Breaking Curfew

Pusheen has the Right Idea

2012-11-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Mood!

2012-11-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

I consider myself an excellent crafter. Perhaps it's my history as a Girl Scout (Juliette Gordon Lowe is my homegirl) or my devotion to glitter, but there's nothing I love more than a good, consuming craft. What I can't do is sew.

That's why i have no idea how it got into my head to make Piper her Halloween costume this year. Spoiler alert: it didn't work out and I ended up buying her a costume anyway (pictures coming soon), but not before I gave it a shot beginning with a trip to Mood.

Picture this, times a billion

I've wanted to visit Mood for awhile, ever since it became a highly visible component on one of my favorite TV shows, 'Project Runway'. The trip was great! I could have spent the whole afternoon there looking at twills and leathers and brocades. There's just something so exciting about the potential of all those rolls and rolls and rolls of fabric.

I've boiled down my Mood adventure to a couple bullet points for your consumption:

Mood is a few blocks from Times Square at 7th (Fashion Ave) and 37th. It's on the third floor.
Taking the elevator up is part of the experience! It's an old-fashioned, conductor-operated elevator. Pro: cool throwback. Con: You have to wait for the elevator is full before you go. I was the last one in so I didn't have to wait at all.
There's a bag check. The guy who took my purse was nice, the one who gave it back was a rude little thing. Boo. He was a surly, eye-rolling miscreant that was throwing around everyone's bags (so bring a tote and leave the Prada at home). He was the only person there who was sub-par though. Everyone else was a star there.

Scientifically proven to be the cutest picture ever

Mood is much bigger that it looks on TV! There are 3 floors and over 40,000 square feet! It really is a designer's dream! I've heard some people call it intimidating, but I thought the floor staff was great. Three or four people asked me if I needed any help while I wandered around wide-eyed.
Is it overpriced? Yes. For Manhattan? No.
No Swatch sightings! Sad face! Swatch is Mood's adorable mascot and Tim Gunn's best friend . . .
. . .but I did get a frequent customer rewards card and Swatch was on that!
My favorite section was the notions (don't you just love that word?) and the ribbons. They had all these delicious velvet ribbons- crimson, pale peach, dove gray, raspberry. I wanted to buy all of them, learn millinery, and spend the next year making hats.

Happy Haunting

2012-10-31T12:24:00.001-05:00

Please Stand By

2012-10-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

Please stand by, Dolls.

Breaking Curfew is currently water-logged (but safe!) in New York.

It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding

2012-10-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Note the seashell paths lining the aisle- so New England.

Last month, the hubby and I headed to the Cape for a beautiful wedding. I just realized I never got around to posting about it which is a low-down dirty shame since I have some very cute outfit shots.

I'd been living in the midwest too long I think because I honestly forgot how much I love the Cape. Hearing the gulls and the waves and smelling the ocean felt like going home. The hubby and I went for a walk on a jetty after lunch (clam chowder and oyster crackers) and I felt like a teenager again.

I wore a pink, faille Nicole Miller dress with a corset bodice. Side note: the corset dress is the sure fire way to maintain perfect posture for hours on end.

I'm never leaving the house without fake eyelashes again.

The shoes were sparkly Kate Spade, 100% party shoes. They came off a few songs into the dancing portion of the evening. The forward thinking bride provided a basket of pink, silver, and black flip flops tied with pink ribbons for her guests. It was honestly one of the best ideas I've ever seen at a wedding! No bad pictures of flat-footed guests! No dirty feet! No slips in spilled champagne!

Let's break it down:

Daytime Realness*

T-shirt: Old Navy
Shorts: Forever 21
Shoes: Hocus Pocus
Bag: Coach

My dress, the Posture Corrector, in black.

Wedding Guest Realness*

Dress: Nicole Miller
Shoes: Kate Spade
Bag: Coach
Necklace: Forever 21- what!? I know! It was $4 and every time I wear it, I get tons of compliments! It just goes to show you that, although over-whelming, the F21 jewelry section is always worth a browse

*By the way, dollies, if you have no idea what this reference means, stop whatever your doing and watch "Paris is Burning". It's my favorite documentary ever and we can't be friends until you watch it!

