49 articles

Gifts for the sophisticated non-girly ladies in your life

robert clergerie sneaker

Because sneakers are the new stilettos. Robert Clergerie Teba Sneaker, from $168.

comme des garcons wallet

Because this is basically a no nonsense men’s style wallet with a zipper. Except it’s golden. Comme Des Garcons wallet, $120.

jill platner key chain

Because believe it or not, there are lots of women who aren’t really into jewelry. But pretty much everybody has to carry around keys. Jill Platner bolt key chain, $285.

beauty heroes box

Because the less make up she wears, the more important it is for her skin to be naturally radiant. And there’s nothing like a monthly influx of new, all-natural products to help ensure that particular reality. Beauty Heroes monthly subscription, from $39.

cashmere robe

Because, lets be honest, who doesn’t want a full length cashmere robe? Chinti and Parker cashmere robe, $1000.

winter beach hair

Because we all want that I-just-came-off-the-beach look for our hair… Especially in the winter. Brooklyn beach Hair Mist in Winter Scent, $25.

take out block by livewild design

Because we are all busy and tired and sometimes can’t even deal with figuring out where to order from. Lovewild Design Take Out Block, $14.

The search for a jumpsuit continues…

The Evermore Jumpsuit by Rachel Comey.

The Evermore Jumpsuit by Rachel Comey.

Ummm…. instead of thinking about gifts that I’m going to give other people (’tis the season of the gift guide, and I must add my voice to the throng before it’s too late, damn it!) I have found myself trolling the internet for the ever elusive jumpsuit of my dreams. Not sure why it’s taken me so long to pull the trigger, but evidently, this is my way. I either spontaneously buy something the minute I see it, or I take ages to commit to buying a certain item. Take sneakers for example. I have needed new kicks forever. I’ve even written about it on this blog. And yet I’m still wearing the same old green Tretorns I got before my kid was born.)

Whatever.

What I really want to say right now is oooooooooh isn’t this Rachel Comey jumpsuit the bomb? Utilitarian and sexy at the same time. I’ve got to hand it to her– she cuts a fine garment. Maybe I’ll finally take the plunge.

And then I can turn my attention to getting those gift guides up!

Are these my new kicks?

Shearling Evi booties by Zero Maria Cornejo.

Shearling Evi booties by Zero Maria Cornejo.

I mean, sure they’re made of ponyskin, they’re mostly white, and they’re not even officially called sneakers (they are booties, for what it’s worth.) But the kicks I’ve been rocking for the past few years have seen better days, and I am beginning to search for the next pair.

And Maria Cornejo made them, which is justification enough.

Five articles of clothing that I particularly liked during this past NY Fashion Week, for what it’s worth…

tess giberson ss16

This season, Tess Giberson had her presentation in a Chelsea gallery, which felt very appropriate as her clothes are the kind of thing you really want to see close up. It was also nice because it felt more like a gathering, a place for people to reconnect with each other after the summer and to revel in the gloriousness of the work on display. I will be sporting this particular dress come next spring, though there is also a skirt made with the same material that is vying for the winning slot as well…

mara hoffman ss2016

Mara Hoffman takes the amber waves of grain of our nation’s heritage, flavors it with a bit of Willie Nelson and emerges with a beautiful collection full of all sorts of flowing dresses and jumpsuits that will be the perfect easy breezy things to slip on when it’s to hot to think straight next summer.

zero maria cornejo ss2016

Thank you thank you THANK YOU Maria Cornejo, for making a jumpsuit that looks like it might be long enough for me to wear! (I know that it’s cool these days to show your ankles, but I’ve never been able to get past my childhood full of pants-that-are-not-quite-long-enough.)

rachel comey ss2016

And then there is the ever brilliant Rachel Comey. Who not only turns out incredible clothes season after season, but who chose to show them on real women… like the ones who might actually be wearing the stuff… and not just women, but mostly members of the dance company Robbinschilds who embody feminine strength to the core. Plus she served dinner at the show, god bless her.

a detacher ss2016

And last, but miles away from least, A Détacher has provided me with the dress that I will most likely be wearing every other day for the rest of my life, beginning the moment I get my hands on it. The most perfect comfortable sophisticated feminine intelligent whimsical dress out there, in my humble opinion.

Another thing I really don’t need but totally want regardless

Electric Feathers dress

I am hoping that if I get this dress I will suddenly find myself dancing through the overheated NY summer looking as cool as the woman in this photo. Which comes to you courtesy of the Electric Feathers website.

It has been so hot in New York (city, upstate and Long Island) that I have been dreaming of ice baths and endless pitchers of hibiscus iced tea, as well as some kind of air conditioned suit that will keep me at a reasonable temperature and allow me to avoid the inevitable mood swings (from frustration and anger to sheer exhaustion) that tend to ride in on the crest of heat waves.

As there aren’t any good looking suits of that type on the market right now, (though they are working on this in Japan) I am forced to seek alternate solutions. And one of them might very well be this dress from Electric Feathers, which is a company that I have loved from afar for years but never quite pulled the trigger to buy anything for myself. But I saw a woman strolling (nay, gliding) down the street in one of their dresses yesterday, and now I find myself on their website, contemplating the summer sale and about to join the club at last.

