Beauty Tips for Ministers

Vegan Shoes and Accessories

Alert Reader Tera from L.A. sent me this great link for vegan shoes and bags, AlternativeOutfitters.com.

Look at these fab boots (now under $60):

And these vegan Oxfords for dudes!

My favorite source for vegan bags is, as ever, Matt and Nat. LOVE their stuff. Can’t afford them in general (I have one briefcase/messenger bag from them that I love), but I get pleasure just looking at their designs. And they do have good sales where they discount their products way down.

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Black/Brown Conundrum: Shakin’ Up Your Accessories

Sarah writes,

My Next Big Fashion Search & Purchase (one day, when I have the time and money) would be a pair of low heel (less than an inch), round toe, riding boots. To be worn with jeans or cute dresses/skirts, a work horse of a boot (comfortable, eight-hour boots). They’re pretty popular right now, and I love them in a beautiful brown-camel-cognac color that reminds me of cowboy boots and soft leather.

However, typically, I’m a black kind of girl (i.e., black vs. brown). If someone asks me to pick a neutral, it’s black– black purse, black coat, black shoes, black tights. I’m a winter/spring/summer– I look great in reds, blues, purples. Nothing with yellow in it, no green, no orange, no brown. So I don’t OWN a lot of brown. However, as much as I’d LOVE these low-heel riding boots in a camel-ey brown, I’m just not sure how I’d work it in with the rest of my wardrobe (especially with skirts/dresses/accessories). Any advice for incorporating a not-my-color item into a wardrobe?

Dear Sarah,
Camel-y brown boots are a neutral, darling, and they go with everything including black. They’re an instant classic and you can wear them with all colors and in all seasons (although you probably only want to wear them in cooler weather).
There is absolutely no need to be too matchy-matchy with accessories — try branching out a bit and getting some non-black neutral colors you like into your daily wardrobe! Try a rich navy bag with your black suit, or taupe shoes and opaque stockings with a black dress. Get a bright pink beret and pink and gray gloves to wear with your black coat, or add a sparkly purple pin for a dash of color.

By all means, don’t wear colors you don’t like, but don’t be afraid of color.
Enjoy, darling! Let us know how you do! I bought a pair of mid-calf height light brown riding boots with a braid detail that are all worn out and stained by now and I ADORE them. I am so, so glad I bought them as they bring just the right amount of interest and character to otherwise hum-drum outfits. And they’re GREAT on those light snows that aren’t so deep that you need snow boots but are enough to make the sidewalks and driveway slippery.

That ain’t so much a brown boot as it is cow-colored. Heck, you could wear these with a pink sundress if you wanted to! Not that you’d want to, but you could certainly wear them a whole lot of your everyday clothes.

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Dog Collars and Easter Bonnets

An interesting query from G., who writes,

I’m presently a lay person with a sizeable collection of church hats. Fabulous, delightful, mostly vintage church hats that I wear almost every Sunday and sometimes other times.

But there’s a good shot I won’t always be a lay person. So… I’m curious about your opinion. Can a church hat and a white dog collar be worn by the same woman at the same time?

In a word, G., no. But as the granddaughter of a highly-regarded 1940’s milliner, I celebrate your love of hats!

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Too-Big Bags

Hello my funny Valentines!

How was your Valentine’s Day, by the way? I am still trying to figure out who left me a milk chocolate rose in my church office that Sunday morning. I thought it was my beau but he said, “Sorry, I can’t take credit.” (That’s what I call honest to a fault, darlings!). So whoever it was, thank you! I’m saving it for a Serious Chocolate Craving.

Let’s turn our attention to PURSES and BAGS.
Due to the fact that she is starting to hunch a bit like Quasimodo of late, PeaceBang is becoming painfully, chiropractically aware that her favorite everyday purses and bags are just too big. She has no plans to stop carrying enormous bags, because she adores them, but she does need to acquire a smaller, dressier bag for those miscellaneous occasions when a Monster Satchel just won’t do. The church talent show this weekend, for instance. A nice dinner at someone’s home. Her own social life, like outings to restaurants or the theatre when she would like to avoid granting someone a concussion at the end of the show when she turns around and accidentally hits them in the head with her Monster Satchel.

