o keep the lines of communication open,

e going to doesn’t take reservations, because it’s been about sexy short cocktail dresses 45 minutes and I’m still not dressed.Wigley suggests keeping it rough and masculine, such as a white T or dress shirt and tall black Docs.looks less rough and masculine, more Catholic schoolgirl.After settling on a grey, short-sleeved button-down, I realize I haven t even considered shoes yet, something I usually throw on without much thought.hey, my eyes are up here!making shoes really stand out, and therefore harder to choose.says Carrie, who s adopted a permanent smirk that s not making it any easier for me to face the outside world.After trying on sneakers, dress shoes and boat shoes, I resign myself to the fact that everything is going to feel awkward and march outside in my brown leather lace-up boots, bracing for immediate judgment and ridicule.But a funny thing happened.We make it through dinner and drinks at a few bars on trendy Dundas Street West, and aside from some lingering stares, still nothing.No cat calls, no heckles, no jeers, no disparaging remarks of any kind.Is it that Toronto s on the cutting edge of men s fashion, or was the Thursday night crowd just too drunk to care?An alcohol-free test had to be done, so I decided to see whether I could wear it doing everyday things during the day, such as walking my dog or meeting a friend for a coffee.This time opting for a white T-shirt and black Chuck Taylors, I grab my dog Agnes and head to Trinity-Bellwoods Park, and just as we re about to enter the off-leash area, I see a twenty-something guy in a Jays cap, white T-shirt and denim vest staring at me.Hey man, is that a Rick Owens skirt?he says before putting his headphones back on and walking away.a 1971 Harley-Davidson still in the original pink paint gets enough odd stares as is.Instead, I opt for the bicycle to meet my friend Ryan, who works at the Soho Metropolitan hotel, for coffee.What s wrong with you today?he asks, laughing, but also seeming genuinely concerned until I explain that I m test driving the skirt sexy cocktail dresses to see how feasible it is.He introduces me to Robin, a consultant who lives at the Soho.I quietly did already.I was sitting on the patio when you walked in, and I just thought What s with this guy?I guess he s trying to be edgy, but he looks like a transvestite from Scotland.With that, I head back home on my bicycle, and as the hot, stagnant wind hits me, I actually wish the skirt didn t have the built-in shorts.To cool off, I picture Marilyn Monroe standing above the subway grate in The Seven Year Itch, but in the back of my mind I can t help but think everyone is calling me a Scottish transvestite under their breath.At this point, I just want to go back to the world of two leg holes.Just then, I hear a loud whistle and turn to see a construction worker leaning out his truck window as he drives by.If my wife was with me, I know exactly what she d say: Now you know how we feel.years after her death, a slew of new books explore Marilyn Monroe s style legacyBetween Michelle Williams and Smash, the hit backstage musical TV show, you can’t escape Marilyn Monroe.Particularly this week, when Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the star’s death, at 36, of a barbiturate overdose.which elides fact and fiction in the last weekend of Monroe’s life, spent at Frank Sinatra’s Lake Tahoe resort.RelatedDioes Michelle Williams do Marilyn Monroe justice?Smash's second season itchIt follows her style influences as they alternate from bookish to elegantly sexy to bodacious bombshell.For example, Academy Award-winning costumer Charles LeMaire may have buttoned Monroe up to the neck in a forgettable frumpy brown suit for her 1954 wedding to Joe DiMaggio, but an earlier movie costume choice he made helped shape her iconic image.LeMaire draped Monroe in white ermine for her scene in 1950‘s All About Eve and the accessorizing stuck; she used mink stoles and satin wraps as vampy props later on, both onscreen and off.the infamous clingy rhinestone-studded nude slip.There are pleated cocktail dress other studio costumers in the mix, too, such as Orry-Kelly, Dorothy Jeakins and William Travilla.The Seven Year Itch immortalized thanks to a well-placed subway grate.As much as the slinking in white mink or the rustle of a taffeta gown tied in a girlish pink bow, the images of Monroe in casual tomboy style are memorable: her demure sweater-girl poses between takes while filming River of No Return in Banff; frolicking on the chilly Santa Monica beach swaddled in a bulky Mexican cardigan; the oversized Aran she wore to sing in Let’s Make Love.Lawrence Schiller s new photographic memoir, captures some of these later, poignant and often unguarded images behind the scenes on set, as Monroe s makeup artist fluffs her coif or she gleefully celebrates her last birthday, wearing an au courant Op Art patterned Jax outfit.the wardrobe was just window dressing.Sometimes people are embarrassed to talk about their situation if they feel their partner is better off than they are.So keep the lines of communication open, don’t be judgmental and seek advice from a neutral third party.If one person is bringing in debt, talk about whether you’re willing to take that on, or whether it’s better to wait to get married until after that debt is paid.most couples still opt for completely joined accounts, but there’s no method that necessarily leads to a more successful marriage, as long as you keep talking.So communicate, have those meetings about money on a regular basis to make sure what you’re doing is working, and if not, maybe you need to try a different route.There are flexible ways of approaching finances that provide individuals with more freedom.I’ve seen single accounts work.That way you can still surprise your spouse with a present or make impulse buys the other person may not approve of, she adds.Joint works best when one person takes on the money manager role and both are good communicators and have the same views about priorities.The next most popular option is havin