A Spectator Sport

Spectator shoes have long been a fashion staple, and probably with good reason. I don't mean wingtips or 50s-style schoolgirl saddle shoes, mind you--I'm talking about the ladylike versions with heels and cute details. Coco Chanel was a great promoter of the spectator, and to this day, the house that Gabrielle built produces its own versions of this classic style.

But, most of us being without the means to procure any piece of Chanel more expensive than a bottle of Chance Eau Fraiche, we have to turn elsewhere. But no worries. I have the perfect solution: 2-Tone Lace-Up Saddle Shoe Peep-Toe Pumps. 

The name is deceptive, because this pair of pumps does not resemble saddle shoes, not really. Rather, they are grown up but still playful, classy but unusual.

I think we could all use a pair of shoes like this in our collections. The black and white color scheme go with so many things, and the lace-up/peep-toe combination makes these pumps versatile, able to contend with nice weather in the spring and summer and the muted fashions of fall.

Would you rather have these, the Chanel option, or something else?

Buy through Plasticland for $39.00.

Photo: Plasticland.

-Cate-

PS One of the great pleasures of writing a blog--for me, at least--is doing the research that it takes to find all sorts of information that completes each post. And although I tried very hard to find a picture of saddle shoes as seen in that beloved 70s interpretation of the 50s, Grease, my search was fruitless. I did, however, find this. There is nothing to be said for it, really, except that it is absolute nonsense. Enjoy!

"And the Pavements Are Burning"

As you may have noticed, we are in the thick of summer. While this may not be so obvious to those of you living in cooler climes, it is decidedly apparent here in North Carolina. So, of course, this calls for many discussions of the greatest summertime songs. Naturally, there are the classics: "Summertime Blues," "School's Out," pretty much anything by the Beach Boys, et cetera. However, my personal favorite is "Cruel Summer" by Bananarama.

Nowadays, Bananarama is one of those under-the-radar groups, at least in the States (their most recent album, Viva, was released last year, although I haven't heard it yet, and their previous album, Drama, from 2005, didn't suck). But in the 80s, Bananarama was a pretty big deal. They were big enough, in fact, to have one of their songs immortalized in that quintessential 80s film The Karate Kid. And that song was "Cruel Summer."

"Cruel Summer" isn't for everyone. This time last year, I had it playing constantly--I was at home, I was bored, and I was cut off from the few people I wanted to see. So it made a lot of sense. And it was perfect for Daniel in The Karated Kid, too--he was in the same boat (well, almost). Besides, it has a hot, driving beat with great percussion, some pseudo-funky guitar work (very much influenced by "Train in Vain" by the Clash, I think), and--although the Bananarama girls may not have the most polished voices ever--the youthful vocals drive the point of the song home very well. Plus, bonus? The song was covered by Ace of Base in 1998, and I know you know I love me some Ace of Base.

I suppose what I'm really trying to tell you is that if you're having a mediocre, or perhaps a bad, summer, you should turn to Bananarama in your hour of need. They understand your pain perfectly. I promise.

Buy through Amazon for $0.99.

-Cate-

PS If you were interested by yesterday's post about Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light and would like to know more, you might consider reading this article at Salon, which appeared on Wednesday, or this brief review by Tina Jordan at Entertainment Weekly!

Incandescence

Jane Brox is the author of several non-fiction books, the latest of which, Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light, was published earlier this month. Now, before we go on, I need you to know something: unlike the books I've mentioned before on this blog, I have NOT read this one yet, although I would very much like to someday. Rather, I'm sharing it with you because I was lucky enough to meet Brox last month and hear her read from Brilliant. I have to say, I never thought light would be so fascinating to me as it was the night I encountered Brox, and on the strength of that one night alone I want to recommend this book to you.

By the way, Brox is an unassuming lady. She's not at all flashy, but she is very interesting.  And  besides--anyone who could make a description of the street lamps of London interesting to me (and, in fact, an auditorium full of people) must be pretty okay, right?

Buy through Powell's Books for $25.00.

Photo: Powell's.

-Cate-

Rack 'Em Up

I have a lot of keys. I wouldn't call it an excess of keys; I need all of them for work or my personal life. But I'm not terribly fond of the way they're organized (on two key chains, each of which have, I think, reached their capacity). And I also need a good, central location in which to keep them. Voila: the magnetic key rack.

Although I would have to split my keys into several separate rings (the key rack will not hold heavy rings), I like the idea of this organizational solution. It is simple, elegant, and even multifunctional--there is a place to stick incoming or outgoing mail! Why didn't I think of this sooner?

Buy through Organize-It for $13.99.

Photo: Organize-It.

-Cate-

You're Standing on My Neck

Everyone's favorite snarky high schooler is finally out on DVD.

There shouldn't be very much for me to say about Daria, because you should all have seen and enjoyed it by now. But if you are out of the loop, here is the short version: Daria Morgendorffer doesn't buy it.

The slightly longer version is that Daria moves to Lawndale, befriends Jane Lane, and suffers through attending high school with such classmates as football player Kevin, cheerleader Brittany, and the Fashion Club, which includes her sister Quinn. Students with more intelligent-sounding labels appear at times, too, but no one remembers pleasant things.

Anyway, the complete series, including the two TV movies, has appeared on DVD. My understanding is that the original music is not included due to laws or something, but that's just too bad. If they had insisted upon the original music we wouldn't have it at all.

By through Amazon for $48.99.

