On View: Are We There Yet?

I love how informal this Gallery became.  Also, I love Claire's tights.

One of the best parts of spending all my free time at the Corcoran is the ability to get up close and personal with the artists that exhibit there.  With the NOW at the Corcoran series, the museum has done a fascinating job of tapping into talent and bringing them to a larger audience.  Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro are two of those artists.

Tongue Tied by Grouplove

I should be listening to Christmas music (A Charlie Brown Christmas Album is the best, more on that love affair later) but I can't stop listening to this song OR watching the admittedly creepy video...

Blossom Hats

This is the most low key Lisa Frank I could find.  

So today a friends passed around an article about being a kid in the ‘90’s and how we’re going to have to explain all our weird crap to our children, like boy bands and Lisa Frank stickers (whatever – kids get it.) 

Naturally, I have a problem with everything they omitted.  

First, how can you write an article about being a kid in the ‘90’s and NOT mention Saved by the Bell?  We all still love Zach Morris, we even watch all the dumb lawyer shows he continues to make for cable!  You mention Ferngully but not SBTB?  Let’s talk about what saved by the bell taught us:

 

1.)   KIDS could have cell phones.  Talk about seeing the future.

2.)   Taking over the counter pills were bad and would ruin our music video career.

3.)   All really, really good looking guys are jerks and will just cheat on you at The Max.

4.)   Don’t drink and drive if you’re wearing a toga. Duh.

5.)   If you don’t want to do something just say you have to wash your hair and you’ll get out of it.

6.)   A lifelong loathing for oil spills and the companies that cause them.

There are so many more lessons you guys! I just can’t go through them one by one, but you know what they are.

On Heroes

"Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves."
- Carol Lynn Pearson

On Your Face

"I think your whole life shows in your face, and you should be proud of that."


-Lauren Bacall

Can't Grow A Moustache?

Movember, mo problems. 

If you're a lady that is. 

Movember is a clever little portmanteau of Moustache and November.  This annual, month-long event involves growing a moustache or facial hair throughout the month to raise awareness for men's health problems. 

I know I'm about a week behind on this but here are the rules:

1. You must begin the 1st of November with a clean shaven face.
2. You grow/groom a moustache for the entire month of November.
3. No joining of the mo to your sideburns.
4. No joining of the handlebars to your chin (that is considered a goatee).
5. You must conduct yourself as a true country gentleman 

Now, I don't know what a true country gentleman is but I assume if you're growing facial hair for such a wonderful cause, you are one.  Ladies, it's a bit more difficult for us to grow facial hair (I know, I know - we've all tried it at least once) but we can still help.  You can go online and make a donation to someone you know, a team or a general donation and proceeds will go to the Movember Foundation, LiveSTRONG and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Do it for the special men in your life. 

And, while you're doing that, click on over to Jonathan Adler and purchase the truly amazing Brass Muse Bottle Opener, that way everyone can have a little 'stache in their lives.

Happy Birthday Lilly!

 

I am a girl that LOVES her Lilly.  I believe in color and wearing it year 'round.  Even though I'm not in sunny Palm Beach I like to pretend I am and there's no better way than by wearing Lilly Pulitzer.  Today, shop online and receive some snazzy gifts at different price points.  As always, free shipping over $300.  Now would be the perfect time to plan that winter vacation and of course, the outfits to wear on it!

It's Only A Paper Moon

What is a paper moon?

The idea of a paper moon sounds quite romantic, but what on earth is a paper moon?  I've been listening to songs about paper moons lately - songs downloaded years ago that are just now making their way into rotation on my iPod.

Paper Moon by Whiskeytown (Ryan Adams band) is so lovely and intriguing.  I think they're playing a ukelele and it makes me want to walk along a moon lit beach with my honey.  It also apparently makes me want to talk all old timey.

It's Only A Paper Moon by Nat "King" Cole (originally Ella Fitzgerald) is also old timey and fantastic.

