Photo courtesy of www.HarpersBazaar.com, Street Style Milan Fashion Week Spring 2013

Welcome to Part Three in the Everyday Glamour Dress Down Tutorial Series!   

Casual Archetype Three:  The Tomboy

Think Some Kind of Wonderful on Lexapro.  The Tomboy drinks a Guinness, reads No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, and listens to Jack White and Drake.  She wears Calvin Klein lingerie.  She was recently overheard saying, "Let's chill on the roof." 

How to get the look:  The Tomboy wears her jeans dark or light, and either very skinny or very slouchy, with a waistline that is as low as you can go this side of the border.  She wears mostly black and white.  She has an affinity for zippers.  Let's not over analyze.  She wears the best fitting army pants on the market, (Aloha Rag makes them), with a leather Moto jacket by Helmut Lang.  She's constantly on the hunt for the perfect slouchy white t-shirt.  Her jewelry is simple hammered silver.  She loves exclusive wedge sneakers by Nike but knows that the Isabel Marant ones are played out by now.  Ha!  She also wears Frye harness boots with cut off denim shorts in the summer.  Oh...and sometimes she wears black pumps with her Aloha Rag army pants just to show that she is in fact a girl.

She loves:  Alexander Wang, Isabel Marant, Frye, Balanciaga, Helmut Lang 

 Photo courtesy of www.HarpersBazaar.com, Street Style Milan Fashion Week Spring 2013

Stay tuned for casual archetype three:  The Luxe Bohemian...

 Photo by Diego Zuko courtesy of www.HarpersBazaar.com, Milan Fashion Week Spring 2013

Welcome to Part Two in the Everyday Glamour Dress Down Tutorial Series!   

Casual Archetype Two:  The Chic Eclectic

Think Breakfast at Tiffany's on Acid.  The Chic Eclectic drinks a Bellini, reads Like Water for Chocolate By Laura Esquirel, and listens to Coldplay and Adele.  She wears La Perla lingerie.  She was recently overheard saying, "I'm not romantic but I love, love, you know?"

How to get the look:  The Chic Eclectic wears her jeans dark, light, or bright as long as they have a classic finish, with a straight or skinny leg, and with back pockets placed neither very high nor very low.  She mixes classic staples with highly styled and designed elements.  Her clothing tends to be classic in shape, however she adores stand out colors, prints, and textures.  She loves quirky shoes and you will often find that her handbag is classic in shape, but distinctive in color, texture, and/or pattern.  She is a master with scarves--she's one of those women who knows how to tie one and make it look incredible!  Her jewelry is either very simple and discreet or very stand out, depending on the outfit of the day.  She is an expert in the art of classic dressing with a stand-out focal point.

She loves:  Hermes, New York Vintage, Sigerson Morrison, Carven, 3.1 Philip Lim 

Photo by Diego Zuko, courtesy of www.HarpersBazaar.com, Milan fashion week Spring 2013

Stay tuned for casual archetype three:  The Tomboy...

Everyday Glamour has broken down the art of un-office dressing into four archetypes to work from, The Sensualist, The Chic Eclectic, The Tomboy, and The Luxe Bohemian.  Identify your dominant archetype, develop it, then later advance to break the rules.   

Photo of Caroline Issa courtesy of www.fashionfix.net-a-porter.com

Welcome to the Everyday Glamour Dress Down Tutorial Series!   Let's get down to the real nitty gritty, shall we?

Casual Archetype One:  The Sensualist

Think Belle Du Jour on Valium.  The Sensualist drinks red wine, reads Fear of Flying by Erica Jong, and listens to Sade and Miguel.  She wears Kiki De Montparnasse lingerie.  She was recently overheard saying, "A little more to the left..."

How to get the look:  The Sensualist wears her jeans dark with a straight or skinny leg, with a waistline that can be high but is never too low.  She wears simple, unfettered tops in cozy cashmere, sublime jersey, and luxurious silk.  Nothing is too tight nor too loose.  She accessories with leather, croc, snake skin, and lizard.  Her handbag is structured and does not have obvious hardware.  She invests in high quality classic shoes with a pointed toe.  All clothing details are subtly suggestive:  think ties, tassels, and shiny metal accents.  Her jewelry looks as if it is never meant to be taken off.  

She loves:  Club Monaco, Reiss, Barneys, Equipment, Nicole Farhi, Saint Laurent, Manolo Blahnik

Photo courtesy of www.fashionhoob.com

Stay tuned for Casual Archetype Two:  Chic Eclectic...

