From
Bill Cosby to “Homeless and Sexy”
Veteran
Journalist Shares Memories
True
to journalistic ethics, here, a disclaimer. I started out
in journalism. Printers ink has colored my thumbs (and given
me asthma) since I first wrote kitschy columns for my high
school newspaper, and I loved fashion and New York even in
its grittier days when I was a publicist for the firm that
developed the “10 Best Dressed List” and ogled
the samples of Christian Dior samples in the stockpile of
“props” the business kept for photo shoot emergencies.
Perhaps this disclaimer explains why I was hooked from the
first moment I heard the title of Leslie C. Halpern’s
slim book Scantily Clad Truths. Add that to the amazing
list of media outlets Halpern has written for, and this provocative
teaser on the back cover of the book: “What really happened
when this young entertainment journalist in a sexy gold dress
rode the elevator with Bill Cosby?” and I was ready
to have some fun.
It turns out Scantily Clad was not quite what I expected.
It was much more. Call it a memoir of a journalist presented
in a permanent collection of her best material. Bit by bit,
a reader becomes familiar with Halpern. Her exceptional sense
of detail. Her humor. Her occasional bravery about drawing
conclusions about life as she explores life-altering anecdotes.
And, yes. They somehow all have something to do with clothing
from Mary Lou’s red lace panties to Homeless and Sexy’s
no-shirt-at-all.
Because Halpern had to select only the columns and essays
that fit with her theme, it made me wonder how many more books
are to come. Halpern’s work is easy to read, refreshing.
Most of us probably need her gentle take on life and humor
in these political times. |