From Chapel by the Lake to Chapel by the Vomit | BlameGirl

From Chapel by the Lake to Chapel by the Vomit | BlameGirl

Rendition of the proposed project - Vomit

Issue:  They are trying to turn West Palm Beach into Miami.  Who's to Blame?

Blame:  Last week I attended yet another West Palm Beach City Council Meeting.  It was a packed one. There was a hot button issue; the Chapel by the Lake.  It's a love story between church, politicians and big business.  


Here's the backstory as I understand it, Chapel by the Lake was owned by First Baptist Church, a church where the wealthy prayed. Unfortunately, the wealthy either weren't attending or tithing so the church found itself in financial need.  In their time of financial need they voted to sell the property (tax free) adjacent from the church, known as Chapel by the Lake. Developers swooped in to build yet another condo tower where millionaires can purchase a place so that they have somewhere to crash after they pull up in their yachts. But first they had to turn to the city's politicians for permission to develop.


Which brings us to last week's meeting which consisted of developers consuming some eighty minutes answering questions from council members (for show), Mayor Jeri Muoio acting like she's still in the school house and citizens noisily expressing their anger with the project.   I will say it was interesting to see rich people get screwed over by other rich people. Inter coastal property ain't cheap in West Palm Beach. 


The developers demonstrated to the packed house how they plan to make this too large project, just small enough to receive countless waivers from the city so they can still build these extravagant condos. With 75 condos wearing a $5 million dollar price tag, it's gonna be worth the $23 million (tax free) they paid for it after selling to five people.  Oh and minus what the council members got paid.  But probably still worth it. 

And hey the church is happy. But you know who's not happy?  The citizens who already bought property in that area, the mom who loves to take a daily walk with the kids by the water, the commuter who on their daily drive gets a beautiful view of the coast.  The bike rider who rides on the coastline for exercise. The people who are already there.



West Palm Beach is like a beautiful woman, who keeps getting unnecessary plastic surgery.  It's a beautiful place why try to use cosmetics to make it into something it's not. That's what attracted me to live here.  It is it's own South Florida gem.  Not too flashy, like Miami, and not too dirty like Ft. Lauderdale. Authentic.  But unfortunately they are trying to fill the ENTIRE South Florida coastline with gaudy, luxury apartment complexes. Doesn't Florida already have enough?  Vomit.

Plaid, Plaid, Throwback Plaid

Normally I leave fashion commentary to my co-author. But as I'm sitting here thinking about my latest pickups at the mall, I have to ask Blame Girl and the rest of our audience, (which numbers at least in the low dozens!), what is up with the recent switch back to plaid and checked shirts for guys?

Maybe it took me longer than most people to realize this, but if we completed a study of guy's shirts on display right now at retail centers, I guarantee a large chunk would be checked, plaid, or otherwise similarly patterned.  After all, were I of the opposite gender, I might have read Elle magazine's prediction and been caught less unawares:

Whether checkered, tartan, or houndstooth, we'll all be marching straight into Fall 2013 with a wardrobe of plaid jackets, dresses, trousers, and more.

 But this leads me to the final point: whether it's the idiot 50's throwback seen above, or the more recent grunge era (see below, ouch),

I guess what I'm saying is I'm mad I threw out my plaid shirt from middle and early high school every time I go out to a bar full of people dressed like Scotsmen. And, at the rate men's trends are going in this country, (back to plaid, back to the 1960's style buddy holly glasses), I am just kicking myself for not keeping a few extra pairs of Tommy Hilfiger carpenter jeans, a trend that is sure to come back in the early 2020s.

 

Colorful Kicks

This weekend, I was at a kids' basketball game, and I was mesmerized by their feet.  It was like moving art as the boys rhythmically ran up and down the court.   Color really is powerful in all fashion, even sports.   In a group, from the feet up, the teams conformed with color; but from the feet down, beautiful, individual, colorful chaos.  A sight worth capturing. 

Youngsters usually sport the hottest new kicks. But only in South Florida do all the athletic shoes come in neon colors.  Now that I think about it, my soccer cleats are neon and yellow. 

Holiday Fashions: Part 2

As I previously discussed, we held our annual firm Christmas party this month. And as I said in my previous post, I planned the outfit over a couple of months.  No I didn't buy my dress in September, but I did weigh my color and my styling options. 

