If you are off today because of this fabulous human being or even if you're not, take a moment to thank him for everything he did to make our country a better place. If only he were here to help us today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MLK!
Hey, Monday...up and at 'em. So I was watching me some Globes of Gold last night- what a yawner. Maybe I'm just getting old, but these celebs just don't have much to them these days, do they? And their speeches are painfully bloated and indulgent, though I did love Natalie Portman's speech, it was very sweet. (Her dress however, was a different story). De Niro tried standup (yike), Pacino seemed out of it, and Ricky Gervais wore two pieces from a three piece suit all night to show us how thin he has gotten. Is it me or was he funnier when he was a bit thicker? Not used to seeing him all sucked in. Anyhoo, who gives a fig about any of that- let's talk fashion. Here are my notes from last night- was not a complete disaster and some of the ladies really, really nailed it. (Pics from E! Online)
Brad and Angie are sexy, distinguished robots. Angie’s Versace dress- divine. That green. Gorgeous. Brad, dead in the eyes.
Nicole’s face has disappeared down the Botox rabbit hole.
Olivia Wilde’s dress was swoon worthy Marchesa. FAV OF THE NIGHT. Usually don't like the layer cake dresses but this was amazing.
Halle Berry is not human. Devastatingly beautiful. Sexy beyond. Nina Ricci dress weird but still works because she is to die for.
Nice one, Claire Danes. Perky, cheery, happy American in Calvin.
Alexa Chung pre show ignored all memos about glamour and looked awful.
Mila Kunis. My favorite color, in full force last night PS. Love the Vera Wang.
I love Helena Bonham Carter. Not gonna lie. Wacky Westwood chick to the max.
J. Lo stop it. Just stop. Cause Marc Anthony is no Richard Burton and you ain't Liz.
Yay for Kids Are All right. Adored that film. Ruffalo made me realize how straight I am.
Lea Michelle always pretty, but always slightly prommy or sorority like. Nah to the De La RENTA.
Bale as Jesus works for me.
Bullock’s hair not cool with that Jenny Peckham dress. Both good stand alone, just not together.
Wish Tina Fey would not attempt classic fashion icon. She’s not. Have a little fun, Tina. It’s not that serious and neither are you.
Good dress, Peggie from "Mad Men". Donna karan suits you. That lush emerald. Hair not so much.
Chrisinta Hendricks. Nope. January Jones in Versace double nope.
Leighton Meester modern and vintage and fabulous all at once in Burberry. Love you.
Hathaway kills it every time. A true fashion girl, with the help of Rachel Zoe. Love this Armani.
Scar Jo in lElie Saab and Julianne Moore in Lanvin bummed me out. Not cute, ladies. Scarlett’s hair bad.
Emma Stone adorable in peachy Calvin. One to watch. Sarah Hyland too. Love. Great hair.
No Natalie, No. No Viktor and Rolf.
Tilda. Misunderstood by fashion critics but real fashion peeps know you are an icon and do your own thing. Divine in Jil Sander.
Edie Falco knows and loves herself. Amazing in red. Picture perfect confident woman. Hearts.
Catherine Zeta Jones in Monique Lhullier emerald was stunning. That lady knows how to wear a dress to an awards show. That's all I've got. Boring show, some nice fashion, my favorite color in full force (green). I suppose the clothes were all right.Cause that's what's up this post awards Monday in the MIA. Here's to a gorgeous week. XO
Hi, Friday. I am a bit freaked out that I am suddenly a Gemini and no longer a Cancer, but I'm all for change, I suppose. I'm switching out weepy, sensitve, artistic, and homebodyish for chatty, flighty, independent, and scattered. It's not the craziest thing I've ever heard...
Anyway, it looks bloody freezing up North (I can tell from the Today Show), so if there's any way you can channel this image here, and imagine some beach and some salty air, do. If I can suddenly become a Gemini after a lifetime of being a Crab, you can probably shut your eyes for a few brief seconds, while standing in line for your peppermint mocha, and pretend you are elsewhere if you want.
And that's what's up this beachy, Gem of a Friday in the MIA, baby. Have a great weekend, wherever you are and whatever sign you've become. XO
(PS- my husband's a Virgo now. What to do about that?)
