Limo heels

Commentary on This Week's On The Street

My favorite fashion reporter/photographer is Bill Cunningham's On The Street in which he has been chronicling what New Yorker's have been wearing for years--and yes, decades. However, I am big fan of the new web format of On The Street that takes advantage of the Internet's unique capabilities, namely Cunningham's audio commentary with the slide show.

It's much more illuminating to hear him discuss the week's photos and hear him describe what New Yorker's are wearing and why. I find it much more interesting to have both the visual and audio--particularly to hear the voice of the photographer after decades of photo montages that have appeared in the Sunday New York Times. A print montage that I swear I recall, yet have not found in the Times' online archives is collection of photos from circa mid-to-late 1990's of the Antique high-heel Mary Janes produced by Prada that were all the rage one fall season.

As a shoe fiend, I have certainly enjoyed Cunningham's recent stories on shoes being the focus of the outfit than the handbag.

In this week's photo essay entitled The Modern Woman and what they are wearing, I found one photo of a woman whose outfit is super cute with a very feminine full mini skirt, black jacket, black hobo and of course, the clearly visible red-soled trademark of Christian Louboutin black stilettos. I also love her inky black tights, which alone had been the subject of an On The Street feature wore by Parisian women.

 

Photo credit: Bill Cunningham, New York Times

For Easter Sunday, Colorful Shoes in This Week's On The Street

This week, New York Times editor Bill Cunningham narrates another edition of On The Street. This time he gives us a glimpse into the latest footwear worn by Parisian women.  He points out that the shoes shown in the slideshow were all worn in the day time despite the wildly flamboyant and colorful designs. However, he does say that the shoes were worn by women in the fashion business. I doubt you'd see an attorney showing up in court wearing any of these shoes. Cunningham suggests that the shoe may be displacing the handbag from its mantle as the decorative object. I'm all for that.

The Job Interview: What to Wear

This afternoon, I cut out of work for a job interview. But let's rewind the clock to several days earlier a la Michael Clayton, which I recently rented on iTunes (Good movie. Loved Tilda Swinton.)

The big dilemma for my impending interview was what to wear. It's not too hard for me considering that suiting makes up the bulk of my wardrobe.  I could easily project the lawyerly look of a crisp, razor-sharp pant suit with creased pant-legs and jet-black pointy-toe stilettos (which I may just consider if I'm asked back).

However, I have come to learn in the laid back atmosphere of the Bay Area that one must analyze both the job and the employer--as with any locale, but particularly here--since overdressing can make interviewers uncomfortable. Many moons ago, at the onset of a job interview for a well-known high-tech vendor, I was told that I didn't need to wear a suit, an indication of the dress code, or the lack of one. If I don't don the suit, I can get by with nice button-down shirt and dress slacks. Not too formal and not too casual.

For the interview today, the question really boiled down to whether I would wear a skirt or pants, which depended on the weather. If it was warm, I was considering wearing a light brown skirt suit from Elie Tahari paired with my square toe Dolce & Gabbana pumps with monster 4 1/2 inch heels and generous amounts of instant bronzing lotion applied to my legs.

As luck would have it, however, the sunny California days of late were concealed by San Francisco's notorious fog along with the accompanying chill. As a result, pants it was. I opted for a pair demure bebe pants (yes, demure) that I bought a gazillion years ago. The top was my favorite Thomas Pink button-down with shades of pink and caramel brown stripes on white. Since it would be cool, I wore a deep-cut v-neck sweater from J. Crew. The shoes were my respectable Prada d'Orsay kitten heels in light brown with oversize silver buckles from spring 2006. Though bling is frowned upon during interviews, I brought along my striped Dior saddle bag with the Mexican rebozo motif, but kept it concealed inside my larger pink shopper that I bought in Oaxaca, Mexico.

As it turned out, my interviewer wore a similar outfit: a white short-sleeved button down with a blue, scoop neck sleeveless sweater, black pants and Mary Jane heels.

I thought the interview went well, but one never really knows since there are so many variables at work. If I make the cut, then I just may choose to wear one of my suits...maybe an Elie Tahari, or a D&G Dolce & Gabbana....