You Can't Find That At An Automat

A few weeks ago a staff member where I work said that every time they saw me with my hat on it reminded them of the Edward Hopperexhibition they had seen at The Whitney. Although many interpretations of Hopper’s works discuss the melancholy and bleak qualities present in the scenes and figures he painted, reflective of the turbulent times he lived through and his emotional states, to me his works are also tinged with light, humor and the promise of better times. I’ve always liked Hopper’s works, particularly his scenes of American life and his seascapes. Each painting sort of contextualizes itself, a snapshot of a particular scene, a glimpse of someone’s life or a place in time. When I arrived at work today, that same staff member showed me The Automaton their iPad and said “See, this is the one I meant."  I’m not entirely sure that the woman in this painting looks like me but I take any reference to a painting by an artist I love as a compliment. Oh, and I really like her hat!

By the way, there’s a line I adore in Frank Sinatra’s An Old Fashioned Christmas that says “you’ll have to take my word, you can’t find that at the automat." A bit of a tangent but this one line reminds me of some of Hopper’s paintings….a longing for a different time or some need to hang onto something of the past as the world seems to change in the blink of an eye.

Image Source for The Automat

Outfit Details:

Dress: Tiered Habitual Dress by Sachin and Babi, Anthropologie

T-shirt: J Crew Perfect T-shirt

Tights: Hue

Necklace: Kate Spade Doodles Pencil Pendant Necklace

Golden Dinosaurs along Fifth Avenue

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I Make Exceptions for Love Parrot Prints

An early morning walk to and around Chelsea is always a treat, particularly when it includes a stopover at Doughnut Plant. Even though I can’t enjoy one of their famous doughnuts since they are no gluten free options as of yet, I still love stopping in and picking up a couple treats for friends/family.  There’s always so much to look at in the colorful, sugary sweet space.  Doughnut Plant makes great iced coffees, aqua frescas (watermelon, pineapple and celery, blueberry lemonade…yum!) and fresh pressed juices….any one of which makes a perfect treat for a humid morning.

I decided to wear my new love parrot print denim leggings today since their casual fit seem perfect for a Sunday morning walk.  I ended up ordering these after scouring Lord and Taylor’s website for this shirt. A search of their website did not turn up that shirt but I did discover these parrot printed jeans, and better yet they were on clearance sale with an extra 20% off. I love the happy print. tropical colors and the soft brushed denim feel. Their fit is slightly off, a bit roomier in the legs than I would have liked but then again I’m not great at buying pants which is why I usually don’t. I make exceptions for some pants though….love parrots fall into that category.

Outfit Details:

Pants - DITTOS Jessica Love Bird Print Denim Leggings 

Blouse (old) - Deletta blouse with painterly print from Anthropologie

T-shirt (old) - Pilcro brand, Anthropologie

Fete Paradiso...Parisian Carousel Heaven

You’re never too old for a carousel ride especially when the carousels are part of the world’s first festival of vintage French carnival rides. I should also add that carousel rides have an amazing ability to transport one to a dreamy- pillowy-clouds-flowers-everywhere-enchanted-kind-of-place. There's always one second where I kind of forget where I am and can almost imagine the horses and other fantastical creatures leaving the mechanics of the carousel behind them, taking their riders for a whirl in the grasses.....a Mary Poppins kind of moment. 

If I had any doubts about the power of the carousel, I don't anymore. My day started off on the wrong foot.  After waiting to go to Fete Paradiso since July 14, I woke up on the day the visit was planned for with allergies all flared up - sneezing, itchy face, runny eyes....the whole thing. Ended up missing the 10am ferry by 1 minute and then had to wait in line until 11am.  Caught my dress in one of those curved pipes as everyone was jostling to get off the ferry. The pipe literally sucked my dress up as I walked past and it took two of us to yank it back....now it's ripped in two spots. Got stung on the leg as I was crossing the field to where all the rides are. And on the first ride (dragon coaster), I was completely unprepared for how rough and windy it would be...these are children's rides after all.  I definitely flashed a few people as I attempted to hang on with my arms and legs, keep my hat and sunglasses on while attempting to hold my dress down. At the first opportunity to get off that ride, I'm not ashamed to say I was one of those who hurriedly made their way to the exit. And then a carousel ride....and all is suddenly right with the world. Amazing what a little time travelling, nostalgic romp can do.

