Have You Had Your Colors Done?

RHYS BOWEN: The other day I met my good friend Jacqueline Winspear for coffee. As we approached each other I saw we were wearing almost identical gray and white striped outfits. Jackie smiled and said, "Oh good. You got the memo.'

But isn't that weird? I went home and found that everything I've bought in the past year has been gray or gray and white. Why is that? I've even just bought a new house that is painted gray and white. For house decoration I gather it's the IN color of the moment but I'd been buying gray clothing before I saw it this winter. So why am I so attracted to gray right now? Is it somehow a popular color, an evil strategy of those in power in fashion? Is there a secret power that meets each year to decide what color we will wear? But I haven't seen too much gray in department stores.

I realize that for most of my life I've suddenly fallen in love with a color, bought items, worn them and then moved on to another color. If you look at my closet you will see my royal blue period, my turquoise period, my navy period. You will never see my black or brown ages because I look awful in both those colors. This year I bought one pink jacket. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I did that.

So why did a particular color appeal to me at a particular time? Was it how I was feeling about life? Bright and confident in royal blue? Bright and hopeful in turquoise? More solemn in navy blue?  I suppose it's as simple as I buy a navy and white dress and then I think, "Oh, I need a jacket to go with that." and I buy a navy jacket, and then I think, "Navy pants would be useful," so I buy navy pants. And then I see a navy and white cardigan and so on...
But there must be something about how a particular color makes me feel at a moment in time. Silvery gray looks good with my hair right now.

I'm actually not a huge clothes person. At home you'll find me in sweats or athletic gear, sitting at my computer. I don't change to go out shopping or to the gym. I'm the sort of person who buys a pair of white pants when I see that the old pair is fraying around the hems or won't do up around my waist. I was born sensible. I rarely buy clothes on impulse, (and usually regret it when I do. I'm thinking of you, pink jacket).

However, as a writer who has to appear in public I do need a wardrobe of respectable clothing. And a problem is that I am sent on book tour to the same stores every year. So I have to be careful that I don't wear the same jacket  to the same place. There is nothing more embarrassing than having a fan come up to me saying, "I took this photo of you signing a book for me last year," and I'm wearing the same outfit. Mortification!

So what about you, Reds. (apart from Hank who wears black, black and more black). Do you find you wear a certain color for a while, then move on to another one? Did that color define a particular period in your life?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Rhys, actually, yes, there is a group that meets every year! In Italy, Milan, maybe, and decides what the color of the year will be. That's why, in years past, you've suddenly seen--everything is apple green! Or fuchsia,  I remember (for some reason) that was 2001.  I think it's been ultra-violet,  and this year MIGHT be "living coral." Maybe that was last year.  One  a recent year's was claret. It's called the Pantone color convention, something like that.

One year, long ago, I wanted a hunter green leather couch, and someone who was more au courant told me--oh, no, dear. You want navy blue. That's what the color of the year was. So we THINK we're just gravitating to a color, but in reality, it's all be decided for us.

Remember that wonderful scene in The Devil Wears Prada when they discuss turquoise? That's ALL, essentially, true.

And yup, social media has really created a clothing situation! I'm just hoping nobody really notices.

(And I just bought a pink jacket, Rhys....:-))

RHYS:  But it wasn't Living Coral, Hank. It was dusty, blah pink. I still have no idea why I bought it.

LUCY BURDETTE: Gray looks horrible on me so I'm holding out for the next color! One year I made the trek to an Eileen Fisher outlet with a good friend and found all these beautiful orange tops (one of my GOOD colors!) Now that color can't be found anywhere. Did anyone else have their colors done? They had a special guest at the hair salon many years ago and now I have a little wheel of good colors for my hair, skin, and eyes (though heaven knows the hair color is mutable...) But I always forget to take it shopping...

HALLIE EPHRON: I like gray but it washes me out. Maybe I'll like it better when I've got full-on gray.
TURQUOISE! RED! BLACK!! Strong colors. Pastels: Feh.
I do think it matters where you live. Go to LaGuardia Airport en route to Florida - your black outfit is perfect for NYC but the minute you land in Florida you want to switch to whites and colors. Traveling in the winter gets complicated.

JENN McKINLAY: Jeans. I like jeans everything else is superfluous. Because I live in AZ it's jean shorts and tank tops (all colors) in summer and jeans and sweaters (also all colors) in winter.The only time I can remember gravitating to a certain color was when I turned forty. I went through a pink phase of epic proportions. I think I was having a midlife crisis and thought the pink would cheer me up. No idea if it worked or not but the pink did eventually fade from my wardrobe.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm trying to expand the amount of pink in my wardrobe, since, despite having natural silver hair for almost a decade now, it still thrills this former redhead that I finally look good in pink! Actually, letting my hair grow out (and accepting my skin tone had changed with age as well) necessitated a major color switch for me. I used to look great in Autumnal colors - mossy green and browns, camel and cream. Now it looks muddy next to my face and hair - I have to limit it to the lower half only.

One thing I've noticed recently is that my winter wardrobe is 85% red and black. I like it, but I really need to stretch out from there. It's hard because as Rhys says, once you have the pants, you get a sweater to match, and then a shirt that works with both... on the plus side, I'm so grateful when summer arrives. I dress like a toucan in hot weather.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: No gray for me, ugh, although I can see that it would look fabulous on you, Rhys. And I cannot wear mossy, autumnal colors. I had this in mind when first writing about Gemma, because she can wear all colors I can't, and I still get a kick out of "shopping" for her. I did have my colors done years ago, and had a little booklet with the things I supposedly should wear. I was supposedly a "summer" which is a fairly muted palette, but I actually prefer brighter colors. I can wear white, and black, and I LOVE turquoise and hot pink.

Rhys, I totally get what you said about the book tour, and the same is true for conferences. If you buy really smashing clothes for these events, you can only wear them once because they will be in photos. I'm sure Hank has the solution--just wear black. But instead, we could always wear turquoise!

RHYS: I remember now that I did have my colors done, years ago. But as other Reds have pointed out, our skin tone changes as we age. I was a spring then and I think I'm still a light pastel type of person (when I'm not wearing gray).

So is gray the color of the year for anyone else? Did you all get your colors done when it was so popular?

Killer Look? Killer Book!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s what we’re writing week! But I am bringing in a ringer.

Oh, yes, I am writing. On word number 42,280 of Untitled, and more about that soon.  And DRIVE TIME comes next, and then SAY NO MORE. Incredibly exciting.

But instead of hearing me moan about how I have changed the beginning of Untitled fifteen thousand times, and am certain I will never think of an actual title, let’s hear from a writer who is actually finished with her manuscript. And who had millions of readers waiting to get their little hands on it.

(In fact, you could be one of the first! Our storied guest will choose a lucky winner from the commenters!)

And with all her glory and all her awards and all her fans and all her sales and all her success—and all her generosity and unending good works—I was intrigued to learn what went on behind of the scenes of Linda Fairstein’s KILLER LOOK.

Who’d have thought? And--what do YOU think?

                                               

Piece de...Resistance

            By Linda Fairstein

Nothing delights me more than an invitation to return to the company of the divine ladies who are the Jungle Red Writers.  I know most of them, have signed books alongside many, and read them all.  The great graphic of this home page – those seven elegant headshots, highlighted by the bright red river of glossy nail polish – speaks volumes about their style.

What is style, after all?  It can be literary….and these ladies have that in spades.  And it can be fashionable…they’ve got that, too.  I can’t always describe it, but I think I know it when I see it.

I’ve been writing a series of crime novels for twenty years, featuring a New York City sex crimes prosecutor – Alex Cooper - and her tough NYPD detective boyfriend – Mike Chapman.  The 18^th book in the series, KILLER LOOK, debuts this week.  Throughout these two decades, Coop’s capers have taken an insider look at many of Manhattan’s landmark institutions, most of which have a dark underside.  I had her job for thirty years and know that fact well.  I was a prosecutor when a young violinist was killed backstage during a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House – the cultural center of the city.  I’ve never looked at Lincoln Center the same way since.

