Sunday, July 26, 2009

Latest Obsessions (or trends I was just really late to pick up on)

So I wrote about half, maybe a little less, off this post pretty late last night and for some reason firefox pooped out on me and I lost everything but the title. Ugh. That has never happened before. Guess it'll teach me to save more often. Anyway, let's try again:

1. Lately I have not been able to get my mind off of black high top converse, particularly ones with studs. Now, these shoes are old news. Free People sells their own schamncy, vintagey, distressed, overpriced version and fashion toast finished her DIY sneaks in January. I always thought the shoes were pretty cool but never thought any of the stud and leather type trends that swept through this summer were up my generally girly, and often a little bit prim, alley. Besides, the last time I wore converse was like sophomore or junior year of high school... and my idea of style 5 years ago was jeans, some kind of witty t-shirt or an e-bayed lacoste polo, and a newsboy cap. Not that there's anything wrong with that... but I have come quite a ways since then ;) So why, all of a sudden, half the time I reach for an outfit for work, do I find myself staring at my shoe collection waiting for a pair of said black sneaks to magically appear, eventually to settle for something else and leave the house somewhat unsatisfied? I don't know, but I do know that these:

{zappos}

are now en route from zappos to me and it's only going to be laziness or lack of time that prevents me from studding them up. Anyone know where to get little pyramid studs in NYC? I'm sure they're somewhere and I also don't really want to pay shipping. hahaha.

I also know I'm not the only girly girl recently thinking about adding some "edge" to her look. The adorable Blooming Leopold, sis of Liebemarlene, wrote about this recently too!

2. Zooey Deschanel. You either love her or you hate her because she's the perfect little ball of indie, cliche, cuteness. Until recently, all I really knew about her was that she had a pretty enjoyable album and good bangs. Yes, my bangs were "inspired" by hers when I got them cut in November because the guy who cuts my hair told me to look for pictures of her. However, I was busier showing him pictures of Anna Friel. I still need to see the last three episodes of Pushing Daisies by the way. Oh man, still sad about the short life of that show. Anyway, I guess my spiral into Zooey love began a few weeks ago when some of the other interns at work were playing "let's cast the movie of our lives" and it took them all of 0.03764 seconds to decide that Zooey Deschanel would play me. She's cute and pretty, so I took it as a compliment. Now, thanks to her latest movie, (500) Days of Summer, she's all over every magazine and the free papers I get every morning to do the crosswords in and I just can't get enough. Yes, I do find myself getting annoyed by her indie-greatness at times, but she so freakin' adorable that every time I look at something like this picture from August's issue of InStyle,

I forget about all that.

3. Ok, so this one is less of a trend I was slow at picking up on, and not a new obsession for me, but I think we all know I love children's clothes. And who knows why I get e-mails from j.crew, particularly about crew cuts (even though I'm little they're still not making that stuff in my size, alas) but I just got word from them about their fantastic new back to school arrivals.

{crewcuts}

yeah the pallet is a little monochrome and pink... but come on, look at these kids and these clothes- especially the girl in the pink dress and glasses... they're killing me!

Philip Lim also always has a to die for children's collection.
Fall 2009:


Spring 2009:

{Philip Lim}
(click to enlarge)

*swoon* His collections also make me want to find a little Asian girl to steal and take home. I mean... umm, what?

Anyway, in other news, last night I went out for some nice Italian food with friends and was discussing my awesome urban outfitters finds with one of my friends who enjoyed the same urban super sale that I did (the "twin" of mine seen behind me in the birthday picture here) and after a little discussion about how we were both excited about a particular dress we got... we realized we were excited about the same item... she got this dress too! hahaha. We also both have this headband (the giant dwarf flower one) though in different colors... those we bought together. We're often kind of the same person. I guess that's alright ;)

Finally, I also just discovered that I have 2 followers on blogger and 6 on google reader. Woohoo, thanks guys! You rock! :)

Regards,
Freddie

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Ignorance is Bliss

So, I'm working on catching up on all of your blogs and while I've still got a LONG way to go (who knows if I'll ever actually catch up... bloglines says I still have 1746 posts to read... WAH! Though... I think I've done it before, haha.) it's been great- like coming home again ;) And Speaking of coming home again (nice segway, right? :P), my parents are back, and although I've developed a certain fondness for grocery shopping and lunch making over the past two weeks, it's nice to have them home.

