Isaac as Eartha

"Unzipped" is such a great documentary, and it really makes you love Isaac Mizrahi, who I totally met once. This is the best part -- where they switch back and forth between Eartha Kitt and Isaac Mizrahi mimicking her.

Loving it

Lately I've been loving...

1. Snow! It's uncommon and special here in the Charlotte area, and I loved seeing it! Sounds like other parts of the South had some southern snow craziness happening though.
2. Watching the first season of Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
3. Lemonade popsicles even though it's winter.
4. Disney's "Frozen." Great movie!
5. Polka dotted knit hats that keep my ears warm.

Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner was born in Smithfield, North Carolina, which is pretty amazing because Smithfield is the middle of nowhere now, and it had to really be the middle of nowhere back in 1922. She grew up to be an insanely glamorous movie star. She was not a girl-next-door movie star. She was an exotic, sultry, larger-than-life movie star. And she was born in Smithfield! A small-town, southern girl who becomes a cinematic legend? That's the stuff of Hollywood dreams.

Winter warmth

Fuzzy on the inside, bright blue on the outside, I love these shoes!

Second hand is my first love

I have been a second-hand buying machine lately. My thrifted items are all pretty cheap (that black cardigan was $1!), but I've also been hanging out on eBay, which can be a very dangerous thing...

But how cute is my necklace? So cute! So pretty! Love the color! It used to belong to someone else and now it's mine! Thanks eBay. Ditto with the shirt.

I bought these boots brand new, and they were totally worth it. They've kept me warm through the polar vortex.

In this photo, I want to be wearing a coat, but am not wearing a coat because then this post would look very similar to this post. All posts from now until it gets warmer would look like that post. It's January! It's cold! And the sad thing is most of my recently thrifted items are not for very cold weather. They could work in mildly cold weather, but not so much the very cold. I'm probably going to wear them anyway though. They're new to me and must be immediately enjoyed!

Bigfoot is a big deal

Okay. So I own a Bigfoot necklace now. This is huge. This is enormous. This is a big darn deal.

My friend, Erin, and I had an epic afternoon thrifting adventure, and this was my very favorite thing to come out of it. I didn't know my life lacked a Bigfoot necklace, but now that I have it, I feel so complete!

How to Steal a Million

Oh those black lace tights! It's all about those black lace tights!



Peter O'Toole and his blue eyes, Audrey Hepburn and her brown ones, a madcap caper and black lace tights -- it has everything a girl could want!

What a stunning pair! Audrey is trying to be incognito here, but she is obviously failing. Only Audrey Hepburn starring in a '60s movie would wear that outfit in order not to be recognized. Come on girl, we know it's you!

My favorite part of the movie is when they're stuck in a closet together. Sure, they look sleepy, but they're also building an unexpected romance in that intimate location! (And by "unexpected," I also mean "We all saw that romance coming from a mile away.")

My second favorite part of the movie is when Audrey drives around in that great, little red sports car wearing an all-white Givenchy outfit as only Audrey Hepburn can.

Oh Audrey, how I do love you!

Who likes polka-dots?

It's me. I do.

Style Icon: Mary Stuart Masterson in Some Kind of Wonderful

All I can say is it is obvious from the beginning that Eric Stoltz should love Mary Stuart Masterson, but I guess if he had figured that out earlier (like a sane man) then there would be no movie.

She has such spunk! Such style! Look at that iconic haircut! Look at those fabulous gloves!

And she plays the drums! Look at that girl go. The white T-shirt. The vest. So cool, that kid.

She even makes a dapper limo driver. (What are you doing driving that limo, honey? What is going on in your head? I know you love him, but does that mean you should torture yourself to help him get what he thinks he wants? Movies are just so stressful.)

Thank God he finally figured it out. Clearly he had to go for the girl with the leather jacket and fringed gloves. Clearly.

Trains (and train tracks)

Our small town outside the big city has a train running through it and airplanes flying over it to the nearby airport. I realize for a lot of people, these things would be noisy detractors of a cute town, but I love them both. Planes and trains make me think of travel and adventure. Train whistles especially make me wistful

My best friend in middle school and early high school ended up being one of those teenagers who hopped trains and traveled across the country. My train experience has been a little less adventurous, but still awesome. My first time on a train, I was 18 years old and traveling overnight from France to Italy. That same summer, I took a train with my grandma from Illinois to California, straight through the Colorado Rockies. Trains are romantic. They are epic. They take you places you've never been.

When I was a small town newspaper reporter, there was a train running through my town too, and I remember just loving lying in bed and listening to its whistle. That said, when we were buying our house, Robert and I looked at one that had a train track right behind it, and we were like "No thank you." Trains are best at a bit of a distance.

What did I wear while walking on train tracks? Why, I wore one of my recently thrifted items -- a yellow and white maxi dress. I think it makes a gorgeous, gorgeous skirt. The top is a bit big and billowy and weird, but throw a cardigan over it, and this is my new favorite thing (and only $4!).

