the new Runaways movie

You know how sometimes you feel kind of, oh, I don't know, out-of-sorts? Like when you feel old, tired, fat ,cranky, depressed, bloated, icky, poorly dressed, out of shape, frustrated, listless, apathetic or sad and then you go get a bag of chips or a carton of ice cream or both and then you feel WORSE?

Maybe it's just me, but when I feel like that, I look at this picture and say, "Self, it is OKAY. You are FINE. No matter what is going on in your life, you did not leave the house dressed as ASHANTI today."

And then I feel better.

You know how I get Amanda Lepore mixed up with Nanette Lepore, right? Which is ridiculous because one is a fashion designer from the Midwest who designs delightfully feminine clothes that I can't afford, and the other is a tranny from New York who looks more fierce than feminine. Well, one of them is coming out with a make up line for CAMP Cosmetics, and even though I say I won't, I bet I'll buy some.

You know I love Target. And you know I love fashion. And you know I love the Target Designer GO line. So when I saw this article in New York Magazine's The Cut I just about lost it.

Can I get that dress pictured? The one made of a table cloth? Please???

"Rumor has it Alexander McQueen is on tap to do a Target Go International collection. So jump up and down and scream HOLY JESUS YES! Now calm down a bit as you allow the thought of McQueen clothes so affordable you can have multiple pieces hanging in your closet to sink in. We're still having trouble adjusting to the idea, but we're jumping up and down. Even McQueen's McQ diffusion line can easily run you upwards of $400 for a dress and $200 for a top. And yes, he already does collaborations with Puma and Samsonite, but let's be real here -- if we're going to own McQueen, we want to see it, as mentioned above, hanging in our closet. We don't need McQueen sneakers (any ol' Pumas are just fine for that) or luggage that costs $800 and is just going to get dinged up anyway. No, no, we need McQueen on our person and we need it now. And we need it to not fall to pieces, like some of the other recent Target lines have done. So let's hope that the retailer, in keeping with a designer of such caliber, gets materials worthy of his work. In the meantime, keep everything you can cross crossed to make this rumor come true."

I'm not someone who's big on celebrating my birthday - not out of any fear of growing older or anything like that - it's because I simply don't like the attention. A few years ago I figured out that my shyness often extends into annoyance when overwhelmed with attention, which results in people who are otherwise trying to show that they care about me feeling put off. I don't blame them, and figure that it's just better for everyone involved if I just treat my birthday like any other day.

My boss Deanne, however, has a different idea about birthdays, and because I adore her so much, I decided that I was not going to be cranky this year. And she, in turn, completely surprised me with what was quite possibly the Best. Gift. Ever.

I should back up. While in Nashville for the CMA Music Festival this year, my co-worker Trinity and I made the trek up and down Broadway on our first day in Music City. Trinity had never been to Nashville, and was really feeling the pull of all the crappy tourist shops on Lower Broad (a side note: after being in Nashville for the CMA Music Festival for the first time, I have no idea why people would go to this event for fun. It was hot, it was crowded, and after one pal of mine texted me saying she had awful seats, I thought, "Nashville's an awfully long way to go to discover you have crappy seats." Fortunately, I was there for work, not for fun.). It is said that if you travel with someone, you'll really get to know them, and I believe that now. I learned that Trinity is the kind of person who will buy a souvenir for everyone she knows, rather than letting them travel to said place themselves to purchase said souvenir. I spent more time that week in crappy souvenir shops than I've ever spent in them before. I tried not to be cranky.

But then, in one western wear store, I spotted these:

Granted, at the time, they were on a shelf. In a store. On sale. For $250. And while I did not try them on, I did not stop talking about those boots for the entire trip. After all, talking about the boots does not cost any money, and $250 is an awful lot to spend on boots when one is also about to pay for a new truck transmission. So I talked. I'm pretty sure everyone I met in Nashville at some point heard about those pink boots with the brown skull and crossbones.

Finally, on our last day, Trinity, Deanne, and I headed to Broadway for one more last round of souvenir shopping (because, for crying out loud, Trinity still wasn't done yet!), and Deanne asked which store I'd seen the boots in. She thought I should just try them on, and I thought I should not, out of fear that I'd fall in love with them and buy them. We located the store, and I was relieved that they no longer had them in my size. Deanne, however, wrote down the pertinent information, and said we'd look for them online when we got home. I was thinking, "I still have a transmission to pay for, though!"

