NEW JERSEY TURKEY DELIGHT

It was the day after Thanksgiving, and even though I modified my mother's recipe by one-eighth, I still had enough leftovers to feed a small congregation.


Technically, I was alone for the holiday. But, with two Portuguese water dogs and a house-sitting assignment in Cape May, I was far from lonely.


Since the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards in early November, I have been sheltering in a renovated Victorian beach house owned by Minnie Belle, a former Halston model who once worked as Shirley Chisolm's campaign manager. Minnie hired me to watch her house while she scouts humpback whales with her boyfriend in Alaska.

In addition to $500 a week, Minnie gifted me the keys to her three closets and SAINT, her 1966 Volvo P1800 convertible.


Tonight, like every other night since I arrived, I lit a Juniper candle and attempted to recreate a look from the spring/summer collections. Today I channeled Victoria Beckham and selected a pale pink, bias-cut, ankle-length gown from closet #3. Minnie didn’t own a Victoria Beckham heavily fringed handbag, so I tucked one of her oversized velvet shawls under my arm instead. It was surprisingly convincing

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