Spring is coming....tomorrow!

This photo is from last week on what I remember as being a pretty cold and windy day. Dreaming of spring, I opted for layers so I could wear a floral sleeveless dress and pretend it was a lot warmer out than it actually was.  Ducked into a little convenience store on the work to admire their floral display. Warmer weather is just around the corner...I can feel it!

Dress: Anthropologie

Coat: Steve Madden Girl

Fringe cardigan: American Eagle Outfitters

Scarf: Betsy Johnson

Mittens: Kate Spade

Hat: Anthropologie

To Market, To Market

I was feeling pretty colorful when I left my apartment on Saturday morning. This dress is super bright and has a mix of colors you might not normally see together. I mentioned before that it was the pink netting on the shoulders that caught my attention, but this fit and flare shape is one I often gravitate towards. The shorter hemline and the light material is perfect for summer, but I will definitely be wearing this into the fall by adding in a few more layers, probably pairing it with a neutral like black and some metallic accents.

No matter how colorful this dress might be, it can not compete with the brilliant hues of all the produce and flowers at the Greenmarket in Union Square. Everything always looks so artfully arranged. Peppers, carrots, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, radishes, potatoes and more all stacked, bundled, lined up and piled up. I sometimes wonder if the vendors arranged things in particular way to "show off" what they have to sell or if what they are selling is so marvelous that all of it looks great no matter how it's arranged. Maybe it's a little bit of both. Everything a gorgeous feast of color.

Outfit Details:

Dress: Printed Fit and Flare Dress in Aztec Print by Hunter Bell, Fashion Star, Macy's

Simple Summer Activities

 
 

Simple summer activities are the ones I always miss the most. With summer coming to a close (*sigh), I've been walking along the Hudson River more, getting in all the sunshine and river breezes that I can.  It's fun watching boats of every variety moving about the water; tourist site-seeing boats, tug boats, ferries, yachts, and more, cutting patterns in the river.  Walking along the water's edge is one of my favorite summer activities, and I'll miss it once the colder temperatures and icy winds have closed in.  I stopped in at one of the garden centers by my apartment and noticed more autumnal flowers and plants than they had a couple of weeks ago. So many gorgeous autumnal shades of orange, gold and purple and hearty greens, but still I already miss the soft pastels, brilliant whites and feathery plants of spring and summer. What activities are you going to miss once summer is over?

Outfit Details:

Pants - Kylie Crop Retro Cruiser, Paige Denim

Shirt (old) - American Eagle

Camisole (old) - Target

Bag (old) - Dear Parsy Tote, Anthropologie

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)

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

The Simplicity and Joy of a Dress

As much as I sometimes grumble about all the little annoyances that seem a part of getting from one place to another in the city, there are many more things that I enjoy. There are always interesting things to see, whether familiar sights that I’ve grown to look forward to seeing or new surprises. Today on the way to work I stopped to read some of the playbills and other material posted up at The Actor’s Temple. I’ve walked by many times thinking that it looked like such a cool place but never actually paused to take a better look. One of the bonuses of getting up early is that I can make little detours on the way to work without risking being late and it definitely keeps the morning “commute" from ever getting dull. One thing I never fail to notice no matter where I’m headed in NYC is all the flower stands, popping up along the sidewalk or of the more permanent kind attached to a store. It’s pretty hard not to notice these pops of color dotting the busy cityscape.

For some reason, the dress I wore today reminds me of fields of flowers…or more accurately, something I’d wear if wandering in fields of flowers. I can picture the subdued lavender color absorbing all the colors and reflecting them back, the perfect “neutral" to allow the other colors to burst out. I’ve had this dress for awhile and tend to style it in a similar way, letting the soft color and raised dots on the dress stand out. Over the years, I’ve experimented by changing the tights, jewelry, cardigan, and/or shoes paired with this dress. It’s a simple dress with a definite vintage vibe. On its own the dress can sort of look a bit like an old nightgown but with the right accessories it can be pretty lovely. It’s also a dress that I seem to wear for every summer occasion, from picnics to outdoor movies to Shakespeare in the park to lunch and shopping dates with friends, to museum visits and more. I love when a dress feels right for a variety of occasions, when a dress is “just" a dress.

Today, I wore grey sheer polka dot tights, pink floral peep-toe kitten heel shoes, an oversized necklace, and some flower post earrings with the dress, giving it a slightly more contemporary look (and giving a nod to that field of flowers). I usually like mixing more patterns and colors into my outfit but sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy the simplicity of a dress….after all, isn’t one of the best things about dresses is that they are complete outfits all on their own?

Outfit Details:

Dress (old) - Tiny Windows Dress, Anthropologie

Shoes (old) - Nelumbo Kitten Heels by Miss Albright, Anthropologie

Tights - Hue Sheer Polka Dot Tights, Lord and Taylor