So, I’ve been re-reading Amy O’Dell’s book on Anna [Wintour] And I’ve discovered we have a lot in common. Like Anna, my stylist drops by my row house to blow out my hair each morning. Her name is Quanisha and she teaches at Bennet hair school 5 blocks away. So long as the grits are hot and the coffee is iced, Q is happy to hook me up before work. It takes a fashion village, darling! 

The only life worth living is the one you create.
​S1m0ne💋

It’s 3 days after Christmas and I’ve been flitting all around the house, gathering supplies for my epic layabout. 


The fireplace is crackling and sputtering with glee. And I, in my StuWeitzmans, am feeling qulte co-zy 


Why? It’s almost New Years, and I’m surrounded by my fav things: almond tea, Skinny Pop, and a mound of vintage couture in various stages of repair. Sip, snip, pull, pause, repeat. My mantra hasn’t really changed. Creating a life worth living requires Diana Ross level grit & glam.
​

In 2024 find me at the DollHouse with yards of skirt, discounted champagne, and an epic story to tell.

It’s Halloween in Washington, DC and if you know anything about moi, you know I prefer treats over tricks and cider mimosas over drug store candy. You should also know that I whole heartedly embrace any occasion where I can dress up as an icon from a bygone era…think Dorothy Dandridge, Marilyn Monroe, Nina Simone, Betty Davis, or Esther Jones (the real Betty Boop- I hope you plan on seeing the new musical featuring Jasmine Rogers).

This year, to celebrate the last day of October, I opted to channel the first black supermodel, Donyale Luna. To complete my transformation, I commissioned custom stilts (to catapult me up from 5’2” to 5’11”); switched from clear to blue contacts, and fabricated a seductive European accent akin to Luna’s. In addition, I cultivated a signature mode of communicating with others…all sinewy movements, dreamy expressions, and wide eyed wonderment.

A star was born around 11 a.m. on October 31, 2023. And died soon thereafter when my left stilt got tangled up in my leopard printed caftan. I guess it’s true, butterflies and moon goddesses prefer to float over rough terrain. 

Happiest of Halloweens and welcome to November, darlings.

Be the cake, xoxo
S1m0ne

Yoo Hoo Darling," Simone cooed as she glided up to me. 

"Hey Girl!," I said with a smile. “I haven't seen you since July.  Where have you been hiding?" 

"Not hiding, darling.  Just strategizing," Simone said.

"About what?!," I asked.

"How to navigate a government shut down." Simone quipped.

"What do u mean??," I asked.

"I’ve been contemplating how far off the grid I can go." Simone said.

"Considering your beauty regime, I’m thinking you can’t go far," I said.

"Don’t be so sure.” Simone countered. 

"Covid was good for one thing. I now know how to keep up appearances without a bi-weekly salon visit.”

“How is that?,” I asked.

"YouTube University," Simone said.

"What’s your channel?," I asked.

Coming soon, darling.

Be the cake🍰, xoxo

S1m0ne
SimoneButterfly.com
Fashion stories to inform & inspire

P.S. Are you enjoying my content? Tell my manager.😉

I decided to start the DollHouse renovation project in my bedroom. Here's how it started.

-- 🛁 🫧 -- 🧼🚿 -- 🛁 🫧 -- 🧼🚿 -- 🛁 🫧 -- 🧼🚿 -- 🛁 🫧 -- 🧼🚿 -- 🛁 🫧 -- 🧼🚿

The fifth contractor agreed with the previous four.  It will be damned difficult to install the claw footed high back soaking tub three feet from the canopied bed.  

Simone, true to form said little.  Instead, she tilted her head, blinked her large bright eyes and met his gaze with a faint smile.

He countered by gesturing wildly, shaking his head emphatically and repeating his pronouncement with more fervor.  

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

"There are no water pipes on this side of the room," he sputtered.  And, "anyway, why would anyone want a bathtub twenty feet from the loo?"

Obviously, he has never visited the Mansion on Forsyth Park (Savannah) or seen series one episode four of Miss Phryne Fisher's detective stories.  

Doesn't he know all DOLLIES require an elixir on occasion?.

Take away her 20 minute soak and her hearty Cotes du Rhone red and even our sweet little Simone just might meet them where they are....with a sword at the ready instead of a wand!

​I boarded the plane with a renewed sense of purpose. How do I curate a lifestyle similar to Minnie Belle's?   

From previous conversations, I  remembered Minnie had been on her own since she was widowed at 35.  Yet, her homes in DC, Cape May, St. Thomas, and Paris spoke of hidden assets. "Organized crime or something else?," I mused. The only thing I knew for certain was that she worked briefly as a model for Halston and then as a political activist in the Black Panther party. 

I closed my eyes and turned up the volume on the wind chimes playlist emanating from my gold MontBlanc-esque headphones purchased on E-bay.  I needed to spend less time focusing on Minnie and more time charting a new course.  I signaled the stewardess with the luxe lash extension, "Darling, may I have a tonic water and a lime?"

I pulled out my Betsey Johnson flask and splashed a finger's worth of gin into the plastic United Airlines cup. After switching my playlist to Betty Davis, I opened a new OneNote on my phone.  

Time for a new list.

S1m0ne's Spring 2023 Wish List (in no particular order)

1. Personal chef
2. Personal driver
3. Personal gardener (Are you sensing a theme?)
4. Hair/Makeup team
5. A cleaning service
6. A Macgyver of a boyfriend

S1m0ne's Spring 2023 List of Assets

1. DC row house (located between an open air drug market & a $900,000 townhouse)
2. Six-speed Dodge Challenger in cobalt blue
3. Five racks of clothes painstakingly collected since high school
4. A more than passable alto singing voice
5. Journalistic tendencies in the field of fashion
6. Direct access to the Holy Spirit

S1m0ne's Spring 2023 Deal Breakers

1. Thou shalt not neglect thy pre-dawn spiritual practices.
2. Thou shalt not be distracted by men with no legitimate streams of income.
3. Thou shalt not pay retail....ever.
4. Thou shalt only drink top shelf when at home. 
5. Thou shalt adopt a fitness regimen without paying a monthly membership.
6. Thou shalt not compare thyself to self-made social media mavens.

What will our little butterfly do next?