I'll Take Manhattan

The Mr. is dying to move to the country. He would like nothing more than to live in a Tudor style manor tucked away on acres of wilderness.

Me? I'm a city girl. Raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, I packed my suitcases for the unknown, gritty wild world of Manhattan. More than a decade later, I'm still in love with this town. This summer was no exception to the rule: with fun weeknights spent in the company of friends, weekends spent lazing about. Here are some pictures from the last days (and nights) of summer...


Summer means getting lazy with the outfit posts. But I've been trying to do a quick one some mornings on Twitter. Left: Doo.Ri pre-fall astral print tunic, ASOS harem pants and no name suede sandals; Right: Limi Feu white tunic with cut-out shoulders over a tank dress from American Apparel paired with espadrilles from Barcelona


Scenes from a pre-renovation tour of Lord and Taylor cosmetics departments. Left: Christine from MyStylePill and Virginia from TheLovely20s!


Yours truly after a little touchup from a makeup artist at Laura Mercier. That illuminating moisturizer is a MIRACLE. I am glowing!


Carly from A Girl and Her Blog and I spent an afternoon enjoying a Sex and the City bus tour. Yes it was campy, and yes it was fun. You're jealous. Come on :)


Some bloggers and I enjoyed a lovely sunset cruise sponsored by Nautica. Male models, champagne cocktails and catching up with old friends... We're so fortunate to live in this gorgeous city sometimes.


Amy from Midtown Girl and Yuli from MyItThings- my favorite pair of divas!

The Mr? He can take up residence at our future weekend home in the country.

I'll take Manhattan. I'll take Manhattan.

Wishlist Wednesday: Under.Ligne Fall 2010

In a perfect world, my closet would be full of items from the Fall 2010 collection by Under.Ligne... I may be biased because I do some consulting for Doo-Ri from time to time, but her second collection keeps getting better and better...

Dreamy watercolor printed trench, you will be mine. Mark my words, you will be mine.

Buttery leather jacket with jersey lining, you look amazing.

Tribal-inspired printed dress, you make me want to give up on head to toe black... at least for a day.

Thoughts?

Product Review: Barely There Intimates

I have an embarrassing confession: I don't know a whole lot about intimate apparel. I'm not a Victoria's Secret girl, though I've certainly tried a few of their padded bras, seduced as I was, by their windblown, Caribbean set catalogues. One of my friends once went to a bra smith somewhere on the Lower East Side and emerged with a few foundational garments she was happy with in her true size (most women don't really know their true size, I suppose) but I've never been brave enough to be measured by a stranger. I've always known that my size was on the smaller end of the spectrum, but was never happy with the way my bras fit, so I've relied on the few flimsy bralettes and camisoles which have served their basic purpose and, let's face it, worn out over the years.

So imagine my happy surprise when one of the representatives for Barely There offered to send over some of their CustomFlex Fit products for review. In between sizes? Hate oddly padded bras? Sick of itchy tags and awkward seams ruining the lines of your clothing? No problem!

I tried the Bandini and the Wirefree bras (pictured above), both in the brand's CustomFlex Fit collection. These bras come in a range of sizes, from XS to XL, and are nice seamless options for tee shirts and tanks (though, warning: they don't fare well under super low cut pieces since they provide more modest coverage). The support is nice without being too constrictive. I wanted a wireless bra with good support, and they were both comfortable during the day for this purpose. In fact, once I slipped them on for the first time, I felt like I was being embraced by a cloud-- albeit a softly supportive one. These are really great, basic foundational garments for the price point ($24 and under), and I will definitely be purchasing them in the future! For more information and to purchase online, check out the Barely There website.

Question of the Day: How often do you shop for intimate apparel?

New York Fashion Week: A Look Back and Ahead

New York Fashion Week is just around the corner, and I'm looking forward to seeing what designers have in store for Spring 2011, as well as meeting new friends and catching up with friends from out of town. I'm probably going to be a little less ambitious this season- taking in 10-12 really great shows. The rookie mistake I made over the past two seasons was trying to see as much as I could (back to back every day and up to 30 shows). It was a little overwhelming!

Here's a look back at the past two seasons for shows I covered on Dream Sequins and other publications...

Fall 2010

Spring 2010

Will you be at Fashion Week in New York? What shows or events are you most looking forward to seeing? I'm trying to organize a blogger brunch meetup and shopping expedition in Soho, so if you will be in town, please get in touch to learn more! Love to meet up and compare notes...

Now You See It, Now You Don't

After secretly coveting sleek coiffures on stylish girls around town, I emailed my stylist and made an appointment for Friday the 13th. "Hi," I wrote, "I'd like to get bobbed."

I was long overdue for some type of change. While I had experimented with my hair on a fairly regular basis when I first moved to New York, a traumatic experience with a random stylist a few years ago paralyzed my hair choices. I don't have any pictures of my hair from that time, but he deciphered my request for a layered cut a la Jennifer Aniston from her "Friends" period- executed in hacker style by taking a chunk of my blunt, long hair and cutting down diagonally. It was the first time I left a salon in tears.

Years later, tired of the long look, I decided to get experimental again. On Friday the 13th of all dates! It all could have ended in tears again, but oh, the relief this time!

"Are you sure you want to do this?" my stylist asked, as she held her scissors over the hair that had taken years to grow long, now well past my shoulders... My thick, thick mane of hair- my blessing and curse.

"Just do it," I said. "It's just hair- it'll grow back if I end up hating it."

Snip! Snip!

That same night, I went to a rooftop party and no one recognized me.

"Oh my God," one friend exclaimed. "It's so shocking. All your hair- gone like that! How do you feel?"

I hadn't thought before about how much of our identities are wrapped up in something seemingly superficial such as hair. But hairstyles, much like the clothes we wear, the apartments we live in, the jobs we hold... these are things subject to sudden, abrupt changes. Possessions, outward trademarks of our selves, yes, but they are not what make us who we are, on a fundamental, untouchable level. I thought about hair in that instant, and for a few moments afterwards, how something such as a dramatic hair change- can be good for the soul.

Instead, I said "I think I like it..."

It's just hair, after all. Now you see it, now you don't.

What I wore with my new hair: Margiela dress, Forever21 sweater, Bloomingdales brand sandals and a deer charm necklace purchased in an antique shop in Maryland

P.S. Shout out to my new go-to hair stylist! Go see my stylist Jinhee - she does cuts and style out of her home, or will travel to you all at super affordable rates. What's not to love about that?