Even though certain things don't seem all shiny and sparkly at first, I always think that it's important to see the potential in them. For instance, this awesome vintage double breasted tuxedo jacket that was unearthed from my mother-in-law's closet by my dear husband. (Side note: you know someone knows you well when they go through their mom's wardrobe and pick things out for you.)
Anyway, my man thought that I might, as he did, see something in this piece of clothing that had definitely seen its day but still had so much life in it. The solution lied in how to make it cool and modern. What a good eye he has -- I was thrilled when he brought it home and immediately drummed up potential outfits in my head. A quick fix ensued (the shoulder pads had to go) and it blended in seamlessly with the rest my wardrobe.
You see, clothes don't need to be brand new or have a designer label to be awesome. Sometimes it's as simple as reinventing a piece to make it feel new again. It's no secret that I am a huge fan of vintage shopping, as I wear a lot of vintage in life and therefore on this blog. I adore reworking new styles and sartorially being able to reference past decades makes you feel kind of badass. The moral of this story is to never turn your back on a garment until you've exhausted all potential possibilities to elevate it.
As it turns out, when Helmut Lang left his eponymous label years ago, he reinvented himself as an artist. And the man had his first solo show in New York at a gallery on the Bowery this winter. Being a huge fan of his design aesthetic - he basically shaped what will forever be known as the 90s minimalism movement - I obviously had to make my way downtown to go discover his new installation.
It was incredibly fascinating and absolutely what you would think that mister Lang's art works would look like. He created these mind-blowing sculptures with a ton of strange, various raw materials that were molded into various industrial casts. It's difficult to explain, so I urge you to read about it here. Sadly, the exhibition ended this past weekend, but if you ever get the chance to see his art, may I suggest that you to jump at the chance.
While I had planned on visiting the gallery before the end of its run, my man and I decided to head over there after a leisurely Friday afternoon lunch, to which I randomly happened to be wearing a Helmut Lang dress. Perhaps my subconscious knew I was going to end up there that day?
We all have a decade that we hold dear to our hearts, fashionably speaking. That specific time period that you wish were able to have experienced, or that you could go back to should you encounter a magic genie. As for me, I am a fan of fashion's entire evolving scope and there isn't one particular decade that speaks to me more than the other. I tend to have phases for what I like, depending on the types of shapes we're seeing and what trends I'm feeling.
We've been seeing so much 70s-inspired clothes in recent seasons -- which showed no signs of stopping if you've been following fashion month -- and, naturally, my eye and vibe has only been gravitating towards it. Bell bottoms, earthy tones, lots of suede, high waists, round sunglasses and tall boots. I'm feeling all of it.
I like to think that if you weren't able to see any cars in these photos, that they could actually be straight out of the mean streets of New York in the early seventies, amiright? There I am, just gallivanting about the Soho cobblestones, heading to my friend's band practice in their spacious artist's loft. I might even smell a little bit like patchouli. Just kidding. But isn't it fun to fantasize?
I've been talking a lot about the weather recently, for obvious reasons. It's like this tumor that no one can seem to get rid of. So here I go again discussing how cold this winter is and how I'm doing my best with it.
I don't think I could survive the season without my fur. I'll take it in any form, whether it's a vest, a coat, a hat, a scarf, if it's not made in China, I will happily and diligently wear it. It's even warmer than my parka, no joke. So while the temps hit all time lows, I'll just be strolling around, toasty as a marshmallow in my cozy pelts. If you're not into real fur, consider vintage or faux fur. So many great options nowadays, although the faux won't be as warm.
I even always have my furry friend by my side (#Wallyface, he's a star).
You may already know this if you're a regular reader of this blog, or if you follow me on Instagram (you should, I have fun there!), but I often collaborate with Ann Taylor. I've been the lucky star of three of their Instagram campaigns (maybe you've randomly seen me in your feed as a promo?) and it's always such a pleasure to work with their awesome team.
I wanted to share three of the most recent shots that have appeared in their recent ads, because I am proud of them and because I believe that you might be interested in seeing -- and perhaps purchasing -- some of their pieces. Their basics are incredibly versatile and their quality is truly on point. Best of all, it's affordable and chic. Can't recommend their stuff enough.
We shot this on the streets of New York, as well as at an incredibly cool location called Cliqk in the middle of SoHo that is essentially a showroom/office space for a company that can makeover your nest to make it a smart home. Perfect place for a shoot, which was done by the talented Scott Furkay
Happy to be sharing these with you and hope you enjoy them!
It's no secret that I am not a fan of cold weather -- I've expressed my disdain for winter in many past posts. But today, in a positive twist, I am here to toot its horn a little bit. Not the blizzarding, snowglobing, slushsludging kind of weather, but the more, usually clement winters we are lucky to have in New York.
I'm about to tell you about how NYC winters aren't so bad, even though the streets have been covered in snow for the past two weeks, but I assure you, that is not the norm. Not what I am used to anyway. This is my fifth New York winter, and only the second one that has had snow. You know, the kind that actually stays on the ground and piles up. And while we've been experiencing a particularly cold spell recently, the temperatures are usually tolerable and nothing that a little strategic layering can't remedy to.
With that said, New York also offers the privilege (yes, it is entirely a privilege) of being able to wear normal shoes as opposed to oversized galoshes (read: outfit-ruiners). Which means that winterizing your style doesn't take much and isn't that annoying to do. Basically, you just need to get really good at layering. Take what I'm wearing: I've piled things on in a way that looks casual and practical, as well as cool -- I've got on a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, a denim jacket, a leather vest and an oversized scarf. That's a lot of stuff on one half of my body.
And to top things off, what could be better than my own personal, customized, super dope FOR lid? I've got them in a bunch of different colors, so if you want to get yours, click here.
It's a known fact that art and fashion are two mediums that often meet. They're almost like bffs: they're both ultra creative fields, are all about aesthetics, glorify insanely crazy personalities and harbor lots of geniuses. I'm a big fan of art, but to a certain extent. I'm an appreciator, but I often feel like sometimes it can go come across as pretentious and annoying. But I love beautiful things and I certainly have a great deal of admiration for the individuals who shaped movements by being the voices of generations past.
My favorite museum in all of NYC is the MoMA. I've been countless times (seriously, I've lost count) and my wonder never ceases. It houses a lot of the type of art that I enjoy, like the impressionism, abstract expressionism, surrealism and pop art. Their permanent collection, which houses a few works from some of my favorite artists like Van Gogh, Dali, Pollock, Warhol and Monet... But they also have pieces from a bunch of other artists that are current, relevant, and incredibly captivating.
But the kicker is that they always have amazing temporary exhibitions. The kind that make you glad you live in New York to be able to take it in while they're there. The most recent one, which is still going on right now, is on Henri Matisse's cut-outs exhibit, which the hubs and I took in a couple of weeks ago. I always knew Matisse as a painter and never knew that cut-out art was a huge part of his career and actually became his primary medium in his later years. Incredibly inspiring, and somewhat puzzling. You should go see it.
While we were there, we took the opportunity to scour our favorite floors of the museum and made a super fun date night out of it. Oh, and did I mention that Friday night admission is free from 4 to 8PM?
%2BThe%2BWord%2B%22definition%22%2B1966%2Bby%2BJoseph%2BKosuth%2Bat%2Bthe%2BMOMA%2C%2BNYC.jpg "Titled (Art as Idea as Idea) The Word \"definition\" 1966 by Joseph Kosuth at the MOMA, NYC")
