Friends Never Say Goodbye

I started this blog back in 2009. At the time, I was freelancing and wanted to make sure my writing skills didn't get rusty. Plus, I thought it would be fun to write about fashion −a lifelong interest− on a regular basis.

But this blog turned into so much more than just an enjoyable writing exercise. Because of this blog I made new friends here in Columbus and as far away as Australia. It has given me opportunities to cover events and brands... I wouldn't change a thing. But it's time for a change, if that makes sense.

I've started a new blog. It's a Tumblr called Thoroughly Modern Melly. You know me, I can be wordy. And I will continue to write long-ish posts. But sometimes, especially in fashion, a picture really is worth a thousand words and I'll be posting more pictures at TMM than I did here.

I'm inspired by images all day, every day, and I want to share them. Sure, I could have done that here, but the Blogger platform isn't as photo-friendly as Tumblr. Side note: I'm sure Google would be thrilled to know I'm talking up a competitor's platform here. Anyway...

To have a look at Thoroughly Modern Melly, click here. I would be thrilled if all my Thread readers subscribed to my TMM RSS feed. Or bookmarked the new blog. We'll have fun, I promise.

I've mixed some old posts with the new. (I explain why over there.) And, as always, I appreciate any feedback you might have. Just don't leave it here! Drop me a line at mlmcintyre@gmail.com if you're so inclined.

And follow me on Twitter! My handle is @Mel_McIntyre.

Finally, I just want to thank all of you for taking time out of your busy lives to read my ramblings over the last couple years. You're the best. Truly.

~M.M.

P.S. To add a dash of drama to this farewell, click here and sway back and forth to the music while letting one tear fall slowly down your right cheek.

This Is Why I'm (Not) Hot

A few weeks ago, I learned Target was rereleasing 35 dresses from previous Go International capsule collections. And I was thrilled. So thrilled I marked the sale date on my Google calendar and set an alarm for 8 a.m. Seriously.

I’ve been a fan of the Proenza Schouler aesthetic since the label launched about eight years ago, but I missed out on its Target frocks the first time around because my size sold out online (and in all local stores). I was determined not to let history repeat itself. Because let’s face it. Buying one of these mass produced Tarjay dresses is the only way this working girl will be able to add some Proenza Schouler to her wardrobe any time soon.

I especially like this PS rerelease:

I told my friend Cat that I was probably going to buy it.

I wanted to buy it. Cat wanted me to buy it.

Our email conversation about it went like this:

Cat: “You would get a lot of use of the PS dress! It is cute and would look good on a summer day or with a cute sweater.”

Me: True, true!

Cat: It’s so cute, do it!!

But I didn’t do it. In fact, I bought a completely different dress. This one:

Which, obviously, looks nothing like the Proenza Schouler dress. It wasn’t even designed by Proenza Schouler. (It was designed by Thakoon Panichgul.) So why did I buy it instead?

The PS dress is a lovely one that, as Cat noted, I could wear many times. I even think it would look nice on me. But it just isn’t...me.

It’s the kind of dress that would make a guy look twice at a girl. (Hello, bustier top.) And that’s precisely why I'll never own it. Which brings me to the crux of this post: I’m not hot.

Well, let me clarify: I don’t dress “hot,” i.e. in a manner that compels red blooded straight men to exclaim, “She’s hot!” (Case in point: That Thakoon dress. I mean, who’s going to hit on a girl wearing that? She could be hiding a second trimester pregnancy under that thing.)

Yes, I’m aware I’m making generalizations about the kind of clothing straight men like to see straight women wear. I know they don’t all have the same preferences, but if I surveyed 10 straight men this instant, I bet money less than two would favor the Thakoon over the PS.

Not that their opinions really matter, anyway. I don’t advocate dressing for men. (I could get all feminist on you and talk about the harmful effects of “internalizing the male gaze” and so on and so forth, but that's not my point here.)

Someone once said women dress for other women. But I don’t even do that. I only dress for myself and that’s why I end up buying things like, say, pleated sack dresses. (Geez, that doesn’t even sound appealing in writing.)

In fact, a survey of my closet revealed a propensity for birth control in apparel form shapeless dresses and tunics...

So I'm curious. Do you wear anything that most likely repels the opposite sex? And this question goes out to the fellas, too. (Trust and believe: not everything you wear screams "lady killer," OK?)

And why do you keep wearing it? Does it make you smile? Does it have sentimental value? Do you simply enjoy the horror and/or disbelief it inspires in the eyes of onlookers?

