Audrey Monroe

Audrey Monroe Has Moved!

2009-10-26T19:20:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone,

Please excuse the bit of inactivity lately. I have been hard at work transferring the Audrey Monroe archives over to their new home at

http://audreymonroe.wordpress.com/

From now on, my blog can be found at this new address. Don't forget to update your RSS Readers and bookmarks!

Bissous,

Audrey Monroe

Fashionable History: Elsa Schiaperelli

2009-10-20T21:21:00.004-04:00

Elsa Schiaperelli was a brilliant and innovative designer that was making clothes in Paris in the 1930s and '40s, yet while her contemporaries like Chanel, Dior and St. Laurent continue to be successful and celebrated today, Elsa is largely overlooked in the fashion history books. It's a shame, really, because both Elsa and her creations are endlessly fascinating and entertaining.

Elsa was born in Rome into a family full of academics. Her father studied Arabic and Islam and her uncle was the famed astronomer, Giovanni Schiaparelli. She was, from birth, a curious and precocious girl. When she was little, she was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci's flying machines and attempted to float out of her bedroom window using an umbrella. She rejected her Catholic school education and went on hunger strike in protest of being sent to a convent. Later, she studied philosophy at the University of Rome. During her years at school she published a book of raunchy poetry that shocked the conservative Italian society. After school she ran away to New York with her husband (who would later abandon her shortly after their first child was born) and was immediately revitalized by the city's modernity. She quickly took up with the artistic crowd and befriended the photographer, Man Ray. When he decided to move to Paris in the early twenties, Elsa went with him.

It was then that she started making clothes. Her first foray into design quickly failed in 1926, but by the next year she was up and running again. This time, it was with a line of knitwear using a special double layered stitch created by Armenian refugees that featured sweaters with surrealist trompe l'oeil images. Her popularity soared. This first collection epitomized what Elsa would become best known for: her experimentation with new materials and technologies, and her collaboration with artists, mostly of the Surrealist and Dada movements.

While the coutouriers of her time were solely using natural fabrics, Elsa was the first to use synthetic materials like acryllic and rayon. She even made a cape out of a material closely related to cellophane. But she is also credited with first designing some of the most recognizable fashions today, like the wrap dress (decades before Diane Von Furstenburg came about) and pairing an evening gown with a jacket. She also created one of my favorite trends: the visible zipper. In fact, she often experimented with bringing her signature playfulness to fastenings, from a jacket that buttoned with silver tambourines, to one that fastened with silk-covered carrots and cauliflowers.

But her most iconic creations were those that resulted from her collaborations with artists like Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and Alberto Giacometti. It was her professional relationship with Dali that was most successful. Together they created such infamous pieces as "the lobster dress," "the skeleton dress" and "the shoe hat."

In the thirties, Elsa's designs were celebrated for bringing a cheerfulness to fashion that had been missing until then. Her juxtapositions of colors, shapes and texture injected the world of fashion with a breath of fresh air. She cemented her popularity by expanding also to commercial work. She was the first designer to open a pret-a-porter boutique and to create press releases. She was also the first designer to dress movie stars, costuming actresses from the hyper-masculine Marlene Dietrich to the hyper-feminine Mae West in their films.

Elsa embarked on a perfume detour in 1937 and whipped up an earthy, floral scent she called Shocking, (a word apt for her entire career, really). When collaborating on the packaging design, she was inspired by her friend's 17.27 carat pink diamond. From then on, the color she created for the box would be known as hot pink (or shocking pink, if you're across the pond). The bottle also caused quite a stir as it was in the form off a shapely woman's torso, rumored to be modeled after Mae West's fit dummy from when Elsa costumed her in Everyday's a Holiday.

Unfortunately, Elsa's success was soon to be cut short. War had overcome Europe and she fled to New York again, shortly after the fall of Paris in 1940. When she returned to Paris after the war she found that fashion had moved in a direction that would leave her in the dust. Dior's New Look was all the rage and her tongue-in-cheek, eccentric designs had no place in this new era of austerity. Her business struggled and eventually, Elsa retired from designing in 1954. Somehow, despite spearheading some of the most crucial aspects of fashion design and the industry itself, Elsa's name soon faded into obscurity, usually only popping up here and there as That Lady Who Designed That Shoe Hat With Dali. But, as you can see, she is an extremely important woman who must always be remembered in her own right. With that, I'll leave you with her lessons on life, for women:

Since most women do not know themselves they should try to do so
A woman who buys an expensive dress and changes it, often with disastrous result, is extravagant and foolish.
Most women (and men) are color-blind. They should ask for suggestions.
Remember-twenty percent of women have inferiority complexes. Seventy percent have illusions.
Ninety percent are afraid of being conspicuous, and of what people will say. So they buy a gray suit. They should dare to be different.
Women should listen and ask for competent criticism and advice.
They should choose their clothes alone or in the company of a man.
They should never shop with another woman, who sometimes consciously or unconsciously, is apt to be jealous
She should buy little and only of the best or cheapest.
Never fit a dress to the body, but train the body to fit the dress.
A woman should buy mostly in one place where she is known and respected, and not rush around trying every new fad.
And she should pay her bills.

I Love the Internet

2009-10-20T19:30:00.002-04:00

I had just finished reading World's Fair by E.L Doctorow (highly recommended) when I somehow stumbled upon this clip from a public domain film about the time capsule buried at the 1939 World's Fair in Queens, NY.

(In case you're interested, a complete list of what's included in the time capsule can be found here. I can't tell whether it's fascinating or depressing -or both- that so many of the things are still a crucial part of our everyday lives today.)

The clip comes from a 55 minute long movie called The Middleton Family at the New York's World Fair, which is "an anti-capitalist bohemian artist boyfriend against an all-American electrical engineer who believes in improving society by working through corporations. The Middletons experience Westinghouse's technological marvels at the Fair and win back their daughter from her leftist boyfriend." You can watch the whole thing here.

It's Not Quite Jesus in a Potato Chip But...

2009-10-18T17:20:00.004-04:00

I found this face in my hot dog today....

...Ok, So Maybe the Cupcake Movement Isn't Exactly Over Yet...

2009-10-08T01:28:00.003-04:00

This cupcake car is being sold at Neiman Marcus for $25,ooo. You know, because this holiday season will be all about the confectionery transportation devices. Plus, their attempt at sounding "with-it" is just hysterical:

"Put on your matching hat, slip under the muffin top of your Cupcake Car, and let the world figure itself out for awhile. Get (or give) the sheer, joyful chaos of a gift that is mind-blowing, triple-dog-dare, double-infinity forever cool. Make the kids or grandkids literally squeal with joy. Bring it to work and buzz the breakroom. Crash parades! Putter about the ‘hood. Ever had a crowd of kids chasing after you just for the crazy gleeful heck of it? (No worries, the top speed is a comfy-safe 7 mph.) What’s it made of? A 24-volt electric motor, a heavy-duty battery, sheet metal, wire, fabric, wood…and mad genius. Launched at Burning ManSM as a cooperative art car project, the Cupcake Car sprang from the fevered mind of Bay Area artist Lisa Pongrace and her less-rules-more-laughs posse of artists and techno geeks. Yours will be tricked out with your favorite topping, so start thinking flavors. "

But wait! There's also a video!

Goodbye, Irving Penn

2009-10-08T00:54:00.003-04:00

Today, the iconic fashion and portrait photographer, Irving Penn died at 92. To me, he epitomized the intersection of glamor and fine art. e was an absolute genius and his work will be missed.

Eat Lunch Cheaply in Downtown Boston

2009-10-05T19:56:00.004-04:00

Now that I'm commuting daily to downtown Boston, with a break just short enough to make it silly to return home for lunch, I have been faced with the challenge of eating cheaply in the area least likely to find frugal eats. But, it can be done, and even without reverting to fast-food and cheap chain restaurants. The trick is to wander down the side streets, away from the areas most frequented by tourists. Most of these can be found in Downtown Crossing and can easily fill you up for under $10.

View Cheap Eats in a larger map

1. Viga's often has a line of people out the door because they know they can get a full meal for only $6 with Viga's Values. Choose from a slice of pizza or a pasta dish with salad and a drink, or a 1/2 sandwich, chips, cookie and a drink. There isn't any room to sit, so plan a visit on a nice day when you can carry your meal to the gardens to eat.

2. Zo made, without a doubt, the best gyro I have ever eaten. Choose from pork or chicken for $7 and they're carve it right in front of you. The flatbread is warm, the veggies fresh and the tzatziki sauce is amazing. They also have vegetarian options. Tip: take a lot of napkins.

3. Chacarero offers a unique option with their signature Chilean sandwich. This traditional meal starts with warm bread (baked daily) smeared with an avocado spread and piled with your choice of grilled chicken or steak (or both). Next comes a handful of green beans, some Meunster cheese, fresh tomatoes and a secret hot sauce recipe. This unexpected combination was delicious, and it had just enough of a kick to make it interesting (although I suspect they went easy on me). A small sandwich, which is plenty - trust me - is $7.

4. Since Vietnamese food seems to be the Asian Cusine Du Jour, it can be difficult to find a cheap restaurant. Xinh Xinh serves up the basics at a reasonable price. A huge bowl of soup averages around $6 and even their rice entrees don't break $7. Compare that to Pho Pasteur right around the corner, which is selling the same food for $1 or $2 more.

5. If you're in the mood for quick Italian food, try Al Capone's. They sell hearty subs and pasta dishes at an affordable price, without sacrificing quality. Their regular menu isn't anywhere near outrageous, but their specials are almost too good to be true. When I went, the deal was a 6 inch sub of your choice with Cape Cod chips and a soda for $6. Not too shabby.

6. Now, it's pretty much impossible to find an expensive meal in Chinatown, but good luck finding one as cheap as at Potluck Cafe. If the sign declaring their special of 3 entrees, rice and soup for $5 wasn't enough to lure you in, be comforted by the fact that I was the only white person in there (always a good sigh for Chinatown establishments). There weren't any signs signifying what dish was what, but that was part of the fun. I pointed at the mussels, sesame chicken and what appeared to be tomatoes with scrambled eggs. There was only one choice for the soup, unfortunately, because it looked like ocean in a bowl (and tasted like it too). The rest of the food, however, was very tasty, and I even had enough for leftovers. To be honest, I kept waiting to get sick from it, but I made it through the day without even a whisper in my tummy. (For another cheap Chinese restaurant, try Golden Gate.)

7. I urge you to try out Deli One at least once, just for the experience. It felt like I was eating in my grandparents' kitchen...if my grandparents were very, very Greek. I was drawn in by the menu of meals that didn't exceed $8. What I really wanted was the turkey meal, but the man behind the counter gave me a sad look telling me they were out. The following conversation ensued:

"We don't have anymore turkey. You try meatloaf, you'll like it." He starts to heap slabs of meatloaf doused with gravy on the plate with a pile of mashed potatoes and green beans.

"Ok...I'll have the meatloaf..."

"Is this your first time here? Where you from? Are you Greek?"

"Oh, no I'm mostly Russian."

"You look Greek. Are you sure?"

"I am..."

"Are you a nice Orthodox Catholic girl?"

(besides not being used to the idea of discussing religion with strangers, this was extra uncomfortable seeing as how the religion I'm most closely associated with is Reformed Jewish)

"...no."

Besides that bit of weirdness, he was extremely attentive and friendly, and sent me out the door with leftovers saying "you come back!" Now, that's an order, not a request.

8. For authentic Mexican food, go to Maria's Taqueria, where you can get an enormous burrito for $6.50, chock full of meat of your choice, beans, rice, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce and pico de gallo. Another Mexican option is Boloco. Be sure to get one of their cards which gets you free food after a certain amount of points earned or other special occasions, like your birthday! (Their smoothies are delicious too.)

9. A healthier alternative is UFood Grill. They serve a number of grill items, salads and smoothies that are good for you and are priced competitively against their fast-food counterparts. Nothing is fried, the breads are whole-wheat, the dressings are "lite" and there aren't any trans fats. They also have plentiful vegetarian options. I got a cheeseburger meal (with fries and a drink) for $8.

10. And if you're ever just wanting a good ol' deli sandwich, try out Lambert's Marketplace. They offer a long list of tasty sandwiches (and they're all topically named, don't you love that?) that are made with the best of ingredients. The amount of options was almost overwhelming, but I ended up with the Mass. Ave (turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo) with their special that came with a fresh baked gigantic cookie and Pepsi product for $9. I settled into one of the tables by the window and looked out on the Common as I ate, leaving with a whole half for lunch the next day. (Note: I'd stay away from their small grocery section, seeing as how the chocolates on display were clearly stale, so who knows how long everything's been sitting out.)

And there you have just a small sampling of how easy it can be to eat cheaply if you try. I'm sure there are plenty more options to share but you can only eat lunch once a day, people, so bear with me.

Why Allo, Paris.

2009-10-02T00:50:00.005-04:00

Balenciaga showed the most thought-provoking collection for Spring 2010 today. The way he was clearly inspired by the trends but made them completely his own was simply brilliant. The clothes were this mesmerizing mix between artistic and actually wearable and the construction (and innovation thereof) was incredible.

But, at the same time, I kind of felt like I could actually wear some of the clothes, even if I probably couldn't actually wear any of the clothes, you know?

(I want that last one on me right now.) And those pants (and their subsequent knockoffs) are going to be everywhere by next Fall. I guarantee it.

Making Art out of Missed Connections

2009-09-30T20:57:00.002-04:00

Hopeful, pathetic, call them what you like but I think everyone can agree that the Missed Connections section is inspiring. I always like to keep the exercise of writing a scene from a missed connection ad in my back pocket when I'm feeling the urge to write, but Sophie Blackall turns to representing them more visually. Her blog, Missed Connections, showcases her beautiful, haunting illustrations depicting the ads.

I never thought I would fulfill my love of Missed Connections and my love of illustration all in one place, but here we are. Her work is also for sale on Etsy.

I Think That I Need To Start Watching Sesame Street Again...

2009-09-30T20:55:00.003-04:00

Above is the Sesame Street riff on Mad Men and it's the coolest. I'm loving the idea of introducing the basic concepts of marketing to the toddler set. Also, I just need to point out that this is far funnier than the SNL spoof of Mad Men that I watched.

But Why Bacon?

2009-09-30T01:59:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, as she was showing off her newly crocheted piece of bacon, my cousin proclaimed: "Bacon: It's the New Cupcake." As you may have noticed, cupcakes have been a huge trend in recent years. But my cousin was right. Lately, those adorable morsels (whose popularity is most commonly credited by Magnolia Bakery's appearance on Sex and the City) seem to be garnering some competition in our quest for quirky culinary obsessions.

It started innocently enough. My first introduction to out-of-the-box bacon was Vosge's Mo's Bacon Bar, and most connoisseurs of the trend agree that this subtly infused chocolate bar was the gateway drug to the bacon craze. After that, I began to notice that bacon was having a much greater presence in the foodie sphere. But it didn't seem that strange because it was bacon as bacon should be. You know, like on burgers, breakfasts and BLTs. There were informative discussions on how to best cook bacon or even clubs where bacon lovers could unite (yes, there is more than one) that are, while a bit eccentric, perfectly fine, right?

But then the trend started to mutate. Clearly inspired by the beloved combo of sweet-and-salty (by way of chocolate with nuts and salted caramels), baconiers dared to reverse it and thus the strain of salty-and-sweet was born. Recipes for things like bacon with a citrus glaze, candied salted bacon , bacon peanut brittle and chocolate covered bacon started infiltrating my food blogs. Even celebrities were speaking for the cause, like Christina Hendricks in her interview with Esquire.

I thought it would end there, but no! Bacon novelties were popping up everywhere from the crafting community to the gag market and yes, even to the fashion world. And don't even get me started on the existence of this:

But, while I could stand strong in the face of all these shenanigans, for some reason it was this article devoted entirely to a man who borrowed a book from the library that had a piece of bacon in it being used as a bookmark that finally pushed me over the edge. I finally had to come to terms with this fad and question why bacon, goddamnit?

I've come up with the following reasons:

It's only natural to crave something salty after you eat something sweet. (I can't be the only one who grabs a bag of chips along with the candy bar she's buying to fulfill her sugar craving.) Cupcakes have been all the rage for so long now that our teeth are tingling and we want a craze to counteract all that sugar. So, what's something salty and crispy that has potential that everyone loves? Why, bacon of course.
Somewhere some guy got sick of all this frilly cupcake crap. Let's face it, cupcakes are extremely girly. They're teeny and cute and colorful and sugary and ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. All of these cupcake bakeries are decorated to make you feel like you stepped into a dollhouse and have signs written in calligraphy and package their goods in these darling little boxes. It would make sense that some chef jacked up on testosterone decided to fight back one day. So, what's something manly and hearty and oh-so-Amurrican? Why, bacon of course.
As with every trend piece, it traces back to The Economy. Dessert, in general, is an indulgence and, especially with the craze bumping their prices up to $4 a pop, cupcakes are a luxury. We're seeing a resistance to decadence in all facets of life, either out of necessity or trendiness. And, while it's ironic that a high-end culture like the foodie community would attempt to be "of the people," they're attempting to tap into what us regular folk want and that's all this "frugalista" crap. (Although, of course, by making it a trend they're consequentially altering it's plebian standing.) So, what's something cheap, rustic and comforting in its commonality? Why, bacon of course.

And there you have it. Now, while I won't be embracing the bacon trend anytime soon, and am anxiously anticipating a new buzzfood (carob, anyone?), I do take some comfort in at least coming to terms with the logistics behind bacon taking over my life. In the meantime I think I'll just hang out to the tail ends of the cupcake craze.

And So Ends Another Year In New York...

2009-09-19T00:17:00.002-04:00

It seems like Thakoon realized a lot of attention would be focused on his show, thanks to The September Issue, so he pulled out all the stops.

I'm not saying I would wear any of the pieces here, but how can you not smile at Betsey Johnson? If this really was her last show then Fashion Week will never be the same without her cartwheels.

I couldn't quite follow Proenza Schouler's vision, (apparently they've even admitted it to be a "tricky" collection) but I thought this skirt was brilliant.

It physically hurt me to try and pick just one Oscar de la Renta look from this collection. Every thing he sent down the runway was gorgeous.

Philip Lim showed a perfect balance between the classics and innovation.

The eras of inspiration this season seemed to be split between Jazz Age and the sixties. I thought Anna Sui's take on Mod was cute and fresh.

Minus the leave-the-model-for-dead-in-a-snowbank styling, Doo.Ri's collection was tres chic.
So, who else forgot that Isaac Mizrahi, you know, designs things from time-to-time? I loved the hats, and he even got me to like something yellow!

All in all, I thought New York's Fashion Week was a big pick-me-up this season. I haven't felt particularly inspired from the past few go arounds but this really had some beautiful things to show us that I can actually see myself trying to recreate. Personally, there isn't too much I'm excited for during London's week (except for Vivienne Westwood, of course, ) but I'm anxiously awaiting to see what Paris has to offer. Something tells me it's going to be incredible...

The Most Anticipated September Issue

2009-09-18T00:26:00.005-04:00

If you have any interest in, or intent to be a part of, the fashion or magazine industry, go see The September Issue. It would be a disservice to you if you didn't take advantage of this rare, and eagerly anticipated, insight into both worlds.

Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington and Andre Leon Talley were, for the most part, just names on a page until R. J Cutler was granted access to the five month long process of putting together Vogue's 2007 September Issue, the largest issue in their history. Watching the magazine come together was enthralling, but these three characters really stole the show. Every time Wintour came on screen, my stomach started to tense as it waited to see whose heart she was about to break. While she has seemed a bit more human than expected in her publicity tour, her presence was chilling. Even during the few times where she opened up in her one-on-one interviews, revealing the slightest bit of vulnerability, you could literally see her wall being put up again moments later, her eyes slitting and posture straightened. But what the movie did credit her with was upmost respect. It was amazing to see all that power and authority excude from such a tiny person. Her ability to helm the mast of a beast like Vogue was nothing but inspirational.

Wintour's seriousness was nicely balanced by her creative director, Grace Coddington, who was delightfully eccentric and always offered funny quips throughout. Responsible for styling all of the fashion spreads of the issue, save for the cover story of Sienna Miller, Coddington is essentially responsible for the beautiful art that Vogue is known for. Watching her work is fascinating, seemingly second-nature as she sorts through clothes on the rack while divulging her complaints to the camera. We become just as attached to her work as she does, and when Wintour breezes through the art office and cuts a quarter of a spread, our hearts sink with her's.

Andre Leon Talley is a force to be reckoned with and, in my opinion, was robbed of ample screen time. The flamboyant editor-at-large (which is quite the double-entendre of a title) was more often the butt of the joke rather than portraying his share of the work. A particularly funny scene was showing him attending a private tennis lesson decked out in a Louis Vuitton towel, Vuitton racket case, Vuitton duffel bag and Vuitton cooler.

Watching the core staff work together was of course entertaining and educational, and the behind-the-scenes of the photo shoots were absolutely drool-worthy, but as a certified magazine nerd my one complaint is that I wanted to see more, more, more. To me, it often felt like a tease. Of course, this is understandable due to condensing five month's worth of footage into a 90 minute movie, but it too often felt like the documentary jumped from one fascinating thing to the next without giving everything its deserved time. We got to see the shooting and editing of each spread, but I would have loved to watch the complete growth of at least one of them, from generating concepts to Photoshop. And I understand the main appeal of the magazine is its fashion, but can't we get even one scene about, say, story meetings or the business side of things? Perhaps it is because Vogue has been kept so mysterious for so long to generate too many questions that I was left feeling just a bit unsatisfied. However, the experience was still a whirlwind of awe and delight and as soon as I left the theater I couldn't wait to see it again.

All in all, the main thing I took away from The September Issue is that even Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington started out as teenagers gazing longingly at the pages of their favorite magazines. It was also only a dream for them until they serendipituously wound up at Vogue on the same day and now look at who they have become. The September Issue fondly celebrates the success of these two women and the magazine they're credited to transforming in a way that is, quite simply, impossible to not enjoy.

Fashionable History: Fashion Week

2009-09-16T20:06:00.002-04:00

As the photos of this season's shows have been rolling in, I've channeled Carrie Bradshaw and "couldn't help but wonder" when this tradition began.

Well, while the Fashion Week we would recognize today didn't start until the early nineties, fashion shows have been documented in America since the early 1900s. What many people believe to be the first fashion show was held at a New York speciality store called Ehrich Brothers in 1903. The spectacle was meant to attract lower middle-class women into their stores. By 1910, many department stores were holding seasonal fashion shows of their own. These early shows were far more theatrical than what we're used to today. Usually, they were centered around a theme and were accompanied by narrative commentary. The tradition soared in popularity, and was officially mainstream during the twenties, drawing in thousands of spectators. In fact, the shows were so popular, that New York City started requiring stores to become licensed to use live models and police threatened to shut them down altogether due to disruption of the peace.

The tradition was threatened during World War Two when German occupation of France disabled the American fashion insiders from travelling to Paris for their inspiration and guidance. The world was skeptical that the United States would continue to have a fashion industry at all without being able to copycat their Parisian counterparts. However, one person had faith. A well-respected fashion publicist, Eleanor Lambert, wanted to thrust American designers into the spotlight who, up until this point, were largely ignored. In 1943 she organized an event called Press Week that invited a number of designers to show their collections to the press all in one place. It was a huge success and continued to be held biannually well into the fifties. The shows alternated between being held at the Plaza and Pierre hotels where, unlike the chaos we know and love today, the shows came to the audience, not the other way around. (Buyers, however, were not invited to the shows and were instead invited to the designers' showrooms for a sneak peek.) Thankfully, Lambert's plan was working. High end publications like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar started featuring and applauding American designers by name, and the American fashion industry began to garner international respect.

While the concept of Press Week was fizzling in America, other fashion centers began to follow suit. London organized its own version in 1961, Paris' began in 1973 and Milan was the last to catch on with their fashion week coming onto the scene in 1979. Meanwhile, back in the States, designers decided to take their newfound popularity back into smaller, independent shows in separate venues. Although there were still two main seasons, the shows were scattered around hip Manhattan clubs, lofts and restaurants. This continued on for a few decades. (It was 1988 when a newly crowned editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, attended her first series of fashion week shows.)

It wasn't until Fern Mallis, head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, feared for her safety at a Michael Kors show in a sketchy downtown loft that she decided to rethink things. At this fateful show, the bass caused plaster to fall from the ceilings onto the heads and laps of strutters and watchers. The very determined models kept on keeping on, but the spectators quietly filed out of the room. After a few other similarly destructive events, Mallis thought it best to bring the shows back into one, sturdy venue. After an experimental run in what is now the Millenium Hotel, Mallis got into talks with Bryant Park, who agreed to open up their property to hold the shows. A year later, the Spring 1994 shows were organized into one weeklong event under the watchful eyes of the international fashion community and Fashion Week as we know it was born.

I'll leave you with a sappy fun fact: Eleanor Lambert, the founder of Press Week, attended her last Fashion Week shortly after turning 100 in 2003. She died a month later.

Some Questions I Have For Fashion Week

2009-09-16T00:35:00.002-04:00

Why did Rodarte turn from glamor, elegance, fantasy and artistry to something that looks like I pulled it out from my craft bin in a wad?

Why haven't I been keeping up with Catherine Malandrino until now? Also, what was with the trend of weird faux limb tattoos?

Why is Vera Wang trying to be Vivienne Westwood?

Is there an answer anywhere in this great universe full of endless wonder for why on Earth there was a Snuggie fashion show?

Why, Marc Jacobs, do you never fail to amaze, despite reverting to tired Asian-inspired trends?

Where oh where can I get this Tracy Reese dress?

Will there ever be an appropriate time in my life to wear this Carolina Herrera?

Why isn't Derek Lam a more household name with such lovely, wearable designs such as this?

Dear God/Alexander Wang, is a see-through pants trend really what's coming next?

What important public event will Michelle Obama be wearing this Jason Wu dress to?

Uh...what happened to Zac Posen's aesthetic???

Who woulda thought that a former reality show winner such as Christian Siriano would've designed one of my favorite shows of the season so far?

Fashion for Nerds

2009-09-11T17:17:00.005-04:00

A few scientists over at MIT have taken it upon themselves to track color trends of local fashion by rigging up cameras at numerous intersections in Cambridge that snapped pictures of passerby. The team then translated that date into a visualization of color networking, as seen above. As Grant McCracken points out in The Blog Sits... , the opportunities for this process are endless, particularly for people in the fashion industry. Editors, designers and retailers can track what trends are taking off where, and which ones are failing to catch on to the public. Or they can pick up on the trends that are starting from the street up as the focus of the industry's attention is becoming more and more in tune with street fashion and personal style bloggers. It would be an interesting representation of the trickle-down effect of fashion, watching the trends spread from the cities to the suburbs and out across the country. I would love to see if any patterns would emerge with the relationship between color and location. Immediately I imagined a calendar of these images taken each month in each of the major fashion centers, or maps drawn out with whole regions or countries rather than just one small city.

One thing I am curious about with this particular map is, why so much red? Is it just all the students being lazy and wearing their red Harvard sweatshirts all the time? I was expecting there to be a lot more black and blue. There's also a shocking amount of green, and it's all concentrated in one little starburst. I wonder what that relates to. I'd love to see what more will be coming of this.

Yes, Dali, You Are Indeed Fou

2009-09-09T11:58:00.001-04:00

Behold: a 1968 ad for chocolate that Salvador Dali stars in. How, how is it possible for one person to be so amazing?

Garfunkel and Oates Give Jemaine and Bret A Run For Their Money

2009-08-27T21:19:00.004-04:00

I have been spending most of this summer day listening to Garfunkel and Oates' YouTube channel over and over. This spunky duo is being billed as the new, female Flight of the Conchords and I think I'm in love. They're hilarious, talented and adorable. "Pregnant Women Are Smug" is a personal favorite, one that I haven't been able to get out of my head yet. I didn't include it below, but I also suggest watching "Present Face" because the video's really funny (just not the best of their songs).

The Best Part of Waking Up

2009-08-27T13:24:00.002-04:00

While I'm not exactly an Austen fan, I do love me some literature and drinking things out of mugs. That's why I gushed at these handmade mugs from Brookish. I would love to see some other ones in the same style but from different books.

She Speaks!

2009-08-25T11:27:00.002-04:00

Here is the highly anticipated Anna Wintour appearance on David Letterman from last night. While I have, of course, watched the trailer for The September Issue many times, it was nonetheless a little weird to see her walking and talking like a real person. She's so tiny! And, I have to say, she was actually pretty agreeable and even a little funny. I ended up getting angrier at Letterman who, for basically the first half of the interview kept asking the same question over and over : "so, you're a bitch right? No, but really, you're a bitch." Now, what I'd really like to see is Wintour make an appearance on The Daily Show. I think Johnny Stew would ask some more respectful and interesting questions.

Elections in Afghanistan Highlight Women's Oppression

2009-08-24T13:44:00.003-04:00

Riding on the wake of Iran's tumultuous elections earlier this summer, Afghanistan also held presidential elections this year. While the elections, and subsequent protests, in Iran sparked discussion about women's rising influence, Afghanistan's elections last Thursday only continued to show how far women have to come in this conservative society.

While women are techincally granted some equality under the new Constitution, cultural pressure and Taliban intimidation kept women's participation down this year. Of the thirty candidates vying for the presidency, only two of them were female and they were continuously threatened and denied media coverage. (That torn poster in the photo above is of one of the candidates, Shahla Atta.) The other candidates virtually ignored any issue of women's rights, and were more likely to appeal to the Taliban than their female voters.

When all was said and done, the race was narrowed down to two candidates: the incumbent, Karzai, and Abdullah, who was his foreign minister. Karzai has a proven record of corruption and support of continued oppression of women. This is the man, after all, who passed the notorious "marital rape law" in 2004, which granted husbands the right to sollicit sex from their wife at least every fourth night, to which the wife must oblige unless she is ill. He also quietly passed a Shiite law right before the elections which allows a husband to starve his wife is she refuses sex. The law, which only applies to the Shiite minority (about 20 percent of the population), sparked protests, which were violently put down. Yet Abdullah isn't much better, as he was a warlord during the civil wars and therefore also has a history of condoning rape and violence.

Voter turnout was estimated at 40-50%, down from 70% during the 2004 elections. But the voting process was rife with fraud and corruption. It's too early to accurately judge the polls' legitmacy, but there were numerous accounts of ballot stuffing and burning of votes. Threats of violence and intimdation also greatly affected who people voted for and how many people voted. Insurgent attacks were rampant throughout the country. There were hundreds of rocket attacks, ballot burning, and threats made on election workers and voters. Workers were shot and those with ink on their fingers (a sign of their vote) were told they'd have their fingers cut off (there were at least two witnessed reports of this actually happening). Around twenty people were killed.

Of course, women suffered a disproportionate amount of the intimdation. In a country where women need their husband's permission to leave the home and are largely disapproved of having a public life, the thought of women affecting the outcome of an election was too much. The polling centers were segregated by sex, so they were easily targeted. An estimated 650 polling places for women never even opened. Much of this intimdation was in the South, where the Taliban holds the most influence. In many regions, almost no women voted.

We will have to wait and see for the outcome of the election, but unfortunately it looks like neither possibility will have a positive impact on women. This is a country that is rated as one of the worst places in the world to be a woman, and these elections haven't shown any sign of this changing anytime soon. However, the Obama administration has specifically targeted women's rights in Afghanistan as an issue of international concern, so there may be a glimmer of hope.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parassus

2009-08-12T16:37:00.000-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of fantasy. Every now and then, I'll dabble (especially in a film like last summer's Stardust), but I'm incredibly excited for the upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parassus, and if you read on, I'm sure you'll be able to guess why.

I can't really tell what the movie is about, exactly, but this is what I can gather. Doctor Parassus, played by Christopher Plummer, struck a deal with the devil to be immortal. Now 1,000 years old, he leads a traveling theater troupe (that includes, Verne Troyer, aka Mini Me), where he controls guests' imaginations through what seemingly amounts to a drug-free acid trip. But, trouble brews when the devil, Mr. Nick (played by Tom Waits), comes to collect on one of their deals where he was promised Parassus' first born, (played by my model favorite, Lily Cole,) when they turn 16. This is where things get extra confusing. Parassus embarks on this plot to save his daughter, that somehow involves traveling through parallel universes (I think) to find a man who can seduce what IMDB calls "the first five souls," promising his daughter's hand in marriage to the man who helps to save her. He is accompanied by an outsider named Tony, who was originally played by Heath Ledger, but his death halfway through production forced them to get creative. Throughout the film, Tony transforms into four different versions of himself, and they just happen to be played by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Ferrel. Hello.

So, really, this incredible cast in reason enough to go see this pretty bizarre looking movie, but the design is an added bonus. It looks like quite the trip, even if you have absolutely no idea what's going on. Check out the trailer, below:

Julie and Julia: Inspiration For Life, Cooking.

2009-08-08T14:52:00.003-04:00

I started off my day by seeing a morning viewing of Julie&Julia, a movie I've been secretly wanting to see for months. I thought that the 10 a.m showtime would give me some space to stretch out and enjoy, but apparently even having to get up early won't stop New Yorkers from getting something half off. The place was packed, but that's besides the point.

I can't really think of any better way to say it: this movie was great. It had me smiling and laughing the whole way through. Before I even saw it, I knew this movie would have a special place in my heart because these past few months I've developed a passion for cooking that I knew these women would understand. Dinnertime became the most anticipated point of the day when I could set myself up in the kitchen and lose myself in this meditative act of creating something that just happened to be delicious. The film celebrates this connection that people have been stumbling upon for centuries.

But you don't have to be a cook of any level to enjoy this movie (although whatever you do, don't come to the theater without snacks, because it will make you very, very hungry). It is not one, but two inspirational stories of women making themselves who they want to be. And while neither worked their way up "against the odds," like so many of similar stories tend to be, I almost prefer it this way. It makes the message even more tangible. I don't have to wage some great battle to be great, I can pick a dream, make a plan and accomplish it, just like Julie and Julia. And the fact that they both chose dreams that combined writing and cooking only made thing even better.

I don't have to go on about how excellent Meryl Streep's performance was, because that's really never a matter of debate. Just know that it was wonderful, and let's move on to how great everyone else was too. I particularly loved Stanley Tucci's performance as Julia Child's husband (although sometimes it was difficult watching the two of them together and not seeing Miranda Priestly and Nigel). And, usually I find Amy Adams a bit too saccharine for my tastes, but I thought she was very charming and relatable in her role as Julie Powell. I've read a few reviews that found her character too whiny and that they almost wish her story could've been cut out altogether. Yes, I did enjoy Julia Child's story more, but I loved how the two parts played off each other, and I did not see Julie as whiny and annoying. Sure, she had a few meltdowns but can we blame the poor girl when something she put so much effort, time, and money into completely fails (as it will time and time again throughout the film)? Give her a break. If anything, I thought she got a bit self-absorbed as her blog's popularity soared but, again, I think this is pretty realistic and understandable. And she even admits to it later on in a fight with her husband, which somehow made it even more forgivable.

Don't be scared away from Julie and Julia if you're not a cook. Like Julia Child's book, the movie makes the love of food and cooking accessible and graciously leaves the foodie in-jokes to a minimum. Come see the film for the lovable characters and inspirational stories, and leave with a plan to make a really good dinner when you get home. If you'll excuse me, I'm going into the kitchen now. And I think I may never come out.

Heavy Rotation

2009-08-05T23:19:00.004-04:00

I wasn't sure I was going to like Heavy Rotation: Twenty Writers on the Albums That Changed Their Lives when I first picked it up. I hadn't heard of any of the writers, and since most of them seem to be in their thirties, their album picks didn't necessarily speak to me. I thought I wouldn't be able to relate; that something would be missing if I couldn't hear the music in my head as I was reading. But, of course, in the end these essays aren't really about the "albums that changed their lives," but their lives in general, and it is a completely engrossing read. Because of course we can all relate to music having a significant meaning for us. My one complaint would be that it's almost too difficult to read this book because it's so distracting trying to think of what your own special albums are for each circumstance the writers are discussing. I wonder, Benjamin Kunkel, what was the CD for me that marked the beginning of my teenage years? I don't know, Joshua Ferris, what do I think was the CD that encompassed my generation? So, that's when I put down the book and compiled a list of my own.

For me the first CDs I remember loving, and I mean really loving, were Cyndi Lauper's 12 Deadly Cyns and Annie Lennox's Diva. They were my dad's, originally, but I pretty much consider them mine now. He played a lot of music, mostly while cooking dinner or when we were in the car, and that defined my early tastes. John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me" will always bring me back to long car rides with my dad, The Beatles and Rolling Stones never fail to have the imaginary background noise of food sizzling in a frying pan, and Ella and Louis bring me back to after dinner was over and I would dance with my dad in the living room, standing on his feet. But there was no one I loved more than Cyndi and Annie. I knew all of their lyrics and belted along with them, clutching their liner notes so hard that they're now falling apart. I would choreograph dances and set up a video camera in the living room while I performed, making my dad promise me he'd send them to the right people so that the next time they went on tour, I could be a backup dancer. I thought my routine for Annie's "Walking on Broken Glass" was the one. And, ten or so years later, my first concert ended up being Cyndi Lauper. By then, it had been a long time since I had danced to her CDs, but my dad and I managed to get third row seats and when she performed "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" as the finale I got right up to the stage, so close I could see her sweating. It just seemed right.

The first CDs I remember owning myself (besides the soundtrack for Cats which I believe officially holds the title of First CD, unfortunately) was Sarah McLaughlin's Mirrorball and The Offspring's Americana. I guess it's comforting to know that my taste in music has always been, uh, eclectic. But I have to credit The Spice Girls, The Backstreet Boys and NSYNC for being the bands that first connected me to pop music and feeling like I belonged with the rest of my generation. Although The Spice Girls hold a particularly special place in my heart. Picking out which Spice Girl you were was the precursor to picking out which Sex and the City character you were. It was a tradition that every birthday party of mine from the time that first album came out to my senior year in high school, that my girl friends would stand up and do The Spice Up Your Life Dance, and I'll be damned if I don't bring that back for my wedding.

