Inside the Male Mind-Thanksgiving Edition

By: Jordan Brandes

The male mind isn’t nearly as complex as most women assume. Truth be told most men are relatively easy to please. There is an old saying that the path to any man’s heart is through his stomach, while many men don’t like to admit it it’s by far the safest route to love.

If this sounds weird let’s not forget that food is in itself an aphrodisiac. There are the obvious ones like chocolate and strawberries but for men it works on many different levels. You would be amazed how effective a steak or lamb chops is in bringing out most men’s natural primal tendencies. This may sound like the wrong reaction at first but let’s be honest, the goal of any good aphrodisiac is finding a way to let your partner explore their primal instincts.

With Thanksgiving on its way remember that even the holidays is a good excuse to explore topics like this. Really good food can be a natural way to bring enjoyment to your partner and truly rev his engine. Think about while you’re passing the cranberry sauce next week.

New York Bound

From Fashion Fridays with Jess

Get ready New York City because you're about to be invaded with the glorious-ness that is me, Jessica (rep for Love, Lulu Mae)! This is the mini-cation for me and a business trip for my traveling buddy, but the 5 days/4 nights are going to be nothing but F-U-N!! We've got tickets to see my close friend in his Off Broadway show Our Town, directed by one of my favorite teachers from Columbia College Chicago-David Cromer. I get to see not one but TWO close guy friends who I haven't seen in years, and I'm just tickled that I get to revisit one of my favorite cities. Every time I've been in NY, it always feels like home. I never feel intimidated or out of place or lost. The sights, smells, sounds, people, places-all of it just makes me feel at ease and liberated. NY to me is like an old friend that I haven't seen in a while and we pick up right where we left off. I can't wait to see my old friend again.

As we all know one of the most important (and annoying) parts of traveling especially to such an active metropolis as NY is packing. And with all the travel restrictions and stupid baggage fees, only makes the packing experience that much more challenging. But this trip I am going to enjoy it. I found the cutest "old man suitcase" at the Unique Thrift and I purposely purchased it because it's a smaller suitcase than I usually travel with so as to make sure I don't over pack. Admittedly, I'm a bad over-packer because I want to make sure I bring enough and "have enough choices." So giving myself this challenge of packing smartly instead of bringing my entire closet is a good step for me. And with the weather both here and NYC being pretty equal right now (thank you Mother Nature) I'm able to get a good idea of what to bring.

Starting with overcoats, I'm bringing two. One which is classic and black and warm, just in case Mother Nature gets feisty and decides to take it out on us. And another overcoat which is a brilliant blue trench that I got in early spring, w/an awesome black long dress like hoodie. I've got my vintage plaid umbrella, which fits perfect for right now seeing as how the early 90's are back and plaid and flannels are all the rage again. The rest of my clothing options will be interchangeable. Couple pairs of pants, a dress, shirts, skirts, A sweater-which I will pair w/accompanying jewelry and will be able to be either dress up or pair down.

The most important part of this packing organization will be the shoes. Yes, I want to take ALL of my shoes with me, but I know that I can't (as much as it pains me deeply to type this). So I will be wearing my awesome new black/burgundy cowboy boots on the way there and in my sweet over sized bag from Spain I will take with me: my one of a kind Chuck T's (which look like black and white bowling shoes-very cute), my gold Mary Janes w/the small owls w/ruby eyes, and the boots that took me a year to pay- off my beautiful Ruby Red Fluevogs. Even just writing this is getting me excited to pack up and fly outta here!

One of the most challenging aspects for me with packing for a trip like this is HOW DO I GET ALL OF MY BATH PRODUCTS AND MAKE UP ON THE PLANE WITHOUT CAUSING A SECURITY BREECH?

The way I see it, I have 2 choices: I can either follow the stupid 3-1-1 Rule and hope for the best as I attempt to bring on two carry-ons or I can check in my old man suitcase and pay the stupid $15 fee and take as many liquids as I want. Here's the thing, I am addicted to bath products. After my bicycle accident the only thing I wanted to do was take a nice bath/shower or both and be whisked away by (not Calgons) the likes of Kiehls, Lush, and Alba. Yes, I admit that I have an addiction to smelling and feeling good and I am not going to apologize for it. The problem is how do I efficiently transport said addiction to NY?

Enter the "travel sizes."