"I'm a Geriatric Starlet"

2012-10-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

The always incredible Iris Apfel was on 'The Today Show' talking about her style and it is a great watch! She was there promoting photographer Ari Seth Cohen's new book, Advanced Style, featuring stylish women in their 70s, 80s, and above.

These women are my idols.

The older I get, the less I look like I could be on a CW show. As I age out of the maximum age limit for ANTM (devastating!), it's nice to be reminded that you don't have to disappear in our youth-obsessed culture.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

You can buy Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style here. I can't wait to thumb through it!

The 10 Best Tumblr Halloween Make-up Beauty Shots

2012-10-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

1. babycakesss666's Lichtenstein tribute

Love the My Little Pony wig

Check out the rest, after the jump. . .

2. Crazy cat lady Steph Frenz's hipster zombie

3. princess-lemongrab's sexy/sinister Chucky

4. Sarah Deluxe's skeleton fascist

5. Aunt Flow's doll face

Warning: her tumblr is awesome, but some stuff is very very NSFW

6. Naomi Campbell's gorgon

7. Sorry Normal Doesn't Exist's Scar

8. Beauty is Skin Deep's haunting Corpse Bride

9. Mother of Monster's Maleficent

10. Diana Isn't Dead's Terminator

10 Amazing Perfume Commercials

2012-10-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

On the heels of Brad Pitt's commercial for incoherent rambling (that's what he was selling, right?. . . oh, it was Chanel No. 5?. . . are you sure?), I started YouTubing some of my favorite old perfume commercials. Below are the ones that made the Top 10 cut.

1. Miss Dior Cherie

Natalie Portman does everything you want her to do in this Dior commercial including:

Wear sunglasses in the bathtub
Blindfold a cute guy with his bow tie
Lay on the couch in a Chanel cocktail dress looking despondent

2. Chanel No. 5

Nicole Kidman looks radiant while having a nervous breakdown and wearing Chanel couture. This commercial is sort of cheesy but if you suspend disbelief and ignore the plot holes, it's a gorgeous affair-with-a-celebrity fantasy come to life.

3. Vera Wang Lovestruck

Leighton Meester (and her tiny waist) star in this low-on-plot, high-on-eye-candy commercial.

4. Chanel No. 5 (again)

Who's stalking who in this Audrey Tautou Chanel No. 5 commercial. Is it a murder mystery? A romance? Was the train conductor really the only one to have any lines of dialogue? Who cares- did you see that jumpsuit!?

5. Givenchy Ange Ou Demon

Ange Ou Demon: the official perfume of "Eyes Wide Shut" orgies.

6. Christian Dior's Pure Poison

Ahhh! WTF, lady!? Get out of the house! There is a computer generated jaguar-lizard hybrid loose!

I seriously, un-ironically love this one because it reminds me of those genetically engineered dogs in The Hunger Games.

7. Chanel No. 5 (again!)

The more I go through old perfume commercials, the more I'm convinced that the Brad Pitt No. 5 one was a fluke because all the rest of the Chanel ones are pretty fantastic. This one in particular has a lot going for it: Paris in winter, Little Red Riding Hood re-imagined as a supermodel hoarder, and (my favorite part) the Danny Elfman 'Edward Scissorhands' score.

8. Nina L'Elixir

This is like Taylor Swift's Tumblr come to life! Pink forests, suspended apples, poofy, princess dress, all white Parisian bedroom- sign me up!

9. Chanel No. 5

A personal favorite, I can remember watching this commercial when I was in high school and gagging on the glamour. I love when the model starts to turn into Marilyn, cleavage first.

10. Rihanna Reb'l Fleur

Baby Beyonce is giving burlesque realness in this one. For serious, I was super excited when they rewound the commercial and just showed you the first half all over again backwards. I could watch Rhianna flounce around an estate dressed in deconstructed satin dresses for hours.

Trick or Treat: The Best Halloween Day Time Make-up

2012-10-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

In anticipation of my favorite holiday ever, I'm been compiling a wish list of all sorts of spooky beauty products that you can use during your non-haunting, day time hours and not look like a creep.

Black Pearls Caviar Manicure

Philosophy Trick or Treat Lip Shine Duo

Burlesque Face Lace
Okay, this is admittedly a party look for sure, but it's all sorts of fabulous.