So of course, this get's me curious as to what a paper moon is? We've got our blue moons and our full moons but what are our paper moons, besides songs and literally moons made out of paper? I searched and Wikipedia, my go to source for pretty much EVERYTHING is no help at all.

I'm Down with ACC (yeah you know me)

It's that time of year!  Seriously, it's not but it might as well be because everything is already all Christmased up!

I had a panic attack in Target the other day when I found myself deciding on a small tree.  Did I want a brightly colored tinsel tree, or a a more realistic two footer?  Charlie Brown style? (Yes)

What color of mini-tree skirt do I want? Does a tinsel tree really need a tree skirtandomgwhyamIthinkingaboutallofthisrightnow?!

Obsessed With: Clambake!

If you know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of neutral nailpolish.  The greige/taupe trend that's stuck around has really been my favorite.  I love nailpolish and it's my favorite way to finish off a look but lately I've been really BORED with the beige!  All summer, I kept a pretty coral color on my tips and I really loved the extra pop of color.  As it's gotten colder, I've been shying away from the dark purples and greens of fall and went in the TOTALLY opposite direction. 

Introducing Clambake, the perfect summer red by Essie.  Except, as I'm more and more inspired by EVERYTHING I see at Kate Spade - I'm just making this my go to red!  It's a sheer red orange and adds the pop of color I'm wanting for the cold months.  It's a really bright color but it works with my olive skin well.  I also wear gold tone jewelry and this compliments that as well.  It's brighter than most reds and has no blue to it but I feel that it's sort of a classic color, or a new classic if you will.

What do you guys think?  Too bright for fall and winter or an interesting way to brighten up a cold weather look?

Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine

This song just makes me want to dance like a maniac - pretty much like all of Florence's songs! Love.

On Charisma

"Lack of charisma can be fatal."

- Jenny Holzer

A Little Bit of Kismet

Kismet, a lovely little word that means destiny in Turkish. 

The idea of a predetermined course of events is enough to make any control freak shudder at the thought.  However, this control freak likes magical little moments, winks from the universe if you will that let's her know she's heading in the right direction.

Well, the universe winked at me a little last Friday night and it was one of those little moments that make you wonder.

Calgary by Bon Iver

I can't stop listening to this album! So emo, right? Anyway, I think this song is so beautiful and different and it just sounds like Fall, amirite? Enjoy and download the album - it's so worth it. Every track is wonderful!

Sale Watch

They're just so FESTIVE!

You guys, it's almost November! Can you believe that?  I mean, I can - I've been seeing Christmas decorations set up next to the Back to School stuff for months at this point!  Surprise, surprise, I love the holidays. 

I love parties and wine and hors d'oeuvres are my favorite food!  I love gathering with friends and love ones and presents aren't bad either.  My favorite part of the holidays are getting to dress up.  I always find that you can go a little bit overboard with the outfits during the holidays.  Red, green, lots of gold and pearls.  I especially love a tartan print! 

And I LOVE IT in these shoes!

Aren't they darling?  All glitz and bows and slingbacks!


Let's have a closer look shall we?

Family Matters

I was so fortunate to have my wonderful family come into town last weekend.  I was visited by my mother, grandmother, Aunt Pam, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Melanie and my little sister Shannon.  We had such a wonderful weekend and it went by way too fast.  We started out Friday night at District of Pi, the fabulous new pizza bistro downtown.  Then we went to Harry's (what?) at the Hotel Harrington which is just so delightfully shabby and suspicious!  We walked around to see the monuments at night and went home to rest up for the rest of our weekend!

Style Icon: Faye Dunaway

You know who was really making a look work for in the '70s?  Faye Dunaway in Bonnie & Clyde.  I'm pretty much obsessed with the sleekness of the whole ensemble.

I've never seen the movie so let's assume she's wearing a fabulous tweed pencil skirt, agree? (Okay, and actually - I just googled it and I was right.)

I really have to give it to the costume dresser on this one, check out the real Bonnie.  Yikes! I love when people take liberties in movies, like not committing to an accent or dressing actors in period appropriate clothing.  Click below to mimic this awesome look.

