Poll: I'm an Indy 500 virgin, what do I wear?

So I've lived here seven years and have never attended the Indianapolis 500. Maybe it's because seven is my lucky number, or maybe it's because I've recently become quite fond of beer, but I plan to be at the race Sunday.

After experiencing the Kentucky Derby, both beneath a great hat in the grand stands and covered in mud on the infield, I'm eager to craft a comparison between the racing events.

Here's my dilemma: what do I wear? Do I go full-on stereotype and don some cut-offs and a bikini top? Or do I go race track vixen, a la Charlie's Angels or Danica Patrick? Or do I wear my usual, Chuck Taylors and an old T-shirt?

Here's your chance to weigh in on how it aughta be done.
Vote on the poll below!

Pretty Indy launches their pretty website

Ever stand before the wall of cosmetics at the drug store just staring at the dizzying amount of product? Will the plumping lipgloss really make my lips bigger? Is that even healthy?

We all have these questions and little time to test enough beauty products to answer them. Luckily there's someone local to help out, Pretty Indy.

And yesterday marked the launch of their new website, aimed at offering beauty advice to the Circle City.

I had the pleasure of meeting founders Tiffany Schutt and KellyKarrmann at the Simon Fashion Now event back in April and they're delightful.

Check out their latest post on race track essentials to put your best face forward this weekend at the Indy 500. It's best to plan ahead for these things because when the second case of beer cracks open, a girl can't be expected to remember to re-apply her SPF moisturizer. I've already got my eye on that SPF powder wand thingy.

My summer uniform

No seriously, I haven't been wearing much else.

my summer uniform by gposhadlo featuring Seven For All Mankind shorts

Items in this set:
7 For All Mankind® 'Josefina' Stretch Denim Shorts (Vintage Adara..., $170
Ray-Ban 'New Small Wayfarer' Sunglasses - Women's Sunglasses -..., $120
Converse 'Jack Purcell' Slip-On Sneaker (Women) - Women's Shoes -..., $70
Forever21.com - Tops - 2071670733, $13

Morgan County snubbed clothing-optional camp, would you?

I feel compelled to comment on the recent debate over the proposed clothing-optional camp in Morgan County, because clothing; how we wear it, what we wear, or if we choose not to wear it at all, is an expression of our inner selves.

And if you happen to be a wild, fig-leaf wearing, naked camping child of the Earth on the inside, then by golly, you should have a place to live that out in peace. Personally, I like to confine my naked time to my apartment, but that doesn't mean that's the only way to go.

For those of you who haven't read about the ordeal: Some people in Morgan County want to open an adults-only, clothing-optional campground in a 20-acre wooded area where only members would be allowed. Last night the Morgan County Board of Zoning Appeals nixed the plans.

Members said they denied the request for the 40-site camp ground because "there isn't anything similar in the county and that the campground could lower property values."

"We don't think, probably, this is the right thing to be in the community. Of course, I realize this is a so-called free country, but I don't think we're ready for this," said one meeting attendee.

So-called free country? Yikes.

There may not be anything like the campground in Morgan County, but there certainly is elsewhere in Indiana. The Ponderosa Sun Club in Roselawn is a family-oriented nudist colony where some people live year round and Our Haven Nature Sanctuary in French Lick is a clothing-optional camp ground and event venue. Apparently, Jasper and Orange Counties are much more accepting places.

I mean, it's not like the Morgan County folks want to go to the super market naked, or eat a Big Mac at McDonalds in the nude. They want to retreat to their private, wooded area and do whatever it is nude campers do. No one asked me and I don't live in Morgan County, but that seems fine.

As to the second part of the Board's argument, the part about lower property values: According to city-data.com the median home price in Morgan County in about $82,000. Is it just me or is that pretty low already? A little nudity might bring a little interest to the area.

What do you think? Would you oppose a clothing-optional establishment in say, Marion County?

Thursday's a fashion frenzy. What are you up to?

I'd imagine style bloggers in larger cities are used to more than one fashion event happening on the same day, but in our fair city it's cause for celebration...and lots of coffee. This Thursday is one of those gems, and if you time things just right (and don't have a job you have to go to during the day) you just might fit 'em all in.

