Musical Muse Clues: Mix Tape of the Mind

Clockwise: The Beatles, 1; Beck, Odelay; Better Than Ezra, Greatest Hits; The Black Keys, El Camino

One of my favorite new(ish) TV shows is Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.  Not to be confused with the movie Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, this NBC hour-long dramedy is in its sophomore season and is about an endearingly dorky coder named Zoey (Jane Levy) who goes into an MRI machine and emerges being able to hear people's feelings as songs.  As if having an MRI weren't traumatic enough without that added emotional baggage!  

This is probably a good time to mention that when it comes to musicals, I'm usually like, what, people randomly bursting into song?  Pass!  But instead of coming off as a gimmicky Broadway device, the songs in Zoey are real cries for help that add depth to the characters -- and underscore Zoey's responsibility to them.  Zoey's powers are all the more meaningful because they help her connect with her dad (Peter Gallagher), who's dying of a disease that prevents him from speaking, and empathize with her mom (Mary Steenburgen).  Her powers also become valuable as she steps up to boss lady status in male-dominated Silicon Valley, a gig that's fraught with stress and challenges.  Finally, being a mind reader is uber important as Zoey navigates the sometimes-murky-sometimes-rose-colored waters of dealing with love interests Max (Skylar Astin, who was made for this show) and Simon (John Clarence-Stewart).  Max is an earnest and sweet fellow coder that Zoey's known for years, and Simon is a suave yet brooding marketing whiz who understands the pain of losing a father.  When it all gets to be too much, Zoey confides in her annoying neighbor-turned-bestie Mo (Alex Newell), a no-nonsense trans woman with wigs for days.  

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist appeals to me because it's very much like a book.  Layered and character-driven, it opens a window into people's heads and hearts that usually remains firmly closed.  Fortunately, the heaviness of the revelations is offset by the jazziness of the dance numbers.  

Needless to say, I was psyched when I heard that Jane Levy is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Musical Series or Comedy.  In a world where streaming services reign supreme, that's a rare feat for an actor from a network show.  Which means that this nom is -- yes -- something to sing about!  Award category notwithstanding, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is still more dramedy than comedy (because you have to be jump-off-a-cliff depressing to qualify as a drama for any award).  It hits all the high notes of the genre, including colorful sets and costumes, romance, heartache, and a sometimes-lighthearted-sometimes-stirring spotlight on self discovery and personal growth.

Zoey doesn't always get it right.  She's as mixed-up as any of us, or indeed as any mix tape made from a radio top ten list circa 1995.  But she's trying and she's learning, and her journey shows us that it's always worth it to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

Or, at the very least, to listen to a song on someone else's playlist.

Gulp Fiction: Orange Crush Rush

Hat: Steve Madden, Macy's; Gloves: Calvin Klein, Macy's

Top: Amazon

Boots: UNIONBAY, Kohl's

Skirt: Celebrity Pink, Macy's

Bag: Dolls Kill

Coat: Jou Jou, Macy's

Shorts: Nine West, Kohl's

Traffic Stop Barrette Brooch

Coat: Wild Fable, Target

Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's' Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Coat: Nine West, Kohl's

Leggings: Derek Heart, Boscov's

Top: Wild Fable, Target

Bag: Worthington, JCPenney

Earmuffs: Betsey Johnson for Trolls, Macy's; Gloves: Thinsulate, JCPenney

I've got a crush on you, orange.
What can I say?
You light up my world
And brighten my day.

Whether a super sweet soda
Or unspoiled fruit,
You say no to scurvy
And yes to Lloyd's suit.

(Er, tux. But you knew that. Because you get me.)

You make Monday morning

Like lunch at Club Med

And blow through the cobwebs

Wintering in my head.

That's why I love you

And squeeze 'til it hurts

And wrap you around me

In tights, shorts, and skirts.

Thanks for your sunshine,

Your bold, tangy bite,

Your blind optimism,

And -- this is the biggie --your fighting the fight.

And so goes my ode to Florida's finest.  Because autumn may be outfitted in apples, but winter's winners come wrapped in rind.  And February is oranges' Oscar season. Do I hear Best Imitation of a Grapefruit for Tatum Temple? Or Craziest Cannonball for Natasha Navel?  Or maybe even Best Appearance of a Citrus in a Soundtrack for Honeybell Helen? I'm looking at you, "Orange Crush."  Which is a song that's anything but escapist once you Google the meaning of its lyrics.  But I guess that makes it an example of taking oranges and making juice -- if by juice you mean the truth serum of social awareness.  Which I do.

