The Last Renaissance Studies Major

Look for Less: Colorblock Dress

2011-07-09T22:57:00.002-04:00

I fell in love with dress from Topshop a few days ago and immediately pinned it (do y'all use pinterest?) and then I was poking around oncewed and saw this gorgeous option from urban that has the same feeling as the topshop dress for half the price!

I haven't had a lot of luck at urban recently but I might have to stop there tomorrow after I put in my hours researching for the exhibition.

Yellow Colour Block Tee Dress, $100.00

Sparkle & Fade Colorblock Shift Dress, $59.00

They have this in three different colorways but I couldn't find a picture of the other two. I personally like the white with peach.

Currently Loving: Long skirts

2011-06-13T11:44:00.002-04:00

I never thought I would say this, being on the petite side myself, but I'm loving long skirts these days. Super short skirts are really appropriate for the library (plus, it's freezing) and I don't want to wear pants because it's summer and I want to wear dresses and skirts and all the pretty things I can't wear during the winter.

Which leads me to longer skirts and dresses. I always thought long skirts would make me look even shorter, but after a little experimenting I found out it's simply a matter of finding the right length. The right below the knee length which is so in right now doesn't really work for me but ankle or full length seems just fine.

I bought this skirt in Paris at Zara

And I'm seriously considering buying this gorgeous striped skirt from Madewell

Paris via my iphone

2011-06-11T14:57:00.006-04:00

Notre Dame on a grey day

Stars on the floor at L'etoile Manquante

Locks on a bridge over the Seine

The golden gates at Versailles

Crepes at Breizh Cafe

Delicious pastries at Bon Marche

The Petite Trianon

A beautiful screen in a room at Versailles

R and moi in the Hall of Mirrors

The gorgeous Monet's at the Orangerie

Haricot vert and truffles

Returned

2011-06-08T16:30:00.003-04:00

I'm back from my second trip to Paris this year. This one was with R. and his parents rather than Leah. There were lots more museums and less shopping but it was a glorious two weeks and I'm sad to be home.

For the first time in my life I will be living alone. R. is going to Alaska for the summer, most of my friends are going to be in New York (don't worry, I'll be visiting a lot) but I'm staying here in New Haven to work on my senior project and at the Walpole Library in Farmington, CT. I'm excited and very nervous. I felt grown-up buying groceries, not so grown-up when I accidentally answered the door in underwear (the maintenance men were very understanding).

R. took a million pictures in Paris, and I'm making funny faces in most but eventually I'll post them. I also have a variety of iphone pictures of art, food, and Versailles. I bought these repettos and got a little sunburned due to my lack of hat for most of the trip.

I will do a full round-up with restaurant, museum, and shopping recommendations. I also visited more bars than I ever have before (R's influence) so I'll include those too. But for right now I need to clean, organize and try and keep myself awake until a respectable hour so that I'm not horribly jetlagged. A bientot!

Currently Loving: Mikkat Market

2011-05-18T21:08:00.004-04:00

I've been filling my virtual shopping cart with the simple and affordable(!) pieces from Mikkat Market. I'm imaging wearing their breezy silk tank and pretty lace shorts in Paris next week. But in reality I will probably be wearing jeans and a t-shirt because that's all I seem able to muster up these days.

Silk Tie Dye Dress, $94.00

Silk Camisole, $49

Cross Open Back Tee, $29

Brimfield 2011: Part 2

2011-05-12T09:14:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the lag between Brimfield posts, I'm costuming our Commencement musical and have been in the costume shop all day everyday for a week.

This year I was looking for something very particular at Brimfield, vintage sewing ephemera. I've been hard at work on my senior exhibition and I'll continue working on it this summer, because my opening date is September 12, so soon! I was hoping to find some knick-knacks to include in my cases to help make it more visually interesting, and I hit the jackpot at Brimfield.

vintage crochet hooks, needles, buttons, measuring tape, and sewing clamp

I also came away with scarves, pink lacy things, and some other random bits and pieces.

Brimfield 2011: Part 1

2011-05-10T19:57:00.004-04:00

Back from our second time at Brimfield! The weather was wonderful (no rain!) and the antiquing was out of this world. I'll post part 2 tomorrow when I have a chance to take pictures of all my goodies but for now some pictures from the day!

Disclaimer: These are random and weird. Oh well.

Lunch break at Hooyah's where we ordered a meatball sub, chicken parmesan sub and apple pie. Because if you're going to eat at a place called Hooyah's you really have to go for it, you know?

Things I've Bought Files: Red Pants

2011-05-03T21:48:00.003-04:00

My adorably preppy roommate talked me into buying a pair of red pants on our latest shopping adventure. These red pants:

From Zara

I'm thinking I'll wear them with a light plaid or gingham shirt this summer. Or maybe a loose knit cream sweater.

Serious question: can one wear a red coat with red pants?

Currently Loving: Poketo Striped Fleece Backpack

2011-05-02T11:05:00.002-04:00

Y'all are probably sick of my constant search for the perfect backpack. I always convince myself I've found "the one" and then I forget about it or decide I don't really need a backpack (lies, I definitely need something to lug my books around).

But this time I think I've found it.

Striped Fleece Backpacks, $58

And unfortunately temporarily out of stock. Blurgh.

Spring Fling: Part 3

2011-04-24T23:22:00.004-04:00

For my third Spring Fling (our annual spring music festival to celebrate the end of classes) I'm sticking with my tradition of rompers. But this year I went even more 90's and bought these overalls from Forever 21.

I think all the Ally McBeal I have recently been watching is really starting to mess with my head!

Look For Less: Floral Dress

2011-04-19T22:39:00.003-04:00

This dress from Need Supply is very affordable, but I was struck by how similar this dress from Forever 21 was so I thought I'd share with y'all!

Floral Low Back Tank, $48

Floral Chiffon Dress, $17.80

Look for Less: Herve Leger

2011-04-19T22:32:00.003-04:00

Strap-Yoke Mini Dress, $1,050

Y-Back Bandage Dress, $27.80

Spring Update

2011-04-19T22:13:00.007-04:00

Honestly my wardrobe doesn't need many pieces to transition from winter to spring since I generally wear a lot of light layers (and a huge coat). There are a few things I am loving for spring that I think will help pull me out of my winter uniform of jeans and sweaters.

