fitforafemme.com

Ta-da! Welcome to my first letter to a reader. Mrs. Fancy Pants wrote to say nice things, ask a few questions and make some suggestions. Here is my reply to her:

Dear Mrs. Fancy Pants:

I can’t tell you how flattered I was to see you and Fancy make appearances on my little blog! So happy! I’m really glad you enjoy it, and I always welcome Friday distractions.

Now, on to your fine points:

A. Arturo Chiang! Those sueded kittens came with me to Spain; I have a lovely halter dress with a delicate pink floral print on white, and they are perfect together in an overdone, well-matched Charlotte York of SATC way. (After all, some days are Charlotte days.) I love your idea of doing an occasional shoe entry, and trust, aside from a few crazy splurges, much of what I snag is some kind of fantastical bargain or thrift find or deeply discounted department store deal. Shoe lust is a mystical thing that has more than once threatened to smash my heart to smithereens.

To tide you over, a close-up:

B1. Oh, the perilous heights of sizing in the USA! Delia’s is a like a soothing little cove away from the fickle, crashing waves of the fashion industry, but its Junior Dept. sizing can toss a saucy 20- or 30-something to the sartorial sharks. Want to really freak out? Check out Delia’s more urban sister, Alloy. Trend I’m most looking forward to this Fall/Winter? SKINNY CORDUROYS. OMG, I melt just thinking of them.

B2. I digress, let’s get back to the sizing: The dress in that photo is a 5/6, and it’s hard to say, because it tied in the back (I cut those off and just belted it to make it more me), but I felt like I could have gone down a size for a better fit. I think your best bet is to take your own measurements (or let Fancy help you, because that’s sexier and LOTS more fun!) and plug them into their handy measurement calculator. I did, and they told me this:

You are a size 3/4 or small in shirts, 7/8 or medium in pants or skirts, and 7/8 or medium in dresses.

Crapshoot! I know a couple gals who visit Fit For A Femme that also shop there, so hopefully they’ll speak up with some sizing hints, too! (Hear that, ladies!? SPEAK UP! We need you!) OK, now I know this hasn’t got anything at all to do with anything, but Mrs. Fancy Pants asked and I just need to share this with the world (Trix can back me up on this shit):

Sangria de cava, ZOMG. Heaven, and here’s the easy way to get there. Get your hands on the Stirrings White Sangria mixer and a cheap or moderately priced bottle of sweet white wine – I like Viogniers best – and a bottle of Freixenet or whatever cava you prefer. Cut up whatever fresh summer fruits you have handy, and toss into your pretty pitcher like so: 1/4 mixer, 1/4 white wine, 1/2 cava. Let it sit, but only after you’ve cheated and poured yourself a glass before it’s all had the chance to mix and mingle!

Fashion, booze and love! ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

When: Fri., June 20th, 2008

What: Turquoise Swiss Dot dress from ???, the Sheeba belt from last week and pony hair leopard print and ruby patent leather slingbacks from Linea Paolo. My leopard print hoop earrings (keepin’ it classy, for real) are from one of my favorite boutiques in Oakland, Glow on Lakeshore Ave. Pasty legs courtesy of my office, yay!

Confessions: The dress is from Delia’s (yesZOMGthatDelia’s, the one you used to get a catalog from in high school, where you proceeded to maim the pages with your Sharpie and very own special desire to have the crispy, put-together outfits of the girls on their pages. Or maybe that was just me. Whatever. Shut up. ).