CARA Fashion Show and Luncheon, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.-ish @Westin Indianapolis
I went to this last year when it was at the Indiana Roof Ballroom and had a grand time. The press people were supposed to stay up in the balcony but I snuck down and snagged an empty chair right next to the runway with the Clarian ladies. They were so nice. Sip a mimosa and watch race car drivers strut their stuff down the runway. Trust me, it's a good time.

IMA Fashion Arts Society meeting, 2 p.m., Nourish Cafe
Not a member yet? No problem. Thursday will be an excellent to begin your membership, since we'll be nominating and voting for board members, as well as taking a private tour of "Body Unbound."

Shoe Fetish & Fashion, 6 p.m., IndyFringe
Debut of Signature Shoes & Nikki Blaine Couture Handbags along with showcasing other merchandise from the vendors. This is also a part of Nikki Blaine and Kurt Pfeiffer's No Coast Art Series venture, something we'll all discuss later.

Hope to see you and one or more of the above!

Indy Fashion Time Schedule

Denisha Lang's Indy Fashion Time is open to everyone, and I mean everyone. From it's youth "Style Evolve" day to the seminars led by local fashion gurus, to a more traditional fashion show finale, it's event that rings of good will. No fashion-y stuffiness here.

Below you'll find the full schedule of events.

Stay tuned for an interview or too with the kids on the "Style Evolve" day as they troll Good Will for pieces of the perfect emsemble.

Tuesday, June 1, 10:30 a.m.
2-day Fashion Challenge. Goodwill is the perfect place for a designer to find inspiration and cost friendly pieces to recreate. The JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates) students will be given 30 minutes and $10 to find their Goodwill treasures. Film crew, student/professional interviewers, family, friends and shoppers will be in attendance.


Wednesday, June 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Students will recreate garments at Goodwill Headquarters, using fabric, trims, and goodwill clothing. While students create garments, industry professionals will stop by to talk about their careers and accomplishing goals. Garments revealed at the June 5, 2010 IFT “Indy Fashion Time” Event.

Thursday, June 3, 5 a.m.-10 p.m.
Start the summer off right by focusing on health and fitness. Join us for a FREE workout day at LA Fitness.
June 3, 2010 Health and Fitness
Enjoy classes and facility amenities. Don’t forget to say you are with IFT, for free access. Only at participating locations and must be over 18.

Friday, June 4, 8-11 p.m.
Enjoy Art and the multi-genre mix of poetry, music and soul from Indianapolis based performance group Souled Out 7. Event held at the Earth House for more information and admission price visit
June 4, 2010 Entertainment/Arts www.souledout7.com
ALL proceeds benefit artist

Saturday, June 5, 7 p.m.
IFT “Indy Fashion Time” Designer Competition and Showcase, held at the Indiana State Fair Grounds. From 11am- 4pm attend fashion, sewing, and modeling workshops (must pre-register). At night witness as fashion designers compete for cash, awards and prizes, shop with the best vendors, mingle with the fashion elite, and more. Visit

Body Central opens at Castleton Mall

I haven't been there yet, so I can't speak to the quality of the merchandise or whether I'd shop there, but Body Central opened at Castleton Square Mall on Friday.

Judging by the photos on the website, I'd say it's similar to Forever 21, in both style and price.

Here's the store's self-description, which could really describe any clothing store in the mall...

“With styles ranging from feminine chic to hip and casual, Body Central offers affordable looks for every occasion.

‘We’re thrilled to open in Castleton Square Mall,’ said Rebecca Anderson, director of marketing for Body Central. ‘We are certain our merchandise mix of sportswear, dresses and outerwear will be a huge hit with fashion-forward Castleton Square Mall shoppers.’

In celebration of the grand opening, the store will offer 20 percent off everything until May 23.”

The store chain is owned by Body Shop America Inc., ya know, the beauty products place. Has anyone else shopped at a Body Central before?

Macy's "girls' weekend" celebrates Sex and the City 2, sounds kinda cool

It seems the time has come when it's no longer cool to like Sex and the City, since that Sex and the City 2 movie isn't getting very much hype.