Vogue, Lanvin dress, Daria Werbowy, photo courtesy of www.lindsayalbanese.com

Me:  Hey, Mom!  I'm doing a Valentine's Day post.  I have an untested theory that all men love Strawberry Shortcake.  Do you have any stories about Strawberry Shortcake and men? 

Mom:  No, it’s Banana Bread.  Fundamentally, all men love it.  They find it very romantic.

The premise is established:  The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  Everyone knows that.  But what I wanted to know was which desert gives a woman the most results for her efforts?  I was convinced that it had to be Strawberry Shortcake, hands down.  I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so I hatched a sneaky plan.  And I needed to enlist the help of my sister-in-law:

Me:  Hi!  Ok, so I have a Valentine’s Day post idea for the blog and if you feel like it , it would be amazing if you could participate!  I say all men love Strawberry Shortcake, and mom says no, it’s Banana Bread.  So anyway, I was going to do an experiment.  Without telling Ken, one day I will make Banana Bread.  Another day I make Strawberry Shortcake from scratch.  I measure the reaction for amorous behavior.  Could you do the same with David before Feb. 14^th?

Sister-in-Law:  I heard different.  First of all…the universal smell for men is vanilla, FACT!, and I heard all men are turned on by the smell of Cinnamon Buns.

So we decided to sneak around and make all three deserts for our men, Banana Bread, Cinnamon Buns, and Strawberry Shortcake,  present them on different days with nonchalance, and stealthily observe their behavior.

Photo Vogue UK, courtesy of www.reinedeboheme.tumbler.com

Easy, right?  Wrong.  A few days later I heard back from my sister-in-law:

Sister-in-Law:  Ok, here is the deal.  David and I are trying to watch our weight so I’m not baking.  I just asked him what’s sexier:  Banana Bread, Cinnamon Buns, or Strawberry Shortcake.  Banana Bread reminds him of Mom and Strawberry Shortcake is too cute.  So Cinnamon Buns it is.

Me:  This is SUCH BULL!!!  Strawberry Shortcake made from scratch is totally manly!!  Men love it!!  Ken literally fell asleep at the table with the Banana Bread.  Total fail.  But with the Cinnamon Buns, he rubbed my leg and kept repeating this is so good.  Make the Strawberry Shortcake, please?  And Cinnamon Buns are so easy—get the Pillsbury ones you stick in the oven.  C’mon!! Please!!  You can’t go on a diet now, I have a blog to write!  Ha, ha!

Photo by Annie Leibovitz, model Karlie Kloss, Vogue, July 2009, courtesy of www.geanimalisandru.wordpress.com

I thought I had talked some sense into her but then I heard from my brother:

Brother:  Were you aware when you gave her this assignment that she can’t bake?  It’s really funny watching her.

Me:  Damn!  You are not supposed to know!

Brother:  Yes, it’s inherently a problem with the experiment.   In my opinion, guys get turned on when a woman bakes anything for them because it shows their ability to function as a mother.

Me:  Tell me the story! 

Brother:  Which means they will make great moms.

Me:  Yeah, but Bro, Ken literally fell asleep after eating Banana Bread.  I looked over at him and he had fallen asleep at the table!  But with the Cinnamon Buns he was amorous.  Ok, tell me more.

Brother:  When I was 20, and I was just hanging out with Amy as friends, I remember she brought over a whole tray of cookies that she baked.  It was game over at that point.

Me:  Amy #1 or Amy #2?

Brother:  One obviously!

Me:  Ha,ha.  Ok but tell me the story about your wife trying to bake.

Brother:  Why does everyone ask that!???

Me:  Sorry!

Brother:  I don’t even think about #2.

Me:  Amy #1 was better, I know!  Teasing.  It’s funny.  It’s like "The Cat in the Hat".  Thing One and Thing Two.

Brother:  Ha, ha, ha!  Thing One and Thing Two…Well, when I woke up, she was quietly struggling with a mixing bowl.

Me:  Details!

Brother:  She was using these flimsy, malleable-type bowls, which are meant for liquids, not mixing.

Me:  Right.  Ha, ha!  Then what?

Brother:  There’s a reason why mixing bowls are made of stainless steel.

Me:  Ha, ha.

Brother:  Then when I saw her she started laughing because she knows how bad she is at baking.  She put the heterogeneous mix into a bread pan and then turned to me and asked if I wanted her to put nuts in it.  Kinda late for that.

Me:  So this is Banana Bread!

