Bethany

Bethany Ever After is probably one of the funniest reality shows. Took so much off my mind tonight. The Real Housewives of Miami however was not a mood enhancer.

Emergency

For the past week or so Jon has had crippling stomach pains - yesterday afternoon after some emergency texts I came home to find Jon very unwell so I sent him to the ER. As it turns out he has to have his gallbladder removed in addition to a few other procedures.  I didn't sleep a wink last night  - then I had to get Max up at 6am to be picked up for school and then tried to get some sleep and then off to the hospital.

It's been a long day and it's only 2pm.

Meat Cheese Bread

Today I went to a semi-new sandwich place (they are always seeming to pop up around Portland) called Meat Cheese Bread.  Located in SE on SE Stark and 18th, its a tiny cute little shop that has the most amazing menu. Did I mention that they make their own dill pickles which give any that I bought on the Lower East Side from the Pickle Man a run for their money.   Open 6 days a week from 7-7 there are about 8 tables and everything is farm to market fresh. I have actually never tasted bacon this good IN MY LIFE.

I had the pleasure of enjoying the egg salad with bacon, lettuce, sweet onion on fresh butter/flaky croissant. My friend Stephen had the Park Kitchen which was comprised of flank steak, pickled onions, blue cheese mayo and lettuce and vinaigrette.

If you ever have the chance to visit Portland, I highly suggest it!  I will most definitely be back.

Random Outfits This Week

On Friday I wore my new J Crew dress (on sale for $99). 

Paired with a beaded Mayle belt from holiday 06, Lola Clogs and a J Crew cardi.

Today I finally got a chance to wear the leopard print Kate Spade Bette dress.  

Lola clogs and a black cardigan completed the look.

Contemplating Copying

Have you ever had a piece that you loved so much, that you wore all the time and had no access to finding another one? What would you do?  This is how I feel about the Pelle. Its literally one of my favorite dresses (its so easy to wear loose or belted).  I am contemplating buying some fabric that I like and having one made.  Not sure on what the cost would be - though I do feel like it's a bit sneaky to copy...mine is a few wears away from a trip to the tailor to tighten up seams etc...not sure if I should go for it or not.

In A Rut

So today I went shopping with my friend Tracy, hitting a few local shops including Frances May (Odessa was closed). I am not sure if its the stars/universe telling me not to shop or my weight (not feeling so great about myself) but I found absolutely nothing. Frances May has a great selection of Rachel Comey, Steven Alan, APC and Vena Cava (no longer carrying No. 6 however) but everything was either too young (I can't believe that I am saying that) or not my size or had an elasticized waist.

I am hoping that when I get to NYC I find something at one of my usual haunts as even eBay these days is pretty devastating.

In The Trenches

Today I was looking over my black trench that i picked up at Banana republic two years ago. Its starting to not look so great (and I think another cleaning isn't really going to help) so I decided to see what Banana had in stock.  When I got to the shop I saw that they had their latest incarnation of the black trench and I decided to try it on. I must say that it was a bit disappointing. Not only have they changed their sizing (my current trench is a small) but the quality has gone down by 50-100%.  The new coat is smaller, the fabric is really cheap and the lining was not nice. And it retailed for $200.

I need a new black trench... and I need some suggestions.

Mayle Stella Dress

Just in case anyone is looking I found a Mayle Stella dress from holiday 2005 at a local consignment place. It's $160 and in great condition. Let me know if your interested.

Jo Malone

I have never been a fan of "layering" fragrances, but recently I was in Nordstrom and stopped by the Jo Malone counter to check out some of their new tea scents which I found were not for me - but I did fall in love with the Vintage Gardenia which is similar to the Marc Jacobs scent that I have been wearing for years.  I decided to indulge and picked up the body cream, which has a lighter version of the scent and seemed like the best deal at the price point.

One of The Greats

I was so sad to hear about the passing of Dame Elizabeth Taylor this morning.  Truly a great beauty and a great talent. She will be missed.

