What Not to Wear

How to Wear Summer Florals.... Think on it.

love you, mean it

Emily

How Sweet It Is!

Most normal college students want sunshine, beaches and body shots for spring break. But I'm not normal by any stretch of the imagination.

So where do I choose to go every time I have the money and time?



BROOKLYN!! Here I am- a week later, posting about my trip. I did my best to document the stores I liked and the places I went. Pictures were taken, cards were collected and some store names were retained...but I was very distracted by all of my adventures! Here is what I could gather... Enjoy!








I saw this desk at Horsemen Antiques and Furniture in Brooklyn- this place was amazing! Three floors of furniture and housewares. I'm SURE that I didn't see everything. Most of it was in great shape. If you're looking for something specific, I bet you could find it somewhere here...


mmm.. My new favorite place to seek out in Brooklyn is Building on Bond. The ambiance of this place is IN, but it also felt like they were embarking on a new wave on interior design. The place felt solid, like it had been there for years (not sure that it has been there for more than two) and had this feeling of sustainability- meaning that it seemed like they had reused and found all that made the place and built it up even better so that it would last a very long time. Shelving and drawers line the walls, and the wall paper as some sort of craft project gone completely right. The wood felt warm and used. Two levels of seating can be risky, but an open window provided easy access to people watching. Serving beer and wine throughout the day is ideal and the food looked good from where I was sitting!


My Soy Cap. Yummers.


See? Shelves with Jars! Some of my favorite things in the whole world.










Some other great places included Larry Lawrence, a hidden bar somewhere I can't speak of (but they have a website...ha) The Roebling Tea Room, also a finely constructed space with amazing food and a drink called Wild Whiskey (whiskey sour with red wine poured over it. Uh.. YUM). Risotteria Restaurant is always a staple in my trips to New York- gluten free Italian food? So yummy. We shared the mushroom rissoto, an amamzing warm beet salad and a goat cheese pizza. Ah.. I was full for days!

So, yes. I ate my way through my trip, walked across the Brooklyn bridge and played all weekend. What more could someone ask for from a spring break?



love you, mean it.

Barton

Loving

I've always had a thing for hair pieces.

(No, I'm not crying)

As a younger girl I would replay the image of the princess of Fantasia in Never Ending Story over and over again to see her frigging beautiful hair-crown-thingy.   I'll be honest.  I basically just wanted to BE her.  

I was also enthralled with this cheesy tourist trap called Greenfield Village in Detroit.  It's basically an old-timey village where you can go and watch a blacksmith or someone churn butter or some old shit like that.  There was also a millinery shop.  I would beg my parents to leave me there while they perused the Wright Brothers bicycle shop or Thomas Edison's original laboratory.  I never got to stay longer than 15 minutes with the ladies dressed in faux victorian garb making hats..  But it was enough to fall in love.

Recently, I found modern milliner's Laurel St Romain & Christopher Garbushian.  Together they make ilovefactory, a new york based hand-sewn, fashion forward, headgear company.

They were featured in Teen Vogue, New York Magazine's The Cut and Daily Candy to name a few.  Let their pictures speak for themselves...

Love you, mean it

Emily

p.s. Barton!  When are we moving to New York??

visit ilovefactory's blog or photostream. all photos taken from ilovefactory or google images.

if at first you don't succeed

lick




your




wounds

love you, mean it

Emily

pictures taken from black book magazine, google images, city of holland, foot prints on the ceiling, photobucket, mama stone vintage

Big Love

This combines three of my great loves:

Tim Gunn

Fashion

& polygamy....

I got this totally Chloe Sevigny circa Big Love dress at the thrift store a while back. And I could NEVER bring myself to wear it. It was a super cute long-sleeved blue & white ankle-length western dress from the 80's. Totes compound-chic. I sorta wish I still had it - but it, like so many other things have fallen into my fashion black-hole never to be seen or heard from again. My fashion rule of thumb is if you don't wear it within one year, you have to get rid of it.



I love that show so much, when is Season 3 going to come out on dvd so I can absorb it like a sponge??

