Blog Life

Life is a wonderful, ever-evolving thing.

A year and a half ago I had no idea the blog would turn into what it’s become.  When I started this blog I wanted to focus on the importance of personal style rather than fashion, so I figured why not talk about my own personal style.  Why not write about what I’m wearing and why I’m wearing it?  Why not talk about people and things that inspire me?  I called the blog “What Would Summer Wear?”  because it was humorous and indicated that I indeed have a sense of humor.  I can’t take myself or anyone else too seriously.  That being said, I’m not a writer, I’m a visual person.  A designer, a stylist, and an artist?  Yes.  But never a writer.  Design, color, and proportion are all the things that have made sense to me for as long as I can remember.  It is what I studied all through high school, college, and then professionally.  It’s what I’m divine at.  But writing is not easy for me.  It takes effort, time, and focus.

While I was in Singapore the blog grew into a diary, which I never anticipated, but had fun with.  And then when I came home, it kind of continued that way.  But the problem was that it was deviating from my original vision and the reason for that was because my life had evolved.  I wanted to talk about more than just what I was wearing.  So, I talked about where I was going, what I was eating, and what I was doing, and somehow what I was wearing was not so inspiring to write about anymore.

I know you’ve noticed it.  I haven’t been posting that often.  Every day I tell myself to write a post and photograph myself wearing whatever I’m wearing, but thank the universe, life is happening and I have better things to do.  My life has evolved and although writing this blog used to be fun and inspiring to me, it really isn’t anymore.  I’m not looking for fame or notoriety.  I’m a normal person living my life.  I like my anonymity and I don’t want to get too personal, although I have gotten personal.  It’s weird when people you don’t know, know things about you.  I’ve always lived my life as an open book, but blogging about it takes it one step further.

So, here I am writing to all of you amazing readers out there who have been nothing but supportive and wonderful to me, thanking you for the last year and a half.  I have decided to stop blogging for the time being so that I can continue to grow in my relationship, career, and social life.  I can’t promise that I’ll be gone forever or that I won’t post pictures of my July 3rd wedding.  But right now, it just seems right to say goodbye.  And since I’m not so good at goodbye I’ll say…

Later.

-Summer

Super Nice

One of my favorite words that I use incessantly is “super”.  I’m not sure when it crept into my daily vocabulary, but it’s there and I like it there.  I just came across this poem today in the Howie’s catalog and it made me chuckle.  Thought I’d share it with all of you.  :)

Nice is boring.

Super Nice is strangely interesting.

Nice is a stroll in the park.

Super Nice is a ride through the forest.

Nice is a ‘thank you’.

Super Nice is a gift of home-made pepparkakor.

Nice is neat and tidy.

Super Nice is covered in mud.

Nice is a pleasant chortle.

Super Nice is laughing until you get a cramp.

So long, nice.

Hello Super Nice.

Such a Great Week… And It’s Only Thursday

This week has been amazing.  So much has been going on.  Sunday was a potluck brunch with the girls at my loft, then I accompanied my friend Whitney to get her very first well-deserved, tattoo at New York Adorned.  Today, my good friend Doug moved to Chattanooga, TN to start a new phase in his life.  We held a very spontaneous good-bye dinner last night after packing up his apartment and loading his moving truck.  On the wedding planning front, we nailed down our wedding venue, our DJ, and got a really promising proposal from a wonderful caterer. We also just started to meet potential wedding photographers so it’s all coming together quickly.  I’m so excited for our wedding and I still have to wait another 6 months.  Jeezy-peezy.

I’ve been wearing this printed scarf a lot recently.  Here I’m wearing a Steven Alan plaid shirt, a Madewell white ribbed tank, a Theory cropped blazer, and a pair of skinny J.Brand jeans.

Gold and jade Dina Sutter earrings that Dina gave me for my birthday a few years ago.

The aforementioned giant Zara printed silk scarf.

My vintage leather bag.

My red-laced vintage leather boots.

The beautiful Whitney sitting in the New York Adorned waiting room, anticipating her new tattoo.

If anyone deserves to have the Japanese characters meaning “Courage” tattooed on their body, it is Whitney.

