Top: e.a.p.; Skirt: reconstructed eBay pants; Cardigan: c&c california; Sandals: Victoria’s Secret; Necklace: Kenneth Jay Lane
It’s too cold to wear things like this anymore, so it’s nice to look back and remember when I could still wear sandals. I love the skirt I am wearing. They were originally a pair of silky pants I bought off of eBay. I wasn’t really feeling the pants, but I loved the fabric, so being less sewing-acute back then I asked my mom to turn the pants into a skirt for me. I’ve had it for years, and it’s become a spring/summer wardrobe staple.
Top: e.a.p.; Skirt: reconstructed eBay pants; Cardigan: c&c california; Sandals: Victoria’s Secret; Necklace: Kenneth Jay Lane; Scarf: bought off street; (Mr. Kaboom to left)
Me and Mr. Kaboom were heading out to our friend’s engagement party, so he made it into the shot. Say hi!
1. Mental Floss: Erin Baillie-Rutter inspirational image blog will have your head reeling with an inundation of scrumptious imagery.
2. All Folked Up: The Punk Rock Collection, Vol. 1: If there’s anything better than a punk-rock song, it’s a folk interpretation of a punk rock song. Boyhowdy compiles a brilliant collection of folk covers of seminal first and second wave punk music staples.
3. TIME’s The 50 Best Inventions of 2009: A mixture of the amazing, whacky and weird, this compilation of creations will have you marveling at the human capacity to create out of the ether of awesome.
4. Eight Great Italian Markets in New York City: Being a typical first generation Italian-American, I am on the constant hunt for good sopressata and prosciutto. Gourmet.com narrows down eight fantastic options to get your Italian specialty fix in and around the Big Apple.
5. Dave Eggers Reassures Us That Print Lives: For bibliophiles like myself, Dave Eggers has kind of earned god-like respect for spearheading a decade’s long movement to preserve the art of beautiful books. I often find myself returning to read this inspiring open-letter, written to those who may be concerned the printed word is dying off.
6. Tune Up: I find very few things as mind-bogglingly frustrating as downloading album art from iTunes for 30 minutes, only to discover that 75% of my music is still missing art. Tune Up is an application created by music lovers, for music lovers to clean up their digital music collection with the precision of the most discriminating music snob. FINALLY!
7. Tune Up Media: I find very few things as mind-bogglingly frustrating as downloading album art from iTunes for 30 minutes, only to discover that 75% of my music is still missing art, or finding a wealth of mp3′s proper missing album info. Tune Up is an application created by music lovers, for music lovers to clean up their digital music collection with the precision of the most discriminating music snob. FINALLY!
And finally, for this collaborative music video, “Hibi no Neiro (Tone of Everyday),” by the Japanese band Sour was created with a selection of their fans from around the world filming themselves on webcams. The results are overwhelmingly awesome…
I like beer. And I like Japanese things. Therefore, it’s really not surprising to discover that I have a weakness for Japanese beer. Japanese beer tends to have a slightly lower alcohol content than other “beer-y” countries (see, Germany), and has a generally sweeter taste, very low on the hops. In short, it’s delicious.
One of my favorite Japanese beers is Hitachino Nest, a brand made by Kiuchi Brewery in Honshu, Japan. Not only is their beer extremely yummy, but their packaging is both adorable and hip in that retro, 70′s appeal sort of way. The iconic owl that adorns their bottles is easy to spot, and feels both traditional and urban all at once. His playful image makes what might be considered a strange, foreign beer both inviting, humorous and familiar.
One nice thing about the fall is that I get to dust off one of my favorite pieces of apparel, cotton tights. I love me some tights: there’s nothing better than a brisk fall day, and the feeling of cotton tightly wrapped around your legs, nice and warm. These argyles are a particular favorite pair of mine, I also have them in orange. They definitely aren’t the sort of thing you can wear with any outfit, so I am very pleased when I find just the right duds to offset their mania.
Also, my oxford hunt is over! I have been scouring the globe for a pair of reasonably priced brown oxfords, and finally found my dream pair at ASOS. They are super comfy, and made of shiny leather with a slightly distressed look. I am utterly smitten.
I am kind of in love with new store called Mystique Boutique. I found a location the first time in China Town, but have since discovered there is a location about 3 blocks from my work. This is both good, and not good, depending on finances vs. fashion.
The boutique has a large selection of bohemian and romantic fashions, and filled to the brimm with embroidered tunics, embellished jackets, and unique and folksy accessories. Also, the prices are extremely reasonable – most pieces in the $20-$30 range.
I recently nabbed up this tunic from the shop. I am quite smitten with it. It’s extremely cozy to wear, and the embroidered design on it is quite lovely…
1. Lawrence Yang: I am completely smitten with the whimsical, simple yet refined drawings that comprise Yang’s work. His ability to employ the organic, natural progression of inks and colors, such as the piece above, is truly inspiring.
2. Where’s My Cell Phone?: We’ve all been there – you can’t find your cell phone, and you can’t CALL your cell phone to find it, because there are no other phones available. Some brilliant, wonderful human being created a website on which you can call your phone in these instances. We should shower them with gratitude and money.
3. Living Without Cash: Mark Boyle talks about the process that drove him to abandon money, what his life is like and the lessons he has discovered without it.
4. Booze To Fight the Flu: Who says you can’t hit the town because you think you’re catching something? An enterprising bar in Manhattan has solved this physical quandary by creating a unique selection of cocktails whose components include over-the-counter health remedies.
5. Movie Navigation Charts: Randall Munroe of the esteemed comic site xkcd.com outlines the progress of key figures in some of the greatest movies ever made. The results are curious, amusing and aesthetically intriguing.
6. Ambigram Generators: A fun little link for those of us type-inclined: a list of online generators that will spit out your selected copy so it reads two different phrases, depending on the orientation of the type.
7. Pooktre: Think bonsai is cool? Peter and Becky have mastered the art of crafting trees so they shape people, tables and chairs. Gives the term “living art” a whole new meaning.
Finally, PES does it again, turning ordinary household items into magic:
