I’m stating the obvious for those of you living in New York, but it’s really warm outside. New York City is its own special kind of warm. Hot. Sticky. And since transportation here consists in large part of hoofing it around on foot, it’s hard to not get a little (or a lot) melty in the months from June to September. This past weekend was particularly brutal—Evan (doesn’t he look cute up there in his new straw hat?) and I decided to stay in the city in an effort to avoid traffic, and instead spent most of our three days off walking all over the place.
We had a super-yummy vegan brunch at Counter. Evan had the East Side Burger, and I had the Roasted Pepper & Leek Frittata (tofu-based). It came with this tomato jam that was completely delicious. Afterward we walked over to Lula’s Sweet Apothecary for a midday dessert, forgetting that they don’t open until 3:00pm! Lula’s is a full-service, old-fashioned ice cream shop (or is it “shoppe”?) that happens to be totally vegan (!), so we didn’t mind killing a little time until the doors finally opened to an already-long line of people. Well worth the wait, too. Evan had a malted milkshake that was to die for, and I had a two-scoop sundae with coconut and peanut butter fudge ice creams (cashew-based), hot caramel sauce, crushed graham crackers, and coconut milk-based whipped cream. SO. GOOD.
I wanted to take this little guy home with me. He mostly just wanted me to stop trying to take his picture. Oh well.
Anyway, this is my 35th summer here on planet Earth (no, I’m not sure where I was before that), and I still don’t know how to dress appropriately for the heat. Every year I’m out there in my mostly-black layers (head to toe, lest anyone be subjected to my translucent, pasty-white flabby arms and chicken legs), broiling under the hot sun and looking like a total mess. I don’t have a “summer wardrobe” or “winter clothes”. It’s all pretty much the same thing, give or take a cardigan.
To my fellow layerers-of-clothing who wish every month could be October: WHAT DO YOU WEAR IN THE SUMMER? HELP.
p.s. HELLO to all of the Door Sixteen readers who stopped to say hi when Evan and I were out and about this weekend!! Isn’t it funny what a huge-small city this is?
Filed under house, wearable
I said I would finish repairing/painting the three living room windows during my vacation, and…I did! Late last night I finished stripping the last of the many coats of paint off of the locks. In a few minutes, I’ll screw them onto the sashes and cross an item off of my list that has been hanging over my head for far too long. How satisfying!
It’s a rainy, dreary day, one that definitely calls for stripey socks, bagels, and plenty of coffee. All three of those requirements are currently being tended to, rest assured. (Goodbye, vacation!)
Filed under greed, wearable
I can’t stop thinking about this bag. I keep going back to look at it again and again. Want, want, want, want, want. Unfortunately, even with the sale price and a discount code, it’s still $353.28, which is about $303.28 more than I should even be thinking about spending on anything right now. Sigh.
Thanks. I just needed to get that out of my system. I LOVE YOU, WOMEN’S SLOUCHY PERFORATED LEATHER ZIP HOLDALL! Someday, somewhere, somehow, I know we’ll be together. If only in our dreams.
Filed under greed, wearable
I’m in love with the new Komeetta Collection for Marimekko’s Fall 2009 line.
The clothes are designed by Mika Piirainen, and use textiles designed by Marimekko mainstays Maija & Kristina Isola.
Filed under vanity, wearable
This is the first winter that I’ve really felt prepared for the cold weather, and it’s great! In past years, I’ve shivered and suffered in thin, wool coats (and, once upon a time, stockings and heels every day—but I got over that), but this year I planned ahead and bought a knee-length, super-warm down coat from Soïa & Kyo. Ahhhhhh. It’s like a sleeping bag with a belt, only more flattering. I have to ride a ferry across the Hudson and stand on an outdoor train platform every morning, so this is serious business.
Also, did you know that wearing a hat that covers your ears keeps you much warmer than not wearing a hat at all? I know, I know, that seems crazy, but apparently our mothers were right about that. Huh.
Filed under health, wearable
If you wear clothes, listen up! (The 3% of my readership comprised of nudists can skip this post.)
When you buy a jacket, skirt or coat that has a vent/slit on the back or sides, sometimes it has a loose “X” stitch holding the vent together. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, YOU NEED TO CUT AND REMOVE THIS THREAD!!!!!!!! It’s not meant to be left in place! It’s a temporary stitch intended to keep the vent from opening/creasing while the jacket is hanging in the store.
Go to your closet(s), and examine every garment carefully to make sure you don’t have any temporary stitches holding those vents/slits together (NB: sometimes pleated skirts have these stitches, too, but I’m hoping nobody needs to be told to cut them—but you never know). If you see any, snip them immediately. I promise it’s the right thing to do. The coat/jacket/skirt will not hang right if you don’t. It will look awful, frankly. Really. Cut the threads.
While you’re at it, remove any tags on the outside of garments. If I see one more person with a “100% WOOL” tag on the sleeve of their coat, I am going to LOSE MY MIND.
Wow, it feels really good to get this off of my chest. You can ask Evan—I get totally irate every time I see a temporary stitch on someone’s coat. I mean, it really makes me crazy. I obsess over it. I point them out and stare at them and have to will myself to not take out a pair of cuticle scissors and snip the threads myself. I’ve even thought about having cards printed up explaining that the threads are supposed to be removed before wearing. I could discreetly slip them into the hands of offenders and then run away before they look at them.
Feel free to forward this post as you see necessary. Let’s work together to make this world a better place!