These gorgeous and colorful shoes from Aldo, $100

This sweater from Aritzia, $75

These red shorts from Forever 21, to be worn on my Parisian vacation with R and family, $13.80

I love stripes. I have too many striped things. Oh well. From Pixie Market, $90

In My Shopping Cart: Need Supply Co.

2011-04-19T18:55:00.003-04:00

Edie Shorts, $42

Ballerina Dress, $156

Blue Belle Dress, $58

Flippy Printed Skirt, $42

Button Up Dress, $105

Currently (And Always) Loving: Loose White Shirts

2011-04-14T16:04:00.004-04:00

Cape Back Longline Shirt, $32.27

Cropped Lace Trim Top, $44.83

MINKPINK Sheer Three Quarter Sleeve Blouse, $39.30

Delia's Corinne Blouse, $19.99

MICHAEL Michael Kors Sleeveless Shirt, $46.90

Ask and Ye Shall Receive: Eclectic Prom Dresses

2011-04-12T17:15:00.004-04:00

I wish I still had prom dress shopping to look forward to every April. Thankfully I've got a cousin still in highschool who asked for a little help and I was happy to oblige!

Rachel Roy Circle Back Dress, $119

BHLDN Gin Fizz Shift, $450

Topshop Bow Front Mesh Dress, $81

ASOS REVIVE Jet Embellished Mini Shift Dress, $118

I think all of these dresses are perfect for prom but can also be worn for a graduation party!

Spring Wishlist

2011-04-08T22:12:00.003-04:00

FP Skinny Utility Cargo, on sale for $49.95

Forever 21 Modern Classic Shirt, $17.80

Forever 21 Floral Surplus Dress, $19.80

ASOS Twist Back Sweater, $62.67

Tea and Cake Mary Janes, $128

Brand Spotlight: Nishe

2011-04-08T00:14:00.002-04:00

While browsing on ASOS looking for spring dresses I came across a great brand, Nishe. I adore their swallow print dress and top.

I've been wearing a lot of black and grey this winter, I'm ready to get back to ethereal whites and pinks!

Geren Ford Look For Less

2011-04-06T12:54:00.003-04:00

These dresses have a different print, but they're a very similar color, have a similar shape and are both cute options for spring.

Silk Houndstooth Dress, $26.90

GF by Geren Ford Flutter-Sleeve Dress, $189

Currently Loving: Spring Dresses

2011-04-06T12:12:00.004-04:00

ASOS Peter Pan Collar Open Back Dress, $71.72

River Island Short Sleeve Dress With Lace Insert, $80.67

Rose Print Woven Dress, $19.80

Posy Frill Sundress, $17.80

Gadget Cases

2011-04-02T16:04:00.006-04:00

I recently acquired an Ipad and an Iphone. I love both because they make my life easier and they're fun to play with. Due to my accident prone-ness cases to protect my beloved gadgets are an absolute necessity.

In London over spring break my dad took us to Hornets, a vintage clothing store that specializes in English staples like tweed and hunting jackets. We had fun looking for ties for my dad and I found the perfect case for my Ipad, a vintage traveling case from the 60s.

My Iphone case involved a less exciting search process (via google rather than a trip around London) but I love it just as much, if not more because it's customized.

I had my case made by uncommon. It's an incredibly easy process, just pick out an image you like and upload it to their site, choose which case you want it printed on and voila, a brand new customized iphone case.

I spent a few days trolling the internet for images before I landed on the perfect idea. I have tons of artists saved in my etsy favorites but I never get around to buying prints and hanging them on my wall. I looked through a couple of my saved sellers and one image popped out at me immediately. I emailed the seller asking if I could buy the rights to her image for use on a phone case. She happily agreed and yesterday my brand new case arrived.

The image I chose is The Classics by the wonderful Kristina Hultkrantz of emmakisstina. I'm thrilled with the case and highly recommend uncommon to anyone looking for a customizable iphone case!

Brooklyn Birthday Party

2011-04-01T13:18:00.004-04:00

R and I are heading to the city to see some recently graduated friends and celebrate a birthday.

I'm the worst packer ever (I always forget socks) and cannot for the life of me pack light. I've had many an airport meltdown over bag weight limits. I really don't want to lug a heavy bag around all day so I packed two options, a pair of tights and some make-up and left it at that. I'm sure I'm forgetting something important...

everything from topshop

Off we go!

Imports from Abroad

2011-04-01T12:59:00.002-04:00

For spring break I went to Puerto Morelos, Mexico, Paris, and London with friends and family. Leah and I had three glorious days in Paris filled with macaroons (so. many. macaroons.) and shopping.

My favorite purchases were definitely shoes. Two from Paris, one pair from London.

Currently Loving: Floral Wedges

2011-03-31T09:53:00.005-04:00

I know it's not original, but I love florals in the spring. I've recently decided that the best place to put this cliche is on my feet.

Jeffrey Cambell Swanson Wedges, $112

Asos Pansy Mary Jane Platforms, $80.69

Jessica Ogden for F-Troupe, $233.09

DIY: Sequin Party Clip

2011-03-30T12:05:00.005-04:00

While I was ordering my sequin heart from ban.do I happened upon their sequin party clip set and instantly fell in love. But the more I looked at them the more I thought I could probably achieve a similar look on my own. I had some sequins lying around from another project so my first attempt is silver, but I'll definitely be trying this again with different colors.

Supplies: sequins, hot glue, felt, and a barette

I spread the sequins out so they would be easy to pick up, slathered some hot glue on a piece of felt and went to town. I did several layers to add depth.

Hearts for Japan

2011-03-29T12:52:00.005-04:00

I've always wanted one of these pretty sequin hearts from ban.do and now is the perfect time to finally do it, they're donating 25% of the proceeds to aid relief in Japan.

Madewell you're killing me

2011-03-29T08:49:00.007-04:00

I think my love of madewell has been pretty well documented here. But recently I've found their prices outrageous and also their sizing a little weird (so ordering online is difficult).

When I got this email I thought I might have to break my stalemate but as I looked at the pieces more and more I realized, a. I probably had a bunch of them in my closet already and b. the rest I could find at Forever21, urban, etc for half the price.

