Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Black & White is a Beautiful Marriage


Dress, necklace & ring set from GoJane.com; tights/hose from American Apparel, shoes 2nd-hand from Current, ring from DEKKA - used to occupy space on U St but moved to Miami :(


So these are some pics from the engagement party I helped to plan for my friend who just got engaged. We rented a gorgeous ballroom space available to residents at a friend's apartment building in the U Street area. Decorating ended up being a little overbudget but we did the best we could. I think it turned out pretty well though!?



This ring makes me miss DEKKA! :(





Flower Arrangements from Flowers on 14th

Wish I could have gotten more of these lovely flower arrangements




Balloons on the floor of a ballroom are fun!




Bride & Groom: Laura & Seth



Bride and I


What is it about black and white?? Such a great combo



Sunday, November 13, 2011

5 Reasons I Love Fall




Vintage skirt, boots & necklace; Anthropologie tights; Forever 21 shirt & ring; H&M jacket, scarf & shoulder bag




5. Boots + Legwear


Boots are just about the best thing invented in my opinion and I have been steadily amassing quite a collection of them over the years. They come in so many shapes and sizes, it takes so much willpower not to buy a new pair every time I walk into a store. These vintage lace-ups are an old favorite. They are utilitarian enough to take them out in the woods hiking and cute enough to rock for a leisurely urban stroll/strut. And I have so many pairs of tights these days I am beginning to sort them by color groups. These ones obviously go into the Miscellanneous stack. Aren't they wild!? They make such an impact and are so artistic - they're my perfect Autumn statement legwear. I have been collecting more and more pairs of crazy socks, too. And is it just me, or are legwarmers becoming acceptable again?? Just sayin'




4. Outdoor Outings in crisp weather


Last Saturday one of my roommates invited me to go to the National Arboretum for a picnic + general outdoor/nature funtime with him, his bf & a few other friends. My answer was a resounding yes and the outing was quite fun! The weather was just about as perfect as Fall weather gets & the Arboretum is a great place to go to enjoy some of those beautiful natural things we are a little deprived of in the city (woods, lakes, fields, interesting plants and such...) All of these photos were taken at the Arboretum.




Crouching tiger, hidden dragon.


HA I included this because I like the way the jacket looks - it's so comfy/cozy and the cinching at the waist gives a great shape!




3. Layering + Color Play


One of the best and most crucial things about the Fall wardrobe is of course, layering. We go from the ease of 2 pieces of clothing (sundress + sandals) in the summer to the more loaded composition of a Fall ensemble, but it's so fun to be able to play with so many different pieces again, you can barely complain. There's an endless slew of combinations you can create out of even just a small amount of Fall accessories. With this outfit I'm doing my go-to: skirt + tights + chunky boots + jacket + scarf + random jewelry combo. But on a slightly warmer day I could have just thrown on the scarf, no jacket or put socks on with no tights, or a different color tights would work (navy green or blue).




There are so many colors going on in this outfit, which I find playful. Greys and greens and browns and bergundys are all great Fall colors and I think I am wearing them all in this outfit. I love the pea greeen color of the scarf, it's surprisingly neutral and I wear it with countless different things - it immediately adds a pop to the outfit.




2. Thanksgiving anticipation


As do most red-blooded Americans, I love Thanksgiving and it is drawing ever-so-near. My mom usually cooks an amazing spread and seems to outdo herself every year. I usually bake a dessert to contribute - last year I did pumpkin bread pudding which turned out amazing...this year I'm attempting a Peanut Butter pie which seems very rich and fluffy in addition to chocolatey & oreo-crunchy at the bottom...mmmmm


1. Foliage!






Aah the brilliant colors of Fall...

They can make you swoon, conflict, wander, violate, unite, sway & persevere all within the space of a breath.


Sunday, November 6, 2011

Destination: Philadelphia


So I spent last weekend in Philadelphia with some girlfriends - all 3 of them I studied abroad with in Florence back in college & we have all been friends ever since. One lives in Philly now, who we stayed with over the weekend, one lives in Brooklyn & the other is still my roommate here in DC. We rotate going to visit each other every couple of months. It's nice that these 3 cities (DC/Philadelphia/New York) are so accessible to each other - taking a bus from DC to NY or Philly is pretty cheap and convenient. Sometimes the rides get long when there's traffic, but most of the buses are now equipped with WiFi, which makes the ride go quicker & electrical outlets to keep all our devices juiced.




The weather was glorious in Philly last weekend and we hit up some great restaurants, shops, bars & markets. The last time I was in Philly we stayed in Manayunk which is a cute area of town on the outskirts of the city, but this time we stayed more toward center city on Pemberton St. It's been a while since I've wandered around downtown Philly, but it's got some colorful areas along with the more conservative and historical sects. We spent most of Saturday wandering and shopping around Center City...


There are so many horse and buggies with wide-eyed tourists roaming the streets of the downtown area, it's funny. You will also see the occasional tour guide dressed up in costume like Benjamin Franklin or whoever else the Philadelphia historical figures are. It's really a cute/cool city in spite of all that though. And God knows every city has its share of tourist crap.









There are a ton of awesome shops & boutiques too! When I'm with the ladies, we always be shoppin! I was impressed with Philly boutiques, they had some great stuff to be found. Not much in the way of vintage/consignment-NY is way better for that...but the regular sale boutiques contained a wide variety of goodies. There are a good deal of concept boutiques with interesting interior design to enhance the presentation of the retail items


Saw these beauties at Three Sirens boutique on N. 3rd St. where my friend bought a gorgeous sweater. I also discovered Instagram (iphone app) this weekend! I know I know, what took me so long? I don't know but I am using the shit out of this app now! These are the ladies...



Caitlin got this sassy fur head piece/earwarmer at one of the 3rd St. boutiques...isn't it great!? Her bag is Coach, I love that too..I want me one!





Sunday we went to Sabrina's for brunch on Christian St and hit up the 9th Street Italian Market. The brunch spot was a real treat and to my delight they had a Mad Men themed specialty menu! I ordered "Dick Whitman's New Identity Special Breakfast" and it was a plateful of fun, let me tell you. The food is very inventive here and the atmosphere is casual and cool...I would definitely recommend it, great place to go with friends!


And the Italian Market is wonderful -as all Italian markets usually are. Meats, cheeses & cannolis galore!




Ciao, Philly!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Halloween 2011!



Here I am in costume as Daenerys Targaryen! My youngest sister Hannah made the costume from scratch, isn't it great!?

















I love the details! I used scraps of leather leftover from the belts for the riding gloves. For the necklace, I found the beads (from the ivory coast) at Beadazzled in Dupont, told my sis (Aimee) how to arrange them & she constructed it for me.



I soaked a tennis ball with fake blood to use for the horse's heart!



And here I am on our dining room table re-enacting the scene where she has to eat the horse's heart in front of the whole tribe to prove that her child is a boy, the Stallion who will mount the World!!! When I first watched that scene I almost vomited myself I thought it was so sick, but now after re-watching that episode about 4 times I kinda love that scene.



Which scary movies did you watch this season? I watched The Hills Have Eyes (well, at least the first half of it until I decided it was too horrifying for me and recoiled to my room to watch deleted scenes from Bridesmaids) and Teeth. Like I said, The Hills Have Eyes was sufficiently appallling & the hour of it that I watched succeeded in scaring the living shit out of me. So, if you like horror flicks like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre where there is an abundance of ugly and abhorrent maniacs terrorizing innocents who are trapped in the middle of nowhere with no escape, that one's for you! But there is only so much of that I can take & I think I like scary movies with a little more of a storyline or at least some respites from the graphic violence and terror scenes. Teeth, on the other hand, I found very disturbing & jarring at parts, but also wildly entertaining-it's about a young girl who discovers she has teeth in her vajay-jay! It's definitely a commentary on broader concepts beyond what is just going on on the screen and might even be allegorical. Beware, it is grotesque at parts but also humorous...I liked it!




HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! :-)