Summer: the most elusive and joy-inducing season fur us Northeastern dwellers. Afflicted with cold for more than half the year, once the sunshine starts to become a mainstay and the rays feel powerful enough to burn your skin should you omit SPF, that's when the true moments of pure magic are felt.
While the rest of the country is lucky enough to have ongoing weather clemency (somewhat), our reality is that once Labor Day has passed, it's becomes about mentally preparing ourselves for what's coming our way: months of darkness, painstakingly chilly days and frigid nights, never-ending snow hindering on all aspects of our existence. I assure you, I am not being dramatic.
Labor Day weekend is so close, I can see it, I can touch it, in fact, I can alomst taste it. But the sun is still shining, I am still sweating, and I refuse to start thinking about fall/winter layers until I absolutely have no other choice. And yes, that means frolicking where I see fit in a swimsuit, cutoffs, a straw hat and my favorite acquisition of the season: my Marfa throw.
There's something about summer that excuses any over-abuse of vivid hues. Even if those colors are not your usual fare, somehow they become more attractive when the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the sweat is sweet and the skies are aqua. Even though it's Labor Day weekend, the mercury has yet to drop and I'm helping to keep it on high with this punchy mood board.
[Pinterest, TFS, Into the Gloss, Style.com. the Coveteur, Elin King]
It's been discussed time and time again how us ladies have a very personal relationship with clothing. Emotional attachment, if you will. We cherish every piece thanks to all of their baggage, as though it's a way to time-travel back into the experiences we had while wearing them. There is sentimental value that we attribute to every garment as a way to keep memories alive.
And while your clothes are most likely worthless to every other mortal, it simply remains impossible to put a price on sentimental value. How many times have I finally made the excruciating decision of parting ways with a [fill in the blank because I wore it on my first date with my husband], only to have it be adamantly rejected by the too-cool-for-school buyer at Buffalo Exchange, dismissed as utterly unsalable.
What had given me extreme grief due to my head and my heart battling it out in the war of reason, knowing full well that I would never don X piece again and that it was taking up precious real estate in my closet, was rendered futile -- moot at best -- by some chick with the authority to accept or refuse my wardrobe rejects. "It's not really a reject! Do you know how cool this piece is/once was?!" I want to say each time this happens. Alas, no one else cares.
And all sentimental appropriation starts somewhere. Whether it's a hand-me-down from your mom, a piece that's been in your family for ages, or the top you were wearing the day you met your soulmate, there was a point where that item was just another rag.
Unless your item came tailored to you with a monogram. It doesn't get much more personal than that. Maybe one day, someone from my family will hold on to the shirt I'm wearing in these photos, which bears my initials on each side of the collar, and feel a deep connection to it.
I'm kind of usually averse to colorful schemes and overly funkified (made up that word just now, so what) sartorial contraptions. But here I am, posing in front of a wall that seems to have vomited the rainbow -- it's a super rad Converse mural in Brooklyn, actually -- and wearing (gasp!) prints with layers around my neck.
I do very much enjoy that boho sensibility, and while I'm not full throttle with it, I do like to dabble in that aesthetic at times. Hence my skinny scarf, round sunglasses, scraggly hair parted in the middle and Birkenstock sandals. In fact, if you didn't know any better, you'd probably think that I had briefly traveled back in time and was headed to Woodstock in the summer of '69.
That may not be case, but I was feeling quite groovy nontheless.
You know those days when it's raining, but for some reason, the sun is still feeling super bright behind those clouds and without sunglasses your eyes just hurt? That's pretty much how I feel every time it drizzles (not downpours), so while it was spitting in my face -- not enough to warrant an umbrella -- it was still necessary to shade my orbs.
That said, when it's rainy and brightly grey outdoors, the one thing you want to be wearing is cozy stuff and be comfortable, which is exactly what I am donning in these photos: an oversized dress (looks like a skirt under my big sweater, but it is indeed a dress), an extra large grandpa sweater and Birkenstocks (the slippers of sandals).
Doesn't get much more comfortable than that, sunglasses and all.
Details: Zara sweater Ann Taylor dress Birkenstock sandals Ray-Ban sunglasses Whipping Post tote
I think it's safe to say that everyone has a type of garment they always fall back to whenever sartorial inspiration fails to strike. For me, it's anything black or anything chambray. In the case of this particular outfit, it happens to be both.
Nothing snaps me back from out of a rut like throwing on a chambray shirt. In fact, if you'd ever catch a glimpse of my closet, your reaction to the amount of light blue denim-looking material protruding from my tops section would likely be bewilderment.
That said, when I acquired this super snazzy frayed top from Madewell mid-summer, I was initially attracted to it for obvious chambray reasons, but scratching beyond the apparent surface, I just thought a loose tank version of my favorite type of shirt was a refreshing iteration, ideal for warm summer evenings.
