On April 25, 2019, I posted 10 weird facts about me. Today I thought, I cannot let that wealth of information run dry. *chuckle*. So, here we go… find out more about A. J. Alexander.
Sometimes it’s difficult to talk about myself, so I figured I needed help with this post. I asked my wonderful friend Wendy to describe me… and this is what she said about me.
I’m silly
I’m spontaneous
I’m goofy (= a good sense of humor)
I will always be young at heart
I like to experiment with cooking (And some other things too)
I love my cars like my men: strong and big
I’m willing to try almost anything
I’m a movie buff
I’m flirtatious (I have a massive crush on a particular New Jersey gentleman I talk with once a week… and I love it!)
I’m adventurous
Describe yourself to us in the comments. Come on, don’t be shy. We’re curious!
Welcome to my annual Oscars-Fashion critics a la AJ. As usual, I’m not discussing movies, performances, or anything else. I looked at the participants and their gowns, and I’m presenting my personal opinion here, nothing more. Your taste might be very different, but we know this will happen. I hope you’ll have a little bit of fun with this post.
Let’s start with what I consider the most awkward dresses… there are one or two that are downright horrible, but generally, I think there’s either ‘too much’ or ‘not enough’… We’re going to find out soon what I’m talking about.
Not The Best
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Allison Williams, on the left, picked a lace dress with an awkward ruffle feathered hem and an oversized stuffy coat. All in all, she resembles an exploded Miss Piggy… too much laze, too much coat, too much fabric, too much – everything. Songwriter Tems, on the right, showed up in something that looked like two layers of a tulle curtain loosely wrapped around her. You had no idea what this creation was supposed to do: expose or cover. However, it was not very flattering.
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Olivia Wilde on the left: the combination of black and white is normally a well-chosen classic – unless you decide to wear ‘almost nothing’ covered with a bed sheet… Too little on top and the left, too much on the right – and it’s ill-fitting. I’m curious if you actually fell out of this creation.
Eva Longoria, I’m sorry for being so blunt, but it seems very much like one of the straps and tapes might have loosened or given up… your barely covered breasts looked crooked… the right one was hanging a little lower. You’re breathtaking. I’ve seen you in the most beautiful dresses, but picking this one might not be the best choice.
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Sandra Oh wore an orange gown with too many ruffles, too many layers, and too much fabric; it wasn’t very flattering on her, and it made her look heavy and bloated.
Jessie Banks, on the right, tried to impress with a strict, anthracite/purple gown covered in lace and sparkles, making her look like a 12th-century nun. Too much puff sleeves, too much lace, too dark… Her stylist must have been sleeping on the job.
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Florence Pugh… I think you’re a very talented and beautiful young actress… and I’m very much for signature statements, but this combination, with black shorts under an insufficiently created’ coat-dress-sleeves-over-the-top-wrinkled-fabric-thingy’ is not a statement, unless, of course, you want to stand for really bad taste.
Fan BlingBling on the right obviously had a similar problem. She’s one of the most talented and internationally known Chinese actresses, beautiful, famous, and gifted, and the slimming and gorgeous silver dress would have been sufficient. The grass green sleeve fabric around her makes her look slightly like a human grasshopper.
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Elizabeth Banks, my-oh-my… what happened here? It seems you got something like a dress designed, and when it came to the skirt, you realized there wasn’t enough fabric, and it was completed with a shower curtain. Not very flattering on you. It covers everything that could be pronounced and pronounces everything that should be covered.
Kate Hudson, on the right, wears a creation completely covered in sparkles, too many of them, to be precise, too many ruffles, too much fabric, too much sparkling, too much cleveage… You used to have quite a good taste – where was that today?
The Best
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Jamie Lee Curtis on the left in Dolce & Gabbana convinces with a beautiful, age-appropriate, figure-flattering dress in blush, with just enough extras and sparkle, to make her look stunning and radiant. This I call excellent taste!
Halle Berry shows on the red carpet, donning a breathtaking gown in white, revealing just enough to be tastefully sexy and covered in just the right places to be elegant rather than cheap! Well done!
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Angela Bassett looks breathtaking in a purple Moschino; every inch an elegant lady and the talented, beautiful actress she is. What a great choice!
Emily Blunt, on the right, looked angelic in a simple but classic figure-hugging dress. She’s stunning with the most wonderful, mysterious smile imaginable. Beautiful!