My everyday bag is this Hobo style in navy blue. The leather is amazing and I adore all the pockets and compartments and use them all:

Lord knows I have other bags. I have two Bagallinis:

(little lightweight bag for travel)
(new for conferences: my secretary gets me Bagallinis wholesale!)

I have two or three dressy clutches and three or four ancient enormous satchels that I love but that are falling apart and should be given away. I hav two fun purses from trips I took to Paris in the 90’s (a beautiful white leather one-strap backpack and a funny little bowling bag type thing) and a big, white fold-over patent leather clutch that looks like a suitcase when it’s not folded over. It’s awkward and bulky, but a woman my size looks silly carrying anything too tiny. I have one buttery yellow smaller shoulder bag that I should switch to right now to give my spine a break.

You know how it is: bags accumulate over the years. I do give them to consignment, but then I inherit more. Things go out of style. They come back into style. You keep bags thinking you’ll get them repaired or cleaned and never do.

I looked at Macy’s today and was uninspired. The one line I liked was ridiculously expensive (Tignanello) and nothing seemed to have any design pizzazz. It’s all that moc-croc nonsense that came out 6 years ago or boring Working Lady satchels. Even Nine West, my favorite retail providers of cute and affordable purses, had nothing to offer. The new thing is the cross-body bag, and they’re cute but I don’t think appropriate for professional use:

If you’re in the market for a big tote, there are lots more options for you (here’s a cute Tignanello design):

As for me, I’m going to keep looking, or maybe I’ll throw a Handbag Swap Saturday and get a bunch of friends together to see what we’ve all got.

And of course there’s etsy.com!!! Love these!

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Speak To Us Of Sunglasses On the Head

Hi PB, new to your site. Q for you–I’m a 35-year-old fashion-challenged rabbi in CA. May I wear my sunglasses on top of my head in the office? I love how it looks & feels but wonder if it is too casual.

Hi Rebbe,
I do it all the time if I’m not going to be meeting with anyone. I think for staff only days, it’s fine. Other than that it’s a bit too “Hey, I’m on my way to the beach, make this snappy.”

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On Pantyhose

Good Sabbath, lovelies! How was church today? Does anyone have an evening service to yet prepare for? Cuddles to you from PeaceBang who officially began her vacation this afternoon. I was supposed to be in the Dominican Republic as of yesterday but cancelled, and I leave for Florida on Wednesday. I land in Palm Beach with a rental car and no firm plans — is anyone in the area? Want to have BBQ?

Awhile back I received this query from a Lady Religion Professor. It was a Very Serious Query. It read thus:

I have read in a number of places that hose are No Longer Done, and I have to say: whaaa? I am perplexed. Now, I wouldn’t wear suntan pantyhose under any circumstances, but I currently reside in Nebraska and it gets cold here. I don’t need to be cutting-edge, but I don’t want to be dowdy. Or, frankly, bare-legged in winter. Is there a clear set of rules about when a professional woman might skip the hose and when they are appropriate and when they are necessary? I need help.

I responded:

We love Lady Religion Profs, dear — get lots of ‘em at BTFM, and lots of librarians and teachers, too! Very similar issues, different setting.
On hose:
They are definitely out in the couture world, but who the hell lives in that world?

A few things to think about:
1. A bare leg is only chic when it’s a smooth, good-looking leg, and most of us need some help in the form of self-tanner or at least pearlized moisturizer. And only, for heaven’s sake, when it’s reasonably warm out!
2. Opaque tights are very fashionable and look terrific with boots.
3. As you’ve already determined, suntan color hose are dreadful and should be taken out and shot. A nice, sheer taupe or off-black is almost always a better choice, but you have to work with your wardrobe and skin tone.
4. Avoid off-white or white like the plague. If you’re wearing winter white, I would go with a sheer taupe hose.
5. I am not a fan of pairing dark, opaque tights with lighter colored clothing, but I’m sure it can work for some gals. I mean, LUCKY magazine is always showing some gamine in a sundress topped with five layers of scarves, jackets and sweaters and tights and open-toed boots and claiming that this is a great way to update your summer frocks, but I never buy it. It’s like, “That is an organza dress and you are not fooling me. Put it away until June.”

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