crazy for lemlem

Seriously, what the hell have I been doing for the past month?! My hair? Haha, yes I have actually been more coif conscious but the truth is I’ve been so distracted with Pintrest that I forgot that I don’t have to “reblog”…I actually have a blog. WTF? Anyway…here is my weekly obsession.

As if Jcrew didn’t do the Patio dress enough justice by giving it world-wide fame, the Lemlem website is making me go koo-koo for their everyday beachy wear. Their kid’s line is about as adorable as their women’s, lovely thin white cotton with bright striped accents, finished with knotted thread fringe. Tunics, dresses, wide leg pants and ponchos has me longing for a Venice Beach drum circle. You could basically wear these dresses to bed and then to a garden party. They also have a new home line with matching throws, pillows and towels. delish.

The scarves make you want to curl up in front of a bonfire and sing kumbaya. The line is as socially responsible as it is fabulous. Bonus! “Supermodel / actress and former World Health Organisation's Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Liya Kebede discovered that traditional weavers in her native country of Ethiopia were losing their jobs due to a decline in local demand for their goods and wanted to do something about it. Recognizing the beauty, quality and historic significance of their work, Liya started Lemlem in 2007 as a way to inspire economic independence in her native country and to preserve the art of weaving.”

Visit Lemlem.com for ordering 

Bed Head versus Wet Mop

Before...

Thank god I finally had my hair cut and colored yesterday. A much needed primp, as my grays started to take over my overgrown and unstyled locks. My layers were so long they had caught up with the rest of the party, where the stragglers had well over stayed their welcome.

Due to my amazingly fabulous daily hairstyle of just throwing my wet hair into a bun, I had highlights only on the top…that’s the opposite of ombre people. I seem to have three looks when it comes to my hair, blown out and smooth (a rarity), dirty bed head, or wet mop pilled on top of my head. For some reason it’s the last thing I think to do. On my list of important chores to get ready for the day, that comes last on the list.

It’s behind curling my eyelashes, rummaging through my jewelry drawers for an extra 10 lbs of accessories, finding something with sequins or feathers to add on top, and trying on 3 different pairs of shoes. It never seems to make the cut. Its always the moment my daughter wakes up, or when the show my son was watching ends, or the minute the phone starts ringing. Got it? I never do my hair.

                                                                           ..After 

In a world were I am as fabulous as you all think, I would be hitting up the Dry Bar for a blow out of beachy waves and a champagne cocktail every day at 11am (after I sleep in of course).  Buuuuut, that’s not really an option at this point so I thought that I should search Pintrest (another thing that comes before doing my hair) for some messy hair ideas. I guess the unruly pony is my best bet!

I heart NY

I love love love Manhattan, fantastic food, bustling  taxis, yummy cocktails, and great shopping...

What I don't understand is why in a place where the windows are bright with spring colors; Barney's, Bergdorfs and Saks just oozing with neon hues, maxi dresses, and florals...is everyone walking the streets pissed off in their black dresses and camel overcoats coats?!

I grabbed much more attention than I had intended on that 65 degree April day, sporting my halston long fuchsia dress and my neon peach motorcycle jacket. People we're shocked at the light that had entered their angry village. Along with a couple strange looks (you're not from here are you?), I was encouraged by the few people who smiled on the street, complimenting the dress, the color and the Spring feeling it gave them.

Going back to the city for a much needed girls day and night brought me back to my days on Park Slope. The frustration in peoples eyes as they tried to get a cab, the annoyance of those trying to rush to get lunch on their break, and the inability to just walk down the street and smile. I forgot what that was like until I bumped into a few people and turned to say excuse me or sorry, or just politely smile...they were gone before I could even mutter a word. Busy busy.

So lighten and brighten up city dwellers, the Spring flowers will be here before you know it. All the hipsters will be hanging at the cafes dining alfresco. Enjoy the early warm weather and break out your white denim, pair it with your camel blazer and if you feel you must go ahead and wear your motorcycle boots one last time.

This quote says it all...

"My favorite food groups are feathers and sequins" (Moda Operandi cofounder of Lauren santo Domingo), and I'm not afraid at all to feast on it all over New York!

Be More.