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Nicole Kidman took a little risk with this black gown, but she rocks the frock! I heard quite a few voices who insist she belongs to the ‘worst’ dressed side, but I don’t believe so. I think, she presents her dress elegantly and with dignity. It might be a bit on the ‘sparklier’ side, but her calm nature still dons it in a classy way. Stunning!
Supermodel Cara Delevigne is the only one who could present this assymetric red princess gown with the high slit elegantly and classy. She reminds me of the sexy version of Audrey Hepburn. She clearly feels at home in this gorgeous creation. Well done!
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Michelle Williams is another one of the ‘undecided’ ladies on the Oscars 2023 red carpet. I heard voices calling it ‘unflattering’ and ‘wrong choice’. I think, she wears the white gown with the sparkly top in an innocent way elegant and presents it as hers. It might be a bit ‘bridal’, but I don’t see why this would be a problem. It’s gorgeous and beautiful.
To my surprise, I ‘had to place’ Lady Gaga on the ‘best dressed’ list as well. The unusual design of the top of her dress is typical for her, but the classic elegance of the skirt makes up for it. She looks like a lady, beautiful and mysterious. Well done!
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Michelle Yeoh wears a stunning ‘fringe’ dress in white that makes her look young, classically elegant, and every inch the breathtaking lady and talented actress she is. What a great choice.
Halle Baily wears her light blue Dolce & Gabbana gown like a princess. It makes her look innocent and debonair. She beams positively in this color. That’s how it’s done!
A Word About The Men On The Red Carpet
I hope you’ll permit me a few words about the men and their wardrobes tonight. We had a lot of ‘Back To The Traditions’ this year, which I wholeheartedly agree!
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Both Gentlemen, Austin Butler as well as Brendon Fraser wore traditional tuxedos and both look elegant and classy presenting themselves. Excellent choice!
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We have Idris Elba on the left, wearing a blue jacket in combination with black slacks and shoes, looking classy, so does Oscar winner Ye Huy Quan in his traditional black suit with the white shirt and bow tie.
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Now to two gentlemen who have never been known for their traditional way… despite the two could easily pull it off, they decided on their own, unique style: Lenny Kravitz, in a non-traditional Saint Laurent combination, with wide-leg trousers and an open draped top shirt/jacket. And I’m the first one to admit: I got nothing negative to say… he’s one of the very few who can pull this off – and still looks absolutely great!
Dwayne Johnson, on the other hand: everything is a perfect fit… Suit and bow tie, shoes, shirt, watch, everything is excellently tailored… the only thing that I could mention is, that I’m not the biggest fan of the salmon/peach color. Congrats to his designer, Dolce & Gabbana are probably the only ones who could master that particular task!
This is it from my March 12, 2023 Fashion Corner on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’. I hope, you had a little bit of fun reading this!
Today I found an amusing article on the HuffPost blog that decodes a man’s personality according to his beard fashion. I have moved the biggest part of the blog post here, but to finish reading the entire post, I linked back to Huffpost, where you also will find a picture gallery of famous bearded men.
Enjoy the post. I had tons of fun.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Fellas, we know that we can be a bit judgmental, but first impressions are the most lasting. That’s why we feel it is our obligation to point out when the hem length of your suit is all wrong or to run in the opposite direction when we detect Merrells on your feet. And whether you realize it or not, your facial hair also says a lot about you.
The editors here at HuffPost Style have a strong attraction to scruffy-faced guys (read: Ryan Gosling) because they appear to be the most easygoing and laid-back. However, after recently chatting with Allan Peterkin, a pogonologist (aka beard scholar), Dove Men+Care facial grooming expert and author, the confidence of a mustache-wearing male like “Sons of Anarchy” star Charlie Hunnam is turning us on.
Does this facial hair expert have you all figured out?*
Full Beard
An “older” man’s beard. “I think the association for a lot of people is that it’s scholarly beard, or academics often have those beards,” says Peterkin. “Full beards also have religious associations (think of Moses or Jesus). So that one comes with a lot of historical weight. It’s a bit of an old-fashioned style but we certainly see young men wearing it these days.”
Goatee
A man who’s stuck in the past. “This [facial hair style] hit in the mid-1990s. It was a bit of a statement then, but it’s sort of become the overly done expression. Some men still wear it, but one guy I interviewed said, ‘If your dad and your dentist still have goatees, it’s time to change your look,'” says Peterkin.
