Oh, Mexico: Avocado Bravado

Fabulous Felt Avocado Blossom Barrette

Fabulous Felt Avocado Guitar Barrette

Top: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Skirt (a dress!): XOXO

Shoes: Nine West, DSW

Bag: DSW (embellished by The Tote Trove)

Sunglasses: JCPenney

Ah, Cinco de Mayo.  Maracas and mangoes, chocolate and churros, sombreros and serapes.  More often than not, this Mexican milestone is a holiday that equals flavor (usually in the form of a margarita).  Cheese?  Check.  Sour cream?  Check.  Cinnamon?  Double check.  You may notice that peppers, sauces, and beans are conspicuously missing from my list.  Well, that's because I hate them.  Still, despite my disgust for legumes, I love a good (edited) Mexican feast as much as anyone.  And my favorite May 5 menu item is the avocado.  So, this year I'm celebrating the green one in all its glory.  From its dimpled, leathery, verdant skin to the perfectly smooth globe anchored at its center, the avocado is an elegant enigma.  I first became acquainted with it in Hawaii back when I was a medical editor attending my company's annual ophthalmology conference, Hawaiian Eye (hey, who says scientists can't be silly?)  The husband (then boyfriend) was with me, and we were surprised and delighted to discover avocados featured in most meals.  Because, as we soon learned, this cool, rich, delectable paste is the life of the produce party.  What, you thought it was that other fiesta friendly greenie, the lime?  Not so, compadre.  Tangy treat though it is, it's unpalatable without heaps of sugar, and its aesthetic, despite being tropical chic, lacks the oddball appeal of our pal avocado.  For instance, can you picture a lime convincingly portraying a musical instrument?  Two out of three mariachi bands say no way, Jose.  That's why the mushy ones emerge as my muse du jour, taking form in my fave fabric, felt.

Fortunately, Mexico is known for fashion as caliente as its cooking.  Which made it easy to style these avocado barrettes with my south-of-the-border peasant blouse and dress-made-to-masquerade-as-a-skirt.  I love how the skirt's fiery reds, pinks, and yellows are quenched by the oasis of turquoise in the top.  Now, that's a drink worth walking the desert.