? That’s it; their whole afternoon is spent trying to ditch it.
Comment by Lisa — April 5, 2010 @ 9:54 pm
Happy Easter Monday everyone. I am happy I don’t have to go back to work until Wednesday. I am reading “Very Valentine,” by Adriana Trigiani about a woman who makes “exquisite wedding shoes” in Greenwich Village. I love all the descriptions about cutting the patterns and all the things the shop has to trim the shoes. Oh, and the story is pretty good too.
Comment by Miss Louisa — April 5, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
Reading Anna Karinena. Pouring rain in Northern Ca. The taxes are almost done. I wore a pink and green scarf with rain gear. We shred years of old papers. I reach for the armagnac.
Comment by Debs — April 6, 2010 @ 12:07 am
I don’t really observe Easter myself, but I do enjoy holidays that come with themed chocolate.
I also found it amusing when my agnostic mother in law suddenly decided at about 2:15 yesterday afternoon that my husband’s family celebrates Easter, and demanded our presence at a family gathering that evening. It’s downright uncanny how frequently my in laws’ ancient but heretofore unrecognized family traditions seem to resurface just in time for mandatory gatherings…
Comment by Evie — April 6, 2010 @ 12:39 am
I personally am not much of a celebrant of Easter however I am a fan of candy but not so much of the jellybeans (sorry Miss Plum) this year was the year of the cupcake. I also was not so much about the Easter bonnet as much as a new purse this season. While I do love Easter Parade my go to movie is still the 10 Commandments however totally in a cinematic and not religious way. Love it!
Comment by AmazonAngelle — April 6, 2010 @ 12:52 am
Amazon, The Ten Commandments is THE shining example of the Greased Up For Jesus genre (of which Ben Hur is another).
Comment by Plumcake — April 6, 2010 @ 1:38 am
I went to church (a rare event for me) on Easter Sunday and was quite disappointed to discover that I was one of a tiny handful of women wearing a hat. Quel shame.
Comment by Mac — April 6, 2010 @ 1:52 am
Easter sets me longing for skirts or dresses. Unfortunately, between the city walking to get to the office mandating pants (to prevent chubb rub) and sturdy shoes (to avoid heel spurs and plantar fasciitis), there’s not much about my work day wardrobe that feels springy and flirty. I admire from afar.
Comment by sarahbyrdd — April 6, 2010 @ 11:30 am
Your favorite perfume blog is also my favorite perfume blog! I have spent so much money because of that site and its sisters …
I’m wearing a frock right now in honor of spring. Although our weather isn’t all that balmy.
Comment by Thalia — April 6, 2010 @ 12:27 pm
sarahbyrdd: me too — I use formfitting bike shorts or longleg underwear for the rub, and longer skirts to balance out the walking-friendly shoes. (I know a lot of fashionistas think maxi skirts and dresses are bullshit but as long as you have enough of your height in your legs I am a big believer. Sal at Already Pretty just did a nice feature post on long skirts.) Alternately you can always go with a Regulation Flattering knee-length skirt and carry a bigger bag with an extra pair of shoes so that you can change into a nice heeled slingback when you get to wherever you’re going. It’s not that onerous.
Comment by Violet — April 6, 2010 @ 1:06 pm
Easter. Uh, yeah. My daughter and I stayed home. Her dad stopped by for a few hours; my mom cooked a bit later that afternoon. Oddly enough, no guilt. Rainebeaux Junior and I can dress up and hang out this coming Sunday instead *shrug*.
Comment by rainebeaux — April 6, 2010 @ 8:57 pm