Brother:  After it was in the oven a few minutes, she climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up to her face and said, “I don’t even know how long I’m supposed to bake it.  I don’t even know how long it’s been in there.”

Me:  I’m gonna kill her!

Brother:  Yeah she told me about the whole experiment.

Me:  Damn.  I’m making Strawberry Shortcake now.  Totally secret.  Ken has no idea.

Brother:  You’re not controlling for the nurturing effect.  You need to have someone of the same gender give it to them.  Or we get it ourselves.

Me:  Well, you have a point…but this is not an experiment per se, it’s more observational and then compile the results.  Unfortunately, all my friends are either single or on a diet.  Generous eye roll.  I still think Strawberry Shortcake is gonna be the winner here.

Brother:  Cinnamon Buns.

Me:  We will see now won’t we?

Well, I guess you all want to know what lit my husband’s fire.  It was the Cinnamon Buns.  I was pretty surprised.  I used those easy Pillsbury ones that you stick in the oven.  Buns from scratch are ten times better, but he doesn’t know that.  The Strawberry Shortcake got fair results in the amorous department, but they were more work.  Based on my results, I recommend that my readers bake up some Cinnamon Buns and serve with coffee in bed on Valentine’s Day morning.  That’s the real nitty gritty.

But wait, there’s more to the story!  Later my brother went to a wine and cheese party and got to talking about my little experiment.  Three men, two medical students and an artist, all said they preferred Strawberry Shortcake.  In fact, they seemed almost offended that there were alternatives other than the shortcake.

So click here for the recipe!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

 Photo by Alex Prager, Vogue, Sept 2011, courtesy of www.piecesnmelodies.com

Have you been working out faithfully 6 days per week at 5:00 am?

Did you cut out sugar once and for all?

Are you cooking delicious, healthful meals every single night?

Did you pay down a huge chunk of debt?  I know we’re only one month in, but surely you are making headway, yes?  Yes???

Have you edited your closet like I keep telling you to do? 

Wait…Are you steam rolling your way through your to do list, (written on January 1^st)?  How’s that willpower working for you?  Roll up your sleeves, honey!  Heeeeave HO!  With self-discipline, hard work, and persistence, nothing can stand in your way!

I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

There is another way to accomplish your dreams—an easier way!

The Everyday Glamour Guide to Getting Shit Done So that You Can Really Enjoy Your Life

If you want to work out 6 days per week at 5:00am: 

Why?  All that talk about energy and health, whatever, yadda yadda yadda—you want to feel hot.  Just admit it.  Now that we have that out of the way, here’s how you do it:  You do it the Kaizen way.  Kaizen is the practice of daily continuous improvement.  For two weeks your only goal is to get up at 5:00 am, brush your teeth, and put on workout clothes.  If you can do more, that’s great—it’s gravy.  Just keep in mind that minimum goal.  Why it works:  The waking up part is the hardest to establish.  After two weeks, your body will adapt and waking up will no longer be painful.  It’s my guarantee. 

 Photo by Lachlan Bailey for Vogue Paris, April 2012, courtesy of www.whatstrend.com

If you want to cut out sugar once and for all:

Why?  All that talk about energy and health, whatever, yadda yadda yadda—you want to feel hot.  Just admit it.  (Yes, I’m repeating myself here.)  Now that we have that out of the way, here’s how you do it:  You do it by replacing the behavior.  When you eat a cupcake, the sugar and chocolate prompts your brain to release a chemical called Dopamine.  It feels damn good.  This dopamine creates the craving to repeat eating cupcakes.  Replace the cupcake with coffee!  Sure, you will be now addicted to coffee, but trust me, it’s better than being addicted to cupcakes.

Photo courtesy of www.cuputcauda.com

If you want to cook delicious home cooked meals every single night:

Why?  All that talk about energy and health….ha!  Hot chicks cook!!  Just ADMIT IT already!  Here’s how you do it:  Find a mentor.  Find someone who loves to cook and ask her to email you recipes one at a time.  Email is great because you can print out the recipe and put it in a folder.  Voila!  You are building a cookbook!  Try one new recipe per week at the most.  Talk with her about your success!  Once you feel comfortable with one recipe, you can ask for another recipe.  Each time you go grocery shopping, you go through your personalized mentor-generated cookbook and write down the ingredients.  Before you know it, you’ll be cooking every single night…and loving it!