I’ve set murders in museums and libraries, on mysterious Governor’s Island and at the fabulous Botanical Gardens.  This time, I decided to take a look behind the scenes in the New York City fashion world – after all, we are America’s style capital, on a par with Paris and Rome, Milan and London. 

Would it surprise you to know that I met with a bit of resistance from my great friends at Dutton?  

Well, it spooked me a bit.  

The one square mile of Manhattan that is known as the Garment District has existed for more than 150 years.  For a century, most of America’s mass-produced clothing was manufactured right there, until the very recent outsourcing of the work to foreign markets with cheap labor.

The district has a fascinating history.  I had long thought it established itself when sewing machines made mass production possible…..grounded in the making of uniforms, blue and gray, for the Civil War.  I found out doing research that the actual beginnings of the industry was pre-War – that it was cheaper for slave plantation owners to ship their cotton to New York to have uniforms made for their slaves.  (There is always a dark underside, just like I said).

I’ve never had a book theme ‘approved’ by the editorial team.  What happened this time?  Well, as my JRW friends know, more mysteries are read by women than by men, in general.  I count on my women readers, but the publishing crew knows that I’m fortunate enough to have a good male following, too (which I credit to both Mike Chapman – my tough NYPD cop and his smart mouth – and to my procedural bent, writing about the investigations and forensics that I actually did in my old job).

Would I really lose my guys in the name of fashion?

I love following fashion.  I’ve never been to the big shows, never bought haute couture (and did you know that term is regulated in France by the government? I didn’t).  But I do love to shop and I do love to eyeball and admire great style.

The fix was easy.  Instead of murdering a model or making the book all about the slender girls on the runway, I got close enough to learn that the business side of fashion is terrifically cut-throat and provides plenty of motives to murder.  No spoiler – my victim is an American icon – a guy who went from rags to riches by creating an iconic American fashion business (think of a collared t-shirt with a wolf’s head where that little polo pony now sits).

I’m thinking that one of the victims in the story is bleeding Jungle Red by the end of the novel - is that okay?  And while we are at it, do you have a favorite KILLER LOOK?

HANK: Oh, great question! And that depends. I may have more black jackets than anyone here.  And I just scored some pretty darned great pink Prada heels.  But if I’m home, writing? I’m in my (black) killer sweatpants.

How about you, Reds? And don’t forget—the fabulous Linda is choosing a winner of KILLER LOOK from the commenters!

Linda Fairstein is the New York Times bestselling author of KILLER LOOK, the 18^th book in the Alex Cooper series of crime novels.  For thirty years, Fairstein was a prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s Office, where she led the country’s pioneering Special Victims Unit.

Flipping for Flops

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I have to give you a little background on this one. For several years now, as I have seen the flip-flop morph from "that rubber thing you wear at the public pool" to "suitable footwear for a visit to the White House," I have consistently ranted (usually to my poor husband, who neither notices nor cares what women wear on their feet) about the sad decline in standards in Today's Modern World.

But at the same time, my feet have become increasingly less tolerant of heels. They pinch, they hurt, they make me think twice about going to the ladies room because I don't want to have to go another twenty-five steps.

Then this spring, my son went to his Junior Prom. I got to drop him and his date off at the banquet center, and thus got an eyeful of what the girls were wearing for this, the most important formal of their young lives. Lots of them were in the traditional, kick-them-off-after-the-second-dance heels. But a significant number were wearing pretty, blinged-out sandals. Flip-flops, to be precise.

Fast forward to Thrillerfest. As I write this, it's nearing midnight, and I've been on my feet for most of the day. But instead of having to soak the dogs in a sitz bath, I'm wiggling my happy toes in the Grand Hyatt carpet. Why? Because I've been wearing a pair of blinged-out flops all day. Oh, they're made of leather, not rubber, and they have a bitty strap, but they're flops all the same. I wore a different pair, with a thick, wedged bottom, on the trip down to NYC. I have given in. I have thrown in the towel, I have flipped on flops, and it feels great.