If, like me, most of your memories from the 90s were split between crushing hard on uncle Jesse and reciting lines from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, then you're going to really, really like this post.
I recently encountered a friend of a friend who created pins inspired by the iconic Fresh Prince theme song (!!!). Contain yourselves. They're so dope, you're going to want to get your hand on them. This is your lucky day, as he's running a Kickstarter campaign to get his project off the ground.
So head on over there, get yourself a Fresh Pin Set and be the envy of all your 90s compadres.
It's crazy to think that fall has official claimed its stake and that just a mere couple of weeks ago I was frolicking about the fields near our cottage Upstate in the most dreamy of flowy silk dresses, on a beautiful warm, sunny day. In fact, this OTTE NY silk dress just makes you want to twirl around and do nothing else thanks to its amazing suppleness and fluidity. It just moves perfectly.
Certainly doesn't mean that it has to retire now that autumn is here and that the chill is setting in. It just means that it now needs to be layered with a big chunky knit and maybe a scarf. And I should probably throw on some shoes, too.
You know how some people say that they'll sleep when they're dead? I strongly disagree with that belief system. In fact, I think sleep rates in my top 5 all time favorite things to do. Rare are the places I prefer over my bed. I spend most of my waking hours longing for it and I hate dawn for leading to my alarm sounding off, ripping me away from my cushy berth.
It should come as no surprise that someone who enjoys their boudoir as much as I do -- or their sleep vessel, rather -- would want their cozy nook to be as visually appealing as it is comfortable. I like muted tones and low-maintenance fabrics, which explains why I instantly fell in love with linen sheets. Their softness and suppleness are unparalleled and the best part is that ironing is strongly discouraged.
Understated luxe at its finest. It's no wonder I never want to get out of bed.
Pop quiz: I can never walk past this mural in Brooklyn without:
A) Taking a photo in front of it? B) Feeling nostalgic about my childhood? C) Walking away with the Mario Bros theme song in my head? D) All of the above?
The answer is D for duh. As an 80s baby, I can firmly assert that I've played my fair share of Super Mario in my day and I've got a serious soft spot for this piece of street art that used to occupy a space on my favorite North Brooklyn street. Sadly, it's since been replaced by something not nearly as cool, but such is life.
Considering the throwback, it kinda feels apropos that I'm wearing mom jeans, now that I think about it.
One of my favorite things to do is to pair contrasting items together in one look, so that just when you think I'm going with one particular vibe, bam! I veer off track. In fact, going too deep on one thing, to me, makes it feel like you're trying too hard.
As a result, here I am channeling my best 80s career woman on her work commute, with my fresh white retro Reeboks and what I view as the updated version of the power suit: a super rad power jumpsuit.
Because nothing says "oh, this old thing?" like a crisp ensemble balanced with casual kicks.
I just got my color refreshed last week and seeing as I get asked a lot where I go for my strand paint, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share this very precious information with you. Having struggled with the elusive task of finding the perfect hair colorist who has a magic talent for coloring blond hair, pretty sure that it is, in fact, my duty to do so. Now this is strictly for color, as I don't have a regular hair stylist. Last time I cut my hair was summer 2014.
When I moved to New York a few years ago, it was very difficult for me to find a salon that didn't charge a gazillion dollars and that actually had colorists who were able to achieve that perfect blond I had forever sought -- as any blonde would know, it is one of life's great challenges. I was complaining about this predicament to a good friend of mine, when she directed me to an interview with Swedish style queen Elin Kling on Into the Gloss, where she lamented about how she faced the very the same problem when she moved to the US.
Having forever been obsessed with all things Scandinavia, I had obviously been a huge admirer of the ideal shade of blond hair that its denizens have naturally been blessed with. But it had never occurred to me to seek it out for myself. Until I read that article and met my mane destiny. I quickly dialed the salon that Elin mentioned and made an appointment with the person they recommended. It was fate.
So here is the info you want: this perfect blond is the work of Omar Solis at the Myrjam Bayoumi Salon on the Upper East Side in NYC. There you have it, my secrets revealed!
There are many ways to make outfits interesting when you hate wearing fussy ensembles and aren't one for much color. Case in point, off-the-shoulder silhouettes, details like rips and tears on the knees, pointy toe mules, a chic as fuck bag and a messy-as-hell mane.
Not only does this outfit straddle the trends ever so gently without going into overkill territory, but it also is the perfect type of getup for seasonal transitions, whether that's the passage from winter to spring or summer to fall.
And that is just how I like my clothes: easily versatile yet simple, with a twist.
