A Beautiful Day

Ahh, the sun, the breeze, and the Hudson. What more could you ask for?

One of the coolest restaurants in the city, The Frying Pan, which is located on a pier on the Hudson. Me in a Steven Alan shirt, APC straight-leg jeans, and my favorite Oliver Peoples red-tinted sunglasses. This is why I always see the world through rose-colored glasses.

My vintage Miriam Haskell glass beaded necklace and a detail of Steven Alan’s signature and often-copied twisted placket.

My Marc by Marc Jacobs black bag which is absolutely the perfect size for the city.

Vintage Gucci loafers.

***Music today: Billie Holiday “Billie’s Best”.

If You Don’t Like It, Dye It

The trouble with buying things online is that you can’t try them on first. And then the purchase shows up and you’re so excited that even if it isn’t totally perfect, do you really want to go through all of the trouble of returning or exchanging it, when it’s really not so bad after all? That’s how everyone ends up with a closet full of okay clothing they don’t really wear.

I made a rule for myself last year that I wasn’t allowed to buy anything unless I absolutely loved it and it looked great on me. That way I knew I’d wear it. That rule started right after I bought this skirt from the online members-only sample sale site Gilt.com (which by they way, if you want to be a free member send me an e-mail and I’ll invite you). Gilt.com can be addictive. Every day at noon when you get a reminder e-mail for a new designer sample sale that’s just started you can’t help but get caught up in the excitement of a designer deal. That is exactly what happened to me when I bought this Cynthia Steffe skirt. I liked the skirt but then it arrived and it was bright lime green. I wasn’t crazy about the color but I was so excited about the purchase that I wore it the next day anyway. It only took wearing it one time for me to realize that bright lime green really isn’t my color nor do I really have any affection for the color. To remedy my overly ambitious purchase I ran to the store and picked up some Rit navy dye and turned this skirt into a beautiful grassy green that I actually love. I guess the moral of the story is that if you buy something that you think you love online and then it shows up and you’re not so in love after all: A) consider sending it back rather than banishing it to the far depths of your closet B) if you think you can salvage it by thinking outside the box a little and tailoring/ dying/ altering the piece then DO IT. But under no circumstance do you keep something that you’re not going to wear.

Yup, the camera is still broken so Jessica is still shooting photos of me at work. Here I am in my grass-green Cynthia Steffe skirt which I LOVE! Today I wore the skirt with my Clu heather grey pocket tee layered over a J.Crew white ribbed tank.

These are my Turkish silver earrings that I got while in Istanbul many, many years ago for work. During my brief hour that I got to go shopping I kept envisioning these earrings in my head, hoping that I would find them somewhere, not knowing if they actually existed. It wasn’t until I was searching for a restroom that I saw this tiny jewelry shop down an alley that sort of called to me. The store was about to close but my Turkish friend persuaded the shopkeeper to let me in if I promised to be quick. Within the first ten seconds of entering the dark little shop I saw these earrings in a red velvet display case and needless to say, they became mine. Years later, they are still some of my favorite earrings.

My vintage jade ring that I found in an antique store when I was 19.

Metallic leather J.Crew espadrilles. Perfect for a hot day like today.

***Music today: Beirut “Lon Gisland”.

Blue

The weather warms up and I suddenly want to wear dresses and skirts again. Today was gloriously warm and sunny. A gorgeous Spring day. It also just so happened to be my anniversary with my boyfriend so it was the perfect opportunity to wear my newly tailored vintage dress that I scored at a clothing swap last fall. Originally, it was probably a size 10/12 so I had to have it taken in and then I also had my tailor sew in a gros grain ribbon facing behind the sheer lace at the bust for modesty purposes. It turned out beautifully and I was so excited to wear it for the first time today.

After work I headed downtown to meet my boyfriend at Blue Hill, a restaurant that specializes in serving organic, seasonal, fresh-from-their-nearbye-farm food. It wasn’t until midday that I realized I’d sort of coordinated my outfit to the restaurant unintentionally. Blue dress, Blue Hill. Get it? Alright, corny I know. But I actually thought about this.

I’m wearing the vintage dress topped with my Madewell shadow stripe crew-neck sweater that I slashed down the middle this morning to create a cute cardigan. The navy blues in each of the dress’ elements (ruffle, body, lace, thread) have all handled age differently creating a tonal contrast which is quite beautiful. That contrast inspired me to add this off blue sweater into the mix too. Again, it’s not about matching, it’s about coordinating.

