No oil painting. This British expression is unflattering. Of course, great artists may capture spirit or character more than beauty. El Greco excelled in painting religious subjects whose faith transcends the canvas.
NOT AN OIL PAINTING
Sheik and Chic Diva
One Dress, One Day's protagonists: a thief and a barmaid live life like the Sheik and a soap opera diva.
A SERVANT’S HEART
In Mexican and South American soap operas or telenovelas, there is always a cook, cleaner or nanny with a heart of gold. One House, One Day follows the pattern with Consuelo. A minor character, she never fails to charm us.
WHITE DRESS IN THE WINDOW
Any white dress? As a wedding dress will do? The headless mannequin in the vitrine of a boutique or in a shop window above a cell phone repair joint reminds me of the blank bride.
Madonna: Inspiring Triple Threat
ELO’s Telephone Line and Madonna’s Hung Up. These are two of the top pop songs relating romantic angst with a dial tone and base beat.
Con Artists in Life and Literature
Two Characters in One Dress, One Day cheat, steal and manipulate. Psychopathic or Machiavellian? What’s the difference? If you’ve been conned, you still wonder.
Graffiti or Street Art?
Graffiti in One Dress, One Day but back in 1990. Times have changed.
Fan, Fetish, Fashion: It’s never just a wedding dress
The women who have kept their prom dress or wedding gown or a child’s first jumper recognize the impact of memory. My friend, Mary, gave me the heavily beaded, sequined top of a formal gown her mother once wore in the presence of the Shah of Iran. It remains a vintage item, a small heritage, that I treasure as much as she did.
