fitforafemme.com

Greetings, queers! I’ve missed ya. An entire week has passed and you couldn’t pay me to tell you how on earth that happened so fast, because I do not know. There were many weekend outings but not a photo snapped, and I hope to rectify that with this weekend’s outings. Some dear friends of ours are in town, which guarantees shenanigans of the exquisitely made cocktail nature, and we’re going to the SF Giants vs. LA Dodgers baseball game on Sunday! I’m so excited. I can’t wait. I haven’t been to a ballgame in awhile.

HOLD THE TRAIN. There’s another very practical reason why there are hardly any posts from this week. I totally injured myself on Sunday night! For the first time in my life, I twisted or sprained or somethinged my poor right ankle coming down a flight of stairs. I feel that my heel (don’t worry, the shoe is FINE) got caught in a bit of unraveled carpet or something, because I went flying and it could have been a helluva lot worse than a scraped, bruised, sore, tender wrecked ankle. M was so scared! I phoned my fancy doctor friend early Monday and she advised me on how to care for it, and I’m pretty sure it’ll be ready for heels again tomorrow.

While being doted on very lovingly was sweet while it lasted, I really and truly despise being slowed down.

So there you have it. I really hope that I can post some photos of yours truly with famous drag queens, because they were incredible. Here’s a teaser: There was a very believable Reba, and she came with a tiny puppy!

This is so much less about my outfit than it is San Francisco’s unfailing yet surprising and constant beauty. All these were taken over the range of a few hours at most, and the various backdrops are within mere minutes of each other. It is easy to forget how remarkable this city is; true passion and loyalty requires constant devotion, the ability to let certain angles fade and slide back into focus. It reminds me of set changes in an opera or musical. Or of love.

Wonder will come and go like the tide when you live here, is what I am getting at, and this day was full of it.

Ocean Beach was cold but clear as a bell, and it sure didn’t stop dozens of kite surfers from getting into the Pacific’s icy waters. M insisted on skipping rocks into the waves and we ran around like banshees in the spray and blowing sand. Those branches I’m clutching on? That’s in Golden Gate Park, in front of Rainbow Falls. Man made or not, it’s a tranquil little place to stop on John F. Kennedy Drive. Finally, there’s the delightful Tulip Garden (though these photos are suspiciously devoid of tulips), which lies in the shadow of the historic Dutch Windmill (and used to pump tens of thousands of gallons of water into the park!).

And there you are. For the record, I’m wearing Lamica boots with H&M jeans, a random flimsy tee with a little zippered pocket, an old striped scarf and my Blanc Noir wool coat. The cheeky hat is M’s, and she got it from a little gay boy boutique on Castro Street. The boys working there bickered lovingly in a very entertaining manner. Goorin Bros. hand warmers and Spy sunglasses.

But I know y’all are going to fuss over the scenery, so do!

XO,

FFAF

HELLO, KITTENS!

How the hell are you? It’s been a week! A whole week!

Before anything else: Thank you for voting for Fit For A Femme, even if we didn’t win a Lezzy Award this year, we stood up there with the big dogs and it was totally awesomesauce, and I lovelovelove y’all for voting day in and day out with all your might.

So, I got this mini whilst thrifting for, like, $2, NWT. It makes for a great casual, relaxed look, but where the hell does The Gap get off charging $50 for a tiny denim miniskirt? Not that it isn’t great. It is. It’s just that I wouldn’t dream of wearing this without leggings on underneath. It’s SCANDALOUSLY short. And tiny. And not worth that crazy sticker price, which makes finding it for next to nothing that much sweeter. I went BANANAS thrifting last week. It was a month-end clearance sale, and I got 15 super awesome pieces – from a beautiful azure blue sunhat with the most dramatic brim to an armful of calico sundresses for Spring to a soft chestnut brown shrunken velvet blazer (it screams equestrian) – for just under $35 and in less than 1.25 hours. SCORE. Shopping = femme sports.

What else? Oh, you know, not much. I completed my utterly life-changing self-defense training on Sunday, and new bruises are STILL popping up all over my body. Badges of honor, my instructor calls them. I had the privilege of fighting FIVE fights at my graduation ceremony (with M and the petite there to support and cheer me on), instead of the standard three. DO NOT MESS, Y’ALL.

I was just named a member of the Femme Collective, which is gearing up for Femme2010: No Restrictions this August. Femmes, mark your calendars (and reserve your spot on the infamous Skinny + M sofabed now if you’re an out-of-towner)! Speaking of M, she and I are headed across the Bay Bridge next week for a meeting with other legally wed California couples to discuss next steps as powerful advocates for marriage equality, which I’m really excited about. Writing checks and being visible and all that is well and good, but I never feel like I’m doing enough unless I’m doing.

I will be a busy girl. A busy, happy, girly girl!

Also, we just ordered her a pair of these dapper new shoes:

I braved the drizzle to nail this FFAF post today, you guys! Drizzle and a steep, steep grade, not to mention this lingering head cold. Cloud cover mutes the otherwise dreamy view of the bay in the background, but maybe you can make it out just a little bit. When I took out my gloves to put them on this afternoon, I noticed a faint emerald green print on the inside. Upon closer inspection, the left glove shows the no. 7, and Lionel Le Grand beneath it. Inside of the right, Made In France Expressly for I. Magnin & Co.! I don’t know how I missed that before. I found them at an old Lutheran thrift shop in the East Bay, of all places. Years ago.