Halloween Fantasy Maker Ultra Long Black Eyelashes Self Adhesive Spiderweb
They even come in a little coffin! Squeal!

"This Time Travel Crap, Just Fries Your Brain Like an Egg"

2012-10-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

It was the hubby's birthday on Thursday so I convinced him to take Friday off in the hopes of driving into the country to go apple picking, drink cider, and do other sickeningly adorable couple things. Sadly, my dreams of reaching the pinnacle of cute were cut short with one glance at the Dobbler radar.

The forecast called for rain. All day.

But rainy fall days are kinda perfect sometimes, right? We slept in and then decided to go see a movie. I had enough points on my Regal Crown Club Card for a free popcorn (YES!) and we saw 'Looper'. It was one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Honestly, the less you know about it, the better. It's one of those movies that the fresher you go into it, the more it'll feel like falling down the rabbit hole into another universe. I will tell you three things though to make this post (somewhat) worthwhile:

Emily Blunt should be in every movie.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is still really cute in spite of the slightly off-putting prothetics he wears to make him look more like Bruce Willis. Seriously, I think that was the only bad part of 'Looper'. The whole time I was like, "Is that make-up or the lighting or what. . . what is going on with his face?" It's just noticeable enough to distract you, but you can't quite put your finger on what it is that's off (at least I couldn't until someone told me it was prosthetics). Hubby didn't think it was even JGL! He thought it was someone eerily similar. The worst part of using prosthetics, I think, is that shows a lack of confidence in JGL's performance which is entirely uncalled for. You can tell he really studied up on Bruce Willis. He has the mannerisms and rhythm down pat.
The fan art posters are awesome.

Jenna Lyons' Shopping Secrets

2012-10-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love love love this video of J. Crew Creative Director (and only woman in the world who could pull off denim on denim on denim) Jenna Lyons sharing her style secrets.

7 Reasons to Wear Cat-Eye Glasses

2012-10-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Strike a Pose: Rihanna on Vogue

2012-10-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Rihanna nabbed herself another Vogue cover.

It's definitely not as amazing as her last cover where she was giving Jessica Rabbit realness courtesy of her brilliant red hair and fabulous cleavage I mean, just look at her. Don't you want to feel as sexy and gorgeous as she looks just once in your life? It's striking impactful, and much more fun to look at than a little red lace bridesmaid dress and a field of wheat.

The cover shot, while beautiful, is nowhere near as incredible as the interior spread. Seriously though, why not use one of the breathtaking Annie Leibovitz photos from the inside as the cover?

I would love to see magazines across the board start adopting a cleaner look, especially high-end, luxury ones like Vogue. Get rid of all the headlines. All of them. Especially, "THE DANGERS OF MEDICAL OVERTESTING" emblazoned over Rihanna's head. I bet she'd appreciate that. Elle does amazing covers along that idea for their subscribers.

Seriously though, no one I know reads Vogue for the headlines. Yeah, you read the articles because they're amazing, but have you ever been in line at the supermarket and considered Vogue by it's headlines? No way. Not once.

This has never been my internal monologue: "Oh, I don't know if I should buy Vogue this month. . .oh wait, 'The $108 Party Dress'! And 'What to Wear Where'! I'm in!"

I read Vogue for two reason: because of who is on the cover and because it's Vogue. It already has a reputation for fantastic articles (and horrible celebrity interviews- I mean, look at the cover quote from Ri Ri, "I love to have fun." Snooze. does it get more generic than that?) so don't bother putting them on the cover. That isn't going to tip the consumer scales.

Instead, put one of these arresting editorial shots on the cover and one word: Vogue.

Things That Are Awesome: Baby Lips

2012-10-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I don't review many make-up products on this blog because, honestly, I don't wear that much make-up.

Lip color for dum-dums

That isn't because I find "natural" beautiful. No way. Natural's all well and good on Sunday morning, but I love a drag queen*. Give me fake eyelashed, sequined, painted, padded, strapped, and corseted any day over plain and un-colorful.

I don't wear much make-up because I never really learned how. ~~Most~~ All of my attempts to be a glamour puss have failed disastrously and it always seemed like an awful lot of money to spend on a bottomless well of incompetence.