Photo of Crystal Renn, Vogue Paris, courtesy of www.hautetoday.wordpress.com

If you want to pay down a huge chunk of debt:

Why?  Because the debt is sucking your soul.  Besides, it’s not hot.  Here’s how you do it:  Start with small extra payments at first, and work your way up to bigger payments.  It’s like when you are overweight and all of a sudden you realize that you are desperate to lose 30 pounds in a month--that’s not how it’s done.  Find small ways to cut expenses and add that to your payments.  Keep finding small ways to cut expenses, and it will build up over time.  It helps to see the finish line, so it helps to cheer yourself on by picking off smaller chunks at a time.

Photo from Vogue Espana, courtesy of www.polyvore.com

If you want to edit your closet like I keep telling you to do:

Why?  Because it saves you MONEY and you will finally feel….you guessed it…hot.  Here’s how you do it:  Get the free Wardrobe Edit Workbook, offered on the right hand side bar.  Make it fun!  Call in sick if you want, I won’t tell.  Blast some great music, and get to editing.  Forget doing this perfectly.  This is not about perfection, it’s about taking a look at what you have and assessing as best you can in this moment.  Do what you can and do not worry about the rest.  This is a gradual and fun process!

Happy New Year, my E.G.C.’s!

Photo of Anja Rubik courtesy of www.fashiongonerogue.com

Dead silence ensues. Eyes get heavy. Spittle accumulates.

Here in New York it seems the party circuit has petered out.  Cue the kid in the corner with the pathetic party kazoo.  It seems like this year, Manhattanites idea of a good time will be popping a Xanax before hitting the bar for some cheap, slapdash debauchery.  Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Blame it on the economy.  Or on your Aunt Milly, whatever.  But before you get to the the bar, and preferably after taking that Xanax, how about pulling yourself together, honey?

If you want to go get yourself a new party frock, for heaven's sake, don't delay.  Please go out right now and get one!  You will make a shop girl very happy.  With the commission she makes she will be one step closer to affording that trip to an ashram in India.  And perhaps she can even one day hope to get off the Xanax. 

But if you opt not to get a new party frock, lets take a look at the most bang for your buck wardrobe updates out there.  These are loyal standbys.  All you need to do is pick one asset to accentuate and read the Everyday Glamour Frock On!  Guide:

Waist:  Leopard print or metallic belt (to cinch one of your old frocks).  These belts can go over so many things and can be worn in so many different ways.  I’m getting hot just thinking about it.

Maison Boinet belt, photo courtesy of www.Barneys.com

Legs:  Wolford pantyhose.  Patterned ones are not in fashion this year, which is an excellent reason to consider wearing some.  Screw fashion!  You will stand out even more!  Personally, I am a fan of simple back seam pantyhose, or better yet, thigh highs.

Decolletage:  Corset top.  Wear it with black pants and killer pumps.  Later you can wear it under a sweater, with only the very top peeking out suggestively.  You minx.

Malene Birger corset top, courtesy of www.polyvore.com

Butt:  If you have an onion butt, (an ass so beautiful, it makes the men cry), pencil skirts are a wonderful addition to the wardrobe.  You can get this inexpensively, and wear it with a festive top, then later take two Advil and have some orange juice, and don it to work with a sweater.

Givenchy godet skirt, courtesy of www.Barneys.com

The All Around All-Star:  Le Smoking.  Get a tuxedo style jacket.  You can wear that over a short dress, (legs).  You can wear it over that corset top and black pants, (decolletage).  You can wear it with jeans or tight black pants, (butt).  Or you can wear it over a jewel-toned blouse, beautifully cut pants, and killer heels for a chic style that is adaptable for all.

Anja Rubik by Mikael Jansson, Vogue Paris, May 2011, courtesy of www.darklamb.tumbler.com 

Frock on, my lovely E.G.C.’s!!

Oh.

I am of a different mind.  I believe that now is the perfect time to donate clothes.  There is no time like the present.  If not today, then tomorrow.  If not tomorrow, then how about the day after?  Or perhaps this weekend?

Giving feels good:  It is a selfish act that everyone can benefit from.  I like to think of donating as a Cycle of Appreciation and Gratitude, (C.A.G.).  By giving away the things that you do not use, you let others use and appreciate those things.  The act reaffirms that you are, in fact, and this is a big revelation for many...that you are abundant--you have things, so many things that you can give them away with ease.  You realize that you do not need so much stuff.  You make room to breathe...and perhaps grow.  In any case, C.A.G. is good for our emotional health.  So you see, giving is quite a selfish act.

