Thursday, January 13
Pages: a book store 904 Manhattan Ave. Manhattan Beach, CAWho do you want to be in 2011? Architect your most attractive and authentic self for the new year and beyond. I will be at Pages bookstore discussing and signing copies of my book, “Practical Glamour,” a DIY-oriented grooming, style and manner guide called “A handy, relatable resource for women everywhere who want to look and feel their best.” 7 pm.
For most of us, the poetry has gone out of this weather. No more “Ah, it’s so nice to sleep to the sound of rain beating on the roof” or “Let’s go frolick in the snow!”
If you’re used to seeing a lot of our pal the sun–or leaving the house for that matter–you may need a lift in the form of that beautiful illusion called a tan. This week I have been traipsing around with more bounce because of my warm cocoa shade of skin, brought on by repeated applications of Tan Towels (“Look Good Naked”).These were recommended to me after my favorite health-food store bottle tan disappeared from Earth. Tan towels in general have some benefits over the bottle version: the application is super fast and unmessy, and the results are quick (a couple of hours) and natural-looking.
Accurate results seen here after 2-3 applications. I use the half body size for fair to medium skin tones, though they have a version for medium to dark tones. Approximately $20 for 10 towels.
There. A tan, white teeth and big hair. We’ll get through this just fine.
Don’t give a regift to those who are close. Reason: “It’s the thought that counts.” Literally. Special occasion gifts from intimates–boyfriend, wife, longtime friends and close family members and so forth–come with the expectation that a) you are deeply familiar with their likes, dislikes, habits, desires, and b) your gift will reflect this intimacy.
A regift says simply: “Hi. I know you really well, but don’t really care.” In this case, no gift is better than a regift.
Do regift, but only if… You can regift those who are not close, such as a coworker, neighbor or other acquaintance provided the regift meets the following two conditions:
If your regift meets these conditions, but the receiver still suspects that something is amiss with your gift, don’t fudge or be coy. Tell them the truth, along with the reason(s) why you thought they, in particular, would like the item.
A final word on regifting: If in doubt, don’t do it.
Bondo Wyszpolski & I discuss the underused but potent power of presentation in LA’s Easy Reader, along with
“We have only one chance to make a good impression. Failing that, it can be a steep climb back, and by then the opportunity for a second try may have passed…” Read the full article here.
One of my all time favorite jobs took place in college during Christmas break when I wrapped gifts at the mall. You name it, I wrapped it. I worked with a crew of very colorful girls who, when bored, would think up creative ways to wrap gifts. I got in on the act and pretty soon we had formulated a slew of wrapping scenarios that beat the hell out of the stock candy cane or Christmas bell prints we had on hand. Or even the eggshell blue paper with tiny dreidels on it.
Here are a few favorites from this and other times to help make wrapping a more perky affair:
*Completely random boxes. For fun friends only: A diamond bracelet discovered tucked in a box of tampons made the room erupt into a giggle fest. (It was a girls-only situation.) A beautiful silk shirt folded neatly in a cardboard cornflake box. Just don’t reverse the situation; I don’t think your girlfriend will appreciate a pair of socks placed in a Tiffany’s box.
*Butcher’s paper. Use a simple watercolor set to personalize the paper (paint a poem, message, design or picture) or leave it plain and tie with a colorful cloth ribbon. Tuck a small sprig of flowers, dried or not, under the knot.*Use oversized photographs or sheets of color copies that show a favorite shot. An actor friend with a few hundred or so extra headshots used them to wrap smaller boxes. Lucky for me, otherwise I would never have known who gave me those crazy earrings!
*Go to the coolest thrift shop in town and see if they have any rolls of ancient, unused wrapping paper that is otherwise in good condition. It’s hard to miss the gift neatly wrapped in a 70′s psychedelic swirl or Starsky & Hutch print. Wall paper works, as well.
*Hardcover book covers. Make sure they are clean and cool-looking. Use tape to secure the covers together in a single sheet. (Tape the not-visible side of the cover.)
*Sheet music. The older the better.
*Aluminum foil. This can look cool particularly in a pinch, provided the foil is smooth and unfurled and you top it off with a big luxurious bow.