Fete Paradiso on Governors Island from July 13 - September 29, 2013

Outfit Details:

Dress (old): Chromatic Canvas Shirtdress by Floreat, Anthropologie (purchased on Ebay)

Bag: Kate Spade Wild Flowers Harmony

Bright Yellow and Plenty of Polka Dots = Mid-Week Cure

Well, it’s mid week, summer seems to be disappearing before my eyes and I have a million things on my mind….nothing a little (okay, a lot) yellow and some polka dots can’t cure. I really am in denial that this is the last full week of July. I have several unused vacation days so I’m looking forward to taking a few days off here and there and making the most of these days. Let’s face it, soon enough we’ll all be piling on the layers again.

Outfit Details:

Dress (old): Melora Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, Anthropologie (similar idea here and here)

Cardigan (old): Pattern Ponder Cardigan, Anthropologie

T-shirt (old): Vintage Cotton Tee in Stripe, J Crew

Necklace: Kate Spade Picnic Basket Locket (similar here)

Earrings:my nana’s (similar here and here)

Shoes: Suprega Classic Lame Sneakers in Gold, Bloomingdales

Is it a Dress, a Blouse or a Skirt? All of the Above

Excuse how wrinkled my skirt looks in these photos. I hate ironing on my day off and did a rushed job of it this morning.  Since I was only running a few errands today before heading back to work tomorrow I didn’t put much effort into ironing as I normally might. Even though I know that as the day wears on I’m likely to end up a little rumpled, I still like to start the day off looking fresh which includes neatly pressed clothing.  

I’ve had this BCBG pull-on tunic dress for years and it’s one of my favorites to throw on and be out the door. Unlike the skirt, it does stay mostly wrinkle free. In fact, I pulled it out of the drawer today and didn’t even touch it up with the iron.  What’s great about pieces like this is how easily they can be styled in a variety of ways. Some days, I wear the dress simply over a pair of leggings. In the fall, I often wear with skinny jeans, a chunky crop sweater and boots. Put a long sleeve thermal shirt under the dress and add a pair of cord leggings or wool skirt along with  a long sweater cardigan and you have a toasty and stylish winter look.

Today, I wore it tucked into a shirt so that it appears to be a blouse. The attached belt on the dress sits in just the right place so that when I paired it with this skirt from Zara it lays just about the waistband. And of course, the neutral colors and subtle pattern in the dress increase the possibilities for re-mixing in new ways. It’s great when you find a piece that you can integrate into your wardrobe in new ways with each wear.

Outfit Details:

Tunic Dress (old) - BCBG (similar idea here, here and here)

Skirt (old) - Zara (similar idea here, here, and here)

Necklace (old) - Submerged Necklace, Anthropologie (similar idea here and here)

Bag (old) - Dear Parsy Tote, Anthropologie

Going on a Vacation?

Walked by Lord and Taylor on Fifth Avenue today and saw this in the window! Love this swimsuit, cover-up and belt! Can an outfit look like a vacation? This one does. As I was passing by, it was the little images on the shirt that caught my eye…at first, from a distance, I thought they were little flip flops but then I realized they were tiny parrots. Growing up I had several clothing and costume jewelry pieces with tropical birds on them, plus a favorite stuffed toy Mac-caw…no wonder I’m still drawn to anything with that type of print. Wish I had taken more photos of the windows at L&T today….they currently have some great beach and resort inspired looks.