Fall Cleaning

Just doing a little cleaning up on the old blog.  Don't mind the mess while everything is put in place.

Sale Watch

It's just so pretty.

I tend to online shop but I rarely check out.  I put all the items that I would totally buy if I had the money in my cart and then anxiously await the day they go on sale.  In the good old days of the early recession this was always, but now I have to wait longer and longer for things to magically mark themselves down. 

Apple Picking Adventure

As if I couldn't see the trees (okay, I couldn't)

A few weeks ago, my girlfriends and I went apple picking at Homestead Farms.  We desperately tried to make it feel like fall but September tends to still be a bit muggy around DC so instead, I worked up quite a sweat since I insisted on wearing wool.

On Following Your Heart

"There is no reason not to follow your heart.  Stay hungry, stay foolish."

- Steve Jobs

1955 - 2011

Yoü And I by Lady Gaga

I dunno about this video Gaga but I can't get the song outta my head and I sort of love that it's for your boyfriend. Can you date someone from Ohio next and write a song that we can sing loudly in bars about Ohio? That would be great! Thanks! XO!

I Think I'll Go To Boston

I went to Boston this past weekend and all I did was take picture of graves.  Macabre but unfortunately true.

To be fair 1.) There are a lot of famous people buried in Boston 2.) I'm a history geek, I couldn't even live with myself if I didn't take a picture of Paul Revere's grave! I just couldn't and 3.) Duh, it's October.  Halloween is right around the corner. 

You would think that with allllll the pictures I took in graveyards I would have captured at least ONE stinking historic ghost but I didn't even capture non-historic ghosts which is pretty disappointing.  Not even an orb! I'm starting to doubt the accuracy of these burial grounds.

On Diets

"Diets, like clothes, should be tailored to you."

- Joan Rivers

Supercalifragi-awesome

So, my friend Rachel from Black is the New Black is always rocking a fierce lip.  I've never seen someone pull off red lipstick so well, and you guys, I'm jealous!

So, I went to Boston (more on that later) and decided that I needed red lipstick to go with my very inspired Katharine Hepburn outfit - that I never actually ended up wearing but still. 

So I ordered the Poppy King for Kate Spade in Adventurous Red and I'm pretty much obsessed.  My teeth look brighter and whiter and I just always feel like smiling when I wear it.  A nice coral of the Chanel variety will always be my lip color of choice.  However, it's nice to have a new shade in my arsenal. It's fun, the tube is gold, pretty, and it pops (Poppy? Pops? Heh...)

The best part? It tells me to "pucker up" in case I forget!  No, it doesn't talk, it says it on the tube.  Look at the picture, guys! As far as spending $24 goes, this is a pretty good, well priced pick-me-up. 

P.S. Do you remember when all we wore was lip gloss and all anyone ever did was reference lip gloss, lip gloss, lip gloss?  Well, I do and I am soooo glad that's over.  Lipstick is much more glamorous and far less sticky! 

Carousel by Vanessa Carlton

Last night I got to FINALLY see Vanessa Carlton in concert at the 9:30 Club! I've been a fan of hers since I was in high school and basically, she figures pretty prominently into the soundtrack of my life. This song is pretty and romantic and now officially on my iPod for the fall. Enjoy!

On Compromise

"Don't compromise yourself.  You are all you've got."

- Janis Joplin

Style Icon: Katharine Hepburn

For years I've admired Jackie Kennedy for her style, grace and poise.  When I go shopping I focus on color and classic separates in an attempt to emulate her traditional style.

But lately, I've been focusing on Katharine Hepburn.  You have to be blind to not realize that palazzo pants are back in a big way and with that comes the inevitable comparisons to Hepburn (of the Katharine variety) style.

As a fellow redhead, she's been on my radar for far longer.  I've always respected her lady-like style and only recently feel woman enough to pull it off. Everything she wears in A Philadelphia Story has a wonderful modern edge that you see echoed from DVF to Donna Karan.  It's a focus on fit and lady-like elegance.  You can't help but look amazing!  