We took these pictures while walking downtown yesterday. We used to take the walk everyday, but I've been a bit sick lately and not so up for it. Hopefully that tide is turning, and there will be more walks (and train sightings!) in my future.

Birthday Dress (It's not my birthday.)

On Saturday, my husband and I went thrift shopping together, and I walked out with a heap of clothing including a giraffe-print dress, which was my husband's favorite. Then we drove to Virginia to hang out with his grandma.

On Sunday, it was Robert's birthday, and I wore the giraffe-print dress for him. It is his official birthday dress! I then posed in front of a giant Golden Skillet on our way back to North Carolina (as one does when one is presented with the opportunity).

It was a wee bit chilly, but I had my boots and giant sweater (a Christmas gift) to keep me warm. And check out my purse!

 I call it my Mary Poppins purse because it is carpet-bag-esque. I bought it years ago when Isaac Mizrahi made stuff for Target. Good times. Good purse.

Happy birthday, Robert!

Style Icon: Cowboy

Oh Newsies! My sister would watch it over and over and talk about our favorite boys (Spot Collins!) and sing along with the songs. It was the best. (And yes, I'm super excited that it has been turned into a Broadway musical and am desperate to see it.)

In general, the newsies were good lookin' and dressed in a great ragamuffin style. (Not so much you, David. You were a little too preppy.) The star of the show, Jack "Cowboy" Kelly was the best dressed of them all -- suspenders, vest, messy hair and his cowboy bandanna. He was the leader of the newsies, the star of the show, the starter of a revolution and he did it all in really excellent layers.

Christian Bale played the role, and man was he a great teen idol. His character was cocky and full of swagger and fun. And he sang! He sang with such spirit!

I watched the movie as a relatively little girl, and so The Newsies look has been my favorite look for fellows for pretty much all my life. Suspenders, boots, vests, hats -- Oh my! I like it on men. I think I'd like it on me if I had a more boyish figure (although I have been known to sport a vest that I stole from my husband). It is classic and American. It looks like free press and dreams of going out West. It makes me want to open the gates and seize the day!

The Lady Eve

Holy Moses, that perfume!



Lady Eve is one of my favorite movies and this scene is one of my favorite scenes. Barbara Stanwyck is the best. My favorite cinematic con artist ever.

Loving It

Lately I've been loving...

1. Friends and family playing board games on our giant table.
2. My job. Really love it. For real.
3. London Grammar's song Strong. 
4. Sweaters with elbow patches.
5. Friends who are gardeners who bring giant amounts of collard greens when they visit.

Debbie Reynolds (and Elizabeth Taylor)

When she was a little girl, my mother had a paper doll of Debbie Reynolds. She thought that Debbie Reynolds was the prettiest woman in the world.

I was always a bigger Elizabeth Taylor fan, and I felt you kind of had to choose between them. Were you Team Debbie or Team Elizabeth? I loved "Singin' in the Rain" starring Debbie, but I loved way more of Elizabeth's movies (Butterfield 8, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly Last Summer). Back then, Debbie was Jennifer Aniston and Elizabeth was Angelina Jolie and ol' what's-his-name was Brad Pitt.

Even though Elizabeth stole Debbie's husband, the women eventually made up and even starred in a movie together in their old(er) age. I've realized you don't have to be Team Debbie or Team Elizabeth. I like them both! Who says you can't enjoy both Coca-Cola and vodka tonics? Everything has its time and place. Debbie's is being sweetly romanced by Gene Kelly. Elizabeth's is wearing a white slip.

Polka dots and more polka dots

Just take a pair of polka-dot shoes...

And add a polka-dot cardigan (and a really great, warm, long, non-polka-dotted scarf)...

And ta da! You have a polka-dot-tastic outfit!

(Can you believe I showed my ankles on Sunday when the previous Tuesday and Wednesday were Polar-Vortex/ record-breaking cold? Weather craziness.)

Style Icon: Sally Draper

 Do you ever worry about present-day child stars? Sometimes, I worry about them. Are they going to end up like Lindsay Lohan or Amanda Bynes? Or are they going to go off and live normal, healthy lives out of the business? Or are they going to grow up to be successful actors like Jodie Foster? I just want what's best for these kids!

Sally Draper, played by Kiernan Shipka, is one of the best things about Mad Men. She is madly talented. Madly, I say.

And, like the rest of the cast of Mad Men, her clothes are fantastic and interesting. Mad Men style is no joke. The clothes, they are telling stories.

Sally Draper is full-on '60s prep throughout the series, and I love it. Pig tails! Stripes! Flirtation with go-go boots, but daddy says no! (And then she wears them later anyway because she is sassy.) Keds! She wears Keds!

And no matter what she's wearing, she's always great on screen. Sally really has a well-developed, compelling character. I kind of feel sorry for the Draper's two sons as they don't have nearly as meaty parts. Sally's character continues to develop, and so does her style. The '70s are just around the corner, Sally! Are you going to join the revolution? I can't wait to find out!