fitforafemme.com

Meet Lafitte. It’s a restaurant with a manifesto; it’s run by the same people who brought you SubCulture Dining. It’s a gorgeous, airy, polished industrial-country kind of space set on Pier 5 on the San Francisco Bay. The menu is to die for. The drinks are addictive. The service is impeccable. It steals the scene for this long overdue FFAF post! All I did was sit in it and get tipsy and nom on rabbit and scallops and butternut squash soup sipped from an impossibly wee teacup. There was also an outstanding bacon chocolate chip cookie.

Dolce Vita for Target boots, Cheap Monday faux-leather panel skirt, Apostrophe blouse.

In case you’re wondering why on God’s green earth I’ve been so awfully MIA lately:

We moved!
We moved!
We moved!

Sayonara, little railroad flat. Goodbye, tiny closets. Ciao, paper thin walls. So long, single cramped bathroom. Good riddance, neighbors. Adios, El Mexico markets, Valencia boutiques and Anthony’s Cookies. Peace, kitten gang. Tchüss, Mission District. Later, Fabric 8 and your brilliant Street Food Fridays. We’ll be back. One day. It’s my birthplace, after all! We clang for one another.

HELLO, five-burner stove, dishwasher, garbage disposal, dual-bin stainless steel sink.
HELLO, 1500+ sq. ft. of living space and sky-high ceilings.
HELLO, two full baths plus powder room.
HELLO, front and back yards.
HELLO, washer/dryer.
HELLO, two-car garage.
HELLO, fireplace.
HELLO, privacy.

Come to mama, you big, sexy, badass closet nearly the size of our old bedroom. God, I love you. Ch-ch-changes! Y’all are invited to our epic pool party open house, where we’ll all warm up with hot toddies in front of a crackling Fall fire. Feel free to come ’round and play doubles with us on our tennis court, too.

It’s hard to say whether or not the FFAF backdrops will be as epic, but the plan is to set up a permanent studio in the garage!

Also? Band practice.

Looking ahead, kittens. Always.

Love,
FFAF

Dear friends and lovers,

Your frilly femme has fallen ill. It’s true. It could have been all the excitement (and AC and recycled air people) of FemmeCon, or something going around at work, or the crazy heat wave zapping my immune system, or all three. Summer colds really are the worst, aren’t they? Except our summer lasted 3.5 days and is long gone as of Wednesday.

Rest assured that I am getting my daily dose of bitters, because they just don’t make medicine like they used to. Let’s move on. Being sick is so dull.

Have you looked at Autostraddle lately? Because it looks like this:

…which is super fucking R A D S A U C E. Like, I feel like I’ve really made it as a girl-on-girl culture person, in all my guest-posting glory, and I’m not just saying that because I love those girls to death (which I do). It’s a real honor. There’s also a really inspiring and lovely conversation happening in the comments section there.

I think it’s so funny and bizarre that earlier this year we were competing for a Lezzy Award, and now we’re total BBFFs*.

*BBFFs = Blogger Best Friends Forever, durr.

Silk Dress: Rachelle
Vest & Leggings: Calvin Klein
Knotted Flats: Payless

Speaking of, it’s one thing to buy a $10 pair of basic black flats from Payless (like I’ve obviously done here), but “real” shoes? Hot ones? HOLD THE PHONE, COWGIRL. I don’t know, I got an email the other day and I’m a little bit blown away by some of the action they’ve got in their guest designer lines right now, what do you think?

So, an embarrassingly long while back, a reader wrote in with a special query. It was surprisingly challenging due to the fact that I haven’t been in a traditional business (or business casual) environment since 2008. After some research and polling of personal friends, you’ll see what I’ve come up with. First, let’s get to the topic du jour!

Hey Skinny,

I was at Old Navy the other day, and on a whim, tried on a maxi dress. It actually looked pretty good and was comfortable, but it’s vastly different than anything I normally wear. Which leads to my questions:

1) Maxi dresses, yea or nay?

2) Is there any way to style them that would be work-appropriate and/or not make me look like a
hippie or someone on vacation?

Thanks,

cate3710

I love this question! It took me awhile to get on the maxi train myself. In fact, I think my first purchase was last summer, just in time for the SF Dyke March, and as far as I can tell its made zero appearances here since. Recently, I snagged the blue floral number from Target’s Liberty of London collection and the truth is that I’m wearing it today as I type this! Since neither maxi I own is really workable for this question, I turned to polyvore.com to put together some ideas:

What do you think? Obviously, it’s not going to work for more formal offices or on days when you’ve got board meetings to attend, but I think it can be worked into a nice alternative to the usual Casual Friday ensemble, or even for offices that are always business casual (California, I’m looking at YOU).

I went with muted colors and stuck with interesting flats instead of sandals or open-toed shoes of any sort for both looks. These are wobbly first steps into the insanity that is polyvore.com, so bear with me. I went a little buck wild with accessories (it looks so naked without!).

Exhibit A: I kind of love the idea of starting off a dreary Monday in such a comfortable dress, and just adding the edgy little flats and a sharp blazer to keep it from being too casual. I also love the finish a good belt can provide any outfit, in terms of texture and color, but it really helps tie together this serious maxi situation. I wanted a little bit of color, so I added the lovely bib necklace here, adding simple gold stud earrings and a nice little ring so the hands / wrists aren’t too naked. Add your own watch and voila! Recipe for a Do Not Mess maxi Monday, where you get to feel at ease and pulled together all at once.

