You say goodbye and I say yellow

The Michael Jackson memorial service brought out a lot of star power with their sweet sentiments and heartfelt memories. For 90 minutes I sat glued to my desk, watching the streaming video. At times it felt voyeuristic -- looking in on friends and family say farewell to their loved one. But mostly it seemed like a concert -- with the who's who of Grammy winners performing in tribute.

And not to be insensitive to the fact that this was a person's memorial service, but this blog is about fashion and it needs to be said: Mariah Carey exceeded the limits of acceptable daytime cleavage (for a funeral service). Here's an easy way to check appropriateness. Ask yourself: Can the gown I chose to wear for today's memorial service be likened to one I wore to a carpet event? If the answer is "yes," you best keep looking through your closet.

Mariah Carey, today at MJ's memorial.

Mariah Cary, at the Apollo's 75th Anniversary Event. The look on the guy's face next to her is priceless!

Speaking of funeral fashion, the Internet is full of postings from people speculating why all the Jackson brothers wore matching yellow ties (and male performers wore yellow boutonnieres). Some speculate that yellow was MJ's favorite color (other sites list orange, pink, black, red and silver as his favorite). Someone wrote that they wore yellow because in the United States, a yellow ribbon is used as a symbol of solidarity with someone who is far from home, and an expression of hope that he or she will return safely and soon.

One site opined that the private memorial theme was "Wizard of Oz" and the yellow was for the yellow brick road. MJ played the Scarecrow in "The Wiz."

I must admit, I am curious about the real reason. It was mere coincidence that today I put on my exceedingly bright yellow blouse.

With today's glitzy, glamorous memorial, I can't help but think of my own big farewell party. And since we already know what shoes I want to be memorialized in, we can move on to other important issues -- like the soundtrack. Today, I realized I need Jennifer Hudson to perform "Will You Be There," a song I am uploading to my iPod right now. And if John Mayer wants to come and do a little guitar action, I'm cool with that too. Everyone can wear what they want -- no matching required. Just please keep the cleavage in check.

Blouse: Worthington
Skirt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Carlos Santana
Jewelry: Cookie Lee