She is smart, opinionated, glamorous beyond all decency and isn’t afraid to kick some ass. Who WOULDN’T love her?

Here are some of her quotes I live by:

“There is only one gift you should accept on your first date – diamonds.”

“Never wash your hair with anything you’d hesitate to eat or drink.”

“Moi has always possessed a charm that is lethal to men.”

“There is the satisfaction of providing your public with a vision of true beautology, true sytlisity, – how can I put it? – true glamorositude.”

“Moi speaks body language fluently, although with a slight French accent.”

“The early bird gets the worm – which is what he deserves.”

“What if you were in Florida without your furs and there is a very quick little ice age?”

“How far should a girl go on the first date? Tucson. However, if you live in Texas, you can probably go a bit farther.”

“You can eliminate a lot of calories by entirely cutting out things you hate.”

“Eat what you want, exercise your prerogative, and find a good plastic surgeon who gives frequent-flyer miles.”

“Beauty takes practice.”

“Never let your frog outdress you.”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may become necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.”

RIGHT?!

True, it seems Miss Piggy has had a little work done but haven’t we all? It’s a gal’s prerogative, no?

How is Gustav?

Francesca thanks Mary for asking and says: Gustav is just fine! He is now 6 months old, social to  the point of gregariousness, very verbal and insistent, a perfect angel when he is sleeping, fond of being petted and cooed over, and overall possessing a definite “personality.”  Highly entertaining and the perfect cat for Francesca.

Gustav was recently neutered, poor dear, and was quite angry with me for it when we came home from the doctor, but once the effects of the anesthesia wore off he seemed to forget all about it.

Of course, Francesca has bought Gustav a handsome collar and ID charm, so he looks quite spiffy. (No, Francesca does not believe in otherwise “dressing up” one’s pets.) He also has been trained with most social graces and properly connects the word “no” to touching the tables and counters.

Francesca’s only problem with Gustav is his ongoing kitten-ish inclination to bite people. He does not do so maliciously; he is playing, or just likes the feeling of having something in his mouth. It does not hurt, but it is a turn-off, especially for some of Francesca’s more skittish human visitors. Francesca is taking suggestions for training him to stop this behavior.

(PS That is not Gustav in the picture, but close enough! As Francesca’s friend L says, “in pictures, all cats look deranged.”)

Animal-friendly butter yellow flats
, limited sizes on sale for $30 at YOOX. Delicious.

Stella McCartney platform t-strap sandal: $1045 at Neiman Marcus.

So, if you have a thousand dollars to spend on shoes with gold cherries on them by all means spend it, but if you don’t; take a look at the shoes designed (or more likely “designed”) by Natalie Portman for the sadly shuttered Té Casan.

I hate to see a good boutique shoe company go under, but every economically depressed couture cloud has a silver lining, and the silver lining here is that you can get vegan-friendly shoes at designer-level quality for about 75% off retail. Most of these shoes are under $60 now.

Once these are gone, they’re gone so if you like it, but it now.

I do love a satin ballet slipper and these Te Casan Pia Ballet Flat are great, they remind me of a pair of Miu Mius I saw and loved a few years back but didn’t buy because although they were on sale, they were on sale for $250, and considering I wear my flats into the ground and that happens faster with fabric, I held off for a leather pair which are still going strong but need resoling. These are also available in a great pigeon blood red, although I’ve got a soft spot, naturally, for the plum.

I’m not a wedge girl in general, but these Picasso wedges are pretty interesting. Click on the picture to zoom and check some of the detailing. I like the brown bands on the quarter and the toe which give it some interest.

Red patent mary jane? This Pippa is what I’d like to call a Third Date Shoe, if you know what I mean (and I think you do.) They fall somewhere between two iconic mary janes: the Delman sweethearts worn by Marilyn Monroe  and the ones Sigerson Morrison release every few years. The Delmans I own and were $200 something and worth every penny, the SM’s are usually twice that. You’re going to DIE when you see how much the Pippas are on sale for.

This is Poppy.  Poppy is not The Most Exciting Shoe Ever, but every woman who wears heels needs something like this in her arsenal. This is your chance to get it –available in black patent as well– for a song.

And now there’s Polly These are so Studio 54 they should come with their own coke spoon (stay in school, don’t do drugs) but in a fun way. I could totally see wearing this with a purple wrap dress and a lariat necklace, 3 day bender with Grace Jones optional.

The Porto is a classic. Classic classic classic. It feels very old Givenchy to me, thought I can’t tell you why. Again, not the most exciting shoe in the world, but sometimes elegant is enough.

So there you have it. Six shoes for the animal friendly, all beautifully –and ethically– made. The rest of the Té Casan line is on sale too, but only the Natalie Portman line is veggie. Enjoy!