Last night I finished my first book of the new year, The Fran Lebowitz Reader, which was to say the least, the perfect jumpstart to my 2011 goal of returning to major critical thinking and social criticism.  I’m absolutely positive that my sharpness has waned just a bit as a result of graduating and having less group discourse on topics like gender, poverty, and race.  I thank you Fran Lebowitz for pushing me back in the right direction.

Isn’t Fran incredibly stylish?  She had me at the round tortoise-shell sunglasses.  Do an image search of her and you will not be disappointed.  She wears loafers and men’s suits as if the look only belongs to her, and has perfected the admirable style of uniform dressing.  In September 2007, she was named one of the year’s most stylish women in Vanity Fair’s 68th Annual International Best-Dressed List, just saying!  Her social commentary on fashion, models, photographers, and artists are absolutely hilarious so please get your hands on anything Fran Lebowitz.

I love this short remix I found of Fran Lebowitz on Vimeo. If you want to see more, I highly recommend Martin Scorsese’s documentary on Fran Lebowitz entitled Public Speaking. The film is hilarious and aired last month on HBO, so I’m sure you’ll be able to find it.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Lebowitz quotes: “Polite conversation is rarely either.”