It’s funny how a little something new can totally revamp your wardrobe. Come to think of it, more often than not it’s the person who needs a creativity revamp, not their wardrobe. And a new piece can help you see your closet in a whole new light.

Take this outfit, for example. The red shirt is new. So are the shoes, but they are so glorious, and I am so absolutely besotted with them, they’ll need their own post. So until then, let’s just talk about the shirt.

It’s nothing special. I paid like $9 for it at Forever 21 two weeks ago, and only bought it for a role. Oh, I didn’t tell you? I’m playing Ren McCormack’s mother Ethel in a Footloose Remake. So are like 20 other people, I think. 40 some-odd up and coming LA directors are working together to do an indie remake of the film, in response to Paramount’s decision to redo the classic. They’re. Not. Impressed. (Read their letter to Paramount—it’s pretty funny).

But, back to the shirt. It’s not something I’d normally wear, but I needed a red shirt for Ethel. And it didn’t seem too awful, even though it has that thick elastic band waist thing that reminds me of a bad Spanish Senorita costume.

And then a funny thing happened on the way to the Footloose Remake; as I wore it, I realized that I didn’t hate it. It was actually…kind of cute.

So when Paul and I were getting ready to head to our favorite Mexican restaurant last night, I decided to throw it on (the irony of which isn’t lost on me). And like magic, I pulled my distressed jeans and navy boyfriend blazer out of my closet, added my new shoes and voila—perfect, easy, Monday date night ensemble. Which seems, “duh” I know—nothing revolutionary about jeans and a blazer, right? But for whatever reason, I hadn’t yet paired those exact two together yet. All it took was a little step out of my world, and into Ethel’s.

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Commenter number 6, Cindi! Congratulations, Cindi: you’re the first giveaway winner on ESBIF. I’m sure you’ll adore your Fifi Flowers paintings!

Thanks to everyone who entered. For the 29 of you who entered but didn’t win last week’s giveaway, fear not: I’ll have something fresh and fabulous to give away each Monday. This week—it’s Father’s Day themed. And there’s cashmere involved. Stay tuned…

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I’m thrilled to announce the first giveaway on ESBIF: this gorgeous pair of paintings by francophile artist Fifi Flowers, entitled “The Tale of Two Blue Sofas”. I am obsessed with her paintings, and have an inkling that you’ll love them as much as I do.

In the event that you don’t yet have your own French pied-à-terre, Fifi’s French girl perfection pieces will transport you to the land of freshly baked baguettes, in a snap.

The winner will be chosen at random next Monday, from the comment section. To enter, add a comment below. Bonne chance!

XO Miranda

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I seriously, seriously can’t wait for Sex And The City 2 to come out. But I have to—for 10 more days, to be exact.

I’ve been keeping my SATC hysteria at bay by watching the trailer more often than is probably healthy (I may or may not have become a little misty eyed the first time I saw it) and just discovered this little beauty: an interactive SATC 2 trailer. Each time you click on the trailer, a fun fact will appear in the space below. A new fact for each click…so stretch those fingers, girls!

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I have been in Long Beach for over three years now, and have not once made it to Free Friday at the Museum of Art here. It’s a pity, because I enjoyed what I found.

The basement level showcases works from homeless children transitioning into schools, and is tremendous. The ground floor features their most recent show (Sweet Subversive–California drawings) and the top houses their permanent collection, which was filled with a few abstract pieces I fell in love with.

Some artsy eye candy, from me to you. Happy belated Valentine’s Day.

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Have you seen these Google Search Stories yet? If you haven’t, you can find more, here.  The above, called “Parisian Love” is my personal favorite.

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I spent last week/end in Las Vegas, celebrating my in-laws’ 35th wedding anniversary. We had a lovely time, adored our hotels (reviews and photos coming, soon) and even managed to catch a show: Cirque du Soleil’s Le Reve, which was phenomenal. My MIL and I sat next to each other so we could have someone to squeal to, but were both so breathtaken, I could only blindly bat her arm a few times, eyes jumping around the stage. I may have managed a squeak or two, but really can’t be sure. I also may have bruised her with those aimless hand swats, but am double crossing my fingers that this isn’t the case—I have beyond lucked out in the in-law department.

Since it was fabulous Las Vegas and all, we gussied ourselves up, and I debuted my new vintage (oxymoron, I know) dangly costume diamond earrings. I matched them with a blue dress from F21—you’d never guess—and perfect red pumps from Miss Sixty. The perfection of my shoe selection became even more apparent during the show; there is a magical number during which a dozen water acrobats perform a peppy dance number fully submerged, save for their red heels flashing in the air.

My shoes have been dying to do the same ever since, and although I fear they’ll never reach such heights of stardom and glamour, the least I can do is post a photo of them. The images are a bit blurry, I realize, but a promise is a promise.

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Whatever You Like (T.I. Cover)

My dear friend Bradley Keys, hip hop artist extraordinaire, is kind enough to put together playlists for his lucky friends, of the best and brightest new music getting proper play on the music blogs of the moment.

He knows how much I love that T.I. song “Whatever You Like” so imagine my delight when a cover by the honey-voiced Anya Marina was listed.

It. Is. Amazing. And, when sung all fabulous French lounge-y (read: the lyrics are sung much too slow to be ignored), it sounds a bit raunchy, I’ll admit. But, I love her version even better than the original.

(An aside: My love for hip hop, and often, like, seriously hard core rap songs has baffled my friends for years. It’s the beat, I explain, it’s the music. Coming from someone who counts Mozart among her favorite musicians, it’s puzzling, for sure).

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Ok. So, I didn’t exactly provide you with moment-by-moment Phish fashion coverage, as promised. Frankly, I was distracted. Not just by the surprising amount of edgy looks, fringy boots, and hair strand-thin metallic headbands worn high on the forehead (they were a revelation), but by the experience itself. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, but was in a meticulously cared for polo field, surrounded by vegetarian food vendors as far as the eye could see, rather than a rabbit hole. Did you know that when thousands of glow sticks sail above your head simultaneously, it looks like fireworks? Amazing.

Now, about the fashion. Although I neglected to snap photos of all the goodness I was seeing, I was fortunate enough to be traveling with some of the most inspired, fun dressers I know: my friends.

Natalie’s shimmery bronze Nike high tops were a highly coveted item by all, and looked even better next to Leanne’s shiny blues:

Halloween was amazing, and the costumes were terribly clever. Taryn and Leanne went as My Little Ponies, and pieced together their costumes from wig shops, random stores, and the shiny leotard mothership: American Apparel. They even carried along matching combs, so people could comb their hair and tails. Genius, and adorable:

Yours truly went as a peacock, and used a shimmery vintage blue dress as my base, then added on a homemade tail made with a ribbon, glue gun, and peacock feathers. I found a perfectly jaunty hair comb with feathers galore, and added little fingerless lace gloves:

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