My make-up has to be two things in order to be successful:

Cherry Me: the Diana Ross of Baby Lips

Cheap
Easy

Enter: Maybelline's Baby Lips.

If you hate make-up, you'll love Baby Lips. Each tube is like a grown-up chapstick. They're slather-it-on rich so your lips will be super soft and they have a hint of color so you don't have to use lipstick. They also have a little yummy flavor (seriously yummy, not gross-waxy-fake-chocolate chapstick tasting). Plus, they're so cheap! They're less than a cup of coffee!

So far, I've tried Cherry Me (orange tube, red shade) and Grape Vine (purple tube, dark red shade). Both are great, but I like the Cherry Me better for it's brighter shade. On the other hand, if you are unlike me and shun color (arch nemesis alert!), there are two options for you- Peppermint and Quenched.

You can buy them in your local drugstore or on Amazon for about $3 a piece in the helpful links below:

*Also, burlesque dancers, who are pretty much anatomically correct drag queens.

Drop it like F. Scott

2012-10-11T12:56:00.000-05:00

The Most Delightful Man on Earth: Tim Gunn

2012-10-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

HIGH POINT OF MY LIFE IN PROGRESS!

Guys! Guess who I hung out with a couple days ago?

Tim Gunn!

He was promoting his book, Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible at his "neighborhood" Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side. He did a little talk with his co-author Ada Calhoun, answered questions, and then signed books. It was fantastic!

I can't wait to read the Fashion Bible! It's a history of fashion, garment by garment. I already have Tim Gunn's Golden Rules, which is an amazing read if you guys haven't found it yet. It's part advice book, part memoir with tons of dishy stuff in there. Example: there's a story about him and Diane von Furstenberg getting a hotdog together and one about Anna Wintour literally being carried downstairs by her bodyguards after a fashion show (there was only a freight elevator and, as you know, she never rides in elevators with anyone else).

My books signed by the author, the lovely Tim Gunn

Tim Gunn was as delightful as you can possibly imagine- so nice and so dignified. I felt elevated just being in his presence, like I suddenly had perfect posture and a bigger vocabulary. I was thanking him for being such a champion of NICE and he was so gracious and lovely! I mentioned that I was missing class to come visit him and he asked which one. When I told him "kung fu," he asked if I could be his bodyguard! I said yes, of course. I wish I would have said, "I'll protect you from Santino!" but I didn't think of it until much later. He also said I was "obviously" in great shape so now I can die happy. Put it on my gravestone ladies, I got a passing grade from Tim Gunn.

So here's some dishy 'Project Runway' stuff that he said:

Ven was an even bigger ass to his client, Terri, then they showed. Tim said that he was watching from the control and he was just awful. The producers had a really hard time finding any footage of him being even semi-nice and making him sympathetic to the audience.
You know how Tim came out during the judging of the HP Intel Printer Challenge to give the judges insight into Ven's design process? I guess Heidi always asks him to come out and do that, but he never has before. He confessed that it was because he was hoping it would get Ven eliminated! Wicked, Tim. I love it!
Michael Kors gets bitchy when other designers are guest judges. I could have guessed that one.
Michael Kors was the one who was responsible for Gretchen winning over Mondo in the WORST FINALE EVER. Tim said that Michael wanted an American sportswear designer to win for a change (as opoosed to the European-ish, courtier-ish designers that usually win). Once he made up his mind with that, he started working on Nina saying*, "Oh, Gretchen listened to you and styled everything like you said. Mondo ignored you completely! He was thumbing his nose at you!" So then Nina started to come around to Gretchen. Heidi (obviously) wanted Mondo to win the whole time.

*I'm paraphrasing here, of course.

7 Seriously Adorable Vintage Halloween Pin-Ups

2012-10-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Check out the rest after the jump. . .

My Life Will Be Complete if I Own this Fish Clutch

2012-09-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure this Swarovski crystal studded koi clutch would satisfy all of Manslow's hierarchy of needs. It'll at least cover self-actualization and esteem.