Scruffy/Stubble
A man who is up on the latest trends. “If you just scan men’s magazines — Esquire, GQ, etc. — probably every one to three ads have a guy with stubble as the main expression. Sometimes you see it superimposed with a mustache on top or with bigger side burns, but stubble is sort of the base,” says Peterkin. “The only misconception is that people think that it’s easy and you just roll out of bed. But you do have to maintain it.”
Sideburns
A man who likes to have fun. “Everyone thinks of Elvis when they think side burns. I think college campuses and hipsters in Brooklyn are where men experiment with it the most. It’s a playful look,” says Peterkin.
Chinstrap
A man making a pathetic cry for attention. Peterkin says, “It’s for a guy who wants to push the envelope and also wants to be asked about his facial hair. Everything has been done under the sun, so I think men are sort of looking for what’s the thing that they don’t see on their street or in their workplace.”
Mustache
A man who is a bit cocky. “Historically, it’s had the baddest rap of all the facial hair expressions. Then in the ’70s, the mustache took on a sexual connotation — there was the swinger mustache, the porn mustache and then the gay/bisexual mustache,” says Peterkin. “The mustache comes with all that baggage, but it’s eased up recently because of charity movements like Movember. I think younger guys who wear it are confident enough to believe that you can read their mustache in any way and not really care.”
Horseshoe Mustache
A man who is rebellious. “This one was always thought of as the biker mustache and then the wrestler. Or whenever a famous person like Hulk Hogan adopts the style, it becomes associated with him,” says Peterkin.
Handlebar Mustache
A man with a pleasant personality. “We think of barbershop quartets, southern gentleman and the famous baseball player Rollie Fingers… this sort of old fashion, sipping tea on the porch kind of association,” says Peterkin.
Soul Patch
A man who is a bit off-beat. “During both both World Wars, men particularly in America were clean-shaven. Then every decade after, there was a little pocket of facial hair,” says Peterkin. “In the ’50s, beatniks had soul patches, and then hippies adopted the look in the ’60s.”
Mutton Chops
A gentleman with a big heart. “What comes to mind for me is a Victorian gentleman with a monocle or the a general in the North called ‘Burnside.’ But it’s a very Victorian expression,” says Peterkin.
Clean-Shaven
A man who is a bit preppy. Peterkin says, “Before, men used to be wed to a look, it was a life-long expression and not a fad. I think young men are going back and forth between having some sort of facial hair and now going clean-shaven. I think men are freer to do that than before. And I predict that we’re going to go back to that ‘Mad Men,’ clean-shaven look.”
*In the past, Dr. Peterkin acknowledges that a man’s facial hair would say a lot about him. “You could read his politics, read his religion and read his class. But in sort of the late 20th and mid-21st century, you can’t really know what the facial hair means unless you ask the guy,” he explained. “We all project meaning onto beards and mustaches but that may not really align with who the man is.”
How does your facial hair measure up to these celebs?
A while ago I read an article recommending that authors should let their readers know about themselves. What are they doing in their free time? How are their lives? What do they like or dislike?
As a result, I decided to blog about Valentine’s Day, Love, getting older – and fitness.
These subjects came up in my life just lately, when I noticed I’m getting older. Did you ever realize, like me, that not long ago, you hopped drunk, from party to party, and suddenly every week another one of your body parts wants to see the doctor? Yes, that’s what I thought.
See, I’m trying to keep myself in acceptable shape, but I never considered myself being a person who gets up at 6 am to go jogging! – And I proved myself right!
In many ways, I do have problems to comprehend some people’s fitness obsession. A friend of mine bought herself an electronic counter to check meticulously how many calories she burns – at home! I didn’t drive myself to that extreme… I got a motion sensor.
I admit I don’t want to look skinny. I want to look like I can kick someone’s ass! It’s much more fun to be underestimated. Just in case someone wonders: yes, I do work out – at least once, but occasionally up to four times a week. And even if I don’t look like it, I can kick someone’s ass.
But workout or not, the progressing age is unmistakable. Again, not too long ago I couldn’t pass a construction site without hearing the well-known whistles or exchanging secret smiles or sexy leers. Nowadays I can’t even wink anymore! When I tried to act sexy last time and wink to a guy, I ended up in a clinic – with a suspected stroke!
Once again, on Valentine’s Day, I’m single. No flowers, no chocolate, no hearts, no love letters, nothing. It’s a bit sad, since I like – uhm… all of it. But hey, either you have someone who does that for you on his own account, or you don’t. Having a guy you need to remind… ain’t working for me.