Total cost of this outfit: $679 (this is including the $90 bikini randomly tied around the backpack)

Madewell Look for Less by beakoch featuring chain jewelry

Total cost of this outfit: $243 (I also included a bikini)

I'm back!

2011-03-29T08:44:00.005-04:00

Alright, here we go. First post in over how many months?

A lot of stuff has happened since I was last here. And clearly its been keeping me so busy that I haven't been able to pop over, even for a quick hello. (I would do a sad face emoticon, but I feel pretty eh about emoticons.)

I think about blogging all the time. And I miss it. So I'm back and ready to try again. Andiamo!

Help Leah win the LA Times Holiday Cookie Bake-off!

2010-10-25T17:36:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone!
I come to you today with a humble request, to vote for my cookie so that I might win the LA Times first ever Holiday Cookie Bake-off. The Chicago Tribune has been doing this for years but I was never old enough to enter. Now that I am, I am going to enter in my new home city. My chosen cookie is Sour Cherry Rugelach, a super delicious cookie my family has been making for years for our holiday cookie boxes.
If you have a spare minute today, click on the link below to take you to the LA Time's website where you can register (it only take 10 seconds I swear) to vote in the bake-off. Then you can find my recipe under Sour Cherry Rugelach, see the photo, read my essay and vote! You can vote one time per day so if you're a really devoted LRSM reader, you can vote everyday until Nov. 15.
Thanks for your help!!!

Vote For Leah

Birthday Dress

2010-10-18T19:52:00.005-04:00

Speaking of perfect black items of clothing...I decided to invest in a lbd for my upcoming 21st birthday, since nothing seems as classy and grownup as the perfect little black dress.

I am not planning on wearing it with boots to my party (still searching for the elusive perfect sparkly shoes...) but I like the idea of it, especially for less fancy occasions. Maybe with a chunky sweater and cable knit tights?

Perfect Short Black Boots

2010-10-18T19:46:00.002-04:00

Oh Lands' End how I love thee. And how I love your perfect Chelsea boot, $98.

Cooking In My New Home!

2010-10-01T18:35:00.013-04:00

Leah here, LA's newest official resident. LA has been treating me very well so far, except for that one pesky day where it was the hottest day ever recorded in Los Angeles. Since I've been here, I've been cooking for myself a lot. It's a nice relaxing thing to do at the end of the day, and it keeps me occupied. Now, I am just cooking for me so there a lot of recipe adjustment and a lot of left overs but I think it is rewarding to cook for yourself. I hit the web with Real Simple and Epicurious to find some recipes to try out.
My first dish was Creamy Fettuccine with Corn and Arugula from realsimple.com
I used more of a papardelle style pasta from Trader Joe's (it's actually in my building!)
The recipe was very easy, with just a bit of chopping and sauteing and turned out awesome! It was just as delicious the next night too. Link

While browsing Real Simple, all I wanted to make were all of these delicious pasta recipes. Plus an occasional rice, grain or bread. I am an admitted carb lover. So I figured I had to try at least a little bit of meat. I decided on Tuscan Lamb with Tomatoes and Polenta. It uses these cute little lamb loins that I easily found at whole foods. The meat starts out on the stove, and then is transfered to the oven to finish cooking. Instant polenta could not be easier to make. You essentially dump it in hot water, stir for about 30 seconds and it's done. It is nowhere near as good as the real thing, but the real thing takes like an hour to make. Overall, I'd say the dish was good not great. I definitely need to work on my meat cooking skills. Link

So now that I felt more adjusted to my new kitchen, I decided it was time for a real challenge: Falafel.
Falafel is one of my favorite foods. My best friend L and I got falafel sandwiches every wednesday for an entire year in high school. My personal favorite accompaniment to falafel is tzatziki sauce. A yogurt and cucumber sauce. I made this the night before, not crucial, but several recipes said it benefitted from time in the fridge and you have to let the yogurt drain to thicken it up. The falafel itself was very easy to make, just toss a bunch of stuff in the food processor and bam. The raw material was actually quite delicious but then came the tricky part. The frying. I heated the oil to the correct temperature and added the raw falafels. They cooked quite easily however I don't think I left them in long enough. Falafel is very very dark brown and I could have let mine cook for much longer and they would have been crispier. Then it was time to assemble my dinner. Store bought pita bread, a generous amount of my homemade tzatiki and 2 cripy falafel balls. It was so so yummy. Like I said, it could have been crisper, but for my first effort, I was duly impressed with myself.
Falafel Link
Tzatziki Link

Happy Eating!

Home Improvement: Part 1

2010-09-29T12:50:00.005-04:00

Our apartment is so close to being finished, we just need a few more things for the walls and I think we will be officially done. The biggest thing we had to change about the apartment was the open loft area. My dad suggested building a wall of insulating material and covering it with fabric, and after two days of cutting, gluing and stapling it was done. It's the first thing people comment on when they walk into the apartment!

Messy apartment on move-in day

Dad measures and cuts in the hallway

The project was made slightly more complicated by the odd measurements of the space we were filling, so we had to glue an extra strip to the top of each board

Leah taking a break from stapling

Stapling

Cutting

A finished panel!

Moving

The panels are kept in place with hooks on the ceiling

Tada!

Back to School Boots

2010-09-21T11:19:00.002-04:00

Due to my well documented online shopping addiction friends often ask me if I can help them find a specific item of clothing or accessory. So I decided to start a new series called Ask and ye shall receive. Feel free to send me an email (abiellemiel@gmail.com) with your special request and I'll see what I can do.

For our first ever Ask and ye shall receive post my friend Zoe has agreed to act as guinea pig. She is looking for flat black boots with a round toe, suede or leather and preferably mid calf. Her only other requirement is that they are under $100.

Back to School Boots

In which Jcrew creates an obsession

2010-09-16T22:55:00.007-04:00

So we've all seen this Jcrew ad right?

This image is everything I want for fall. Furry vests, fitted blazers, pretty jewels, undone hair and bold lips. After a quick google search I know the actual color used in this ad is Nars Funny Face. But I couldn't find Nars products anywhere near me and I require immediate gratification. So it's off to Target where I find the perfect (and much cheaper) alternative, Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fuchsia Fusion.

