When I Grow Up…

I wanna be like Iris Barrel Apfel. She oozes confidence, humor, and style. She is the queen of accessories! No one does it better. I mean how can you ever be in a bad mood when you wear this much color and all of these wonderful accessories?! It’s impossible.

***Music today: New Order “Power, Corruption, & Lies”.

Denim and White

I love denim and white.  A white tank, a white tee, a white shirt.  What could be more classic?

My favorite jeans, so worn in they conform to my body and hang just right.  I’m wearing a Club Monaco short crisp white cotton top with a J.Crew charcoal heather grey vest and my aforementioned favorite Gap 1969 jeans.

I found these gorgeous turquoise stones at a bead shop and had them made into a simple pair of earrings.

Turquoise and red is such a great color combination.  My striped red scarf from the Philippines adds some much-needed color to this outfit.

My Ash leather buckled sneakers.

Jessica is wearing a simple white ribbed tank and a vintage shrunken denim jacket with a colorful coral necklace.  P.S.  Jessica has started a brand-spankin’ new blog called Daybook Muse which is a collection of personal photos, creative inspiration, travel images, and since I know her I can bet there’s gonna be a whole lot of humor too.  Check it out here.

***Music today:  Ramones “Ramones”.

Guys, In Case You Were Wondering…

Yes, we are looking at your shoes. Your shoes say a lot about who you are as a man. So, please take some time to consider them.

Invest in a great pair of brogues and if you still have some of those hideous square-toe numbers in your closet from the 90’s, now is the time to let those go.

A classic pair is safe, but why not try classic with a quirky twist? Like these two styles above.

Also, choose a pair of very cool sneaks that express your personality. Now, here’s the kicker… Try to keep them clean. And when I say “cool sneaks” I’m not talking about running shoes. Those are for working out. I’m talking about a pair of cool shoes that you can wear daily. They don’t have to be designer shnazzy like these below. A simple pair of Converse, Vans, or something funky from your local skate shop will work just fine.

(All photos from Another Man magazine)

***Music today: PJ Harvey “Dry”.

The Day After

You know you’ve had a good weekend when you’re exhausted on Monday, or in this case Tuesday, since yesterday was Memorial Day.   Today was all about comfort and ease for me after having had an extremely fun-filled three day weekend spent with my best friends.

I’m wearing a Loomstate for Target tank, a Club Monaco black merino cardigan, and J.Brand jeans.

While comfort was key for me today, I didn’t want to look shlumpy so I chose to wear this beautiful statement J.Crew necklace which instantly dresses up my outfit and adds a splash of color.

My Commes des Garcons brogues.  A masculine shoe with feminine details.

***Music today:  My Morning Jacket “Z”.

Art Show

My great friend and renaissance man Joe Iurato had an amazing art show opening this past Friday at Cafe Eclectic in Montclair, NJ. The show featured his newest stencil work and was an overwhelming success. Joe started to experiment with spray-paint stenciling as a medium a couple of years ago. His work has evolved from single-color graphics to photo-realism.

It was a gorgeous day, but as the sun started to lower in the sky I found myself needing my cardigan. I’m wearing a Club Monaco black silk chiffon top, a Clu cardigan, and my skinny J.Brand jeans.

My Dina Sutter rutilated quartz and rose gold necklace.

My vintage painted bangles play off the gold of the necklace, the red of the satin ribbon on the top.

My J.Crew metallic espadrilles and magenta toes finish the look.

The artist, Joe with friend and my fabulous client Tracy. P.S. Check out her amazing Valentino shell paillette bag.

My three favorite pieces.

A close-up.

And another close-up. Can you believe this is all stencil?!

A piece from his lemon series.

And another piece from his lemon series.

***Music today: Rodrigo y Gabriela “Rodrigo y Gabriela”.

Stylie Mom Shelly

Within the last couple years most of my friends have become moms and dads.  Even though parenthood has brought major lifestyle changes and priority shifts they have all transitioned into their new rolls gracefully.  Oh, and by the way, they ALL have looked AMAZING doing so.  I would even go so far as to say that they look better now than they did before parenthood.  And that, my friends, is saying a lot because they were all hot tamales before they gave birth.

With the aforementioned “priority shifts” has come a tightened budget for things like clothes and salon visits.  However, my creative friends are still making it work.  They make time for pedicures and fabulous haircuts because it makes them feel and look great.  Sure, maybe they don’t go as often as they used to, but they go.  We’ve also come up with some creative solutions for their wardrobes too, so that they can maintain their personal sense of style without spending as much money as they used to.  By borrowing pieces from friends or family members, shopping at outlets instead of normal stores, and swapping clothing at bi-annual clothing swaps their wardrobes are fun, versatile, affordable, and lifestyle appropriate.