Unfortunately, I didn't discover until yesterday evening (they got home this morning) how good their bedroom is for taking outfit photos! It seems to be the brightest room in the house. Oh well- I did get to utilize it this once to show off one of the new dresses from urban... just don't tell them I stood on their bed wearing shoes... haha.

{hawk for urban outfitters dress, h&m headband and sweater, shoegasm shoes}

Yes the dress does rather match their pillows and bedspread... and yes I did change into it just to go and see Harry Potter (hence the sweater- it's certainly not needed outside) because I was so excited to wear it. My purchase of this dress feels especially meant to be because I had actually spotted it and tried it on when I was passing through urban with a friend a few weeks ago. However, the small was a bit too big in the bust and I didn't feel I could justify the $30 if it didn't fit just right. I searched the racks for a smaller size to no avail and sadly left it behind. However, yesterday, on my trip to another urban (which completely on a whim- I had to run an errand just a few blocks away and decided to stop by) I noticed it again, and they were having a 50% of everything that's already on sale sale! I saw the dress again and thought: hey... for only $15 I wouldn't mind buying a too big dress to alter! I grabbed a small off the rack and happened to run my fingers across it's only one or two remaining mates noticing that one of them was an XS! Needless to say I was pretty much grinning my face off when I took it into the fitting room and then to the checkout counter.

The pictures don't do it justice, really... it's just so easy, comfortable, perfect and summery and yet still looks puts together. Perhaps it's a good thing I can't wear dresses to work or I might wear this every day, at least for the next few weeks. haha.

Oh, and as for Harry Potter: I loved it. I don't understand why anyone re-reads the books beforehand... they're just setting themselves up for disappointment, haha. Ignorance is bliss. Though now I'm really in the mood to re-read the 6th or 7th book... or maybe both. Too bad they're not such a convenient size for toting about.

The one downside to our movie experience was this coughing baby in the front row who was seriously coughing once every 30 seconds for at least the first hour, if not the first half of the movie... until my friend, as well as a few other patrons, went to complain. The mother of the baby and her family were eventually removed by security (and boy was she pissed... but seriosuly, why is your sick 2-3 year old at an 8:30PM showing of a 2 hour and 40 minute movie?? He should be sleeping!) and my friend (though it was really thanks to this other woman who went to complain at the same time as him) got us free passes to see another movie!! Woohoo!! When you live in NYC and movies are $12.50 (seriously, it's ridiculuous... and one of the many reasons I'm more likely to be found at some sort of live theater rather than a movie) this is a serious score. Meanwhile I inconvieniently had to pee just as another movie let out and ended up awkwardly running back to my seat and then getting up again a bit later only to end up running back again to watch a few more minutes of the movie standing in the back of the theater since there was still a line. haha. Oh good times.

Regards,
Freddie

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Goodness Gracious (Photoshoot Part 2)

Goodness Gracious, I disappeared there for a while, didn't I? Playing grown-up is hard work! I feel like I've hardly had any free time, and in the time I have had I've been doing other things so I'm very behind on reading your blogs and responding to comments- I'm sorry!

Anyway, I do have some really cool stuff to show you from one day when we were organizing the hand prop room in the downtown theater. I discovered a whole bunch of old magazines, some as old as the 19-teens, including quite a few fashion and pattern magazines and I'm so glad I had my camera with me! I took a ton of pictures though, so it's going to take some time to choose which ones to organize into a post.

So, for now, in honor of the change of weather we've just recently had (yes... it does actually feel like summer now... knock on wood) I'm going to share some more of that photoshoot (took me long enough, huh?) with you. This portion: flowers! I've been a bit floral-happy this summer.

{topshop shorts, secondhand vest, boy's undershirt, vintage boots}
you can see really well here how different the colors of my arms and legs are thanks to the park... haha



{topshop playsuit, target tights, urban sneakers (which are already quite dirty)}


{gap shorts, h&m t-shirt, urban sneakers, giant dwarf headband purchased at this summer's renegade}
{shawl my mom brought back from Turkey}

And what have I been doing in the small amount of free time I have had? A lot of cooking and baking actually, including baking my friend a birthday cake :)


I've also done a little bit of shopping (I snagged 3 new dresses at the 50% of 50% off sale at Urban today), a lot of bike riding, threw a party, spent some time with friends, and tonight am seeing the new Harry Potter movie with my best friend: so excited!

