If there's more to life than having ten dogs and designing retro bathing suits, Sheila Frank doesn't know what it is.

When I came across Sheila Frank, I immediately took notice of her retro bathing suits. These suits would look right at home on Betty Page (or if you're young and hip like that, let's say Katy Perry), but her other looks are thoroughly contemporary. They are simple, unique and elegant. We here at Chick tee dot com love the fact that her looks aren't just designed for barbie dolls, either: most of them will fit women of various body-types equally well, so you don't have to look like a model to, well, look like a model.

Sheila Frank's World

After trying to pose Sheila Frank (above, right) with makeup artist Sam Lennon (above, left) and their model (above, center, and below), Sheila just chilled out with them and had a laugh.

I visited with Sheila recently when she was in New York for a photoshoot. Crammed into a tiny bed-stuy appartment converted for use as a photo-studio, Sheila had assembled some amazing tallent. Interacting like seasoned pros, I was surprised that they had all met online and that they were all working for free in exchange for the right to use the photos in their portfolio. Sheila, on the other hand, hardly had to do anything, and when I asked her to stand next to the makeup artist and model for a picture she got uncomfotable and didn't know what to do -- it wasn't her place to be tinkering with makeup and so on. Eventually they just chatted and teased each other. Sheila said that on some occasions she would have the work sent away and not even gone to the shoot herself.

[Editors note: In honor of International Free Hugs Day, February 13, 2009, Chicktellectual.com is proud to promote the hugging of Lawyers by publishing this article.]

Like lawyers, killer whales (orcas) are often misunderstood, but are, in fact, quite huggable.

   Now I am not defending all lawyers or claiming that there are no slimeball, money-hungry attorneys out there, true to stereotype. But most of the lawyers I know are well-intentioned, albeit socially awkward, folk who made the unfortunate decision of going to law school. A lot of my fellow newly admitted attorneys were idealistic at the outset of law school and even motivated by the opportunity to help people and participate in the process of justice. Seriously. Others, probably the majority, graduated college with fabulous GPAs and the horrifying prospect that they had absolutely no idea what to do with their lives. These directionless overachievers proved easy prey for overbearing parents and societal forces of "practicality" (ugh!). Still other students craved the excitement of Law & Order-esque courtroom drama, and hoped their future careers in law would be chock-full of these scenarios.