the awesome/terrifying freedom

some words need to be said about east hampton.

first of all: did i miss the memo that said we are now going to wear our polo shirt collars up? like we did in 1984? the rich snob uniform of the time seems to be white pants and an orange or pink or salmon polo shirt. with the collar up. oh yes skanky rich ho on your arm is part of the required uniform as well.

and so it begins - the 'us' versus 'these kids today' mentality; that sticking point where i have two ways in which i can look old: dress like an 18 year old and look pathetically in denial about my age, or dress my age and look pathetically resigned to becoming a fogey. but the collar thing makes me wonder about fashion. what drives collars to go up and ties to become fat and pants to become flared and lapels to become wings every 15-20 years? why these same, rather small design details on the outskirts of our outfits? what is the driving force behind the fluctuation of these phalanges of fasion? (alliteration, yo)

i went into a shoe store in e. hampton and was served a glass of wine. so there's me in my gap tank top, swim trunks, flip flops and beach bag sipping a glass of chardonnay while i peruse $800 shoes. a fun thing to do is to pick up a shoe, casually look at the price tag, be unfazed, inspect the shoe and then plop it down as though the design was offensive and not the price.

i've just been cast as algernon in an all male version of 'the importance of being earnest,' which should be lots of fun. the play has been slightly modified to take place in today's chelsea and the hamptons. my costume: white pants and a salmon colored polo shirt with the collar up.