Valentine Vampire Weekend

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW

Dress: Betsey Johnson, Zulily

Striped bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Red bangle: XOXO, ROSS; Rose comb: Ella & Elly, Zulily; Yellow flower barrettes: Goody, Target; Choker: Ella & Elly, Zulily

Stockings: Zulily

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Ring: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Red bangle: B Fabulous; Strawberry cuff: Don't Ask, Zulily; Bows: Carole, JCPenney

Dress: Candie's, Kohl's; Turtleneck: Kohl's

Bag: Fred Flare

Tights: HUE, Amazon

Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's; Embellished by The Tote Trove

Dress: Modcloth, Zulily

Shoes: Katy Perry, Zulily

Blue and red bangles: B Fabulous; Fuchsia bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Hair ties: Marshalls

Whenever I hear that Vampire Weekend song, I always think of Step Brothers.  Which is fitting on this Valentine's Day because it may just be the best bromance ever (I can never decide between it and I Love You, Man.)

Speaking of vampires, the choker I'm wearing in the first pic kind of reminds me of one.  Well, a fancy, fashiony type who'd rather have red beads trickling down its neck than blood.

Anyway, I love dressing up for Valentine's Day.  Many of you already know this, but it's my favorite style holiday.  With red and pink and hearts and lace, it has just the right gleefully girly décor to make for the Barbie best in over-the-top outfits.  Even the desserts are dressed up!  To that point, here's my collection of heart-shaped candy boxes:

Here's me again.  Did I mention that I like to dress up?!

Sweater: So, Kohl's; Choker: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Barrettes: Carole, JCPenney

And here are the gift bags for my nephew, niece, and sister.  I'll be passing them on to the parents at a socially safe distance to deliver to them.

And that's it!  Whatever you're doing, wherever you are, I hope you're having the happiest of Valentine's Days!

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to dip into this year's beautifully bedecked chocolate boxes. :)

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.