Another Library Trip

Today's trip to the library brought home two Jill Kargman books I like her chick lit - totally not embarrassed!  Arm Candy came out last year and in all my working madness I never had time to pick it up, in addition to her new book which is essays and musings - Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut: Essays and Observations which I started reading on the street car and found really quick paced and funny.   I highly suggest them both,  plus Jill Kargman is a huge Mayle fan, so I must support that :)

Revisiting Pilar

It wasn't long ago that I was able to go to a Mayle trunk show, try on pieces and pre-order them (putting a deposit of half down). Resort 2007 was one of my favorite collections and had some amazing pieces in eyelet gauzy lace.  I remember at the time ordering the Pilar in black - it was pricey at $850 but I thought it was so 1960's.  When it came in I decided it was very MOB (mother of the bride) and cancelled my order (opting for a different piece entirely).  Sample sales came and went and Pilar stuck around. Pilar was even at the LAST sample sale for $50 and still I passed. So when I saw that Pilar was on eBay in my size, in black and the price was lowered and lowered until finally it was around $60 + free shipping I gave in. Partially because I wanted a "new" old Mayle piece back in my life and partially because I wanted to give Pilar another chance.  The dress arrived on Saturday and I finally had a chance to try it on today. And you know what? It was what I wanted it to be when I first tried it on at that trunk show in September 2007.  I am hoping to give Pilar a lot of wear in the coming months.

TopShop

My friend Amy just came back from a UK jaunt and brought me the above lovely tea dress from TopShop that I am hoping becomes a spring staple.

Bake Sale

Today Max and I took part in a neighborhood bake sale benefiting Japan via Mercy Corps.  Max and I made 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies that we donated and volunteered for 2 hours selling a variety of treats and spent another $27 on baked goods  created by our neighbors and chocolates that were donated from Moonstruck. I believe its important at any age to teach children about giving.

Catching My Breath.

The past few weeks have been incredibly busy with pursuing new opportunities and generally trying to figure out what to do next with my life.  I have been fortunate to be able to volunteer with Max's swim class and spend time with him at school and still have time to go see all the doctor's that I have neglected visiting in the past year. Friday alone was three doctor appointments starting at 8:10AM and finishing at 3:45PM. With positive results from the first two appointments and some things I need to take care of from the 3rd.

I have also been trying to volunteer more and have been donating my time to the local kids center by helping to plan the block party around their big move. I have felt incredibly guilty this past year that I didn't have the actual time to offer that I had in the past.

I still find it amazing that I am busier not working than I am when I am in an office -  I miss the office environment - the collaboration, the brainstorming. Hopefully I will figure something out soon that keeps me financially and emotionally happy.

Reiko

I have never thought about NOT belting this dress. Its looks just as chic.

More Mulberry Polly

Who What Wear

I have always loved Who What Wear's daily emails chronicling celeb style.  In today's email there was a great photo of Clemence Posey at the Mulberry show holding what appears to be the new "Polly Push Lock" bag.  I am officially in love with it!

A Galaxy Far Far Away

Max is a SUCKER for anything Toy Story. He could watch any of the three films at any time of the day. At four years old he even has certain lines memorized.  Normally I dislike buying character t-shirts but Max wear his Toy Story t's like its his Mayle.  I was in Gap Kids today picking up some baby gifts for Jon's work colleagues when I saw the Toy Story t-shirt above. They only had one left in a 18-24 months so as soon as I got home I checked on online to see if it was available in Max's size.  It was in stock so I ordered it.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing Max excited by a surprise - especially something that I know he will be excited to wear to school.

Dark Side Of The Rainbow

Yesterday I was in Nordstrom with my friend Jordan.  As of late I have had more free time than I normally would feel comfortable with, but I am enjoying it.  I was quickly attracted to a display of a rainbow of color created out of nail polish. Bright yellow's by Butter London, Jade Green's and then some darkish purple/gray shades by Dior.   I haven't had a manicure in about two months, but I am thinking of biting the bullet and buying the new Dior Gray. I was so bummed to miss out on the YSL color that was similar last spring.