Good morning, Thursday. Lovely chilly day in the MIA. Dig it.Unless you have been under some sort of anti-fashion rock, you're well aware that flared jeans and trousers are all the rage for Spring. I for one am giddy about this- I'm tired of skinny jeans- I love wearing them with boots but even a fashion fanatic like me has struggled with skinny jeans in terms of what shoe to wear with them- you can't do a wedge. High heels can look cheap in my opinion. Only certain ballet flats work. The only way I have found them ok is with a flat flip-floppish sandal. Plus, skinny jeans are really for skinny people, no matter what shoes you wear them with. Now, we've got a 70s flashback that is beyond wearable, the flare. Maybe you're not the retro type and don't want to look like Stevie Nicks (though I have no idea why) in said flares. If you check out the Derek Lam runway version (pictured here with the white shirt), you can see just how modern this silhouette really is, and flattering beyond belief- it instantly adds lean and length to your stems. What I love most of all is that most shoes can be worn with these- great with a platform heel, wonderful with a wedge, and cute with a flip flop for kickin' it casual/California cool style this Spring. I think the shape is so lovely- if you are really petite, this look can be challenging, but with the right shoe easily leg lengthening. And the higher rise alleviates much of that horrid thong show we are all so sick of seeing. I've always loved this look- J Brand has been doing it for a while now, but my new favorites are by new company, Mother, Denim, whose link is below. Check out their Drama jean. I am all about it. IN terms of what to do on top, I just love this look with a silky blouse- check out the black and white number by Emerson . It's so chic- you can even toss a fitted blazer over it and you're totally ready for it. Whatever it is- your choice of "it", of course. So whether you're cool like Stevie or more buttoned up 2011 style, you can find your j (jean) spot with this great looking trend. I can't wait to wear a pair of these this Spring- viva la flare.And that's what's up this wide legged Thursday in the MIA. XO LINK LOVE:http://www.emersonmade.com/products/em-old-schools?utm_source=expressrexhttp://motherdenim.com/c_drama_short.html
Hi, Wednesday. Midweek, people. Midweek.
So now that I’ve had this stay at home thing happening (I excel at it PS), I’m empowered to not give a shit about something that has always stressed me out in the morning, and that is, doing my hair.
My hair and I have a shitty relationship. It’s volatile, my do is. Sometimes it’s straight, other times frizzy a la Einstein. Because of this, my hair is the boss of me. And my hair usually wins, with me dejectedly putting said mop in a clip, tortoise shell barette, or pony tail. Or of course, I could hack it off, which is what it wants anyway, as it fights me like Al every time I try to grow it past my shoulders- rumble in the jungle indeed (right now, when I pull on it post shower, it’s to my collarbones, a small victory due in no small part to the Brazilians and this Keratin thing. You must do this, fellow unruly hair owners. It's a lifesaver).
But my recent trip to Paris opened my eyes to the glory of undone, unstyled hair. Parisian women don’t “do” their hair, and if they do, you wouldn’t know it. It’s so just got out of bed chic it hurts. I wish more people around me would recognize the fabulousness of undone hair. Messy hair if you will. I support it.
As I’ve been blissfully unemployed these past few weeks, I’ve let that shit go in a big way. I don’t care what it looks like, and I let it dry in a knot, fixed firmly with a barrette. I have often wondered how girls in my office would waltz into the elevator (some even sashayed) with the most perfectly blow dryed hair you have ever seen, while I cursed them under my breath (bitches I might say to myself…) One of these follicly blessed types was a dear friend of mine, even though she has perfect tresses. I remember asking her what I should do with my hair, in a mad attempt at finding a solution to my perpetual updo.
“Why don’t you try brushing it once in a while”?, she questioned back and rolled her eyes. A fair response, and well deserved.
But now that I’m sort of padding around, between the gym and Whole Foods and my apartment, I’m letting my hair just, well BE. And it’s pretty freaking awesome. So I found this poster on Etsy in honor of such milestones in life, as embracing messy hair in all its glory. I recommend putting one of these on your mirror, for days when you simply give in to an extra hour of sleep or get back some much needed Today Show time in the morning, because you can’t hear Matt and Meredith over the din of your super turbo dryer, purchased from some beauty supply store and about the price of dinner at Nobu.
So tack up this little message, and get on with your life. Cause that’s what’s up this tousled Wednesday in the 305. The blowdryer returns next week. XO
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65069176/embrace-messy-hair-lino-print
Hiya, Tuesday. Since I am feeling rather "up for it" (down for it?) these days, I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about a place that’s on my radar- and that place is Nashville, baby.
I am fortunate to be married to a man who supports my hyperactive imagination. I am prone to crushes and whims and spontaneous obsessions and outbursts and getting flushed in the face and carried away. I’m aware this sounds like textbook bipolar, but it ain’t (trust me, I checked). He listens and watches as I get all kinds of excited about some random band, some new kind of ramen, or some pair of shoes I can’t imagine life without. This time, my lather is all about a place- Nashville to be exact. I can’t get enough. Oh and have I mentioned I’ve never been there? I haven’t. (Not exactly true. I was there as a 15 year old teen tour type, where I flirted with the white water rapids ride attendant at Opryland, who flirted back, and then proceeded to soak me with fake rapids, much to my hair and insecure teenaged angst’s chagrin.)