-Summer

Check It Out

I know, I know, I know.  I’ve been super busy recently and haven’t been posting that much.  I’m sorry, but these things happen.

And then, I go ahead and instead of posting here, I guest post for my good friend Aneta’s blog Bobbin Talk, while she’s on vacation.  Check it out here.

Aneta and I posing it up during a break in our model drawing class at Parsons, circa 1998.  So funny that she now teaches at Parsons, all these years later.

Later.

-Summer

Ukranian Christmas Dinner 2010

Every year my fabulous friend Janet hosts a Ukranian Christmas dinner on January 6th, which is Christmas on the Ukranian calendar.  And every year she outdoes herself preparing the most incredible homemade borscht, pierogies, sauerkraut, bread, and kutya.  This amazing dinner and celebration has become such a tradition over the years, that it literally doesn’t feel like the end of the Christmas season for me until Janet throws her Ukranian Christmas dinner.

I wore my Rebecca Taylor printed silk dress layered over a Madewell white ribbed tank and a pair of Wolford black opaque tights.

It’s cold out there.  So, to help keep warm I chose to wear a wool donegal tweed scarf that I knitted years ago.  The necklace is the ring I bought in Singapore on a simple gold chain.

Vintage Salvatore Ferragamo boots that I found on Ebay.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering…  This is my fabulous new engagement ring!!!  He did a great job, didn’t he?  I couldn’t have done a better job had I chosen it myself.  It’s so sparkly.  It’s been 3 weeks, and yet I still find myself thinking that’s not my hand I’m staring at.

Janet’s amazing homemade pierogies.  (photo:  Craig Copelin)

Mmm-mmm, Janet.  Thanks so much for last night’s delicious dinner.  We had such a great time.

-Summer

2010= The Best Year Yet

One thing that I’ve learned in my 33 years is that every year continues to get better.  More wisdom, more experiences, friendships grow closer, relationships deepen.  I don’t typically make resolutions in the new year, but why not try something new this year, right?  Besides, maybe if I share my resolutions with you, I’ll be more likely to keep them.

Resolution #1:  Marry my best friend.  (photo: Bill Schimpf 2006)

Resolution #2:  Grow and evolve my business.

Resolution #3:  See more of the U.S.  Specifically Portland, Napa Valley, and San Francisco.

Resolution #4-  See more of the world.  Pictured here, Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Resolution #5:  Rediscover climbing.  The above photo of me was taken in 2006 in the Shawangunks on my favorite boulder problem by Bill Schimpf.  I’ve been climbing for 11 years and the past few years I’ve been very off and on.  So, this year I want to be on. 

Resolution #6:  Run at least 2 times a week.

I’d like to add more, but then I think that I would be a little unrealistic, so I’ll stick with these 6. 

HAPPY 2010!

-Summer

Big News

I’ve been biting my tongue for the last two weeks, dying to tell anyone who will listen.  I’ve been on a gag order for all technology related mediums so that we can tell everyone in person before they hear it through the grapevine.  However, now I can tell all of you that my wonderful boyfriend Rich and I are engaged! 

I’m so excited to marry this man, I can’t even begin to tell you.  It’s as though a button was instantly pushed inside my head and I began to plan our wedding.  Okay, I’d be lying if I told you that I hadn’t sort of been planning this for a while.  I’ve always known he was “the one”, so I’ve saved web addresses and made mental notes over the years whenever anything wedding related caught my eye.  I figured it would be beneficial to have a starting point when we actually began to plan our own wedding.  Lucky for me, there are a million great blogs and sites out there for the novice planner.  So, planning is under way.

Obviously, I’ve been super excited to find a dress.  My friend Lauren is also getting married in 2010, so she’s become my wedding dress shopping buddy.  We’ve been to a few stores already and have another couple of appointments, but I think I’ve already found my dress.  It was the stereotypical experience when I saw it and I just knew it was mine.  Anyway, I’m not going to show you my dress until my wedding day later this year, but I will show you one of my runners-up that I found at Temperley in Soho.  FYI, Temperley has the most gorgeous dresses.  My favorite one was a mere $20K.  LOL!  Me and my fabulous taste.  Needless to say, I didn’t even try that one on for fear of becoming obsessed.  The one I did try on was in my price range and still stunningly gorgeous.  A perfect dress for a summer wedding.

