Ms. Ullman, back in her own voice, offered to treat everyone in the shop to a bra. “Bras all around,” she said. (There were a few giggles, but no takers.) She added six pairs of underwear to her order (“Stocking up”) and put it all on the company card. “I wear them during my work,” she said. “I never take those off.” Ms. Shen piled them into a shopping bag, and Ms. Ullman added, “Delicious little packets.”
“I’m going to treat myself to a new bra today,” Ms. Ullman sang.
Her errand completed, Ms. Ullman piled into the black chauffeured car that was waiting outside and sped uptown to Blue Tree, a Madison Avenue treasure chest stuffed with jewelry, accessories and cheerful kitsch. It’s owned by Phoebe Cates, a longtime friend. “There’s a great sense of humor with Phoebe’s stuff,” Ms. Ullman said.
At Blue Tree, she greeted the saleswomen cheerfully (“Hello, girls” she said brightly) and admired some chunky Lucite handbags patterned in frogs and fish. She toyed with a gold karaoke microphone and then slipped inside a door beneath the stairs. “It’s the kind of store where they let you use the bathroom,” she said.
Ivana Callahan, a saleswoman, said, “No they don’t.” But Ms. Ullman is an exception.
When she returned, she showed pictures of her dog, Oscar, and of her son, Johnny McKeown, her date to the Emmys last month. Then she went upstairs to browse the clothes.
She was drawn to a flowered fanny pack (being English she called it a “really trendy bum bag”) and a matching belted dress. “I’m just a funny-looking thing,” she said. “I was never known for my looks so I never cared how men perceived me. I love fashion and I love clothes, but I never dressed to please a man.”