What do you think, Reds? Should we all start wearing flops on flights? Can they go to summer weddings? And does this mean I'm just one step away from wearing Birkenstocks with socks during the winter?

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm all for comfortable shoes - nothing makes more of a difference in my mood, except perhaps if I've had my morning coffee. And I WISH I could wear flip-flops, but they hurt. Not more than heels, but they do hurt, and my poor little toe muscles go into a virtual rictus of protest.

But here's the question: if you wear them does that mean you have to have painted your toenails?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Yes, Hallie, you do have to paint your toenails! This from one who lives in flip flops from April to October, whether is cheap rubber ones around the house or different levels of bling when going out.  You can even get orthopedic flip flops! I'm all for anything that will actually let you stand and WALK without being torture. (Think of Bouchercon in SF, when I walked blocks back to my hotel in my cocktail dress, carrying my snazzy heels.  Of course, I do wear socks with my Tevas in the winter, so maybe I'm not the best fashion guru....

RHYS BOWEN: I couldn't believe my eyes in a catalog that arrived at my house the other day--flip-flops for nearly 200 dollars??  Two tiny straps of leather on a sole and it wasn't as if they had real diamonds stuck on them. Another indication that the world has gone mad.

But I'm secretly glad that high heels are no longer required with formal wear. I've never yet found a comfortable pair and I'm in awe of Hank and her elegant high heels. I do manage a two inch heel on occasion but guess what--I've bought a pair of bejeweled flip-flops for the formal nights on the Queen Mary next month.And I do paint my toe-nails (even indulge in the occasional pedicure with my daughters)


JAN BROGAN: Yes, Hallie. You must have your toes painted. That's the downside. But the upside is worth it. Have you all discovered FIT FLOPS? I swear I am not working on commission, but these are not instead of high heels, these are instead of sneakers. No kidding, they have sparkling ones the look good (but not for the prom) for day wear. Really, last summer when I was in France, I did not have a car. I had to walk everywhere and probably clocked four to five miles a day, most of the time on cobblestone and often up the steep 1 mile hill to my friend's houses.  I have temperamental feet that need a lot of support, this sandals were better than my running shoes. I tried to walk around New York City one day in regular flip flops and did serious damage to the bottom of my feet.  The world is not going to hell in a hand basket, Julia, it's moving just that much further away than the feet-binding the Chinese initiated and we've been inadvertently carrying out.

LUCY BURDETTE: I have bad feet too, Jan, and I blame it partly on wearing heels back in the days when I used to waitress. I thought I looked very glamorous, but now I pay. My go-to shoes as long as it's not snowing are Mephisto sandals. They have a high arch and lots of support and I can walk anywhere in them. Hallie, if you're getting a pair, do as Rhys suggests and splurge on the pedicure too--heaven!

HANK PHILLPPI RYAN: Rhys, I cannot wait to see photos of your cruise. Fabulous.
I still think of rubber flip-flops as beach things..I wear them around the house
and at the pool, but no where else. My family all hoots at me because one year
J Crew had a huge flip-flop sale, and it was all flips were five dollars. I
FLIPPED and you cannot believe what's stored upstairs now. (And still I default
to the black ones, sigh.) Jan, my producer Mary wears FitFlops (to work!) and
loves them, too..

But I think leather "flip-flops" are not FF's. They're sandals. And that's a
different deal. Perfectly acceptable everywhere. Except in a TV interview. (Isaw someone do that the other day..and I thought: Eeeeww. Feet on TV.)   




JULIA: Pedis are a must. But after hiding my feet inside boots (outdoor and indoor) for six months, I like showing off some snazzy nail polish. Added benefit: unlike the polish on my fingernails, which chips off almost every time I start writing on my laptop, my pedi color lasts for weeks. Unless I take up toe-typing, I suppose.

How about you, dear readers? Are you sticking with your stillettos? Or have you, too, flipped for flops?