New Blog Coming Soon!

You may have noticed that I have not posted here for over a week. I am on a summer break. Well, not a break exactly. I am more busy than ever. I am currently building a new blog that will be a lot like this one but better. The subject matter will still be food, fashion, and travel and I will still be the author but somehow I'm envisioning that it will be better. When it's done I'll announce the address here. I am also busy reading Stephen King's On Writing and Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. Sounds more like summer classes, no? And I'm still writing for citybuzz and YMI Obsessed. Are you looking for something fun to do in New York? Are you thinking of restyling your look to be more like a thirteen year old girl from the Valley but don't know where to start? That's what those two blogs are about. Hopefully the new blog will be ready in another week. Until then...

Yellow Nail Polish for Summer Into Fall

I'm predicting that yellow will be big this fall. It looks great with lots of unexpected hues but my favorite pairing is with grey. Here my yellow nails are offset by my grey Allsaints top and Stephan King's On Writing. Keep an eye out for yellow clothes and accessories in the next few months and into the fall.

Scoop and That East Hampton Look

I've mentioned Scoop before. It's one of my favorite stores and has been for the last few years. However, before a few years ago it was a different story. I used to be intimidated by the store as silly as that sounds. Here's why:
When I was twelve years old I spent the summer in East Hampton at my godmother's house on the Circle. I stayed in the annex of the house that was affectionately called the Cowgirl Room. It was called this because the previous owner of the house had commissioned a mural on the main wall of the room of a cowgirl and an Indian woman looking at each other longingly. This mural served as my introduction to lesbians.
Around the back of the house there was a new pool and an outdoor shower that to me made the house perfect. (And still does.) That summer was fun, luxurious, and full of new things to wonder about. Here's where the childhood fairy tale falls apart. There were these girls that hung out on Main Street. They were beautiful, stylish, thin, and had the ability to talk to boys. They were everything I had ever dreamed of becoming. They were fifteen. And they shopped at the Scoop right there off of Main Street. I dared not go in the store for fear that the girls would laugh at my Gap shorts and Benetton tee. I only had the courage to steal glances of the girls as I walked by with my six year old god-sister, on our way to Waldbaum's to buy chocolate frosting. And as crazy as it may sound now, that intimidation stayed with me for about twelve years.
Then one day (practically a lifetime later), without seeing the store’s name out front before going in I went into the SoHo Scoop and was immediately dazzled. Here's a sampling of what you will find at a Scoop: Alice & Olivia tunics, Zac Posen gowns, Theory blazers, Helmut Lang tees, Marc Jacobs dresses, Ya-Ya sweaters, Seven jeans, and Diane von Furstenberg wrap dresses. This is the wardrobe I’ve always wanted, I thought. And it’s all perfectly organized by trend, color, and type. I love order. I crave it. So that’s why I shop at Scoop today. And the memory of those beautiful East Hampton girls, perhaps.

Allsaints (the Perfect Store) Spitalfields

I believe that I found the perfect store today: Allsints Spitalfields. Not since I was a goth teen visiting Trash and Vaudeville for the first time have I experienced what I experienced today. Every single item of clothing looked like it was not only made for me, but like it was made from the images in my mind of what I have always wanted to look like.
I pulled down shirt after shirt after dress after dress and each seemed more suited to my exact taste than the last. It got to be a little bit embarrassing carrying the growing mound of clothes through the store like a bag lady.
And then the dilemma of narrowing it down! Usually I try on clothes and immediately discard them based on poor cut or construction. Not the case here. I looked great in every piece that I tried on because they were thankfully cut with real humans (not runway models) in mind.
I should mention at this point that the clothes I tried on ranged in price from $40 to $240, and that's with the 50% markdown for the summer sale, kinda pricey (the one downfall of this store). I ended up buying these two sale items.
Allsaints Spitalfields is located at 512 Broadway, between Broome and Spring Streets in SoHo.

A Quick Fashion Tip

I bought the cutest Matt Bernson gold gladiator sandals at the end of summer sale at Scoop last year. It's rare that I pass up a sale and just as rare that I pass up a shiny accessory so it was truly a meant to be buy. However, I got home and realized that gladiator sandals don't exactly flatter my figure. Oh well. I wore the sandals a few times and then it was fall and boot season again and so I forgot about them. Then this summer rolled along and there were the gold sandals again - and the gladiator dilemma. Only now the situation had gotten just a tiny bit worse. Not only do I not like the way the gladiator strap looks around my ankle, but the gladiator shape is not even in style anymore. I didn't know what to do because I still loved the shoes but they were not getting worn.
Then an idea hit me. Cut off the ankle strap to leave just the lower, across the foot strap. Out came the scissors and my trepidation. Is it right to cut a designer's product? Is it like altering a painting by an artist? I would never do that. But the sandals were not getting worn which was their whole purpose for being. So I took the plunge and cut off the straps. And what did I learn? That making something your own is never a bad idea. In fact, I love the sandals now more than the day I found them on sale. So my fashion tip is this: don't be afraid to customize your look. Scissors can be a great fashion editing tool.

Foley + Corinna in the Lower East Side

Every city girl needs a Foley + Corinna City Tote. It's the it-bag year after year thanks to fresh colors, sizes, and materials that make it new every season. It's convertible yet uncomplicated - and that's just one of more than a dozen hip bags from Foley + Corinna. The slouchy shape of the Moto Hobo is cool and casual and it has just enough hardware to make it nighttime chic too. The pint-sized Deco packs a lot of glamour into a sophisticated little pouch - it's made of silver metal mesh and soft black leather. And then there's the Cargo that doubles as a shoulder bag and messenger bag for perhaps the stylish cyclist. The bottom line is, Foley + Corinna handbags are beautifully constructed, stylishly designed, and well thought out with city living in mind. Oh, and they do clothing too. Visit Foley + Corinna in the Lower East Side on 114 Stanton Street.

Seattle So Far

So far Seattle has been great.

(But before I get into that, I have to preface this post with some bad news. I left my fancy new touch screen snap on smile camera at home. Boo-hoo! So instead of forgoing all photographic documentation of this lovely place I am making due with what I have: my iPhone camera. And as Jimmy has recently reminded me, the best camera is the one you have on you.)

Now, on to the Seattle part of the post. Tonight I went for a walk to find a treat to eat. I do this every time I come to Seattle and every time the result is the same: failure. But still I try. The problem is that everything closes here - at least in downtown Seattle where I'm staying - at eight or nine pm. I know, crazy. Makes no sense. I do most of my spending after dark, doesn't everyone? Well apparently not here. Anyway, while I was out I took in some of the sights and a bit of window shopping too.

Betsey Johnson on 5th Avenue stands out a bit between the Louis Vuitton monogram tennis shoes and the empty Hermes jewelry display, but in a good way.
Here's where the nice camera would have really made a difference. Look at this photo, but pretend that you can see every color between fuchsia and cerulean in the sky, that's what it really looked like.

Yes, I consider the flowers outside the Four Seasons Hotel a "sight."

And of course hand-made chocolate also falls under that category.

And this last one is of a decoration - I assume - in the lobby of my hotel, the Hotel Vintage Park. Good looking phone, right? Makes me wonder why we ever stopped using them. But then again, it can't double as a camera.

Oh, and I solved the sweet-tooth problem. Room service. Two very plain words that transform into one of the most fantastic terms in the English language. Room service. I will never tire of saying it or of partaking in it.

Limelight Marketplace?

I am all for shopping, for overpriced designer goods, for fancy artisan chocolate, and for the allure of glamorous new shoes, but this is just not right. The Episcopal Church that was home to the famed Limelight Nightclub and then Avalon Nightclub is now a high-end, boutiquey mall. It's called Limelight Marketplace and you can get caviar, Hunter rain boots (that are now made in China despite their status), and $650 pajamas - that you sleep in! - there. As I went through each corridor and came upon each balcony I remembered bits and pieces of nights I'd spent there before. Crazy adrenaline pumping, laughing and screaming, dancing till dawn nights. And now it is just another place to shop. Oh well, I thought, time to move on. Anyway, despite being super depressing for me the place still has the same beauty and enchanting sadness that it had before, albeit in a different light, so I took a million photos. Here they are:

Online Shoe Shopping and the Reason that I am Perpetually Broke

I just opened up the internet with the intention of visiting the Metropolitan Museums of Art’s website to find out what exhibitions are going on right now. However, once the Google page was open I typed the word “superga” into the Google search field and pressed Enter. The results came up for the official Superga website, some online retailers that sell Superga sneakers and then, three results down, the words, “Shopping results for superga” with five pictures of adorable sneakers in white, grey, navy, yellow, and army green. Without thinking I clicked on the photo of the grey pair. Grey is my second favorite color next to black. But no, this isn’t the Metropolitan Museums of Art’s website, I think as I recall my initial internet intention. This is Amazon.com! I press Backspace and return to the Google results page. Then again without thinking I click on the official Superga website. No, still not the Metropolitan Museums of Art’s website! But this is a very good looking website indeed, I think. Why am I here, I wonder? Well, let me click through a few pages of this just to see the pictures. Oh, is that a picture of a beach on the Italian cost? How lovely! I do want to go there. I wonder if they have the same grey pair here that I clicked on before. I check because I’m curious. Yes, they do. And I wonder if they have my size. Yes, they do. As I select “Steel Grey Canvas” from the drop down menu a red arrow appears next to a red button marked “Add to Cart.” Well, if you insist, I think, but only to find out how much they charge for shipping because I am very curious at this point. I am vaguely aware that this is not what I meant to be doing. However, I’ve come this far, I think. And then out comes the credit card and now there’s a pair of Italian sneakers on their way to my office in three business days.

How did that happen? I want to blame the internet for making spending money so easy. I want to blame credit cards for making money look like plastic – because who cares about plastic? I’d give it away if I had an account full of it. If only it really was just plastic that I was trading for a shopping experience that I barely partook in over the internet. Honestly, I feel quite helpless about internet shoe shopping, but I know the blame is with me.

Oh Well, I think, it’s over. At least now I can peruse the Metropolitan Museums of Art’s website without distraction. There aren’t any cute shoes in their online gift shop.

Pages Torn From A Magazine

In defense of fashion’s contribution to the modern art world, I give you three recent ad campaigns that have caught my attention, more than once. They are all strikingly beautiful while holding on to that eerie darkness that (great) fashion is forever exploring.


This still life is part of the Christian Louboutin Fall/Winter 2010 ad campaign that was shot by Peter Lipmann. It is one of ten.


This photograph is called Blue Mood. It is from the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2010 Lady Dior ad campaign with Marion Cotillard, “Lady Blue,” in Shanghai. It was shot by Steven Klein and also filmed by David Lynch. In the film version of the ad, Cotillard recites a poem that Lynch penned about the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.


And this final photograph is from the Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2010 ad campaign featuring gorgeous Raquel Zimmermann. It was shot by Nick Knight and features shoes and clothes from the highly acclaimed Plato’s Atlantis collection.

Top 5 List Of Cute Bike Handlebar Bags

Today I decided to scour the internet for the perfect bike handlebar bag. Here is what I found out: There are a variety of cute bike handlebar bags out there. All of the cute ones are WAY overpriced. None of the cute ones come in all black.

So, I am totally undecided and leaning towards asking for a custom made Jimmy K. Designs bike handlebar bag – cause if you are gonna spend the big bucks, you might as well get what you really want.

However, I don’t want to put my research to waste, so here is my list of the top five cute bike handlebar bags out there, ordered by price:

1. Alexandra Cassaniti makes two options priced at $120 and $96 respectively. They are for sale at Ooga Booga which is a lot of fun to say. I like the prints of these bags but I’m looking for something simple, so they are out.


2. Tokyo Fixed Gear has this bag for sale for 80 Euros (about $102). It is made by Ccp and comes in three muted (boring but not easily matchable) color combos. For just over a bill, I think I’m looking for something more.


3. There’s an Etsy store I like called Death & Texas that has one cute handlebar bag for sale – and by sale I mean the steep designer price of $95. Isn’t Etsy stuff supposed to be cheaper then retail? I also get the feeling that this was just copied from the Alexandra Cassaniti one above.


4. And then there are these three bags that collectively have a 5% chance of actually matching your bike. They are made by Po Campo and are sold at the bargain rate of $92. I’d consider the silver one, but I know I’d regret it later. I’m just a sucker for anything shiny.


5. And finally the most affordable option comes from Acorn Bags. Their small front bag as they call it is only $50. However what you make up for in price you sacrifice in style – this is unfortunately a universal law of fashion. These bags look a little old, no?


So I guess there isn’t a perfect bag out there after all. The search continues…