Judith Leiber Koi Fish Minaudière, $4,495

Rainbow Bright: Awesome Nails Inspired by ANTM

2012-09-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Satirical Stylists' Randomized Rainbow Nails

I was watching my guilty pleasure, America's Next Top Model, the other day which I could literally talk for hours about. Have you guys been watching this ~~season~~ cycle? It is off-the-rails crazy. Seriously. Hold on to your weave, because this season you are riding a crazy, totally un-self-aware wagon and you've lost two wheels already.*

Another awesome thing: Laura's pink eyebrows.
Yes please, dolly.

Anywho, they had this pretty cool photo shoot where the girls were hurtled into the air by three "male models" (the less said about them, the better) while holding pom poms and pretending to be cheerleaders. The concept was okay, the styling was fantastic, and the pictures were awesome!

You couldn't tell in the pictures, but all the girls had really cute, popping manicures. Each finger was a different, bright, preppy color. First off, big ups to the ANTM makeup crew. You guys are the real heroes. The girls were holding pom poms the entire shoot so crew had to know it was a waste of time to paint their nails! And yet, here's the hero part, they did it anyways. I salute you, hard working manicurist.

So how did I notice these awesome nails?

Thankfully for us, there is an international ANTM symbol for "OMG" and it looks like this:

. . . and sometimes like this:

The Satirical Stylist has a great post about her rainbow nails with loads of cute pictures (including the one at the top of the post here). I really want to try it, but I'm not sure if it would clash with absolutely everything else I decided to wear. Would I have to just say "Fuck it" and wear Play-doh colors until I started to chip?

*Additional craziness of this ~~season~~ cycle:

Mr. and Miss Jay are gone (blessedly).
Katy Perry's low energy stylist with a lisp is the new creative director of the photo shoots. The show makes sure to remind you that he is Katy Perry's stylist every chance they get but they NEVER SHOW HIM STYLING ANYONE! He doesn't even give fashion advice!
No one on the panel is a photographer. Ever! Not even the guest judges have been yet! And it's episode four!
There is a "college fund" for each girl. If they win a challenge, they get $10,000 deposited into their fund. . .but they only get that money if they win the whole shebang! Cheap-o City, producers. Either give them the money or just forget it. Give them a skanky dress (that a designer clearly yanked off the sales rack) like you usually do when they win a challenge.
The male model on the panel whose name I haven't bothered to learn yet has literally referred to himself as a Greek God.
Bryan Boy, the most fashionable out of the entire group of judges, never gets to voice his personal opinion. He's just there to introduce fan clips. Speaking of which. . .
Who's idea was it to put in a fan vote!? Why do we care if Melissa from Iowa thinks Nastasia is too commercial!? Speaking of which. . .
The fan videos they show are equal parts hilarious and awful. I can't remember which episode (maybe the third?) but there was a video of a guy giving his in depth critique while his "girlfriend" sat next to him eating a Popsicle. A Popsicle!
They keep saying how important "social media" scores are, but the girls NEVER USE SOCIAL MEDIA! They should be forced to blog or tweet or even Instagram the whole experience (ala Coco Rocha) instead of lounging around not washing dishes and fighting about who's the realer bitch. Though I did love the "who's the realer bitch fight". God bless the producers for keeping that in. As far as I can tell, the social media score is based on what anonymous idiots from across America comment on your picture.
Victoria. Just everything about her. Every time she's on the screen, she's attains a higher level of crazy. She is next level bananas.

Carrie Bradshaw's 11 Best Outfits

2012-09-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was just daydreaming about shopping (as I often do) and started thinking about Carrie Bradshaw.

If Carrie Bradshaw was a real life person, I feel like we'd either be really really good friends or arch nemeses. We have a ton in common and that can tip the scales either way- best buddies or mean girls. We both are writers who love shopping, cupcakes, and New York City. She is way more dramatic than me though. Remember when she had a panic attack when her and Miranda tried on goofy, poofy wedding dresses? Take it down a notch, chicken.

Anywho, the best part of having Carrie Bradshaw as a best friend would absolutely be getting a crack at her closet (but I bet she NEVER cleaned out her closet. She's threaten to do it all the time and you'd get really hyped up for the hand-me-downs, but it would never happen).

Check out some of my favorite Carrie Bradshaw looks, in no particular order, after the jump.

Print Mixing Level: Master! Teach me your ways, Sifu Bradshaw!

