Pink of Perfection

Something horrible happened to me a couple weeks ago. I feel in love with the first few episodes of Cagney & Lacey (“It’s like a cross between Mary Tyler Moore and Law & Order SVU,” Sebastian smartly observed), only to watch as the dynamic of the show completely changed when, in episode seven, the tough and sexy Christine Cagney, as played by Meg Foster, is unceremoniously replaced by a feathered hair Sharon Gless. Also? Out go the original opening credits, in which Cagney and Lacey chase down a bad guy, cuff him, and triumph over the patriarchal system of the police force, all set to a brassy, 1970s groove. In comes a title sequence decidedly more of the Working Girl era, where our heroines pound the city streets but still get distracted by window-shopping.

I’m trying––mostly because I love Tyne Daly––to get back into it. But I keep thinking about Meg Foster and Tyne Daly. They seemed like friends as well as co-workers; part of the job description is supporting each other and having each other’s backs, all with a hard-nosed wink and a smile. Apparently, when career women work together and like each other, they seem like lesbians. But the new dynamic with Sharon Gless (and yes, I realize I’m talking about a show that is nearly thirty year old) seems more adversarial. Where’s the friendship? Where’s the heart? Perhaps it will come. I mean, the show did have a long, long successful run, even without my stamp of approval on staff changes.

So this style inspiration is dedicated to the original six episode run of Cagney & Lacey as I first fell in love with it, where the duo worked well together, liked each other, and wore awesome, awesome clothes. Key items: a-line skirts with pockets (filled with loose change for calling your husband at a pay phone about dinner), sturdy boots with enough of a heel to make you feel like a woman, a smart, sensible watch and a bangle, plaid, puff-sleeve tops, a big, cozy wrap coat to fend off the chill when you’re down at the docks, and a purse that amazingly stays slung over your shoulder as you chase down crooks.

Do you ever have such a vivid picture in your mind’s eye, even thought you know you’ve never actually seen it in real life? When I see these string shopping bags, I can smell the salty air. A woman is in the sunny South of France, or maybe walking cobblestones on a foggy day in Dijon. She is headed to the outdoor market, and when she arrives, she pulls the string shoppers out from her purse and hooks them over her wrist, still empty. She walks among the stalls wearing a brown leather belt and a linen skirt with wrinkles across her lap from when she sat reading a book by the open window earlier that morning. Her hair is pulled back in two clips, and she is smelling the air and feeling the warm sun on her forearms. She picks up a round piece of fruit, chats with a vendor, tucks a head of wet, leafy greens into her bag. The bags expand as she drops in a wedge of soft cheese, garlic, a small bottle of milk, and perhaps some shiny fish fillets wrapped in stiff paper. And when the bags are heavy and filled, she walks back the way she came––in the sunshine, or in the fog––strong-armed, on her way home to make a fine lunch.

Can’t you just see it?

Happy weekend, friends! I’ll be away from my kitchen and living vicariously through yours: What’s on your kitchen agenda?

I have not cooked a French recipe in several weeks, so we will just have to delight ourselves today not with food but with darling tote bags. I like to keep a tote bag (filled with yet more tote bags) hanging by the front door for carrying library books, groceries, sweaty gym clothes, and a farmer’s market haul. How charming to have one graced with the visage of one of my favorite actresses, and an homage to one of my favorite films? (And if Audrey’s more, um, your bag, they’ve got her, too.)

What delights and fun are on the agenda for this weekend? We’re looking at our annual April snowstorm in New York, which I’m trying to see as a last chance to enjoy the best things about winter. And you? What magic is in store?

Screenprinted Anna Karina tote bags available from doodlebag on Etsy

1. Vintage denim wrap skirt pattern; 2. Vintage trench; 3. Tortoiseshell cateye sunglasses; 4. Essie Canyon Coral; 5. Gold nail head studs; 6. Floral scarf; 7. Worishofer lace-up slingbacks; 8. Scoopneck t-shirt; 9. Ruched-sleeve striped top

There is some endless pleasure, before the season has really taken form, in imagining what you will look like in it. I remember sitting in the backseat of a friend’s Toyota before spring semester of our junior year had started. “I’m going to wear lots of pink blush!” I declared. Soon enough, I was bare-faced and the resolution was forgotten, but there was so much delight in that moment of ripe potential.

I just opened the window in the living room and can hear birds outside. My husband reported this morning that the high today would be in the ’60s, tomorrow creeping up into the ’70s. But this is the hardest seasonal transition for me–coming out of the cozy cocoon of a home, peeling off layers, baring arms and pale calves. Spring has a dark side, and there’s a vulnerability to the season. Tender green growing shoots aren’t the only ones emerging from the safe darkness and into the unforgiving light.

But for those able to see it, spring is a new beginning and fresh start. Wardrobe-wise, I’m embracing the change with visions of striped tops, airy floral scarves, and the perfect red-coral nail polish. Life-wise, I see more walks in the park in my future, an uptick in smoothies, and more of those daffodils we all can’t stop about.

How do you welcome spring, wardrobe-wise and life-wise? Do you kind of see yourself like Carrie in that episode of Sex and the City where she’s walking through a flurry of falling pink cherry blossoms? Or when she’s ambling down the street on a weekend, tote bag filled with flowers and the newspaper? (I do!)

