The Fail's Louise Chunn writes a moving first-person account of her journey from the confines of "a fashion-forward greige silk dress, very loose cut, with sleeves over the elbow and hem just skimming the knee" to the cleavage-enhancing embrace of clothes her husband and male friends approve of. Dressing for a friend's party, she jettisons the dress and reflects "I know [my husband] likes me in a pair of close-cut, dark denim, cropped jeans I recently bought in New York - as he tells me so virtually every time I wear them." So she dons the jeans, plus peep-toe heels, and rejoices: "I had more than enough flattering comments and looks to make me acknowledge that I had made the right decision." Chunn explains,

I am not saying that every last item in your wardrobe ought to be chosen with an eye on men's fantasy fashion league, but going to a party with a partner who likes what you're wearing is surely a more pleasing proposal than sticking to your fashion guns, come hell or high water.

I know it's a figure of speech, but shouldn't Chunn's husband "like her" no matter what she wears? And is every sartorial decision really a choice between pleasing men and being a slave to fashion? What about pleasing yourself? According to Chunn's "fashion editor friend, Lisa Armstrong," that concept doesn't exist. She says,

Very roughly, you could say that fashion falls into clothes to get you laid, and clothes that you wear for other women.

Zzzz. Has anyone not heard some lame guy at a party spout the old "women dress for other women" line? Can't a fashion editor do better? Well, sort of, and sort of not. Armstrong continues:

In the Eighties, you were dressing to show you were successful and had status. Nowadays, the aim among many women is to show that you have a fantastic body.

It's not clear whether "showing you a fantastic body" is something you do to shame other women or to seduce men. But Armstrong, like Chunn, stolidly ignores the idea that fashion might be, like, fun. I for one always find strict definitions of sexy clothing to be the exact opposite of fun. After an adolescence during which I frequently tried to dress "hot" and usually felt awkward, I've come to terms with the fact that I have small boobs and skinny legs, and the "tight, shiny, black, with buckles" aesthetic that Dr. Alex Comfort recommends to Chunn usually makes me look like a slightly weathered, gothed-out twelve-year old. I always chafe when men — or women — tell me to dress "sexier," because I don't feel sexy in black or revealing clothes. And I know I'm actually more attractive when I'm not constantly tugging my hemline and feeling like a poser.

There's a deeper issue here than attractiveness, of course. Women dress for a lot of different reasons — and hopefully, plenty of these reasons are their own. Sure, sometimes women want to impress their husbands/dates/fuck-buddies. But in a world where we get plenty of unwanted "comments and looks" no matter what we wear (as anyone who's been cat-called while wearing a parka knows), is it so strange that we might not want to look "sexy" every damn day? That we might want to look interesting, cool, funky, serious, scary, even ugly? And that our reasons for this might not have anything to do with pleasing other people? Yes, clothing is public, and people often get dressed with the expectation that they will be looked at. But the assumption that every fashion decision can be categorized into sexy or not sexy is pretty simplistic — it makes both sex and fashion sound a lot more boring than they are.

Why Is Fashion Such A Passion Killer? [Daily Mail]

• Is Josh Davis Photography the Glamour Shots of the 21st-century?• Meanwhile, what is with the surge in popularity of people uploading their embarrassing late-'80s and early-'90s mall and school portraits on the internet? (Keep sending those Past Fashions!) • Psycho shut-ins rejoice! The Japanese have invented a tiny virtual girlfriend that you can pointlessly torture to make up for the fact you have no friends. • Recent police raids in Nigeria revel a network of baby "factories" that illegally breed babies to sell to childless couples. • A woman whose husband died in 2006 while trying to scale the summit of Mount Hood, has written a book defending her husband and his climbing companion's decision to climb right as a storm moved in on the mountain. • Tyra Banks finds a way to make Barack Obama's historic election all about her. • The FDA has received 930 reports of health problems caused by wrinkle-fighting injections over the past 6 years. •

Just an idea of the awesome '70s graphic design. Elton is psyched to talk about sex!

Warren Beatty discusses what turns him on. A definable waist is a must.

Al Pacino's fantasy involves boredom and a seven foot woman. Anyone care to deconstruct?

Jack Nicholson wants you to help him vomit. Any volunteers?

Two or three dozen naked women, Telly? Seriously?

Tina Turner is awesome. That is all.

Elton John's theme song is Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me."

Dear Pam Grier, Did you hear the one about Truman Capote being gay?

Lucky Says: "Low-key (and sexy!) Hair and makeup" Where: On the cover, referring to the hair and makeup feature starting on page 180, specifically this type of eyeliner.

Lucky Says: "Sexy racerback straps" Where: page 102

Lucky Says: "Sweetly sexy silk dresses" Where: In the table of contents, referring to the dresses in the feature starting on page 95

Lucky Says: "These sexy peep-toe heels" Where: page 248

Lucky Says: "Makeup that's sexy and full of attitude" (Look familiar?) Where: page 180

Lucky Says: "Thick enough for a subtle, sexy shine, yet sheer enough to feel sophisticated and barely there." Where: page 168

Lucky Says: "Not only does this drape gorgeously, the deep front and keyhole back are amazingly sexy." Where: page 85

Lucky Says: " The key to making buttery yellow jeans super sexy is to wear them super-skinny." Where: page 256

Lucky Says: [Regarding smudging pale eyeshadow and dark eyeliner as opposed to smudging dark eyeshadow with dark eyeliner] "It's also significantly easier to do — and the sexy slept-in effect is the same." Where: page 184, part of the makeup feature starting on page 180

Lucky Says: "A sexy fresh blend of Egyptian Jasmine, Turkish Rose attar, and Damascus plum." Where: page 164

Lucky Says: "Sparkling and floral, this sophisticated fragrance is also sexy and mysterious." Where: On page 82, referring to another perfume featured again on page 164

Lucky Says: "As a manicure, it's too daring for me, but there are those who will pull it off; on toes, its sexy and funny, which is the best one can hope for in polish, no?" Where: page 176

"I think for women that appearance is a double edged sword," says Clara, as her nipples demonstrate that they could slice you.

"I use it to empower myself to get what I want," she says. But another woman in her office, she claims, steps over the boundary. "I'm uncomfortable, and if I'm uncomfortable it must be way over the line." (We can only assume they hired Anne for their accounting work.)

Too Sexy For Work? (iVillage)