PURDY MODELS AND MANDY Z.

I WAS TAUGHT FROM MY WEE LITTLE BRAT YEARS, THAT MAINTAINING A CERTAIN PRESENCE, FROM THE MOMENT YOU WALK OUT YOUR FRONT DOOR, IS THE JOB OF A LADY. Growing up our family constantly had a cash flow problem, but my mother taught my sister and I that whether you shop at Goodwill or Barney’s, looking well groomed would keep people from knowing any different. I think this may be where my obsession for nail painting came to fruition. Anyhow, somehow we ended up in private school, a bit humiliated as we arrived every day in the rusty ‘green machine’ ’73 Nova, but my friends for some reason thought I lived in a huge mansion by the way I dressed. (I never got around to letting them come over, as they would then find out the truth, and now I had a rep to uphold.)

The same rule applies today. A true lady would never step a foot out her door without a swipe of gloss, well manicured nails, and her hair combed. It distresses me when I see a smartly dressed women with a claw comb to keep her hair back. You are doing a disservice to your wardrobe. Even a pony can look sleek if done right.

This of course, is already assuming you iron your clothes, hang dry your blacks to keep them from fading, polish your shoes, etc.

Your hair is the perfect accessory to any wardrobe, whatever that may be – get a good cut. Personally, my haircuts grow out extremely well (see older blog, “why I love my haircuts.”) They can last for months, making the investment much greater. If you spend less money in between my cuts to save money you will just end up back in my chair, dissatisfied by another stylists lack of training. Sure, they mean well, but I know what I am doing. You can let your hair grow out for up to a year, you can come back every 6 weeks, whatever suits you. BUT, either way, you wear your hair everyday, and personally, I don’t want to have to wake up and ‘deal’ with my hair. I want my hair to compliment my clothes, I want my hair to look good even when I feel like shit. I want my hair to be a fake representation of class when I may be sporting a wife beater under my coat because I ran to the store. I even tend to believe I have to have the perfect ‘Jeep Wrangler’ hair – you can’t drive one and not look the part, I would again be doing a disservice to my car. (OK, I think I may place a little more importance on my ‘items’ then I should.) But you work hard for them, treat them right. That, and I really think my hair makes my ten dollar shades look like a million bucks. See, good hair adds value to everything!

MY POSSE: MASTA Z,

ALEXIS OF JASMINE PHOTOGRAPHY, ALISA OF PORTLAND PICKS.