Thursday, May 06, 2010

#83: Stacey vs. the BSC
In this corner: your friends! Say hello to them!
And in this corner: the most sophisticated damn teenager to ever grace the state of Connecticut! She wears turquoise wool slacks, people!

I was very moved by this book back in 1995. I mean, secretly moved. Because there was no way you could've gotten me to publicly admit that I read it. I was all "wow. This is truly the end of an era." This book was my Kennedy assassination. Devastating.

So, yeah, Stacey quit. And/or was fired, depending on which fictional character you're siding with. Annnnnd then she rejoined the club four books later. What a drama queen. Oh, and then Dawn jetted off to California one book after that! And then Abby showed up out of nowhere, like the unwelcome reappearance of Angelina "Trash Bags" Pivarnick on the Jersey Shore reunion special.

Lotta turnover for the BSC in such a short span of time. Also, how pissed am I that Trash Bags is back for season 2? She's gonna have to beat up the beat pretty damn hard to win me over. (I'm sure she's concerned.)

"Anyway, Claudia the Chocoholic is thin, blemish-free, and stunning. She's Japanese-American, with gorgeous jet-black hair and almond-shaped eyes. And her outfits are as abstract as her paintings. That day, for example, she was wearing this super-baggy men's shirt that must have once belonged to a sumo wrestler, enormous light wool black trousers gathered at the waist with a silken sash, and old work boots. Her hair was pulled back with a barrette in the shape of a set of teeth. Very original, very cool."

Kishi, Lady Gaga would like to know if she can borrow your teeth barrette. Also, Claudia is so damn fashion forward. Replace the work boots with a pair of YSL pumps, and this is an outfit straight out of Karla's Closet. (Maybe minus the teeth barrette.)

"My mom raced into my bedroom, holding a pair of crisp, turquoise, light-wool slacks. 'Here they are!'"

See. Told ya. I bet you don't wear crisp turquoise light-wool slacks on your dates. That's because you're not sophisticated like Stacey. Sorry.

17 comments:

Sada said...

I'm 32 and I hardly ever even use the WORD "slacks," much less wear them. So basically what I'm saying? Is that you're right.

p.s. If I were to wear slacks, I fervently hope they'd be turquoise.

Ashley said...

Hahahaha, I couldn't agree more - Stacey quitting/getting the boot was the beginning of downward spiral.

I think the only pair of turquoise slacks I've ever seen was on The Golden Girls.

freehoney.blogspot.com

Danica said...

I know it's unpopular but I loved Abby. Possibly because by the time she showed I was sick of everybody else (Claudia and Jesse being the exceptions and Jesse only because what did she do besides dance ballet? I can't remember.) Abby's interests included Elvis and telling Kristy off - both of these things were very important to me as a child so.

Lis said...

I remember being very excited about Abby (since they made it into a hype thing) and then incredibly pissed off with the story arc that happened right before her introduction.

Strangely I don't remember much after Abby - it must have been right about then I stopped reading them. (Not on purpose! I got them through a book club thing and it magically stopped).

Emilys Vs The World said...

I can't even remember Abby? I've not long found your site and I was dying for updates cause I love it! I bought BSC books for 50 cents at the op shop! Ahh nostalgia! xo Emily

Emilys Vs The World said...
This post has been removed by the author.
Robyn said...

I can't remember Abby either! I have half a mind to go steal the books back from my baby sister to figure this out. But that would be wrong... right?

Also, LOVED your Karla's Closet reference, lol! That was totally where my mind went too, even before you said it! Ahh gotta love that Claudia.

Robyn
ChiChiSaysRobyn.blogspot.com

nikki said...

What the hell is Mallory watching on that cover?

I never read an Abby book until I became an adult. I like her - she has an actual personality and will call Kristy out on her shit. Those two will grow up to make a pair of ferocious lovers.

Kristen said...

I think at some point I think all these books start to blend together because seriously, a teeth barrette?

I also completely forgot about Abby. So much so that I'm indifferent to the character because I don't remember much about her.

Rachel said...

-If I'm not mistaken, this was the follow-up to the one where Stacey starts dating Robert (probably my favorite of all of the BSC books). She wears purple corduroy pants while playing in the snow, and I remember being SO JEALOUS.

-Can wool pants really be "crisp"? If so, people might want to stop petting sheep.

Clare said...

I never read this book, as my mom made me give up the BSC circa Stacey and the Cheerleaders. (Sad, huh? This book was only like 10 books after that and would have been such a fitting coda. But how was she to know?) Anyway, what is with the "light wool" invasion? Did it replace the "shirred dress" as the ghostwriters' go-to fashion staple?

Sonia said...

Um, a barrette in the shape of a set of teeth is sort of the opposite of abstract. Nice try, Ann M. Martin!

Laura @ Hungry and Frozen said...

What does light-wool even mean?

Also, this book affected me HARD, but not quite as hard as #100. Actually cried when they officially broke up. I mean, I was young, but still...

charmecia said...

ha ha i remember abby
i always thought abby was cool
and about damn time someone sticks up to kristy.
kristy was alright until book 45
but even now
i still dont like kristy.
the friends forever series fuels it even more
because man
was kristy such a bitch.
jessi is ok
until when i read book 125
mary anne in the middle
now i dont like jessi so much anymore
mallory is ok
but that whining phrase has got to be so annoying.
love claudia's outfits by the way

Kristin said...

I hated Abby. I was a loyal Kristy Thomas fan through and through. If Kristy had decided to become a cult leader instead of president of a babysitting club, I would have been in trouble. You know, if she was a real person. *cough*

Btw, this is your best entry ever. Awesome. "This book was my Kennedy assassination. Devastating."

ms.me said...

this was most definitely the beginning of the end but it also seems to be when the series began to get real. friends forever was a great ending.
i remember writing letters to ann m. martin telling her this is not what kids wear these days-lol!

Carly Findlay said...

you are onto something. Claudia Kishi was the Gaga of the literary world.

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