My birthday is in 3 minutes!
Though Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday, I’ve been looking forward to it this year. I spent four days at home with my parents, and now I’m in California and spending another four days with my brother. It’s a travel-heavy week, certainly, but it’s worth it to see family and friends.
And so far, so good! We played it mellow here in Nebraska: I watched the PBS docu-series on the circus with my family (I don’t approve of the way the animals are used, but it’s pretty interesting nonetheless), and two nights in a row, I schooled my parents in Scrabble.
And Target.
Ooooh, Target!
When I’m away from the Midwest, I forget just how much I love Target. After all, the Brooklyn Target is messy, disorganized, and picked over to boot. And nonetheless, I always leave with a million things, including a 16-pack of papertowels, that prove impossible to lug home on the Subway. But when I have my Mom’s minivan at my disposal, Target is pure consumerist heaven. I went for a blender, and left with my blender, two types of organic lipbalm, snow boots, a vegan winter coat, an electric toothbrush, mascara, a whole bunch of socks (including a pair of boot socks, which I’ll undoubtedly post more about soon) and four different hair doodads. Aaaah, Target.
Ok, anyhow, I love Target. We also went to the Gap, and since my birthday is coming up, my parents spoiled me.
I got that new dolman sweater from the Gap, and I found those jeans in my closet at home–I had found them in a TJ Maxx when I was about 20 and fell in love. Being as they still fit, I nabbed them to bring back to New York. Yay for new-old clothes.
Of course, my cat Nickleby turned them into a scratching post, but they still look nice.
Happy Thanksgiving, all!
I wore the outfit below a mere three weeks ago (to a positively lovely brunch with Rad and Suzz!), but never got around to posting it.
And, um, wow. Looking at it, I feel as though it was months and months ago–I haven’t worn anything sleeveless since, and here in Nebraska, it’s been a solid 32 degrees. I bought undershirts, a sweater, a thermal top, a winter coat, and snow boots the other day. It’s not even winter yet, and I’m already nostalgic for fall.
But hell, I think this is worth posting:
That’s my Dear Creatures top, Urban Outfitters woven purse, thrifted lucite and wood bangles, Urban Outfitters jeans, and Loeffler Randall flats.
I doubt you’ll see my arms again any time soon. Bring on the layers!
Rescued baby dolphin!!! Wow wow wow.
A post on vegan coats from Jesse.anne.o! Just what I needed–Thanks Jesse!
Rather a clever blog that I didn’t know of before: Man Repeller!
Etsy. ‘Tis the season! A great way to give more unique, non-corporate gifts. A few favorites:
Yup–I need to shoes. Oxfords, to be precise. Without further ado, here are the options I’m considering!
First up: The Tripoli! Pros: super unique! On sale at Lulu’s! Cons: could be out next season. Not super classic; slight country music feel.
Second: The Dublin! Pros: navy! Sturdy-looking heel! Pretty almond shaped toe! Cons: would the zipper let rain and snow in?
Next up: The Nevele! Pros: Very chic shape. Classic sort of look–could be vintage, could be yesterday. Cons: perhaps difficult to wear–not stylish like the Tripoli, or menswear-chic like the Dublin. Tough call here.
Lastly: The Kent! Pros: classic shape. Would pair nicely with much of my wardrobe. Cons: the zipper detailing is a little trendy for me.
Ok, fashion bloggers, it’s voting day!
You know, I don’t much discuss my career in this blog. That’s partly because it could get boring pretty quickly (auditions, auditions, auditions, auditions, networking, auditions, auditions, and occasionally, a job), and partly because I like to use this blog as a pleasant distraction.
But I can’t stray too far from my passions, and I’ve been lucky to see a decent amount of theatre lately. People are always asking what shows I’ve seen and what I thought, so I thought perhaps I’d write a few mini-reviews here. It’s true what they say: everyone really is a critic. Or at least, I am. So! First things first: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I loved it. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about an Almodovar film on stage–and in English–at first, but the director and designers did a beautiful job of it. And the cast! The cast is first rate. It’s a high energy, fast-paced show, but it’s not without its introspective moments, and it’s so, so well-executed. While they did successfully catch a lot of the feel of an Almodovar film–the fluidity of identity, answers in unexpected places, unlikely characters–some of the darkness of the original film was lost. For me, so many of his films are about making crazy, affirming, smart life choices, but not without the threat of their choices going awry; there’s always a darkness lurking around the corner. That’s the only element that the stage version lost. That said, it was bound to have a slightly different aesthetic than the original movie, and I wouldn’t have wanted to see a carbon copy anyway. The somewhat different tone didn’t detract from the overall product, and anyway, the only truly dark musical I’ve ever seen in Cabaret. But I digress. All in all it was a fantastic night of theatre, populated with a seriously spectacular group of actors.