Anyway, this magical, high-waisted, uber-tight, red hot miniskirt. Unfortunately, it’s all sold out at modcloth.com, but I love it. They had another of its kind – the Da Vinci skirt – in a pretty purple shade, but that’s all gone, too! Next time I wear it, I’ll try more color, but I couldn’t help but femme fatale it up a bit for the first go-r0und.

C’mon, folks, we’re taking a stroll. This outfit really isn’t anything special, but it’s been awhile since the sun has shone on a wintry Sunday here in San Francisco, so we’re going to wander through the Mission into the Castro for M’s haircut (it’s been about six weeks and she was starting to get all ornery about it), and you can enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes with us along the way.

We found this pink house around the corner from M’s barber shop on Market. It has a fantastic little mail slot for the post, above.

Unionmade is an incredible, incredible men’s store on Sanchez. I’ve been wanting to wander in for some time now, and I’m so glad we finally did. The boys at the counter were good-natured and adorable about M & I threatening to move in, joking that it was open concept and cheaper than our current flat. Everything they carry is gorgeous, from the heaviest, highest quality wool sweaters, handmade and signed for in Denmark, to tees so soft and wafer-thin they catch your breath, and lots and lots of leather goods and manly, officious nautical instruments and things to admire. See M peeking through their store window down there?

To the right of the store, the Victorian that M would like us to move into. Below left, the J heading out of Dolores Park, where hipsters were out in full effect, crawling out of their tobacco- and PBR-stained ratholes to undulate feverishly in the light of day, neon sunglasses at the ready. Sigh. Fortunately, the line at Bi-Rite Creamery wasn’t too bad (and I got to pop into Joy O Designs next door and drool at all the jewelry and clutches) and M & I both got single scoops with two flavors each: vanilla malt with peanut brittle and chocolate bits, roasted banana, honey lavender and mint chip. Everything was good except the honey lavender, which tasted like “eating a stick of laundry detergent” according to M, but Humphry’s still beats out Bi-Rite and Mitchell’s, we’ve decided. IT IS WHAT IT IS, KIDS. Deal with it. I will say that my ice cream cone lasted me from 18th & Dolores all the way to Paxton Gate, which is fairly impressive.

Clockwise from top left:

• The Smile, You’re In SF! hidden camera art in an abandoned gas station, with a homeless guy napping in a pile of trash next to it.
• Open House sign for a ridiculously overpriced flat in our neighborhood. See below for up close awesomeness.
• This lady was standing at the corner of 22nd & Valencia holding a sign that said “You Are Perfect” for no apparent reason.
• The Marsh doing some sort of weird taping – “What Is A Wife?” and “Faces, Feelings & Lies”.
• Try French Kiss! Don’t mind if I do! Thanks, bossy street graffiti!
• Bi-Rite’s flavor sign and ice cream tubs. Mm.

We walked over three miles! It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, after sleeping in and dilly-dallying over coffee and Grey’s Anatomy for the Wii all morning. Tonight, M made her delicious secret recipe burgers and I made my fantastic homemade french fries, and we baked a batch of chocolate thumbprint cookies with a vanilla bean & chocolate ganache. They’re still setting, so the verdict is out still on their deliciousness!

Hope y’all had a fantastic weekend and HAPPY FEBRUARY! It’s the month of love, y’all. In eleven days we’ll mark the 5th year of our very first meeting, and February 2006 was the month we became real “girlfriends”, too, if you can believe it. Even if you haven’t got a loverbird, I believe firmly in loving on yourself, so you’d better! XOXO.

PS. If you like my shirt and / or want to see others like it, check out Lola Starr’s online boutique. I bought mine after attending one of her super amazing, outdoor, nighttime, themed roller skating parties on Coney Island in 2008.

PPS. Wanna live here?

HA! HA! HA!

CONFESSION: It is 1AM on Thanksgiving Day and I have two pumpkin cheesecakes cooling in the oven, with cinnamon and nutmeg crusts. In the queue for the oven are my butterscotch and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies, and after that my third-generation, closely guarded shortbread is waiting patiently. Yes, I’m a madwoman. The white, spiced pear sangria is marinating in the fridge, so that my mother’s guests can sip on some festive sangria de cava and so far, it tastes amazing. Hangar One Spiced Pear vodka, white wine, chunks of pear, orange, lemon, apple and cranberries, with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon for spices. Yes, all of this has been in this outfit. (No heels! No apron!) Time was of the essence. Still is. When will we sleep? Soon, soon. Hope each and every one of you lovely FFAF readers has a wonderful holiday. This femme is very thankful for you, indeed. Cheers!

CONFESSION: Specifically, my tomboy. Is there anything hotter than a tomboy with a book? I think not. You lucky readers get a healthy dose of tomboy eye candy AND my must-have modcloth.com dresses of the moment, just for fun.

On Saturday, M & I were up and out the door by 10AM to head to Enoteca 100, an Italian wine tasting event with delicious nibbles, on a spectacularly lovely Fall day. There was so much goodness to sip, beautiful flower arrangements at every turn, super cute puppies and heavenly bites like ravioli stuffed with beef, pork and rabbit or juicy wild boar spread over crostini drizzled with olive oil, and so so so many wondrous cheeses, too. We tried to pace ourselves by starting with Prosecco, then to whites and reds, but after sampling about three dozen bottles, we had to call it a day!

PS. My leggings are DKNY and the lacy sweater is by Hazel, from Lounge in NYC.