Wearing: max and co. shoes, yaya aflalo skirt, h&m dress, aritzia sweater

My roommate Augusta took the picture. I couldn't stop laughing. Oh well. We also had to photophop, but I think it is the most accurate picture of the color.

Finally caved...

2010-09-12T12:56:00.002-04:00

And bought clogs. It felt very right in the moment, but now I'm debating how to wear them. Every year my mom used to take us to Hannah Andersson to buy a new pair of clogs for school. (Also, striped pajamas.) I was particularly partial to red and purple. The other day I stopped by Madewell and picked up the Westway clog in english saddle.

I'm thinking I'll wear them with striped socks, jeans, and my new anchor sweater from Aritzia, but have yet to actually venture out in this outfit. Maybe for date night tonight?

Brimfield Market!

2010-09-12T12:45:00.003-04:00

Drove to Brimfield, MA yesterday. Started the day off slow but found some real treasures in the end. I promise to post photos of all my loot soon. For now, just silly ones! (All photos courtesy of Lily)

Currently Loving: Backpacks

2010-09-03T14:23:00.004-04:00

Shopping period has started with a vengeance and I'm already exhausted! There are some amazing classes being offered this semester, the trick is to get into them.

I've been lugging my computer around in a purse, definitely not ideal. And while I constantly talk about buying a Filson bag I still haven't pulled the trigger. I'm starting to seriously consider a backpack, something I swore I would never do after middle school. But I've been seeing so many cute options around campus and on the interwebs. Here's my round-up of backpacks, all under $100.

The Highlander ($99)

Comes in lots of different colors, can be worn lots of different ways. Etsy comes through again.

GWEND French Beige and Blue Backpack ($44)

I like this vintage option, but I'm not sure the beige will go with my winter coat (it's important to think about these things!) so someone else buy this please.

Vintage large navy canvas Backpack ($54)

I'm not sure if these straps are up to the weight of my laptop and a million books, but the label on this says "of course by schneiders, walker" and that is very hard to resist.

Vintage Chanel Backpack ($399)

Way outside my budget. But adorable.

2 Tone Kanken Original ($65)

Kanken backpacks are popping up all over the place. They're classic, simple and I especially love this two tone version from Need Supply Co.

Classic from The Herschel Supply Co. ($45)

This immediately made me think of Leah because she loves purple. And I think this light lavender is a perfect neutral for the winter.

Fall Shopping Carts

2010-09-01T22:22:00.004-04:00

Repetto Lio Flat

Vena Cava Brooklyn Dress

T by Alexander Cowl Back Crop Tee

Rachel Comey Ipswich Oxford Wedges

ASOS Faux Croc Bar Day Bag

ASOS Leather Slot Through Satchel

Daily Constitutional Coat

Jayne Platform Heels

Emmy Fashions!

2010-08-29T23:15:00.019-04:00

Leah here!
In addition to being the food and baking corespondent, I now have a new role: Award Show Fashion Corespondent! I love award shows and I am not ashamed of it. I consider it to be research for my future career. Of course, the Oscars are my favorite but coming in at the number two spot are the Emmys! I am a TV nut, so I love the show where I know everybody and everything, unlike basically any music award show.
Now, I care about who wins, but I won't bore you with all of my opinions, except to say that I am very happy for Modern Family and Archie Panjabi, perhaps the coolest chick ever, and Julianna Margulies was robbed. There, I'm done.
And now on to the more exciting things: Dresses!
I do not believe in worst dressed lists, they are mean. Yes, some people looked stupid, but they don't need me telling them that and I hope to never end up on one.
Instead, I present my top 14 looks of the evening, in ascending order:

#14: Kiernan Shipka
Oh come on! How could I resist? She is too cute! This is Don Draper's daughter from Mad Men looking adorable.

#13: The Ladies of Glee: Jenna Ushkowitz and Amber Riley
These ladies share the 13th spot on my list. Not quite as eye catching as some of the other gleekers, but Jenna and Amber pulled off their looks nicely.

#12: Keri Russell
One of Bea's favorite movies is Waitress and we are both big Keri Russell fans. I wasn't blown down or anything by her dress, but I liked that she was rocking a cool color and making it work.

#11: Jenna Fischer
I am digging Jenna's cool red dress. I am a big floaty chiffon person so I like the bottom.

#10: Maura Tierney
Big Maura fan, seen every single episode of ER. And I must say, I am so happy to see her looking so wonderful after battling breast cancer last year. And I really like her red lace-like dress!

#9: Dianna Agron
This girl is so beautiful and while I would not chose this dress for myself, I think she looks absolutely gorgeous.

#8: Mariana Klaveno
Those of you who are True Blood fans will be familiar with Mariana, she plays Lorena. I absolutely love blush colored dresses and I think this is such an elegant dress without being boring.

#7: Kevin McHale
The only man to make the list! Let's face it, mens fashion is boring. But Kevin looked so cute with his glasses and yellow bow-tie. I am now realizing this list features many Glee cast members, but what can I say, they are a well dressed bunch. (With one glaring exception, but I promised not be mean)

#6: Emily Deschanel
As we enter the top 6, you will quickly realize that my favorite color is purple. It is the worlds most fabulous color and I wear it all the time, as should you. There was a lot of beautiful purple on the Emmy carpet this year, starting with the supremely fabulous Emily Deschanel of the supremely fabulous Bones.

#5: Emily Blunt
I am super jealous of two things: 1. She is married to John Krasinski. 2. She has a pretty purple dress.

#4: Kyra Sedgwick
Now here is when you know that I really like the dress because I don't even like Kyra Sedgwick. I don't have anything against her, I'm just not a particular fan. But I love this beautifully colored dress that she is wearing. I'm not even sure what to call the color, wine maybe? And congrats to her for winning Best Actress in a Drama Series!

#3: Christina Hendricks
I couldn't stop staring at this dress when ever I saw her. It is so floaty and beautiful and let's face it, she's basically a goddess.

#2: Claire Danes
There is a right way and a wrong way to do sparkles. This is the right way. Claire manages to look totally elegant and stylish while wearing an entire dress full of sparkles.

#1: Heather Morris
I don't know what to say about this dress other than FABULOUS! There really is no other way to describe it and so the lovely Heather Morris of Glee wins the top spot on my list which is I'm sure what she was aiming to do when she chose this dress.