We returned to Los Angeles, and I forgot about those boots. Meanwhile, the wheels were turning in Deanne's head. She and Trinity located a store online that sold the boots in my size and ordered them, making sure they arrived just before my birthday. The irony is that they had the boots sent to the office, and any packages that arrive for our department usually get sent to my office for me to distribute. I must have been feeling lazy that day, though, because after the package had been sitting in my office for several hours, I still hadn't walked it over to Deanne's office, or even looked at it. So the next morning - the day of my birthday - when I arrived at work and unwrapped the package Deanne had wrapped and left on my desk, I let out the loudest shriek known to man.

Yay for surprises! And for these boots.

Every year at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, the show I work for, After MidNite, hosts a Disco Party on the last night of the seminar. From what I hear, that is THE event to go to. I've always wanted to attend CRS, but the one year I thought that maybe I could actually save up enough money to go, my boss at the time talked me out of it, saying, "It's kind of just a big drinking party," (Hel-loo?!?! Isn't that right up my allegy?!), and in the years after that, I became important enough to run the station and shows while everyone else went to CRS, but not important enough to get to go.

THIS year, a trouble-making colleague suggested that I take one measly day off of work to fly out to Nashville and make a one-night-only appearance at the Disco Party. I found a cheap flight, my boss excitedly agreed (she's thinking, "Ha! Now I'll have someone else to help me work this thing!"), and plans were made. Except the most important question...What am I going to wear?!

I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on an outfit that I'd only wear once, so my initial reaction was to create some sort of "My Little Pony" '80s look (the host of our show is going as Gene Simmons, so I didn't think MLP would be too out of place at a disco party), but that turned out to take too much preparation for lazy little ol' me. Instead, I found a bargain at the vintage clothing store called Someone Else's, within walking distance of my apartment. Here's the outfit:

(Yes, these pics were taken in my fine My Little Pony bathroom.)

Dress: $27.
Platform shoes: $28
Pink Peace Sign Necklace: $5
Assorted other bracelets: Free.

Did I mention that Someone Else's is going out of business, so everything was 30% off? I got the whole thing for less than $50.

Here's a close-up of the dress:

And the shoes:

The dress I can pair with cowboy boots and wear to shows (in fact, I already have: at the Kelly Willis show. And I totally plan on wearing those shoes over the summer. But not in front of my mom. She thinks I'm too clumsy to wear crazy shoes like that. She's probably right, but that doesn't stop me.

Pics from the actual party forthcoming!

I love the color of Sara Ramirez's dress. I love the cut, the fabric, and the way she's put it together with sleek hair and accessories. Nicely done!

photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

Clearly, Ellen Page (Juno) said to herself, "Self, we're only 20, so let's wear something that makes us look older. Really older. Let's get something out of Grandma's closet and wear that!"

photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com - January 27, 2008

I can't decide if Ellen Pompeo's Nina Ricci dress is made out of foil or Saran Wrap, but I think it's lovely. I do think she needs a necklace, and she might be too pale for the dress. Can't you see this shining on Halle Berry or Rihanna?

photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com - January 27, 2008

Listen, I love scrapbooking. I love buttons. I love hot glue guns. But I don't usually scrap my clothes.

Clearly, Jane Krakowski sees it differently. Here she is at the 2008 Screen Actor's Guild Awards in a dress I can only call "embellished." And if things get boring, she can always pop the buttons off her dress and start working on her scrapbook layouts.

I don't usually get my fashion tips from Forbes, believe it or not. But the article below caught my eye, and is well worth reading. Many of the trends they predict make sense: a continued emphasis on punk and futuristic clothing, embracing alternative fabrics and organic materials, and a continued popularity of all things estate and vintage influenced. Some of the trends are dismaying - a return to neon and short shorts for men! - and one can only hope they are nothing more than predictions.

10 Fashion Trends You Can't Ignore
Hitha Prabhakar, 08.28.07, 6:00 PM ET

David Wolfe, creative director of The Doneger Group, a fashion-forecasting firm in New York City, is like a typical 20-something. He spends his time listening to the latest indie bands, hanging out with hipsters in the park, watching countless hours of MTV and browsing trendy boutiques, trying to spot the next fashion trend.

But one thing sets Wolfe apart from his peers: He is almost 70 years old.

Read the story here: