summer in the city

I spent a hedonistic weekend in the city, doing whatever the hell I wanted to. The only premeditated endeavor, was a full day of shopping in Soho with my girlfriend who just moved up from DC. McKinnon and I started the day at 10AM. I grabbed a banana and an iced coffee and we met at the only reasonable starting point we could determine, Saks Fifth.

This recession has done wonders for my wardrobe! Aside from travel, retail is one of the first to go, when your economy is saying "bye-bye" to a bank every Monday morning. What does this mean for those of us who pretend we aren't affected by the downturn?

SALES! Every Soho boutique was decorated with 50's and 70's and percentage signs galore. Even Burberry was selling their classic quilted coats for nearly half off. It just got really cold in here all of a sudden...

Sunday was even more self-serving, as I spent the morning with "Breakfast at Tiffany's", the afternoon with the sun, and the evening with Border's bookstore. (my not-so-secret retreat) As I was leaving Grand Central, I saw a wide-brimmed hat that reminded me of my Audrey morning. And I really just couldn't help myself.

good morning from gmail!

damn.damn.damn.

Mister Van Cleef

And so I was sitting, (quite hung) on the subway this morning. I clutched my liter of Poland Springs and glanced up at the woman opposite me. There it was. The clover leaf Mother of Pearl necklace I have been asking/begging/googling, in an effort to discover the designer. It went something like this:

Me
Lady with a small fortune around her neck

"Excuse me, who makes your jewelry?"
"Van Cleef"
*sigh of relief*
"It's just gorgeous, I've been trying to find out who makes it! It's expensive...isn't it."
*lowers head, raises brows*
"$5000" (points to necklace)
"$5000" (points to matching bracelet)
"$12,000" (points to matching watch)
"Well, it's very nice to look at. Seeing as that's the only thing I'll be doing with Van Cleef"

The woman was wearing a Volkswagon. She then told me she works in the store, and doesn't (in fact) own any of it. That made me feel a little better, but not much.

...and then God said, "let there be John Fluevog"

Art Deco tootsies with drops of wisdom emblazzoned on the soles. "Your body parts are not communal property".



And I think I need these:



...for Styley Style.com

wish list

no vacay this weekend. i'm stuck in this city. and besides the street fair on bleecker street earlier today, there's nothing to do but shop. here are a few things i need:



the new nikon D60 - so i can take some stellar pics and a photography class.



golf clubs (so i can have an excuse to leave on the weekends and perfect/vastly improve my staggering game)



and a pink vespa. this requires no explaination.

nice day for a white wedding

My bags are packed and we're headed up to Boston for a weekend of wedding festivities. I'm hoping to visit my sister tonight, there's a floatilla during tomorrow day, and a clam bake/rehearsal tomorrow night. The wedding is Saturday, followed by Sunday brunch, and back to NY.

Yesterday I had to walk away from a Marilyn Monroe-esque BCBG halter dress with Valentino frills around the neck and bodice. There was one problem. It was white. I loved it on the rack. I loved it on my rack (or lack thereof). Seriously, it did wonders for my silhouette. I called my mom for reassurance of what I already knew all too well.

"Mom, I can wear white to a wedding, right?" (intentionally stated this way)
"Nope"
"It's 2008. Are you kidding me!? Those old fashioned rules are out the window."

This conversation preceeded a verbatim list of googled responses to the "white to a wedding" question. NO! NEVER! YOU'LL LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT! THE BRIDE WILL HATE YOU!

Sheesh. Okay, okay. I sadly took the lovely dress back to the rack.

And proceeded to purchase the black version instead.

So Boho...

I love this! I never thought I'd say that I want a vest.

doing my part

I never thought I'd be saying this. But THANK YOU, G. DUBYAH! (True story: I used to have a "W - Still the President" sticker on my QX4, sophomore year of college. BAH! I also had Half Moon Outfitters rack pads on my roof. You know, just incase I ever needed to haul a surfboard or something.)

I love waking up and finding an extra $600 in my dwindeling account. Now I will proceed to single-handedly stimulate the economy. We have a wedding to attend in Mass, the first weekend in June. I think I'll start with an Anthro dress.

Oh, P.S. I bobbed.

what i love about The South

...and I capitalize because I'm feeling extra Southern today.

I walk into Macy's (across the street from my office) during my lunch break today because they're having a super duper sale and I needed a new pair of summer Sperry's. (That's right. I wasn't kidding in my previous post *see below*. I'm ridiculously excited about my upcoming boating adventure.)

So, I'm perusing through the Sperry display on the ginormous fifth floor, when I catch from the corner of my eye, a sprightly middle-aged woman and her sprouting daughter (complete with braces). They are, in fact, smiling at me. Not in my general direction. Directly at me. It clicks and I know a conversation will ensue.

"Here they are, daaaarling!" (the woman says to her daughter)
Smiling/stare begins.
"Where areeee you from?" (she says to me)
"South Carolina." (I look down at the tan Sperry's I've just tried on, and look across at the matching pair on her daughter's feet)
"No kidding! Do you live here? We are from Lexington!"
"Well I went to school at USC! I do live here now, and work across the street!"
"Well that's just wonderful! We're just visiting!" (genuine smile)

At this point, I'm brushed towards the counter by the sales clerk, who gives me my sweet discount, and shoes. I thank her and as I'm walking away, I just can't help myself.

"Enjoy your stay!" (I say)
"Enjoy your shoes!" (She says)

...Enjoy your shoes...

God I love The South.

i'll take the peach and goat cheese salad

Is it bad that I'm stuck in non-productivity mode since I got back to NY and discovered the pink tulips in bloom? We had lunch in Bryant Park and it was hard to resist that refreshing glass of pinot grigio. Sighs.

Considering the phenomenal weather of late, I refuse to hide my toes again for the next 5 months. On that note, you can't help but heart these rubber beutes. Yves for $195!? I'll take it.

get your daily dose

I brought up Daily Candy in casual conversation with a girlfriend of mine the other day. I was astounded to discover she was unaware of this gold nugget of fashion/lifestyle/beauty.

Please do yourself a favor...

http://www.dailycandy.com/

Love, H

Chanel #461

I just picked up the LAST coveted bottle of Chanel's Le Vernis Blue Satin (number 461) nail polish at Saks. (the sales lady told me so) After dreaming about it all last night (comparing and contrasting the new navy spring color made by Chanel and Dior), I felt sure I might have a breakdown if they didn't have it this morning. I was so happy with my new purchase that I pranced out of Saks Fifth, splurged, and hailed a cab back to work. Can I expense that?

I'm taking it to my nail appointment tomorrow night at Dashing Divas (they serve martinis while they paint) in preparation for my upcoming wknd in South Carolina - where I'll be joining my beloved LT at the horse races. Now all I need is a hat!

aaaaaaand it's cold.

Just incase you're looking for a heads up - life doesn't change much after college. Maybe I should rephrase that...people don't change much after college. Even if you skip across a few states to - say, a place like New York City...people (though drastically different from Southerners in a multitude of ways), are inherently the same. I watch what people do. People whine about their jobs to coworkers, they get "cliquey", and they say "how was your weekend?" - knowing good and well that the response will be something along the lines of "fine, and yours?". Amusing...

I've gotten really into the show, Gossip Girl lately. It's basically the Manhattan version of the "OC" - except they're Ivy-League-bound, keeping-up-appearances, Upper-East-Siders. Reaaaaally quite good.

FASHION UPDATE: I found this brilliant site that creates the #1 staple for living in the city. TIGHTS! http://www.welovecolors.com/ I've already ordered 2 pairs...(solid lavendar and some really crazy splash color ones - YAY!) So fun. The black sea of the New York masses could use some color.

It has taken me almost 3 years to find the video I've posted below. One of my professors showed this advertisement (Feed the Children - by the Ad Council) in one of my classes and for some reason, it really stuck with me. I just found it today and hope you can appreciate the (dare I say) artistic and heart-wrenching qualities it has, that you might not consider when watching "just another commercial".

Auf Weidersehn!!