How come I didn't find those?

Magic.

Maria, the black pearls I got at Overstock had some shading to them that made them closer to being multihued than I was expecting. I still like them, and think they would be nice with that dress though.

Speaking of Overstock, ita-- are these basically the same thing as your pillows? [link]

I am always perplexed by women who seem to have matched not just jacket, skirt, and hat, but jacket, skirt, hat, shoes, and purse, all in the same (non-black) color.

I can do this once. With hot pink. I bought the suit and shoes ant the same time, and wore the shoes to the store to get everything else. It makes me feel very put together. Though, honestly, I feel even more put together when I wear the shoes, jacket and hat from this ensemble with teh black and white checked pants that have pink ladybugs embroidered on them and a bit of rick-rack (is it rick-rack if it's straight?) at the hem.

Oh, wait. No purse. Changing purses is way more than I am willing to do for a look. I'm more likely to decide that I just won't carry a purse.

Gorgeous bridesmaid dress, Maria. Maybe something in jet beading for the necklace? I know I'd like it. (eta: except now that I've gone and looked for some it's really quite expensive. I must have always looked at fakes before)

I am not wearing a slip. I don't think I own a slip. Another layer in the summertime= crzxy.

I'm leaving that typo, it's expressive.

a v-neck empire waist with beading right underneath the bust

Is the beading glass beads? Can you go to a bead store and find reasonable matches? You can make your own!

For that dress, I would suggest black shiny beads, or silver, or a dark shade of translucent purple. Probably anything with red in it would be too matchy-matchy with the dress. Other matching ideas are to match the necklace to any flowers they hold/wear, except where bridesmaids always seem to have pink flowers, and pink is so problematic for so many skintones.

No, Perk. Mine are thicker under the neck.

There may be some issues about the quality of the memory foam, but I didn't comparison shop when I bought mine, since they were the only ones I could find.

And I second you on the pearl colouring. They're still pretty! They're just not monochromatic.

Speaking of Magic, for Jesse.

and for the Huh WTF? file

[link]

I found that all the "negative" stereotypes of generation X were actually positive (like, brusque and focussed on the bottom line)

We are? I mean, okay, I'm brusque with the best of 'em, but... we are? And here I've been trying to live up to the slacker ideal in spite of my native type-A-ness.

(And is it just me, or is there a wee titch of gender weirdness in those go-getter Xers and earthy nurturing mommy boomers?)

Speaking of Magic, for Jesse.

Eee! I'm totally entering that EVERY DAY.

I am not very modest at all.

Huh.