I would also like to award a prize to the laugh-out-loud fashion moment of the evening. Mindy Kaling of The Office was being interviewed on the red carpet and in a typically very serious manor, was asked about the inspiration behind her outfit. And she said that her hair was inspired by the movie Up.

I hope you all enjoyed my list and will tune in after future award shows for all of my witty commentary.
Cheers!

DIY: summer sunglasses

2010-08-13T16:54:00.005-04:00

I'm back! After a fantastic 5 weeks in Italy and a relaxing weekend in the Hamptons with R. I have just enough time to get in one DIY project before I'm off to my next adventure: rafting down the Grand Canyon with my family!

This project was super easy and inspired by these Sonia Rykiel pearl sunglasses. (Quick note: I attempted this two times. The first time I did not use flat-back pearls and just regular beads but they fell off very quickly. I highly recommend finding flat-back pearls if you'd like to try this project.)

These were all over the blogosphere a while back but I didn't have time to try making my own till this week. I was able to find flat-back pearls at a wonderful bead shop in Chicago, enBeadia and they're having a sale! I chose light grey and blue pearls instead of plain white.

Here is my first attempt:

And here's the second:

I'm off to pack for the river, I don't think my pearl sunglasses will survive the rapids so they're staying home.

Daily Ensemble: Summer Blues

2010-07-08T20:38:00.003-04:00

the happy, fashiony kind!

I am loving this perfect summer dress from Urban Outfitters. Breezy and not to heavy, with a flattering shape.

Bea bought me the vintage 60's sunglasses as a present, I get lots of compliments on them. Coincidentally, both the scarf and belt are from a store I like to call Bea's Closet.

Bea has the dress in white, so we can match, just like the olden days!

The shoes are also from Urban, quite accidentally.

My current summer hobby, while Bea while studies/shops/eats across the ocean, is learning to play the Ukulele. I find it to be a thoroughly enjoyable instrument and highly recommend that you learn to play it. Perhaps when I can good enough, I will make a video for the blog.

Chester Chenpo watches my photo shoot from the garden.

and yawns...

Adorable Baking: Barbie Pies!

2010-07-02T14:44:00.024-04:00

Hi Everyone, sometimes blogger, full time sister Leah here. Bea is busy being Italian so I thought I would share what I am up to on this glorious Chicago summer day. As you may know from my last time pitch hit blogging, I am an avid baker. Bea and I are big fans of a blog called Luxirare where they create "killer clothes and fine cuisine." Being complimentary sisters, Bea prefers the killer clothes part and I prefer the fine cuisine part. A couple of months back, there was a post about "Pie Pops," essentially pie lollipops and I was inspired. So a few nights ago, finding myself, as one often does in the summer, with some time on my hands, I decided to experiment.

These are the pie pops I was inspired by

Luxirare owns this photo. I have no claim on it.

So it begins with the crust. Nothing is more important in any kind of pie. Working with pie crust takes a bit of finesse and a lot of people find it very frustrating, but many Thanksgivings had prepared me for this project. My number one piece of advice is use LOTS of flour when rolling out your dough.

I always use Baking Illustrated when baking because they simply have the best recipes out there, so I was using their basic pie dough. I used two circular cookie cutters, one slightly bigger than the other.
Part two is the filling. I made three: apple, peach and summer berry. I made up the filling recipes myself but they are very easy. Just fruit, sugar, a little potato starch to thicken it up, and a few dashes of different spices depending on the fruit. It's all based on taste, if the filling doesn't taste good raw, it probably won't taste much better cooked.

So now we get to the fun part, or the incredibly labor intensive part depending on how you look at it. The general idea is to take the slightly smaller dough circle, put a little filling on it, stick a lollipop stick in, and top it with the slightly larger dough circle. They you take a lollipop stick and do the crimping around the edge that makes the finished product so pretty.

It was fun trying to trouble shoot problems I had since I was kind of making things up as I went along. When I was doing the crimping with the lollipop stick, I was having trouble getting all the way around, so I got out my cake decorating wheel so I could spin each pie around while I was working on it. I felt very clever indeed.

The last thing is to brush the tops with egg whites and sprinkle them with a little sugar. I swear, this is the touch that will have people thinking you bought your pies in a professional bakery. For some reason, that crispy top and sugar sprinkle makes people think you went to pastry school.

And when they came out, they looked lovely! All golden brown and smelling delicious.

So the lollipop sticks kind of half worked. Some of the held up great, but most of them didn't adhere to the crust so they were just kind of wiggling around inside their pie home, so I ended up pulling most of them out. But the pies still looked adorable. I had bought a lollipop kit at Joanne Fabrics, my home away from home, so I had cute little bags and ribbons for my pies, which I christened Barbie Pies. Because they are the perfect size for Barbie!

I hope you enjoyed by Barbie Pies, they make awesome gifts. People tend to react like you just gave them a puppy, Hey, both puppies and mini pies are cute. Happy Baking!

Siena: week 2

2010-06-28T13:03:00.004-04:00

Wearing: jcrew headband, tory burch sunglasses, jcrew dress, uniqlo slip, ysl bag, matt berson sandals

This weekend we met up with a friend in Rome. The highlights were definitely a dinner at Taverna Romana (here's a really good article about the neighborhood it is in) and trekking up to the cupola of Saint Peter's while a mass was going on. We were planning on not shopping until a chance encounter with a woman on the street (she literally leaned out of her shop to tell us it was only open from 10pm until 2am) meant a 20 minute detour and the purchase of a bikini from the 1950's (unworn) and a cacharel cardigan decorated with cherries.

Returning to Siena really felt like coming home, and our sleepy little city is quickly transforming into a medieval town as preparations for the Palio are well under way. If you have never heard of the Palio I highly recommend a visit to wikipedia trip. I have decided to route for the chiocciola contrada, their mascot is a snail! (R. thinks I'm crazy but there is something wonderfully ironic about having a snail as your mascot for a race.)

A flag thrower from chiocciola in traditional medieval costume

We also ended up back at Aloe & Wolf today where I finally decided to buy a bowler hat. I also found some very nice vintage Italian ties for my dad, happy late father's day!

Speaking of which, I forgot to give a birthday shout-out to my sister (and sometimes co-blogger) Leah. Happy birthday Wintergreen, you're an adult now but I'm still going to tell you what to do because that's what big sisters are for.