Travel size toiletries are nothing new to me. I have some already and yes, I think they're adorable. They're cute and compact and cheap, what's not to love? So, we've got my love for all things cute mixed with my addiction for bathing et voila-it's a match made in bath product heaven. I did in fact go crazy with my purchasing power at CVS and got all stocked up on the mini-Listerine, the mini-toothpaste (regular and sensodyne), the mini Apricot facial scrub (which I never use but had to purchase), the mini-Q-Tip container, the mini-make up removing toiletries, added to my stock of the mini-face wash from Kiehls, the mini-lavender body wash from Kiehls and the list goes on and on. All my minis have filled up way more than a regulation quart-sized Zip Lock, so.....looks like I'll be checking in a bag and paying the $15 so I can bring my little pieces of relaxation. Hey, I gotta keep it real while I'm in the NYC and I'm REAL addicted to my showers and baths.

Regardless of what or how I pack, I'm just super grateful to be able to travel to such an exciting city, get some good face time in with old friends, eat good foods, walk through Central Park, go to Coffee Shop for Egg's Benedict, go to the Roebling Tea Room again, go to a couple music shops in Soho, sit on my friend's roof and take in the enormity that is NYC and Brooklyn in particular, and maybe just maybe I will finally get to Coney Island on this trip. This is going to be a great trip and I am thankful to be able to share it with you, and who knows maybe I'll come back with some good ideas and gifts for Lulu Mae!

Till next week....
Jess

TGIF!!!

~from fashion Fridays with Jess

Starting in the United States, it has become a common expression of relief at the end of the work week and anticipation of relaxing or partying over the weekend. The term was originated by the Akron, Ohio disk jockey Jerry Healy on radio station WAKR in the early 1970s. The phrase was further popularized by the 1978 movie starring Donna Summer, Thank God It’s Friday. The phrase has also become common for advertising and promotional materials. On college campuses beginning in the 1970s, the phrase (sometimes shortened to "TG") became associated with Friday afternoon beer parties, usually held outdoors.

Since starting back with blog writing for LLM, I have yearned, wanted, desired to do a TGIF piece. I mean, come on its TGIF time!! Go to happy hour somewhere, go see a movie, or just head home and get comfy in some PJ's and chill out!

I remember back in the day when my TGIF consisted of watching Full House and AFV, because the ABC Friday lineup was called TGIF. Ahh those were the days. Having slumber parties w/my BFFs; watching people fall down, over, and under things or being hit in the face or crotch with projectiles, playing dress up w/my mom's make up and clothes (she was a model in the 80's so she had awesome gear), making popcorn in a metal pot on the stove NOT in the microwave, and lipsynching to all the NKOTB songs. Those were the days before YouTube, Face Space, My Book, or even the internet really now that I think of it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful for technology and how advanced we are and how accessible we our to each other and others, but every now and then it's nice to take a step back and just enjoy being present instead of presently being consumed by what celebrity is doing whom or what's cool, right now, at this very second in cyberspace. And after you've spent all week working your heiny off, whether it be a full time job or full time at home, don't you just want to turn everything off, including the modern pacifier, ahem cell phone and just enjoy the day/night?

For my home not much has changed since the late 80's early 90's for our Friday nights. After a long work week we really enjoy being home and spending time w/each other. We still watch reruns of AFV because the new episodes aren't on till Sunday nights at 6pm, and it's still one of our favorite shows. Granted we will go out if there's a special event or if we're feeling particularly frisky for fun, but for the most part we just stay in and chill, and it's nice. The coming weekends are going to be construction weekends as we get ready for the Holiday Jubilee on Tues Dec 1st, so relaxing on Fridays is going to be imperative for this household. And then there's the holidays, which are fast approaching-WHAT??! How did this year go by so fast again? I swear just yesterday it was February and I was getting ready to take on new projects...

Don't forget to support your local artists and events during the weekends too! Check out Time Out Chicago for what's what with what in Chicago Events and Happenings. And let's give a big round of applause to our fellow Holiday Jubilee-er Coco Irene for having a wonderful spread in TOC this week! Go ladies!

Till Next Week....

TGIF EVERYONE!!!

The Times, They Are a Changing

~from Kitten Around Town

This week, the New York Times featured a piece by Op-Ed Columnist David Brooks on technology and dating. Brooks posits that with the development of cell phones and, specifically, texting technology, the dating world has become overwhelmed by the number of options that are made available by texting. We can now be out with one person and texting three others, trying to find our best option while operating multiple back burners. Brooks writes that this is a, perhaps less attractive, alternative to traditional courtship and monogamy.