I remember being on the playground in elementary school wearing saddle shoes (everyone else had Keds) and seeing girls wearing those brokenhearted “best friends” necklaces. It seemed like a secret, highly-exclusive club: who had the other half, and how could I get one? Do you remember how important the title of “best friend” was then?

Looking back now, I wish I had appreciated those super rad saddle shoes and had not sweat the sly handing out of those necklaces. I mean, what do best friends in first grade do anyway? It’s not like you need them to help mend your heart, visualize your winter look, or talk about what the hell you’re doing with your lives. You’re seven.

Which is why I love this necklace so much. First off, it’s a whale, not a heart (cool), and it bypasses the whole idea of “best” which feels silly by the time you’re nearing thirty anyway. (But traditionalists, take heart: this Etsy seller has the whale take on the “best friends” necklace, too.)

Let’s talk about the weekend. What are you guys making and doing and––as equally important––not doing?

Photo: Whale Amies necklace on Etsy

1. stripey puff-sleeve top 2. duck boots 3. Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion 4. France and Hammer necklace 5. Benetint 6. gray cowl 7. jeggings

One of the few times I read Goop, I picked up a pretty sage piece of advice: build yourself a uniform. Uniforms remove the guesswork for those of us unusually pressed for time or short on inspiration. Give yourself the right pieces, and you can always look cute.

But what the hell are those right pieces? It can feel like a search for Waldo. Earlier this winter, over what should have been a charmed Saturday brunch, I remember feeling hopelessly dorky in my outfit. Elsewhere in the restaurant, I saw a young family eating with visiting grandparents. The young blond mom had a great, face-flattering haircut. The rest of her outfit was super simple: a comfy, but cool-looking top, well-fitting pants, and edgy earrings. It was all so easy it demonstrated one of my mom’s key pieces of style advice: let the woman, rather than the clothes, shine.

After many more badly dressed winter days, I decided to do a bit of shopping. You might share this particular thrifty girl bugaboo: even if I’ve been wearing the same clothes for years, I often have trouble biting the shopping bullet. I’m happy to spring for vintage summer dresses, but when it comes to wardrobe workhorses, let’s just say my closet has a few holes.

But a cute, warm coat and a new favorite sweater can––no matter how shallow it sounds––change your life. When you like your outfit, you feel good, and when you feel good, you project a confidence and irresistible energy that will come back to you like a boomerang.  And if that sounds too The Secret for you, you’re just going to have to take my word for it.

I accidentally stumbled on a formula that works for me right now in my work-from-home life: jeggings, puff sleeve sweaters and stripey tops, a down coat and duck boots. If this feels a little utilitarian, it’s all about the accessories: a spritz of the marvelously green-smelling Gardenia Passion makes me feel like a harbinger of spring and a few touches of understated gold jewelry have me channeling Left Bank cool girl je ne sais quoi. Do you have a winter uniform? What are those magically easy essentials that make you feel pulled-together and chic?

You might think from the name of this blog that I’ve got a thing for pink. But if there’s a color I’m mad for, it’s red. Is this a piece of shocking news? If so, I’m sorry. Consider the evidence: I’ve got a red purse, red wallet, red clogs, lucky red heels. I love red lipstick. (But if I told you my favorite shade, it would make you very, very sad as it’s discontinued. I buy lingering tubes on Ebay.) I’m a big fan of the Sunday-Wednesday $17.99 manicure pedicure deal at the hilariously named place down the street. But I’m always looking for the color that feels like “me.” Hot pink can be very spirit-lifting in its brightness, but red, my dear favorite, always ends up making me feel like an old lady. Where is the red that seems punchy, youthful, and bright?

Ladies, it is right here. It’s called Long Stem Roses and it is absolutely perfect. It’s a red that doesn’t make you feel like a reserved grand dame; it’s a red that makes you feel like you light up a room with your vitality and charm. It’s a spirited red, perfect for holiday parties and those days when you just want to feel like the lively, irresistible heroine in your life movie.

When I feel lost, I like to sit with my friend, Alison, drinking wine and talking our heads off. Ideally, this will happen in a French-inspired setting with a zinc bar, accordion music in the background, and a mirror with drink specials written on it in a Gallic scrawl. We will arrive for lunch and then, happily accepting a gratis second glass of beaujolais nouveau, linger until it’s getting dark outside. We have, after all, a lot to discuss, like creativity and ambition, friendship and self-care, and other really important things, like color gel manicures and the outfit-transforming power of a belt. Our date yesterday couldn’t have come at a better time. Truly, it was heaven-sent.

When I am feeling lost stylistically––which can begin as mere dissatisfaction with an outfit and devolve into “good god, what is my life about?”––I like to watch A Woman is a Woman. When I’ve lost my way, there it is: my stylistic true north. Red tights, white walls, a bicycle in the living room, white sheets, milky coffee, yellow roses, bangs, heavy black eyeliner. There’s a sense of whimsy, a swingy soundtrack, a fur-collared jacket, and oh: Jean Paul Belmondo. Why did I let jeggings distract me?

Happy weekend!