All the above? None of the above? (I like the way those loose dresses move, as silly as that might sound.)

Side note: I like to pair my muumuus with high heels. Because I like those, too. And don't tell me they're inappropriate for the workplace. Seriously.

Annie Get Your Glam On

As I might have mentioned before, I am a magazine addict; I've been known to buy two copies of an issue I particularly luv (one to read/cut up and one to store for posterity).

And judging by this sneak peek, I most definitely will be purchasing two copies of next month's Vogue.

November cover girl Anne Hathaway looks chic and elegant, the clothes look magnificent. I usually don't favor editorials with actresses in place of models (a pretty lady who lights up the silver screen doesn't necessarily take compelling still photos), but this this is a lovely exception, perhaps due to übertalented photographer Mario Testino.

This is one of my favorite photos from the shoot. Sometimes editorials are so "artsy" (dim lighting, odd angles) they don't allow the viewer to fully appreciate the clothing. Clearly, that is not the case here.

The staircase, Anne's profile, the dress's silhouette... The lines in this photo are so pleasing.

This is simply a super shot of Anne.


What do you think?

Cold & Shoe

I hate colds. For whatever reason, I'd rather power through something a bit more toxic− like the stomach bug I contracted before a work event two months ago. (I vomited four times that day, but showed up to the venue with makeup on, in a skirt. I worked the room and only took a break to vomit, yet again, in the ladies room.) Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Anyway... As the sun went down yesterday, my level of discomfort went up, up, up. By the time my alarm went off this morning, I wasn't even sure I'd slept continuously for more than half an hour and my throat was so sore just swallowing saliva was painful. Despite popping pills and slurping down orange juice like it was going out of style, I was tired and driven to distraction. Writing an article was not going to be easy.

So after attempting to nap this afternoon, I swallowed a few Tylenol caplets, slipped on a pair of 5" stilettos, pulled my laptop onto my bed and got to work.

Yes, you read that correctly. In fact, as I write this I'm still wearing those 5" stilettos. (Well, technically the heel is 4 3/4" and the shoe has a 1" platform.) I wanted to feel better and these particular shoes (above) make me smile.

Could we have a prettier First Family?!

The Obamas attended services at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

A fierce start to Fashion Week

The Spring 2011 collections launched today in New York City and Christian Siriano, who showed at 2 p.m., made quite the splash.

I luv his collection− equal parts elegant and dramatic. My favorite looks are nos. 4, 7, 14, 15, and 23.

People who were there said:

"The collection opened with spicy skin-tight white pants and a dark caramel leather safari jacket, which were followed by many white trench jackets, simple little dresses in lipstick colors and some draped silk numbers in a quasi-giraffe print (the quasi being that they came in turquoise).

"At the end came the familiar va-va-va-voom dresses that would look right at home in Dolly Parton’s closet, like a one-shoulder draped gown with a riot of tulle sticking out at odd angles on one side. The color was paprika, according to Mr. Siriano, but it was Pepto if you ask me." ~Eric Wilson for the New York Times

"But behind the braggadacio, sassiness, quirky hairdo, behind his much-parodied use of the word ‘fierce‘, behind some of the more fanciful over-the-top creations that he sent down the runway lies a serious, skilled designer. On Thursday, he attempted to show that he can do more than dramatic-entrance eveningwear. (The models wore shoes he designed for Payless, for example.)

"The opening look - a cognac-colored, leather-belted, long-sleeve safari jacket paired with a white flim-fit trouser made out of stretch cotton - set the audience up for an adventure that would take it all over the world. (Mr. Siriano says he drew inspiration from Africa, India and China.)...And then there were those big, glamourpuss gowns toward the end of the show." ~Ray A. Smith for the Wall Street Journal

Read about the show's front row and backstage scene here.

What do you think of the show? Whose shows are you excited about?

Jackie Smile

I like to imagine that had I been a working woman in the Mad Men era I would have been employed at Life magazine. Convinced (rightfully, I believe) that pictures could tell a story instead of just illustrating text, legendary publisher Henry Luce launched Life on Nov. 23, 1936.

The reason I mention all this is because more than 10 million photos from Life's archives (the mag was published weekly until Dec. 8, 1972) are just a click away at Life.com. Such great eye candy... Which brings me to the following photos.

So many Jackie Kennedy retrospectives feature photos of her looking pensive or sad, but she had a great smile. And she smiled lots during a state trip to India in 1962. Just have a look at the Life photos here, here, here, here, and here.

Luv this photo from that trip, too.