I am not going to praise monogamy as the only possible way to have a relationship. Open relationships and polyamory can work. One only needs to look at recent media to see that long-term monogamy is a challenge that is easy to fail. Traditional courtship rituals, that often involved women waiting by the phone for a guy to call, are antiquated and focused on heterosexuality (which, at least to some extent, Brooks acknowledges). I will concede this, though: technology has made the dating game even more confusing. It was hard before, and now it is damn near impossible.

In his article, Brooks focuses on text messaging, but I would argue that both texting and social media (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc) have rewritten any rules that ever applied. I was in a long term relationship that started in the earlier part of the decade, and I have re-entered the dating world feeling totally clueless. When I was last single, it was normal to talk to someone you were seeing every few days. Now, with texting and Facebook-ing, no communication for a few hours, let alone a day, seems to be cause for panic. With Myspace and Google, we suddenly have unlimited access into people’s lives before we’ve even gone on a first date. Facebook provides us with hours of new neurosis – who is that cutie who is writing on my new sweeties wall? Wait – what does it mean that Jane Doe is no longer listed as single?

I agree with Brooks that texting is allowing folks to play the field more than ever before. Without it, seeing more than one person at a time was much trickier. The desire to commit to one person is diminished when the ability to have several options available all at once is a possibility. But this is not the only reason the landscape of dating and romance has changed. Where texting has slowed the pace in which people are entering into more exclusive arrangements, social media has accelerated the rate in which we get to know people (without really knowing them). And both have contributed to unrealistic expectations surrounding communication and, with that, a higher rate of neurosis.

I think that if I had my way, I would only communicate via handwritten letter. It seems so romantic, even if it is a bit inefficient. But technology is here to stay. I’m calling for an adjustment to how we integrate it into our dating lives. And if that doesn’t happen….can someone please send me the new rule book?

~Kitten LeFemme

BOO! Goblins, Ghouls, and Pumpkins oh my!

~From Fashion Fridays with Jess

Having returned from an unexpected trip to Sick Town for the past two weeks, I am pleased to be up and about, and healthy during my favorite holiday season, Halloween. Ah Halloween: The time for recitations of The Raven by Christopher Walken, Zombie Pumpkin Carving with the family, and super awesome dress up time!

More people than ever are going back to their closets for costume designs instead of just going to the store. Our still struggling economy has left a lot of folks in a lurch to locate a good costume on the cheap. A great place to start is your local thrift store. With 10 Chicago Halloweens under my costume belt I can assuredly tell you that the Brown Elephant is a great resource for creating an awesome costume, saving money, and helping others in the process. Believe it or not Metro Craft Supplies with all its weird and wild decorative options has helped me out with some last minute Halloween party AND costume ideas. I once created an entire costume just from the garland section at Metro and an American Apparel leotard.

This year, I luckily just happened to have an old crushed velvet purple dress dress w/a big huge pink bow on the front (an old find at an antique shoppe)- pairing that with purple heeled Mary Jane pumps from Aldo last year- and only spending $8 on some pink knee highs, BAM! I've got the perfect Baby Doll Costume! Now I can use all that money I saved to enjoy a fun night out with friends on Halloween instead of just having an expensive costume. If you are still looking for last minute tricks for your treats, the end all be all supply store Fantasy Costumes is open 24 hours from now till just after Halloween.

For some great family friendly Halloween activities check out these guides over at About.com and Explore Chicago. For those of us interested in the more mature activities of dress up and drink on the cheap, good ole Metromix Chicago is a good place to plan your evenings activities. Whatever your do this year, whether is spending special time with your own little ghouls and goblins or painting the town black and orange for the night, please be safe, have fun, and enjoy this holiday season. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

Muahhhhhhhhhh!

Locker Room Talk

~from Kitten Around Town

Third wave feminism has brought many happy contributions to the lives of modern gals, not the least of which being sex positive culture. Magazines like Bust feature one handed reads and women owned, women run sex toy stores like Good Vibrations and Chicago’s Early to Bed began cropping up around the country. Suddenly women were getting educated on not just how to have safer sex, but how to have great sex with a partner, partners or alone. Between workshops and general awareness, a movement of enlightenment about women’s bodies was born and we were all the better for it.

