An Evening with Shakespeare in the Park...But Not THAT Park

Vintage wear in Bryant Park

Ready to watch Boomerang Theater Company perform Shakespeare's Loves' Labour's Lost

  

Photo credit: Bryant Park Blog

Photo credit: Broadway World

I don't know why but my summer doesn't feel complete unless I've seen some Shakespeare performed in the great outdoors.  Don't get me wrong, attending Shakespeare productions (or reading Shakespeare) is definitely not a love confined to one season nor do either of those things need to happen outdoors (I'm thinking of you Sir Kenneth Branagh and your transformative production of Macbeth I saw earlier in the summer at the Park Avenue Armory). That all being said, Shakespeare outside and under the stars (or lights of Manhattan...) is really magical.  And it doesn't hurt that most Shakespeare in the park productions are free! 

The thing I love about the Shakespeare productions in Bryant Park is how casual they are. No lines, no worrying that you might not have a seat, no need to feel that you need to stay for the 2+ hours if at some point you feel like leaving, no need to put on makeup (just maybe some sunscreen and/or mosquito repellent!) and there's free wifi so you can go crazy with the social media if that's your thing. Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park productions in Central Park are wonderful and are totally a NYC thing to do but obtaining a ticket is a bit of a production so there's something extra nice about being able to pull up a chair one minute before showtime and watch/listen to Shakespeare performed in the heart of midtown. Amazing how quickly all the street sounds fade away as the Bard's words carry you away. 

Outfit Details:
Dress: GreenFlea Market, Upper West Side
Eyelet blouse: Suzy Shier (old blouse...never get tired of it)
Purse: Beacon's Closet, Greenwich
Head scarf: can't remember where it's from as I've had it for years
Shoes: Suprega sneakers
Picnic basket necklace: Kate Spade 

Summer should be one great big picnic (or many little picnics all strung together)

Some of the amazing people I work with! Headed to House No. 17 to meet with folks from Third Rail Projects. Photo by Francis Estrada.

We had a picnic of course. You can't go to Governor's Island in the summer on what would normally be an afternoon in the office and not have a picnic! I made these little cornbread sammies (store bought mini corn muffins stuffed with guacamole and topped with jalapeno Havarti  and red pepper.

Inside House No. 17 we got to get a little preview into Third Rail Projects next production. We loved all the finds they acquired from Materials for the Arts. Can't wait to see how it all comes together.

Each object tells a story, creates a mood and sheds light on a particular character.

My colleagues are the best! Fun, smart, kind, funny and stylish! Happy people. Photo by Francis Estrada

I am a bit of a nerd and really love a good theme. If I am going to wear a watermelon dress and watermelon earrings why not paint my nails to look like watermelon too? This is an abstract watermelon design...painting one's own nails is hard.

Picnic. Theme. 

I want to wear this dress all year long.

Outfit Details:

Dress: Picnic Person dress by Bea and Dot, Modcloth

Watermelon Earrings: MoMA Staff Sale 2014

Necklace: Kate Spade Picnic Basket

Socks: Foot Traffic, Beacon's Closet (also were available here)

Tote: Little Women, Out of Print Books

Hat: Lord and Taylor

Heart Sunnies: Beacon's Closet

Sneakers: Suprega

My Love of 'The Find'

I feel like Pollyanna

Love this place: Beacon's Closet

Where else could you find pieces like this? Can someone please buy and wear that pink silk elephant blouse?!

My (treasure) finds. The best part is I was able to get rid of some pants and shirts that I haven't worn in years and receive a store credit....so basically sometimes at a thrift store you can shop for free!

I love exploring, not knowing what I might find and feeling like I've stumbled upon something unique. I love a good story. And I love a good deal. It's no wonder then that consignment stores, thrift shops, flea markets and sample sales are magical places for me. These are havens from a culture of shopping malls and department stores...where everything looks and feels the same and the only stories are those that refer to rude customer service and outrageous price tags. Sifting through the racks and boxes is like going on a journey through time and people's lives. Memories are stirred when I come across pieces that remind me of times in my own past. Style is cultivated in places like this, personalities shine through. There is no one look or one trend in these places. When you come with an open mind and are willing to play you never know what you might find when thrift shopping....but I guaranteed you'll find some pretty great stuff.  Now if we all approached life the same way, playfully and with open minds, what a great world this be! See what a little thrift shopping can teach all of us?!

Outfit Details:
Photo 1:
Dress: Beacon's Closet
Heart sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Boots: XoXo, Macy's
Floral socks: Lord and Taylor
Purse necklace: My mom's
Rose earrings: H&M
Unicorn tote: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Photo 2 (Apologies for the goofy selfie):
Dress: Anna Sui via Beacon's Closet
T-shirt: Airism at Uniqlo
Tri-color pennant necklace: Tatty Devine via Beacon's Closet
Long yellow necklace: Beacon's Closet
Belt: Anthropologie
Hat: Lord and Taylor
Watermelon earrings: MoMA staff sale
Shoes: Suprega

Coney Island is Summer: Aaron Rose's Photographs

I don't think there's any exhibition that could put you in a more summertime fun mood than In a World of their Own: Coney Island Photographs by Aaron Rose, 1961-1963 at the Museum of the City of New York.  Sun, sand, water, fresh air and lots of smiles...that's what summer is all about.

Outfit Details:
Dress: Tracy Reese via Modcloth
T-shirt: Pilcro, Anthropologie
Bag: Anthropologie
Shoes: Suprega
Hat: Lord and Taylor

She wore lemon

You know what they say...when life gets a little sour, wear a lemon dress. Actually, I love lemons. I want a lemon tree some day, maybe a whole yard filled with lemon trees. I love hot tea with lemon, yogurt and berries with lemon or lemon slices Au naturel . And I love this dress, especially the black tulle. In my head, I was singing U2's "Lemon" all day. Can't beat the walking on air feeling a puffy and twirl-worthy dress gives you.