Filed under vanity, wearable
I’m telling you, if I had owned these clothes when I was 17, I would have worn them every single day. Opaque black tights? Check. Calf-height, flat-soled boots? Check. Oversized, belted plaid flannel shirt dress that’s kind of unflattering (but who cares because it was cheap)? Check, check, check! Seriously, this is all sooooo Anna-in-1992, and it’s making me really, really happy.
I hope I never grow up and start buying clothes at Ann Taylor.
Also, if you don’t already own a pair of gray boots, I highly recommend these.
Oh, and another thing: I was just marveling this morning over the difference in the quality of opaque tights in 2008 vs. 1992. I clearly remember getting maybe 4 wears out of a pair of tights back then before they started to fall apart, usually beginning with the seams in the crotch area. (Do you remember this, Nicole?) These days, I can own a pair of tights for years without getting so much as a hole in the toe. Nice! Of course, these advancements in quality would mean that I could never achieve that naturally-ripped-and-held-together-with-safety-pins effect I used to love so much, but I think I’m over that particular look by now.
Filed under wearable, work
I finally got a new camera. Here I am in the bathroom at work (always my favorite place for self-portraits—the lighting is perfectly depressing/clinical, and there are those great Mart Stam chairs in the entryway) upon arrival this morning. So far, I like it. I’m not a very good photographer and I don’t have patience for adjusting settings, etc., so I need all of the automated help I can get. I’m also excited to have a wide-angle lens for taking photos inside the house!
The temperature outside is rapidly dropping. I’ve been wearing my new Wrist Worms from Sandra. Love them! I know fall is going to pass too quickly, and soon it will be colder than cold. I’ll try to savor my favorite season every day in the mean time.
I love the clothes from the Marimekko Fall 2008 collection, especially these designed by Samu-Jussi Koski. I would love to wear them all…
Flavia tunic / Becky dress / Meri dress
Karin dress / Kamilla dress
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a pair of Peony flats from Clarks (part of their Indigo line), and they have quickly become my favorite shoes. No, they aren’t sexy, but they are perfect. Super-soft leather insole, rubber sole that’s flat (but not too flat), slightly pointed toe (but not too pointy), a bit of patent leather detail at the bottom, and so, so, SO comfortable. I really needed a pair of simple shoes that are more durable than my usual thin-soled ballet flats, which tend to wear out very quickly on city sidewalks. These seem to be very well made. I love them.
They’re on super-sale at Clarks stores, by the way—I got mine for $40, much less than they are at Zappos.
I never saw myself as the Clarks type (let’s be honest, most of their women’s shoes are hideous), but I think I want these (in black), too. I bet they’re really comfortable, too.
p.s. I’m not wearing tapered jeans, it’s an illusion! They’re just extra-long skinnies that are bunched up around my ankles. I don’t want anybody getting the wrong idea…
Filed under greed, wearable
The Fall 2008 Soïa & Kyo collection is just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be! I wish there were more down coats to choose from (this winter I really will buy a down coat instead of suffering in a wool one on the coldest of cold days), but it’s hard to complain.
Decisions, decisions. I want them all! See the full collection here.
Filed under greed, wearable
(look closer)
Old Navy has long been my secret source for cheapy-cheap shoes of decent quality (I buy a lot of clothes there, too; the quality is much better than other super-cheap stores like H&M or Forever 21). They’ve outdone themselves with their latest collection, though. Look at all of these great COLORS!!
You could own all nine pairs of shoes pictured above for a mere $231.85. Madness!
Filed under greed, wearable
Filed under health, wearable
I can’t enough of yellow! I’m addicted to this yellow patent-leather belt, and my gigantic new bag makes me smile every day. How great is that pattern? It makes me think of something Elisabeth would create.
My haircut is fresh and short (picture soon), and it made me go and buy new t-shirts this morning (including a gray one to wear with my yellow belt!). Summertime should mostly be spent with short hair and soft-soft-soft t-shirts. I can’t wait for the weekend. I have a good feeling.
Filed under greed, wearable
I came to the Habitat store via Wiksten, and immediately found several things I wouldn’t mind finding waiting for me in the closet tomorrow morning.
MK2K Two Pocket Dress (gray!)
Frye Cameron peep-toes (green!)
Initium Ten sunglasses (black! blue!)
Campers Right flats (yellow! gray!)
I love these colors together.
My friend Janet keeps complaining about having to see that tile photo day after day, so I figure I had better put something new here!
That’s worth it, right? It’s my new Orla Kiely bag, and it holds everything and looks great. It was one of those purchases I just had to hold close my eyes, hold my breath, and say “GO!” for, but I have no regrets. Happy, pretty. (I want this one, too!)
Oh, and guess what? Our plumbing work in the bathroom is officially starting THIS FRIDAY! Finally. We also have a landscaper coming that day to assess our yard and figure out how much it would cost to demolish our back porch, put up a new fence, take down a tree, and remake Carin Goldberg’s garden. I have a feeling he’s going to see that photo and ask us why we want a prison yard behind our house!
p.s. It wasn’t freezing cold today! I wore ballet slippers (no socks!) and didn’t suffer. Is spring really coming this time?
I drew a photo-realistic portrait of Evan on my thumb.
It was cold and windy outside today, but I wore my new coat anyway. I was freezing, but it was worth it. C’mon, springtime, you can do it!!!
Have a wonderful weekend!
“Emyloo” and “Marilou” coats from Soïa & Kyo‘s Spring 2008 collection. Perfect!
Filed under greed, wearable
Amelia & Neasa dresses (designed by Samu-Jussi Koski). Love!