Pretty right?

Lauren and I are headed to The Bridal Garden this evening to check out their selection for her.  (Although, I’m not opposed to trying on some more gowns myself.    )  The Bridal Garden’s concept is really cool.  It’s a non-profit bridal salon where all of the gowns have been donated by top designers, stores, and individuals.  How cool is that?

-Summer

Nau Party and Art Show

The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind.  Lots of wonderful and exciting things happening. 

One of the most exciting nights was when my good friend, artist Joe Iurato and photographer Boone Speed unveiled their show Waste Not Want Not at Nau’s pop-up shop in Soho.  The night was full of old and new friends, great music, and free booze.  You can’t beat that, right?

Oh and I finally got my full length, sleeping bag-like, down coat to help keep me warm in this frigid weather.  Super excited about that!  Nau has some amazing pieces.  I was very impressed.

Not the best picture of me, but whatevs.  This is as good as it gets sometimes.  Anyway, I’m wearing a Zara heather grey tee, Aviatic carrot-fit pants, and my Muji wool scarf.

Turquoise beaded earrings.

Costume National boots.

Joe and two of his new pieces created specifically for Nau.

Another one of Joe’s new pieces.

And another of Joe’s.

Some of Boone Speed’s work. (photo:  Joe Iurato)

My favorite Boone Speed photo. (photo: Joe Iurato)

Good friends Whitney, Doug, and Lisa.

Taking a group shot in the fitting room while…

… Readnecks and Ivan Greene performed.

Me and my Rich.  (He’s the king of Patagucci.)

After the show, everyone converged on Kelley & Ping for some yummy Thai/Vietnamese food.

Me and the fabulous Janet.

Joe (still buzzed from the show) and Rich at Kelley & Ping.

The show’s still up until the end of the month, so check it out.  You’ll love it.

Stay warm.

-Summer

Dinner and a Show

Friday night, our friend Greg’s band Drexel and the Bootleggers was playing at a the Parkside Lounge.  We met up with him, his lovely fiancee Lauren, and her friend Eileen for some pre-show eats at the Kuma Inn, a yummy Filipino/Thai tapas restaurant.  It was bitter cold.  In fact, I have decided that I am going to purchase a full length down coat this year.  The truth is that if I could just wear my zero degree sleeping bag around town without being stoned by the fashion police, I would.  But alas, that is not going to happen.Me at the bar preshow.  I’m wearing a navy silk/cashmere J.Crew v-neck sweater, a white Madewell ribbed tank, black Jimmy’z skinny jeans, my new fabulous, super warm, Rosetung handknitted wool cowl, a vintage brown leather bag, and my grey Dru New York leather boots.

Me eating some porky goodness at Kuma Inn.  You can sort of see the cowl a little better here.  LOVE IT!

Pork buns anyone?

Lauren digging into our whole grilled Dorado.

The tiny open kitchen at Kuma Inn with Greg and Eileen in the foreground.  So jealous of that super warm hood, Eileen.

I loved that they had all types of different currency taped to their refrigerator, so I took a photo of it.

Lauren’s fabulous vintage coat that she inherited from her grandmother.

Drexel and the Bootleggers playing that good ole’ rockin’ roll.

Lots of fun happening this week so stay tuned.

-Summer

Two Shows

Wouldn’t you know it?  Just as soon as I talk about it being sort of Autumn-like, the weather goes full-on blustery cold on me?  It’s 27 today, and with the wind chill?  I can only imagine.

Anyway, this post is not about me complaining about how cold it is.  No, it’s about two art shows that I’d like to invite you to attend next week.

The first is at the Nau pop-up store in Soho and it features one of my best friends, artist Joe Iurato and photographer/ super famous ex-proclimber Boone Speed.

The second is at my boyfriend’s bike shop, The Tenafly Bicycle Workshop, in Tenafly, NJ and it features amazing photographer Nick Brandreth.

Definitely stop by and say hi.

-Summer