... Spend a few hours on this lovely Independence Day learning at the feet of that unlikely domestic goddess, Miss Joan Crawford? Here she is, reading from her 1971 magnum opus, My Way of Life. She's a complicated lady, Joan, and the book is alternately great fun and totally bonkers - sometimes in the course of a single sentence.

Go all out and embrace the caftan lifestyle?  Marisa Berenson certainly did!

...take a moment on this day that is devoted to all things foolish, and join me for a little while?

...fight off the winter blues by going all Gorey all of a sudden?

...don you now your gay apparel?

...frame your entire approach to this year's Hallowe'en in the context of this sublime work, Sally Cruikshank's magnificent Face Like a Frog?  Even if it's only all in your mind.

...cultivate an enigmatic expression?

After all, it was terribly effective on dear Miss Aline MacMahon here.  And her usually so jolly, too...

...go all out with accessories this spring?  What could dress up that drab old outfit more than a few smart touches?  Feeling daring?  Try them all at once for a look that's uniquely you!

...take up a hobby, like dear Miss Dinah Shore here?  Prolific!  While you're at it, be sure to match your palette to your sofa cushions, for that little something extra.  There's simply no such thing as Too Much Williamsburg Blue.

...attempt a climb up the slippery slope of Absolute Perfection? Babe Paley gave it her best shot - and very nearly achieved the summit. It didn't make her happy, but...

Actually, on second thought - why not stay home in your bathrobe and enjoy life a little?

...ratchet your look up a notch or two for your New Year's Eve festivities? What better model could you take, in terms of sheer more, than the divine Miss Ann? There's no hairdo that can't be made that much bigger, no eyes that can't use longer lashes, and no toilette that's truly complete without sequins, jewels, furs, and lashings of attitude, MGM-style.

I mean, seriously. Ann Miller. Just think "star" and take it from there. You know you want to...

Shake off the post-Hallowe'en blues by taking a nice hot bath in your best jewels? Look how jolly it's made dear Princess Margaret. Her signature tiara may have ended up on the auction block, but it was all great fun while it lasted...

...spend some time perfecting the art of making an entrance? All the best people are doing it. Especially Beardsley heroines. And goddesses...

...drop last year's tired old Mid-Century Modern off at Goodwill and go all out Neo-Deco-Georgian, en style Dorothy Draper? So much more soothing...

...cultivate an air of mystery? Surprise your guests by lurking, masked, in the conservatory...

...Stay limber by lounging in the lotus position on your bearskin rug? It works like a charm for Mexican superstar María Félix!

Actually, I'm rather entranced by La Félix's taste in decorating - her fetching drawing room would appear to be a unique blend of Louis Something, Pre-Columbiana, and Self Worship, all brought together as one by the bearskin. That's a style I can identify with.

Consider nurturing a hitherto unsuspected talent? You just might find yourself the life of the party! Or not.

...give Mr. Roger carte blanche the next time you pop down to your local salon? The results might surprise you!

...reconsider solids? Cecil Beaton did, for the charming drawing room of his Manhattan pied-à-terre, to considerable effect.

I, of all people, hate to admit it, but it appears to be so: it doesn't have to be all about flowered chintz and Toile de Jouy. Dammit.

...try wearing a mink shrug over your full length ermine? It's warm and such an intriguing constrast! Not to mention just the thing to wear while lounging on your favorite neo-pharaonic fauteuil.

(I think I'm so intrigued by this photo because it would seem that Miss Francis, ever the clotheshorse, has stolen more or less entirely my Oscar outfit...)