I wore fake Audrey Hepburn for my big Skype interview

Me:  "You want me to what? With my WHAT?! I don't think so! This movie is supposed to be family entertainment. And isn't Fred (Astaire) a bit old for that kind of thing - even with the miracles of modern medicine? 

Them: garble garble garble.

Me: I don't care if Miz Bagg Productions has him locked into a three-lifetimes' contract! If you expect me to perform this dreck, you have another thing coming!

Just another day at the studio. Heh.

You want me to do what? With my WHAT?!

That's when I stormed off to the stairwell to cool down and do some serious editing on my lines.

"Where's my PA!? Get me Patti, she'll fix it! Must I rewrite the whole script myself?!" You wouldn't believe my PA - I told her I needed a trailer on set and what did she do? She brought me a trailer lunch-bag hand bag instead. Can you believe it? Only in a Miz Bagg production!

Editing my script. Who writes this trash?

Out, out, out, no, no, no. Another red marker bites the dust. Luckily, I know that a script can always be saved with the addition of a good yachting scene.

I am rehearsing during every spare moment - hiking off door knobs in the cafe, and railings in the library and stairwell. And practising my lines.

EXT. YACHT - DAY

MEL
(screaming sexily over high winds)

Oh, Roddy! Nobody does a tacky jibe better than you!! Toss me another bologna sandwich, then meet me in the saloon for a Russian mule and cake!!

Mel scoops fish out of water with her free hand, turns to camera, winks, then falls into water.  Roddy's arms!!!

At least I got Astaire replaced. His tap shoes were not only giving me a huge headache, but they were wrecking the deck.

Practising my hiking with the stairwell railing, for my yacht scene

It's funny how one single photo can set a whole production into motion, like the shot below. It reminded me of Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 movie Funny Face. She was 28 in that picture and her love interest, Fred Astaire, was 58. It happens. But reeeeally - Mr. Astaire? Out of all Hollywood?

What's even more shocking is that I am approaching Mr. Astaire's age but I still identify more with Ms. Hepburn. Would I do a film with a male love interest who's only 28? Hm, let me think about it.

Adding to the vibe was the winged eyeliner, which got there from a mascara incident on one eye, which I tried to replicate on the other rather than starting over. Just going with the flow.

Feeling impish like Amélie or Audrey Hepburn

I had a Skype interview that morning with Margaret Manning of Sixty & Me. I am not 60. I am still in my very mid-50s, and when I told Margaret, she still wanted to interview me, plus I liked the topics she had lined up. The first episode (of five in total) went up today, HERE. It's called:

I Love Floral Tights! 

Why Fashion After 60 is About Wearing 
What Makes You Happy 

Mel Kobayashi

The simple late-'50s-style jazz club outfit of black capris, top, and flat ankle-wrap sandals was perfect for throwing demo clothing on top during our talk - although at the time I was barefoot.

THANK YOU, SIXTY & ME, 

for having me on your show. 

Stay tuned for more episodes. 

EDIT:

Margaret has posted some of the other episodes now too. I'll keep updating the list here.

1. I Love Floral Tights! Why Fashion After 60 is About Wearing What Makes You Happy
2. Forget What Other People Think and Express Your Eccentricities
3. The Art of Walking Like a Movie Star
4. The Power of Black, White, and Grey
5. Vintage Clothing is Back for Women Over 50: Embrace the Past and Create Amazing Style

If you're wondering why I am looking up during the talk, it's because I use a big monitor above my webcam. Next time I'll fix that.

I have to say, after my previous podcast interview with Elaine of MaturePreneurial, HERE, which I posted on HERE, I thought I had learned from my mistakes. [insert cosmic guffaw here] Geez, with all these risks I'm taking with pods and Skypes, according to life gurus I should be on the superhighway to enlightenment by now. Pfffft. My GPS is busted for sure.

Bird understands me well

I'm linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her ever-fabulous Visible Monday, and Catherine at her inimitable #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb when the time comes.

That's all for this week. Got any scripts lately you want to rewrite?! CUT!! Did you ever think Fred Astaire was sexy?

Hugs to all.

Neutrals in overdrive (or my Clint Eastwood impression)

You know how much I love pattern mixing and loud florals lately... Well on Friday I needed something calmer, something quiet but with a big stick, er, handbag. This is what I chose and what I am including in Patti's wonderful Visible Monday get together.

My expression in this photo reminds me of Clint Eastwood - "Make my day, punk," she coos as she catwalks the city streets, swinging her oversized vinyl handbag menacingly at her side. This face is close to the rocker bad-girl face I was striving for with comic results the other day. To achieve it, all I had to do was "think chic." What does that mean?!...

I had forgotten the power of this hat. It is a light-knit cotton hat, very flimsy in fact, but the brim has stiff ribbing in the brim that maintains the strict shape. It was still cool outside so I had to wear my wool wrap too. 

Details of the outfit:

• side zip Capris, thrifted, Value Village years ago
• wool wrap, Eatons closing sale(?), years ago
• stretch shoe with wicked kitten heels, new several summers ago
• large black vinyl handbag, hand-me-over
• black oversized short-sleeved T by American Apparel, Winners years ago
• Hermes leather wrist wrap, hand-me-over (yes, a fabulous piece)
• black hat, I think it was new from The Bay years ago

Other News

The action painting workshop I led at Baron Gallery on Saturday was very satisfying. Everyone who joined made spectacular paintings and I am so pleased with how the day went! I returned home exhausted but with a big grin on my face. 

This is a photo of me with participant Jane Appleby and the magnificent piece she created in the workshop. You can still see signs of activity around the floor. Jane is a professional artist in Vancouver who had an urge to GO BIG. Did she ever! You can check her work here. I wanted the participants to paint my pants during the workshop as well but I forgot - next time. By the way, the talk last week went very well too, backed up by Grushenka, my magic wand, and the PowerPoint cartoons I had drawn.