And giving is easy.  You can take more time and edit your closet all at once, or you can take a mere 5 minutes to pull out a few things from your closet that you know you never wear.  You choose the level. Any little bit helps--and remember, this is a selfish act.  Giving feels so good.

I'm donating a number of things--coats, jackets, a suit, clothing, and canned food.  I am hoping that my things will be appreciated and used by people on Staten Island, or in Queens.  Or perhaps in Far Rockaway, New Jersey, or downtown Manhattan.  But no matter where you are in the world, there are always people who could use the things that you no longer need, aren't there?

You can donate to the Salvation Army or the Goodwill.  Or you can make it easier on yourself.  Walk into or call your local church or synagogue.  "Do you take used clothing donations?"  They may say yes.

It does not need to be hard.  Donating can be easy and enjoyable.  And so worth it.

For more information about closet editing and donating, read Changes, and Edit, Edit, Edit.

Photography by Miles Aldridge, courtesy of www.etoday.ru.comA whopper of a hurricane was coming…or at least that’s what the weather man said.  Sally slowly pushed her cart through a bustling grocery store.  She looked at her list:  1.  Batteries 2.  Water 3.  Matches  4.  Fruit  5.  Veggies  6.  Orange Juice 7.  Heavy Cream  8.  Chocolate.  All the necessities were on her list. 

Everyone had a different idea about what they would need in order to hunker down and survive.  Sally knew this because she had a bad habit of looking into other people’s carts;  It was a cheap form of amusement.  At checkout, the woman ahead had a large bag of white rice, some onions, and a small package of Goya Sazon in her cart.  In the next aisle over, a man was speaking rather loudly and earnestly to another man in line.  His cart was full of sliced white bread.  “Yeah, I figure we can eat all the sammiches we want.”, he said. The other man nodded his head knowingly.  There was more serious talk of Swiss cheese.

Sally looked into her cart.  Next to baby spinach, yellow and red bell peppers, Triscuts, and orange juice, sat a pint of  heavy cream and 3 bars of 70% dark Lindt chocolate.  The cream and the chocolate seemed a bit out of place, like rabble rousing party crashers with greased back hair, leather jackets, and cigarettes perched in their mouths.  “We heard there was a party.”, said the heavy cream.  Sally is usually pretty health conscious.  She avoids sugar and she doesn’t drink, well, at least not a lot.  But there are exceptions to every rule, aren’t there?  Sally thought so.  She figured if the lights went out and the refrigerator went, her family would survive on chocolate cake and mimosas.

Once home, the first order of business was to make Hurricane Mimosas:  2/3rds sparkling wine, to 1/3^rdorange juice.  When Sally opened the Prosecco, the cork dramatically popped and the wine spewed everywhere, kind of like in those happy, glamorous, B-movie party montages, in which men in tuxedos and women in sequined strapless gowns sitting in the back of a limo laugh and tilt their heads back, all to the tune of “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and The Waves.  One man with a Cary Grant haircut opens a bottle of Dom Perignon, and they all watch with startled, gleeful smiles as the cork goes POP, and out spews the glamorous champagne geyser.  Everyone laughs wholeheartedly, and then after the champagne is poured, they clink their glasses.  The other man, with a pompadour, says, “Bottom’s up!”, and they all drink it down together like reckless college kids funneling from a keg.  Sally’s Prosecco spilled all over the floor and a bit onto the rug.  Unfortunately, no one else was around to witness it.  Very glam.

Photography by Miles Aldridge, courtesy of www.laurentiaeditha.blogspot.com

With a mimosa in hand, Sally crept up to her man, who was watching the news.  “School is closed tomorrow!”, he yelled out, his eyes set on the t.v.  Sally handed the mimosa over.  He looked a bit startled but said, “Thank you.”, in that this-is-a-pleasant-surprise tone.

The next order of business was to bake a cake.  Munchkin came over to help.  “Mama, can we listen to Katy Perry?”, she asked.  “In Kindergarten, I didn’t know about Katy Perry”, (eons ago)“But now”, (in first grade, a more sophisticated era), “I am Katy Perry’s number one fan!”  Mama set Pandora to Katy Perry Radio and took a big swig of Hurricane Mimosa.

The recipe that follows shortly is for the greatest chocolate cake on earth.  This is Grandma Brown’s recipe.  Grandma Brown is not a Grandma in Sally’s family, but she is a Grandma in someone else’s family, and Sally’s family adopted the recipe.