On the other hand, No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom was the first CD I liked to go against the grain of my peers. I remember deciding to like them more for what that would mean for my image rather than their actual music, although of course I loved their music as well. I can't help but draw parallels between my love for Gwen Stefani, who at the time of the album still had pink hair and braces and not blond hair and a gang of Asians, to my early love for Cyndi Lauper. A few years later, Eminem's The Marshall Mather's LP was the first CD I rebelled against my dad with. I got it because I knew I shouldn't have it. It was also the first CD that I had burned for me, which I still remember being amazed at.

There are a few songs that really stick out for a certain not-so-wonderful time of my life. Coldplay's "The Scientist" came out during a really rough year and it's the first song I remember just lying on my bed listening to on repeat. It was also the first song that made me cry. Similarly, Smashing Pumpkin's "To Martha" was on heavy rotation during that time. And while this moment wasn't until a few years later, I also associate Radiohead's "Creep" with this period. I have a very vivid memory of me and two of my friends being high in the dark and lying there thinking together while the song was playing. It sounds silly now, but back then it seemed so significant. I had read The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time recently and I remember understanding what Charlie meant when he said he felt infinite.

"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright and, oddly enough, that remix of "Lady Marmalade" that had Pink and Christina Aguilera and a million other names in it, both remind me of Thursday afternoons after school where, for a few years, my friends would always go to one of our houses and just be, well, teenagers together. Those afternoons are some of the best memories of my life and so perfectly captured what it means to have best friends. Many of those days were passed by blasting music from the living room speakers and dancing or singing along, so there are many songs that trigger memories like these two do, but for whatever reason they stand out to me.

"Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs was playing when I first fell in love. "9 Crimes" by Damien Rice was playing when I first realized I wanted to break up with that first love. Rusted Root's "Send me on my Way" will always remind me of pulling out of the driveway with three of my friends, a week after high school graduation and off on a road trip to celebrate. We were all thinking "holy shit, did that really just happen?" At the time we meant, "did our parents really just let us leave to go on this 12 hour drive out of the country?" But of course now, we all know what it really meant.

Mos Def's "The Beggar" was playing at the peak of that summer, which was an absolutely perfect summer. I was driving across a bridge and had just found out it was a new boyfriend's favorite song, which surprised me and made me realize there was a lot more to him than I originally thought. When it came up on shuffle two months later as I was contemplating the relationship, I realized that I loved him. I had just started college and had discovered Feist and Kimya Dawson, the two artists that now represent the beginning of that awesome side effect of a college education where you get introduced to all the cool music you hadn't heard of before.

Of course the signifcant songs didn't end there, but I'll leave it at that. If that didn't inspire you to start thinking of your own list, then just read that book (yes, this did start out as a book review). I dare you to get through even one essay without trying to come up with your own.

Fall Fashion, My Way

2009-08-05T00:55:00.003-04:00

I've been slowly but surely gathering a vision for my look this Fall, and the items that go with it. I got inspired to play around with Polyvore again and came up with three anchor looks that capture the style I'm going for. It's pretty exciting because I actually have a lot of pieces that look a lot alike to what I picked out here, so it's not so far off to imagine.

1.

Fall 1 by kissmeducky featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Once again going for a modern take on the classics. As always, Breakfast at Tiffany's is not far out of my mind. I've been attracted to structured shift dresses and own one very similar to this (that cost a fraction of the price). I'm not shying away from jewelry; I like how these strike a balance between delicate and tough looking. And, of course, I'm going to need a classic patent leather Louboutin pump.

2.

Fall 2 Take 2 by kissmeducky featuring Oscar de la Renta

I've developed a bottomless obsession with exposed zippers (the dress I have that resembles the one above has one running down the back). Again, I love a mix of tough and girly and the twist De La Renta gave to a sophisticated wool jacket. I hate how the seasons for pairing jackets and open-toed shoes is so short because it's one of my favorite looks. There's an obvious pattern emerging here: new takes on the old, unexpected matches.

3.

Fall 3 by kissmeducky featuring American Eagle Outfitters

And, finally, my take on collegiate casual. For some reason I tend towards a more boyish look when I'm dressing down. I like to think of old-timey male writers sitting at their typewriters and smoking a pipe while looking out the window of their cabin into the woods. I love the slouchy Grandpa sweater trend and I FINALLY (after a -I kid you not- TWO YEAR search) have found a beautiful belt that magically works for both the hips and waist. And, while it seemed I rotated between only three pairs of jeans last winter, I feel my denim collection is finally complete.

So, there you have it. Sophisticated meets rock n' roll. Old meets new. Boy meets girl. That pretty much sums it up.

Women Working Together

2009-08-04T00:15:00.003-04:00

When I heard that a women's only homeless shelter in the UK was being shut down because it didn't also serve men, I was furious. Having gotten to know the women who frequent Rosie's Place, a women's shelter in Boston, on a personal level, I can tell you that the existence of women-only shelters is crucial to the process of rehabilitation. The sad truth is that men are usually at the root of the women's poverty. They were abused or abandoned, and when they attempted to live on their own they were left without the resources needed for survival. They are more vulnerable to attacks on the streets and are more likely to have children to provide for that sink them deeper into helplessness. When they seek help at shelters serving both sexes they are often abused, harassed or robbed by the male guests or even exploited or undermined by the staff.

Yet when they turn to a women's only shelter, they enter an environment of trust and sisterhood. They are more willing to open up and listen to the women that are trying to help them without the fear that the person behind the desk is just another man out to harm them. A shelter run by women is more likely to have a welcoming, safe atmosphere rather than a cold, institutionalized environment full of shame and guilt. The fact that this women's-only shelter was deemed unsuitable for taxpayers' money just because it excludes men is outrageous.

I will always have a special place in my heart for Rosie's Place and its guests, and my support extends to women struggling with poverty around the world. I don't know why affluent societies such as ours have developed such a negative view of the homeless, but when I think of those women having one more door shut on them, it breaks my heart. They are not leeches or lepers, but people who deserve our sympathy, respect and charity. Shutting down this shelter is not an issue just of women's rights, but of human rights.

I know it is difficult to think of others during times like these, and that not everyone is in a place to help, but if you do have the time or means to support a shelter, especially one reserved for women, I urge you to consider it. And if you would like something in exchange for your service, Rosie's Place just so happens to have a program where women are taught craft and entrepreneurial skills, and sell their handmade jewelry for a profit.

The Trifecta

2009-07-30T15:42:00.002-04:00

Ruben Toledo is known for two things: being married to Isabel Toledo who designed the dress Michelle Obama wore to the Inauguration, and creating stunning fashion illustrations. His most recent project is an excellent collaboration of art, fashion and literature (three of my favorite things!) as he reimagined the covers of some classic lady-centric novels. The books will be $16 each and released during Fashion Week in September.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I would love to see his take on The Great Gatsby and The Bell Jar, which seem to lend themselves to his style nicely. In other Toledo news, the power duo have been offered both a book and an exhibition called Toledo/Toledo: The Marriage of Art and Fashion.

Marc Jacobs Housewares Disconnect

2009-07-29T12:47:00.002-04:00

As someone who's feverishly obsessing over decorating her apartment, I practically wet myself when I discovered Marc Jacobs had designed a housewares collection that was already slated to be 50% off the original pricing. He has teamed up with Waterford for a line that will be sold at Selfridges & Co.. But besides being completely inaccessible to me, I couldn't help but be disappointed for another reason. Just take a look:

I know it's just a snippet of the complete collection but doesn't it seem a bit...bland? They're nice, but that's really it; just nice. I was expecting housewares from Marc Jacobs to be a little more edgy, a little more hip. Selfridge's site says he got his inspiration from "from the French traditions of uncomplicated entertaining without sacrificing the elegance or style," and I can definitely see the connection. But the connection between Marc Jacobs and French elegance is still lacking. I can see this collection coming from Chanel, maybe Burberry or Dior. I've been seeing more Marc Jacobs-like housewares in my two new favorite home decor shops, CB2:
Or Fishs Eddy :

Lily's Chanel Ads Make Me Smile

2009-07-28T12:18:00.002-04:00

I am absolutely loving Lily Allen's Chanel ads. She looks like she walked straight off the set of Breakfast at Tiffany's, only with a little bit of her classic spunk. The bags she's selling? Enh, not so much. They look like they're fashioned out of those ugly puffy jackets.

Death Becomes Them

2009-07-25T01:15:00.003-04:00

Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, Famous and Notorious , out in September, is horribly written and damn disorganized. But once you get past that part you'll find a fascinating look into the lifes and deaths of fascinating people.

View Death... as a jumping-off point (possible pun intended) to discover tales of interest and then go off to find more information elsewhere. I learned a ton from reading this book, hell I wasn't even aware that most of these people committed suicide, but Strauss just barely scratches the surface and left me feeling unsatisfied. I think this largely stems from the fact that Strauss is incredibly unqualified to write on this subject (her previous writing credits include VH1 and Entertainment Weekly and, honey, it shows) and focuses mostly on mundane details rather than attempting to dive more deeply into these people's psyches. However, the stories themselves are unarguably compelling and the little "fun" facts about suicide sprinkled throughout are a nice touch.

Strauss covers a wide array of people from Virginia Woolf to Kurt Cobain to Sigmund Freud. She gives a brief biography (which prompted a new obsession with Anne Sexton and Diane Arbus), a rundown of their history of mental illness and past suicide attempts, a description of their last day and how they killed themselves and finally the events and reactions that followed. I was largely unaware of most of the details involving the deaths of those I did know killed themselves, so it was interesting to finally learn what happened. The most gripping profile for me was that of Mark Rothko, whose circumstances of his death read like the most perfectly scripted mystery novel. I loved reading about Hunter S. Thompson's spectacle of a funeral and couldn't believe that Peg Entwistle, who killed herself because she thought she was a failure as an actress, received a letter two days after her death offering her the lead role in an upcoming film about a young woman who commits suicide.

Thankfully the stories in themselves are interesting enough to keep me going because at times Strauss' writing really made it a challenge, sometimes even laughably so. (My favorite of her groan-worthy lines was: "Like the bulbs the workmen had been changing the night she killed herself, Peg burnt out too early.") And at other times, she unintentionally crosses the line into bad taste (there's just something a bit off when she words the subtitle of a brief overview of Hitler's reign of terror as "Career Highlights"). Yet I wouldn't hesitate to suggest picking this up for some ironically light reading if you're equally as curious about the morbid and macabre as I am.

The Fashion Show Has Drawn the Curtains

2009-07-23T23:40:00.003-04:00

I really only started watching The Fashion Show to fill the void left by the legal battles of Project Runway. I wasn't all that impressed with the show, but trudged along through the first season because,hey, I might as well right? Well, by the time it came to the final fashion show last week, I have to say it blew all of the Project Runway finales out of the water. I thought all of the top three collections were phenomenal (and I couldn't agree more with the judge's choice to vote Rico out of the runnings).

I was excited by Daniella's vision. I thought she had a really cool idea about what girls would want to be like nowadays. However, there were a lot of issues with fit and construction and I agree with Isaac that she's a bit sizeist because who else besides those skinny skinny models are these clothes going to work on? Even though she was really annoying I was kind of rooting for her throughout. I think it's awesome she's had so much success straight of college; it's inspiring!

James Paul's collection seemed straight off the runways of Paris. He is absolutely a "designer's designer" as one of his competitors said. While I could barely see myself wearing any of his pieces, I loved his concepts and thought his execution was nearing perfection. He has an eye for the future of fashion, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is indeed the direction designers will be heading in the near future. I was a little surprised he wasn't picked for the judges' choice, but I completely understand why the general American public didn't "get" it and he got the least of the votes.

On the other hand, I thought Anna's collection was near perfect in "sellability." If I had seen any of her pieces in a store I would've definitely bought them for myself. I fell in love with this elephant print dress in particular. Her collection wasn't particularly exciting in showmanship but she spoke to real women and, when it came to this show which had more to do with marketing than design in the end, I was not shocked that she won the competition. I also find it a little inspiring that she didn't get to the finale under the guise of a good TV character but actually because of talent. I've always felt that the fine print in the credits where they admit the producers also have a say in elimination decisions has a bit too weighty of an opinion. She deserved it.

Take a Trip Through the 72 Year History of Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-17T18:00:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that the chocolate chip cookie is only 72 years old. Can you even imagine a world without them? To honor this treasured treat Cake Spy created an illustrated timeline of the cookie's history. I didn't even know there was so much to learn about a dessert! It starts with the creator, Ruth Wakefield, discovering the recipe by accident when she chopped up some chocolate to toss into her batter, expecting it to melt. Instead, they kept their shape and dotted the cookies with a soft, tasty surprise. I love how she exchanged the recipe to Nestle for a lifetime's supply of chocolate! Some other interesting facts I picked up:

-The phrase "smart cookie" entered America's lexicon in 1948

-Chips Ahoy! debuted in 1963

-The Chipwich was created in 1980 (and now I'm seriously craving one of those)

-But what I found most shocking was that chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream wasn't invented until 1991, and it was by Ben And Jerry's! This means that I was alive in a time when this ice cream didn't exist.

Well, I'm glad things are right with the world nowadays. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get the box of Entemenn's cookies I have in my pantry...

I Am Neda update

2009-07-17T14:07:00.001-04:00

I have now gotten enough responses to the I Am Neda project that I have started a collection, as intended. You can see it here .

He is Neda, Too

2009-07-14T16:23:00.001-04:00

I’ll be honest, despite some positive reactions, I didn’t get any photos sent to me for the I Am Neda project I wrote about a few weeks ago like I had hoped. I had all but given up on the idea when I checked my email late last Friday night to see I had finally gotten a response. Yes, the only photo I was sent was from a soldier stationed in Iraq. I was completely moved by his response and couldn’t have asked for a more powerful outcome. I thought it was important to share so, with his permission, here is his photo and letter.

i hope it's not too late.

i am a soldier in the us army. i am currently in iraq, but was home on
leave in the states when this incident occurred. i couldn't even watch
the whole video without cringing at first. it made me weep in the hotel
room i was sharing with my girlfriend in dallas.

she sent me the link to this article and i wanted to make a shirt right
away. unfortunately it's taken me some time to get it done. i don't know
if it's too late to be posted, or if you got enough pictures for your
purpose, but just in case i wanted to contribute.

i know i don't represent much of the people i serve with, and that
saddens me. it's hard for me to relate to many of these people. but even
in the military there are those of us that see what is happening in the
world, and we are also appalled. i'm only one country away from iran,
and there's still so little i can do. for what it's worth, i hope this
helps, somehow.

Destino Destined For 2010

2009-07-08T13:04:00.001-04:00

When I went to see Dali: Painting and Film at MoMA last year, I was fascinated by an animated short film that Dali collaborated with Walt Disney to create. It was called Destino and was a 7 minute long love story of Chronos and his ill-fated longing for a mortal female. While Dali started working on storyboards in 1945, the studios' financial woes from World War Two put the project on hold indefinitely. It was until the late 90s that Disney animators took on the task of deciphering Dali's cryptic storyboards to produce the film. Only 18 seconds of Dali's original animation remains. I'll just call it the robotic tortoise-humans in love segment from now. Let's just say, you'll know it when you see it. I love the characteristic Dali elements that are sprinkled throughout the film, like the sand, ants and phones. Overall, it's an absolutely beautiful piece of art.

The new Destino was intended to be a part of Fantasia 2006, but when the project was cancelled it was entered instead in the 2003 Amecy International Animated Film Festival where it received rave reviews. The film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short. But, since then, it's only lived on in museums.

When I got home I frantically scoured the internet for the film so I could watch it over and over to no avail. Sadly, I gave up. But now, there is a glimmer of hope. Word has it that Destino is scheduled for DVD home release in 2010, along with a documentary about Dali and Disney's artistic history together. I don't want to get my hopes up just yet, because a quick search shows there was an identical rumor circulating in 2008, but let's all be optimistic so that maybe it might actually happen. And for now, I'm excited to say that the full film is now available online. Check it out below.

Public Enemies

2009-07-07T13:51:00.002-04:00

I have to admit, my primary motive for seeing Public Enemies yesterday had to do with the fact that it was the first movie in a long, long time where Johnny Depp looked like his normal, attractive self and not some weirdo. It also had to do a little with seeing Marion Cotillard again, who I love, and I GUESS with the fact that I am fascinated by stories of organized crime in the twenties and thirties. What I'm trying to say is, I really enjoyed this movie, and it ended up being far more than a contest between who looks hotter in a fedora (I'm going to have to stick with Johnny, sorry Mr. Bale). The story was really gripping and entertaining (and, apparently, pretty accurate if you're interested in a history lesson). I'm always relieved when an action movie is driven more by the plot than the number of bullets (but don't worry, there are plenty of those). There was a healthy balance between violence, dark humor and romance, so I think it would keep the attention of any viewer. What I wasn't expecting was it to be so beautifully shot. The cinematography was surprisingly beautiful. The feel of the movie reminded me a lot of another favorite, Road To Perdition. This was only feuled more by the absolutely delicious fashion, especially sported by Marion Cotillard. What can I say? I can't help but swoon for a man who robs a bank in a three piece suit.

Dior Does it Again

2009-07-06T22:38:00.004-04:00

I am going absolutely gaga over Dior's couture show from the weekend. Dior was the first label to get me interested in high fashion back in the day and now, after an incredibly disappointing year in fashion in 2008, is the label to get me excited again. I'm loving Galliano's throwback to the New Look. I think that women are really craving glamour and femininity lately (I know I can't be the only one ridiculously over the 80s boxy silhouettes) and what defined glamour and feminity more than that perfectly sculpted hourglass frame of the 50s? While the silhouettes mimic the originals pretty much to the T, I love how he modernized the look by playing with fabrics (how does he make silk so structural?), colors (fuschia? really?) and sheerness (but that's Galliano for you.) And those hats! Oh, those hats! They make me as excited as the veils! The makeup! The shoes! The gloves! I loved everything. He's finally giving us a fantasy as oppsed to last years' shows that absolutely bored me to tears. And I loved his presentation, which made me feel like I was peeking in on a lovely garden party rather than at just another catwalk. My one critique? There were some pretty hideous princess gowns thrown in there that seemed completely arbitrary and uncharacteristic. Other than that, superb!

La La La La La

2009-07-03T12:24:00.004-04:00

Although I don't want to jump right in to celebrating, because the source seems a little sketchy, I just heard word that Daria is going to FINALLY be released on DVD in 2010. According to TV Shows On DVD , this guy at another website, Blast-O-Rama, received a promotional copy of another MTV show recently released on DVD, The Slate, and during the previews there was an ad announcing Daria's release next year. He sent in a screen shot as proof:

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I signed a petition on this site to get Daria on DVD years ago, so maybe it finally paid off. I don't know, most exciting news ever? Or just a cruel, cruel prank?

They Say It's Your Birthday! (Dunna Dunna Dun!)

2009-07-02T16:47:00.002-04:00

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but this weekend marks the 233rd birthday of our lovely country. It’s also New York’s 400th birthday, so this year the fireworks are going to be bigger and better than ever! (And on the Hudson River!) We’ve all heard about the cruises and dinner ’specials’ that costs hundreds to partake in, but here are some cheap and free fun ways to celebrate in NYC.