Men with female partners caught some benefits, too. Being with a lady who knows her body and what she likes is a big plus in the bedroom. There wasn’t, however, a noticeable revolution in how men talked about their own sexuality. Although men’s pleasure has always been more publicly discussed – Cosmopolitan magazine has an article on “10 Tips to Make His Toes Curl” every month…not so much in GQ – it has consistently been left in the, er, hands of women. Aside from locker room talk, men haven’t had many forums to talk about what makes them tick – or to ask about how to make their partners happy.

Early to Bed has changed all of that. Last week the store launched a new website, the male counterpart to their online store and resource center. Early to Rise features products that are made for men, debunking the myth that sex toys are only for gals, and has customer reviews of some the favorites. The site also contains an advice section and useful tips for bedroom technique. Like Early to Bed itself, Early to Rise has information and resources for queer, straight, gay and trans guys alike. Pass it along to your sweetie or favorite guy – it is much more informative, and much less smelly, than the locker room ever was.

Until Next Wednesday,
Kitten LeFemme

Bombshell Rehab

~ from Kitten Around Town

Every gal needs a good, go-to black purse. Black compliments everything, making a black bag an easy choice when you’re in need and don’t have something that exactly matches your outfit. The problem, of course, is that many bags look similar. It is hard to stand out when carrying a piece that looks like what is on every other stylish lady’s arm.

Enter Bombshell Rehab. Started by Chicago based designer Ania Grzesik, Bombshell Rehab features re-worked black purses (and other vintage finds). Grzesik has taken classic purses and added her unique, artistic flair to them by hand painting designs directly onto the leather. The concepts range from feminine wings to bold lightning bolts, and add color that contributes to the purses charm, making each a stand out piece without diminishing the original vintage charm.

Have fun shopping!
~Kitten LeFemme

CRAVE Chicago Winter Wonderland!

Greetings Lulu Lovers!

Mark your calendars for our annual "Holiday Jubilee" Shopping event in Chicago on Dec. 1st. Coco Irene, Cheesecake Handmade Beauty, PB and JAM (mz. Jessica McCloud and her man Pete!)and Chic Gems, are just a few of the fabulous vendors participating this year! Stay tuned for more details.

On a side note - Love, Lulu Mae would LOVE to participate in this event, too. Unfortunately, we'll be sipping margaritas on St. Thomas Island. Be sure to check it out - it's going to be a FABULOUS event!

What: Join your girlfriends for a captivating evening of opulence and magical events!
Where: The Historic Stan Mansion at 2408 N Kedzie in Chicago
When: Wednesday, December 9th, 7-10pm

Baby, it’s cold outside! Join the Winter Wonderland CRAVEparty on December 9th to find your perfect holiday ensemble from one of Chicago’s most fabulous boutiques, all of which will be under one roof! No need to travel from boutique-to-boutique, we have them all here! A CRAVEparty is an exclusive, festive, glam-gal gathering of fun, entertainment, personal pampering, and sippin’ and noshin’ on great food.

FASHION & SIPS
Take advantage of the exclusive opportunity to pre-order the season’s chicest fashions from Chicagoland’s favorite boutiques, while enjoying gratis treats & cocktails!

SPA & SOOTHE
Indulge in complimentary mini-spa services to soothe your holiday-time stresses!

GIFTS GALORE
Don’t be greedy! Shop for something fabulous that those special people in your life will love!

We will be sure to have CRAVE information at our Holiday Jubilee!
xxooxxx,
LLM

Inside the Male Mind

My name is Jordan Brandes and it is a pleasure to be a part of the Love Lulu Mae family of bloggers. It my hope that my weekly posts brings in new perspectives and expands the range of an already fantastic business.

I want my column to focus on the male side of fashion and the art world. Let’s face it men thing very different from women and we don’t always agree. So whether you are deciding on a good place to eat or the right clothes to wear I hope that my column can help you out in some way.

Let’s start with the basics. First, guys it is time to start thinking with your wallets and not your libido. Those $150 jeans may sound cool but they’ll empty your pockets in no time. Stores like Armani Exchange and Hollister mean well but in this economy it should be as much about function as it is about fashion.

So suck it up and hit your local Target. It may take awhile to get used to but you will find that despite the significant price difference the pants do basically the same thing. More to the point just imagine what you can do with the money you’ve just saved. The possibilities are endless.

