Molly Bloom knows style

mule - Backless, closed-toe slippers or shoes. More casual forms are called slides. This style has been in fashion for a while now and its longevity is due to upscale boutique denim (which is easily dressed up with a pointed-toe mule). But as bootcut and slightly flared pants head into the sunset, will they ride out on a mule? Wear ‘em if you got ‘em but now may not be the time to invest.

Fun fact: I own a pair of mules identical to the ones pictured above. I wore them to a fancy party and my uncle commented that I could “squash a bug in a corner.” They’re practical and stylish.

I bought Hollywood Fashion Tape on impulse. It was in a little display at the cash register of a boutique and I was curious about what I could do with it.

This stuff is life-changing. It’s double-sided tape that you can use on fabrics or skin. I use it most often to keep blouses from gaping between buttons. I also use it to keep the collar of a shirt dress laying just so. I keep a few strips in my bag in case of fashion emergencies — it’s great for sagging hems, lost buttons and other emergencies.

Last summer I forgot to pack the correct undergarments for the dress that I was wearing to a wedding. A bit of this tape kept my brassiere from showing (and I think you have figured out by know how much I loathe a visible bra strap).

I’ve tried using regular double-stick tape and it doesn’t hold fabric well or stick to skin. I usually cut the strips in half to fit between buttons, so I’m really getting 72 strips instead of 36. The same company also makes a Red Carpet Assortment, which are different shapes of the double-sided tape.

If you’re a sweaty glistening girl, you may want to check out Behind The Seams.

Dear readers, it’s time to retire the tank top. And I don’t know what to say about these things. Tank tops are just too casual for everyday wear — perhaps “intimate” is the right word. Best to stick with tank tops as loungewear or layer.

Check out my awesome Frye boots. I gave up trying to take a good photo of myself modeling them. I usually wear them with jeans which doesn’t make for a very boot-y picture. I tried holding up my pant legs or just wearing the boots but ended up looking like a crazy prospector. There’s gold in them thar hills! Check out my boots! Jimmy crack corn!

The Frye boots were a hobby for a while. It takes a long time to get into boots that are not broken in and have no zipper. I started wearing thin socks, pointing my toes like a fancy ballerina and tugging the boot up. Now that the boots are broken in, I notice they slump over in my closet. I don’t want them creasing at the ankles. There are boot shapers that will help with this problem, the plastic kind that are used in store displays or sold at expensive closet store type joints. I prefer to fold a magazine in half lengwise and stick that in the boot leg. Ta-da! Didn’t cost a cent.

inseam - Most often refers to the inside seam of pants. An inseam is measured from the crotch down to the end of the pant leg. Your pants length should equal your inseam unless you want to roll the cuffs or are hard to fit.

These are my cute new shoes. They have rubber soles and a round toe bed so I should be able to walk to school in them. I like that they have some heel height but still have the rugged no-slip soles (in addition to being short I can be a spaz). Also there is a button, a big decorative button with no purpose other than cuteness, on each one. Cleaning out my closet last night I realized I had thrown out or otherwise worn out most of my everyday shoes. I was down to two pairs. An orthopedist once told me that I should have a pair of everyday shoes for every day of the week so I can rotate them around and give my shoes (and feet) a break. Everyday shoes are sturdy enough that I can walk to school or work and wear them all day without complaining.

Hooray for shoes.

My perfume has been discontinued. Or it’s about to be. Which leaves me with a quandry: Do I buy a few bottles in case the end is nigh or do I find a new scent?

I started wearing this perfume at the end of my college career. Lulu, the scent I wore for years, had been discontinued. It came in a gorgeous light blue and red bottle and was named for Louise Brooks. The smell was smoky and sweet. I was heartbroken when I learned it was gone. A saleswoman at Lazarus department store in Lafayette, Ind., steered me down the glass case to a new scent, the one I would come to think of as mine. It took a while to get used to it. One day I noticed its warmth, how it had melded with my wrist to create a scent that was better than what came out of the atomizer. It was mine.

I like the idea of having a scent that’s mine. My grandmother wears Shalimar and when I see those fancy bottles I think of her. I think of Marilyn Monroe and that bottle of Chanel No. 5 (she once quipped, “What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course.”) I’m not one of those people who cloud myself in perfume; it smells best when just a bit is used, when you get a whiff only occassionally, a little reminder. That’s how perfume is supposed to be.

I don’t tell people what perfume I’m wearing because I just won’t. It’s mine and I don’t want everyone smelling like it. Once I had too much to drink and told my friend Moss (who had too much to drink and forgot). My friend Rebecca has been waiting 10 years for me to tell her. She moved to L.A. and still I’m hogging this scent. Perhaps if I had told people sales would be strong and the scent wouldn’t be discontinued.

All Amazon sellers seem to have discounted the fragrance which is why I think it’s curtains for this perfume. Worried about how long a perfume can last I did a bit of research and learned that if it’s kept at room temperature and out of sunlight it should last “almost indefinitely.” And who doesn’t love perfume, lots of perfume, for Valentine’s Day?

I think the outcome is clear. This is my scent. I’m not ready for a new one.

1. It’s cold outside. Scarves will beat back that mean wind or make up for not wearing enough layers. A scarf will winterize your raincoat.

2. It’s cold inside. Scarves indoors are cool awesome. You can keep a scarf at your desk for when it’s arctic in your cube. You can wear a scarf with your jammies when you’re curled up on the couch. Scarves are cozy.

3. Scarves are jaunty, says Ted — wear them easy, not too fussy. I agree.

4. If someone knits you a scarf you are lucky. You have to wear it.

5. You’re in an indie rock band. This one’s kind of weird because it looks hot under those stage lights. The style jury’s kind of out on this one but it does seem that a precedent has been set.

We’re feeling like we hate our digital clothes. A million things in the closet and nothing to wear. Molly Bloom dot com is looking for a new look. Are you a master of mastheads? Are you up to the FUN of working with a mostly agreeable but sometimes picky style monger? Please inquire within. Contact info over on the contact page. Gratzi!

I wrote an article about finding inspiration in what you already own, shopping the sales and getting out of that fashion rut. It’s pretty good. You should read it.