Go see the fireworks, damnit. They’re sure to be awesome this year. And what else is better than shoving in amongst potentially millions of other patriots to ooh and aah at sparkly explosions? The show, lasting about a half hour and featuring approximately 40,000 fireworks, starts at 9:20. The best places to watch (if you don’t have a rooftop on the West side that is) are along the West Side Highway from 23rd to 59th, Pier 84 at 44th St, De Witt Clinton Park from 52nd to 54th between 11th and 12th Ave, or to venture across to Jersey.
Watch apparently bottomless humans shove hot dogs down their throats. I’ve never quite gotten the fascination with competitive eating (I think it was that scene in Stand By me that ruined it for me), but if that’s your thing, head on down to Coney Island by 10:30 to watch the action…and try not to puke.
Gorge and shop at the Great July Fourth Festival. One of the biggest festivals of the summer takes place today at the South Street Seaport, on Water St. between Fulton and Broad starting at 11 am. There will be hundreds of vendors to entertain yourself with for an hour or two, and this will probably be the best bet for scoring cheap BBQ if you don’t grill yourself.
Chill out with free tunes. There will be a scenic free concert from the River to River Festival today at 3:30 featuring Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band.
Catch a sweet view from inside and old lady’s head. For the first time since 9/11, the crown of the Statue of Liberty is open to the public. There will be an opening ceremony in the morning but, let’s face it, you probably won’t be able to get in today.
But can you boogie? Louis Armstrong celebrated his birthday on the 4th of July, so the Louis Armstrong House Museum is holding a little celebration. Starting at noon there will be live jazz to serenade you as you wander through the exhibits, including a collection of collages by Satchmo himself. Admission is $6-8 and the museum is located at 34-56 107th St in Queens. 
Row, row, row your boat. The Downtown Boathouse always offers free boat rides, as long as you can swim, but a row along the Hudson would be particularly fun today.
Celebrate the artistic achievements of your ancestors. Today, the Whitney Museum is offering a special $4 admission, so there’s no excuse to go admire some wonderful American art.
Get your history on with one of two ways. One: New York’s Historical Society is having a celebration today featuring Revolutionary War reenactments, storytelling and arts and crafts. The fun starts at 10 am and is spread out between W54th and W96th st between Central Park and the Hudson River.
Two: The Museum of the City of New York is running a number of exhibits about New York’s 400th birthday this year. Take the opportunity to go see ‘Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: The World of Henry Hudson.’ There’s a suggested donation today at the museum, located  at 1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd St.
After all this celebrating, you need a cheap drink. The Rusty Knot, at 425 West St and W11th St, is running an Uncle Sam Special today, where Busch beer is only 25 cents a piece until 5 pm.

I Am Neda

2009-06-25T12:10:00.002-04:00

When I was in high school, a brilliant teacher told me that the root of solving most of the world’s problems lies in establishing equality for women, and to this day I believe very strongly in that. My focus narrowed to the Middle East after I read Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, a book I think should be on all of our to-do lists lately. So as I started hearing news about the elections in Iran, I became completely absorbed in it. I was praying that Mousavi, with his female-friendly rhetoric, would come out victorious.

Upon the announcement of the ‘results,’ I was outraged, but fascinated at the role that women were playing in the following protests. Their uprising threatens to undermine the legitimacy of the regime itself. I was obsessed with the images and reports of women taking to the streets and urging men to do the same. And then, I read about Neda, a woman who was shot in the street as she approached a protest. A bystander had filmed her death and managed to spread it through viral means, despite the country’s restrictions on the Internet and foreign reporting. By all accounts Neda, while sympathetic to the protests, had not been involved with any. Her senseless murder started to become the face of the growing revolution.

It took me a while to muster up the courage to watch the video of Neda’s death, and when I did that was it for me. I cried for a half an hour, partly because of how terrible it was, and partly because of how helpless I felt over here, at my age, in my position. I hated sitting on my couch feverishly reading the latest updates and not being able to do the slightest damn thing about it. In the next few days I started seeing signs reading ‘Neda is my daughter, I have one just like her,’ and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I made the shirt because I am just like Neda, we all are.

I made the shirt because the only real difference between us is that I can make a shirt like this, and wear it in public, while she gets shot to death in the street just for being young, female and near a protest.

I made the shirt because I want to honor her and all of the Iranians, men and women alike, who are fighting and dying for something that I believe is a natural, human right.

I planned to wear it now and then throughout however long the protests will last and expected it to just be another well-meaning message that went right over people’s heads.I was right. But it yielded the best possible results.

During my thirty-minute commute to BUST this morning, on a route not particularly known for its political awareness, I was stopped three times to be asked about my shirt. I wanted to be angry that people were so unaware, but then I realized that this was the way I could help, so I stopped and explained. I might’ve educated only three people today about the situation in Iran, but I’m hoping it’ll have a ripple effect and the knowledge and outrage will grow throughout America and throughout the world. And if I can say that I had even the slightest part to do with it, then I can be a bit happier.

For the task of scrounging up a plain Tshirt and a Sharpie, you can too.

If you do make a shirt, take a picture of yourself wearing it and send it to me at celeste114@bust.com If I get a collection, like I’m hoping, I will put them up all in one spot and maybe it’ll help spread the word.

Also posted on BUST

Trailer for The September Issue

2009-06-24T23:05:00.000-04:00

Can. Not. Wait.

In More Sex and the City News...

2009-06-24T12:15:00.003-04:00

Apparently, beloved costume director, Patricia Field, is threatening to back out of styling the Sex and the City sequel over a fight with Sarah Jessica Parker over "creative differences."

SJP has a vision of turning Carrie into a "recessionista" in tune with the economic climate and Patricia Field says she won't let reality cramp her style.

And, really, I have to agree with Miz Fields. Wholeheartedly. Since when have we expected reality from SATC? We all sure as hell understood that we had to suspend disbelief just a tad to accept that Carrie owns a closet full of couture on a freelance writer's budget. The outrageous fashion is at least half the fun of watching the show and perhaps the biggest selling point of the movie. What would SATC be without Patricia Fields? Nothing!

Not that I don't respect SJP's fashion sense, but I would hate to see the result of her carrying that burden on her back. And I do also respect her desire to be more sensitive to the rest of us civilian's economic plight, but come on. We're going to this movie for an escape, in the highest sense of the word. I already consider Carrie's character the closest thing you can get to a fashionable recessionista in the fantasy land of TV, what with her profinity for mixing high end with low end. Let's leave it at that. If you want to throw it a couple of lowkey J.Crew outfits and follow in Michelle Obama's wake, go ahead. But we need that crazy fashion for Sex and the City to be Sex and the City. Taking it away would be like relocating to L.A. And it's impossible to ignore that it's impossible to achieve without Patricia Field's signature wackiness.

Photo courtesy of The Fashion Time

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

2009-06-22T22:28:00.004-04:00

I had a terrifying moment today. I realized that I had forgotten about my strawberries that I had picked at home and delicately transported back to the city...two weeks ago. Surely they must be ruined! I was heartbroken at the thought of having to throw them out. In a panic I Googled "what do I do with my mushy strawberries?!" (yes, with that punctuation, because I was that upset) and the first result was this absolutely perfect recipe for strawberry lemonade bars from Baking Bites . (I've actually found great recipes on this blog before, like for homemade Girl Scout cookies that have yet to be tested but look delicious).

But, seriously, how perfect is this idea? To me, there's nothing that says Summer more than strawberries or lemonade, so I love the combination of the two into a tasty dessert. Mine ended up a bit thicker (and pie shaped) because I didn't have the right size pan, and the consistency may be a tad bit off since I beat everything by hand instead of with a food processor and mixer, but they were scrumptious (if I do say so myself). They have a lovely mix of tartness and sweetness that's all balanced out by the buttery crust. This is quite the refreshing way to top off a summer day.

First Glimpse of Alice in Wonderland

2009-06-22T17:27:00.002-04:00

I'm not always a fan of Tim Burton, but I am excited to see what he's going to do with his version of Alice in Wonderland, coming out in March 2010, especially after seeing a sneak peek of the costuming.

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter:Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen:Anne Hathaway as the White Queen:

Wrong

2009-06-22T17:25:00.002-04:00

So wrong. I am so upset.

I Simply Can't Ignore These Anymore

2009-06-22T17:01:00.003-04:00

These little guys have been popping up all over my food blogs and I've been trying to ignore them because, frankly, they freak me out a little, but today I cracked. Those are not just burgers and fries, friends, those...are dessert.

I tracked these treats back to the source, Bakerella, to discover that the burgers are a combination of brownie and yellow cake and the fries are sugar cookies.

The instructions for assembly are all there on her blog, and it doesn't seem too complicated. I'm not sure I could get past the conflict between appearance and taste, but it's impossible to ignore how cute and creative this idea is. What will they think of next?

Hello, Lover

2009-06-20T12:48:00.004-04:00

Sex And The City: I am not a fan. I am a fanatic. I started watching the show, after it was over, in eighth grade, giggling over the fact that it had "sex" in the title. Soon enough, I realized it wasn't just about sex. It was empowering and inspiring. It really spoke to me, and as I got older and watched the seasons over and over, I got more out of each viewing and it became my favorite show. (If there were any doubts, I'm a Carrie.) I collected the DVDs, got the trivia game, quoted the show as part of my everyday conversation, took my friend to the tour in New York, went to the midnight premier of the movie...need I say more? So when I was offered the chance to go on the Sex and the City Hotspots tour from On Location Tours, I jumped at the chance. After all, it was sure to be a new experience now that the movie has come out and reinspired the love of fans not as diehard as myself. It was my duty, nay, my right, to see the movie locations and get the trivia. So, yesterday I lined up in front of the Pulitzer Fountain with a mile long line of ladies (and a few disgruntled looking men), all decked out in our Sex and the City best.

We piled into our coach bus (no double decker, hard seated buses here) with our tour guide, Stacey, and rolled out. The tour, which is roughly three and a half hours long, drives around lower Manhattan to swing by filming locations, accompanied by clips. It's narrated by "sexperts," who are all actresses and comediennes, so they're very fun and entertaining, that remind us of what we're looking at and give us little tidbits of trivia as we're rolling along. There are a few places where we briefly get off the bus to walk around. The first is The Pleasure Chest, a sex shop where the ladies go to buy the Rabbit. There's also O'Neals (but we know it as Scout) for Cosmos, and Greenwhich Village, which used to include a trip to Carrie's stoop but was just a shopping stop this time while Stacey got us our free Magnolia cupcakes (which is worth the tour alone). The one movie stop that was added was Buddakan, which was where the rehearsal dinner scene was filmed and where Stanford and Anthony celebrated New Year's.

All in all, this is a really fun way to spend an afternoon. I can't help but compare it to the one I took two years ago, though, and I have to say that I think that first one won. I feel like we got to see and hear a lot more things, and this one seemed a bit lacking in comparison. The tour was definitely different(although there were only two or three places that were added from the movie), and I think we got a lot more bang for our buck with the first layout. I thought Stacey was very funny and appropriately peppy and she had a couple of really good stories about meeting the actors and watching the movie get filmed (like how Chris Noth was absolutely wasted at the after party for the premiere). I'm not sure if many of the other ladies on the tour were feeling it, though, because sometimes it was painfully quiet on that bus, whereas the last time it felt like a 4 hour party where I had finally found My People. I, of course, thought it was exciting to see the locations, especially now that I can return to the hotspots whenever I please. So, maybe it's best to attempt this tour only if you're similarly obsessed.

The tour runs daily at 11am and 3 pm, with an additional tour at 10am on Saturday and Sunday, and tickets are $40. It's not a rare occasion for the tours to get sold out, which says something in itself, so to be safe you should book pretty far in advance. Gather up your best girl friends, prepare with some marathons and get ready to get Carrie-d away.

Happy Birthday To Me

2009-06-20T12:16:00.003-04:00

One year ago today, I started Audrey Monroe. What started as a simple little blog to cure summer boredom has gone through quite the evolution and, I have to say, has turned into something I'm very proud of. To celebrate, I thought I'd share some fun facts via my stats page.

I've had a total of 29,527 hits.

The top 5 foreign countries that visit my blog are the UK, Canada, France, Italy and Germany.

My most popular posts are:

Model Citizens
PETA's State of the Union Undress (something tells me people do not come to this post to read what I wrote...)
The Worst Trends That Will Not Go Away (Which I always thought was a throwaway post, but hey.)
The DIY Feather Headband Tutuorial
And Fashionable History: Walking in my Wellies, which I do love, but not one keyword used to get there has anything to do with fashion, or history.

Yes, through this blog I learned something very upsetting. There is a rampant Wellies fetish. While I was trying to innocently educate, people just wanted "Wellies sexy naked," or "Wellies fetish glasses" or "hot Wellies fucking." So, to all of you Wellies-ists out there, I apologize that you didn't find what you're looking for, but thank you for making that post the most popular on my site.

These were the posts that were most discussed through comments or elsewhere (although this doesn't include my favorite hate comment, which was left on The Romper which read: "What do you mean they were too "HOOD" for your taste. you are a dumb stupid judgmental BITCH! I hate you and you should go to hell!")
A Female Perspective on American Psycho
Leave My Children's Books Alone!
Debit? Credit? Heroin?
It's The Little Things In Life That Restore My Faith in Humanity
And, The Housewife: This Season's It Accessory

Finally, just for fun, here are quick links to my first 5 posts.
1. Antiquing
2. Strawberry Season
3. Summer's Most Wanted
4. Favorites For Summer
5. Nostalgic Music

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Regina Spektor Goes Far

2009-06-16T21:19:00.002-04:00

I have a soft spot for Regina Spektor. She was the first cool artist I discovered all by myself, without the aid of a hip music magazine or cooler friend. I loved how I'd never heard anything like her. She had a haunting voice and unique songs that made me feel something. I loved how simple they were, that alongside all the manufactured pop here she was with her piano, her voice and sticks to bang out percussion. "Samson," "Braille," and "Somedays" would probably make it to the list of my all time favorite songs, if I were to ever attempt to make one. But it was difficult to like her, sometimes, because her music required such an effort. It demanded that you sit, be quiet, and listen. This worked well when I was feeling particularly angsty, and just wanted to lie on my bed, stare at the ceiling and listen to someone who maybe, just maybe, understood me. But even then I occassionally had other shit to do and slowly she faded into the background.

Regina Spektor was also the first cool artist where I discovered the contradicting feelings upon her becoming mainstream. When I heard she was coming out with her new CD, Begin To Hope, I was excited to hear what she'd be coming up with next, but shocked to hear that I wasn't the only one anxiously awaiting. She was in magazines, on TV. I wanted to be happy for her, but, but, but, she was mine. When I heard the first single, "Fidelity," I felt betrayed. I could hear her in there somewhere, but it was straying too dangerously close to that manufactured pop I had turned to her to avoid. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the CD, especially when no one else was around, because it was undeniably irresistably catchy. But I couldn't help but miss the old Regina.

Now, with her latest album, Far, I think she managed to balance the new with the old perfectly. I recognize her old school quirkyness, her storytelling lyrics, her folkloric vocal gymnastics, but with a bit more musicality than 11:11 or Soviet Kitsch. I can see myself turning to listen to this CD, instead of occasionally giving a song a chance when it comes up on shuffle. Most importantly, it's sparked my love of Regina again (as I write I'm looking up some old favorites to listen to).

Here's the first single, "Laughing With"
Laughing With

I also really loved "Eet," and the video involves a vintage typewriter, so you know it's good:

Another favorite was "Folding Chair." Here's an unofficial YouTube video for it:

Welcome back Ms. Spektor, and thank you.

2009-06-10T23:23:00.003-04:00

I feel that it is irresponsible of me to blather on about music, TV shows and books today and not mention the shooting at the Holocaust Museum today or Dr. Tiller's murder last week.

I have spent my whole life in very liberal communities. Intolerance and hatred were issues that were so far away from me that I sometimes didn't believe they still existed. I never thought I'd have less opportunities because I am a woman, or because I'm part Jewish. I knew that racism was out there, somewhere, but I had trouble imagining how people could actually believe in it. I knew that there were people who were homophobic, but I never quite understood what it was about being gay that made people hate so very much.

The first major event that happened after I became really politically aware was Bush's election in 2000. I thought his reign would pass quickly, but I still remember watching his reelection play out and, for the first time, feeling afraid. I was so scared that my rights were going to be stripped completely, that equality would be a thing of the past, and I watched as these fears came dangerously close to being reality (and, in some ways, some of them did).

When Obama was elected, I finally felt safe again. I felt secure in my values and the promise of a enlightened future. I felt discouraged when I heard, time and again, the ignorant, disgusting, racist backlash from the Conservative Boogeymen. But, it wasn't until last week, that I started to feel scared again.

Now that liberals are back in power, Conservatives are acting out, like toddlers, only on the scale of fifty year olds with gun licenses. The news of Dr. Tiller was bad enough but, for personal reasons that are inappopriate to go into here, nothing hit me more than reading about the shooting at the Holocaust Museum today. Things like this aren't supposed to happen in my lifetime, in the year 2009, in the United States.

I was at the Holocaust Museum only a few months ago, and I had never felt so strongly for my Jewish heritage (a part of myself that I have a complicated relationship with). I cried through the entire museum, so outraged by what I thought was the past, the one part of the experience I could take comfort in. I was inspired that there was a group of Middle Eastern tourists that were going through the floors at about the same pace as I was. I thought, well, at least things have changed. And now this. With some twist of fate that could have been me, passing through security at a sacred memorial and, unlike the random security guard, I would've been his "rightful" target. I've never felt that way before, targeted. And I couldn't help but think about how there are still so many people, in "the land of the free," that are targets.

I'm waiting, praying, for the day to come when it clicks that their logic is nonexistent. I simply do not understand how they can continue on preaching their rhetoric of being "pro-life" and "anti-terrorism," yet they fight every one of their opponents with such horrific acts of violence. Why are they worried about bringing the Guantanamo prisoners onto American soil when there are clearly already terrorists here? How is murdering a doctor on his way to church or shooting open fire into a museum being pro-life? How is it any different than blowing up a car in the street?

The truly sad thing is that I'm no longer confident that this is going to get better. There is no stopping people filled with hate. People are going to keep fighting for good causes, and they're going to get killed for it, and people are going to keep killing because they're fighting for "good causes." I'm just disgusted.

My thoughts, and heart, go out to the victims of violence these past two weeks.

Summer Reading Update

2009-06-10T22:52:00.003-04:00

I was reading through my blog just now when I realized I've failed at my promise to keep you updated with my summer reading endeavors.

1. A Cook's Tour: This really was the perfect book to start off the summer with. The writing was enjoyable - a nice combination of snark and sentiment that I've come to know through the narration on his show - and the stories he told were all entertaining and satisfying. Reading it was quick and easy and I managed to finish it in only a few days. It was definitely fun to travel vicariously through him with these tales. Yet, my interest lagged about three quarters of the way through the book. the concept became a bit tedious and repetitive. After awhile I got tired of reading descriptions of food, which I've never had much patience for, because no matter how well it's written it's going to ultimately fail in conveying the senses exactly (much like articles on perfume). But, all it took was a second wind to finish this book in one fell swoop.

