When You Need a Lift
Woven into women’s underwear is a story of liberation and ingenuity. In 1913, getting dressed for a soirée, socialite Mary Phelps had a fashion emergency. She was eager to show off her new sheer gown with its plunging neckline, but her whalebone and steel-rod corset was poking through. With the help of a maid, two handkerchiefs and pink ribbon, Mary Phelps created a makeshift brassiere that was the sensation of the party. On November 3, 1914, Phelps received the first bra patent on record, which she eventually sold to the Warner Brothers Corset Company for $1500.
Image: Antique push-up bra on display in the Science Museum in London
Not Pretty in Pink
Except for a brief fling in my tween years, I’m not interested in pink. And anyway, back then it was the color violet that I begged my mom to let me paint my walls, and all I got was a crocheted purple afghan for the bed. I don’t think my current objection is philosophical, although one stab at fuchsia nail polish almost lost me a hipster friend. Pink just clashes with my skin tone.
Photo by Corrado Dalco
The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
I’ve been enticing men with my chocolate chip cookies for years, though way past the era when good cooking was part of the down payment for marriage. The recipe that I’m about to share took me years to discover, and it’s now my favorite. Two tips: Bake for less time than the recipe calls for, and if possible, use Callebaut bittersweet chocolate callet chips. (In L.A., I find them at Surfas.)
What’s Annoying You Today?
1. Listening to “he” used as a gender neutral pronoun, again
2. How dark it is at 7AM
3. 9% humidity wreaking havoc on my hair
4. Favorite t-shirt ripping at the seams after just 3 washings in cold water, delicate cycle
5. Cars making a right turn on a red light without checking for pedestrians (HELLO!)
Image via Partners & Spade
How to Cope When the Stakes Are High
With the World Series on (my team down 2-1) and the mid-term elections looking grim, I’m keeping all of my options on the table.
Late update: SF Giants win 11-7. Something must be working.
Image: Untitled (Madonna), circa 1950 by Martin Ramirez
Why I Care About Baseball
Tomorrow afternoon, California time, the San Francisco Giants will be warming up for the World Series. Even from 400 miles away, they’re still my team. These West Coast Giants are baseball’s equivalent of “always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” having competed in, but never yet won a world championship. As a kid, I used to watch the last-place Mets play in Shea Stadium, perched on my father’s lap. And In 1989, ten days after a major earthquake toppled a piece of the Bay Bridge, I went to Game 3 of the World Series draped in team colors, and wept, as 40,000 strong sang, “San Francisco, open your Golden Gate…” I like the social gatherings around sports and the way an entire city, no matter Democrat or Republican, can come together to root for victory.
Illustration by Hiroshi Tanabe
In Search of the Elusive Sweatpant
Shuffling around at home, or taking the dog for a neighborhood walk, I like my sweatpants plain, baggy, made out of cotton, with an elastic waistband and at least one pocket for poop bags and a key. When did this humdrum item become as hard to find as a travel agent? In the teeming metropolis of L.A. which I call home, boasting some of the finest retail outlets on the planet, all I can locate is “athletic” wear that is low-rise, hi-performance, overly spandexed, with a fit as tight as a drum, and as unlikely an item to want to lounge in as thong underwear. Any leads greatly appreciated. (No yoga pants, please!)
How to Spend Money When You’re Rich
51 years ago, the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and patronized by Solomon Guggenheim, opened on the edge of Central Park. I spent many happy days of my childhood there, and still remember the awe of stepping into what felt like a tubular space ship. Last May, thousands of miles away, I visited another Guggenheim museum, this one in a Venetian palazzo, originally the home of Peggy (Solomon’s niece), who like her uncle, was a superb collector of modern art. I love when rich people put their fortunes to good use.
Photograph of Peggy Guggenheim, 1924, by Man Ray
About this Site
FIRST PERSON SINGULAR is a guide to surviving, thriving and sometimes just getting through a single day. Created by Wendy Braitman (more…)
Follow First Person Singular
Greatest Hits
