In the interest of fairness, I will admit that I liked a few of the trendy little embellishments. I though some of the lace insets added an innocent sort of flair and the gathering can help cinch in the waistline for a more flattering look. Even the gathering around the bosom on certain shirts looked surprisingly good. However, I couldn't help feeling that, were it not for this project, I probably wouldn't have bought any of it.

The one line I couldn't bring myself to cross was the use of a technique called smocking. Smocking involves a series of small gathers stitched to thin elastic bands. It's used in a lot of children's ballet costumes. Currently, it's being employed in a number of strapless dresses and I have yet to see a person over the age of six who doesn't look ridiculous in it. I may be trying out a fair dose of girlishness, but I still have my pride. Oh wait, I think the Brazilian took care of that. Never mind.

he only shirts among my new haul that got much attention were the glittery mesh ones, and there's a fairly simple reason for that. Comments ranged from, “wow, nice, uh, sequins,” to “I think I can see your bra.” At least it proved that you can be girlish and provocative at the same time.