The Long and Short of it Is . . .

 Beautiful Blue Lady Necklace

Top: Candie's, Kohl's

Skirt: Necessary Objects, Annie Sez

Cardigan: Merona, Target

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's

 Punky Plumage Necklace

Tee: Delia's

Camisole: Worthington, JCPenney

Skirt: So, Kohl's

Cardigan: Delia's

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: Payless

 Mysterious Mask Necklace

Sweater: Candie's, Kohl's

Tank: So, Kohl's

Jeans: Candie's, Kohl's

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: Guess, Marshalls

 Rainbow Fish Necklace

Top: Kohl's

Skirt: JCPenney

Scarf: Marshalls

Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Shoes: Betseyville, JCPenney

Cool Colors Necklace

Top: Jessica Simpson, Boscov's

Tank: So, Kohl's

Jeans: City Streets, JCPenney

Boots: Charles Albert, Alloy

Bag: Gifted

Coat: Worthington, JCPenney

. . . that fashion is fickle and sitcoms are super.  Allow me to explain.

In a not-so-recent episode of "New Girl," Nick mocks Jess's vintage handbag collection by saying (something like), "Mini skirts and rhinestone purses, that's what men want," before tossing said purse collection out the apartment window.  (For those of you thinking, "What the hey is she yapping about?", "New Girl" is a sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel as Jess, a wide-eyed, quirky teacher.  Nick is her curmudgeonly bartender boyfriend.)  "Hey, that's what I wear!" I couldn't help saying.  But the husband just shook his head and said, "No, not in the way he means."  I had to admit that he had a point.  Glitzy or not, my get-ups are more like Jess's not-quite-right purse collection than Nick's dream woman's wardrobe, in spirit if not exact style.  (Case in point: I'd never wear the rhinestone-encrusted mini featured in outfit number two without a pair of leggings).

It's no wonder that I'm always finding kernels of wisdom in sitcoms.  I love those thirty-minute comic morsels.  Whenever I'm having a bad day, I think about how what I'm going through would translate in sitcom-land.  More often than not, my trials seem instantly less cringe-worthy compared to those of the characters, lacking even enough drama to sustain a B plot.  Which is comforting.  At least until I start worrying that this may mean my life is boring.  

That's the sitcom part.  Now I'll backtrack to the fashion part, which is really just (surprise!) a blurb about my new necklaces.  

Lately I've been keeping things simple by working with just beads and pendants.  Last week it occurred to me that I rarely make long necklaces, which is weird, because I love wearing them, especially in layers.  So, I set out to string a few more inches, the result of which is evident in the elongated Beautiful Blue Lady and Mysterious Mask styles.  By contrast, the Punky Plumage and Rainbow Fish remain as abbreviated as ever, with the Cool Colors dangling somewhere in between.  Not bad progress-wise, with the eternal room for improvement flame still ablaze.