Have we met?

So. If you don't know me, you're thinking, "What?". A Jewish girl in Wasp's clothing? How can this be? At first glance, I've got a bow in my hair, pearls around my neck, and I'm dressed in Easter-colored cable knit. But sit down and chat with me and you'll learn that I was raised in very sheltered jewish communities in South Florida and, ironically, North Texas, and that I didn't make my first non-Jewish friends until I entered college. My Wasp friends now largely outnumber my Jewish friends.

I've always been different. I am the girliest girl I know with a name so UN-girly that people were perpetually expecting to meet a boy and were surprised to be greeted by me. My parents traveled to Europe often when I was younger and brought back 'baby couture'. While all of the other little girls at Beth Am were dressed in pink and purple, I was clad in black Sonia Rykiel. Five year olds do not have the capacity to appreciate designer clothing. It is not quite yet in their realm or on their radar. (Though they may certainly be aware. When I was three, I broke my snack time pretzels into pieces and put 2 of the curves back together artfully into interlocking C's. "Look!" I exclaimed as I tugged on my teacher's hand, "It's Chanel!" That story went around Beth Am for years. I was a legend.) In any event, little girls aren't looking to stand out. They want to blend into the sea of magenta with the rest of their gal pals.

My parents are closeted preppies. They will deny it until the end of the world (Hi Mom), but they've had a significant impact on my Waspiness. I didn't just wake up one day and think, "I'm going to be different than every Jew I've ever met." In Miami, the Jews are jazzy. In Dallas, they're down to earth. Both great qualities, but neither of them quite mine. My parents live for Ralph Lauren, monogram everything from pillows to gloves, and take us to visit the Hamptons every summer. Even my little sister, who looks at my printed Lilly Pulitzer dresses in horror, has a secret affinity for madras. Sorry, guys. The gig is up. Step out of that closet with pride. We're Waspy Jews!

We're a dying breed, aren't we? Anyone who is reading this with a Star of David tucked carefully under their popped collar knows what I'm talking about. I work for a luxury shelter publication, which really has nothing to do with being Jewish or being a Wasp, but I am aware that there are few people left with such a specific view of life and society. What happened to appreciating the finer things of life? Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster by Dana Thomas is high up on my to-read list. I can't quite grasp what is going on in the economy right now, and I've got to figure out how to wrap my mind around it in some way.

I'm going off on a tangent, and if I keep writing, I'll go off on many more. So, there you go. This is me. A Jewish girl in Wasp's clothing.