Found!

Thanks to Karen, I now own the T by Alexander Wang dress. LaGarconne sent it yesterday and it came this morning (Fedex ground obviously doesn't take so long when a dress has to travel from CT to NYC). I'm wearing it now and I needed the L. It's basically a lycra cotton tube dress cut asymetrically so you can arrange the folds to mask bulges in your stomach and rear. That said, it is a lovely dress and it makes me feel tall and svelte, even with the L sizing (I have to be careful about the rear view--I'm not exactly flat back there). The timing was great too--in time for today's warmer weather. Tomorrow it should get into the 70s so I'm thinking pansy lace Ilaria as it offers a bit more leg coverage and is more appropriate for teaching.

I'm still tired from LA and mired in grading and class prep. I should be back up to more regular blogging when I clear the backlog of work in the next week.

Frustration

Yesterday, I tried to order a gray and army green striped long sleeved dress from Metier--T by Alexander Wang. Alas, I need a L and they only ordered up to M. It was just in, so I assumed somebody else would have it. Wrong. I emailed Alexander Wang's customer service who told me they were out of that dress and refered me to shopbop, Opening Ceremony and Barneys--all of whom I'd tried first. Nobody seems to have this dress. If anybody sees it please let me know--I've literally gone to every ecommerce site I can think of as well as looking at the Alexander Wang stockists and finding nothing. I can only hope their customer service is clueless and that the dress will arrive online elsewhere soon (Metier is usually fast, I believe, in updating their stock). Why they didn't get an L in defeats me--when you are 5'10" it's tough to be much smaller unless you are a model or 18 years old.

Lovely but pricey

When I saw the new Lyell early spring lookbook, one item leapt out at me--a pale green sweater. It wasn't the most thrilling garment ever but had a sweetness about it that I liked. I could see pairing it with many wardrobe staples, including my lovely plum Lyell gathered skirt from Fall 09. Then I saw the prices on Refinery 29 shops. At $575 (which would be another $50 with tax), this sweater is inexplicably expensive. It's made of bamboo, not cashmere. It doesn't appear to be hand knit. It's nice but not that nice--for that price I could get a winter coat/new Mayle dress if one ever reappeared and Jane set up shop again/winter boots.

There's no real decoraton on the front either. I love the vintage look. but realistically, this is a piece for spring and fall--one of which is unpredictable in NYC, the other far away. If it was even $300, I'd consider it, but much as I like Emma and her work, this pricing is way out of wack.
ADDENDUM: Refinery 29 must have made an error--it's $260. Of course, the 20% discount they had was only valid when this sweater was marked at $575. Had it been correctly labeled, I'd have picked it up then. Oh well.

Recovering from SCMS

I had no idea how much this LA trip would tire me--and I'm not alone. Several of our grad students were as tired and befuddled as I was, and our dept. administrator, who also made the trip, is now off sick. I think breathing in the stale air of the conference hotel didn't help--it was like being in a large, carpeted, ugly pomo airport for five days (with the sole exception of my trip to Santa Monica and the lunchtime I walked around downtown LA). Fun, hard work and tiring.

I have to get some work done later today but it was nice to wake up this morning and not race to finish a lecture, readings, gradings or something of that ilk.

Onto more fun things. Before I left, I ordered a pair of Surface to Air buckle flats from Lamb's Ear in Seattle. They came on Wednesday and maybe the most comfortable shoes I own--as well as being so pretty. Lamb's Ear's Angie was so helpful and the shoes were packaged so well, complete with a pretty ribbon and bow from the store. They have such lovely shoes and great customer service. I've been searching for a pair of pretty and comfortable and edgy flats for years and these are definitely it.

Back in NYC

I got back home at 2 am yesterday. Reports and photos from LA to follow. Suffice to say, it was sunny although not as hot as NYC on Saturday. I went on the bus to Santa Monica all on my own (underwhelming shopping) and realized LA is doable on public transit, albeit a bit too late. The conference was fun but I didn't want to travel over 5,000 miles and only see the inside of a badly dated postmodern hotel.

LA is big and perhaps more interesting than I thought. I want to go back, get a bus pass and explore it properly.

Done

My conference paper is finished. I'm sure it can support another read through and edit but that's what long plane trips are for. I can't believe I did it--a week ago, this was a pile of microfilm scans, a few notes, a proposal and an idea. My bags are packed, the sun shone today and now I have to charge my camera batteries and pack a few things and I'm ready to go.

Yesterday

Despite being crazed with work (I'm finishing my conference paper today, leaving for LA tomorrow and have to prep Tuesday's classes before I leave), yesterday was a good day. I received copies of a journal featuring my most recent article (a short essay on Britney Spears and celebrity), got an email with good news about work, and decided to buy the Surface to Air shoes I've been coveting for the last few weeks. I just hope they fit.

Today is sunny and bright. I was just interviewed for the New York Daily News for an article on child stardom and the Runaways (it will be out on Sunday as I return). Now I have to pack, get down to work and then go to acupuncture and Whole Foods later. No food on the airline so I'm bringing enough organic fruit, nuts and food to last me over a transcontinental flight--with healthy snacks and organic green tea to spare for my hotel room. I'll get to see lots of old friends and hope to meet with Marti on Saturday night--we both have to be in LA for work this week.

Never-ending work

Most days this week, I've put in 13-14 hour work days. It's leaving me irritable and a feeling a little overwhelmed. I am falling behind on minor tasks as I try to juggle the big ones (book, conference paper, then course prep). I don't really have the time to sneak down to Film Forum for Mantrap--it's a good job I got my ticket last week as I'd otherwise spend the day working. I am going to enjoy the film but wish I could just take a proper day or two off to tend to myself--my free time seems to be spent either cleaning house or running errands. Once this book and conference paper are finished, I'm going to have a weekend to myself.

Mantrap

Over the last month, I've been reading a biography of Clara Bow. It's pretty good and I'd have powered through it if I'd got any free time (I'm writing this in my office hours) but as it is I'm savoring it little by little which is also nice.

So I was very pleased to see that Film Forum were playing her 1926 film, Mantrap, on Saturday. I hope the book will be done by then, but even if it isn't, I managed to get a ticket and will be heading down to the West Village to watch it with piano accompaniment. I'm inspired by my grad students in my Hollywood Before 1960 class who manage to balance schedules with finding the gems of repertory cinema in NYC.