Love you, mean it

Emily

p.s. What's your fashion golden rule?

picture found on google images

Quality Not Quantity

Despite economic strife, consumers are said to be buying...  but slowly.

In the immortal words of Tim Gunn, "Buying well, means buying once."  That, in essence is the idea behind slow fashion.  The slow fashion movement "sells products that are 'trans-seasonal' and made to be kept, with all materials organic, recycled or fair trade" (Guardian UK).  Despite being more price conscience, customers will not "go backwards" (Justin King, Saintsbury's Chief Executive) when buying sustainable, organic or fair trade products.  "They want to make sure every penny is spent well" (King).

So instead of buying those striking, hip, YSL cage heel knock-offs you found on Top Shop, consumers are buying sturdy black versatile flats by brands they can trust.  "Slow fashion is not just about responding to trends," says Adili chief executive Adam Smith. "It is a mentality that involves thinking about provenance and buying something that won't look unfashionable after one season." Adili is a sustainable, "just ethical," clothing conglomerate based in the UK.

Disposable fashion, its antithesis, has been on the rise in recent years with the popularity of such stores as H&M or Forever 21.  There, fashionistas can buy runway knock-offs for a fraction of the original price tag, but at what cost?  Does being fashionable now include a conscience?  Will the Gap stop using child labor?  Will Nike workers now receive health insurance??

This April, FIT's Sustainability group will host a conference Putting Sustainability into Action.  The conference will focus on slow design, fashion and organic textiles.

Love you, mean it

Emily

picture from Google images

... to find i'm king of the hill...top of the heap!

oh new york..i love you.

pictures of follow.

love you, mean it.

barton

Drift CLOSING Sale

Here are some items I scored from the Drift closing sale.

These are some 18th Amendment high-waisted shorts. With a really cute nautical detail on the front pocket (below).



I also got this really great necklace by local designer Ear to Ear.  It was a bit expensive but TOTALLY beautiful.



Drift's closing sale ends TODAY! Go out and support your neighborhood!

DRIFT DENIM 815 WASHINGTON ST. HOURS: MON-SAT 11-7 SUN 11-3 PHONE 510-444-8815

Love you, mean it

Emily

Thrift Store Adventure

These are the finds from my semi-bi-weekly-ish thrift store visit:



A really cute maternity shirt that my friend saw first & rejected. I'm not preggers btw. But the shirt is effing adorable.



This was part of a two piece set.  Matching skirt & shirt.  PRICELESS.  I really like the print though I doubt I will ever wear the two together.

This light yellow skirt is uber precious.  I sorta wish it was a skort but oh well.  It's be bitchin this summer with my dream Frye sandals (aforementioned).



Lastly, I snagged a pair of Valentino pants. Way 80's but in a good way. Also a bit cropped. They may be better to wear this fall.

Love you, mean it

Emily

p.s. Wish Barton well in NYC!!

Is this the END of the local boutique?

I was walking down Piedmont Ave last night finding store-front after store-front vacant or with a "closing sale!" sign posted on the door.  While that may be good for the Recessionista that is not good for my neighborhood.  I wouldn't call myself a 100% true to my neighborhood but I do try and buy local whenever possible.  Piedmont Ave is one of my favorite little slices of white bread around.  Despite it's age-conscience neighbors (it's the site of many retirement homes), and it's aforementioned whiteness, it's a neighborhood where I can buy both a bagel with vegan cream cheese and the latest issue of Fables.  It's also a stone's throw from my apartment.  I've spent many a morning into afternoon meandering along the avenue, window shopping at the local ecceltic boutiques, of which Piedmont has many.  I counted 4 recently vacated store's in as many as two weeks.

This isn't (as I'm sure you've seen) relegated to my small niche.  More and more small business owners are being forced to shut their doors.  In my area the infamous Elephant Pharmacy, Cody's Books, Mario's La Fiesta and Twenty Two Shoes closed a few months back.  Most recently Drift, a denim specialty shop is feeling the weight (or lack-there-of) of the economy and closing its doors.  I'm forced to ask, is this the end of the local boutique?

Holla back and tell me what your favorite store is that recently closed.

Love you, mean it

Emily

Drift is located at 815 Washington St. in downtown Oakland. Their closing sale is March 16 - 20 with merchandize 50 - 70% off.

These Shoes Aren't Made for Walkin'

Just some life stuff.
Love you, Mean it.
Barton

The Queen of Food

When I was growing up, I always felt a bit deprived. I realized once I started having play dates filled with juice and white bread and then seeing other kids with their lunches made with yummy packaged things, sugar and preservatives that my parents were total health nuts. No junk food, no soda- veggies, fish and the occasional fresh kosher meat were staples in my house hold.

Once I got a bit older, I started to see the value in fresh healthy food; Understanding I was lucky to have this kind of education about how to eat healthfully. I had assumed that if my mother, the queen of all that is good about cooking, would have used any kind of cookbook, it would have been some sort of Earth Mother Hippie cookbook filled with simple recipes about whole foods and whole grains.

After being away from home for a good long while, I've started to bind my homesick feelings by making food that she used to make. So last time I was home, I requested a few cooking lessons and some recipes. Inquiring about her famous onion soup, she let me in on a little secret- Her name is Martha Stewart.

EXCUSE ME??!! The bearer of all that may be evil including Kmart, cream, butter and HAM??

After my world was shaken, the cold sweat and heart pounding dissipated I listened to her reasoning: Apparently this woman has been going at this cooking, baking and sewing business for awhile and by having lots of power she has acquired an amazing team of people supporting her and doing plenty of research on her behalf.

Still not believing it fully, I went to the photocopied page of The Martha Stewart Cookbook and made MS's vegetable stock. It was easy to make, not expensive and extremely tasty.

So.. Ladies and Gents,
May I present to you, Martha Stewart's Vegetable Stock Recipe:

2 Onions Thinly Sliced
2 Whole Leeks, including the green parts (sliced and rinsed carefully)
4 Celery Stocks with leaves, chopped
4 Carrots, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 Red Potato, diced
1/4 lb. Mushrooms, quartered
6 Whole Cloves Garlic
8 Flat Fresh Italian Parsley Stems
2 Bay Leaves
8 Whole Pepercorns
(and any other vegetables you may want to add...even a spoon of tomato paste will give it a nice color and flavor)

Combine all the ingredients in a stock pot
Add cold water; just enough to cover the ingredients (~10cups)
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours
Skim Foam off the Top

Let it cool and pour through a fine mesh strainer line with cheese cloth (obviously into another bowl)

The stock should stay good for 5 day in the refrigerator and if frozen for a good long while.


FUN TIP: Having stock around the house is great for sauteing with less fat than oil. And always makes a quick meal by adding some steamed or cooked vegetables.


Love you, mean it.

Barton

Want.

Someone buy me these shoes please...

kthxbai.

Fiery Constitution

Sometimes I feel like I want to barf during yoga class.  

I take Hatha Flow classes twice a week at a local yoga studio called Yoga Mandala.  I told my teacher last week that sometimes during yoga I want to blow chunks.  She said it was totally normal to my dismay (I like to think I'm a freak of nature).  She said it was because I have a fiery constitution.  I was like umm, duh, red hair, I get it.  But in actuality it has to do not with the color of my fur (curtains match the drapes) but with my Ayurveda.  Sounds hippified right?  Well it's basically a super ancient Indian healing method (developed like 10 thousand years ago).  It means "knowledge of life" (yoga mandala).  

With my fiery constitution I should be drinking more water (what every doctor tells me) and I should be eating cooling foods like coconut water, kale, bitter melon, etc.  So I've been nomming on this cray amaze kale salad ever since.  I don't know if it's working but I can tell you that I felt nominally more energized during yoga yesterday and I didn't feel like I wanted to yawn in technicolor once.

Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested:

Emerald Kale Salad

1 bunch of curly kale

1/8 cup olive oil

Wash & break kale into bite-sized pieces.  Put into a large mixing bowl.  Pour oil over kale and get in there and massage that kale (no joke) for 1-5 minutes.

1 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1/8 cup soy sauce or tamari (wheat free tamari is totally acceptable too)

1/8 cup sesame seeds

Juice of one half lemon

Mix in sesame oil, tamari and sesame seeds into the kale.  Juice the lemon on top.  Toss & enjoy!

It's frigging delicious.

Love you, mean it

Emily

p.s. I'm going on a thrifting adventure this weekend - will update you with my treasures Monday!  I'm looking to find something I can use to make some high-waisted shorts!

pictures found on google images

he's just!!... i'm just!!!...

in love.

“[T]here is nothing scarier than being ‘the designer of the moment,’ because the moment ends.” -Alber Elbaz



This whole article/interview is amazing. His fashion is art as well as wearable clothing. He stands for all that I love about fashion.

love you, mean it.

Barton

Wanna Change My Clothes, My Hair, My Face...

My friend Morgan and I have a thing.  Well, we have lots of "things." But this one in particular happened today.  Whenever we hear Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" while at work, we yell the lyrics "wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face" while simultaneously pumping our fists.  It's hilarious and often involves many stares.  It's one of my favorite Boss lyrics for many reasons.  But mostly because I feel like that some days.  It's universal to be dissatisfied with your personal appearance.  From weight, to cow-licks, to zits, to foreheads, to thighs, to tummies, to noses, to feet, we all feel the longing to change at least ONE THING about ourselves.  This lyric reminds me I'm not alone.  And neither are you...

This lyric is also what made me fall in love with Bruce Springsteen.  And I mean LOVE.  I would probably beat up his wife and take him for my own if I had the chance (sorry Dan).  He is probably one of the sexiest men of all time.  His rebel-with-a-care sense of style makes him a style icon for doods everywhere.  His typical outfit includes a white t-shirt and/or wife-beater, perfectly worn & torn jeans or cords, a flannel or stained hooded sweatshirt (and the kind of stain that's hawt, like gasolene or something - not curry or gizz), a motorcycle jacket (leather or denim) and chuck taylors (obvies!).  He looks like a tough guy who can cry.  The kind of dude you want to have on your side when someone does you wrong.  Coz he's totally gonna kick someone's ass.  As Leslie Arfin said, we don't want nerds who won't kill spiders for us, we want men.  Bruce Springsteen is a m.a.n.  Man.

Watch one of the greatest love songs of all time.  And then drool over some of my favorite pics of him circa Greetings from Ashbury Park days.

What's your favorite Boss lyric?

Love you, mean it

Emily

photos taken from photobucket & google images.

Goth 5 Year Old

I had two ambitions as a child.  One was to become a paleontologist and discover dinosaur bones.  The other was to become a vampire.  I don't remember if it was the sneaking about that intrigued me or if it was the immortality.  But I do remember wishing more than anything that I would become a vampire.  I told my parents I wanted to dye my hair black (it's naturally strawberry blonde).  When asked what my favorite color was in kindergarten I replied "ruby red."  I colored everything with my blood red crayon or my black one.  I tried ordering rare steaks and rare hamburgers.  I also read EVERY vampire book I could find (I question my parents judgement in letting a child read Ann Rice).  I also think I was a vampire for Halloween almost every year before I became too cool to scout for candy.

So today when I heard the body of a "vampire" was discovered in a mass grave of plague victims in Venice.  I almost shit my pants: 

"At the time... many people believed that the plague was spread by 'vampires' which, rather than drinking people's blood, spread disease by chewing on their shrouds after dying.  Grave-diggers put bricks in the mouths of suspected vampires to stop them from doing this" (New Scientist).

That.  Is.  Awesome.

And if you haven't seen it... HBO's True Blood is totally awesome.  AND about vampires.  

Season One just ended and will be out on DVD May 12th with Season 2 hot on it's coattails.  Check on HBO for more details.

Love you, mean it

Emily