Orly Genger: Red, Yellow, and Blue

Seems like I arrived back in NYC just as the heat wave ended which I am definitely thankful for. My mom’s birthday is today and she happens to be in town visiting so we strolled around the city, played a game of checkers in Bryant Park, hung out in Madison Square Park, did some window shopping and enjoyed a nice lunch outside.   I love leisurely spent Sundays, where there’s nothing in particular that needs to be done (or at least ‘to do’ things I feel that can be temporarily ignored) except to enjoy some time outside.

Madison Square Park is an especially pleasant spot to enjoy a Sunday morning in the summer.  And I think of all the art installations I’ve seen in the park so far Orly Genger: Red, Yellow, and Blue is my favorite. I love seeing the woven primary colors winding through the park, peeking out from behind trees, meandering across the lawn in unexpected ways. The squirrels and birds in the park seem to get a kick out of this installation too.   

Outfit Details:

Midi Ballerina Skirt (old) - H&M (similar here, here and here)

Pastel Striped T-shirt (old) - Anthropologie

Lace Tunic (old) - I remember purchasing this at Square One in Mississauga long ago but I have no idea what store it came from (similar here)

Necklace (old) - Submerged Necklace from Anthropologie

Belt - random piece of ribbon I had in a jewelry box

Packing for a Conference: A Look Inside My Luggage

I used to be pretty terrible at packing….mostly indecisive and always packing too much. I kind of feel like being terrible at packing is a stage many of us go through and for the most part, end up growing out of. For me, part of getting better at packing has to do with an improved ability to put together outfits and to style outfits that work for a variety of occasions. In my teens and early 20s, it was more about having a lot of options, rather than working with a few key pieces. I must have had more patience back then because I didn’t mind checking luggage, whereas now I only pack a carry-on.

Image source

When thinking about what to pack for a 4 day/3 conference, I first considered the different events that would be taking place. In my mind I needed to choose 5 outfits:

1) an outfit for the flight from LGA to MKE/from MKE to LGA (e.g. Paige denim Kylie Cropped Retro Cruiser Skinny and Michael Kors Oxford Gingham Shirt)

Bonus:: Not only is this outfit super comfortable, I discovered that it made it a lot easier for my car service driver to find me at LGA….pink gingham shirt and beige bicycle print jeans definitely stands out from the other descriptions people give of what they happen to be wearing at the airport.

2) the first day/afternoon workshop (Glanz Dress by Tabitha, Anthropologie andRibboned Rocket Cardigan From Field Flower by Wendi Reed, Anthropologie)

3) the kickoff evening event at the Milwaukee Art Museum (Fashion Star Dress in Aztec Print at Macy’s)

4) first full day of conference (Modern Composition Dress, Anthropologie;Shoreline Scallop Cardigan, Anthropologie; J Crew Perfect Fit T-shirt in Neon Guava)

5) second full day of conference + presentation (Tiered Habitual Shirtdress by Sachin and Babi, Anthropologie and Kate Spade Floral Beaded Kati Cardigan)

I never pack more than two pairs of shoes. For the conference, I choose two pairs that work as neutrals (but are definitely not boring) and which I know from prior experiences are really comfortable.

Tights and cardigans are a must when your conference takes place in a hotel during the summer time. Air conditioning is always on full blast in these places…..even with the additional layering it was pretty chilly.

I try to select outfits that I know will stay mostly wrinkle free and which don’t require much fussing to get on (e.g. shirtdresses, side-zips and/or back-zips that are easy to deal with). Generally, I also avoid packing any light, scarf-like materials….they may seem ideal since they take up almost no room in your luggage but they can easily catch on other things in your luggage and just don’t hold up to a busy conference schedule. I also like adding a couple t-shirts to my carry-on, in this case J Crew’s Perfect Fit T-shirts in neon guava and black, as I think they are a simple way to layer and give a dress a whole new look.

Along with these items, I packed a couple favorite necklaces and earrings, a watch, a pair of sunglasses and Kate Spade’s gingham mini iPad folio.

Here’s a look at what I packed:

Conference Outfits - Museum Professionals by jackie98

Goofy presentation smile

Back in NYC (looking a little disheveled but happy to be back)!