image courtesy of kansascity.com

well i’m sure it gave some of my older, overly-active Facebook-ing family members pause when “jamie mandel likes GIRLS” appeared on their newsfeed recently, but as it pertains to the new hbo series, airing this sunday, it’s true and i can’t wait for the premiere.

created by and starring the uber-talented lena dunham, who previously created, directed and starred in the criterion collection approved and cult-favorite “tiny furniture”. let it be known too that she also currently holds the esteemed position of being my favorite person on twitter. no seriously, is there any line i wish i had thought of myself more than this one? “@lenadunham: rihanna and chris brown’s new duets make me want to go hide under gloria steinem’s bed for 72 hours”. just something she’ll add to her growing roster of accolades, i’m sure.

when i made my new york debut and a measly starting salary not quite as big as even ½ of my dreams, i shared a one bedroom with fake divider walls with two other roommates. it was… the best of times and the worst of times. as for GIRLS, the show is a comic and often gritty look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s. my point is that i’ve been there, girlfriend, i just like your version a whole lot better. in the thoughtfully penned new york magazine feature story, emily nussbaum writes, “dunham’s sly, brazen, graphic comedy, with its stress on female friendships, its pleasure in the sick punch line, its compassion for the necessity of making mistakes, felt like a retort to a culture that pathologizes feminine adventure. as my younger colleague…put it, the show felt, to her peers, FUBU: ‘for us by us.’” i’m totally bringing that expression back.

in the pilot, we’ll meet the characters and hear hannah (played by lena), tell her parents that she’s, at least, “the voice of a generation”; after a weekend visit to the house i grew up in and an ill-advised scan over some of my own ancient, angsty diary entries, it became painfully clear that voice would not be my own. dunham wrote and directed the pilot of the series, which she executive produces along with judd apatow and jenni konner. the cast also includes jemima kirke, allison williams, and zosia mamet. episodes were shot in new york at places you’ll recognize as some of your favorite neighborhood haunts and, as unavoidable comparisons to that other hbo show roll in, does also include sex near the city.

while i anxiously await the pilot like the rest of you, that didn’t stop me from making some rash judgments in the meantime. based on some sketchy first impressions, i’ve had a fun time assigning each character some of my top picks from my favorite clients. do you think i got it right?

hannah: endearing protagonist and way funnier than your average everygirl, hannah has a penchant for eating cupcakes in the shower. step it up a notch with these unbelievably delicious caramel marshmallows from vosges haut-chocolat. you’re worth it.

marnie: highly responsible and very put-together, she has a very adult job at a very adult art gallery. whether or not you’re in love with the job, best to look the part with this highly covetable hester van eeghen inner circle bag: perfect for the office but holds everything you’d need to blow off steam at post-work drinks after a long day.

jessa: jessa is british, bohemian and an occasional nanny who has traveled to as many different countries as she’s had boyfriends. now that she’s making new york her home, she’d love to set the mood with candles from linnea’s lights, like the new wild honeysuckle, earthy vetiver, and rich cashmere scents.

shoshanna: a girl’s girl with sex & the city dreams and brooklyn nightmares, her friends tend to dismiss her as a suburban innocent, but she consistently proves to be a surprising source of wisdom. cheers to that over some bubbly from henri’s reserve, and better make it rosé.

~jamie