I think maybe that happened when the first movie came out and there were droves of drunken, middle aged women trolling the streets, scantily clad (for them) in something they found at Talbots and giddy over drinking a cosmo.

'Tis a shame, because the show was actually funny (I thought). Oh well, I still plan on seeing the darn movie, but it's Netflix material for sure.

Macy's at Castleton is holding out though, with their "girls' weekend" events celebrating the movie's release. See the schedule below:

• Sex and the City 2 advance movie screening passes to the first 50 customers who make a storewide $100 purchase on Thursday, May 20, 2010 at Macy’s Castleton only.
• An exclusive, limited-edition Sex and the City 2 make-up brush set available only at Macy’s, redeemable at the Fragrance Bar on Friday, May 21, 2010 with any $100 storewide purchase (while supplies last).
• Macy’s customers will receive Hollywood movie money ($8.50 coupon towards your purchases of a Sex and the City 2 tickets at select movie theaters across the country) on Saturday, May 22, 2010 with any storewide purchase of $100 (while supplies last).

All weekend long customers will be able to receive:

• A free INC T Shirt with your $75 INC purchase
• A free Wallet with your $65 Cosmetics purchase
• A free 12-Month Subscription to Lucky Magazine with your $60 Women's Shoe purchase
• A free 14-Day Trial Membership to Bally's with your Swimwear purchase
• A free Rachel Rachel Roy cosmetics bag with a $75 Rachel Rachel Roy purchase

Sex and the City 2 Sweepstakes
Macy’s will also execute a once-in-a-lifetime consumer sweepstakes tied to the premiere of Sex and the City 2. To take place online between May 4-23, 2010, fans and customers get the chance to win an exotic trip for four to Marrakesh – a vacation inspired by a trip the girls take in the new movie.

J/A/S/O/N Naturally Fresh Deodorant: Don't buy it

For me, deodorant is a lot like shampoo, in that trying new ones never gets old.

There's of course the brands everyone trusts to rid your underarms of unladylike stink (Dove, Degree, Secret, etc.) but those tried and true things can get boring. Same goes for shampoo, I mean, who gets excited about Pantene anymore?

That's why I picked up this J/A/S/O/N Naturally Fresh Deodorant Stick for Women. The tree-hugger label stood out to me on the shelf at Marsh, plus it claims to be fragrance free, so I figured, great! It won't interfere with my perfume.

And according to the company's description, it sounds more like a spa treatment than something you role on to keep the funk out of your pits.

"This Certified Organic JASON Naturally Fresh for Women Deodorant Stick is formulated without Aluminum Chlorohydrate. The exclusive combination of Green Tea Extract, Vitamin E and Corn Starch delivers long
lasting freshness."

So I dropped $6.99 on a deodorant stick that is useless. Not only does it not keep the stink away, the product itself smells like straight-up B.O.

To J/A/S/O/N, apparently the term "naturally fresh" refers to what a woman's armpits smell like naturally. Um, nice idea, but ew.

Consider yourselves warned.
I want my seven bucks back, darn it.

A brief post about my mom, because it's Mother's Day

My mom is my best friend.
(That said, I'll try to keep the sap level to a minimum.)

She's also the most stylish person I know.
This can get frustrating because no matter how much thought I put into an outfit, my mom's is always (effortlessly) better. That woman can accessorize like no one's business and at 5'5," her 100 lb. frame is frigging size zero. Also frustrating.

Does she work out? Not really.
Does she eat right? Ha! Try a glass of whole milk and a chocolate doughnut for breakfast. Every morning.
It's unexplainable.

I read a blog post on Slate today written by a mother who's concerned her daughter's awe of her will wear off with age, but in my experience, I don't think she's got anything to worry about.

My mom is still just as beautiful, talented, all-knowing and fun as she was when I was 6 years old.

I love you, mom.

First Friday must: What She Wore, A Love Story

When I posted about the book "Love, Loss and What I Wore," I had no inkling our very own Jennifer Rice Von Deylen was fixin' to act out something similar at her store, IndySwank.

