Recommendations: these are my latest

Reads 

I have more than one book going at any given time, the choice of what to read depending on whether I'm on the elliptical, driving, or sitting on a chaise longue dipping languidly into a box of French chocolates.

Serving suggestion.

Oh, and I've already talked about these. Definitely in the chaise longue class.

my latest e-book

Don't worry; I'm not taking it seriously. It's mostly a giggle.

See?

my latest audiobook

If you like, you can listen to a sample.

my latest book to page idly through while sitting on a chaise longue

Hmm. Maybe this clashes with the chocolates.

TV fashion role models

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson in Elementary

Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak in Arrow

Kidding. I've never actually watched Downton Abbey.

Want to stalk Joan's wardrobe? Or maybe Cookie's from Empire? Have you discovered Worn On TV?

Instagram follows

h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y    Lots of gay men in my feed. This is mostly lesbians, because equal time, yo.

hostessofthehumblebungalow   You've read the blog, but have you gazed at her pictures?

YouTube subscriptions

KimberlyClark

My favorite drag queen beauty guru. OK, my only DQBG. I've already raved about her, but she is really smart about gender and consumerism and other things more vacuous beauty gurus don't talk about.

Last night, I heard her use the word "acumen." True story.

And Kimberly turned me on to

notyourtypicaldollface

So smart. So pretty. I am in awe of her cats' eye glasses.

Movies

The Assassin, 2015. This will be Sunday afternoon at Doc Films in Chicago. Want to come?

Please tell me you've already seen Brooklyn.

Podcasts

Before anyone gets too excited at the sheer amounts of trendiness in this post, I should confess that I listen to podcasts to help me fall asleep.  

The Snailcast (a podcast about Korean skin care by four talented K-beauty bloggers.)

Vital Social Issues and Stuff My friend Jasmine and her friend Joy keep me up-to-date. For example, their 2015 wrap-up. Who remembered all those scandals from way back in March? So helpful.

 

Shoes

These J. Crew Factory d'Orsay flats are actually comfortable and not too pointy.

Also, no tacky toe cleavage! #winning

Shallow is the New Deep, or, a reading list

Like many fat people with degrees in literature, I really love to read cookbooks.

In my years of collecting and reading cookbooks, I've noticed that there are two kinds: books that give you detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to prepare a particular dish, and books by writers who are fascinated with food: its history, its cultural nuances, its sensual delights, its meaning.

In short, sometimes a cookie is a cookie; sometimes it's a Madeleine.

Diana Vreeland working with a model, Harper's Bazaar, probably in the 1930s.

My collection of books about beauty and style can be similarly characterized—it's pretty equally divided between theory and practice. After I started blogging about beauty and style, however, the balance tilted a little. I started acquiring more books that provided specific advice about what women in midlife should be doing to continue to look good.

I've decided that I hate books like that. Especially em-effing Charla Krupp and the way she feeds off women's fear of aging.

Admittedly, in interviews, Ms. Krupp claims to be talking about working women. And I realize that things out there are tough for women in their forties and fifties. But think about it: where are the books teaching men how to continue to look young? They don't exist (which would explain the bad, all-one-color dye jobs I see on some of the older executives of my acquaintance.)

Not to mention that Ms. Krupp's follow-up book is How Not to Look Fat. Which is, you have to admit it, a bit of a giveaway. Fat being the yin to Old's yang. Apparently, Krupp will do whatever it takes to get women to freak out about the effects of the passage of time. Just as long as there's money in it for her.

I'm not saying aging is pretty. And I'm not going to start spouting a lot of new-Age woo about all of us being beautiful. But there are certain advantages to the aging process, beginning with not being dead.

Of course applying makeup is less enjoyable than it was when I was 27. On the other hand, I know a hell of a lot more about makeup and what looks good than I did thirty years ago. (Current Poppy to 27-year-old Poppy: the hot pink duo-chrome pigment was not a good idea.)

But enough about me. Let's talk about Diana Vreeland. She was never conventionally pretty, but she had a fantastic slim figure that made her an ideal clothes hanger. And she had beautiful hands.

Well, guess what--she got older. A lot older.

But she still ran Vogue magazine and coined the term "Youthquake" and basically helped make the British invasion of style happen on these shores. And then kept going. Because she was interested in style qua style, and not just what made her look better.

And so, I've decided, am I. So I have accumulated the following books

And plan to dive in.

In the words of Neely O'Hara "Wow! What an orgy!”

Perfection Attained

Sunday was my daughter's 10th birthday. On Friday I took her and three of her friends to see the show here:



And then they had a sleepover downtown. They loved the elevator. In fact, I think they loved it best of all the things they did. I could have saved $30 a head in tickets by letting them ride up and down on the elevators. They decided that jumping up and down while the elevator was moving was the most fun thing in the world. It made them scream with excitement. Needless to say, this was a bit rough on the ear drums, but it was pretty to see their enthusiasm.

The rest of the time, they ate pizza. And giggled.



My daughter's presents were all perfect. She got a disco ball. And a Bratz CD player. I bought her






Her grandparents sent a notebook and stickers. And the soundtrack to Gilda:



She loved everything.

What does it mean when your daughter's favorite song is "Put the Blame on Mame?"

(Don't answer that.)

In other perfect news, I pitched Tiffany a couple of weeks ago. I'm chairing a benefit and I wanted them to sponsor us. And Tiffany, which is a store I've always enjoyed anyway, is generously donating these:



for the raffle, and these



for the goody bags. Which adds up to over $11,000 in free loot. Not bad for a half day's work.

But wait, don't go! I have more perfection for you!

In case you suffer from insomnia and this post isn't enough to send you to slumberland, I have the solution. Get this:



and read four pages--five at the most. You'll be in slumberland before you can say "Ambien."