This shot is moments before Carrie goes head-over-Choos and becomes fashion road kill at the Dolce & Gabbana show. I love everything about this look: electric blue satin trench (lined in leopard, no less), bouffant, winged eyelid. . . and, to paraphrase fellow New Yorker George Costanza, if it was socially acceptable I'd wear crystal-studded hot pants everywhere.

Big girl suit courtesy Vivienne Westwood.

Gah! Why can't capes make a serious comeback?! I'm talking a fashion wave of capes akin to Revolutionary times. I want everyone and their Old-Navy-capri-wearing Aunt Betty to be sporting thick wool capes and fingerless gloves come winter.

Love this. Quiet preppy, but with shocks of color. This looks like the cover of the Spring 2013 J. Crew catalogue.

You knew the wardrobe was going to be amazing when Carrie decided to move to Paris with the Russian, but I never knew it would be this perfect.

I have super mixed feelings about this dress. It is stunning- a work of art, for sure. But this scene makes me so sad and lonely.

Carrie is in Paris and it's not working out like the fairy tale she thought it would. She misses her friends, she doesn't know her way around, she doesn't speak the language, she's unsure about the Russian. . . Having moved from Connecticut to Boston, from Boston to Chicago and, recently, from Chicago to New York City, I know exactly how she feels. It's lonely and horrible and scary and hard to start everything over from scratch. It sucks.

But, if you're going to feel like crap, you don't have to look like it! I have often taken a page from Carrie's book and cheered myself up by throwing on something glamorous. it makes everything feel more like an adventure.

True story: I had a red silk taffeta ball gown skirt that I used to wear with a black cotton tank to high school.

Giving ladies-who-lunch realness

Gorgeous. She looks like she belongs in a jewelry box. Everything about her looks soft and romantic and glittering.

'Sex and the City 2' was a disaster- easily one of the worst films I've ever seen- but it is a blast to watch if only for the sets and costumes. Watch it with the sound off and marvel and this rich, orange pleated maxi dress that Carrie wears to ponder. I wish I had a pondering dress like this.

The Most Amazing Tights You'll See This Season

2012-09-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'll let you in on a little New England girl secret: tights.

The secret to a successful fall/winter outfit is a kicking pair of tights. The whole rest of the outfit can be super boring, but slap on a bold color or pretty patterned pair of tights and you're the next Sartorialist's muse.

I consider myself a tights aficionado. I have a literal bucket full of them in my closet: wool, herringbone, bright fuchsia, black lace- almost everything you could ask for.

Except these.

These Lay of the Woodland Tights from ModCloth are the most beautiful tights I've ever seen.

Lay of the Woodland Tights from ModCloth, $40

Jesse Pinkman Doesn't Get Burberry

2012-09-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Buzzfeed ran this picture of Aaron Paul from "Breaking Bad" sitting front at a Burberry show looking perplexed and it is cracking me up. Look at how hard he is concentrating to make sense of things!

He's probably confused about why everyone is so crammed together in that front row. Seriously, that real estate is out of control. It looks like they're all seated on benches too so you know they didn't start out that cramped. Imagine having that job? How much would it suck to be the Head Bench Monitor at Burberry? "C'mon everybody, I know you're rich and famous, but you're gonna have to slide it on into the middle. Slide it on it! Get cozy! . . . Hey! Enough with the eye-rolls Dev Patel! I see you! . . . Put your purse on your lap, Dita Von Teese!"

The Friendly Confines (cheap seats) at Wrigley Field or a multi-million dollar fashion show- you decide!

20 Reasons Why Fall is Awesome

2012-09-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

1. Flannel

2. Football season means it's okay to hang out on the couch in your p'jays all day Sunday

3. Jack-o-laterns

4. Cozy plaid blankets

5. Chunky scarves- This one is from etsy user Silvia66

6. Boots!

7. It's time to drink tea and feel cozy.
Suggestion: The Tea Spot in Greenwich Village. Get the Butter Truffle Black tea. Add milk and one packet of Splenda. Photo by: K. Miller

8. Apple picking

9. All the food you make with the massive amount of apples you picked

10. Hoodie weather!

11. Pumpkin whoopie pies

12. Hikes in the woods

13. Halloween

14. Apple cider- here's my easy, apple cider-cheat recipe.

15. Tailgating

16. It's not too hot to snuggle anymore! Suck it, summer!

17. Burberry scarves and leather jackets

18. Time to wear plaid again!

19. . . . and tweed

20. Fall picnics

The Secret to Motivating Yourself to Work Out

2012-09-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

I hate working out. The only problem is, I love junk food. As I write this, in fact, I'm pausing in between typing sentences to eat this whoopie pie that's in my lap. It's dark chocolate with peanut butter filling and I only bought one because I can't be trusted with more than that. I would eat them like a goldfish until I explode. My point being: I have to work out. But I still hate it. So how do I motivate myself to work out?

