Lavender Dresses

Gosh, the Oscars last night were painfully long!  In spite of that however, I enjoyed watching the show with friends until the DVR cut out and we missed the best picture presentation AND PS 22.  Still trying to recover from the shock of it all.


In terms of dresses, I literally gasped when I saw Cate Blanchett's dress on TV - I thought it was horrific on screen.  In the light of day however, I think it photographs very nicely and can imagine it looked awesome in-person.  Love the detailing and the color.  Dress by Givenchy.

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I also really liked Mila Kunis' dress - it was elegant and so classic.  Dress by Elie Saab.

Until next year Oscars ...

Liv Tyler

I have been a Liv Tyler fan since Empire Records, and since I haven't seen her around lately I was glad to see this shoot done for Purple Magazine.  She is modeling Spring/Summer 2011 Proenza Schouler.  Makes me want to head somewhere tropical for a bit.

Via Pennyweight via Who What Wear

Summer in New York

If this doesn't make you crave summer in New York, I'm not sure what will.

Week In Review #5

Photo by Hilda Grahnat

Sigh, this week I've been marooned on the couch once again after my ankle took a turn for the worse.  Heading back to the doctor this afternoon.  In other news, I am excited about the Oscars on Sunday (hosting about 15 people) and am hoping I'll be out and about again next week.  For now, some fun posts:

A great rule and follow up rule.

Hoping to make this soon.

Country living in Brooklyn.

Food as art.

Nothing says baller like a kitchen with a built-in rotisserie.

A new fave blog.

Couldn't agree more with this assessment of potential Oscar winners.

Maps, maps, maps.

Background on "The Last Waltz."

Oscar Dresses

Thank you to Fashionologie for doing a feature on Oscar dresses and not just focusing on the last ten years.  Check out these few that you don't see make the Oscar roundups very often.  I would love to know the colors in Vivien Leigh's dress.

Lauren Hutton, 1975

Anjelica Houston, 1976

Faye Dunaway, 1968

Vivien Leigh, 1940

Reading More

To go with yesterday's post about organizing your books, I thought I'd pass long these reading tips.  I came upon these last year over at The Happiness Project and I have kept them in mind as I read and pick out books.

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12 TIPS FOR READING MORE

1. Quit reading. I used to pride myself on finishing every book I started. No more. Life is short. There are too many wonderful books to read.

2. Read books you enjoy. When I’m reading a book I love I’m astonished by how much time I find to read during my day. Which is another reason to stop reading a book I don’t enjoy.

3. Use TiVO. It’s much more efficient to watch shows on TiVO, because you skip the commercials and control when you watch. Then you have more time to read.

4. Skim. Especially when reading newspapers and magazines, often I get as much from skimming as I do by a leisurely reading. I have to remind myself to skim, but when I do, I get through material much faster.

5. Get calm. It’s sometimes hard for me to settle down with a book; I keep wanting to jump up and take care of some nagging task. But that’s no way to read.

6. Don’t fight my inclinations. Sometimes I feel like I should be reading one book when I actually feel like reading something entirely different. Now I let myself read what I want, because otherwise I end up reading much less.

7. Always have something to read. Never go anywhere empty-handed

8. Maintain a big stack. I find that I read much more when I have a pile waiting for me. 


9. Choose my own books. Books make wonderful gifts – both to receive and to give – but I try not to let myself feel pressured to read a book just because someone has given it to me. I always give a gift book a try, but I no longer keep reading if I don’t want to.

And some tips from great writers and readers:

10. Randall Jarrell: “Read at whim! Read at whim!”
11. Henry David Thoreau: “Read the best books first, otherwise you’ll find you do not have time.”
12. Samuel Johnson: “What we read with inclination makes a much stronger impression. If we read without inclination, half the mind is employed in fixing the attention; so there is but one half to be employed on what we read.”

Earrrrrrings

Last year when I was in Portland with Sarah B., she look me to visit the Betsy & Iya studio where Betsy herself was busy making earrings.  I was immediately smitten and bought three pairs, and then about six months later I ordered a few more pairs online and now wear them pretty much everyday.  All this to say that I am psyched they are having a sale in honor of their Facebook fans.  So head on over and become a fan and see what this sale is all about.  I may have ordered some yesterday!

All images from the Betsy & Iya website.

Organizing Books

It probably comes as no surprise that I adore books.  In fact, I just convinced John to help me do a little re-arranging so that my many bookshelves would be in a better spot for browsing.

Thanks to Mary for passing along this cute video about organizing books.  Unlike many designers, I prefer books sorted by subject/personal attachment (as Nick Hornby would say "sorted autobiographically"), but I do think books organized by color certainly look good.

Wow

Found on a Pinterest pinboard called Pattern.  Awesome.

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Spring Toggles

OMG, loving this outfit.  LOVING it.

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PS. Can't wait for her Oscar dress!  Hoping the Golden Globes choice was just an aberration.

I Love This New Law

New York (CNN) -- Life just became more of a drag for New York City smokers after Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a bill Tuesday banning smoking in many public places.  The new law will make smoking illegal in New York City's 1,700 parks and on the city's 14 miles of public beaches.  The ban, which the city council overwhelmingly approved earlier this month, is designed to cut down on second-hand smoke as well as reduce litter.  (CNN)

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Shouldn't we all be in favor of reducing second hand smoke and litter?  Additionally, in my humble opinion, two things to do not belong at the beach: cigarettes and radios.

