(Reworked from an October, 2013 post. I really liked the old cartoons so I left them in & added some new ones.)
maven [mey-vuh n]
origin: Yiddish
noun: An expert or connoisseur
I am sitting at my computer in my oh, so seductive sleepwear (panties & ratty tee shirt) typing this, but I wasn’t always the fashion maven that I am today. In the early 70’s Bud had a client, Joe, who was a member of the Friars Club. We had three little kids & not much money. Following are two “fashion” stories that took place in Joe’s apartment.
The first time I met Joe was when he invited us to a cocktail party at his apartment. I had no idea of what was appropriate to wear. I knew there would be several other couples there that I had not met. We were to go out to dinner or somewhere afterwards--I don’t remember where. I bought a suit & hoped I would fit in. When we walked in, I immediately felt comfortable. Joe was very gracious & I loved his apartment. To give you an idea of what it was like, Joe had a wet bar. On the wall behind the bar was a sconce of a gold-colored angel with her arms outstretched. Hanging from one of her arms was an Italian salami. I knew I was properly dressed when another couple arrived & the woman was wearing the exact same suit as I was, but in a different color!
On another occasion, Joe had purchased a table for a Friars Club roast & had invited us. He did that many times, but this time it was formal. I didn’t own anything that was remotely formal, so I had to go & buy something. I found a beautifully simple floor length, hot pink, raw silk dress that I fell in love with. The only problem was that even though it was on sale it cost $100.00!! (Remember this was in the 70's.) My wedding dress probably didn’t even cost that much. (My family never spent a lot on clothes--I was taught to look in the bargain basement first whenever I went shopping.) I called Bud & he said to go ahead & buy it, which I did--but now I needed shoes & a purse. I didn’t want to spend much, so I went to Kinney’s--which is probably equivalent to today’s Payless--& found silver glitter shoes & a clutch bag for under $10.00. At the cocktail party at Joe’s before the roast, a guest told me she really liked my shoes & asked where I got them. I burst out laughing & said, “I’d be happy to tell you, but only after you compliment me on my dress!!”
This is pretty much what my dress & shoes looked like
except my shoes were much more sparkly:
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We went to visit our daughter, Nameless, while she was living in Italy. She gave me a gift of a handbag with this logo printed all over it.
Fashion maven that I am, I had never heard of Fendi. She asked me if I knew what the interlocking "F" logo meant. I replied, "Obviously, Fran Fischer!" She said, "No; fake Fendi." It was a MUCH better imitation of a brand name purse than this:
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This is an old post I wrote about my “mink” coat:
JUST A LITTLE HOSTESS GIFT
We have a friend, Theo, in Texas who used to be an accountant for an oil company. He wasn’t wealthy, but his job gave him access to a private plane & pilot. He invited Bud & me to join him & his wife, Lynn, on a trip to the Grand Old Opry to celebrate his 50th birthday. He sent out the plane to pick us up in Los Angeles. (Flying in a private plane is lovely. It should be on everyone’s bucket list. I love when the pilot carries my luggage to the plane & asks when we would like to take off!!)
We spent a few days in their home & then it was off to Nashville. I was his “official” photographer & took lots of pictures of the birthday boy with the performers. Everyone was “down home” & friendly. It was a blast! We then had OUR pilot fly us to New Orleans for more fun & lots of great food. A few days there & it was time to go home. On the private plane, of course.
We had such a marvelous time, a really nice thank you gift was in order. I had taken my full length “mink” coat on the trip with me. Even though this was before the days of PETA, it was not a real fur. It was a man-made mink that looked exactly like a real one. (Another friend had a real mink in the same color. I put mine next to hers & you couldn’t tell where one stopped & the other started. The color & texture were identical.) Theo had insisted on no gifts, but Lynn loved my coat so we decided to send one to her, with his permission. He kept it a secret from his wife.
Her cleaning woman was at her house when United Parcel rang the bell. She told Lynn that there was a package for her. When Lynn saw who had sent it, she told the cleaning woman that she knew that it would be something nice & to sit down & watch while she opened it. Lynn said her cleaning woman’s face almost hit the floor when she pulled out (what appeared to be) a full length mink coat!! The woman asked her why we had sent it. She told her we were very nice people & that we sent it because we knew she would like it--& that it was a “hostess” thank you present. Lynn told us that the last thing she heard her cleaning woman say as she left the room was, “I wish I knew me some crazy rich people in California!!”
The new cartoons:
People who are
wrapped up in themselves are always overdressed---fishducky