Now, time to go play catch up with some of your blogs! I've got my work cut out for me!

Regards,
Freddie

Monday, July 6, 2009

Playing Grown-Up

For the next couple of weeks I'll be playing grown-up. My parents will be away which means I'll be grocery shopping, cooking (or "cooking" as the case may be some days), doing laundry, dishes, etc, etc. It's really not all that much different than what I do when I'm away at school (though much closer to how it will be next year in my apartment versus the past two years of dorm/sorority life) but I felt very much like a grown-up today going grocery shopping and making food. Sometimes playing grown-up is kind of fun but a lot of the time I'd rather play kid again and build a fort from sheets and read Narnia for the umpteenth time or something. Oh well, guess I don't really have a choice.

Anyway, for the past few days I've been wearing:
Photobucket
{Mom's hat, second hand vest, old urban tank top, coup de cour skirt,
shoegasm sandals, hand-me down bag from mom}


This bag is one of my best friends this summer, I love it. I actually wasn't using it here (noramlly it would be slung across my body and stuffed full) but ended up carrying it around empty all day because I tried to go to the shoemaker to get it fixed (it needs a zipper replacement) but apparently I need to go to a luggage place. I need to get on that soon so I can use it again... wearing my backpack to work today made me a little sad, haha.

Photobucket
{h&m blue button down, second hand belt, zachary's smile attic sale skirt, target sandals, mom's bag}

This was my fourth of July outfit. I actually bought the skirt for $5 (!) at the Zachary's smile attic sale the day before. The sale was a little underwhelming actually, but I did come away with this (which is a bit big but the belt does just the trick) and a little, girly, pink dress (perfect for playing grown-up of course, haha) for $5 each so I was satisfied. I also rode my bike halfway across Manhattan (ok, not quite... but it was definitely a few miles each way) in this, and I'm pretty sure my face was as red as the skirt when I got on the train after the first part of my ride. hahaha. The ride back in the evening was however, much nicer although I ended up losing the ribbon in my hair at some point during the day.

Photobucket
{buffalo exchange (brooklyn location) dress, target sandals
(yes these are the same ones as above in a different color... haha), mom's bag}


This is one of my favorite dresses. I bought it right before my 17th or 18th birthday but sadly it hasn't fit me for the past 1/2 a year or so. Well, it fit, but in an I can't sit down or breath if I wear this kind of way. I was excited to find it only a teensy bit tight yesterday but made the mistake of wearing it to my friend's 5th of July BBQ... let's just say I was rather uncomfortable after gorging myself on delicious food. haha

My mom's little straw backpack and that denim vest are also quickly become summer staples of mine. I'm still in a bit of disbelief (how 90s they are!) but I kind of love it ;)

I've been eating:
Photobucket
{boiled egg, kashi blueberry waffles, strawberries and blueberries, syrup,
greek yogurt, veggie bacon, and of course a big mug of coffee}


After talking about how I should start taking pictures of food, I couldn't resist photographing the 4th of July brunch I made for myself... it was just so colorful, festive, and delicious!

Also as mentioned, I went to my friend's barbecue on the 5th and indulged in a yummy mixture of American and Asian grilled goods such as broccoli (with garlic sauce), corn, chicken, shrimp, sweet potato, eggplant, Asian tea and lemonade, watermelon and cherries. SO GOOD. I was SO FULL.

On the 3rd, after going to the aforementioned attic sale (with the aforementioned friend who was the barabecue host), I also payed my first visit to yogurtland which was really pretty good- it's like a self-serve and way cheaper (!!!) version of pinkberry!

I've been seeing:
(alright so that tense doesn't really work with this one but too bad)
Jenny Lewis open for Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band in Battery Park on July 4th. She was AMAZING and Conor Oberst was pretty good too. Then I rode my bike back (only half way though, because it's far) home along the esplanade (yeah, the part I ride on is the narrow park with sinkholes that they mention... haha) and the sun was so beautiful over the water and it was great. :) I wish the weather would stay this nice and I could have more free time to do stuff like this...