Jordan Brandes

Wild Things

~from fashion Fridays with Jess

I'm back! It's been a few weeks since I wrote here for LLM, and many apologies for my sudden hiatus. I will share with you that I've been busy creating a very special wedding piece and veil for a dear friend who is getting married this Saturday. Ahhh love. I love, love. It's what makes the world go round. Well, that and really fantastic movies, books, and music. Which leads me to my personal most anticipated film of the year: Where the Wild Things Are.

There could never be more appropriate timing for this film to come out. And with such indie powerhouses as Spike Jonze and The Arcade Fire, there is no doubt that this movie will deliver. The screenplay was written jointly by Spike Jonze and Mr Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius himself, Dave Eggers. Who incidentally wrote Wild Things, out now in hardcover and completely worth the read. It's a beautiful tribute and continuation of what Mr Sendak started so many years ago. It's the adult version of WtWTA for us, well-adults. I'm still in the thick of reading it and the imagery alone is worth your 20 bucks, "The porch overlooked the backyard, black in the cold of night, nothing out there but grey tree trunks, their bony fingers pinching brittle, shuddering leaves." Ahhh, my Max crown off to you sir! I like that Dave and Spike took it upon themselves to be the voices of our generation of Wild Things, and if the movie is anything like the book we are in for a real treat.

I could very easily turn this blog into a dissertation of what WtWTA means to me and how it shaped me as an artistic child, but this is a fashion focused blog so let's talk Where the Wild Things Are SWAG!!!! Can't live without a WtWTA mug or sweatshirt? Need to have WtWTA checks? Have to find or make your 2 year old a Max costume. Well look no further, for here is a breakdown (and links) of where you can find what you need. I spent the time researching so you don't have to:

But what am I going to wear to the movie??? Well, if you're NOT in Chicago or anywhere that it's only 43 degrees and rainy outside, you can sport this sassy frock from Metal Mulisha. Head over to Zappos for what I found was the cheapest price so far for this dress. Doll yourself up and head out for a night of Indie movie and music magic.

No pop culture happening would be complete without taking a trip over to Hot Topic. So run your little fingers over, don't walk to their site and check out the simple and a bit understated for them silhouette T-shirt for only $21.
T-shirts, T-shirts, and more T-shirts! No place better to look than ShopWiki. With over 76 selections to choose from, you should be able to find something to tame that Wild need in you to adorn yourself with the lovable creatures from the book.
Halloween is just around the corner....And if your child is yearning, pleading, begging to be Max, you have choices and options. There are lots of auctions on eBay right now for "Max Costumes" but the first and only place I would look to is: shop.com. Yes, they are technically pajamas, but at only $25 your kid will get a LOT of use out of them post Halloween and candy extravaganza!

Want to make your own costume for you or your children. Check out these fantastic instructional blogs now for ideas:www.designingmoms.blogspot.com , www.instructables.com, www.handmadenews.org, www.examiner.com
Do you still write out paper checks for purchases and bills? First off, why you still doing that-it's 2009? Secondly, I understand cause I still write the occasional check. Both my mate and I had the WtWTA checks for years and you can still custom order them at numerous online stores. One that we've trusted time and time again is checksinthemail.com, but they don't seem to carry the Wild Things checks anymore, but keep your eyes peeled as they may get them again after the movie comes out. You can find the WtWTA checks at buyonlinechecks.com, but I've never used them so just be careful when putting important info out there in the ether.

And now it's time to talk dolls. Yes, I had the WtWTA figurines well into adulthood. I actually received more of them for I think it was my 25th or 26th bday. I no longer own the awesome figurines as I donated them to some needy children last Christmas (yes, I'm totally awesome and giving). Now there's a heck of a lot more merchandise for you, the wild shopper! You have choices, so don't feel like you have to purchase the first 6-pack gift set you see. Entertainment Earth, Toyrocket.com, and Toystoreinc.com are a few to check out. Of course if you have your local ma and pa toy shoppe in your neighborhood, go give your hard earned money to them and enjoy playtime with your kiddo!

Of course the most valuable merchandise you can't purchase is the time you spend either reading to your littlest one, going to see the movie, or playing with the toys and wear-ables. While it is true that the "story" of the original Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, is not super complex or detailed, the message is powerful enough to capture a whole group of us "old kids" and move us to tears in anticipation. I for one am excited to be reminded of my youth and the importance of this specific book in my creative life.

Till next week......
Rarrrrrrr!