I am SUCH a shoe person. Ask anyone who knows me in the slightest and they will tell you that it's the closest I come to obsession. Simply put, I consider footwear to be the most important part of an outfit and it's the one item that I can never get enough of. It's basically like my oxygen.
Needless to say, I got really excited when Farfetch invited me to design my own sneaker. It was a tough task because the options were quite vast and it was incredibly difficult to choose which color combinations tugged most at my heartstrings.
At long last, I couldn't get my silver metallic creation out of my head: a monochromatic liquid metal sneaker with just a tad peekaboo of copper on the eyelet.
I could stare down at my feet all day while wearing these.
There's something about living in Brooklyn that makes you averse to dressing fancy, but ignites in you the desire to step up your casual game. Seriously, though, what's the use in getting all gussied up and uncomfortable when you can just feel relaxed in cozy standout pieces.
Which is essentially perfect for me because deep down, to my corest of cores, I am truly, genuinely, unequivocally a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. These days, that means stripes (always), vintage 501s (the most comfy), Stan Smiths (classic) and, last but ever so not least, the pièce de résistance, a staple leather moto jacket.
On any given day, you can spot me gallivanting about the streets of the best of all boroughs in some kind of iteration of this getup.
Details: Levi's jeans Old Zara striped shirt ASOS leather jacket Adidas sneakers Whipping Post leather tote
The weather in New York has been uncharacteristically warm for this time of year and while I know that it's probably the consequence of something bigger like, cough global warming cough, I'm kind of (reluctantly) embracing it with open arms.
You see, I despise being cold. I would rather, one thousand percent, be sweating my balls off than be shivering to my bones. I fully understand the appeal of year-round warm weather. And while I do find that there is true magic in the season change, the luster never lasts very long.
In the meantime, I'll just keep wearing my t-shirts outdoors for as long as Mother Nature will permit. But first sign of winter and I'll be bundled up from my head to my toes.
Totally realize that the quality of these shots is on the very poor side, but I've always said that this blog is about showcasing my real style and not so much planned outfits with overproduced photography.
And this scenario is one of those times where life was happening and I was wearing a cool ensemble that I wanted to capture cause I deemed worthy of sharing with you here on the blog. My hopes are always to inspire your own styles by proving how easy and fun fashion can be, and that requires for me to demonstrate actual genuine style scenes.
Ok so now that I am done justifying the poor quality of these photos, I'm going to give them context: I wore this to go to the ballet a few weeks ago. I felt like dressing up but obviously never the way that is expected. Simple as layering an oversized blazer (preferably vintage) on top of an on-trend 70s dress (again, preferably vintage).
Literally two easy pieces that make for a look that doesn't telegraph plain, but that feels uncomplicated and appropriate. Because that's how one should feel when seeing Swan Lake at Lincoln Center.
One of my favorite combos to wear is denim and leather. They both have a similar vibe but they somehow balance each other out. This kind of ensemble would work with pretty much any type of footwear, but my tomboyish instincts (and my very casual lifestyle) lead me to pick my trusty Vans.
I've discussed before how living in Brooklyn just makes you want to step up your laid-back game, which is precisely why dressed-up moments are pretty rare the way I'm set up. But my relaxed style is never sloppy, and that is why I can get away with wearing sk8er gurl sneakers on the daily.
In fact, I can't even remember the last time I put on a real pair of high heels. For real. I know, who am I?!
My existence can predominantly be summed up by me categorizing things in a Like and a Dislike column. Just kidding, but I do find myself doing that quite a bit. And, in occasional fun twists of fate, I pleasantly surprise myself by having to remove things from the Dislikes and placing them into the Likes. I know, deep stuff.
My comrades, you are luckily witnessing one of those instances. Allow me to elaborate: as you're aware, I tend to stick to the usual tones of black, white, grey, denim, chambray, along with the occasional pop of either metallic (festive!) or red (premier lipstick choice!). Therefore, I did not instantly allow my mind to think that I would be able to pull off such a rich shade of burgundy upon the acquisition of this coat.
The grandpa nature - aka coziness - of the coat was an instant pro, however. While I initially recognized that it was long enough to keep my bottom warm and woolly enough to stave off a big chill, I remained weary of that hue. Was it aubergine? dark cherry? raspberry? And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: it was none of those colors! It was Burgundy! Merlot! Cabernet! Bordeaux! Rhone! I could basically channel all of my favorite red wines while donning what has become the star of this blog post.
That was enough to win me over and now it's one of may favorites to wear. Straight from Dislike to Like, go figure.
Haven't done one of these in eons! I'm in Miami this weekend for Art Basel, aka my annual trip down here, and I have to say, it feels good to see the palm trees.
Hope the mood board inspires you as much as it did me and I'll see you on the flip!
[Pinterest, TFS, Totême, Free People blog, Wolfcub Chronicles]