Easy. Cute shoes.

As a rule in life, I get more excited about things if I get to plan a special outfit around it. Silly? Yup. Superficial? You bet your sweet bippy it is! But it works. Clothes are a form of armor that get me ready to take on things I'm less than excited about. Take a job interview, for example. I'm sweaty and nervous and twitchy and liable to ask inappropriate questions unless I'm prepared. For me, that includes a sharply tailored black suit, a colorful silk blouse, and a kick ass pair of shoes. If I slip that on, I feel like I belong. I feel like I already have the job.

They're slightly Oogie Boogie-ish, right?

The same applies to the gym. I hate going because it's hard work and I (most of the time) feel completely out of place, but give me a kick ass pair of shoes and I'm convincing myself I'm Misty May-Treanor. Last week, I nabbed some shoes that make me feel like an Olympian.

These Saucony's Women's Adapt Trail Running Shoes ($59.95) from DSW* are awesome. They feel awesome, they look awesome (and a little like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in the best way possible), and they make me actually want to go to the gym. Not a bad investment.

*DSW is also having double points right now until September 30th with the online code FASTPOINTS. Double down, ladies.

Cloche Call

2012-09-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Cloches are essential flapper wear

As soon the weather starts to cool off, I start daydreaming about a new fall wardrobe.

In my fantasies, I'm always strolling through crunchy leaves on a sun-dappled path with tall, brown suede boots, tailored wool coats, and pretty patterned tights. I'm also always wearing a cloche!

Seriously guys, is there anything better than a cloche? It's a whimsical accessory that's also practical. They've gotten me through Boston, Chicago, and New York City winters since they're wool and, therefore, warm. Plus, their bell-shape is perfect for windy cities. The brim sits snugly on your head so it'll never blow off your head and you have to chase it down the street like a crazy person (been there).

Here's some cloches that are currently on my wishlist:

This little darling I actually own! Huzzah!

It was from Anthropologie a few seasons ago, but I stalked it on eBay until I found it reasonably priced (since loyal readers know I can't afford full priced Anthro). I think it was around $80 at Anthropologie but I nabbed it on eBay for around $30.

It's super pretty on! The side with the flowers pulls down low so it covers my ear and the other side turns up. I wear it with a big, cozy infinity loop scarf (kind of like this one).

Boris by BoringSidney on Etsy, $135

I'm in love with this one. It's probably meant for a fancy ball or Halloween extravaganza, but I would wear it all winter long. It's so elegant and Gothic at the same time. Can't you see it in an Edward Gorey cartoon?

It's pricey, sure, but it's also handmade to order. It takes 3 to 4 weeks to make. How fancy would you feel having a handmade cloche!?

Fleur Delacour Beauxbatons Inspired Cloche on Etsy, $155 (estimate- currently sold out)

Gorgeous.

For all you muggles, this lovely piece is based on the uniform for the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. The girls from Beauxbatons visit Hogwarts to compete in the Goblet of Fire Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Even if you aren't a Harry Potter nerd like me, you have to admit this is a kick ass hat. Chic and elegant. The icy blue might be hard to pull off with traditional autumnal tones (admittedly, I don't think I've ever owned anything icy blue), but this is another made-to-order piece so you can get it in rich, velvety burgundy.

Look at the longing in the Gryffindor girl's eyes on the right. She's all, "Damn, look at that bitch's cloche! She fancy!"

Dream Hat from yellowfield7, $450

Another stunner. Is it even possible to make an ugly cloche? Probably, but let's not this about that too hard.

This one is breathtakingly sculptural. It's modern and vintage looking at the same time. It's timeless. If the photo was black and white, you almost couldn't place it in a decade.