Change is part of life and should be embraced, right? Evolution is part of each one of us and we hope that our internal growth keeps up with our external change. Then why do I feel so crappie about it?!

There is something that someone commented “anonymously” on the blog after I wrote my post about my sister…and I can’t stop thinking about it. They wrote simply “please write more like you used to.” That’s it. No explanation, no details, no reference as to what the HELL she meant by “used to.” Here I finish a beautiful story and tribute to my little sister’s work on social CHANGE and she’s asking me to be more “like I used to.” AHHHH!

This is going to drive me crazy. I looked back at my posts from the previous year, searching for insight. I found some. Yes, indeed my posts have changed. I didn’t intend on changing the tone or the content, but my life DID change.

I moved from Park Slope, lost my father and had another baby...in that order. WOW, did things change. Maybe now I am less critical of others, less consumed by the difference between me and “them,” and more accepting of others choice in shoes (hehehe). In addition, the move from Park Slope to Rochester made me feel less of an outsider and more of an insider. Feeling less threatened, I was able to wear my glamour more confidently. That changed the way that I perceived the world around me and actually has made it more difficult to point out the idiosyncrasies in my OWN hometown. I know too many people (and their mothers) to piss people off! Ha!

But I do owe it to those who have followed me since Park Slope to reconnect with my inner Fabulousness and be secure enough to know that people will embrace the nuttiness that drives my writing without judgment.

So in the spirit of all that is gaudy, sparkly, overdone and overpriced, I will poke fun at the local grocer, insist on better stores at the Mall, and motivate Rochester to put away their clogs and buy a pair of stilettos.

kiss kiss

Fashion Challenge vs The Fashionably Challenged

Challenge: Can I pull off a sequin skirt on a random Thursday evening?

Ummm, no. 

I mean, I guess that in my fabulous mind (where I live in a sex and the city episode), hells yeah! But I’m sure that it was little strange to my five girlfriends and the rest of the patrons at the après work wine bar. I strutted my neon pink sequin pencil skirt, CASUALLY paired with a white tee shirt and bohemian necklaces, down the street in Corn Hill up past the outdoor patio with confidence. I was of course the first to arrive so I kept my big black shades down and started checking emails on my iphone (I’m very busy people!). I sat at a table outside to wait for my friends and ordered up some bubbly. As I do, I glance up at the two women sitting next to me (I like to refer to them as frumpy-cowlneck lady and bra-baring-sundress-tattoo lady) to see them chuckle to one another while glancing in opposite directions trying to avoid eye contact with me. While it’s not that I really care what they think, it was certainly a “I’m-more-fabulous-than-you” moment.

Listen, there is no reason to punish my gorgeous clothes because I have no where glamorous to take them here in Rochester! They want to get out, they need to get their drink on too sometimes…let loose.

So we sat in outside in the warm Spring air, drank flights of French wine, nibbled on cheese and charcuterie, then finished the night with chocolate truffles.  Sounds like a pretty fancy affair, no? Now who’s inappropriately dressed cowlneck and tattoo ladies?

Mirror Mirror on the wall...

Who's the most Fabulous of them all?


I've found my own little fairy tale in these metallic spring goodies! Just the right amount of glitz to add to a floral top, a day glow dress or a pastel pant!

                   

J.Crew Metallic Pewter Penny Loafter

Top Shop Metallic Shift Dress

                                                                 
 
 Marc Jacobs Cosmic Tote at net-a-porter.com, DAY Bangle at matchesfashion.com

There's a party on my pants.

It's a pants party!


I can’t stop ogling over all the patterned pants out there this Spring! Its like I'm walking through Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Candy colors, frosting hues, striped lollipop legs, floral stems, and neon pop rocks!

Like a sweet addiction, one fabulous pair drives me to another. Spring is usually a season of sundresses, but this year the pant has taken over. I love the way it allows me to start the Spring season early by pairing my favorite floral pant with a cashmere sweater and leopard heels...Or layering my silk blouses under a cropped jacket with a tribal print capri.


Here are some fabulous finds from Net-a-porter.com and Matchesfashion.com

Tucker Pant

Dolce and Gabana

Isabel Marant

Rag and Bone

Sportmax