Lucky Kids Is Not The New Cookie

On Sunday Max and I were in Whole Foods picking up some bits for a dinner party that we were attending when I saw Lucky Kids at the check out.  I am never one for buying newsstand (unless its a foreign mag like British or French Vogue, Grazia, Pop, Lula Love etc).  Lucky Kids looked interesting and with Cookie out of the picture I was looking for a new kids magazine one that has cute affordable fashion and great tips.

In theory, Lucky Kids should be a great magazine.  But after spending about 30 minutes with it I realized that its yet another magazine that is completely out of reach with the rest of the country.  It was filled with beautiful fashion editorials and shopping pages but instead of a majority of the clothes being affordable (these are kids 12 and under with the focus on 6 and under - or so it seems from the issue) most of the clothes were 3.1 Philip Lim, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney Kids, Bonpoint, Marc Jacobs Kids and Crew Cuts.  Price points for these items (and these were on the shopping page not just incorporated into fashion well stories) are ridiculous.

I have no problem with spending money on Max. If I had two kids, nothing would change they would both have the best pieces that we could afford.  Jon and I probably spend at least $100-$150 a month on clothes for Max whether its new Jordan's (he get at least one new pair of sneakers a month), a cute rain jacket, Nike 6.0 hoodies, skinny jeans from Gap Kids or pajamas at Target.

And as I looked through the issue, with the exception of Gap Kids (who bought a gatefold off of the front AND back covers) I didn't see very many mentions of affordable brands.

This is the problem with magazines like this and why they don't succeed. They assume that either:

A. People reading the magazine can afford to spend this much money on their kids and will buy their 4 year old a $250 3.1 Philip Lim dress or $145 pair of pants  because they have that much disposable income (no one I know does and I know many people who have unlimited funds to spend)

B. That most people buying the magazine will have the time and the interest in finding similar items for their kids at the limited (and if they live in cities like Portland their options sure are limited) clothing shops for kids in their city.

Cookie also had this issue - BUT they also offered cooking advice, cool meal ideas, interesting ways to create a Halloween costume, how to make birthday party favors among other helpful tips that could appeal to anyone.

I understand that these pieces are supposed to be aspirational BUT Lucky is supposed to be a shopping magazine. Lucky Kids is supposed to be a shopping magazine. But honestly its failing where Lucky achieves as the kids version is just not shoppable

Yet again I am so disappointed in something that could be so great being so well - new money and bourgeois.

Deconstructing Liliana

Awhile back I was lucky enough to win the black on black version of the Liliana dress on eBay for $100 (I bought it back in summer 08, never wore it and then sold it). I had wanted it back in my life as its the perfect maxi dress.  The only thing was that I was not in love with the ruffle on the bottom.  As you can see in the look book image, the ruffle hits the model at the knee.  She is also of course tall and slender and I am 5'5 and my body at the moment is a hot mess. So it doesn't look THAT flattering.

Today I was running late so I threw on the dress to wear to lunch with my friend Matthew.  I paired it with a chunky cardigan and my Francoise boots from 2004.  As the extremely rainy day wore on and I wandered about town with my friend Jordan I found that the ruffle was REALLY bothering me.  So in J Crew where we were both trying on some colorful dresses I decided that I should update the dress and make it more modern by removing the ruffle. All the girls working who all told me that they loved the dress agreed.  Not one to procrastinate, I picked up a dress at H&M for $25  with my discount card and took the dress to Geins.  It should be ready Saturday - so I will post new images when I have the dress back from the tailor. Fingers crossed.

Getting Heavy

I was at the gym this morning and beyond noticing that my trainers match my new hoodie that Jon bought and the new Nike Windrunner jacket that I bought last week (yes I could have been in an ad - don't get me started on my neon green dry-fit socks) I realized that I have not lost one pound in nearly 3 months. I don't know what it is.  When I quit drinking in January I lost nothing. In February I let myself enjoy a cocktail or two but continued trying to eat healthier. This month I have been eating something light before the gym and sticking to small meals. The scale hasn't tipped either way.

Beyond varying my workout at 24 Hour Fitness I started going back to Barre3 which has left me nothing but extremely sore and feeling really uncoordinated. Then today I heard about SKOGG.  SKOGG integrated a high impact work out using kettelballs. Its a great way to lose weight and tone up. PLUS they are offering a free trial week. How can I say no?

Hitting The Bullseye

Today I got Target to shop the many Go International collections that I missed (due to the fact that there was no convenient NYC Target).   I picked up a great Libertine dress, the Proenza palm tree print dress and the Erin Featherston bunny print dress.

Domahoka Sale!

Is This...

Is this lace dress from J Crew worth $295?

Rid Of Me!

I am excited to announce that the amazing film by my friends James Westby & Katie O'Grady has been accepted to Tribeca Film Festival.  I will be in town with them and am so looking forward to their premiere!

Exhaustion

This week has flown by I can't believe its Wednesday. I haven't had a second to read the new Jim Carroll book (I am half way finished) and its due along with 3 other books I haven't read to the library on March 17th.  Tomorrow I head out to Max's school for an hour to help with their swimming class then its back to the madness.

Fitness Gear

This past Saturday I went to a Barre3 class with my friend Nikki.  I have like 15 classes and three weeks to use them all (which isn't going to happen).  She had on a great Nike Sportswear jacket that looked cool and was highly functional (pockets, a hood, its waterproof). I decided to rip of her work out style and pick it up myself in the grape color way. I can already see myself in NYC wearing this when I go to work out during Tribeca.

Barney's Version

Last night I had a girls night out with Tracy and Nikki. Because seeing a movie is so rare for me these days (time wise) I had a tough time picking. Part of me wanted to see the King's Speech but its been sold out since the Oscars, another part of me wanted to see Cedar Rapids (just to laugh at something mindless for a little while).  

In perusing the film listings Tracy found a new Paul Giamatti film  Barney's Version - which I had not heard hide nor hair about (though its won many awards from the Venice, San Sebastian, AFI and Toronto Film Festivals). When I heard that both Scott Speedman and Rosamund Pike were in it as well as Dustin Hoffman and Minnie Driver I was sold.

The film spans 40 years, two continents and three love stories.  I was sucked in and at times found myself both laughing and crying. I highly suggest seeing it.

Late To The Party

I am so late to the party with this show but I am super obsessed with Cold Case. I wish that I had watched this when it was on TV.  I just saw that's its out on DVD but I wonder if the amazing soundtrack that accompanies each show on the network re-runs also is on the DVDs.

Jim Carroll

 I just started reading Jim Carroll's last book "Petting Zoo." I feel like I should start a book club. Its a great read - buy it here -The Petting Zoo: A Novel.

Dior

The past few days have been crazy with the news updates regarding Galliano and Dior.  I have always thought that Galliano was pretty much genius - but I was completely horrified to hear the anti-Semitic remarks that he made to several people in bars. Not cool. Seriously I am BARELY Jewish, and it bothered me very much. Who talks like that - or taunts people like that in this day and age?   I do agree with the French government that its a hate crime - but at the same time I have a hard time believing that a gay man who would suffer the safe fate as the Jews from Hitler  would actually say these things. He must have been incredibly high on drugs - that could be the only explanation. With Galliano out I wonder who will take his place?

My favorite selection? The fabulous Dior Homme designer and rock photog Hedi Slimane.

Costumed!

The items that I see in Rachel Zoe's daily email are completely outrageous, but today my heart skipped a beat when I saw this cocktail ring.   Although its $555 which is the price of a good ring from a great estate jewelry store its Lanvin and will be highly collectible.  I may have to check it out when I am in NYC.

Book Club!

After making my way through several chick lit books I am in the middle of Dave Itzkoff's memoir "Cocaine's Son" about growing up with a father who was a little more than fond of Columbia's finest. It's a page turner for sure.  I worked with Dave at SPIN back in 2005 (not that he would remember me) and its nice to see someone my age who has worked really hard as a writer be rewarded with so much success.