Ultimately, I decided to go with a blue dress from H & M because blue is my color for the season. Additionally, I pulled out a pink/nudeish necklace that gave my outfit some dazzle.  This left me with the option of nude for my heals.  I completed the look with a nude headband, that I spruced up with a gold headband with a bow and some bling.  I kept my earrings small and nude, since I was already rocking a giant necklace and wearing hair accessories.  Oh yea, and no jacket! What do you think about my south Florida holiday wear? 

Many of the guests were in cocktail wear, however there were a few who decided to go casual with jeans or office wear. Danielle and Shemeka went with the always classy and classic little black dress (LBD).  They also had the bulky necklaces.   

And then there was the lady in white.  White in the winter you say?  Before moving to Florida, I would have said ONLY if it's winter white. But I loved Janelle's white dress and I do see a lot of white in the winter here.  We played with the zippers on her neckline and the dress became club sexy if you unzipped it a bit.  This option actually came in handy later.

There was another holiday outfit that was worth mentioning, but she missed the holiday party. It was Nia, Danielle's daughter's.  You can see her outfit for her school holiday function to the right.  Don't forget, the kids need a holiday wardrobe too!

The Art of Journalism: Kapuscinski on Film

We try to bring you the cutting edge of the cutting edge here at the FAD.  So, far in advance of a movie that you might eventually see and love (see below), for our readers in Valencia, Spain, (!) we bring the announcement that a selection of Ryszard Kapuscinski's photographs taken in Cold War Russia will be on display at the Valencian Modern Art Museum.

Why even bring it up? Well: ask yourself, when was the last time you opened the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or any other paper, for that matter, and read a dispatch from abroad that was so vivid, so captivating, that it called to mind literary greats?  Or that made you say, "this would make a great movie?"

Kapuscinski was Poland's foremost foreign correspondent for decades.  If you haven't read his accounts of, say, the downfall of Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie, the Angolan Civil War, or the Soccer War in Central America, you are missing out on some serious Indiana Jones mixed with Hunter S. Thompson, with some Naipaul or Theroux mixed in.  So, fear not, we bring you the trailer based on his account of the war that broke out in Angola immediately upon independence:

Shot in the animated-documentary mode of the Award Winning Waltz With Bashir, an Israeli soldier's account of his role in the Lebanon War, this cinematic experience will no doubt be infinitely more exciting - and more stylish - than the usual Hollywood trash (we're looking at you, Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug).

And remember, you heard it here first.

Fashion Yea or Nay: Warhol's Tupac

Strolling the pristine streets of Lake Worth, I met this nice local chap:

So, loyal readers, a quick yea or nay to this matching hat and shirt ensemble?  For me, I give it a slight yea.  Tupac given the Warhol treatment is a big yes, but a matching hat with neon themes might be pushing it.  Then again, just I argue with architecture critiques, regardless of your stand, at least he's not being invisible - people are likely to love or hate this look, which is always good, in my opinion.

Holiday Fashions Part I

So it's the holidays and while you are gifting, eating and celebrating you will most likely be clothed.  What will you wear?  I always plan outfits for actual holiday's such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, because I know I will be seen.  I usually go for festive, but trendy as opposed to classic and traditional.  But these are not the only days to plan your holiday fashion.  What about holiday parties?

One big event I plan my outfit for is my work Holiday Party. Honestly, I have been planning my outfit for our firm's Holiday party for months.  I've pondered on color, accessories and hair more than I care to admit. But we will save that for next week.

This week, I found myself at another company's Holiday party.  I like to stay professional without sacrificing my style. Additionally, I wanted something that would transition from the office to a holiday party well.   It was Friday, so I went with jeans, a nude shirt with sequins on it and a navy blazer on top. Remember, I've got the blues for the fall/winter.  I'd like to add that the nude sequin top, is one that I've had in my closet for over ten years.  I love being able to pull out oldie but goodies. 

While at the party, I met Kate.  Kate glammed it up with a nice classic black cocktail dress. It was a sheer black lace with a nude underlay belted with a nude ribbon. It even had a classy cutout, protected by the nude underlay.  Cutouts are a hot trend for this season.  I always love black and nude together, in fact, I wore black and nude cocktail dress to our firm's Holiday party last year. Kate definitely picked a winner for the Rock Legal Holiday party this year.  

I realized that I didn't ask who she was wearing.  But is that really important? Another thing that's not important when selecting holiday wear is cliche colors.  When choosing color, don't feel confined to red and green cause it's Christmas or blue for Hanukkah.  In addition to color choices, you have attire choices. You can glam it up with a cocktail dress like Kate or you can opt for a more casual look like I did for this party.  And the best thing about holiday parties in South Florida, no coats necessary!