Fun in the Sun(glasses)

Versace, as a house, is very hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes they are spot-on; other times, they are too over-the-top. But I have to say that I have a great deal of respect for Donatella Versace, who took over as the artistic director of the house after her brother, Versace founder Gianni, was murdered in 1997 and stayed true to his aesthetic while also integrating her own. And from time to time, I find a Versace piece that I wish I could have. This time around, it's a pair of sunglasses.

How cute are these? They look like they were made for Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, and Charlotte York all at once. When I was searching for new sunglasses earlier this summer, I tried these on, but decided that 1) they didn't look quite right on me and 2) I couldn't afford them anyway, but I sincerely hope that someone, somewhere discovers these for herself and decides that they are the match for her. (In the meantime, I ended up with a pair of no-name frames that I really adore; unfortunately, they are SO no-name that they don't even exist on the Internet, a phenomenon that seems to be on the rise.) What do your favorite sunglasses look like?

Buy through LensCrafters for $295.00.

Photo: LensCrafters.

-Cate-

This Is the Droid You're Looking For

Catalogs fascinate me. So does Star Wars. So, logically, catalogs featuring Star Wars merchandise make me very happy. Which is why, when I first saw the voice-activated R2-D2 Robot from Hammacher Schlemmer, I absolutely flipped.

 

Tell me this isn't one of the coolest things you've ever seen. I mean, it looks almost exactly like the R2-D2 we all know and love! And word on the street is that this droid has a personality and follows commands! Getting one of these might just be, for me, better than getting a new puppy on Christmas morning.

Buy through Hammacher Schlemmer for $199.95.

-Cate-

People We Covet: Your Dream Dinner Party

My friend Melissa and I were having a conversation a few days ago about people you would love to have over to your house for a dinner party. The rules were as follows: your guests can be any real people from any time or place, and you can have seven guests plus yourself for a nice round number of 8 total. A handful of people shared their lists with me, including Melissa. Answers ranged from the expected (an English professor friend of mine wanted to invite Emily Dickinson and Barbara Kingsolver) to the surprising (someone wanted to invite me!). Some compromising went on: Melissa said that we could have one big combined party and that she would invite Roger Maris so that I didn't have to, thereby avoiding making an admission of admiration for a New York Yankee (for those of you who don't know, I don't even BELIEVE in the Yankees), and another friend of mine suggested that each of our guests be allowed to bring a guest, making for a bigger and better event.

I think we're really onto something here, which is why I decided to report on my dinner party list this month  instead of making my typical People We Covet post. So here it is, in alphabetical order: Ray Bradbury, Don Cherry, Bobby Flay, George Gershwin, Alexander Skarsgard, Vincent van Gogh, and Denzel Washington.

Of course, all of this is subject to change at, literally, any moment. However, for right now, these are the guests I would love to have. (Never mind that it would be impossible to get them all together, two of them being quite dead and the rest of them very busy.) But everyone on the current list makes perfect sense, because they come from areas that interest me: literature (Bradbury, of course, wrote my favorite book, Fahrenheit 451), hockey (Don Cherry is a legendary player, coach, and commentator, and he has the best collection of suits known to man), food (Bobby Flay! 'Nuff said), music (George Gershwin was one of the composers who helped make American music its own thing in the 20th century), film and television (right off the top of my head, I swear to you that I can't think of two men more beautiful than Alexander Skarsgard and Denzel Washington, plus Denzel is a hell of an actor--as he says in Training Day, "King Kong ain't got shit on me"), and art (my favorite painting in the whole wide world was done by van Gogh).

Who would be at your dinner?

-Cate-

Retro Styling for the Modern Girl

Lately, I've been craving a little bit of simplicity. Complicated designs freak me out right now. So I'm going with the classics, such as the t-strap high heel. 

Don't worry; I haven't abandoned my beloved peep-toed slingbacks. I could never do that. But sometimes you need to mix it up. Hence the Love to Lounge shoe from Unlisted.

 

Isn't it cute? I adore the retro styling of it--it makes me want to go out dancing in a red dress with my hair done up all 40s-like. Of course, fantasies of mine like that never come true. Ultimately, I might have to settle for simply wearing these on a nice nice out to dinner, but that's okay, too.

Buy through heels.com for $25.00.

Photo: heels.com.

-Cate-

PS Hey, speaking of retro things, have you seen The Vintage Housewife?  She's sassy and adorable, and  her blog is chock-full of old-school tidbits and items. I really recommend checking the blog out!

Extinction Never Stopped Anyone

Cate's schedule and I have given up on each other. When I post, it will be like getting the toy in the Cracker Jack box.

When the toys were good, I mean.

I think everyone can agree on one thing.

Dinosaurs are totally rad. I had a dream last night in which I was still at school and there were dinosaurs running all over the place and it was kind of scary, but they're still cool.

With that out of the way, I'm not going to discuss dinosaur figurines or Jurassic Park. These are excellent examples of how dinosaurs have captured our hearts and minds. A number of xkcd strips, such as this one, demonstrate how dinosaurs instill fear in the hearts of many.

Velociraptors, or perhaps their larger cousins Utahraptors, are scary.

They are also fantastic. I saw a shirt not too long ago that was both terrifying and glorious. It appears to be any normal hoodie shirt bearing the image of a raptor. But then--then--the model hugged himself in fear, perhaps to try to smother the fearsome beast upon his chest. Rather than admit defeat, however, the raptor bared his teeth and let everyone know who was boss.

And the site says that this whole idea was Ross Valory's. So if you like dinosaurs, bassists, or Journey, this might be for you.

By through Mouth Man for $34.99.