As part of First Friday, Von Deylen has collected outfits from local women that bear emotional significance.

I submitted my vintage coral lace halter dress.
But if you wanna know the memory attached to the frock, you'll have to come to the exhibit...

Here are the deets:

	Friday, May 7, 2010
Time:	6:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:	IndySwank
Street:	1043 Virginia Ave, Murphy Arts

Read my Style Sample magazine debut!

Style Sample is a magazine for fashion bloggers. It's chock full of advice and tips that have been helpful to myself and my millions of fellow self-proclaimed style experts.

In the currant issue, I wrote about Ceri Heathcote of Heathcote Communications, who owns a fashion marketing firm in the UK.

Please give it a read! Page 27.

Kentucky Derby: A must-go for people watching

I thought for sure I'd return from the Kentucky Derby with plenty of hat photos, but here's the deal:

1. Oaks Day (Friday) was beautiful and a big ol' hat was not only part of the tradition but kinda necessary. I wore mine and my shoulders still burned to a crisp. But on Oaks Day everyone is supposed to wear pink and thus everyone kinda looked the same, like this.

2. Derby Day was very rainy, so many people didn't even wear hats, but those who did opted for ones they didn't care would get wet and/or muddy. A lot of those looked like this.

3. I was a very naughty little blogger. Instead of positioning my iPhone camera firmly at the ready, I consumed far too many mint juleps for style watching. After about julep No. 3 I was in full-on vacation mode. Picture me slumped over in the grandstands with bleacher marks on the butt of my Narciso Rodriguez and a vacant look in my eyes.

Needless to say I wasn't really jazzed by any hats I saw, but here's my theory: I wasn't rubbing elbows with the wealthy folks, so I didn't get a glimpse of the really majestic headgear.

While I was not at all diligent about documenting derby fashion, I can impart some wisdom about derby culture. Churchill Downs is really, really beautiful, but within its massive, white-washed belly lies a very resolute hierarchy.

The Infield:
The ragamuffins, or those who weren't successful in scalping tickets or anyone who didn't plan very well ends up in the infield. By no means am I bashing the grassy expanse, after all that's where me and my compatriots constructed our lean-to as the rain soaked the track into an odds-bending mud pit. But anyone thinking about spending the afternoon there should know what they're getting into. By day's end the soggy grounds were littered with broken commemorative glassware and half-eaten turkey legs. Girls mud wrestle, boys relieve themselves on the sidewalk and EVERYONE is drunk.

The Grandstands:
The grandstands (where we sat on Oaks Day) are for those who don't want to pee in port-o-lets and don't mind spending $100 to sit on bleachers. $10 Early Times juleps are brought to you instead of having to stand in line for them and I didn't see any animal carcasses strewn about.

Box Seats:
From what I hear these are mostly passed down within families and corporations. Sometimes the owners don't want to go and so they sell the tickets on Craig's List or somewhere. This can get very expensive, especially if you buy your box tickets from a hustler with counterfeit tickets. Yes, this happened to us. My advice? Don't buy your derby tickets off Craig's List. But if you insist upon a Craig's List purchase, be leery of a man named George who'd like to meet at Hooters.

The Covered Seats in the middle with the green tents and the white folding chairs:
I don't really know what this area is called, but to me looks like where the millionaires and celebrities must sit. I can picture Paris Hilton sitting at her table with the white tablecloth, clutching her little pooch and not caring about the horses. If anyone's ever made it up there, please tell me about it. While I guess these seats are technically in the infield, the people up there can actually see the horses when they run by and are probably eating food that requires silverware.

Getting home:
Either drive yourself or arrange for a ride, any ride. Whether that be friend, unofficial taxi, or frigging donkey, whatever you do don't mess with the taxi line outside the main entrance. Six of us stood in that horrid line for two hours, during which we heard line-jumping excuses like, "My kids are at the front! I have to get to them!" and "My sister in law broke my foot, that b*&%$!."
One lady wearing a T-shirt with palm trees on it even threatened to fight me if I didn't let her by.

If you like my hat, talk to Emily Clark at emilliner.com