I get dressed every day. I always have. I know there are many people who wear workout clothes. I do not wear these things. People have looked terrible for a very long time. I’ve said it for decades, and everyone gets furious at me. Men in shorts, I think that’s bad. I wear jeans every day in the house. I’m a surprisingly formal person. I eat at the table. I set the table every time I eat. I do this even if I’m eating an apple. I have tons of friends, especially people who live alone, who often eat in their bedrooms. I would never do that. Ever.
Fran Lebowitz, American author, public speaker.
I love Fran Lebowitz! She makes me laugh. I saw her for the first time many years ago speaking on television. In her bone dry delivery she ripped Californians to shreds for our extreme no smoking policies. I’m a Californian, I hate smoking, and I support our policies/laws, but Ms. Lebowitz had me in stitches laughing. Her pacing, delivery, quality of voice, and unapologetic manner are a magical combination for humor. What’s more, she’s not even working it; seemingly that’s just the way she is.
She has a signature look that I also appreciate. Pretty much for the last 50 years she has donned jeans, an Oxford shirt, a blazer, custom made wingtip cowboy boots, and in the winter a big overcoat. She buys quality, often bespoke, classic pieces and sticks with what works for her.
As for her quote today, I completely agree with everything she says:
- Men in shorts is not a good thing. (Men in sandals is worse.)
- People dress poorly.
- I also set the table every day for every meal.
Click here to read an interview Elle magazine did with Ms. Lebowitz in 2015. (Once again she had me in stitches.)
In the days of the motion picture industry and even as late as the 1950s, stars had trademarks: Jean Harlow with her white satin dresses; Dietrich with her tailored slacks; Garbo with her slouch hats and trench coats; and Marilyn Monroe with her slightly tousled hair and tight clothes. But as we moved into the 1960s, the female stars didn’t really care what what they wore on the set or off. If two stars showed up at a party wearing the same dress, neither of them cared. Nobody cared. It was as if individualism had been thrown out the window in the name of realism. 
OverDressed for Life 