2. I took a brief detour from my original list to read Subwayland by Randy Kennedy for a book club I joined. This collection of columns from the New York Times about the subway is a really delightful little book. It's perfect for summer reading and, coincidentally, subway reading. It was full of funny, interesting tidbits about the system and culture of what is really a fascinating underground world, if you think about it (and this book certainly makes you think about it). My nitpicky issues with it were that I was expecting something Bill Bryson-y, where he'd interject a lot more history in his stories, and that he would reveal the dirty, gritty, scary underbelly of the subway, but he lacked in both aspects. There were a few historical fun facts and some hints of dark matter, but overall it was rather G rated. However, I did learn a ton of things (it might not be as enlightening to a full on native New Yorker) and would reccomend it for the inner nerd in all of us.

3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao I'm going to do it. I'm going to be the one that shits all over this Pulitzer Prize winning book. The story, about a loser son with a rebellious older sister and sick mom, did nothing to grab my attention right away. But, I kept reading because I figured, hey, this book is a literary sensation, it must get better, right? Well, Twilight is a literary sensation, too. That doesn't mean that it's good. I made it about 200 page before I succumbed to the fact that it just was not good. I don't know how to put this lightly, but, I have a feeling everyone got duped by the ploy of uniqueness of writing with a Spanish voice and being about a Dominican family in a sea of us whiteys, and never realized that this was an incredibly bland story that we've all heard before, no matter what skin tone. And I thought that Diaz was so obnoxiously self-aware of how different and revolutionary he was being. I almost yelled aloud "Jesus Christ, we get it. You're Dominican," before I realized that saying such things on the subway would likely get me beat up. The thing is that I SO wanted to like this book. I even skipped ahead to the last few chapters to see if I would regret giving up but it was so frustratingly predictable and monotnous that I almost threw the book across the room. I can not remember the last time I've been so incredibly disappointed in a book. Bring on the hate comments.

4. Then, there was another detour for the book club to read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I had the opposite experience reading Fear than I did with Oscar Wao. I got halfway through it in one sitting before I realized that I really didn't like this book. It's just that the writing is so wacky and entertaining that I didn't have time to notice that absolutely nothing was happening. Here, I'll save you the time and money and give you the content of this book, in a nutshell:
*takes drugs*
"Woah, man, I'm so high right now. I don't even know what's going on, man. I'm hallucinating all this crazy shit and everything's so weird. I'm liking this."
*takes more drugs*
"Holy shit, man! I'm freaking out! I'm freaking out!"
*takes drugs to cancel out effects of last type of drug*
"I am catatonic."
*repeat*
I asked a friend who read it already if anything else happened worth continuing on for and he said that it all comes together with the last line. So, of course, I skipped ahead and I could not see anything remotely remarkable about that line, so I quit while I was somewhat ahead.

Right now I'm back on track and things are looking up as I'm a good way in to A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Obviously I won't go into a full review now, but it's a really beautiful book so far. I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up as one of my favorites.

Yes I Think I Can Judge So You Think You Can Dance

2009-06-10T21:51:00.004-04:00

So, I've been waiting for tonight's real premier of So You Think You Can Dance since the season finale last summer, which was one of the most entertaining two hours of TV I have ever watched. Overall, I was satisfied. The level of the dancing, the level of the choreography, the level of the judges' critiques and the entertainment level all met my rather high expectations (I almost peed myself when Mary let slip that Botox comment).

I've picked my favorites, but we'll see if America can get it right too. Tony, Phillip and Evan will go really far this season because all the girls have crushes on them (myself included) and, oh yeah, they can dance a little bit too. I think Brandon is a brilliant dancer (I really have no idea how Mia and Lil C can't see that), but I don't think he has the personality to get votes, unfortunately. The same goes for Kupono. I'm not sure if he'll last long, but he deserves it.

Notice how there wasn't one girl in that list. I don't know, they just weren't doing it for me. I mean, I thought they were all talented but no one stood out as being amazing or particularly likeable. I was just bored by them.

However, I can't even begin to describe how excited I was to see that Wade Robson has returned from his oh-so-selfish hiatus last season. Wade (along with Mia and Napoleon and Tabitha) are the best choreographers on this show, hands down, and no one can argue that. I can never, never get over his hummingbird and flower routine from season three, or that quirky thirties ruffian newspaper one. His crash test dummies dance tonight was so perfectly him and I was delighted to be back in his bizzareo yet charming world. I'm just hoping the thirteen-year-old voters will "get" it.

The other standout dances definitely included Caitlin and Jason's Bollywood routine. I was amazed at how on they were with all of the intricate moves; it looked like they'd been studying it for years. Both the opening hip hop by Phillip and Jeanine and the closing samba by Max and Kayla were also really entertaining. Again, I couldn't believe this was the first time Jeanine did hip hop and Kayla did Latin. (Did you notice how there was almost always one partner who had experience in the style they were given while the other was completely new to it?)

I didn't think any of the dances were particularly bad, some of them just left me unmoved. Even though the lyrical piece by Melissa and Ade made Adam Shankman cry and Mary scream, I thought the dancing was forgettable and so was Mandy Moore's choreography. But maybe it just wasn't my style. I couldn't agree more with the judge's comments about Asuka and Vitolio's Broadway routine. Yeah, the steps were done and they were done well, but there was no extra energy and personality in a dance that called for so much energy and personality. And while Janette and Brandon's foxtrot was lovely, let's face it, foxtrots and waltzes always get left in the dust when there's also hip hop, contemporary and Latin ballroom to be seen.

So those are my predictions. If I get them right, I get to go on a date with Tony. Or Evan. Or Phillip.

Lady Noise

2009-06-10T18:51:00.003-04:00

Like any normal human being, I have a healthy obsession with music, but unlike most of my peers, it is a quiet one (see relative lack of posts about music). However, I feel that I can not keep my mouth shut about Noisettes. Yeah, so I'm a bit late in discovering them (their sophomore album is coming out in the U.S this year), but this London based group is exactly my style.

Their first album, What's The Time Mr. Wolf? reminds me of another favorite, Juliette and the Licks, with some Gossip and perhaps a bit of oldschool No Doubt thrown in.
Take, for example, "The Count of Monte Christo":

and "Don't Give Up" :

Their new album, "Wild Young Hearts" has more of a dance feel a la Lily Allen with a hint of that old timey revival (think Duffy, Adele, Amy Winehouse etc). The first single, "Don't Upset the Rhythm" is the least representative of their style (isn't it always?) but it's still fun in that "I'm going to bounce around my apartment drunk" kind of way:

For more of a taste of their usual, check out the title track, "Wild Young Hearts":

But, if that wasn't enough to convince you, lead singer, Shingai Shoniwa, is one of the coolest looking lady rockers that I've seen in a long time. I mean, just look at her go.

Picks From Brookyln's Renegade Craft Fair

2009-06-07T17:30:00.002-04:00

I spent the day at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, and these were the five vendors (out of the 250 snaking around McCarren Park) that caught my eye.

1. I love, love, love what The Weekend Store has to offer. Particularly their vintage typewriter key jewelry and time flies necklaces
.

2. The vintage book purses from Prologue by Shawna Rose were a perfect fit. I didn't see the design I like best on the site (the cover was painted light blue and had dark blue sparrows on it with blue polka dot fabric lining), but this picture shows the idea.

3. Some of the drawings by Underneath My Tree were really sad, but when they were cute, they were adorable.

4. Unfortunately, Mae Henry closed her shop on Etsy while at Renegade, so I don't have a picture of her really wonderful wallets. Just trust me on this one.

5. The same goes for Final Approach which customized vintage suitcases and purses with funky paintings.

Obama Pours One Out For The Ladies

2009-06-04T11:19:00.003-04:00

There are many things to admire about Obama’s speech in Cairo today. The man managed to tackle every issue plaguing our relations with the Middle East in a respectful manner, after all. But what I found most impressive was Obama’s inclusion of the importance of women’s rights as one of the seven major sources of tension between the U.S and the Muslim world.

Here is the excerpt from his speech addressing this issue, taken from DemConWatch :

The sixth issue that I want to address is women’s rights.

I know there is debate about this issue. I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous.

Now let me be clear: issues of women’s equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam. In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, we have seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead. Meanwhile, the struggle for women’s equality continues in many aspects of American life, and in countries around the world.

Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity, men and women to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.

Somewhat double posted from Bust

Allow Me To Blow Your Mind

2009-05-30T23:29:00.003-04:00

Below is a picture of the goodies I got today:

It includes:
-that lovely navy bag by Tommy Hilfiger
-two Tshirts
-a purple beret
-a little Scot-like hat
-pottery
-three white ceramic jars for the kitchen
- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
-The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
-Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

I know what you're thinking. "Audrey Monroe, that isn't very responsible of you to go on such a shopping spree in times like these. That Hilfiger bag alone must've pushed the cost into the hundreds."

Don't fret. Do you want to know how much I paid for this entire collection?

$0.00

Behold: Score! A swap at BKLYN Yard. If you have anything you want to get rid of (but you don't need to donate anything to participate), you come on down to the Yard and then dig on in. We were asked to help with just one task before we started "shopping," but it was only to sort out a few bags of donations. Then, you wander around to the different "departments": apparel, books, music, housewares and art supplies and bring home whatever you can carry (hint: bring tote bags).

There will only be a few swaps throughout the summer, but I signed up for the email list to be alerted when the next one arrives so I'll keep you all in the know.

It may have been my best discovery of all time.

The Good Wife's Guide, from the fourteenth century

2009-05-29T18:25:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I'm about to be saying this, but, I'm entering that lovely part of life where soon enough my friends will be getting married. And every single one of them will be getting this as a present from me: Le Menagier de Paris, or the Good Wife's Guide which was written anonymously in the fourteenth century and just recently fully translated into English. It reminded me of an even better version of the hit good wife's guide from a fifties' issue of Good Housekeeping.

This book has everything: chapters on how to dress, pray, be obedient, walk down the street, cook, buy horses, be faithful, even how to practice falconry with good etiquette. One of my favorite quotes from the article in the New Yorker was:

There are only three things, it tells us, that cause a man to leave his home: “a roofless house, a smoky chimney, and a quarrelsome woman.” To keep her husband satisfied, the wife need only “protect him from holes in the roof…make certain that in the winter he has a good fire without smoke, and let him slumber, warmly wrapped, cozy between your breasts, and in this way bewitch him.”

My friends will be thanking me when their marriages last as long as this adorable couple who just celebrated their 81st anniversary.

Brown Bagging It Just Got Cuter

2009-05-24T00:52:00.004-04:00

It was when my tuna fish sandwich somehow leaked tuna juice in my bag last week that I decided I was finally going to do this craft project I'd been saving for awhile. I found a bunch of people were taking the pattern of a basic brown bag and updating it to an adorable reusable lunch sac made of oilcloth.

I started with this pattern from Tumbling Blocks , but once I realized I had no idea what she was talking about when it came to assembly I turned to, who else? Martha Stewart .

I got this cute take on classic gingham oilcloth from P S Fabrics in Chinatown on 360 Broadway (which also has a good selection on cheap yarn).

I strongly suggest not sewing oilcloth by hand. My fingers hurt so badly from shoving the needle through the fabric.

I accidentally got twice as much fabric as needed, so I'm going to use the excess for a wee matching picnic blanket.

Now I just need to come up with more packable lunches...that's always the tough part.

Adventures in Thai Cooking

2009-05-23T20:30:00.003-04:00

In the past year, Thai food has become one of my favorite cuisines. This week, since I'm now living in New York with access to real Thai ingredients, I decided to give it a try myself. With some trepidation I embarked on a two course meal: Tom Kai Kai, my absolute favorite Thai dish, and shrimp with coconut milk over cous cous. (The recipe was orignally for rice, which is a hell of a lot more Thai than cous cous, but I had a lot on hand and wanted to use it instead).

I already had chicken, mushrooms, chicken stock and cous cous on hand, so I headed down to Chinatown to the Thai grocery store called Bangkok Center Grocery on Mosco St. This unassuming hole-in-the-wall had everything, including a grandfatherly owner who was very accomodating to my embarrassing whte girl questions (Is this fish sauce? Is this a good stalk of lemongrass? What are kaffir lime leaves anyway?) And all of the ingredients were surprisingly cheap. The most expensive ingredient were the kaffir lime leaves (at a whopping $3...and I included the half pound of shrimp I got at a market in that list), which only came in a big pack when I only needed about three leaves. However, they're crucial to the Tom Kai Kai soup; as soon as I opened the package I immediately recognized them as the most present seasoning in the dish).

An hour before my goal eating time, I went to work, and an hour later everything was finished. To my delight, it was a very easy process and, drumroll please, it tasted delicious! And like Thai food!
I wish I could tell you where I got the Tom Kai Kai recipe, but I adopted it from about a dozen recipes I found around the web:
What You'll Need
-chicken breast
-1/2 cup of coconut milk
-1 cup chicken stock
-1 stalk of lemongrass, halved
-a couple of mushrooms
-3 tbsp fish sauce
-1/4 tsp sugar
-a few kaffir lime leaves
What To Do
1. cut chicken into pieces and cook
2. combine coconut milk, chicken stock and lemongrass in a saucepan and bring to a boil
3. add chicken, mushrooms, fish sauce and sugar and bring back to a boil
4. reduce heat and add lime.

That's it! How easy is that? For the shrimp dish I wanted to add some pineapple, but forgot it when I was grocery shopping. But here's the recipe, a combo of a recipe from College Cooking and something I swiped from some magazine.

What You'll Need
-half dozen shrimp (you won't even need all of these, I left some out for a cocktail shrimp snack)
-half an onion (I find a shallot is also a good substitute)
-garlic
-a tomato
-1/2 cup coconut milk
-cous cous or rice
-diced pineapple

What To Do
1. saute shrimp over medium heat and remove.
2. dice onion, tomato and garlic and throw them (along with pineapple, if you have it) into the saucepan and cook down to a sauce. Cook to a boil and remove from heat.
3. in the meantime, cook your cous cous or rice according to package directions
4. combine shrimp with sauce to boil, cook for two minutes. add salt, pepper and coconut milk, then remove from heat.
5. dish rice or cous cous onto plate, pour juice on top then place shrimp on.

Love This

2009-05-23T18:25:00.000-04:00

Fashion designers of the thirties imagine what Eve will wear in the year 2000.

It's True, Vitamins Are Good For You

2009-05-20T17:04:00.002-04:00

I want.
I am obsessed with Vitamin .

1. With their street style gnomes
2. With their urban gnomes
3. With their money boxes
4. With their bottle openers
5. And with their timers

Blogger Talk: Jen From The Haystack Needle

2009-05-17T23:12:00.003-04:00

This interview was originally conducted for the audience of my other blog, The Kitschnettes , but I thought it would be a good read for Audrey Monroe readers as well.

Recently, I was lucky enough to have Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien take time out of her busy (newlywed!) schedule to answer a couple of questions. Jen was the home editor of Real simple and the lifestyle editor at Redbook, as well as the writer of a lovely decorating blog called The Haystack Needle. The Haystack Needle focuses on finding creative, unique and environmentally friendly ways to spice up your decorating and entertaining. Below, Jen gives us some advice on how to satisfy our cravings to decorate and entertain within the confines of a student’s space and budget, as well as some insight on the magazine industry.

1. I would love to hear some more about your life at Real Simple and Redbook. How did you get your start in magazines? What does a typical day consist of?

I majored in journalism at Northwestern, so I knew that I wanted to go into magazines early on. I had a few internships throughout college, but they were all at super small publications (most of them have since folded.) The downside of interning at small name magazines was it was definitely harder to get a look from the big publishers when I got to New York. The benefit was I actually worked at every internship and learned so much — and the magazines were all totally different in topics (from finance to parenting.) I wasn't running errands or filing — I was actually reporting and writing. And by the time I graduated, interviewing people was one of my strongest skills. For one internship, I was interviewing top players in the finance world yet I didn't even know the definition of a mutual fund. So I learned how to research and ask questions in an interview to find out about a topic I knew nothing about. I didn't know much about decorating or home design when I started at Real Simple, either.

I came to New York during another recession (not as bad as now, thankfully) so there were few jobs and a zillion graduates trying to get that entry break. I finally got fed up with not getting through to anyone and I made up a few creatively packaged portfolios. I then hand-delivered my portfolio to the Real Simple home editor. She called me the next day for an interview and I got the job. It's not easy to break into the magazine industry, and it's ten times harder now with the way the economy is. You're never going to get a magazine job handed to you on a platter. If your passion doesn't drive you to go after a job and put yourself out there, then you're going to have a hard time getting that first break. There is no formula to magazines. I moved my way up quickly to be a home editor, and I don't have a master's degree nor do I have a background in interior design. There were editorial assistants I worked with who had master's degrees and are still stuck as EAs after three years of working. But it's easy to get stuck at a magazine, and for the most part, you need to move around in order to move up.

2. What does a typical day as editor consist of?
There's no typical day as a magazine editor. That's part of the beauty of it. But most days toss in a mix of the following: an ungodly number of meetings (both in-house with your art team and top editors) and with companies doing desksides to show you their lines, press events and lunches to preview new lines (often at really nice hotels and restaurants - total perk), talking to stylists about upcoming shoots, scouting product for shoots online and in the market, organizing and presenting run-through meetings to get your ideas products approved for stories, attending photos shoots, writing and editing stories, moving your stories through the shipping process, handling a million phone calls from publicists pitching you products and an email inbox that's always overwhelming and the onslaught of mail you get each day. Then there are a slew of trade shows that you attend through the year depending on the market you cover. I loved the market editing — finding amazing products for my stories and I loved photo shoot days. You often have help with you but there are many unglamorous parts of being an editor. I know how to use a tape gun better than most, and I've been on the phone with Fed Ex praying that a super important box of samples is going to arrive in time for a shoot. You're definitely never sitting around. I felt like a sponge, and I just absorbed as much of the creativity around me.

3. Where are your favorite places to find that proverbial needle in the haystack?
Too many to list! A few which I've blogged about are Parcel, Jamali Garden, and Global Table. There are so many incredible shops in New York — I stumble upon new ones all the time. I love to check out the shops with some history and the smaller businesses that have their own personality. Especially in these times, I think it's really important to support small businesses so that they survive. It's the small boutiques and shops that give New York its flavor. I'm also an Etsy addict and find so many gems through Etsy sellers.

4. What is your latest decorating obsession?
I'm currently crushing the idea of big and small makeovers using wallpaper or paint. I'm really interested in working with painting stencils and creating textures and patterns with paint. I did a big wallpaper feature at Redbook last year and I learned all these ways to play with wallpaper besides making a wallpaper accent wall. We made a wallpaper folding screen and wallpapered magazine files among others. There's a new book by Chronicle Books out on wallpaper projects, Wallpaper Projects: More Than 50 Craft and Design Ideas For Your Home that I'm definitely excited to check out for inspiration.

5. Our blog is mostly targeted at the college student and recent grad making their first home on their own. What are your tips on decorating with our limited space and budget?

Paint is actually one of the cheapest makeovers. Paint your awful hand-me-down furniture or paint your wall (or ceiling — love that look!) and it's as good as new.

