"Drinkies"

Lisa Rae Winant

Imaged used by permission of the Artist

12x16 oil on panel

That damn wrap. Richard didn’t even know people wore those anymore, it just seemed so…. 20’s. Here she was, this lovely young lady, her intentions for Richard quite clear and he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. He sipped his drink, nodding politely at whatever it was she had said, the cool liquid biting down his throat. He had started a staring contest with it. Cold, dead, probably fake eyes staring back at him from the woman’s shoulder. She probably thought he was only interested in her rack, which would have been true if not for the cheap fox fur wrap draped eerily across her shoulders. She was, after all, dreadfully boring.

He tried to ignore it, taking stock of the rest of her, trying to find out if it was even worth it, despite the tragedy around her neck. He even went as far as to try and listen to what she was saying. No luck, she was still just slightly more interesting than the floorboards they were standing on, prattling on about some girl named Tiffany and how she cheated on John. He knew neither Tiffany nor John and had long since suspected this girl to be simply dumb. She was doing a wonderful job of proving him right, so far her only redeeming quality.

He took another sip, the harmonious tang of several liquors bringing him closer and closer to hopefully not caring about that scarf or whatever. He looked at his glass sadly, realizing it was almost empty, no chance this drink would do, which was a shame. There was no way to ignore it sober. He finished off his drink and finally blinked, conceding defeat to his artificial foe before making up some lame excuse about finding his friends or something, any excuse to get away from it. He politely exchanged numbers with her, inwardly hoping she’d never call and smiled as he walked away.

“Goodnight you two.” He said, waving as he left. "I hope you both have a lovely evening.”

Chew on this, ladies and gents.

My blog will likely not follow the traditional vein (assuming there is one). I don’t plan on covering world hunger, my own political opinions, animal dating (though I did thoroughly enjoy that one) or some other sort of popular, earth-shattering problem. Nope, instead my blog will detail a social topic that affects us all, something often undervalued, the impact of which is constantly underestimated.

I’m blogging about fashion. From the first guy to cover his junk with a leaf, to Karl Lagerfeld’s new line of 24k gold fur, fashion has influenced life and society all over the world. Starting as merely a function for survival, clothing has evolved faster than any other species, changing and growing, practically by the day and it plays a role in the life of EVERYONE. (Yes, even you, Goth kid). I believe the queen mother of chic, Coco Chanel, put it best when she said “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Link and yes, there is a whole webpage full of Coco Chanel quotes. The woman was brilliant after all.

People rarely give fashion the credit it deserves, writing it off as simply another overpaid, overpriced industry, promoting excess and all sorts of mayhem. Those people are only partially correct. Fashion thrives in excess, but what doesn’t these days? You need to eat to survive, but you don’t need to eat filet mignon. If you’re gonna go overboard on one thing, why not make it something that will last? By definition, anything beyond necessity is excess. You don’t need a big house, just one that will cover you when it rains, and it doesn’t need to warm up to 60 degrees in winter, but it sure is nice. Life today is all about excess. Don’t let anyone tell you different. And let’s be honest, we all love a little mayhem, it makes life more interesting.

Most people who don’t consider themselves “trendy” like to pretend that fashion doesn’t touch them. They are immune to it and living perfectly happy without it, but riddle me this all you supposed non-conformists: did you make that shirt you’re wearing? Because unless you make all your own clothes (and usually even if you do) then fashion is touching your life at this very moment. Fashion is a rare art form, incorporating almost every sense: the fresh smell of new cotton, the rustle of a crisp button-down, the dazzling arrays of color, and of course the smooth sheen of silk. Fashion is a living, growing entity in and of itself, changing the face of the world constantly and marking each country, each region, even each clique with its own unique brand, and we should all be lucky enough to realize its importance.

Oy, braindead...

Ok, so I need to find something I'm passionate about for this lovely little homework blog... Politics bore me, global conflicts irk me, and the misfortune of others depress me (I swear I'm not as self involved as that made me sound) so naturally I tend to steer clear of those things for the most part. I haven't the slightlest idea what to blog about. The only things I can think of to blog about are shallow to a marvelous extent. That or just plain geeky. Maybe I can blog about the X-men, I'm sure that'll go far. Or I could just continue this pretty little rant and blog about writer's block! Gee golly, all the fun I'll have :-/ Oy.

Whatev'. Update later I guess... maybe having a blog aint so bad, at least I get to vent. Wish me luck!

Edit: F being shallow, let's not dodge the subject, I AM shallow, but the good kind. I'm the kind of shallow that will tell a girl she loooks like a pilgrim when she wears shoes that buckle. I'm the kind of shallow that will (and has) tell my own mother she needs to change because her floofy jacket makes her look like a pirate. I'm the kind of shallow that isn't afraid to tell a woman that the glasses she likes make her look like she has a unibrow and I work tirelessly, little by little to improve the world and the way it looks. I should be commended for my impressive vapidity (whether or not that is a word is irrelevant) not scared of reproach. My name is Andy and I am shallow, hear me...... critique!
(just as long as it's teacher approved. After all, I still want a good grade.)

::cue eyeroll::

For lack of a better greeting.

Hey there upper east siders, Grammar Girl here.

I swear, you'll get that joke if you got back from break early, we're in class now so I really haven't had much time to think of anything else to say. I'll get back to you later with some more interesting crap. Scout's honor.

XOXO
jk, I swear I'm done with the GG jokes...
for now anyway.