Sono arrivato a Siena!

2010-06-21T11:02:00.006-04:00

So far Siena has been amazing. Our host parents are wonderful, they always correct our Italian. Learning a new language is hard, but hugely rewarding. We had our first class at our new school today (which is housed in an old psychiatric hospital). R. and I ate lunch at a very good restaurant close to the Duomo, Taverna del Capitano. We also managed to find the only vintage store (I think) in Siena, Aloe & Wolf Vintage and art gallery.

The owners are a really cool woman, Alessandra Aloe and her boyfriend who I didn't get to meet. Her store is stuffed with the coolest italian vintage, R. and I spent an hour just looking through everything. She has an amazing designer selection which I mostly just ogled. I did try on a Moschino jacket from the 80's, but it was a little out of my price range. In the end I bought a dress and a belt and R. got a tie. I am still debating a bowler hat. I love when Rachel Weitz wears one in the Brother's Bloom but I don't know if I can pull it off!

I was too excited to stand still! Wearing: aritzia shirt, zara skirt, ysl bag

shopping ban update

2010-06-08T13:19:00.002-04:00

Alrighty, so I finally have internet in my new apartment though getting it was a nightmare and a half. Comcast, we are in an enormous fight if you didn't already know.

In my last post I promised home improvement and cooking. The apartment is slowly starting to look like a home, but there are still areas that need work. My shoe collection desperately needs a home. At the moment its sitting in a yellow crate that I bought at the elephant trunk flea market. Yup, I finally made it and on the only sunday I could go this summer there was a hurricane warning so there weren't that many vendors or shoppers. I did manage to get a lamp ($5), the aforementioned crate ($7), some glass bottles ($4) and a book on the Palio ($20).

My cheat day has come and gone. I managed to restrain myself at Madewell and got one t-shirt.

So soft and I wear my other three all the time.

Jcrew seduced me into buying a very adorable shirt-dress. Since I am not a giant as this model appear to be the dress is a perfectly respectable length on me.

I resisted the lures of this one. (Indigo-stripe Schuyler dress, $168)

I am still debating the pros and cons of a fedora from jcrew which is not online yet. All in all I think I did very well. I am definitely avoiding urban outfitters at all costs, though I had to walk by on the way to the bookstore today and was almost won over by a sale rack.

A trip to target for household items was a challenge but I made it through.

Summah Posting

2010-05-28T21:55:00.003-04:00

So obviously I'm slacking a little bit since it's summer. But soon I'll be back in New Haven to start my Italian class and I'm hoping with a little more routine in my life I'll be blogging more regularly.

I'm also planning on going on a shopping hiatus for these next three weeks, similar to the one that Rachel over at Heart of Light does. After reading her thoughts on last years hiatus (here) I decided to undertake my own with a few modifications. Mine will be 3 rather than 12 weeks and I will be still allowing furniture and thrift store purchases since I am trying to outfit a new apartment. The main thing I want to cut back on is new clothes. As I've been moving from dorm to new apartment and home I've come to realize how many clothes I have that I just don't wear.

I have built in one cheat day because I know R. and I are going to the mall one day soon ostensibly to return get him a new iphone but there is also a Madewell there and I doubt I will be able to resist.

So for the next three weeks I will be focusing more on home improvement and the adventures of learning how to cook. See you soon!

Ready for Siena

2010-05-18T00:23:00.005-04:00

It's really nice to be home, even if the weather in Chicago is less than ideal. I've still managed to eat at most of my favorite restaurants (Penny's Noodle Shop, Riccardo Trattoria, and CBA to name a few) and shop a lot.

After a little research on weather.com I am preparing for a hot summer in Italy. So number one on my list was a hat. I have extremely pale skin and I burn red like a tomato with just a few hours in the sun. I found a few good options at urban but went with a cheaper alternative from forever 21 because I know it will probably get shmooshed quite a bit.

Next up on the list of must-haves: a white dress. I live in white in the summer, no matter how many pretty prints I buy I always reach for a clean white dress. I usually choose a simply shift style, but I couldn't resist a slightly more elaborate version from Anthropologie.

Wearing: forever 21 hat, anthropologie dress

I'll be sharing more summer essentials throughout the week, including but not limited to the heart sunglasses I finally found!

It's been a while!

2010-05-15T09:39:00.002-04:00

Since the last time I posted I have:

1. Taken 2 finals
2. Wrote a combined 25 pages
3. Created a web exhibition
4. Packed and moved from my dorm into my new apartment (!)
5. Made it back to Chicago in one piece

I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged, but I was so overwhelmed with everything that I definitely needed the break.

For now I'm in Chicago, hanging out with family before we head back to New Haven to see my brother graduate from Yale. Then I'll be in New Haven for three weeks where I'll be furnishing my new apartment (expect lots of posts about flea markets in CT and DIY projects) and starting to learn Italian! That's right, this summer I am taking an intensive summer course with R. We have three weeks in New Haven and then five in Siena Italy. I can't wait.

Daily Ensemble: spring fling

2010-04-27T13:23:00.008-04:00

Per my own suggestion I am wearing a romper for our annual music festival, spring fling. However, it is neither sunny or warm so I am wearing tights layered with plush thigh highs and boots. Ah well, at least the music will be good, I can hear Matt and Kim's sound check from my room!

Wearing: diy headband, fp beach romper, vintage bralette, wilfred belt, assets tights, plush thigh highs, opening ceremony boots

I made a few new headbands last night when I was procrastinating. This one is inspired by this adorable little fille headband.

Reading Week Break

2010-04-26T15:53:00.004-04:00

Just stopping by to say that posting might be a little light for the next few days due to finals and moving out etc.

Hope you all are having more fun than me.

Rock on ring from Marc Barer

The Perfect Music Festival Outfit

2010-04-23T11:22:00.003-04:00

The end of the school year is upon us, which for many college kids means one thing, (hint: it's not finals) spring flings! It might be called various things but it's still the same idea, a day of music and lots of drinking outside with your friends. This year Yale is playing host to the Ying Yang Twins, Mike Posner, MGMT, and Matt and Kim.

I've been to two summer music festivals and let me tell you, there is a reason so many girls are wearing rompers. They have the advantage of being cute (sometimes) while still covering you up (sometimes). I usually just wear a dress with bike shorts underneath but this year I'm thinking of venturing into the romper territory.