On the Market in New York City

I love the Sunday Times' Real Estate feature "On the Market in New York City."  This week they featured a co-op in a building that I pass everyday on the way to the train - it's directly next to Ozzie's on 7th Avenue and Lincoln.  I have always liked the facade and wondered what the building was originally.  Love all the natural light - with a little design TLC, it could be awesome!

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Kitchen-Themed Decor

With my new-found love of cooking comes the need to seriously beef up my stash of kitchen tools.  Leave it to Design*Sponge to post this fantastic poster -- it could help me build a genuine culinary collection!

via Design*Sponge via PopChartLab

Mad Men Spoiler Alert

I have already written about my love of Mad Men, so you can imagine my delight when I came upon this chart.  Major spoiler alert, but for those that need to catch up a little, check it out. via

What a Dress

Check out the stunning ensemble Diane Kruger wore at the Berlin Film Festival this weekend.  Dress by Vionnet.

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Williamsburg Sunday

Even though I lived in Williamsburg for almost three years and loved it, I don't make it back as much as I would like.  Yesterday JM and I had a perfect day exploring some new places and re-visiting some old favorites.

NEW
La Superior
I would definitely recommend this low-key Mexican place for brunch.  It's delicious and super affordable (which led us to order way too much).  There are very few tables, so be prepared for a bit of a wait.

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Attempted Coffee Stop - Blue Bottle Coffee
Have been wanting to check this place out - they are from Oakland after all.  We didn't end up staying though since the line was out the door.  Looked great, smelled great - will have to wait until next time.

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OLD FAVORITES
Artists and Fleas
Earlier this year it moved to a new space on North 7th between Wythe & Kent.  It's a beautiful and now has a lot more vintage vendors.

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Shoe Market
Somehow John always finds some amazing sale items here.  He picked up these awesome Tretorns for 60% off.

The Junk Store
It's always fun to browse!

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Cafe Grumpy
Our second coffee attempt worked out well.  Ended the day with some reading in Greenpoint.

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Week in Review #4

Happy long weekend!  Some fun posts from here and there:

Would love to join this epic lunch.

A deal site for mom and pop shops in NYC.

Another fabulous Brooklyn brownstone

Some great background on Hilary's album of the week.

RIP Uncle Leo.

Super fun collages and paintings.

Would love to have a gallery wall one day.

Way to wear polka dots.

February Book Club

Yesterday was the February Book Club meeting and the book was one I nominated, A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan.  All of us enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.  If you like music, reading about friendships and relationships among flawed but believable characters, and intersecting stories of people living in New York City, definitely check it out.  And yes, there is a chapter written in PowerPoint, and really, it was my favorite!  

Also, check out Jen's review on her blog.

It's not Joni, but ...

This is a cover of one of my all-time favorite songs.  Lovely, but he's no Joni.  (Thanks for sharing on Facebook Steph Hammy - miss you!)

One Day

What a movie poster!  This just released promo is for "One Day" which has the following synopsis on IMDB: "After spending their college graduation night together, Dexter and Em are revisited each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives."

Generally not fan of Anne Hathaway, but am a big fan of Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe!!!!!).  Also, huge fan of the Doc Marten's in the photo - I'm guessing its 1991?  Perhaps I should check out the book.

Woodstock & Paintings

Via Miss Moss ... what amazing visual comparisons the December 1969 issue of Vogue made!

Women Designers

Curbed has a cool feature on female mid-century designers.  Gotta love that Barcelona Lounger!

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Spring Bag

This would be a super fun bag to tote around this spring.  Out of my price range, but a girl can dream.

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Nothing Better

"Nothing Better" is one of my all-time favorite songs -- such a bittersweet tale.  And this is one of my all-time favorite amateur YouTube videos.  It has approximately 170,000 views, and I think at least 100 of them are mine.  I love the vibe of the crowd and how they are singing along, and how at 1:03 Jenny Lewis comes on stage to complete the duet.  So in honor of Valentine's Day, check it out.

Happy Valentine's Day

PS. Nora Ephron's favorite romantic movies.

Week in Review #3

Whew, what a week.  With the exception of venturing out on Monday morning only to immediately fall and hurt my ankle, and a quick trip to the hospital on Tuesday for an x-ray, I have been inside all week!  Word from the outside is that it's very cold, so I'm probably not missing much.  Hopefully I'll be back at it this weekend.  I at least want to be well enough to attend a screening of Bull Durham at BAM as part of the Susan Sarandon Picture Show.  Some fun posts from around blog world this week:

An awesome rock and roll memory.

I heart Michelle and her clothes.

Isabel Marant's studio!

Meryl Streep in character.

Check out this wallpaper.

Katharine Hepburn outfit inspiration.

Hipster Little Mermaid.

New Music #2

This week's playlist is was a little short since John was running around while I was stuck on the couch with a sprained ankle.  Nonetheless, it had some gems.  Click on the image for more information.

PS. I once sat next to Will Sheff at a pizza place in Williamsburg.

Oscar Countdown Continues

A little over two weeks until the big day and the Nominees' Luncheon was this week.  Below are photos of the Best Actress and Best Actor nominees, followed by a "class picture."  Um, Annette Bening is sitting on Jeff Bridges' lap in that last one.  Also, kind of awkward posing of the Actor nominees - why isn't Javier Bardem closer to everyone else?

All photos via.

Lastly, I think it would be kind of fun to have this: