Posts tagged ‘nyc’
Love At First Sight
A lot of people don’t believe in love at first sight. I am not one of these people. Though never with a human (I didn’t even look twice at the boy who wound up being my first boyfriend), I have fallen in love at first sight many times. My heart flutters in virginal excitement almost every time I see a slice of pizza, and I have fallen into deep, immediate love with more pieces of clothing than I can keep track of. However, unlike pizza and even humans, the unstoppable heartbreaking emotion that comes when I see a piece of clothing can almost never be immediately satisfied. More often than not this new love interest is walking down the runway, thus a season ahead of my acquiring schedule, or labeled at a price that would require a loan from the bank in order to obtain (see everything Chanel). But thanks to the beauty of sites like eBay and Copious, and consignment or thrift shops scattered about, finding “the one that got away” (or the one you just couldn’t afford when it was staring you in the face) is actually possible.
One of my favorite ways to kill time between meetings, appointments, or just to avoid doing the thing I’m supposed to be doing, is by dipping my nose into random consignment shops throughout NYC. Not only is such an adventure time consuming (you just can’t go into a thrift store and sift — it’s an archaeological digging process), but the gems you can find are just unbeatable — like that time I scored this Bottega Veneta bag for $25.
While in between a teeth cleaning and my own dermatological stripshow, I decided to lift my spirits (I loathe doctors appointments) with a jaunt through a consignment shop on the Upper East Side. I didn’t go in with the intention of purchasing anything — I get as much thrill from looking at clothes as I do with buying them — until my eyes bulged and my body B-lined like Frankenstein on Speed toward this Dolce & Gabbana tomato skirt.
The skirt is from the designer’s Spring 2012 collection and was originally the cost of a nice studio apartment. When I first saw it on Style.com, I twitched and drooled like I’d just been tasered (my normal “love at first sight” reaction). Joseph’s beard and Veronica’s eyebrows! This skirt wasn’t just for me and my love of vibrant prints! It spoke to my tastebuds and stomach as well! I could hear both my mouth salivating and my stomach grumbling, “Is that an heirloom!?”. But one glance at the hefty price tag not only left me with the reality of never owning such a beauty, but also considering a DIY where I would glue tomatoes onto a white trash bag and dub it couture. We do desperate things when it comes to love, don’t we?
But the stars aligned for me that day, and my beloved tomato skirt wrapped itself around my waist for $150. Some of you may consider this “meant to be”, but I like to think of it as a reward for getting an A+ on flossing from my dentist. Let this be a lesson in never neglecting your gums again, because you just never know when the love of your life will show up.
Malika sweater | Dolce & Gabbana skirt | Proenza Schouler heels | Bottega Veneta bag | Vintage sunglasses
// photos by Emily Malan
Mom Jeans
In honor of Mother’s Day (it’s this Sunday for all you terrible sons and daughters who forgot), I thought I’d address one of the fashion stigmas they’ve bestowed upon the world: ‘Mom Jeans’. For those unfamiliar with the garment, Mom Jeans are the awkwardly baggy yet tapered jeans that sit high around the waist, sag around the butt, and are as unflattering to the female figure as a silk romper bunched up around the camel-toe. But back in the prime time of Mom Jeans, our mothers were not wearing jeans to make style statements and attract men. They already had our dads on lockdown, as is evident by giving birth to us and becoming moms. These jeans were built for comfort when driving in mini vans and station wagons to pick up us kiddies from school and do all the other kinds of schlepping our loving mothers do. (My mom cut the crusts off my sandwiches, did yours?)
It took me several years to get my mom out of Mom Jeans, and it was a slow and steady process — all beginning with the brand Not Your Daughter’s Jeans. I am happy to report that she is now looking and feeling babe-a-licious in the Sheri Skinny Jean, but in order to address the Mom Jeans stigma I asked to borrow the very pair she wore throughout my eighties/early nineties childhood. I also busted out some Wasa crackers because I have yet to meet a mom who doesn’t eat those (mine enjoys hers with peanut butter in the mornings). This station wagon also happened to be parked right outside my apartment and just felt all too fitting. Carpool, anyone?
Brochu Walker sweater | Calvin Klein jeans ca 1985 | Sperry loafers | Bottega Veneta bag | Wasa crackers
Worn with a standard cashmere sweater, Bottega Veneta bag, and leopard loafers (for the sassy mom), I made sure to show off the worst qualities of the Mom Jeans by doing absolutely nothing to them. Every time I tried to roll up a cuff or add a belt I kept saying to myself, “Don’t do it Sonia. Let these jeans have their moment.” So here you see them, having their glorious billowy moment, 7-inch zipper and all. I admit I was comfortable, but the poor fit was all too awkward to even go grocery shopping or walk Finn. Five minutes of Mom Jeans shame and I ran back inside to play tailor.
Ten minutes later and I was feelin’ sharp. Kind of like how my mom feels in her new skinny jeans. By cuffing her hand-me-downs a few times at the ankle to give them a more tailored tapered leg and adding a cropped sweater to show that there is actually a waistline around that seven-inch crotch to button closure, I actually felt more ladylike than I do in my everyday sausage casing denim. 
With snakeskin pumps (keeping that sassy feeling I got from the leopard loafers, but elevating it five inches), a bib necklace, and my usual jamble of bracelets and bangles, I no longer felt like I should be eating Wasa crackers. Give me a fresh baguette with pâté and a glass of Pinot Noir!
And even though there was still a bunched up nature around the crotch region, I just viewed it as extra room for extra comfort which, need I remind you, is the essence of Mom Jeans! Talk about full circle.
Opening Ceremony sweater | Calvin Klein jeans ca 1985 | Coye Nokes heels | Zara bag | BaubleBar x Honestly WTF necklace
So before you go harping on your mom for her awkward fitting Mom Jeans, I leave you with this advice. Give her a break, because her jeans are actually more awesome and wearable than you think! Not Your Daughter’s Jeans? Please…Not Your MOTHER’S Jeans (even though they are, but you get what I’m saying).
THANKS MOMMY! LOVE YOU!
//photos by Emily Malan
DIY: Stuffed Fur Stole
Having worked in the fashion industry for several years now, prices rarely surprise me. Clothes are expensive these days, but accessories take the cake for several months worth of rent. I still roll my eyes at a pair of shoes well over 1K and find the price of a Birkin bag to be ridiculous, but I normally know what to expect upon walking into a store like Barney’s. However, I was slapped in the face by a price tag a few days ago and I’m not sure I’ll ever recover.
I saw the above photo of the unstuffed animal stole on style.com during Paris Fashion Week and began a feverish online hunt to track one down. Countless Etsy sites offered up similar faux stoles, but I wanted that one. I decided to put the fuzzy friend on the back burner, certain that its online presence would turn up eventually. Well turn up it did but at a price that not even I, lover of all things stuffed animal, could justify.
The stoles are by Vika Gazinskaya and can currently be purchased on Moda Operandi for the hefty sum of $2,000. That’s right, the lemur stuffed animal — which they call a raccoon — that looks so much like the fuzzy friends you snuggled with on a nightly basis as a kid costs as much as a nice studio apartment in NYC.
So what does one do when they can’t afford the real deal? They DIY. Behold three options below that cost next to nothing.
First, we have our stuffed animal hat. Though I have yet to figure out how to secure such an accoutrement on my head, I’m positive that this look will have me street style snapped in no time. Tommy Ton, meet me in 10?
Then we have the Teddy Bear stole; a personal favorite of mine. Notice how my well-worn teddy balances gracefully on my shoulder? She looks like she’s having a much better time than that $2K plush racoon/lemur. Plus she’s versatile and can double as a snuggle buddy and/or pillow.
And last, but certainly not least, we have the real animal. Finn’s longer body wrapped perfectly around my shoulders and his legs even dangled like the fox scarf pictured above. If you don’t have your own dog or cat at home, I fully support you borrowing one off the street that goes well with your outfit.
A Week in Review
My favorite wintery scent in front of a snapshot of my last trip to Paris
The fact that December is tomorrow is a little startling; wasn’t it just Halloween? But December happens to be one of my favorite months, and my holiday plans are already full of festive occasions. More on that later though…
This week was a good one; long, but good. I finally got that “me time” I’d been looking for, which allowed me to get a bit more organized and practical about what’s ahead. I realize I just made it sound like I’m planning to climb Mt. Everest or bake some forty layer cake (I do plan to make a Bouche de Noel this year, FYI), but what I really mean is that my day-to-day life can get so hectic that I barely have a moment to notice that I haven’t shaved my armpits in a week.
But this week changed all that as I had many a night to myself to mull over all the things I need to accomplish before 2013. Step #1, buy a new razor blade. Step #2, buy a Christmas tree. Step #3, sign up for that class you’ve been meaning to take. And so on and so forth.
Have a good weekend!
I swear I take this picture every year, but I just love these little clementines!
An inspirational note from Diane von Furstenberg
Sometimes you just have to take a moment to sit down with your favorite writers
My least favorite part about the holidays: damage control by way of the gym
Next week on Runway Hippie…
A Week in Review
New commute due to Hurricane Sandy
This has been an exciting and strange week. I’m thrilled that President Obama was re-elected (yay for vagina freedom!), ecstatic that I got to see Rihanna perform at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and irritated that New York City got hit with another (colder) storm. Thankfully the snow is melting away, but my heart goes out to those who suffered the impacts of Hurricane Sandy, and then had to experience a snowstorm.*
The majority of this week was focused around commuting into Manhattan since my normal subway was still flooded (a small price to pay from such a severe storm). As much as I hated walking an extra 20 minutes in the freezing cold, I admit it was refreshing to change things up a bit and notice certain streets and areas that I’ve otherwise neglected. I think the highlight of this week though (aside from Obama’s re-election!) was meeting fellow San Franciscan and jewelry designer of my dreams, Tamar Wider of The 2 Bandits!
This weekend I’m doing the necessary switch of my summer to winter wardrobe accompanied by many glasses of wine.
This weekend’s project: Clean and organize my accessories bureau
Major fan freak out moment seeing Rihanna at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
Vintage Bottega Veneta bag I scored for $25 at a thrift store in Brooklyn
Unexpected November snow storm melting away
Meeting Tamar from The 2Bandits and previewing her latest collection at The Reformation
*Help those who have suffered from Hurricane Sandy by giving a donation to the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief fund. Every bit counts!