Exhibit B: Here’s Friday outfit! I went with a sort of Flintstone chic motif here. I really love this bracelet and the flats aren’t the first heart print I’ve fallen for, and certainly won’t be the last. Aren’t they darling, though? This is pretty much the same concept: Pick a sedate maxi with clean lines. Pick some sort of lightweight garment to cover your back and shoulders that doesn’t cause people to question your wearing a maxi dress to begin with (for instance, do not wear a cardigan or something bulky and full-length that’s going to completely destroy the look). Choose neat accessories to give the look some color and punctuation. Make sure your hair is kempt, conditioned, etc.

Like I said, there are plenty of places where you can wear this kind of outfit and no one will bat an eye except to give you a lovely compliment, but there are also plenty of places where this is much too casual even for Fridays. Use your best judgment and wear what makes you feel like a 9-to-5 badass! There is, after all, always happy hour.

Finally, my next FFAF request from a reader has to do with a topic near and dear to all our hearts: MAKE-UP! Tell me what you want to know and I will make it happen.

PS. If you want to go straight to the sets on polyvore for the breakdown and such, click either set above!

CONFESSION: So much! (Such words.) The new hair! The new boots! The never-seen-before couch that so many beloved friends have slept upon! The under-appreciated brown suede tote bag from a Banana Republic sale years and years ago, and still it serves me well! Come in, sit down, have a drink. I’ve got so much news.

First things first, the holiday party I threw last night for work went swimmingly. (If you’re ever in town and want to grab a cocktail at a bar that perfectly melds art with liquor, please visit Madrone. Don’t forget to call me so that I can join you!)

On a whim, I popped into Buffalo Exchange and found not just one but two pairs of fantastical brown boots – a dark chocolate pair of riding boots ($16) in lovingly worn leather and these nutmeg suede, pointy-toed wonders. Love. I still have the gorgeous, supple, high-heeled Donald J. Pliners, but these are great for day-to-day traipsing around.

I wore them tonight to a very special scotch tasting, hosted by Glenrothes at Foreign Cinema (which had even MORE great art). It was great! In addition to the awesomely themed Blood & Sand cocktail, they had tastings of the 1991, 1985, 1975 and Special Reserve, and after a few brief and entertaining speeches and a few rounds of hip-hip-hooray, they cracked open an exceptional bottle of 1979 Single Cask (No. 3808, I think, but I could be wrong) and it was well worth the wait. M said she wouldn’t pay $1,000 (the asking price for one of the remaining 13 bottles left in the world – we drank the 14th tonight!), but could see how one very expensive bottle would last one a very long time. My search for the perfect Lowlands scotch marches on with just 29 days left in the year…

After saying goodbye to some fresh new friends, we popped into the adjacent Laszslo for a round of cocktails (M with her Bulleit on the rocks and me with my favorite, Grey Gardens), and I was suddenly STARVING despite an early dinner, so we popped into a taqueria on the way home for some much-needed Mexican fare.

By far the most incredible news of all is that I will be participating in the Impact Self-Defense Basics Course for Women this weekend. My friend is assisting the instructor and I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally, finally be taking this. (I believe an old therapist of mine suggested it way back in 2000-2001, I think, so it’s been a very long time coming.) Of course, y’all won’t judge me if my first thought upon confirmation was, “ZOMG, must go out and get new workout outfits ASAP!” It’s the one weak point in my entire wardrobe! So much to do before classes begin on Friday!

Hope y’all are surviving this freakishly long week after the long holiday weekend! XO!

Here are some pics from earlier tonight – look at that moon…

PS. Also?! THE CURE TRIBUTE AT NEW WAVE CITY THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Most excellent. I can’t wait.

There are many parallels between the world of fashion and the culinary world. Both are grueling, merciless and prone to (oft unfortunate) trends that come and go. In their finest moments, both result in exquisite, sumptuous works of art that are wearable or edible, meant to be consumed and in the act of consuming permit one to truly live. Both have their classics, their unspoken rules. Both can be reduced to levels of such mediocrity that their products are merely a means of getting by. We do, after all, require food and clothing.

When it comes to couture cuisine, I am my fashion opposite. I’m a very “shy” eater. I lack that adventurous spirit and innate confidence when it comes to sitting down to dine on the unfamiliar or unusual.

That’s my very wordy preface to the following, which is a Top 100 list of foods everyone worth their salt should try in a lifetime.

VS.

The bolded items I’ve tried

The crossed out items I’d never even think of touching.

The italicized items I haven’t tried, but would like to.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho (I don’t even know what this is!)
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (it’s possible)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (with bread!)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut (Oh hai, I’m ½ German. Thanks, Mom!)
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail (I feel strongly that I’ve had something with oxtail in it, perhaps a stew?)

41. Curried goat42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (it sounds like this should be extracted and used in beauty products, though)
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (I like my gin in champagne, thanks)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho (soup should never be cold)
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu or shaojiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum (I might have had some version of this at an SF Thai place once- if so, it was delicious)
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin star restaurant
85. Kobe beef (If I have, I don’t remember)
86. Hare NOES! DON’T EAT BUNNIES!
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (Caribbean coffee is not my cuppa)
100. Snake

(List courtesy of Bangs Are The New Black!)