A detail shot of the slight color contrast and my homemade cardigan.

This vintage blue stone pendant is by an English jeweler I love called Miracle. I shortened the chain so that it lay exactly in the perfect place on my neck.

A vintage painted bangle.

My Commes des Garcons black brogues add a bit of masculinity to on otherwise super feminine outfit.

***Music today. Depeche Mode “Music for the Masses”.

Two For One

Today was a pretty basic day for me.  I mean, how much more basic can you get than jeans and a classic white t-shirt?  So, to  keep it interesting I’m including my lovely assistant Jessica in this post as well.  She looked so damn cute today in her new peacock belt she found on Ebay that I had to include her in this post.  So, today you’re getting two looks when you only expected one.

Here’s Jessica in a DKNY Jeans white tunic, DKNY Jeans cuffed jeans, an Old Navy trench, and her fabulous new vintage belt.

Amazing isn’t it?  Notice how she decided to keep the rest of her outfit simple and keep the belt as the focal point.  When wearing a piece like this, the rest of the outfit should be the supporting cast.

Notice the workmanship and the stunning feathers.  The back is adjustable, as you see here.

Her shoes are a cute pair of suede mary-janes from Barneys New York.

I was feeling a little minimalist today.  Pulled my hair back and just went for the basics.  My new Gap scoopneck tee with rolled sleeves and my freshly tailored J. Brand cotton/linen wide leg jeans.  No jewelry, nothin’ else..

My red striped scarf from the Philippines was my only accessory.

***Music today:  Lucinda Williams “Little Honey”.

“Oh my little honey bee, I’m so glad you stung me…”

Jewelry That Speaks To Me

If you read this blog often you’re familiar with Made Her Think jewelry, Meredith Kahn Rabinovich’s amazing jewelry collection which I became obsessed with a few years ago. We used to work together way back when and she always had this really cool punk rock/approachable goth girl style. After leaving corporate design she started Made Her Think and has developed quite the cult following ever since. Her trademark details are studs, talons, swallows, and feathers. Check out her website here.

These are some of my favorite pieces from her current collection:

The lovely Meredith herself.

***Music today: Clor “Clor”.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

After the gloriously sunny keep-the-windows-open weekend here in NYC, I was sorta sad to wake up to a grey April day.  But I keep reminding myself that April showers bring May flowers, right?

With my camera still being on the fritz, the fabulous Jessica stepped in to take a photo of me at the office again.  I’m wearing an Odile embroidered black sheer top over a J.Crew white ribbed tank, my old and very beloved pair of Gap 1969 jeans and a Vivienne Westwood Anglomania striped wool jacket.

My long Subversive for Target necklace.  Love the rhinestone pins that hold each of the beads.

My Replay buttery soft brown leather men’s belt, which I buckled at the hip.  Without it, these pants would be halfway down my hiney within minutes.

Brown leather Frye bots with the jeans cuffed.

***Music today:  Cat Power “What Would the Community Think”.

Staples, Studs, and Ruffles

Finally, a beautiful day here in New York after days and days of grey rain.  Finally, I was excited to take photos for the blog this morning since the sun was streaming in the windows.  And then it happened.  I’m running late for work and I attach the camera to the tripod, set the timer, and as I run to take my place for the photo CRASH!  I turn to see my tiny point-n-shoot on the floor still attached to the tripod.  The tripod must have been unbalanced or something, I dunno.  But my camera is effed.  Soooo, I’m hoping my mechanically-inclined boyfriend can fix it when he gets home…  Otherwise, that new camera I’ve been dreaming of may just become a reality. 

So, when I got into the office, my lovely assistant agreed to take photos of me with the office camera.  Love that Jessica.  It literally took a minute and we were done versus when I take photos of myself, it takes a million shots before I kinda like one and then half the time they’re crummy photos anyway.  I told her she’s hired to be my personal blog photographer.  LOL!  I wish!

Here I am wearing my lovely garment dyed vintage prairie shirt over a white J.Crew ribbed tank with a pair of A.P.C. skinny jeans and my black cotton poplin Club Monaco blazer cuffed to expose the ruffly blue cuffs of the shirt.

A peak at a detail of the shirt and my Made Her Think oxidized silver talon necklace.

I love the contrast between the feminine details of this shirt and the studs and rivets on this vintage punk-rock leather cuff my friend Airynee gave me over the weekend.  This cuff really inspired the other accessory choices in this outfit.