*Fabric: lush but pliable velvets and brocades are excellent fabrics to wrap gifts in. Find in fabric stores. Affix with a bow in a contrasting color, such as a satin ivory bow against a midnight blue velvet fabric. Or extend the fabric and knot in a neat bow at the top of the gift. (This works best if you’re using lightweight fabric, such as a scarf, to wrap the gift.)
*Instead of tape, use drops of sealing wax to bond edges of wrapping paper together.
Technique: Whichever way you wrap, traditional or unusual, remember that the look of the finished product is all in the details. So focus, take your time and use care while wrapping so you present a gift that looks neat, sleek and completely buttoned-up.
“’We look at a person and immediately a certain impression of his character forms itself in us. A glance, a few spoken words are sufficient to tell us a story about a highly complex matter. We know that such impressions form with remarkable rapidity and with great ease.’ (Solomon Asch, 1946)
Asch’s findings highlight the essence of first impressions: they are typically composed on the fly, created from a quickie computation of your most observable attributes.”
The kind folks at Microtank, the think tank for microbusiness, asked me to contribute to their weekly column. I chose the always intriguing and overlooking topic of “people perception.” Given the timing–the holidays and new year are soon upon us–it serves as a timely recap of the ways that we mentally suss each other up.
I think you’ll like it. Read the full text here. (Link: http://www.pressreleasesonline.net/2010/12/your-essential-impression.html)
Microtank is part of Gnosis Arts, a firm that does Internet PR.
My aversion to wearing a thick winter coat started around the time I realized I was a girl. Many a New England winter morning you could find my mother shouting “Put Your Coat On” from the front door. Being a bit of a shrimp, it was always the mass of the deep-weather winter coat that I was opposed to. Bulky coats can manage to swallow you and make you look like a sad little Weeblo tottering in the snow.
I kept the ban going on the burly winter coat until a few years ago. I was walking through the bitterly cold streets of Chicago shivering in a ridiculously thin but favored black wool Anna Sui matador jacket. My host happened to be a commanding, bigger-than-me gal who said she was going to tackle me if I didn’t put on a proper winter coat. Which I did.
She had selected a particularly fluffy one from her collection and so I ended up wobbling through the streets of Chicago for the rest of the trip quite warm but looking–and therefore, feeling–very much like a dancing bear.
When I got home, and after a gnarly bout of the flu, I decided to grow the hell up and dress properly for the weather.
Bottom line: I have found supreme warmth and the look of a female in the form of an L.L. Bean Lambswool Peacoat like the one pictured. (Approximately $200 and worth it.)
If you want to stay warm but keep a close-to-the-body silhouette during the winter then select a coat with modern condensed insulation in it, like this one.
“Thinsulate” is a common type of insulation found in many cold-weather coats. It provides deep warmth without bulk. The idea is that its fibers are finer and trap more air in less space. This coat, for instance, will keep you comfortable to temperatures as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the males in the audience: Thinsulate-like insulation is found in many fine men’s winter coats as well. And there are few things more nice to behold on a brisk day than a tall cup of handsomeness in a beautifully cut winter coat, strolling confidently along the street. Make sure the fit is right lest you end up looking like the chap above.
“After you’ve done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over.”
–Alfred Edward Perlman
What are those things in your life that will reach their tenth year, this year, and need to be thrown away and started “all over”? Hint: The first things that come to mind are typically the most on-target.
Luckily, those in the realm of your presentation are the easiest, most flexible and fun to change. Hair. Body. Skin. Style. Wardrobe. Manner. Since we often categorize our major life looks, or what I call our Personal Style Eras, by decades, start to think about how you want to visually remember You, Circa 2010-.
As I say often, unless someone else is selecting your clothes, then dressing and grooming you each morning, this is an area you have absolute, 100% control over. You alone get to define what you look like.
Don’t let your look happen to you. For the coming year: Assess, Reinvent, Rejuvenate.
This is a fun process that you can kickstart easily. Begin to think about how you would love to look–don’t limit yourself. Let your mind roam to its most outlandish corners. Remember these images.
*Over the next few weeks I will be posting tips on ways to go about reinventing your presentation, or how to “Architect Your Image For 2011.”
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