Summer Rompers by beakoch
Items in this set:
Sparkle & Fade Crepe Button Down Romper, $58
Pins and Needles Piped Sailor Romper, $58
Kimchi Blue Lace Romper, $34
ASOS | ASOS Heart Print Playsuit at ASOS, $68
ASOS | ASOS Floral Printed Playsuit at ASOS, $59

Daily Ensemble: target win

2010-04-22T16:00:00.005-04:00

I just had my last class of sophomore year so as a present to myself I took a little roadtrip to Target. I called looking for the Cynthia Vincent shoes and the salespeople had no idea what I was talking about, so I decided to go see for myself. They had lots of the gladiator sandals and one pair of the wedges, in my size! They really are gorgeous shoes, now I know what all the hype is about. They're also surprisingly comfortable. The only problem is the top strap is soo loose. I'm bringing them to a cobbler tomorrow to see if they can move the button.

Wearing: zoe dress, wilfred belt, cynthia vincent for target shoes

Currently Loving: Cynthia Vincent for Target

2010-04-22T11:05:00.004-04:00

Like the rest of the blogosphere I can't get enough of these Cynthia Vincent for Target wedges.

I've been stalking my local target store ever since they came in but unfortunately they never got these wedges! I may have to order them from ebay...

Daily Ensemble: aerial view

2010-04-21T13:09:00.004-04:00

Wearing: madewell tshirt, h&m skirt, chanel flats

I stayed up half the night writing an art history paper so I'm in desperate need of a nap. I can hardly believe it but this week is our last week of classes! Unfortunately that means sleep will be in short supply for a while. Yay college!

Look for Less: Christian Louboutin lace pumps

2010-04-19T19:41:00.004-04:00

I think the lace shoes that Christian Louboutin has been making recently are absolutely gorgeous. They are also shockingly expensive.

While these Steve Madden pumps have aren't an exact copy of the Louboutin's I think they look very similar, and are a mere $139.95 compared to Louboutin's average price of around $700.

Daily Ensemble: a big white bow

2010-04-19T18:59:00.001-04:00

Wearing: h&m top, american apparel skirt, h&m tights, chanel flats

Weekend Ensemble: New York City!

2010-04-19T17:20:00.005-04:00

On Saturday R and I ventured to the city for a little break from our work and New Haven. We went to the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at MoMA which was incredibly overwhelming. We saw the movie, Exit Through the Gift Shop, which was thoroughly entertaining. And then we ate dinner at a wonderful Mexican restaurant, Cascabel Taqueria.

Wearing: scarf from morocco, berenice trenchcoat, h&m sweater dress, topshop shorts, jcrew tights, stuart weitzman boots

My intrepid guide conferring with his recon squad

Bones bag: part deux

2010-04-15T14:23:00.002-04:00

A while ago I wrote about the bag Dr. Temperance Brennan carries on Bones. I determined that it is the Filson field bag, but after rewatching the first episode, I have an update.

I'm pretty sure that she is carrying a different Filson bag when she arrives at the airport. I believe it is the small carry-on bag.

Filson Small Carry-On Bag ($260)

This bag is almost always up on ebay, but I don't want to post a link because it will probably be dead in a few days. Just search for filson carry-on bag or filson bag and it should come up!

3 questions with an Etsy artist: glamour junkie

2010-04-15T13:58:00.004-04:00

When I first saw the dreamy scarves and capelets from Louise at glamour junkie I knew I had to share them with you. Her pieces are so unique, I especially love the way she mixes textiles.

One of my favorite pieces is the Bianca Nuno Silk Petal Shrug ($250)

I also love her hairpieces, like the Bianca Nuno Felted Silk Flower Chain ($80)

And here is my short interview with Louise:

1. How/when did you start creating?
I started drawing when I was very little and got into making/felting at Secondary school. The first felted thing I made was a vase, which was a bit chunky and woolly for my liking, but it encouraged me to experiment with felting to develop more delicate and floaty fabrics.

2. What are you finding inspiring right now?
My garden, woodlands, the fields around my house.. I really love Spring and am inspired by the delicate new flowers, fruit blossom trees and soft colours.

3. What's the one thing you can't live without?
My camera. Nothing special, just a little digital one, but it's so useful for gathering inspiration, especially colour ideas when I haven't got a sketchbook with me.

Thanks so much for sharing Louise!

Daily Ensemble: heidi braids

2010-04-15T13:54:00.004-04:00

I woke up really early this morning and instead of doing the mountain of homework that keeps piling up I decided to attempt this adorable hairstyle that cupcakes and cashmere was rocking the other day.

Wearing: reiss dress, american apparel slip, topshop shorts, repetto flats

Daily Ensemble: nautical

2010-04-13T13:42:00.005-04:00

The inner prep in me loves anything nautical, but I've definitely been scaling back. The one thing I will never get rid of is my striped shirts.

I had a real photographer today, my friend and suitemate M. Her pictures are much more interesting that the ones I usually take. Enjoy!

Wearing: vintage hair ribbon, forever21 top, american apparel skirt, assets tights, chanel shoes

Daily Ensemble: a day late

2010-04-12T20:30:00.005-04:00

Had some technical difficulties last night, this should have been posted yesterday, sorry!

We had a super awesome panel discussion in my Reading the Historical Romance class today. Loretta Chase an amazing romance writer, Carrie Feron executive editor at Avon, Sarah Wendell from smart bitches trashy books, and Ron Hogan of Lady Jane's Salon and beatrice.com all joined us in our tiny classroom in Saybrook college to discuss what it is about Regency romance novels that draws us in, and keeps us coming back for more. it was so interesting to have people from so many different spheres of the Romance novel world join us. (I also came away with a 2 page list of all the books I need to go out and read right away.)

I'm still plugging away at my own novel, though it has been slow going the last week. Writing is hard!

The nest I have created on my bed to work in

Wearing: UO shirt and skirt, vintage sweater, thrifted loafers

Look for Less: Michelle Williams at the Oscars

2010-04-10T14:49:00.003-04:00

The mustard yellow dress Michelle Williams wore to the Oscars in 2006 is still one of my favorite dresses.