After the jump see some tips on how to get this look.

Heat Wave

You guys, it's HOT out there.  This is my sixth (SIXTH!) summer in Washington, DC and I'm not sure why I keep expecting it to be more temperate? Anyway, I was sitting down to write this post and I was going to load it with lots of tips for staying cool but, I don't have any.  I guess just stay inside, enjoy the central air and maybe a nice big glass of iced tea?

Is it bad I wish it were September?  

On Wit and Grace

"Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you."

- Elsie de Wolfe

Thinking Pink

Spring had FINALLY sprung in the District! I spent the latter half of yesterday afternoon reorganizing my closet and finding a treasure trove of PINK!

Thanks to Kate Spade (mostly) for being a continuing source of inspiration.  I suddenly have the urge to go home and start combining every bright think in my closet in an effort to recreate some of the looks from her Spring 2011 collection. From darling pink cardigans to a lady like day bag, you can't go wrong with pink (it brings out the Cherry Blossoms.)

Below are some pieces from Kate Spade and elsewhere that I'm coveting this spring...

On Reality

"Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it."

-Lily Tomlin

Uncharted by Sara Bareilles

Happy Monday! Start this day off right with the always adorable Sara Bareilles. I caught this video on Saturday night while getting ready for the Corcoran's Artini event. I was with my college roommates, Sarah and Natalie, and it was sort of like old times.

In college we used to watch music videos like it was our job. This is definitely one of those that we would have been obsessed with and we would have watched it dozens of times.

While we were walking to the Corcoran, we passed a bar that was blaring another one of our college favorites - Mr. Brightside by the Killers. Sigh, sometimes I miss college.

Happy April Fools Day

-Prior to 1582, the new year began on April 1. When the new year was moved to Jan. 1 in 1582, there were some people who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. These "April fools" were often ridiculed by being sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

-There's something fishy going on in France. Kids fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their backs. When the victim discovers the fish, the prankster yells "Poisson d'Avril!" (April Fish!)

-In Portugal, April Fools' Day is actually celebrated on the Sunday and Monday before Lent.  The big trick there? Throwing flour at your friend's face.

Click Here for More Fun Facts!

On Sunshine

 "A day without sunshine is like, you know, night."

-Steve Martin

The Hangover

In a not so distant past, I was a party rockstar.  I attended the number two party school in the country and really did my part to maintain that ranking.  In lieu of a proper U.S. News and World Report ranking, I felt it was only fair that we excel at something.

So, for four years I build a tolerance that would likely see me place if this were an Olympic Sport.  I’m sure I would have some problems with the Russian judge as Vodka seemed to be my weak link, but I would definitely bring home Bronze.

Cherry Blossoms!

It might not seem like it yet, but in a few short weeks DC will bloom with Cherry Blossoms.

Every year I look forward to the end of March when bright pink and white buds start to dot the landscape. I put on my walking shoes and stroll down toward the Tidal Basin just to take in the truly breathtaking site that is the Cherry Blossoms.

The blooms are so abundant that it looks like snow and the stark white of the monuments and the crisp blue of the water make for a very enticing scene indeed.

On Stories

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live."

- Joan Didion

Dream A Little Dream by Mama Cass Elliott

I heard this version of Dream A Little Dream last night at a bar and am absolutely enchanted by it. I can't stop listening to it. Oh, is it Springtime yet?

Spring Dreaming

It still feels like winter outside but I have been spring dreaming for about two weeks now.  This is the time of year I start to get antsy and really excited about pulling out my spring wardrobe.  I've been stocking up on essentials, brightly colored cardigans (20% off on J. Crew.com right now) and nude, patent pumps for everyday.  But, I absolutely died when I saw the Talbots (yup, Talbots) catalog for Spring.  I wanted everything! 

Don't believe me...