6. How do you recommend going green with our limited space and budget?

In my series Green Swap, I covered a ton of green topics from dry cleaning to non-toxic paint. There are so many everyday ways you can be greener — and not spend any more money. Green cleaners for your home are now not any more expensive than standard cleaners with brands like Method and Seventh Generation. If you're using toxic cleaners, you're basically breathing in toxic fumes and polluting the water systems. I think the concept of Slow Food is an easy, important way you can make a green change. By making your own simple meals, rather than ordering take-out every night, you can help the planet and help your wallet.

7. You just completed your Green Swap series. What is the most interesting thing you learned through these interviews?
I think the idea of eating local food and eating home-cooked meals stuck with me the most. Finding time to cook at home is definitely something I struggle with, but you can really make a statement in how you eat and the choices you make with your food. I also can't get over the organic dry cleaning scam.

8. Facing an empty apartment waiting to be decorated can be awfully intimidating. Where do you suggest to begin?
Think about the room's main function (I personally think a stimulating color like red is a bad choice for a bedroom where sleep is the main purpose.) Think about a style or mood you'd like to create. Pull a lot of tears from magazines that inspire you. Decide on a color palette. And then go for it! Nowadays, there is so much inspiration on the DIY realm. You can really create any look from glam to cottage style with a little effort.

9. What are your views on the rise of DIY culture? Where do you think the movement is heading?
I'm such a fan of how DIY and craft are evolving and moving into a modern light and moving away from the idea of crafts being pompoms and Popsicle sticks. I don't know what's going to be the next big thing but there's definitely going to be more innovation with patterns, textures, papers, paints, and fabrics. I think making the utilitarian objects in our homes be more personalized is going to continue to take shape through DIY projects. Your hook rack doesn't have to be generic anymore. I love how DIY is allowing people to put their personal style stamp on something. And decorating at its core is really about making a space be filled with what you love.

10. One of the joys of having your own place is entertaining guests. Not all of us will settle for keggers and would like to plan a nice, adult evening for our friends. But, again, we're working with very small spaces (often without even a living room). Do you have any suggestions to work around this?

If you're working with a small space, opt out of a dinner party and go for appetizers and drinks or host a dessert party. Who wouldn't love cupcakes and cocktails? I always make one signature drink that I can make ahead — like sangria – rather than a drink that requires you to play bartender. Take advantage of the space you do have. Plan to have a party in the spring or summer and have everyone meet you in the park for a picnic. Or open up your bedroom and toss some cushions and folding chairs inside so it invites conversation circles. The key to hosting is to keep it simple but make it pretty. You can serve a pie you bought at your farmer's market (rather than made at home) but put it on a platter and serve with some homemade whipped cream as a special touch.

Thanks again to Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien for the interview!

It's One of Those Movies

2009-05-14T23:00:00.004-04:00

Where you go to see it if only for the story behind it. Away We Go is a movie coming out this June directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and staring John Krasinski (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (SNL) as they attempt to figure out their lives together with a baby on the way. Here's what makes the movie sound better than that synopsis: it's written by Dave Eggers and his wife, Vendela Vida.

Besides the fact that I'd be interested in seeing anything written by Dave Eggers (did you know he cowrote the Where The Wild Things Are movie coming out?), and that I love the idea of a husband and wife writing team, I absolutely adore the story behind the movie. The couple wrote it together during Vendela's pregnancy to amuse themselves and help work out their stress. She even worked on the script while in labor. So, in a way, watching Away We Go is like watching their love letters to each other. Now that's the kind of marriage I aspire to one day.

I Didn't Think They Could Get Any Cooler...

2009-05-14T20:04:00.003-04:00

...but, the Obamas surprised me by officially surpassing their coolness on Tuesday evening when they hosted a poetry jam at the White House. The event was to emphasize the changing atmosphere of the government and to raise awareness of the importance of the arts in our culture. As Lady Obama put it:

“We’re here to celebrate the power of words and music to help us appreciate beauty and also to understand pain’’

What I would've given to see James Earl Jones (aka Darth Vader) read from Othello, but the rest of the program sounded wonderful as well. A number of spoken word poets (one from Yonkers who dedicated his poem to his deaf sister, and signed it as he spoke) and musicians took to the stage for a night of multicultural culture.

It's so easy to cut out the arts out of the budget, whether it's for public school funding or choosing whether or not to spend your own money on a show or exhibit, and in this sorry state of affairs I was getting nervous that the art world was going to crumble. It's really refreshing to see the administration care about this.

All I have to say is, thank you Obamas, thank you.

New Lady Blog is off to Flying Start

2009-05-12T23:36:00.002-04:00

The folks over at Slate have started yet another blog, called Double X . This one has sort of a Jezebel-y feel, but with a little less snark. I definitely subscribed immediately, of only to read more articles like these , where they interviewed a handful of various famous ladies about what they dreamed of growing up to be when they were little. So far they have such names as Margaret Atwood, Sandra Day O'Connor, Margaret Cho, Amanda Peet and Amy Bloom. I found it really charming that so many of them mentioned Nancy Drew as an early inspiration.

Short but Sweet

2009-05-12T23:33:00.002-04:00

I'll keep this simple.

I have an update on the movies, Grey Gardens and Valentino: The Last Emperor, that I've been kind of obsessing over .

They were both fabulous, more than I could ever hope for, stories of heartbreak, intrigue and inspiration.

In short, go see them. Immediately.

Vice Versa

2009-05-12T23:23:00.002-04:00

Vice Versa is the exact kind of thrift store I ventured into Williamsburg to find. You know, in between the kind where you have to wade through piles of shit to maybe find something kind of cool and the kind where everything is still more expensive than the clothes I normally buy. It has everything, and I didn't see a tag for more than $30 (as it should be). But it didn't take long to sift through each rack to find something that I took a second look at. I got to get that magical feeling of thrifting that I was about to stumble upon something wonderful.

And then it happened. As I was walking out, giving a casual glance down the other half of the shoe rack I had left unsearched, I did a triple take and rushed over. There they were. Absolutely adorable red heels with white polka dots. And then I saw it. The BCBG label. I scoured their surface for a price tag and, when I couldn't find one, I started to pump myself up for a negotiation. I head over to the sales guy. "Do you know how much these are?" "Oh, those? Those are $10."

I stood in shock for a moment, almost wanting to yell at him for being so stupid. Don't you know what these are? Don't you have eyes? How can these be? Thankfully, I was smart, and wordlessly handed him a ten.

It's moments like these, my fiends, that I live for.

Summer Reading

2009-05-05T01:56:00.003-04:00

Summer begins at the end of the month (for some of us, it starts tomorrow), so it's that time of year again to start compiling your summer reading list. Because at this point you can still almost believe that you'll have all that free time to read those ten books you've been meaning to get around to all year.

For me, I'm about to embark on a summer of dreams. I'll be living in my dream city (New York) in my dream neighborhood (the Upper East Side...although that does often get pushed down the list in favor of the Village) and interning at my dream magazine ( BUST Magazine ). I may not be traveling around the world, but to me it is the ultimate journey. I wanted to immerse myself in books dealing with other people's personal journeys, but I wanted to be sure to include some classic New York novels to really soak up the experience. I came up with a reasonable list of five books. I'll keep you updated as I make my way through it.

1. A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain. I have been a long time fan of his show No Reservations and have been eying this book on my dad's shelf for years. Now it finally feels like the right time to read it. Tony has a wonderful sense of the travel narrative; compelling in the way that you learn new things and accompany him on adventures, but he always brings the message back home to where it's most important.

2. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I can't say I have much more of a reason to read this book other than I've been verbally berated for having not read and I'm tired of it. Also, it looks like an amazing book. Without reading a word I'm already drawing comparisons to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which I've already written about how much I loved that book. Hopefully, this will hold up to its rave reviews.

3. On a similar vein is A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. His name, and this book in particular, has come up too often as a favorite in the particular literary sect I tend to roll in that I simply can't ignore him any longer.

4. Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick. I hadn't heard of this book until a few hours ago when I halfheartedly googled "best novels set in New York City," and I won't make any claims otherwise. But with only a few minutes of looking into it, it seems like an absolutely beautiful piece of work; one of those books where the prose shifts in and out of poetry. It seems to have a collection of classic "look at all the interesting people in NY" characters and situations. Apparently it's semi-autobiographical but essentially plotless, transitioning from memory-to-memory in a sort of Surrealist manner. It looks like a quick read that would be suited for a sunny weekend when I'm feeling particularly artsy.

5. And, finally, we come to World's Fair by E.L Doctorow. My dad (not quite a member of the literati I've been crediting the other recommendations, but still a valued resource nonetheless) has been practically demanding I read Doctorow for pretty much as long as I can remember. While I've always loved the ideas of his books, using history as inspiration and exquisitely capturing a sliver of time, I've only managed to finish one (The Book of Daniel). So, I've decided that this is the year to try yet again and landed on World's Fair, mostly because it was a coming of age novel set in old-timey New York and I didn't feel like reading a mobster tale (Waterworld). From what I've read, it seems to play with the idea of imagining the future and commenting on people's tendency to do so (I won't know whether it's negatively or positively until I read the book), while the main character visits the World Fair in the thirties. I can't help but relate as my mind is constantly thinking ahead a year, and beyond, to what my own personal future will be like.

Wish me luck.

It's the Little Things in Life that Restore my Faith in Humanity

2009-05-03T02:04:00.004-04:00

In what may be the cutest experiment ever conducted, Kacie Kinzer proves that humans are, in fact, not completely self-absorbed assholes.

Behold: Tweenbots, science guaranteed to make you squee.

It doesn't take much time on a crowded New York City sidewalk to come to the conclusion that humans operate completely independent from one another, with absolutely no regard for anyone but themselves. Concerned by this observation, Kinzer set out to prove everyone wrong.

And so, she developed a Tweenbot, an adorable cardboard robot that slowly moves forward in only a straight line. Each bot has a flag asking for help in being guided to a far-away destination, which it can only reach by being dependent on human strangers to steer it in the right direction and away from obstacles or danger. The odds against a successfuly journey were many:

-the extremely fragile and vulnerable state of the Tweenbot
-the great possibility to steer wildly off course (hell, it's difficult enough to navigate cities sometimes, even with a cognitive brain)
-the dangers of traffic/construction/being trampled by a mob of businessmen
-the jadedness of New Yorkers, who might possibly not have the heart even to help a wee little robot
-the possibility of the bot being suspected as a terrorist

Kinzer inconspicuously followed the bot with a hidden video camera from a distance to watch people's reactions to Tweenbot. The results surprised her and the description sent me into fits of delighted giggles. Over a course of a few months and many expeditions, every single Tweenbot made it successfully to their destinations with the help of strangers. Not even one was damaged. Every time a bot became stuck, someone would come to its rescue. People seemed to instantly care deeply about the fate of the Tweenbot, and those that helped it represented every kind of person imaginable. Some ignored the destination and pointed it in a different direction to avoid getting stuck or damaged. Some even talked to it. My favorite anecdote was of a man who pointed a bot away from rolling into traffic and said to it, You can’t go that way, it’s toward the road.”

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised myself. I was waiting for heartbreak of a robot that was left to wander astray into an open pothole or, even worse, was purposely broken by hoodlums. I didn't have faith enough in humanity that each Tweenbot would make it safely to their destinations. But, if the thought of a little smiling robot traveling on its ownsome throughout New York isn't heartwarming enough, there's a video.

I was going to attempt to make some grand statements about the gloriousness of this experiment, but I think Kinzer herself said it best:

The journey the Tweenbots take each time they are released in the city becomes a story of people's willingness to engage with a creature that mirrors human characteristics of vulnerability, of being lost, and of having intention without the means of achieving its goal alone. As each encounter with a helpful pedestrian takes the robot one step closer to attaining its destination, the significance of our random discoveries and individual actions accumulates into a story about a vast space made small by an even smaller robot.

Albertine Press Knows Simple, Cute Design

2009-05-03T01:29:00.012-04:00

Tucked into a building full of independent artists' businesses in Somerville, MA is the small office of Albertine Press. I've acquired quite the obsession with printmaking lately and seeing this operation in person really hit the spot.

The room boasts three antique printing presses and is filled with boxes of letters to be set. Everything is done the old fashioned way and by hand. Shelley Barandes, the owner and designer of Albertine Press, demonstrates how the image of a telephone is created by rolling a piece of blue paper through the roller covered in black ink. Her deft hands produce about twenty copies in the few minutes she's rolling. She says this procedure usually results in a few hundred prints an hour. While it may not have the efficiency of a larger press, each print is lovingly made and completely one-of-a-kind. Even in these few examples there is a variety of positions and shades, making each product unique.

Barandes has an adorable tongue-in-cheek design aesthetic. Her studio is full of cards, prints, journals and examples of custom-designed invitations and announcements. These are just a few examples of what she has to offer:From top left, clockwise:

1. A collection of graduation themed blank notecards (hint, hint)
2. "Dear Mom and Dad, I joined the circus, Love me." This was probably my favorite of her designs and, judging from the T-shirts and tote bags with this print on them, I'd venture to guess it's Barandes' favorite too.
3. An adorable fold out mini-calendar.
4. A set of coasters, 4 for $1 that I ended up bringing home with me.

Whenever I get to see the people behind indie names, I always feel inspired to devote more of my business to independent stores. I love knowing exactly where things come from and having confidence that the artist who made them took great care in creating what I now hold in my hands. It's a much more intimate experience than imagining a line of factory workers and machines. So make yourself happy, make local artists' happy, make everyone happy by supporting your local artists.

Taza Iced Hot Chocolate Recipe

2009-05-03T01:19:00.002-04:00

On my tour of the Taza Chocolate factory (which you can read about here )I got to sample a delicious concoction of iced hot chocolate made from their spicy chile chocolate. They were giving away the recipe, so I thought I'd post it here.

Ingredients
6 oz Taza Chocolate Mexicano (any flavor, but I highly suggest the chile kind for an added kick)
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 c milk
3 cups ice
whipped cream and chocolate shavings, for garnish.

Directions
1. Chop chocolate into small pieces and melt in a small heavy saucepan, or in the top of a double broiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the sugar, stirring constantly until blended.

2. Remove from heat and slowly add .5 c of the milk, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

3. In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

4. Enjoy!

Taza: It's What's For Dessert

2009-05-03T00:33:00.008-04:00

As a budding foodie, and member of the female race, I can appreciate a good piece of chocolate. And by chocolate, I don't mean any of that Hershey's crap, which will do in a pinch but I'm now far too spoiled to truly enjoy, I mean REAL chocolate. So that's why I jumped at the chance to get a free tour of Taza Chocolate's factory in Somerville, MA.For one day, the hip young owners of this artisan chocolate company transformed their two floor factory to be open to the public. The tour started off wonderfully enough, with a room that was part store, part taste-test center. They had an absolutely delicious iced hot chocolate made from their spicy chile chocolate (I posted the recipe here) and about a dozen cups of differently flavored chocolate chunks. It was the first time I had tasted Taza, and I was admittedly taken aback. It has a unique texture, much grainier than I (and, it turns out, most of the U.S) am used to. The floral notes, which usually requires developing a taste for, were much more present. I almost didn't recognize the taste as chocolate, since it didn't have the sweetness of milk chocolate or the bitterness of dark. It turned out to be an entirely new chocolate experience. In a few minutes, one of the owners gathered us around to begin the tour and I learned exactly why this is.Taza is a bean-to-bar chocolatier, one of only 25 bean-to-bar companies in the United States. This means they're in charge of the entire process, and Taza went even further by cutting out the middle-man and creating direct relationships with their cacao bean growers in Mexico. This enables them to pay the growers 15% more than any fair trade or organic company. Because of this Taza understandably becomes the farmers' favorite customer, and they make sure to reserve the cream of the crop for Taza only. After this introductory shpeal, we head into the bean preperation room. (Unfortunately, we were unable to see the top floor where they mix and mold the chocolate due to sanitary reasons.)

We gather round a beautiful red machine that reminds me a bit of an invention Dr. Suess would draw. This is the roaster, and Taza's particular machine is a 1950s model rescued from Germany. They follow a strict "slow and low" roasting method, which allows for the floral notes to fully come to the surface and not get burnt out like when cheap chocolate brands roast their beans. Next they get dumped in a winnowing machine which sorts out any twigs or other foreign earthen material, cracks the beans and separates the shells from the cocoa nibs. Taza sells the shells to local tea or brewing companys to make chocolate infused drinks, then takes the nibs upstairs to be ground, mixed, and molded.
So, you know how I was surprised by the granular texture? Here's why. The majority of America's chocolate lovers are used to the European style of artisan chocolate, which grinds the beans to a much finer paste and "conchs" the mixture, or intensely process the chocolate to create a much smoother, silkier texture. Taza is one of the only companies to bring the Mexican style of chocolate artisanry to the U.S. This means that they stone grind the beans on a mill, which have a much courser surface (that wheel on the table in the picture above is one of their stone grinds). They also don't conch the chocolate. Once the nibs are ground they stir in sugar, vanilla beans, cocoa butter and any other flavoring and that's that. The mixture is then put into molds, set,hand-wrapped and labeled.

There you have it. The story of Taza from bean-to-bar. Their products are sold in various independent shops around Massachusetts, or can be ordered from their site, linked above.

Style Inspiration: Drew Barrymore In and Out of Grey Gardens

2009-04-22T18:06:00.002-04:00

2009 is proving to be the year of the fashion movie.

The HBO movie, Grey Gardens premiered last weekend after months of buzz within the industry. Fashionistas have long been inspired by the eccentric style of Little Edie Beale after the 1973 documentary came out, exploring the lives of her and her mother who never left their home at Grey Gardens. While the documentary certainly gave a sense of their characters, the movie appears to detail their socialite lifestyle before they, well, lost it, which was always something I wanted to know more of. But while the story and the acting look marvelous, what's been really catching everyone's eye, of course, is the fashion. The costume director, Catherine Marie Thomas, has been acclaimed for her seamless transition from 1920s to 1970s fashion, as well as paying strict attention to detail in bringing the Beales' style to the screen.

The trailer and the following stills are a testament to this:

A delightful surprise that has come with the movie is watching Drew Barrymore clearly taking style cues from her role on the red carpet. Her outfit to the New York City premiere of the movie was absolutely breathtaking, one of the best looks I've ever seen.
Her L.A look was wonderful as well.

Despite her gigs with beauty campaigns, Drew has been fading fast from the fashion spotlight. I'm glad to see her back on top where she belongs.

Crafty Chica Celebrates Earth Day

2009-04-22T18:01:00.003-04:00

One of the best celebrations of Earth Day I've found so far is that Crafty Chica is posting a new craft using recycled materials every hour for the full twenty-four hours of Earth Day. Some of them are more exciting and innovative than others (like, I'm sure by now most of us are aware that decoupage is a good way to recycle old magazines)but I'm sure you'll be intrigued by most of them. She actually seems to be saving her best projects for last, like her most recent post of a coffee can clock or her pretty memory jars .

Facebook Etiquette

2009-04-22T16:51:00.003-04:00

I'm a sucker for these old school educational videos and this spoof on Facebook etiquette especially tickles my fancy because it's a topic I hold dear to my heart.

