Almost winter novelty.

Printed on heavily textured cotton reminiscent of a paper towel, you just might be able to wear it with tights. These penguins almost look like an abstract pattern until you get closer. The large side buttons are a nice way to break up this M.C. Escher-esque print. It is exciting, current bid is $10, with a 27" waist, go get it.

I’d pair this one with a fuzzy sweater and scarf in either black or white, white faux fur boots and, since this is my fantasy, a houndstooth tam o’shanter.

I like the idea of a restricted color pallet in theory. I know a very elegant woman who only wears black, white, beige and occasionally brown. She always looks incredible. But she has the advantage of being eye-scorchingly beautiful to begin with. Ah well.

I lack the discipline. And in the end I’ll always wear something I love, even if it isn’t flattering.

Colors seduce me. Crimson can take my breath away. I find myself desiring indigo, turquoise and canary yellow. Sometimes juxtaposed in the same outfit. Parrot green, leaf green, hunter green, sea-foam green, apple green: I love them all. Give me teal and plum, chartreuse, fuchsia, and cobalt. And orange, oh yes, orange. What won't I do for orange?

Now let us praise Lila Kedrova. I finished watching Hitchcock’s “Torn Curtain” the other night. The cold war propaganda aspect was risible, but the performance of Lila Kedrova was, as someone on imdb put it, Oscar worthy. Playing the Countess Kuchinska, Ms. Kedrova is threateningly needy. Her desperation in a scene of about 2 minutes steals the entire film. And, get this kids, she does schtick to make it happen. She futzes with every prop she’s got: glasses, cigarette, scarf, pen. I’ve heard that people who went to acting school hate this sort of thing. But vaudevillians don’t need acting school, just the ability to sell it all the way to the back row, so I never had a lesson. Ms. Kedrova had me on her side when she tried to use her reading glasses without putting them on. I want to see everything she’s ever done. Lila Kedrova is my new hero.

A quick search shows the Ms. Kedrova is also in Roman Polansky’s “The Tenant”. Funny, I just wrote about that one a few days ago.

I’d love to see that film again at some point, but right now it’s way too close to home (pardon the pun). Temperatures in the high 90s continue in my apartment. Yup, even with all the windows open, and the air conditioner on. I’ve called the super and the management company about 20 times with no results. Even worse, my tenement is a publicly traded company. No, I’m not kidding. After a little digging, I discovered that my landlord, Pinnacle Management, is one of the sleaziest slumlords in town, infamous for doing all sorts of nastiness to oust rent stabilized tenants.

Oy, gevalt.

But this ain't my first time at the rodeo. My building has been through 4 owners since I've been there. One even used to skulk about the stairwell and threaten me, for crying out loud. Why is it that rent-stabilized is synonymous with life-threatening?