This is one of my best friends Shelly.  She’s got a casual, vintage-inspired sense of style.  Here she’s wearing a cute bohemian top she borrowed from her sister over a white ribbed tank and a pair of Gap jeans.  Love her haircut!!

Shelly’s adorable son Hudson, who is always dressed super cute.

When it got a little chillier later in the evening, Shelly threw on her AMAZING Trovata jacket we picked up at the Barney’s Outlet for super cheap.  Her bag is a second hand Allison Burns bag that used to be mine.  Signature jackets and outerwear are key.

A close-up of her beloved grandmother’s gorgeous choker that Shelly inherited.

***Music today:  Jarvis Cocker “Further Complications”.

Sushi and Lychee Martinis

After a long, hard day of wardrobing I deserve oysters, sushi, and a lychee martini.

Yum.

I’m wearing an Old Navy white ribbed tank under a Clu light heather grey vest, a salmon colored Club Monaco tie-dyed skirt and a black Club Monaco cotton blazer.  In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been wearing this blazer A LOT.  It’s such a versatile piece for this time of year when you still want to look pulled together without wearing something too heavy or warm.

My favorite Subversive for Target beaded necklace.

Sigerson Morrison silver mirror leather sandals.

***Music today: Depeche Mode “Violator”.

Back to Posing in My Apartment :)

It was such a beautiful day yesterday. I was off to work with two of my new clients when Rich volunteered to snap some photos of me as I dashed out the door. Pose, snap, pose, snap. Kiss, kiss, and I’m off. Sometimes, I wonder what our neighbors across the street (who can totally see into our windows when the shades are up) must think with all of this picture taking. Ha-ha!

Hey now, that’s a pose. If there was a better picture I would have posted it. But alas, I’m no model. Here I am wearing a black Development top with charcoal grey J.Brand jeans.

A detail of the lovely shirt.

My favorite Linea Pelle belt and a vintage brown beaded necklace I wound around my wrist. The belt gives this otherwise very full-fitting top a flattering shape. I loved how the color of the beads sort of played off of the brown of the belt and the black of the top. Without these accessories, the outfit would have been mucho dark.

My lovely J.Crew leopard print peep-toe heels add a much-needed pattern pop. I love printed shoes! I would like to have more of them and more closet space to fit them in.

With the weather warming up, my fur children Lily and Hank, both feral female cats, are shedding up a storm. My lint roller has been my best friend.

This is my Lily, slightly annoyed that I’ve just disturbed her from her morning nap in the sun.

And here’s an awesome shot Rich took of Hank lounging on the back of the sofa this evening while we watched the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Love that show!!!

***Music today: The Walkmen “You and Me”. The more I listen to this album, the more I love it.

In Case You Were Wondering What To Get Me For My Birthday…

My long-time favorite jewelry shop is New York Adorned in the East Village. Not only is the shop one of New York’s premiere custom tattoo shops (Stephanie Tamez did my back) but they also sell the most incredibly unique jewelry from designers all over the world. I was extremely delighted to find that they now have an online jewelry shop.

These are some of my favorite pieces:

Emily Amey necklaces. I’ve had my eye on these for YEARS!

Emily Amey sea urchin ring.

Katrina LaPenne rose gold ring. Yes, it’s all one piece!!!

Katrina LaPenne silver rope ring.

Lauren Wolf silver bracelet.

Lauren Wolf earrings.

Scosha bracelets.

***Music today: PJ Harvey “Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea”.

My After-Work

As you all know, I’m most comfortable in jeans. I’m also a walker, so even the most comfortable pair of shoes can be painful by the end of an evening of quite literally pounding the pavement from place, to place, to place, to home. So when work transitions into after-work drinks, which leads to young a designer roof-top party, and then finally to my friend’s birthday/going away party at a posh club, what else am I going to wear? Jeans and flats, my friends. Jeans and flats. Oh, how I envied all of my hot, sexy friends in their towering stylie stilettos all night. But at the end of the evening, there’s nothing better than a walk home through New York’s streets to drink in the city around you. Restaurants closing up, clubs spilling out into the streets, quiet brownstones on a historical street, melty-cheese pizza smells wafting out onto the street from a corner pizza joint, pajama-clad dog-owners taking their dogs on a late-night walk. By the time I got home, an hour after leaving my friend’s party my feet were throbbing. Ahh, but what a lovely evening it was. New friends, old friends, and even some interesting design along the way.

This was my all day work-to-evening outfit. I wore a merino wool Club Monaco navy fitted scoop-back tee, a Club Monaco cotton poplin blazer, and my Gap 1969 boyfriend jeans that I’ve had a million years.

The transition from day to night just consisted of the application of more severe eye-makeup. My favorite wooden feather earrings from New York Adorned.

A Jimmy’Z narrow studded super long belt.

My Sigerson Morrison silver mirror leather sandals which I got a few years ago. Love these!

***Music today: Pixies “Come on Pilgrim”.