But then, allow me a word on my own account, to my last lover:
“I know, you think, you’re a world class French-kisser. But please, French-kissing is generally ‘limited’ to the mouth. If I’d like someone slobbering all over my face, I’ll get myself a St. Bernard-puppy.
Oh – and by the way: when we made love the very last time… out of courtesy, I asked you politely if I was too heavy. Believe me, the answer “No, I always turn blue when having sex.” is really bad! No man should ever say, or even think that! You were supposed to suffocate with dignity!”
I think, I did all right, with permitting my readers and friends a peek into my private life, didn’t I? I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing this post. (And enjoyed a good laugh too!)
I’ll end this post with Oscar Wilde’s last words on the deathbed: “Either this wallpaper goes or I do!” – The wallpaper won.
I hope you enjoyed the giggles and I wish you and your loved ones:
For some time now I realize that very often the book cover varies significantly from the story of a book. Quite pronounced it shows in the genre ‘Historical Romance.’
Now, don’t get me wrong! I don’t mind that much! Unless of course, the story tells us of a golden-haired beauty and the cover shows a black-haired gypsy woman I often don’t care.
I’m not complaining about anything within the book! Very often Historical Romance tells us a story of two loving people in the medieval times, being pushed into an arranged marriage by society and their families and falling in love for the first time. Blessings to them! Falling in love is an exquisite feeling and should be enjoyed.
Let’s see: When I researched for this blog post, I have seen the U.S. covers of some of Virginia Henley’s older books and liked them a lot. By continuing the research, I discovered the German book covers of Virginia Henley’s books and laughed loudly.
Oh – no! Not what you think! I love them. They’re beautiful, they’re artistic, they’re intriguing, and they’re sexy. Just what I’d been expecting of the story. – But they don’t show anything historical in the lady’s dresses as they were around 1300 when the stories are supposed to take place.
Within the story, Virginia Henley talked about wide, flowing robes, made of light and beautiful fabric, unique and sexy, showing the women’s ‘ripe breasts’ and feminine curves.
Now, seeing these wonderful dresses on the cover pictures and carrying these images through reading the romance makes the fun twice as nice. Seeing the beautiful sexy ladies and the strong muscular, handsome men and reading about their eternal love makes for an enjoyable time.
At this point now I have to be fair and add that I don’t ‘blame’ Virginia Henley for anything. She’s a great writer, and I enjoyed reading the few books I have from her.
But I’m afraid, right now I have to ruin our dreams of sexy medieval ladies in wide hot high slit dresses of silk and purest sensuality.
The sad truth is that medieval ladies in their gowns looked more like this:
I figure every nun dresses sexier than these medieval ladies. But I as well understand that it would be a little, let’s say, ‘difficult’ for a lady to show yourself as being enormously sexy in a dress where the man of your dreams has to peel you out of that very same dress like an onion.
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When it comes to reading a medieval historical romance book, I’m the first one to admit that looking at a book cover like this wouldn’t tickle my ‘need’ to buy that book in the first place, let alone read it.
Now I’m curious: When it comes to historical romance or historical fiction, what do you think? Are we, as writers, permitted to add a little fantasy, a little imagination and a little cheating when it comes to the fashion – either on the cover or within the story? Or should we be very strict in sticking to facts? Please let us know your opinion in the comments.
Communication problems between men and women? No problem – just ask ZOE the Fabulous Feline. SHE knows about it!! Thanks Zoe for clearly showing us what we always wanted to know. 🙂
This is Zoe the Fabulous Feline with a fascinating—and of course, fabulous—topic for today’s story. Today I’d like to speak to you about one of the key differences between men and women. And I’m not talking about the plumbing, although, of course, there is that too.
No, I’m talking about that subject which women treasure and men despise. A subject that women welcome and seek out, while men are struck senseless with confusion and fear at just the thought of it all. I’m talking about talking. Conversation. Communication!
I can hear you from here. You’re just a cat.What can a cat tell us about how women and men communicate? I may be just a cat, but I live with a male human and a female human. What can I tell you about how they communicate? I can tell you in one word—differently. Actually, there are many other words I…
“I know, you think, you’re a world class French-kisser. But please, French-kissing is generally ‘limited’ to the mouth. If I’d like someone slobbering all over my face, I’ll get myself a St. Bernard-puppy.
Writer's Treasure Chest 
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