Pink of Perfection

Erin McKean is kind of amazingly cool. There’s the fact that she is a lexicographer (which means she pretty much takes the “sexy librarian” thing to a whole ‘nother level), and that she loves words and frocks so equally she has been known to make dresses from crossword fabric. But I like her most of all her for whip-smart, funny, oozing-with-personality-and-charm blog, Dress A Day, on which she makes sewing dreamy dresses look not so terrifying. In fact, she even makes it look fun.

How did you learn to sew and tell us about the beginning and evolution of Dress A Day?

My mother, bless her, taught me to sew when I was about 12 or so. We chose a pattern and fabric together. She made the first dress (pink rosebuds, slightly dropped waist, sleeveless) while I watched, and I made a second dress (blue floral) from the same pattern while she watched and corrected. Then I was off to the races!

As, for the blog, I was out with my husband Joey one night and was talking about the blogs I was reading, and I told him I really wanted there to be a blog that talked about a dress every day. And because my husband is the kind of guy that intuitively understands what you really want and then eggs you on to do it, he said “Why don’t you do it?”

I registered the domain name dressaday.com and then sat on it for a year, not doing anything. So when it came up for renewal I felt as if I had wasted a year in which I could have been doing something fun and cool, just because I was “too busy.” I figured I would never be LESS busy, so I’d just have to make time for it. I’m so glad that I did!

No beating around the bush: you’re hilarious. Who or what cracks you up?

Aw, thanks! I’m a huge fan of absurdist humor, and language-y humor. And if you don’t find something to be absurdly funny every day, you’re not paying close enough attention.

What do you think is the essence of great style?

Being yourself — and being fearless about being yourself. You should never be yourself half-assedly. (Go ahead — be entirely an ass!) Also, no one on their deathbed says “I should have worn more black, I would have looked skinnier.”

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Nobody will notice (insert flaw here), and if even if they do notice, only rude people would say anything about it.

Word on the street is you’re writing a novel. Can you tell us about it?

Um, yeah! It’s about a woman named Dora who goes home to run her grandmother’s vintage shop. And it’s about being brave enough to do what you want to do and not what you think you should do. And it has “Secret Lives of Dresses” in it. And some other stuff. (But no car chases. We’re saving that for the movie.)

What or who most inspires you?

I think I’m inspired most by having an interesting problem to solve. Why can’t we do something in a different way? Why not try a new approach? The worst that can happen is that you still have the problem you started out with, only now you know one more thing that won’t work.

What’s your surefire way to unwind after a stressful day?

A novel by Georgette Heyer, Donald Westlake, or Angela Thirkell, a hot bath, and maybe some popcorn (but not popcorn in the bathtub, that’s weird). Or watching House with my husband while we hold hands.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Olives, pickles, roasted red peppers, mild yellow peppers, giardiniera (basically anything that is steeped in vinegar and comes in a jar) and every possible thing you can put on top of ice cream. I like condiments.

Last but not least: Maryanne or Ginger (from Gilligan’s Island)?

Oh, totally Maryanne, but you have to let her raid Ginger’s closet. That’s the best of both worlds. (Also, I’m totally Betty, but I wish I were Veronica.)