Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Hair-Raising Times With The Shoe Girl

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Last week, gorgeous blonde blogger The Shoe Girl came to town and took me to the FFANY Shoes on Sale party at Lincoln Center.

She's tall!

Isn't she lovely? Tall, too!

I wore a strapless Jean-Charles de Castelbajac motorcycle-zipper dress that I got in Paris this summer. The dress made me a little crazy. I was inspired to try a hairstyle that was meant to be a rockabilly-inspired pompadour.

Carl "Blue Suede Shoes" Perkins and his 'do

Carl "Blue Suede Shoes" Perkins and his 'do

But I thought it came out more like fashion writer Suzy Menkes crossed with There’s Something About Mary.

Suzy Menkes photo from fashionologie

Suzy Menkes photo from fashionologie

Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary

Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary

I’ve never been able to part with the pseudo-motorcycle jacket I got in 1984 and thought that at last its moment had come again.  Looking at this picture, I feel positive that the jacket’s only moment came and went back in the mid-’80s. I’m still not sure I can bear to part with it.

wendymotorcycle

We wore everything oversized in the '80s.

I wore this with Dries Van Noten shoes. (I refuse to say “shooties.“) I’m also wearing my Juana Peekaboo Skull necklace and swear rings.

The Shoe Girl’s camera was malfunctioning and mine wasn’t much better, so we didn’t get a picture of the Criss Angel lookalike who couldn’t take his eyes off TSG during our sushi dinner at Matsuri. Mindfreaky!

UPDATED TO ADD: Click here to read The Shoe Girl’s post on the evening.

UPDATED AGAIN TO ADD: I don’t know why I look so tan! My makeup was the same as usual. Malfunctioning camera, perhaps?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. i LAUGHED with your comparison as a cross between suzy menkes & cameron diaz in “there’s something about mary”
    all fun aside…though…the hair looked great…there isn’t much that is needed with that gorgeous face of yours…
    and the jacket? it worked girl!
    you look fabulous…as always!

  10. I effing love your HAIR!! And it looks so lush with that gorg Castelbajac dress…and with the ’84 leather- HOTTNESS!

    ps – and in your verbal perfection “I will kill the bitch” who says shootie in mah presence.

    XOXO

  11. I love your hair this way!

    I’ve worn a modified version of the pomp for more than a year, and it’s a great way to get the hair out of the eyes without looking too suburban. I like to get my pomp/pouf as high and ridiculous as possible. Sometimes I twist it one way or another. I’ve found that the dirtier my hair, the wackier it will look. Wacky poufs are now sport for me.

    I agree: boots go over the ankles. Shoes reach no higher than ankles. Footwear is either boots or shoes. (Or sandals, but by this criteria, they’d still count as shoes.) There is no such word as “shootie.” I don’t even like “bootie,” if you really want to know.

    Now, that jacket may have had it’s day, but I really don’t believe that it should be relegated to a dark closet corner by any means. The way you styled it proves that. I hope you will wear it out more and more, and style it as ironically as possible.

  13. If you ever want to give that jacket a good second home, it has one with me!

    I like the hairstyle, it may not be what you were going for, but it’s still awesome!

  17. Oh my gawd, WendyB! This is one of my favorite outfits ever! I love the dress with the jacket and those Dries shoes- too die for! And- I love the hair. I’ve been doing something similar too (gulp) Ms. Menkes too for about a year now. My friends call the pouf “Sally” for some reason. I hear “Sally’s out tonight” alot. I think your Sally is awesome- way better than Cameron’s and Suzy’s.

  20. Oh WB, you look stunning as always! I love the Carl Perkins-inspired ‘do! I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Perkins and he was a very kind and gracious gentleman. What a nice surprise to see his picture.

  23. Hi there-I agree with enc about the jacket, you’ve had it this long, no way should you part with it now and it looks totally fabulous with your new dress and shoes! Love the new hair too!

  26. I’ve rocked that look before…you do it far better! The Chris Angel Doppelganger was most likely checking out you! Smoldering hotness!!

  27. I’m still waiting for my “top gun” leather aviator jacket to make a come back 😉

    Looks like a FUN! night 😀

  30. That is a killer jacket! You have to keep it (even if shoulder pads like that never come back).

    I love the dress. Not so sure about the hair, but I hate fussy hair on me, and all I can imagine is worrying about it all night.

    Sounds like you had a blast!

  33. I love the dress. And the jacket is cute but maybe better with jeans and white t-shirt. So rockabilly. I get what you were hoping for with the hair…almost!

  35. I like the hair very much! Definitely not a Diaz moment, there. BTW, love those Dries shoes (not a fan of “shooties”, either).

  41. I find it interesting when ladies keep one hairstyle forever a la Suzy or Anna Wintour. Suzy’s is so bizarre too!
    Jacket is rad! Girls are always searching for ultimate motorcycle jackets like that.

  44. you did a great job with the hair. and you have such a beautiful smile! I’m not so lucky in the smile department unfortunately!

  46. Great dress and hair. In fact the dress is utterly divine – very Parisianne. Yes are you glowing with fake tan or lots of bronzer?

    The jacket is dated by the cut of the shoulders! Very 80s.