1. Don't post slutty pictures.
That's what Myspace is for.

2. Don't carry out drama via status updates or wall postings.
I have seen some incredibly personal things pop up on my newsfeed. People slander their ex or current significant others and exchange insults in comments and on their walls. Don't fight on Facebook. Don't provoke drama. Sometimes this can be entertaining, but mostly it just makes everyone else really uncomfortable. Refrain.

3. Avoid awkward friending situations.
A good rule of thumb for older relatives new to Facebook who want to add their younger relatives as a friend is to discuss this matter beforehand in person. The majority of younger people feel uncomfortable with their parents or relatives having access to their Facebooks, but feel bad denying their mom's friend request. It's best to find out where they stand beforehand.

4. Know when to make what you put on Facebook public.
If you're in charge of posting pictures from last night's party, be sure to know where the guests stand on having these kinds of pictures of them available first. It's a good rule of thumb to keep these albums friends only. But don't go overboard. People want their friends to be able to see their pictures, so don't keep things too much on lockdown. On a similar note, be nice and don't upload really unflattering pictures of your friends. One word: karma.

5. Don't get Application Happy.
Yes, there are hundreds of funny little applications to add on Facebook and many people love them. But, many people don't. It'll be easy to tell which of your friends actually enjoy getting dozens of application invites a day, so restrict your application activity to these friends alone. Do not send them to your other friends. Period.

A Model On A Magazine Cover?

2009-04-14T19:23:00.006-04:00

The highly anticipated May cover of Vogue that actually has -gasp!- models on it has leaked and I have to say that it is an incredible disappointment.

First of all, the design is terrible. I can't help but compare it to the last cover they did like this where they profiled who they predicted to be the next big things, which actually looked like a photo you'd find in a fashion spread...not like the America's Next Top Model image where each eliminated model fades out from. And the shot itself is simply lackluster. I can't imagine what an outsider of the fashion world must think when they look and this, knowing they're supposed to be seeing the biggest faces of the moment. All of the girls' expressions look like the photographer told them to be ready on 3 and then took the picture on 2.

Secondly, I'm pretty sure the post-production editor of this image was completely wasted while working on this. I was shocked that they had left out Caroline Trentini, who has jumped in clothes in front of a plain background in pretty much every issue of Vogue for the past year, until I realized oh, there she is on the bottom right, barely looking like herself. And it wasn't until I read the names listed below it that I realized that the girl third from the right in the top row was supposed to be Jourdan Dunn, Photoshopped to unrecognition.

Thirdly, I can't wrap my head around their choices of who to put on the cover. Raquel Zimmerman (second from the right, top row) makes complete sense, as well as Caroline Trentini and Jourdan Dunn once you realize they're there. They're the models I actually see being used time and time again, but then why are they tucked away in the foldout and not on the actual cover? Instead we find Natalia Vodianova front and center, who has been around for years and whose career I consider waning. And where are the, perhaps, most popular supermodels today, whose names might actually be known by people who don't follow fashion as closely, like Agyness Deyn, Jessica Stam and Lily Cole? Where's Chanel Iman, Coco Rocha and Sasha Pivovarova? If these are supposed to be the top models of the moment, then why don't I recognize any of these other girls? Natasha Poly (top right) and Lara Stone (center, bottom row) look and sound vaguely familiar but if they're not in the lexicon, then what are they doing there?

I was so looking forward to this image because, as I think many people were, I had hope that this would be one last hurray for the decidedly tumbling reign of American Vogue. But, sadly, it was just yet another disappointment.

AmazonFail

2009-04-12T21:28:00.003-04:00

Hmm, I do love Amazon, but they have committed an epic fail.

Today the internet is abuzz with Amazon's decision to remove adult material from their book rankings, deeply affecting their sales by burying them deep in search results even when the exact title is searched for.

However, Amazon's definition of "adult material" seems to only include homosexual books (even of not erotic material), feminist literature, and self-help books for rape and sexual assault. Any quick search will still bring up a plethora of heterosexual erotic literature, sex guides with graphic covers, misogynist titles and a list of sex toys even if you refine your search to only books.

People are rallying for an Amazon boycott and within a day almost 500 members have joined the Facebook group protesting the act. There is also an online petition that has close to 5,000 signatures.

Amazon has yet to issue a public comment.

UPDATE: Read Jezebel's post about Amazon's response.

Let's Go To The North End

2009-04-12T18:55:00.002-04:00

There are few things I consider myself an expert on. Dessert is one of them. And I'm lucky to live in walking distance to one of the best streets for dessert in the United States: Hanover Street in the North End. When every single storefront looks so deliciously tempting, visitors may want to turn to expert advice on where to go.

1. Mike's Pastry : Ok, so my first choice may be a bit controversial to local Bostonians, who often deem Mike's a tourist trap in lieu of what they consider the more authentic (but what I consider highly overrated) Modern Pastry. But I say I know an excellent dessert when I taste one. The thought alone of their strawberry cheesecake, their raspberry mocha cake, their chocolate chip conolis, gets my mouth watering. And their cappuccinos, complete with rock candy stirrer, are the perfect antidote to chilly Boston nights. They have all the classics here bumped up to a level that's difficult to beat. Plus, I love the bustling atmosphere.

2. Bova's Bakery : There are certain times that call for dessert past the 9 o'clock closing time of the rest of the North End bakeries, and that's when you should head one street over to Salem Street and take a visit to Bova's, the 24 hour bakery. The selection is smaller but still delicious; usually undetectable in difference to Mike's. And the price is hard to beat. When I found myself alone there on Valentine's Day (and therefore particularly vulnerable to the lure of dessert) and faced with the $10 credit card minimum, I ended up walking away with a box full of treats that lasted me for days.

3. Lulu's Bake Shoppe : This adorable hole-in-the-way can be easily passed by, but it's not one to be missed. The decor is of a vintage sweet shop and the selection is simple, delicious confections. They specialize in cupcakes and, to be honest, these are the best cupcakes in the city. I want so desperately to fall in love with the fancier cupcake shops like Sweet or Kickass Cupcakes, but to me they get a bit too full of themselves. Their cupcakes are miniscule and too over-the-top and way too sweet. Lulu's are the perfect step up from the cupcakes you can make yourself; the comfort of what you crave with the something extra only a professional can create. And, unlike their competitors, their prices are right (no $4 cupcakes here).

4. Gelateria Of course a list of Italian dessert places can not be complete without a mention of where to get some gelato. This little shop has barely enough room to stand to admire the displays of gelato but it's well worth the tight fit. Their interesting flavors is what really sets them apart: passionfruit, hazelnut, tiramisu as well as a few flavors that apparently simply can't be translated. The downside of this place is it's absurdly priced. I think it's about $5 for a small.

5. Cafe Vittoria For a place where you can actually sit down to eat, try Cafe Vittoria, a classic coffeehouse. The cappuccino almost (almost) rivals Mike's and the small dessert list has all the classics. The place is dark and filled with old Italian men and opera plays even though the Red Sox are muted on the TVs. It's easy to let yourself be fooled that you're somewhere off in Italy when relaxing in this lovely cafe.

As an added bonus, I'll let you in on the best places to eat your treats because, as you might've gathered, you'll only manage to get yourself a table in one of these places if you're blessed with the best of luck. You can walk down to the end of Hanover Street to the harbour and eat overlooking the water. Or, follow the Freedom Trail to a few choice spots. The old North Church where Paul Revere's warning lanterns were hung is right off Hanover Street and has a long entrance lined with benches. Or follow it away from the North End to Feneuil Hall and take a seat there. Or, you might find an empty bench along Hanover Street. But, wherever you choose to go, go there slowly. The North End is the most romantic area in Boston and deserves the chance to be soaked in.

Debit? Credit? Heroin?

2009-03-30T17:55:00.005-04:00

Hi, my name is Audrey Monroe, and I'm a shopaholic.

Despite the fact that I haven't had extra cash to spend on extravagant items like clothes and shoes (of which I really don't need any more of, if I'm honest with myself) in roughly a year, I still continue to shop whenever I come into even the slightest amount of money. It's not even the need of new things that normally drives me, but the need to shop. I walk into a store and my whole body feels more relaxed and happier, the feelings ever intensified by the weight of shopping bags in my hands. When I'm down, I find myself itching to shop. I am a wholehearted believer in retail therapy. I've even found myself saying "it's a good thing I don't have money right now, because if I did, a whole lot of it would be disappearing right now," and then I go get myself a pint of ice cream instead. By the time I started likening shopping to "a fix" I started to wonder, is it possible that shopping is as physically addicting a behavior as, say, doing drugs? Does retail therapy really sooth the soul as much as a morphine drip?

Well, maybe it isn't so surprising to serious shoppers like myself but research has shown that shopping actually releases the same chemicals in the brain as other activities we associate with "a high" like drugs or sex. When researchers monitored the brain activity of women shopping they found that the reward center was activated, stimulating the release of dopamine and serotonin. (Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters involved with drug addiction and impulsive behavior.) Interestingly enough, this heightened activity wasn't necessarily associated with discovering the items the women would end up buying. Sometimes it was simply an exchange with a friendly sales clerk or looking at an eye-pleasing display, or the anticipation of turning into a new aisle, making the shopping experience as a whole what brought on the euphoric feeling.

Another theory is that women tend to go on shopping sprees in time with their hormonal cycles. During ovulation, we're subconsciously trying to appear more attractive for prospective mates, since it's the window for our highest state of fertility.

Besides the chemical reaction, there is a deeply rooted psychological reasoning behind the need to shop as well. First of all, it's a social activity, and many women crave interaction with other women. This is a very basic need and, since women have largely been responsible for shopping for the household ever since marketplaces existed, the two are intrinsically connected in our minds. Also, as materialistic as it may sound, shopping is a crucial part of the quest for identity. Buying new things closes the gap between who we are and who we aspire to be.

Part of me wishes I never discovered this information. For awhile I've almost considered my shopping addiction as a flaw, but the next time I'm fighting the urge to go strolling round the stores to swear off the blues I'll just give in. It's written in the way my brain is wired, after all.

Dick Quote(s) of the Week

2009-03-30T17:31:00.002-04:00

In this blog post some guy named OneVike argues that the passing of the 19th Amendment (women's suffrage) was the beginning of this country's destruction. See, now that women can vote, all of our emotions get in the way of men's logical decisions. I really can't stoop to argue his points, so just allow me to share some of his gems:

"The result of the 19th amendment has been the ascension to power by the same kind of Marxists Ronald Reagen defeated from the Soviet Union. The weapon of destruction was not a nuclear warhead though, it was an emotional outburst that melted the brains of logic."

"When you raise a child it is logical to slap their hands or spank their behind when they do bad things. It is the interference of emotional feelings that allows laws to be passed that condemn that kind of love as child abuse."

"And please do not bring up all the wars men have gotten us into. The biggest war in history was WWII, and it happened with men elected after women around the world won the right to vote."

"Unfortunately men eventually abdicated their God given responsibility..."

"A couple of years ago I read a story that said there is over 100,000 federal, state, and local laws on the books that regulate or restrict some sort of normal human behavior. If you read all these laws you would see one common denominator, emotion."

"The last election was a Marxist revolution, and it was able to happen because emotions trumped logic."

But the terribleness/hilarity of it all doesn't stop with the post itself. Here are some excerpts from the comments:

"Damn right. The 19th amendment has ruined America. Thanks to oprah and daytime television we have a marxist in the white house."

"My wife agrees with this. She suggested it to me 20 years ago. She said most young women will vote for a husband and/or father to provide for them.That way eventually brings Stalin or at least Mussolini."

"The future of the world is probably with India and China, or with Islam. In China and India girl children in great numbers do not succeed in getting born. In Islamistan females are held to the status of cattle and goats and will never rule. And the wealthier men have multiple wives so that many men stay womanless and aggressive."

"Stuttering Barack Oteleprompter"

"I am a woman - I agree with this article. In the words of my late Father, "If we left it up to women, we'd still be riding around in ox carts with wooden wheels." and they'd probably be square. Women are not anylitical, they only want to know if something works and HOPE for the best, they have no interest in how it works. Men by nature want to know how things work and OBTAIN the best. Except for men on the left, they have women-like tendencies."

" My mother always said giving women the right to vote was stupid. She claimed that they already had the right to vote and exercised it at the diner table and in the bedroom."

"Women voting eventually leads to socialism, especially when more and more women are liberated -- i.e., reporducing without husbands, and therefore looking for Big Brother to being a father to their little bastards."

People actually think like this. Gahhhhh

GOP Wants First Lady to be Nothing More Than First Housewife

2009-03-27T16:11:00.005-04:00

Congressman Darrell Issa (California) has reinstated his push to overturn a 1993 federal appeals court decision that granted first ladies the equivalent role of a federal employee. His amendment would bump public policy groups that first ladies' head down to an outside advisory panel, which would subject it to laws requiring them to meet in public and disclose its records. While Issa first started the effort last year while Bush is still in office, his recent surge of interest can be misconstrued as an attack on the much more politically active Michelle Obama. He insists that he's just trying to reinforce the transparency of federal government and to "protect the historic role of the first lady."(As in the role of Chief Entertainer and Decorator?)

All of the people I know who voted for Obama (and I know a lot of those people) have just as much respect for Michelle as they do for Barack. She is seen as an equal in the administration and everyone has been just as excited to see what she's been working on as they have with Barack. He has even said that he considers Michelle to be one of his most important and trusted advisers on public policy. It's crucial that Michelle remains just as powerful as she is now in order for the promises of the Obama campaign to be met.

Honestly, I'm not surprised at Issa's efforts. For someone whose voting record displays a number of offenses against women's rights (yes for a number of pro-life laws, no for many bills combating sex-discrimination in the workplace, no for laws against hate crimes) I can understand why Michelle is so scary. She is a woman who holds, gasp, one of the highest positions of power and who -eep!-is actually doing something good with that power to create-oh no!-change for the better. You're right, Issa, she really should just be sipping tea instead.

A Cause Worth Fighting For...Maybe

2009-03-27T15:56:00.002-04:00

Apparently the annual revision of the Collins Dictionary has gotten a number of people up-in-arms about which words are getting cut due to their assumed anachronistic quality. The decision even raised a number of protests to prove that some of the words were still crucial in everyday language. They caused such a kerfuffle that six words were saved from the chopping block including:

Agrestic: rural, rustic, unpolished, uncouth
Compossible: possible in coexistence with something else
Periapt: a charm or amulet (this one, in particular, was saved by the protests of Dungeons and Dragons players)
Apodeictic: true by virtue of demonstration
Fubsy: short and stout
Skirr: a whirring sound, as of the wings of birds in flight

(Funny story: all six of these words got the red squiggle as I typed them.)

To see the eighteen words that are now cut from the dictionary, go here . I'm a little sad to see "embrangle" (to confuse or entangle) go.

While I commend these people for fighting for language rights, I do find it a little silly. I'm pretty sure the only time I care if a word is in the dictionary or not before I use it is while playing Scrabble. In fact, I make up words all the time (I believe that, as a writer, I have the right to do so). And I'm certain that the average teenager doesn't care that half of the words that come out of their mouths don't actually exist.

However, now that I know that "fubsy" is a word, I'll be using it all the time.

The Book as Art

2009-03-25T22:24:00.003-04:00

Now, I'll admit, I never have had high expectations when it comes to college art museums, but I was completely blown away by the Book as Art exhibit at Boston College's McMullen Museum of Art.

The show exhibits over 80 interpretations of book-making by female artists from around the world. Don't expect to see dozens of watercolor accordion books. This exhibit really forces the viewer to expand their views on what book is and how we tell stories.

The works mostly fall into two categories. The first reimagines the book as a medium, using its pages as the base for sculpture as seen in this salad book. One of the most memorable pieces was an entire picnic scene created from paper. But one of my favorites was a pie book, where the artist made eight slices of pie from folded paper. When folded and put together it looked like a painting of a cherry pie in its aluminum tin, but once you took out each piece and unfolded it, a pie recipe was revealed.
The rest of the piece explored how we tell our stories. This picture shows a project the artist completed in her travels, when she combined her tea-time with her journal-writing time, writing her entries on the dried tea bags she had used. Another creative piece had six pieces of soap. Once each piece was used up a piece of a story written on linen was unlocked. One of the most moving pieces in the exhibit was a silk children's nightgown with portraits of family members silkscreened onto the hem and key words of the artist's family history was scribbled around the rest of the dress.
The Book of Art exhibit runs through May 31st and is free and open to the public.

The Powder and the Glory

2009-03-25T22:12:00.002-04:00

Hot damn, yet another interesting documentary is on the scene. The Powder and the Glory tells the story of Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, who were responsible for bringing cosmetics out in the open in upperclass society. These two women immigrated to New York in the late 1800s and by the early 1900s had essentially creating the beauty industry. I've read a bit about these two characters before and it is an incredibly fascinating and inspiring story. Unfortuantly, I missed the premier on PBS last Monday, so I'm hoping to catch a rerun or somehow watch it online.

These Exist:

2009-03-25T22:11:00.002-04:00

Faux denim leggings.

That's all I have to say.

The Japanese Do It Again

2009-03-25T22:02:00.002-04:00

This is probably the greatest idea ever.

Due to the minuscule apartments in Japan's overcrowded cities, many people simply don't have the room to keep pets anymore. But they still crave the experience. The solution? Open up cat cafes, where customers come spend about $8USD an hour to come cuddle with the 19 cats that live in house while sipping some coffee or tea. The cats aren't strays and are treated and cared for round-the-clock at the cafe, so this solution is a lot less stressful and disease-prone than similar services like pet rental companies.

I know that I, personally, sometimes choose where I conduct my business based on whether or not they have a store pet. So if there is a cafe where they have 19 store pets, you know I'll be there, and I wouldn't doubt many other people would be there too.

Dressing For A Summer Internship

2009-03-25T20:24:00.002-04:00

So, I snagged myself a summer internship at my favorite magazine and it's now near enough in the future for me to start thinking about the ever-so-important question of "but what do I wear?"

I think a take on the following four kinds of outfits is enough to get everyone through the summer.

1. The Suit

Intern professional - by kissmeducky on Polyvore.com
Since an internship is the first step into the career world, it's time to take on the suit. Contrary to what is so often seen on the streets, a suit does not have to be boxy and ill-fitting. There are tons of young, fitting styles available (especially in H&M). I like to keep the suit itself fairly simple, this Vivian Westwood blazer is the epitome of feminine work-wear, and then make the outfit pop with statement making shirts, shoes and accessories.

2. The Dress

Intern dress - by kissmeducky on Polyvore.com
An important concept to master is the ability for an outfit to transfer from day to night. Pair a dress with a bold print and appropriate cut with simple, elegant accessories. You won't look like you're in last-night's clothes and you'll stand out around the office. Of course, a carry-all tote that can match with anything in your closet is a must for running around on errands.

3. The Skirt

Intern skirt - by kissmeducky on Polyvore.com
A clean, simple shirt-and-skirt combo is a classic route to office dressing. This outfit is easy and fun. White tees are a staple to match with skirts or suits. I just hope that skirt is long enough to be appropriate!