I’m thinking this dress is the one, though there are a few other ones that are catching my eye as well…

Summertime slides

birkenstock waterproof sandals

My new and entirely waterproof Birkenstocks on their debut trip to the beach out in Rockaway.

This is just a quick testimonial for my new favorite shoes…

I’ve been a Birkenstock devotee for years (before that I stupidly thought they were lame and only for deep hippies who didn’t care what their shoes looked like… and then I got a pair, put them on and was converted.) I usually go for the Gizeh style, which looks a bit more like a thong and comes in the narrow width which a) fits my foot better and b) looks a bit more delicate and hence more flattering. But then my friend Wendy Schecter (whose business it is to find clothes and shoes for famous people who don’t have as much time, inclination and, in some cases, personal style as she does) gave me these white, waterproof Milan style Birks and a whole new world has opened up to me. They are flip flops with arch support, they clean up with just a splash of water and they come in all sorts of colors.

I will be wearing mine pretty much every day this summer. Unless I get a pair of pink ones too, in which case I’ll have to switch up every once in a while. Hurry up and get yours ’cause they’re selling out fast…

What would Ma do?

cross back linen apron on Food52. Photo by James Ransom, courtesy of Food52.com

cross back linen apron on Food52. Photo by James Ransom, courtesy of Food52.com

For the past week or so, we have been reading By The Shores Of Silver Lake, part 5 of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series. Mary, the oldest daughter, is now blind thanks to scarlet fever but still sews her own quilts and never complains, the family has just given each other beautiful handmade Christmas gifts and baked sour dough biscuits for surprise visitors whilst dancing to Pa’s fiddle and singing songs that can be heard across the desolate prairie.

It all sounds too good to be true. Plus Ma wouldn’t want to burst into tears because she couldn’t manage to extract the burnt out light bulb from her Viking stove hood.

In order to channel the spirit of the indomitable Caroline Ingalls, which I am desperately in need of as I ready our house for it’s annual summer rental, I am thinking perhaps I need to start wearing an apron. And right about now, I am feeling this Japanese inspired cross linen number from Food52. Now mind you, it’s a bit different from the calico aprons Ma tended to sport, but it is 2015, and as I’ve often looked toward Japan for gift inspiration of late (see garden clippers and the hori hori knife from earlier posts), I see no need to change direction now.

Especially when I need every moment to purge, clean, sort and organize so that our place can be in perfect condition… just in time for us to leave it in the hands of others.

And now I guess I’ll call the electrician to help me with these bulbs…

The great tote bag upgrade

LR_leather

On the one hand, if there is one thing I do not need, it is another tote bag.

But on the other hand, in the spirit of one-really-good-thing-is-better-than-10-mediocre-versions, I have been thinking about a tote upgrade. It was spurred on by an e mail from the good folks at Bird, hipping me to the existence of the above open perforated tote by the venerable Loeffler Randall. Like maybe, if I threw away (or gave away) most of the random totes in the huge wooden box we have for bags in the kitchen, I could reward myself with this one. And it would be my number one tote bag and I would carry it always. Loeffler Randall open perforated leather vachetta tote, $395.

madewell riviera tote

Except maybe when I need a little something more solid. And festive. Then I might grab this little number form Madewell. Perfect for July 4 and Bastille Day, if nothing else… Riviera tote, $78.

electric feathers tote

But then again, there is this Electric Feathers tote that I have been lusting after for years. Maybe this is the proper reward for me getting rid of so much excess in the tote bag department…

Hmmmmmmmm……

5 easy pieces for jumping in lakes

Aaaah.... the good old days... pre bathing suit.

Aaaah…. the good old pre-bathing suit days…

When they are really little, kids just need a swim diaper and sunblock. But when they get bigger, bathing suits come into play, for better or worse. I am determined not to be caught by surprise this year (“What do you mean last year’s suit doesn’t still fit?”) so I’ve just done a round of swimwear research and I’m passing along a few of my favorites:

vintage suit sweet william

First off, I have always loved this vintage style bathing suit by Little Creative Factory. So much, in fact, that I am seriously considering buying it again. (My daughter had one when she was 3…)
$78 at Sweet William.

mara hofman for J Crew

I remember when designer Mara Hoffman was just starting out, making all sorts of amazing clothes by hand… now she’s big time, but she still makes great stuff and her kids suits are beyond.
$100 at J Crew

target bikini

I’ve never been one for little girls in skimpy suits, but this striped bikini at Target is the perfect solution when your kids starts insisting she NEEDS a two piece.
$11.99 at Target.

kid wet suit at sweet william

So you surf and you’re hoping your little one will get up on a board with you? Here’s the perfect mini wet suit style bather for the junior surfer in your lives.
$75 at Sweet William, again.

busy bees tank

Or maybe this year, it’s just about a classic solid tank in a great color…
$60 at busybeeskids.com