It all started a few months back when I received a photographer’s promo, a gatefold number whose back had “NASHVILLE” in big, marquee letters, gold ones, on black. Don’t ask me who the promo was from because I can’t tell ya. What I do know is that mailer made it to my inspiration board in my former office, where I would often stare at this lovely typeface spelling out a city I had yet to fully explore, but was intrigued by, nonetheless (oh the joys of a good typeface).
Type or not, something is telling me to go there. For a long weekend, in March. This sounds crazy I know, but I’m honoring this little intuitive message and planning a trip to Music City, US of g-ddamned A. Yes it’s true that Jack White and Karen Elson live there (she owns a vintage store called blank), and that it is home to all things country music (not my fave by a long shot but can get way, way down with some Merle or Waylon), but I don’t feel blinded by star filled eyes. After living in New York and Miami and spending lots of time in LA, I’ve seen enough stars in my greenish/hazels to last me a lifetime. Nope. This town has some other appeal, or maybe its lifestyle and coolness does.
Before I posted this, I asked a dear friend what she thought of Nashville, having spent much time there. She told me it is a town full of music and stories. I love both of those things more than chocolate so felt confident this little nudge could be relevant. She told me that every bar you go to, it’s entirely possible that someone like Willie Nelson used to close the place after a few sets at the Opry. That sounds awesome to me. I am drawn to places with stories, and lots of them.
And as a Northeasterner, whose former home region is tweedy, academic, and cynical, I have always found that Southern charm delicious and would love a bit of a twang in my every day cup of coffee. (Plus the South widely embraces eccentrics of all sorts, so may not be a bad place for the likes of my freaky ass.)
And I did some research and found that there’s some cool stuff going down there- with the aforementioned Jack White having Third Man Records there, his record store and studio and cool musician’s clubhouse. His wife Karen has a vintage spot called Venus and Mars, in which I can only guess are treasures, curated by a tomato tressed supermodel (ok maybe I do have a little bit of stars in ze eyes. Shoot me). And I read with intrigue about denim spot Imogene and Willie, who make their own denim, hold music events complete with tacos, and welcome customers with open arms to learn about their process. And those arms are embracing a new partnership with none other than J. Crew, who they are collaborating with on a line. They’ve been on my radar since they opened back in 2009.
I myself have a fantasy of going to this town full of stories, falling in love with it, and opening up a vintage store, called “Visions of Johanna”, for you non-Dylan fans, that’s one of his best songs in my humble opinion. ( Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet ?)
After coffee with my hubby and puppy, I would open up the shop and sell flowery dresses (some vintage and some made by me), lots of necklaces and floppy hats, and channel a young Janis Joplin circa Pearl kind of aesthetic. My husband, who I just asked what he would do there, said he would go shot for shot with the locals at his bar for people and their dogs, English pub style. Sounds good to me.
Tell me you have never played this game with your spouse- the game of where would you go, and what you would do there. And for you singles, this is not only a game for duos. You can easily play this with yourself, any time you like. It’s better than Facebook, I assure you.
That’s why it’s Nashville or bust. I’m going soon, and you bet I’ll be blogging the whole time as I try to figure out what the hell the place is trying to tell me, or if it’s going to tell me anything at all. I’m learning to embrace the things I think and fantasize about and go check them out. Too often we think of things, dismiss them as crazy, and put them to bed. But the literal writing is (well was) on my wall at work every day, beckoning and summoning and I am no longer ignoring such things. I recommend playing this little game once in a while and spelunking for those things that seem a bit crackers but could really be just what you’re looking for.
And that’s what’s up this funky fantasized Tuesday in the very non Nashvillian MIA. I’ve attached some pictures of Nashville for visual cues. Here’s to the journey, which maybe one day I’ll drink to, clad in feathers and a wool floppy hat, in my husband’s bar, with Khan by my side. What’s your Nashville? XO
LINK LOVIN’:
http://www.venusandmarsvintage.com/contents.html
http://www.thirdmanrecords.com/about.html
http://www.imogeneandwillie.com/
Good morning, Monday. Had a lovely weekend filled with lots of Apple store purchases and feeling locked and loaded, and just, well, READY.
Wanted to share this vintage ad from French basics brand APC, of which I rediscovered last week when looking for some cool flats. I just love this image of a young Julia Restoin-Roitfled, daughter of the soon to be very ready ex-editor of French Vogue, Carine, - so very cool, so very tough, and so very, well, ready. And that's all I really have to say on this Monday. I hope you're ready for this week and whatever designs it has on your life. Dress accordingly, friends. Dress accordingly. Cause that's what's up this maveny Monday in the MIA. XOIt occurred to me late last night that I may be putting forth an image of fashion schizophrenic on mescaline to my fair Mavenites. I talk so much about tough, rocker chic and then I post pictures of confection-like Valentino dresses, all wrapped up in pretty bows and ready for some sort of soignée garden party in some distant heath. It vexed me.
Mid vex, I realized that what I really love is the mix of the hard and the soft, the male and the female, the yin and the yang that comes with mixed dressing. That’s why I am simply obsessed with army shirts and jackets. They’re tough, yet relaxed, and the pairing of one of these little Private Benji numbers with something silky and soft is the height of haute.
Like this Charlotte Ronson number, paired on the runway with a graceful, flowy, maxi skirt. I adore the utility of an army topper over something that is suited for a cocktail party or breezy afternoon. After all, we all need a bit of toughness to survive a not so soft world, oui?
So I’m buying up these army type shirts in droves because they’re part of my uniform, paired with layers of necklaces, a belt at the waist, and a pretty dress, with heels most likely, or delicate ballet flats (I spied some in the J. Crew catalogue that are gorg beyond. Italian leather and such). Oh and do check out this lovely army shirt by Madewell, for under $100 and super duper chic, on shopbop right now. (this morning I also found some amazing ballets on APC’s site for resort- somehow I lost track of the French basics stalwart. How did I let that happen)? Oh and of course, my fav Calypso has a cute top on sale for a whopping $49, and half that due to that awesome sale moment they're having, in preparation for their impending collection with Target this Spring.
And as I move forward with my life and search for ways to dress for such a momentous occasion as getting on with it, I think the play of dark and light, macho and femme, and hard and soft is just about all I need in the days to come. And dressed for combat, albeit in a pretty way, feels like a million bucks right about now. I like the extremes that meet somewhere in the middle, don’t you? That’s pretty much the way it is for me right now, clothes for any occasion, always ready for whatever comes my way, and of course, with great stylish aplomb. There you have it. My twelve cents for a Friday. Maybe I’m not so mental after all.
And that’s what’s up this dichotomy of a Friday in the 305. Enjoy your weekend, my sexy readers, and links to the above items below. I know I will cause mine’s not going to end on Monday, at least not for now…XO
http://www.shopbop.com/army-shirt-epaulette-charlotte-ronson/vp/v=1/845524441...
http://www.calypsostbarth.com/Ay-Military-Shirt-p-17720.html
http://www.shopbop.com/ultimate-army-jacket-madewell/vp/v=1/845524441889292.h...
http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/ballets/PRDOVR~21412/21412.jsp
Good morning, Thursday. You may be wondering why I an posting so bloody early, but I can't sleep- think the events of the last few days are catching up to me a bit so feeling slightly unhinged but hoping that's fleeting. But there's nothing that gets me out of a bit of a wonky mood than bringing you the best in fashion and beyond, so let's talk about Spring in all of its glory- a huge time of renewal, freshness, warmth, and hope. And only a few months away to boot.
If you know me or have seen me around, you know my personal style is steeped in the art of the dress. I adore dresses of all shapes- it's simply the easiest thing in the world to throw on in the heat- pop on a couple of accessories and some cute shoes, and pow- you're dressed- locked, loaded, and ready to go. I love easy dressing and can't bear clothes that are tricky to put on, or don't feel simple in terms of how long they take me to pack or throw on in a rush.
That's why I am swooning over this Valention number shot by Craig McDean for Spring. Now I know I am a bit more rock and roll of late in my sensibilities, but I never said I would eschew rock and roll girlfriend chic. This little number reminds me of Chrissie Shrimpton or Patti Boyd back in the day- can't you even see Marianne Faithfull wearing this as tears go by? (Last year had me gushing over Val's little white dress- they do know how to make a dress over there, I'll tell you what...)
This little frockenstein is everything I love about dresses- it's simple, sophisticated, and sexy. And the length is perfect to show off some newly tanned legs. J'adore beyond belief...there is also a snap here from the runway in case this one is too arty for you to fully appreciate the spot on perfection of this little number. It's sexy and demure and high on my list of what Spring should feel and look like. I'm in a better mood already...
And that's what's up this pretty and hopeful Thursday in the MIA. ENJOY. XO
I'm taking a breath. Or two. or three...be right back...
XO