Next up: Lombardi! Let me first say that I would not have seen this on my own. Nope: I wouldn’t have gone had I not had comps. That said, I’m awfully grateful to have had them, because it was an enlightening show. I say ‘enlightening’ because the performances were brilliant, the design was solid, the staging was neat. . . and yet, it wasn’t a good show. And why? The story. The story was totally not stageworthy. There was no dramatic action in it whatsoever. It was a pity, too, because the actors are all so strong: it’s chock full of award-worthy performances. It’s just not a great story.
Next up, I’ll post a few thoughts on Elling with Brendan Fraser. And that’s what I’ve seen on stage recently! More reviews to come.
Yup, more plaid! When it gets too cold to wear cotton tops with jackets, I will be sad, because this fall, I am in love with plaid!
Oh man, I know I shouldn’t have done that, but it felt so right. Anyhow, here’s the outfit. I really liked this one!
That’s a Built by Wendy top (go figure), I thiiiink those are my William Rast jeans, and vintage Bandolino heels. I’m going to sound like my grandmother, but. . . they don’t make ’em like they used to. Those heels look great, and I’ve had them for years. Plus, I got them at a thrift store for $3.99, s0 someone else probably wore them aaaaaall throughout the 80’s. They look way better than shoes I’ve had for 6 months. Mmmmhm. Fer serious.
Wow, I had better end this blog post now, before my goofy mood gets totally out of hand. Happy Autumn, blogosphere!
Broke out the warm things this week! I will admit, though, my blue turtleneck sweater isn’t nearly as cute as the one pictured. I didn’t go out much this week–I went out with family for martinis (love my family), and out with my friends on Friday (just dinner), and to a party on Saturday, but other than that, I stayed in. I listened to music, reviewed some plays, and did plenty of cooking (pictures to come). My stove isn’t that cute, either. But my apple crumb muffins rule!
As many of you may already know, the Built by Wendy sample sale was a couple weekends ago. After (very little) debating with myself, I decided I had better check it out–I am trying to shop less and acquire less, but one of my goals is to have things that are classic, durable, and that will stay in my wardrobe for a long time. I still have a Built by Wendy top that I got for my 19th birthday (more on that later), so I think it’s safe to say that her clothes meet the criteria.
While I’m glad I went, sample sales are so, so, hard. I wanted to get only things that I need (e.g., warm tops. Actually, that’s it–that’s really all I need), but I was seduced by wickedly cheap t-shirts, dresses I’d lusted over in seasons past, and criminally cheap jeans. Of course, none of these were things I needed, but they all ended up in the dressing room with me anyway. I was able to reign it in at the end, and I only went home with one (warm!) top, but holy shit, sample sales are tempting as well. As I left, all I could think was, really? I went in with a very limited budget, I knew exactly what I needed, and I was still seduced by things that would ultimately just be another expense, and take up valuable closet real estate to boot.
Anyhow, the story has a happy ending, because I’m super pleased with the top I bought, and I drew the line there. I paid $45 for an adorable gingham top that retailed for $176. Also, these are my new boots (!):
Onto food! I swear, this is become a Breakfast Blog. What can I say? I’m a breakfast girl! This week, I’ve been having a rather substantial breakfast of Cheater Baked Beans from Veganomicon, and garlic roasted potatoes from Vegan Brunch. I swear, the Brits have it right: beans are an awesome breakfast.
And sewing! I’ve been on a sort of sewing hiatus lately. The hiatus is over, though, because the five year-old Built by Wendy top that I mentioned above is still a favorite, and it needed some TLC. It has an elasticized empire waist, but the elastic had lost is stretch, which left it shapeless and not so cute:
And so, it’s sewing time! I’ve gotten started, but I haven’t finished, so expect a final product within the week.
Wore this to work and an audition on a milder day last week. The day was nothing special, but I like this outfit:
The heel broke off of one of those t-strap flats not long after I was out the door. Oy. I’m picking them up from the cobbler tomorrow–I don’t know that there’s much hope for them, but I really love them, so I had to try! The bag came from a street vendor in London years ago.The bag, thankfully, is still going strong.
What I Wore 