Outfit Details:
Dress: Eva Franco sample sale
Slip: Uniqlo Airism
Ballet T-shirt: Uniqlo Airism
Earrings: H&M
Shoes: Suprega

Let the Sunshine In! Golden Hues for Sunny Days

July 4th was rainy and a little dreary but the rest of the long weekend more than made up for it. I suppose the sunny skies may be why I gravitated towards golden hues on both Saturday and Sunday. In typical long weekend fashion I was more tired by Monday after a 3 day weekend than I am after a 2 day weekend.but in my opinion, long weekends in the summer are made for cramming in lots of activity.  After a few errands, I spent Saturday wandering galleries in Chelsea before heading over to the East Village to go on a tour organized by the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. I managed to get a rush ticket that night for The Cripple of Inishmann which was a great way to end a fantastic day. Sunday I spent a little time in Central Park and visited the American Folk Art Museum and the Museum of Art and Design before heading over to Governor's Island to see Third Rail Projects production of Roadside Attraction (brilliant!). I wonder what adventures this coming weekend will bring?

Outfit Details:
Outfit 1:
Dress: Anthropologie via Tradesy
T-shirt: Uniqlo for Laudree
Boots: xoxo
Belt: Bettie Page
Tote: Anthropologie
Necklace: Tatty Devine via MoMA Staff Sale

Outfit 2:
Dress: Anthropologie
T-shirt: Uniqlo
Belt: Anthropologie
Bag: The Stone Flower
Shoes: Suprega

When A Giant Topiary Invades...

When a giant topiary invades and you are not quite sure how you feel about it there's only one thing you can do....try to match it and get your photo by it.  If you let yourself give into the ridiculousness you might see the topiary (in this case, a sculpture by Jeff Koons called Split-Rocker) in a whole new way...or maybe you won't. 

Outfit Details:
Dress: ABS by Allen Schwartz
T-shirt: Uniqlo
Belt: Pinkyotto
Bag: Dooney and Burke
Shoes: Suprega
Ruffled socks: Hue
Heart sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Hat: Lord and Taylor
Necklace: Anthropologie

Flamingos Go with Fun Art

This is actually from a few weekends go but I'm a little behind on my posts and haven't been taking as many outfit-of-the-day type photos. Anyways, this was a fantastic weekend! I saw so much art and a lot of it had a very playful quality that I readily welcomed. I'm not sure that a pink flamingo sundress is ideal gallery hopping wear but I felt like it was appropriate for some of the works I saw which were incredibly FUN!  I especially loved Tara Donovan's installation (in the last photo)...everyone who saw it immediately lit up and broke into a big smile. The security officer was smiling at everyone's reaction and I asked him what it was like to see people's first reaction to her work and he said it made him really happy. It's pretty amazing how some works can really affect our moods and also how seeing and being around happiness can make us feel uplifted as well.

Outfit Details:

Dress: Eric and Lani
Cropped Denim Jacket: Marilyn Monroe
Sneakers: Suprega
Tote: Uniqlo and MoMA collaboration

There's Something About Jeans and A Lace Top

This is from a few weeks ago...back when I thought summer was just around the corner but turns out we had a few more cold snaps to get through.  I love dresses but every once in awhile there's nothing better than a pair of jeans and a white lace top...somehow it always still feels very feminine.

Outfit Details:
Jeans - Dex
Blouse (so old!) - Suzy Shier 
Jacket - BB Dakota
Shoes - Suprega
Necklace - MoMA Design Store
Sunnies - Kate Spade

Searching for Unicorns: A Castle in a Park

Visiting Fort Tyron and The Cloisters is the perfect escape from all the madness of Midtown Manhattan. I like all the hustle and bustle of city life but every once in awhile you need to escape it, even if only for part of a day.  Kind of amazing to get on the subway in one of the busiest stations in the city and then surface in an enormous and otherworldly park less than half an hour later. Last summer I visited The Cloisters several times before now but today was my first visit this season. Where does the time go?  I had wanted to see the Search for the Unicorn exhibition at The Cloisters since I first heard about it  back in May and finally went to check it out today, the very last day of its installation.  

Aside from all the gorgeous Medieval and Renaissance art, including statuary, tapestries, and stained glass, one of the best things about The Cloisters is all the excellent lookouts and vantage points to view the Hudson River and Fort Tyron Park.  I love exploring its courtyards and terraces with their varieties of plants and flowers, many of which are labelled to explain how they were used in medieval times.  Walking around, there are even moments when you almost feel you have the castle all to yourself - what a luxury to appreciate those moments! It really is such a tranquil and interesting place. 

Surrounding the castle, there are countless paths to trek and discover, taking you along the River, to majestic outlooks, "secret" gardens and art installations.  There are no shortage of benches to stop at or places to picnic.  It really is a lovely way to spend the day and I'm so glad such a place exists within easy reach from the city.

Outfit Details:

Skirt (old) - Hortulan Pencil Skirt from Plenty by Tracy Reese, Anthropologie (similar here)

Blouse (old) - Sheer gauzy blouse with gold embroidery, thrifted/vintage (similar here)

T-shirt (old) - Pilcro, Anthropologie

Scarf (old) - Textile Museum of Canada

Shoes - Suprega in gold lame

Bag - The Stone Flower at South Street Seaport

Unicorn Necklace(old) - gold unicorn with charm, gift from my aunt (similar idea here)

Turquoise Beaded Necklace (old) - from American Eagle (similar idea here)