A VOGUE moment, or sixty.

VOGUE is back. Back in my mailbox. Back in my life. Back on top, as far as I'm concerned.

After a brief hiatus from my monthly magazine stack - ahem, must have been an accounting oversight - VOGUE has made a re-entry and with it become an object of my affection. I've always been a fan, if only for its obvious industry influence, appeal and storied status and lore. I've been on the 12th floor at Conde Nast, seen the glass doors behind which a cadre of uber-fashionable tastemakers live, work, breathe and cower. Also behind which are covetable clothing, accessories and, well, lifestyles. I'm not one to discount VOGUE's reach or power, or their ability to put together an amazing lookbook of style. But, it no longer was the publication I lived for. It is now.

Could have been the missed months (three to be exact - Michelle Obama was my last cover). Could have been it was the model issue. Could have been Coco Rocha's fire and ice personified. Could have been Lyn Yaeger's testimony on the difficulty of reconciling a love for buying beautiful things during an economic downturn and newly restricted budget [On the market]. That alone touched a personal nerve. Could have been that every page - EVERY PAGE - brought a gasp of delight and inspiration. And it could just be, and probably is, that VOGUE is, well, VOGUE. Indomitable, ever-chic, interesting, and always on top. You never forget your first love.

Welcome back and thank you.

She's got legs.

This winter I'm mildly, OK more than mildly, obsessed with legwear. I've had colored stems (a fancy way to say I've been wearing tights) for 6 days straight with little color repeat. Each time I pull open my hosiery drawer I'm instantly mesmerized by its vibrant color spectrum. You see, one benefit of having a primarily-black wardrobe is the ability to wear color in my accessories. So goes it with my bold heels (current love: Jerome C. Rousseau Dragon Pump), rainbow of Lucite and now, opaque tights.

I haven't been shy about purchasing said colorful tights. And I haven't been shy about touting their virtue to any and everyone that will listen. (Tune into the N&O's Living in Style - out December 6 - spread for a 'how-to' on opaque legwear.) Stocked with a chic rainbow of leggings and tights, why do I secretly long for PVC leggings? I'd even settle for shiny lame' because PVC does seem better-suited for floating on than putting on. After much debate (OK, it took seeing, for the 15th time, a kick-ass picture of Kate Moss sporting a pair) I've taken the plunge. American Apparel is on my side and will now deliver one pair of black lame' leggings to my doorstep. Time, and a full-length mirror, will determine if they'll see the outside world. . .

In the name of fashion.

Dragon pump, Jerome C. Rousseau

In my next life

I'd like to come back as a magazine editor.
Or her.