Let's Hear It For the Boy

Well, color me tickled.

Last week I received an e-mail from a reader who enclosed a link to a garment he'd run across that made him "think immediately" of me. It was this gorgeousness:

It's Valentino. They call it a trench, but if it were lightweight enough, I'd wear it as a dress.

First of all, may I just express my delight in being associated with a garment this beautiful, fun, finely-made, unexpected and just all-around wonderful. So yes, friend Billy, I would wear that in a heartbeat, and I would look great in it, if I do say so myself. Now let's see, what shoes to pair with this delightful item?

I could play it safe and go with these:


These are such great shoes -- they go with nearly everything, which is why I bought them. (How clever of me, hmmmm?) Okay, no, I bought them because they left me stunned and stuttering with delight the moment I laid eyes on them and right then & there I wouldn't have cared if I had to walk around naked for the rest of my life in order to possess them.

These would be a little more fun & unexpected, certainly:



But, at the risk of falling prey to the Matchy-Matchy Monster, there would be the issue of whether or not the reds clashed. I think what I'd go with are these:


which are delightful if slightly ridiculous shoes, and have a winsome chunkiness that helps to balance the delicacy of the dress. But, what I'm really envisioning with it are these:

which would be faaaaaabulous. I love the strictness of the boot contrasted with the frilliness of the dress, and the echo of the cutouts. Of course, wearing these boots would entail owning these boots, and Style Spy is Not Shopping at present, even though said boots are on sale at her local Neiman Marcus. (There is also the small matter of not owning the dress, either, but we'll skip over that for the nonce.)

But back to my point. (I had one when I started, I swear...) I must say, I find it a uniquely gratifying experience when someone who is not me hits the nail on the head so completely when making a recommendation. When someone you know suggests or gives you the very perfect thing, it's an affirmation of your relationship: that person really knows you, really gets you. If it's someone you don't know, all the more credit goes to them for their perceptiveness and your ineffable, recognizable style. And (at the risk of perpetuating hurtful stereotypes), it's even more unexpected & delightful when said recommendation comes from an XY chromosome. Because I love the mens, I really do, but the shopping? Pretty hit-or-miss, in my experience. (And, in argument with yet another stereotype, which "team" said XY is batting for doesn't necessarily make a difference. Boys is boys.)

So three cheers for my new friend Billy, who honestly made my day with his e-mail. Thanks, Billy!

How about you guys? Has anyone ever given you a gift or made you a suggestion of clothing or accessories that was absolutely spot-on? Are any of you lucky enough to have a partner who is a talented gifter? Let me know!

Photos: bergdorfgoodman.com, Style Spy, neimanmarcus.com

PS... An hour post-post, I'm just dropping back in to say that while I enjoyed bringing this to you, I have given myself the King Hell earworm of the past month with the title. Here. Share my pain.