By now, I’m sure you know about Molly Maine’s show tonight, but I just wanted to reiterate that it will be AMAZING!  The tiny pictures I’ve been posting of her work can hardly do it justice, so you’ll need to see for yourself how vast and impressive they are.  Influenced by the subtractive process in intaglio, where a printer teases out the shades of figures from a completely dark plate, Molly develops paintings in which incomplete portions of birds and feathers penetrate, emerge from and are obscured by a Northern Renaissance-inspired glazed black background. This exhibition will showcase her most recent work, which was inspired by Yeats’ “Meditations in Time of Civil War.”  Hope to see you tonight!

It’s that time of year again, ladies, and I’m terribly sad to report that my Halloween planning was significantly curtailed by my preparations for Content ‘09.  I had every intention to hold a big Mad-Men-themed costume party, swaddle my house in cobwebs and blog extensively about this, my favorite holiday of the year.  But, alas, here we are, just one day shy of the big event, and I don’t even have a costume!  Sigh.  No matter.  I can still provide you with an exhaustive list of lingerie-centric costume ideas.  AND I can give you 15% off if you come to Lille in costume tomorrow.  It’s the least I can do for being such a slacker this year….

1. I’m not even going to go into the obligatory “Sexy-Fill-in-the-Blank” costume category.  You can figure out for yourself how to put that one together.  If you’re clever like my dear friend Crystal, you can put an amusing feminist spin on the whole genre by going as something as incongruous as “Jeff Foxyworthy” (a sexy Jeff Foxworthy.)

2.1930’s Showgirl – This is a relatively easy costume, since all you really need is a whole lot of confidence!  It’s all in the accessories: think sequins, feathers and a ton of make-up!  Alternatively, you could purchase my Black Canary showgirl costume if you want a sleeker, more finished look.

3. Mad Men’s Joanie – Head to your nearest thrift store and buy a 50s/60s era dress in 2-3 sizes too big for you (nip the waist in with some safety pins, if necessary.)  Now revisit your middle school nightmare and stuff that retro contour bra, baby!  The bigger, the better, as you’re going for hyperbole.

4. Blood-soaked Sissy Spacek in Carrie – Any sheer, floatie slip will do, but you certainly wouldn’t want to use a silk Erica Tanov version, since you’re just going to drench it in fake blood.

5. Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby – Always a classic, this costume just requires baby blue pjs and short, blond hair.  Bonus points for pushing around an old cradle with a demon baby in it.

If none of these ideas resonates with you, please feel free to reference my ‘08 list, which can be found here.  Happy Halloween!

I am SO excited to report that my order of leggings, stockings and tights from La Fée Verte is on its way.  (You can always tell when I’m really enthused about a line because I can’t even wait until it arrives to blog about it!)  These incredible styles are made in France and Italy of fine fabrics with intricate designs and retail for under $50.  I predict they will be best-sellers for the upcoming cold, rainy, gift-giving season.  Because nothing brightens a miserable, cloudy day like dotted stripey tights (featured in Nylon Magazine’s September issue.)  If you need further justification, their cashmere leggings will help motivate you to keep riding your bike to work, as daunting as it may now seem!