See what I mean?  My stapled, studded Marc duffle has the same sort of edginess that the cuff and the necklace exude.

On my feet, my new favorite vintage Salvatore Ferragamo ankle boots with their perfect-for-walking 2″ heel.

***Music today.  Black Rebel Motorcycle Club “Take Them On On Your Own”.

Stylist/ Designer? Oh Yessir.

I have to let you in on a little secret… I have a weird pet peeve about model/actor/musicians who claim to be designers. Let’s face it, their name may be on the label and on the paychecks of every one of their employees. Oh, and they probably give inspiration and feedback to their line. But truthfully, there is a team of faceless designers who are actually doing all of the designing, without any of the recognition, while the celeb-designer stands out front claiming to be the one taking all of the time out of their oh-so busy schedule to create an entire collection. Phew, run-on sentence much? Designing clothing is not only about sketching pretty pictures. A designer must have the technical expertise and knowledge of construction to actually produce a beautiful garment. That’s why most successful designers have a great design education and have worked their asses off to get where they are. It’s not enough to have great ideas. You have to know how to execute them.

S00o, when I heard about uber-stylist to the stars Andrea Lieberman’s new clothing collection called A.L.C. I was skeptical. Well, turns out the lady has a bonafide design degree from my alma mater Parsons and used to design for the likes of Romeo Gigli and Giorgio D’Saint Angelo before becoming the super successful celebrity stylist she is today. Oh, and did I mention that her new collection is beautiful?! It’s full of gorgeous jersey gowns and slouchy pants and can be found at Intermix and Barneys. Check out some of my favorite looks:

Andrea Lieberman (WWD)

(WWD)

(WWD)

a jersey sari dress (Intermix)

super cool “yogi” pants (Intermix)

chic jersey jumpsuit (Intermix)

***Music today: I saw her the other night and my obsession for Neko Case’s new album “Middle Cyclone” was renewed.

Breaking In My “New” Shoes

I just got these great Commes des Garcons oxfords on Ebay and I’ve been dying to wear them. But with our daily rain or chance of showers I didn’t want to take a chance at ruining them. Today was beautiful and so they went on my feet and out the door I went. They fit perfectly. Very comfortable until, that is, a few blocks from home when I started to feel the rubbing. Grr. I gotta get some of that band-aid stick again. That way, these lovelies will be broken in painlessly.

I’m wearing a Commes des Garcons for H&M polka-dot merino cardigan over a white shadow stripe Club Monaco v-neck, the same jacket I had on yesterday (like I said more of an outerwear piece for me), and my Prada chinos.

Close-up of the Club Monaco scarf with the outfit.

Simple vintage silver hoop earrings.

My new lovely shoesies mix suede with leather and Kawakubo’s signature masculine with feminine details. Perfect for me.

***Music today: Modest Mouse “This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About.”

Family Dinner After Work

Although I’m not religious, this year I’m fortunate enough to celebrate both Passover (with my boyfriend’s family) and Easter (with my friend’s family).  How cool is that, right?  The other night my boyfriend Rich’s family hosted the annual family Passover Seder dinner at their home.  I left work early and headed out to Jersey to enjoy the wonderful traditional feast and spend time with his fabulous family and friends.  In the past we’ve attended huge, much more formal seders with his extended family up in Westchester, NY so it was kinda nice to have a more intimate dinner with his Grandfather presiding over the reading of the Haggadah.   Good times.

Since we weren’t attending a formal dinner this year I felt comfortable going straight from work to his family’s dinner in this outfit.  It was a little chilly that day, so I decided to layer my favorite Peter Jones cotton poplin shirt over my light weight Club Monaco merino turtleneck and my favorite high-waisted J.Brand jeans.  My Club Monaco black jacket is great for this time of year because it’s warm enough to brave the chill outside but still acts as a blazer substitute at work.  To be honest, I usually wear it more as an outerwear piece. 

A more detailed shot of the mini-stripe shirt which has beautiful feminine details.

My copper hammered hoops from Dem Two Hands.  I love copper as an alternative to gold or silver.

My favorite Linea Pelle belt.  I wear it with everything.  It was a great investment.  The problem with belts that cinch the waist when you’re going to a big dinner…  Well, they can get a little uncomfortable.

My faithful Frye brown leather boots are the perfect height for these jeans.  They’re also very comfortable to walk in, since I’m always walking.

 

***Music today: The Kills “No Wow”.