Pick a Dress, Any Dress

Have you seen this floating around the Internet yet today? It's a delicious little graphic of every dress worn by the woman accepting the Best Actress Oscar since 1929.

Look how somber all the dresses were through WWII. And how simply heinous the early '90s were. Go Sissy for wearing a jumpsuit!

The poster reminds me of one of my favorite books growing up, Clementine's Winter Wardrobe by Kate Spohn. One I've hung onto all these years.

The story is simple in lovely way: Clementine, a cat, needs to get layered up because winter is coming. She starts with longjohns:

Moves on to sweaters--

And continues to bundle and accessorize with socks and mittens and necklaces and all other kinds of things delicately illustrated and laid out in such a pleasing manner.

I was showing this book to my friend Solana last weekend as her young daughter padded around us, and I told her that when my mom and I would read it, part of the fun was trying to remember what Clementine would pick.

Solana laughed pointed out that in all likelihood my mom was very much capable of remembering exactly what Clementine chose but was playing along at being stumped with me. And of course she's right. How funny childhood memories can be.

Even BETTER than trying remember what Clementine chose though, was choosing for ourselves what we would wear from the options which is exactly the game I played as soon as I saw that Oscar gown poster. I was immediately drawn to Audrey Hepburn. Classic.

All of this is making me feel a bit sad about my winter wardrobe situation I discussed the other day. But while's it's way too cold to wear a dress today, and the pipes are frozen so I can't take a shower, I AM taking my own advice about inserting a little glamour into country life and am wearing lipstick.

Don't I look serene?

Actually I'm pulling dog hair off my sweater and can't hear the PhotoBooth counting down since my computer's sound is off. Oh, the glamour of REALITY.

(Audrey photos from here.)