But overall: Good Stuff :)

Regards,
Freddie

Thursday, July 2, 2009

A Very Belated Birthday Post

So wow, it's been a while. Since my last post, I turned 20.
I had to work, which wasn't very exciting except that one of the other interns made me a birthday cake (yellow cake with chocolate frosting). yum. :)

I wore this and it was very wet and rainy out:

{Hanes men's undershirt, target belt, shortened Manhattan Vintage Show culottes
(yes those are shorts!), keds, uniqlo umbrella, crown from a long ago high school show}


Someone at work asked me if it was my birthday. When I said yes he said something like, "wow I was just guessing, I mean, you normally wear things like that anyway." haha (Referring to the crown of course).

I got these cards:

{the necklace I wore with the above outfit also pictured- it has a charm with my (real) name, spelled correctly--a rarity, and a unicorn charm}

The most appropriate card was from my mom who also got me a delightfully huge and floppy hat:

{She was caught in a love triangle. She was torn between her love for him and her love of shoes. But she had to choose... And frankly he just didn't match her purse. Happy Birthday}

My best friend came over and we ate sushi and cupcakes my mom brought home from the cupcake truck. I really need to start remembering to take my own food porn pictures for this blog. hahaha. Of course, my rainbow roll, edamame, and shrimp shumai weren't quite this pretty but the cupcake is pretty darn close.


lunch.com, martha stewart, laceilbleu, cupcake stop

Then, I went to bed early... before my birthday was even over (!) because I had to wake up at 6am the next day for the craziest day of work ever: the opening night of twelfth night. I worked from 7:30am on June 25th to 4:30am on June 26th. I spent a lot of time walking trucks through central park and having people warn me that there was a truck behind me (oy!) and arrived home exhausted, but feeling very accomplished, to find the Friday morning paper already at my doorstep. It contained this fantastic review which made me very happy and proud, as well as the front page news about Michael Jackson's death, which was of course quite sad.

After I slept away a lot of Friday, my friend Corinne arrived (she was staying with me until yesterday afternoon which further explains the lack of posting) and we watched The Virgin Suicides and made plans for her stay. On Saturday we had a lovely picnic in the park (like I really needed to go back there... haha) with another friend and celebrated my birthday with a whole crew of lovely people in the evening. We ate rickshaw dumplings, went to UCBT and had birthday cake made by my mom - ginger cake with decadent chocolate frosting. YUM. Like I said... I really need to start taking food pictures. haha

edited to add that I have a cake picture (and a picture of the upper half of a dress I have not shown you yet) courtesy of my mom -- yay!


Tight cropping to be kind to my friends (beautiful people making awkward faces) but Jessie who is taking a picture right behind me (and who I affectionately call my twin... people who don't know us get us confused/think we are related) looks too cute ;) ... and not just because she kind of looks like me :P haha

A few friends slept over and we had homemade blueberry muffins (thanks to my lovely mother once again) and fruit salad in the morning. We then went to the Gay Pride Parade which was a ton of fun and tried out the new flavors at pinkberry. On Monday I resumed a more human work schedule (10am-6pm, M-F) and went to dinner with friends at RICE. Tuesday we hit up Chinatown for vegetarian dim sum and ice cream (almond cookie ice cream is the BEST) at two of my favorite places. Wednesday was Corinne's last day in town and today after work my parents and I finally had time to have a birthday dinner with just the three of us. We went to apiary which was totally cute and had a molten, flourless chocolate cake desert which sort of made me die. In a really good way of course. The rest of my meal was also delicious: a warm chevre and roasted beet salad followed by mushroom risotto.

the gotham plate

This photo really does not do it any sort of justice. And mine was complete with a pretty pink birthday candle stuck perfectly to the plate (so as to not mess up the cake) in between two of the chocolate blobs.

Anyway... now that I seriously need to go on a diet (or at least to the gym on my slightly surprise day off -- woohoo! -- tomorrow) my birthday celebrations are "finally" over and life (and hopefully blog updating) can resume to some degree of normalcy. I'll post more from my photoshoot soon of course, but this post is too long and too full of food to fit anything else in it ;) haha. Hopefully I'll have new and fun fashion things to share soon as well.

Regards,
Freddie

P.S. My crazy work day, and the day after my birthday, was the birthday of fellow blogger and my almost birthday buddy, Amelia! yay! Happy Belated!