QVC's in Hollywood Fashion

I sold my soul for Hollywood Fashion Tape.

Simple strips of peel-back tape that fasten shirt to bra without damage to fabric. The stuff has powerful hold--like the town of Hollywood itself. To acquire my second supply of tape in a reusable tin with slide-off cover, I made my first purchase on QVC.

Where is a woman in life when she makes her first QVC purchase? In the fifth or sixth inning, at least.

I've been around the periphery of QVC more than most women who don't buy from them on principle. My sister-in-law stays up all night for their St Patrick's Day Irish sale. My mother lavishes me with jewelry, makeup and skin care products I love. All from QVC.

It might be an insignificant difference, but I didn't make those purchases myself so they don't count. The gift certificate for my mom's birthday didn't count either.

But this purchase counts, no way around it. Except! Except, I didn't watch any insipid infomercial to be persuaded to buy. AHA! That's the difference. Going online and heading straight for your desired item doesn't count because you didn't take the bait and let the show reel you in.

I went straight to the Hollywood Fashion Tape. But before I checked out, I browsed the site a bit. Hard to admit, but I saw some nice stuff, some really nice stuff, especially in handbags and jewelry. What is happening here? Please don't let me become like the Quacker Lady that The Soup makes fun of every week! Or like Tova Borgnine, a fellow redhead.

My new batch of Hollywood Fashion Tape arrived yesterday in a plain, padded envelope with a QVC program schedule tucked inside. I almost put the brochure in the trash, but then for some reason, I didn't.

Project Runway Near Spoiler

Many people realize that the finale of Project Runway was taped last week because it was fashion week at Bryant Park, duh.

Five of Season 4's contestants showed collections so the suspense wouldn't be ruined by people who can't keep a secret. I'd think the fashion press would be somewhat honor-bound not to reveal too much, if they wrote about it at all.

Yet stories in the Boston Globe, the LA Times, and the Fashion Wire Daily about the Bryant Park Project Runway show didn't exactly reveal the winner. But the articles told me more than I want to know in advance. Reading between the lines, you can figure out which two of the five are the decoys and which of the real finalists won.

I won't spill the beans myself, but its exactly who you'd predict.

Rocking the Runway at Fashion Rocks

Fashion does indeed rock. From the sixth row of Radio City Music Hall last night, we enjoyed an evening of Old Rock meets New.

To kick off, Aerosmith burst out with "Walk This Way." Fergie joined Steven Tyler midsong, the first of four old dudes paired up with young stars.

Proving he is still a renegade, Tyler mixed and matched animal prints. Aerosmith followed up with "Dude Looks Like a Lady". How is it that their comeback hit is twenty years old, Gene leaned over and asked.

The show featured a lot of duets, but none surpassed the chemistry of Usher and Mary J. Blige. They stole the show with a James Brown/Aretha Franklin/Stevie Wonder medley, "It's a Man's World", "Respect" and "Do I Do". Mary J. Blige sure took care of MJB.

Jennifer Lopez made the most dramatic entrance and exit, descending from a silver capsule, singing her way down a red carpeted staircase, her back-up dancers dressed like paparazzi. But the performance was more flash than anything else.

Maroon 5 did a great rendition of "Be My Baby," hitting notes that Ronnie Spector can no longer hit.

Next up in the Old Dude/Young Chick category: Carrie Underwood and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. Not sure many in the audience recognized this particular old dude. Lindsey and Stevie--I mean Carrie--sang "Go Your Own Way," not typically the mantra of a fashion crowd.

Jennifer Hudson and Aerosmith's Joe Perry performed "Come Together". Hudson was a bit disappointing because the song didn't seem like her type of song (or her type of dress, for that matter!)

The final Old/Young pairing: Carlos Santana and Alicia Keyes, performing the second Fleetwood Mac song of the night, "Black Magic Woman." Who knew that famous shoe designer also played guitar?

Bill Maher Rules on Crocs

On Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill used his New Rules segment to take a bite out of Crocs.
Why does everyone feel superior and smug when it comes to these simple shoes?

Walking on Circus Peanuts

I now own Crocs and I didn't have to buy them myself.

My dad bought me an orange pair, original formula. If I wear them with flared jeans, the donald-duckiness is diminished and they look funky, not freaky.

Why bother? Because they are beyond comfortable. The nubs in the inside are like the nubs on a plastic soap dish. The bottoms of my feet feel tingly and the tops of my feet capture the summer breeze.

I wore the Crocs to walk the dog, a little self-consciously. In the building elevator, I scanned the faces of the other passengers to see if they were looking at my feet. My dog Aimee stood further from me than usual.

Save the Croc!

Just after I learn of the extreme comfort of crocs, a hospital in Pittsburgh bans crocs for safety reasons.

Hospital officials cite the possibility that a dropped syringe could jab someone's foot through the holes on the top of the shoes.

Finally, we have a shoe that is comfortable enough to carry a nurse through a 12-hour shift or a New Yorker to the subway. And bam! the inevitable backlash. First, just the fashionistas complained, but now the much-maligned shoes are attacked from the safety angle.

Here's a solution: jibbitz, cute little thingamajigs that cover the holes. How can the safety-Nazis argue against croc holes filled with jibbitzes? Well, the fashionistas still can.

I am Curious Croc

G. predicted two years ago that the colorful resin "Croc" shoe would be huge. Because, he said, there is no limit to people's bad taste.

I started seeing Crocs on adults here and there. From far away, they looked hard and plastic and ugly. Then I started seeing Crocs on little kids and that made sense to me: easy to put on, no laces.

Then my friend L, a nurse, said all the nurses in her hospital wear Crocs and that they are amazingly comfortable. Today, I read this article on Crocs in Slate called The Croc Epidemic.

Now I am curious, yet repulsed at the same time. Dare I buy a pair? Would I wear them just for walking the dog?

I'm strongly against wearing sneakers with business clothes no matter how long the walk to the subway. I won't do it, despite my endless search for comfortable, fashionable shoes. (G. says there is no such thing as comfortable woman's shoes.)

As a last-ditch attempt to talk myself out of a pair, I will read the Ihatecrocs.com website.

Wish me luck.

Get Hip, Get Your Own Zip

Are you are hard-core shoe shopper? Do you spend so much time in the Saks Fifth Avenue shoe department that you should get your mail there? Now you can.

The US Post Office has granted Saks' shoe department its own zip code: 10022-SHOE. Its just the plus four part that's unique. But still, this unprecented step could be the start of designer zip codes. Can you guess who these special zip plus fours are reserved for?

• 20016-2HOT (planet Earth)


• 10022-4WAR (The White House)


• 90210-JAIL (Paris Hilton's house)


• 70012-2WET (New Orleans' 9th Ward)