The Aviator

Over the weekend I took a brief trip to New York City to meet my sisters and introduce them to my boyfriend. My sisters aren’t the most timely and our room at the Waldorf wasn’t quite ready so we decided to go find ourselves a Bloody Mary (or two, or three.)  That was easier said than done and we very cleverly found ourselves at Café SFA at Saks Fifth Avenue.  We popped in, had a few Bloody’s and moved on.

On our way out the door, we passed by the sunglasses section and my boyfriend tried on a pair of Marc Jacobs aviators.  A while back, I mentioned that I thought he would look great in a pair of Ray-Ban Original Aviators.  I asked the sales associate for a pair and, was I right or was I right?  I couldn’t quite get over how they transformed my already handsome boyfriend into a movie star.  I swooned a little, and so did the sales people.

I’ve always been a Ray-Ban fan, I wear their Jackie Ohh style and am obsessed.  I like the history of the brand, especially the original, the Aviator.

Frankly, You Should Save the Date

 

826DC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

I'm still learning more about this organization (which seems amazing) but I thought I'd let everyone know that James Franco will be in DC in case you want to get your stalk on.

826DC Official Site

On Daydreaming

"A daydreamer is prepared for most things."

-Joyce Carol Oats

A Case of the Blues

Maybe it's the doldrums of winter, but I'm feeling a little bit on the melancholy side the past few days.  When I fall into a funk like this, I usually listen to music that encourages the mood.  It's not "moody" or "depressing" music but it's music I like to play in the background as I sip a glass of wine and flip through the latest Vanity Fair.

Only The Young by Brandon Flowers

Sort of obsessed with this song right now? I can't pinpoint why but the celestial video doesn't hurt...

On View

This is the last weekend to catch the inaugural exhibition of NOW at the Corcoran.  Stop by to see Spencer Finch's special exhibit, My Business, with the Cloud.

From the Corcoran:

Finch’s exhibition at the Corcoran takes up the subject of clouds. Drawing from the history and environment of Washington, D.C., his project explores the poetic, physical, and meteorological aspects of these natural phenomena. Finch’s site-specific sculpture of a passing cloud in the museum’s central Rotunda alludes to a moment of convergence between two historical figures, Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln. In a selection of related photographs and drawings, Finch attempts to make something solid out of air, investigating the atmospheric and metaphoric properties of light, water vapor, and sky.

Stop by this weekend before it closes!

Spencer Finch: My Business, with the Cloud

On Love

"I was nauseous and tingly all over. I was either in love or I had smallpox."

-Woody Allen

Daylight by Matt & Kim

Clearly in need of some upbeat, slightly obnoxious music on this Wednesday.

Reading List

Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
By Greg Lawrence


From Publishers Weekly:
Charting Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's impressive legacy as an editor at Viking and Doubleday, Lawrence draws on a wealth of sources, including interviews with more than 125 of her former publishing collaborators, and hundreds of notes left to the author by Onassis. He was also one of her authors, co-writing three books with his former wife, ballerina Gelsey Kirkland (including the controversial bestseller Dancing on My Grave). Onassis learned the hard lessons of editing early on: from Barbara Chase-Riboud, author of the novel Sally Hemings, that the best authors are those willing to be edited, and from Michael Jackson, the frustration of working with an enigmatic celebrity. This Onassis appreciation appears almost simultaneously with William Kuhn's misleadingly titled Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, and while both will appeal primarily to publishing and media insiders, Lawrence's perceptive, impressively researched, book is the better of the two, presenting a woman with "a grand spirit of adventure and... a sense of irony about life that served as a kind of armor" for this courageous, gifted woman.

To Buy: Amazon.com, Hardcover, $15.20

On Make-Up

"The most beautiful make-up of a woman is passion.  But cosmetics are easier to buy."

-Yves Saint Laurent

LBD

Sigh, it's winter.  Winter does a number of unfortunate things to me, the most prominent of which is that it knocks the color right out of my wardrobe.  I usually trend toward warm colors; pinks and reds, sunny yellows and oranges.  But in the winter, I wear black. 

Lots of it.

Thank goodness for the little black dress!