The Cat's Me-Wow: Doll Face Head Space

Sneaking that princess figure into my last post made me want to show you more of my dolls.  And no, not the creepy, lace-covered, porcelain kind, although I've got those in my parents' attic.  Just the candy-colored, normal kind that every kid -- and forty-year-old -- has stashed in her playroom-slash-craft room.  

Having Barbie on the brain means prime time to gab about the Hulu original comedy Dollface, which recently debuted Season 2.  For the uninitiated, LA transplant Jules (Kat Dennings) is dumped by her long-term boyfriend, a clueless cad who patronizingly calls her, yes, doll face.  On her own for the first time in years, Jules decides to reconnect with her college besties Madison (Brenda Song) and Stella (Shay Mitchell).  But being a girls' girl instead of a boyfriend girl is more difficult than she anticipates.  As is her dubious gig as a web designer for a lifestyle brand run by you-know-what-on-wheels Celeste (Malin Akerman).  Surrounded by the Allisons at the office -- a trio of mean girl yes women who all go by the same name -- Jules retreats further into her self-effacing shell, her dry wit unappreciated.  That is, until one of the Allisons (Esther Povitsky) breaks away and admits that being in the in crowd isn't all it's cracked up to be.  Suddenly at the center of a hybrid friend group, Jules reevaluates her career and juggles new romantic prospects (Criminal Minds's Matthew Gray Gubler and Katy Keene's Luke Cook), making her feel alive again, far from the plastic doll of her past.  

What's more, she has her cat.  And no, I'm not referring to cozy couch cuddles where Jules pours out her soul to some tabby who'd rather lick itself.  Jules has dream sequences in which her cat morphs into a walking, talking advisor, dropping harsh truths in the voice of the secretary from The Mindy Project (Beth Grant).  This cat lady gone loco, coupled with a beachy, retro theme song and Jules's apathetic-rather-than-perky persona make Dollface more than just another show about a twentysomething trying to figure it out.  It's refreshing to see a heroine who's the antithesis of a go-getter in a world overstuffed with suck-up pick-me's.  Not that Jules doesn't have plenty to learn.  But she grows in her own way, to the beat of her own spirit animal, one well-timed wisecrack at a time.

That said, I look forward to Season 3.  Maybe its feline fever dreams will feature a glitter box of crap decisions.  Or, at the very least, a high stakes hairball brawl.  

Katy Keene, Valentine Queen

Skirt: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection, DSW

To the Swoon and Back Necklace

Bag: Katy Perry Collection

Sweater: BCX, Macy's

Shoes: Betsey Johnson, DSW

Regal Romance Necklace 

Just when you thought Valentine's Day was over, Cupid drops off Katy Keene.  I found this one-season-wonder of a cancelled Riverdale spinoff on HBO Max and was hooked.  Having started life as an Archie Comic, Katy Keene's got the goods on dark glamour.  The intrigue!  The romance!  The fashion!  It's a drama that hits upon all the best and worst parts of being young and fabulous and broke in New York City, where someone just may be out to get you.  Title character Katy Keene (Lucy Hale) works as a personal shopper for the imperious Gloria Grandbilt (Katherine LaNasa) at Lacy's, a kind of spoof on Macy's, only much more high end.  But by night, she's a fashion designer, creating incredible one-of-a-kind costumes for her bestie Jorge (Jonny Beauchamp) to wear in his drag show.  It girl extraordinaire Pepper (Julia Chan) and new roommate Josie (Ashleigh Murray) -- yes, of Josie and the Pussycats fame -- round out Katy's coterie.  And then there's her hunky boyfriend KO (Zane Holtz), who's been by her side since high school.  Despite being a boxer with his own big dreams, his top priority is always his girl.  Yet for Katy, settling down with KO starts to seem less like a fairy tale ending and more like a middle working class rut.  What's more, despite Katy's pluck and determination, trying to break into fashion is fraught with struggle and heartbreak.  But perhaps her most daunting obstacle of all is finding out her dead mother's secret.  

Okay, so that's all very riveting.  But why is Katy Keene the Valentine queen?  Because she wears her heart on her sleeve -- and on her skirt and shoulder.  The girl hearts hearts, just like her mother before her, a flair affair reflected in her over-the-top outfits.  Peter Pan-collared tops, capes, and other feminine garb in red and pink fill Katy's closet.  Her look is very iconic, very bold, very glam noir comic book, befitting a dazzling denizen of the Archie universe. Yet more importantly, like all the best fashion, it tells the world who she is.

That's why it's so, er, disheartening when Katy falls in with (and to be a bit of a spoiler, under) misogynistic designer Guy LaMontagne (Luke Cook).  Successful but insecure, he preys on his young female apprentices, stealing their sketches and telling them what to wear.  In Katy's case, this means no hearts because they remind him of his nemesis, Gucci.  Not wanting to risk her career, Katy complies, pivoting to striking but soulless black.  Although she still looks fab, we know that her light's gone out.   

The series ends with a hopeful yet classic cliffhanger.  But I wanted more.  I don't know why the CW canned such a great show, but it's not like I haven't been there before (Good Girls, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, At Home with Amy Sedaris, that other Lucy Hale show Life Sentence . . .).  TV isn't always built to last, much like a honeymoon or every Bath and Body Works scent you ever loved.  So that's why we need to appreciate it while it's around.  My sister likes to think of a single-season show as a really long movie.  And when it ends ambiguously -- as it always does -- she leans into the ending she wanted.  Which is a lovely way to watch TV.   

And to live.

So, Katy Keene, Valentine queen, I say that you and KO rode off into the sunset after you became a  fashion designer bigger and better than Guy and Gucci combined.

And also that Guy got herpes.