Sally’s Grandma, on the other hand,  was a Pie Master.  Her pies were perfect.  One day, Sally and her brother watched their Pie Master Grandma remove a beautiful, steaming, golden brown apple pie straight from the oven.  They watched their Pie Master Grandma, the maker of perfect pies, shake her head.  Sally remembers Grandma’s disappointed frown, the shake of her white curls, the furrowed brow, the hunched shoulders of disappointment.  The long sigh.  Obviously, upon removing the pie from the oven and getting a good look at it, Grandma realized that the pie was not perfect.  The next thing that Grandma did was the unthinkable--Sally and her brother are scarred to this day.  Grandma took the beautiful, steaming, golden brown apple pie straight from the oven, and she held it for a moment.  She held it in a frisbee stance.  With stern, resolute finality. 

Sally and her brother watched the scene in horror.  They remember the moment the pie hit the air, out of grandma’s hands, not in the kitchen garbage bin yet…a moment in time.  They made a collective groan, “Noooooooooooooo!”  They remember that “No” in slow motion voice:  It was a duet of sorts.  Sally can not erase the memory of the panic in her brother’s eyes.  She remembers the thought, “But Grandma!  We understand that you don’t believe that the beautiful, steaming, golden brown apple pie straight from the oven isn’t perfect by rigorous Pie Master standards but OH GOD!  NO!  Don’t do it!  It’s gonna be ok!  We will eat it still!  And enjoy it!”

The pie slid into the kitchen garbage bin smoothly and gracefully.  It made a discreet plunk.  Grandma straightened herself up.  She ignored the two small, horrified grandchildren in the background.  She got out her mixing bowl.  She started over. 

Photography by Miles Aldridge, courtesy of www.whorange.com

But back to the cake.  Grandma Brown’s chocolate cake is the best on the planet.

Here is the recipe:

Grandma Brown’s Chocolate Cake

1 cup [200 g] unsalted butter

1 cup water

Heaping ½ cup cocoa powder

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 ¼ cups sugar [G.Brown used 2 cups.]

pinch of salt

½ cup sour cream

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 F [175 C].

In a small saucepan, heat the butter, water, and cocoa powder, stirring as it comes to a boil.  Allow it to cool as you work on the dry ingredients. 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in sugar.  Add the now warm (not hot) cocoa mixture and stir until completely mixed.

Add the sour cream, beaten eggs, and vanilla, and beat until the batter is smooth.  Pour batter into butterd sheet pan [typically 9” x 13”]

Bake at 375 F [175 C] for 22 minutes [a little longer if the cake pan has a smaller surface area]  The cake is done when it springs back a bit when touched in the center, or when a knife in the center comes out clean.  Careful, now!  Bake the cake until it is just done, no more.

The following recipe is for the icing.  This recipe is not Grandma Brown’s.  Sally does not know the origin, but it is lethal.  When Sally beat the icing, she was on her third mimosa.  She thought, “Oh, no.  It’s not setting, it’s too liquid.  That’s it.  I’m a fuck up.  There is no hope.  I should just throw the whole thing out with a frisbee stance.”   She did not give up, and yes, it did set.  It was a bit more sause-y and liquid-y than she imagined, but when it cooled on the cake, it was perfect.

Ganache Frosting 

450 g dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

2 cups heavy cream

Microwave cream 3-4 min on a high setting;  the cream should just come to a simmer, not to a boil.  [Or heat in a sausepan on the stove until it just begins to simmer, then remove from the heat.]  Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit 2 minutes.  Beat until smooth;  use a blender if you like.

And it was chocolate-y…..

Very.

 Photography by Miles Aldridge, courtesy of www.dustyburrito.blogspot.com

Presented to you in no particular order, for your viewing pleasure, take a gander at the Everyday Glamour Ultimate Autumn Heel Un-Basics!!  Chose one of these babies and you will be able to wear them with almost anything, from a suit, to a cocktail dress, to jeans, and beyond.  The beauty of a pair of Ultimate Un-Basic, (U.U.B.), Heels is that you only need one pair to cover you for the majority of your high heel needs, and if you maintain them with a trusted cobbler you will be wearing them for years!  Most of these are pretty comfortable, too--as long as you find the correct fit. 

P.S.  Do not underestimate the versatility of the leopard print one.  (A stern warning, Missy.)

Manolo Blahnik, Campari shoe, courtesy of www.Barneys.com

Christian Louboutin Decollete, courtesy of www.Barneys.com

Yves Saint Laurent, Cara pump, courtesy of www.Barneys.com

 Sergio Rossi, python pump, courtesy of www.Barneys.com