4. The Casual Look

Intern casual - by kissmeducky on Polyvore.com
Based on what internship you have, casual dressing is a must. But, even if you're working in a really casual environment it's important to always look put together (think of it as a three-month long interview). Jeans should be fitting and fully in tact. Dark, slim jeans are a no-brainer. Match them with interesting graphic tees or girlier options and then pile on the fun accessories. Case in point: that awesome octopus ring and adorable doggy bag.

When Burlesque and Vintage Fashion Combine They Create Heaven

2009-03-24T01:00:00.002-04:00

...or the Great Boston Burlesque Expo and Vintage Fashion Fair.
When: April 10-12
Where: The Hyatt Regency, 575 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139
What: a nonstop weekend of classes, art shows, fashion fairs, conventions and parties.

The Conference lasts all day, which is a series of classes on all aspects of burlesque from business to technique. A full day of classes is $45.

Along with The Conference is the Vintage Fashion Fair, which includes a costume exhibit, a visual art show, drop-in-classes for only $10 and bird-of-a-feather meet-and-greets. Admission to the Fair is included with any ticket to the burlesque expo, or is only $10 ($5 in advance).

The evenings conclude with a different burlesque performance each day, ranging from $30-$50 in price of admission. (There are also combination packages available).

How much fun does that sound? The answer: so fun.

And, I have an amazing tip for you: do you want to experience most of what the Expo has to offer for next to nothing? Ask to volunteer In exchange for me spending six hours on Friday helping with the costume exhibit and five hours on Sunday doing the registration booth I am getting all of this:

a ticket to the opening night pool party on Friday, 4/10
Admission to the Vendor Exhibit
Admission to the Costume Display
Admission to Art Show
A 50% discount on the Drop-in classes ($5 instead of $10)
Admission to the Birds of a Feather sessions
A copy of Make Some Noise, the soundtrack for The Great Boston Burlesque Expo
a 25% discount on anything you want to register for
access to the Staff Den where breakfast and snacks throughout the day are provided

Whew. Hopefully I will see you all there!

Yum Yum, Yumberry

2009-03-22T13:28:00.003-04:00

Look out acai berries, there's a new superfood out on the shelves. Lately, the hot ingredient all the healthy drinks have been boasting has been the yumberry, an anglicized pronunciation of the Chinese yang-mei fruit. Although the berry has been harvested for thousands of years in China for its medicinal abilities, it has just crossed over to Western markets last year in juice form. Its taste is quite similar to pomegranate and lends a sweet and tangy kick. The fruit is claimed to be extremely rich in antioxidants and vitamins, curing everything from stomachaches to high cholestoral and blood pressure. An added bonus is that, since the trees are highly tolerant of pests and diseases, the yumberry is mostly grown organically.

My Heart is Broken, Mended, Then Broken Again

2009-03-19T14:41:00.003-04:00

Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone are engaged.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know Marc is gay, but I still had my hopes up that maybe one day we would be together.

But, I must hold my head up high and be happy for him. And, besides, that is perhaps the hottest couple ever to exist so at least I get to look at pictures like the one to the left.

But, then again, now Marc Jacobs and I will never be together.

Leave My Childrens' Books Alone!

2009-03-17T20:09:00.003-04:00

It started when I stopped reading the Narnia series halfway through when I found out they were a biblical allegory. Ever since then, the discovery of the political undertow of my favorite kids' books has both fascinated and disturbed me. Some of the following are inarguable facts, while others are merely theories discussed by adult readers since publication, which poses another interesting question about our quest to find deeper meaning in everything we read.

Dr. Seuss began his career as a political cartoonist for the left-leaning magazine PM during World War II. His distinctive style was established from the beginning to portray grievances against isolationism, racism, Hitler, Mussolini, the Japanese and American conservatism. Even some of his characters from his later books appear first in these cartoons. Seuss is often critiqued for his depiction of the Japanese which, despite his crusade against racism for others, are disturbingly stereotypical. His political views extended to his childrens' books, which he started publishing after his cartoonist career. The Lorax has strong environmental messages, The Sneetches preaches racial tolerance and Yertle the Turtle cautions against dictatorship. Even The Cat in the Hat's red striped hat is a take on Uncle Sam's cap. Source

Eric Carle charms us with his whimsical, cheery children's tales of caterpillars turning into butterflies, mice finding unexpected friendships and chameleons who find self-acceptance. But a recent article in Newsweek claims that these fanciful picture books are Carle's way of recreating a happy childhood he feels he never had. Born in 1929 in Syracuse, NY to German immigrants, Carle's mother soon moved the family back to Germany a few years before Word War II began. After Carle's dad was drafted into the German army, his family spent the war hiding in the cellars from bombs and dodging bullets in the streets. His salvation was an art teacher who secretly schooled him in the works of forbidden artists like Picasso and Matisse. Thankfully, like so many of his characters that start out lonely and unsatisfied with their lives, Carle has built himself a very comfortable and happy life. He runs a picture-book museum in Amherst, MA and his most popular book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is the second most best-selling childrens' book of all time, after Peter Rabbit.

The political correctness of Babar has been fiercely debated. To the critical reader, the story of the elephant king reveals itself to be a celebration of colonialism and imperialism. The series begins with the uneducated and unclothed (African) Babar discovering the delights of a Parisian city. He soon becomes civilized and begins a missionary effort back in his kingdom, adopting his new ideals throughout the land. Those animals that don't assimilate to this civilized manner, such as the rhinoceros, are subordinated and ultimately defeated. All of this is clearly based on the model of French imperialism, but some critics argue that the author, Jean de Brunhoff, was actually criticizing the system through his allegory. They turn to the stories' comedy and the consequences of the elephants' civilization as evidence. Source

Another author who has ambiguous political leanings is Herge, the author of the Tintin series. Herge started his cartooning career in Belgium in 1929. When the Nazis occupied the country in 1940, his Tintin series was extremely popular. Not wanting to cut his burgeoning career short, Herge agreed to work for the Nazi controlled newspaper, Le Soir, which was often used for anti-Semitic propaganda. Although his Tintin strips remained neutral towards Germany's efforts, he was still considered a Nazi sympathizer. When Brussels was liberated in 1944, Herge was one of the 600,000 people arrested on suspect of treason. He endured a two-year exilation from the press and it was only until he was granted a "certificat de civisme" by popular Resistance fighter, Raymond Leblanc, that he was accepted once more by the public and was put in charge of a weekly Tintin magazine.Evidence of all varieties of political thought can be found in the Tintin series, from anti-capitalistic leanings when Tintin visits Chicago to pro-imperialistic views when he is in the Congo to attacking the German occupation itself in the Shooting Star. Yet suspicions of the author, along with his own guilt and confusion, followed him for the rest of his career. Source

The Wizard of Oz is yet another political allegory. Almost every aspect of the story is associated with factors of Populism and the Gilded Age in the turn of the century. The Wicked Witch of the East represents eastern industrialists who controlled the people (or Munchkins; since the common man felt belittled by his lack of voice in the government), the Scarecrow is the farmers, the Tinman is the dehumanized industrial worker and the Cowardly Lion is the Populist presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan. The Yellow Brick Road led to danger as the Gold Standard did while Dorothy's silver slippers represented the Populists' proposed solution to the economic failings of the time. Emerald City was Washington DC and the wizard, which is only a bumbling old man hiding behind the facade of greatness, is all the presidents of the Gilded Age. Altogether the tale is supposedly about the Populists' failed attempts to reform the country during this period. Source

PETA, You Have Gone Way, Way, Way Too Far

2009-03-13T14:57:00.002-04:00

I've handled news about PETA's strange campaigns like asking Ben and Jerry's to use human breast milk in their ice cream and calling fish Sea Kittens fairly well. I shake my head and get disturbed then laugh a little and wait until the next bizarreo PETA related news comes to the surface. But this time, PETA has gone from the strange lonely uncle to the stark-raving mad cat lady down the street.

They have contacted George Clooney saying they have required one of his sweaty towels and are asking permission to harvest his sweat to use as an ingredient in Clooney-flavored tofu: CloFu.

Well, PETA, you've pretty much left me speechless, except to say

what

the

fuck?

Two Fashion Movies I'm Dying To See

2009-03-05T21:31:00.003-05:00

1. Valentino: The Last Emperor

Although Valentino has never graced my list of favorite designers, there is no denying the respect the man deserves. He was a true artist, a coutourier in all sense of the word. As the director of the documentary, R.J Cutler, puts it:

"Valentino is the last of his breed, really. I mean, he is the last coutourier, he is the last person who apprenticed in the fifties and has still been at work up until only a few months ago. He does something that no one else in the world does anymore. So, when he stepped down that was the end of the era, of a dynasty, really. So we called it The Last Emperor as an homage to his mastery of an exquisite art, that really can't exist anymore in the way that he practiced it."

Even though the film was only shot in 2006, it will truly be like taking a glimpse back into another time and another world where the name of a fashion house was still at its head. And Valentino is so clearly passionate about his life's work and I want to see that play out on the screen. I love his line from the sneak peek I saw : "I love beauty, it's not my fault." And I can't see this film being anything but beautiful.
Or, maybe it's just the promise of Valentino's beloved herd of pugs getting massive amounts of screen time that's intriguing me...

2. The September Issue

Well, I watch The Devil Wears Prada bimonthly, I watch Ugly Betty every week, and I was one of the only loyal viewers of Stylista, but still my craving to know what happens inside the Vogue offices is still not satisfied. Perhaps because I know these are all fantasy versions of the real thing, so when I first heard about the documentary that follows the progress of the largest issue of Vogue ever to be made (the September issue of last year, hence the title), I basically peed myself. (On a side note: how perfect is the poster for the movie?) Anna Wintour, and the whole Vogue enterprise really, is such an enigmatic icon that the promise of a glimpse of the truth has all us fashionistas chomping at the bit. And, as Vogue's reign is drawing to an end in so many of our eyes, I think this film will serve as a lovely, if not tragic, obituary.

I'm still unsure as to when and where civilians can see these movies, but I would love to spend an afternoon with both of them back-to-back. How perfect of a day would that be: watching a designer create beautiful clothing and then watch the process of that clothing being brought to the people?

Sigh.

Say What?

2009-03-04T16:37:00.003-05:00

Behold: the Dita, created by Cesare Paciotti, named after Dita Von Teese.

First of all, this shoe is atrocious. It looks like a five-year-old took all of her favorite things (sequins and rhinestones and sparkles, oh my!) and barfed it onto a dominatrix's closet (zippers and platform and chains...oh...my...). Honestly, who would wear this? What would you wear it with? Why does this shoe exist at all?

But its hideousness isn't its only offense. As a great admirer of Ms. Von Teese's style (when's she wearing clothes, that is) I cringe at the fact that this was created in her name. Isn't designing a piece for a muse supposed to reflect their style and character? What about Dita screams Gothic trash? Her look is classic, sexy, sassy, sophisticated, glamorous. To me, the only designer who could pull off a shoe in her name is Louboutin.
Sigh, that's better.

Heads and Tales

2009-03-01T17:31:00.002-05:00

If you're in the mood for something a little creepy, head on over to Harvard Square to the Pierre Menard Gallery to see the current exhibit Heads and Tales by Heide Hatry. It is a collection of photographs of Hatry's sculptures of female heads. If you're wondering why there are flies all over this example's face, well, it's because these aren't sculptures made of clay or bronze.

They're made of raw pig meat.

Hatry creates a base for the sculpture of clay, then covers it with a layer of meat and inserts pigs' eyes into the eye sockets. She then makes up the face much like a mortician does a corpse with makeup and hair to give it a somewhat lifelike appearance. Lastly she attaches more meat to create the lips. It is an extension of the metaphor of seeing women only as meat gone terribly, terribly wrong...but, in a way, oh so right.

In addition to the photographs, there is a block of writing mounted next to each sculpture. Hatry commissioned a number of writers to look at each sculpture and create a life for them. What is read is an excerpt of their story. Many of them deal with sexual abuse, prostitution, motherhood and other various uses of the female body. Some are written as if the woman is now dead. What Hatry is studying here is how women are viewed by society. She shows them only from the bust up and allows observers to imagine an identity for them based solely on their hair color and style, skintone, clothing, and the (often crazed) look in their eyes, therefore encouraging the perpetuity of stereotypes and assumptions based on women's looks.

I had been under the impression that, along with the photos, there would be a full sculpture on display, allowing the viewer to do this exercise for themselves, but when I visited it wasn't available for viewing. The exhibit was still worth viewing though. While there would've been more of an impact if the sculptures themselves were on display, the images and the concepts behind them were still thought-provoking, eery, captivating.

Westside Kitchen

2009-03-01T17:14:00.003-05:00

If you ever find yourself around around South Boston and your stomach starts to rumble, I highly suggested you stroll over to a lovely little hole-in-the-wall diner called Westside Kitchen. About a ten minute walk to 429 West Broadway (where you'll pass by funny little stores like The Boston Sweet Tooth...or the Boston Cash Register Store...) from the Broadway T station lies this charming and ridiculously inexpensive eatery. If you blink, you'd never know it was there, so this is why I need to tell you about it.

From the Yelp reviews I was expecting more of a kitchy old-fashion decor complete with a chain-smoking waitress wearing an apron who calls you "honey" in a thick Boston accent, so I was slightly disappointed to see the simple tables lined up in a very simple room surrounding the open kitchen. But as soon as the menus were set before us I was reminded why we sought this place out. This is what diner food is supposed to be, delicious mainstays of American food all at a reasonable, affordable price. And when the plates come, they're heaping. The mushroom swiss burger pictured in the forefront was $7, and the cheeseburger club sandwhich was also $7.

These dishes were only decided upon after pouring over the menu, gushing over all the options and lamenting "if only we lived closer we could come back all the time and then I could get____!" Fill in the blank with a fried chicken meal with two sides for $6, a hot pastrami sandwich for $5.50, a huge bowl of ravioli for $8. It's difficult to find an item for over $10, most of them being seafood dishes, so it's an ideal place to eat for us cash-strapped students. The service is speedy and they don't mind if you hang out for hours on end.

I've found it difficult to find a nice, classic diner in Boston, so the Westside Kitchen was a breath of fresh air.

Felt Quilted Glasses Case

2009-03-01T16:34:00.006-05:00

This is a pretty easy project to make a glasses case, or any bag really. And it's quick, it was completed within the time it took to watch a movie. All you'll need is:

Three colors of felt (or if you're making a larger bag, any number of colors. For this size, three makes an interesting pattern but isn't overwhelming)
needle and thread
fabric scissors
ruler
marker
closing notion (button, snap, Velcro)

Cut Out Your Squares

I decided to make the quilt out of squares that are about 1 inch by 1 inch. You will need one half that's the height of the glasses, and one half that's one square higher than that. I found that the front part worked with a 4x3 grid and the back part was 5x3. Therefore 22 squares are needed, 7 of each color with a few extra.

2. Arrange Your First Piece

Decide on your pattern. If you want an easy solution arrange them like this:
A B C
B A B
C B A
B A C
Then start sewing by rows.

3. Complete Each Piece

After each row is sewn together, sew the rows to each other. Remember to keep the ride sides facing each other to keep the seams on the inside.

Then repeat step two with the second piece, which is one row taller than the first. You will now have two pieces of quilted fabric.

4. Sew Everything Together

I went into it deciding what size I liked for the squares best versus what size would actually work best to create a case that would fit so I had to trim each of my pieces a little or else my glasses would've been swimming in their case.

After that, simply put the right sides together and sew down the sides and along the bottom. Sew a button onto the front and cut a button hole in the top flap, or if you have snaps or velcro attach those instead. And, voila! A unique, handmade glasses case.

Hair Hats

2009-02-27T17:07:00.002-05:00

This is one of the most bizarre and awesome things I've ever seen. This artist makes animal sculpture hairdos.

From Grandma's Kitchen

2009-02-24T19:38:00.003-05:00

Fact: I love cute grandmas.

Fact: I'm really into cooking right now.

Fact: I love food cooked by grandmas.

Fact: I especially interested in how to cook good food for cheap.

Fact: I love stories told by grandmas.

Fact: A lot of people prefer getting their information by watching something rather than reading about it.

Where can you satisfy all of these facts rolled into one? On the You Tube series, Great Depression Cooking.

A 91 year old great-grandmother invites you into her kitchen as she teaches you how to make the meals that got her and her family through the Depression. Interspersed throughout are breaks for story-time, and who doesn't love story-time?

And, even though part of the YouTube charm is terrible quality, the production is pretty impressive in this. I'm sure her tech-savvy great-grandchildren are taking charge of that aspect...but part of me likes to believe she's manning it all on her own...

Audrey Monroe

Audrey Monroe Has Moved!

Fashionable History: Elsa Schiaperelli

I Love the Internet

It's Not Quite Jesus in a Potato Chip But...

...Ok, So Maybe the Cupcake Movement Isn't Exactly Over Yet...

Goodbye, Irving Penn

Eat Lunch Cheaply in Downtown Boston

Why Allo, Paris.

Making Art out of Missed Connections

I Think That I Need To Start Watching Sesame Street Again...

But Why Bacon?

And So Ends Another Year In New York...

The Most Anticipated September Issue

Fashionable History: Fashion Week

Some Questions I Have For Fashion Week

Fashion for Nerds

Yes, Dali, You Are Indeed Fou

Garfunkel and Oates Give Jemaine and Bret A Run For Their Money

The Best Part of Waking Up

She Speaks!

Elections in Afghanistan Highlight Women's Oppression

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parassus

Julie and Julia: Inspiration For Life, Cooking.

Heavy Rotation

Fall Fashion, My Way

Women Working Together

The Trifecta

Marc Jacobs Housewares Disconnect

Lily's Chanel Ads Make Me Smile

Death Becomes Them

The Fashion Show Has Drawn the Curtains

Take a Trip Through the 72 Year History of Chocolate Chip Cookies

I Am Neda update

He is Neda, Too

Destino Destined For 2010

Public Enemies

Dior Does it Again

La La La La La

They Say It's Your Birthday! (Dunna Dunna Dun!)

I Am Neda

Trailer for The September Issue

In More Sex and the City News...

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

First Glimpse of Alice in Wonderland

Wrong

I Simply Can't Ignore These Anymore

Hello, Lover

Happy Birthday To Me

Regina Spektor Goes Far

Summer Reading Update

Yes I Think I Can Judge So You Think You Can Dance

Lady Noise

Picks From Brookyln's Renegade Craft Fair

Obama Pours One Out For The Ladies

Allow Me To Blow Your Mind

The Good Wife's Guide, from the fourteenth century

Brown Bagging It Just Got Cuter

Adventures in Thai Cooking

Love This

It's True, Vitamins Are Good For You

Blogger Talk: Jen From The Haystack Needle

It's One of Those Movies

I Didn't Think They Could Get Any Cooler...

New Lady Blog is off to Flying Start

Short but Sweet

Vice Versa

Summer Reading

It's the Little Things in Life that Restore my Faith in Humanity

Albertine Press Knows Simple, Cute Design

Taza Iced Hot Chocolate Recipe

Taza: It's What's For Dessert

Style Inspiration: Drew Barrymore In and Out of Grey Gardens

Crafty Chica Celebrates Earth Day

Facebook Etiquette

More On The Valentino Documentary

A Model On A Magazine Cover?

AmazonFail

Let's Go To The North End

Debit? Credit? Heroin?