So anyway, thanks, oranges.  For all of that and for adding a splash to today's outfits.  Because whether you come in a pair of lace tights or unseasonable shorts or a clutch that borders on carrot, you've got the goods.  

And the vitamin twee.  

Painted Pony Party

Boots: Penny Loves Kenny, Amazon

Palette Party Necklace

Top: POPSUGAR, Kohl's

Paint Party Earrings

Sweater: Hooked Up, Macy's

Jacket: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Hey You Unicorn Earrings

Purse: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Hey You Unicorn Necklace

Jacket: Marshalls

Fiery Fiesta Necklace

Skirt: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Fiery Fiesta Earrings

A painted pony party

Is the place to be

When you're still quarantining 

With your Christmas tree.

It's true.  I still have my tree up, along with the rest of my holiday hoopla.  Still, all I want to do is make jewelry and write posts.  And when I say jewelry, I mean the kind incorporating unicorns.

Girls have a history of being infatuated with horses, enchanted or otherwise.  On a recent episode of Young Sheldon, Sheldon's (Iain Armitage) twin sister Missy (Raegan Revord) supports the stereotype when she says this about her supplies for starting middle school: 

"I feel like this (Trapper Keeper) really says who I am now.  Missy got ponies; Melissa gets horses."

If shifting one's affections from ponies to horses is a rite of passage, then I'm not sure where unicorns fit in.  But I do know that at some point during adulthood, liking them once again becomes acceptable, in a campy/kooky/I'm-so-old-I'm-young-again sort of way.  Which is why I have no problem saying that I love them -- and that they're made of magic.  Well, magic and manure.  Even if the manure is, according to that Squatty Potty promo, in the form of rainbow-colored soft serve.  Here's some of my (non-manure spouting) unicorn stuff staged with my new Hey You Unicorn necklace and earrings:   

It kind of makes you want to step inside a Lisa Frank coloring book and stay there forever, doesn't it?

Yet, despite the wonder of unicorns and all things giddyap glam, the rodeo will never be Rodeo Drive. 

Nothing ever is.  Just ask Julia.

Sweatshirt Alert: JCP on TV

Last Wednesday, I was watching American Housewife when Taylor (Meg Donnelly) entered the Otto kitchen wearing a retro gray, purple, and turquoise color block Arizona Jeans sweatshirt from JCPenney.  "Hey, that's my shirt!" I exclaimed.  The husband looked up from his phone dubiously.  "If you don't believe me, I'll show you!" I sputtered with all the righteous indignation of a third-grader in the '90s whose Yo! MTV Raps trading card collection is being called into question.  ("You don't have LL Cool J and Dr. Dre!"  "Do too!")  Then I raced upstairs to grab the sweatshirt.  When I returned, the husband nodded, then restarted the show, paused it, and took this pic without me even having to ask.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  The husband is a prince among men.

This isn't the first time I've seen one of my garments on the small screen.  The Middle's Sue Heck had a pair of my Target pajamas, and The Goldbergs' Erica wore my L'Amour by Nannette Lepore crop top, also from JCPenney.  I guess ABC likes JCP, that mecca for middle class shoppers, even when it's on life support.  Later during the Housewife episode, Greg (Diedrich Bader) took the thread a step further when chiding wife Katie (Katy Mixon) about one of her stunts:

"I had to take all those tops back to JCPenney and explain why there were no tags and why they smelled like deodorant."

It wasn't so long ago that Mixon was doing JCP commercials with Splitting Up Together's Jenna Fischer, then after that show got cancelled, Single Parents' Leighton Meester.  Then Parents was canned too.  Will Housewife, which has bounced around timeslots for years and was, this season, forced to recast spooky and snarky youngest child Anna-Kat (easily my favorite Otto), fare better than these sacked sitcoms and their preferred yet doomed department store?

Only time and ratings will tell.  In the meantime, I'm going to wear this sweatshirt like it's 1990-something.  And reminisce about my troll collection.

Because I never owned a single Yo! MTV Raps card.  That was the neighborhood kids and my sister.

The Color Khaki: Game Show Bow

Bag: Dolls Kill; Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily; Yellow shell bangle: Later Operator, Etsy; Pink bracelet: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Yellow bangles: B Fabulous; Blue bangle: Kohl's; Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon

Dress: POPSUGAR, Kohl's

Last Wednesday, while waiting for The Goldbergs to come on, I caught the tail end of Wheel of Fortune.  The final puzzle was "What are you wearing?" and the answer was, of all things, "Beige slacks."  Which was weird for a show named after a wheel so colorful they make clocks in its image:  

Clock: Fred Flare

You'd think that Vanna would stricken words signifying the shade of stale biscuits from her glittering, green goddess stage.  Because colors are important -- not just in outfits, but in identities and stories.  Sure, whenever someone utters, "Oh, he's a colorful character," you may think of a Hawaiian shirt-wearing weenie who belts out "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" every happy hour at a bar where they don't have karaoke.  Yet I guarantee that you want to hear about that guy more than khaki-clad Uncle Stu, whose biggest claim to fame is the homemade Miracle-Gro he feeds his prized begonias.  

But enough about Wheel of Fortune (for now).  When it comes to the color wheel, blue, yellow, and red are the primary colors, or, as we currently say, essential workers.  And this Fabulous Felt Bow Barrette Brooch has color all tied up.  Okay, so it's blue, yellow, and pink instead of blue, yellow, and red.  But everyone knows that pink is just red in mood lighting.  

Fabulous Felt Bow Barrette Brooch

Speaking of bows, I remember one Wheel contestant, years ago, who wore a big black bow in her hair.  It set off her yellow top perfectly and had such a fresh, vintage feel.  Then there was another player, also a woman, who wore a sparkly tuxedo top complete with bowtie.  And although I didn't know them, just knowing that they were out there, strutting their sartorial stuff on national TV when most people wore something safe, made me happy.

By the way, last Wednesday's player solved that putty-hued puzzle and went home with a boatload of cash.  So sometimes beige slacks are a win.

I hope she uses the loot to buy the pot of gold attached to her personal rainbow.

Apple of My Stye: Snack and Yellow

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Modcloth

Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Blue bangle: Kohl's; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Red bangle: B Fabulous; Yellow bangle: Silver Linings, Ocean City

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: Katy Perry

Candy Drop Necklace

Tights: HUE, Amazon

Bag: Mix No. 6, DSW

Dress: Kohl's

Blue bangle: Kohl's; Yellow bangle: Silver Linings, Ocean City; Red bangle: B Fabulous; Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Rainbow belt: Wild Fable, Target; Yellow belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Black and white bracelet: Mixit, JCPenney; Turquoise bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Ring: Wet Seal

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Turtleneck: Wild Fable, Target

Alien Admirer Barrette Brooch

Jumper: So, Kohl's

Purple bracelet: Etsy; Lime bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Flower ring: Claire's; Red bangle: XOXO, ROSS Dress for Less; Insect ring: Miami accessory cart; Rainbow and pink bracelets: So, Kohl's; Center rainbow bracelet: Zulily

Black Cherry Bow Necklace

Tights: Poof, Boscov's

Boots: Apt. 9, Kohl's

If you've ever had a stye on your eye, then you know it's no apple (except for maybe the redness).  Far from being the object of adoration or even a nutritious snack, styes are super painful and super hard to get rid of.  I got one years ago after wearing some old turquoise eyeshadow, a fashion decision that turned out to be dicey for more than the obvious reason.  The only thing that helped the swelling go down was a product called -- and this is funny -- Stye.  My mom told me about it, and when I walked into CVS that Saturday, there it was, just like she said, on the shelf.  

These days, the only issue with my eyes is that they're sometimes half-closed, at least in the early a.m.  I'm not a morning person!  Observe exhibit A, where I'm telepathically willing my apple pal to prop my peepers open.    

Speaking of mornings, I must still have breakfast-colored clothes on the brain because I cobbled together this pastry, er, pastiche of yellow, black, and tan fabrics, one of which is, appropriately, a waffle weave:    

Tan sweater: So, Kohl's

The colors make me think of, not waffles or pancakes, but a buttery lemon Danish garnished with fancy blackberry sauce squiggles.  

Mmmm, Danish.  That makes me want a midnight snack.  I don't have any Danish, though (this isn't a bakery!).  Maybe I can scrounge up some cookies or candy.  

But most definitely not an apple.