3 Keepers & a Regret: Laura LeBleu
She launched a print magazine when everyone else was folding. What the founding editor of Geezer keeps — and the one thing she wishes she still had.
3 Keepers and a Regret is a recurring series on Retail Therapy on Substack where I ask people I admire to name 3 things they’d fight to keep — bought, inherited, stolen — and 1 thing they regret.
Who hasn’t wanted to start something from scratch? To own it and control it. For me, that would be a bookstore selling native plants. And serving amazing coffee. But no pastries, because I’d eat them all. Radio and I would work the hours we want, even though he’s not the best trained dog and sometimes jumps on people. But before I’ve finished dreaming, I’ve done the math. My idea would be a financial disaster — even celebrity authors have a tough go making the numbers work for a bookstore. And I’m over it.
Which is why I’m so glad the world has people like Laura LeBleu, founding editor of Geezer magazine. Where I can only see dollar signs, she did the thing. And I respect the hell out of her for that. She’s taken the idea and created a print publication – when nearly all have shut down – for “readers who believe in kicking ass in their second half.”
When I got my first copy of Geezer in the mail, I couldn’t figure out what it was. The over-large envelope (11 x 15) was from a return address I didn’t recognize. I figured it was something else I didn’t remember buying. When I opened it to reveal Issue No. 2 I was like a kid with the toy catalog at Christmas. This thing was awesome. Way bigger than any mail I typically get and far better than anything close to that heft in paper.
It’s gorgeous, a true work of art with pieces written by talented writers getting paid for their words. Geezer is a magazine that doubles as a coffee table book. I have mine out on display – proudly. Below is the cover of issue No. 2 with awesome art by jay samit.
Three Keepers
3 things you’d fight to keep — bought, inherited, stolen
No. 1 — My diamond ring
My diamond ring, passed down from generations of women.
The lore is that my family was “minor royalty” in Germany, forced to flee an uprising in the mid-1800s. The women sewed their best jewelry into their clothing before setting out on an afternoon stroll. The family never returned home, catching a boat for the United States instead. This is the last of that jewelry, and even when my grandmother was 15 and penniless—canning spinach at the Del Monte factory in Monterey, California to support her brothers—she kept the ring.
I wear it every day to remind me of the strength and resilience of the woman who came before me. Read the full story of the ring at Open Secrets Magazine!
No. 2 — Wonder Woman mosaic portrait
I have been lucky to be surrounded by talented artists for most of my life, and the inimitable Jason Mecier is one of them.
He creates brilliant mosaics out of random stuff, turning trash into triumphs like my 36 x 26 inch portrait of Wonder Woman. (I also own a smaller portrait of Bette Davis made of beans and noodles.) If you look closely, you’ll see all sorts of hidden pop culture gems: a Krylon glitter container, half of what I’m pretty sure is Ultraman, an “I voted” sticker next to a used Hunt’s ketchup packet. Her skin is made of lyrics from Lynda Carter’s 1978 album, Portrait! (That’s meta on meta on meta.)
Jason and I used to perform together in San Francisco, doing these crazy drag queen rock musicals back in the 90s — so not only do I love the aesthetics of his artwork, but it reminds me of a time that is very close to my heart. Like, seriously...I used to be cool!
No. 3 — My mom’s groovy halter dress
This vintage 1970s halter was somewhere in my mom’s closet growing up, but I don’t remember appropriating it until I was in college. This, along with another super-cool 1960s mini-dress that I used as a costume when I played a hooker in the musical Sweet Charity, are the only two pieces of clothing I dragged with me throughout my life.
The audacity of these colors, the unrepentant jungle pattern, the insouciant plunge of the neckline – I love, love, love them all. While I’m not very flashy in my everyday wear, give me a chance to rock a costume in the right environment (this pic was taken during a friend’s roller-skating birthday party — so, yes, I am accessorizing with skates), and it is ON.
One Regret
now the regret
RIP my Ann Demeulemeester riding boots
While I’m in no way a fashionista, as the OG influencers were called, I have always understood the importance of quality footwear. Which is why in 2007 I plonked down $250 I didn’t have for a gorgeous pair of iconic black riding boots by Ann Demeulemeester, down from $800 at one of Barney’s legendary NYC warehouse sales.
At the time, I was an associate creative director in the advertising industry, which is second only to the fashion world in snobbery. In fact, one of my big clients was Louis Vuitton. So when I found these boots in my size I nabbed them on the spot. They made me feel powerful and posh, the perfect combination for an ambitious creative professional.
Sadly, they did not survive the great bed bug invasion of 2009, when I had to throw out everything I couldn’t heat to a bazillion degrees in the dryer. I remember the sadness of the moment when I said goodbye, shoving them unceremoniously into a large, sad trash bag. In hindsight, I should have sealed them up and shoved them in the back of my closet for a few years. But you don’t mess around when bed bugs come out to play, so I cut bait on anything that didn’t have sentimental value. Alas, in their absence, their sentimental value has grown.
Why I’m Still Shopping
Unlike Laura, I never was cool. I don’t have any royalty bloodlines or centuries-old diamonds, either. But what stories!
Now, I just want to be comfortable in my own skin, and I try by buying things. I’m far better off surrounding myself with people who are authentically themselves, shopping be damned.
When I travel, I never put a suitcase on the ground of any hotel room because I have a fear of what I might take home with me in the form of bed bugs. I also stopped using the coffee maker in the room, but that’s for another day. And apparently if we’ve got great stuff, bed bugs will come for all of us, anyway.
Today, instead of shopping, I’m supporting dreamers who are believers. They are making things happen in the world, and we can’t have enough of them.
Thanks to Laura LeBleu for playing. No matter your age, you won’t want to miss out on Geezer magazine showing up in your mailbox. It’s a real treat!
When life stops making sense, we shop. More soon.