Via Entertainment Weekly

When Jen from Green Wedding Shoes posted these new bridesmaid dresses by Joanna August I thought they were beautiful but it wasn't until I scrolled down to the last dress that I was really blown away. Even though it doesn't have all the same details as the Vera Wang that Michelle wore, it's definitely reminiscent.

Daily Ensemble: red shirtdress

2010-04-08T14:01:00.005-04:00

Another gorgeous day! I was thinking about the winter and realized that I wore a lot of black. So this spring and summer are going to be all about colors and white. The dress I'm wearing today is a gorgeous red, but unfortunately it's difficult to capture in photographs. It turns out kind of orange.

Reed shirtdress, from anthropologie

Wearing anthropologie shirtdress, sergio rossi pumps

I have a busy weekend ahead of me with a birthday (happy birthday L!) and a bunch of shows. R and I are also planning a double date to Miya's which is a famous sushi place here in New Haven. I'll try and take some pictures, because honestly, you've never had sushi quite like this.

Daily Ensemble: sunshine

2010-04-07T11:36:00.003-04:00

When it's actually summer I'll probably stop talking about the weather, but right now I can't get over all this sun and warmth. It makes school an entirely different place. People walk around smiling and happy, they stop to talk to each other on the street, they sit outside to do work.

Wearing: forever21 silk tank top, wilfred belt, jcrew skirt, rachel comey for UO shoes

The weather is definitely not helping my work ethic. It's hard to sit in the library when it's 75 and sunny.

P.S. I ordered the swedish hasbeens wedges but they are ENORMOUS so I have to return them. The search for the perfect clog continues...

3 questions with an Etsy artist: tutti studio

2010-04-06T19:09:00.005-04:00

I always love reading interviews with creative people. But I'm terrible at reading long things online. So I decided to create a new series here which is three (short) questions with an etsy artist.

First up is the wonderful Tutti from tutti studios. If you haven't seen her prints, you must check out her adorable shop. Tutti lives and works in Tel Aviv (cool!)

Forget-me-not print, $25

Swing print, $25

1. How/when did you start drawing?

I can't really tell you how or when, because I've been drawing ever since I can remember. My parents were the best supporters, They always encouraged me to pursue my art and do what I love. My dad still has a doodle I made on a yellow post-it when I was 3 years old, framed in his office - now that's what I call supporting the arts! ;-)

2. What are you finding inspiring right now?

I'm having a bit of a vintage obsession at the moment. So I'm finding all "lost" things inspiring, whether I find them at the flea market, on e-bay or in my grandfathers drawers. I love to make up my own stories for these precious items, who owned them, how were they used and where they went...

3. What's the one thing you can't live without?
That's an easy one. The one thing I can't live without is my amazing supporting husband, who is my best friend and biggest love.

Thank you so much Tutti for being the first in what I hope will be a continuing series here!

Daily Ensemble: census time

2010-04-06T19:03:00.004-04:00

Wearing: thrifted dress, repetto ballet flats

It's Census day! I just filled out my form, which took all of 3 seconds and got a sticker and a lollipop for my troubles.

Still absurdly gorgeous here. I'm trying to spend as much time as possible outside but I've also been working on a new feature for y'all, so stay tuned!

P.S. I bought this dress at Salvo a few days ago for $1, my polka dot craving is sated for the moment.

Currently Loving: Chanel tattoos

2010-04-01T16:00:00.003-04:00

My Chanel tattoos finally came! They're so adorable, but I was terrified to put the first one on, because I didn't want to mess it up!

I decided to start small with a little bracelet and work up to something bigger, maybe a necklace??

Here's my first attempt:

It's actually two different tattoos, one is the pearl chain and the other is interlocking C's.

Daily Ensemble: spring flowers

2010-04-01T15:57:00.004-04:00

It is absolutely gorgeous here so I'm going to go try and soak up as much sun as possible before my show tonight!

Wearing: forever 21 dress, uniqlo slip, jcrew tights, repetto ballet flats

I am so in love with this dress, I can't wait until it's warm enough to wear it without tights. I especially love the print, I tried to get a closeup so you could see it more clearly. The leaves are little hearts!

Clogs?

2010-03-31T23:13:00.003-04:00

I am extremely torn. On the one hand, I wore clogs everyday as a child. I had red, purple, flowered... I had a lot of clogs. On the other hand, I think they're kind of ugly. But now I'm seeing them everywhere (thanks a lot Chanel) and I'm starting to remember how comfy they are...

If I was to get clogs I think I would get any of these from Swedish Hasbeens:

Braided Sky High, $240

Wedge Heel, $218.95

Peep Toe Super High, $238.95

Daily Ensemble: liberty prints

2010-03-31T19:05:00.003-04:00

Between passover, tech week for a new show, and school I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, but I'm sorry for the lack of posts! It's been raining in New Haven for three days, but they're saying it will be 80 on Sunday so I'm keeping my figures crossed. I'm wearing my new liberty for target skirt today (it's for little girls, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do).

Wearing: jcrew cardigan, old navy tank, liberty of london for target skirt, ? grey tights, marais oxfords

Chunky heels, you have won me over

2010-03-27T17:40:00.004-04:00

When I wear heels (the key word here being wear, I own a lot of heels) I wear stilettos. I have always thought chunky heels were ugly. I now realize, I am crazy. How can I think chunky heels are ugly, when these adorable Poetic License heels fall under that formerly maligned category?

From Goldyn, $129

Chunky heels, I apologize.

P.S. For the most part, there are still ugly chunky heels out there.

Daily Ensemble: french pumpkin

2010-03-26T13:55:00.004-04:00

M, R and I are heading to the big Goodwill in a little while. I'm so excited, the last time M and I went it was out of control. I got a fur fest for $10. Today I have to get costumes for a show, but I'm sure I'll have a little time to look around for myself.

Wearing: diy heaband, vintage coat, gap scarf, bdg jeans, sea of shoes for uo booties

I love this coat so much. And I always get lots of compliments, but the funny thing is they are always from girls. Boys think this coat is weird, and more than one guy friend (or boyfriend) has told me I look like a pumpkin.

Wearing: diy heaband, uo striped shirt, bdg jeans, sea of shoes for uo booties

I love these shoes. They are designed by Jane Aldridge, the author of the wonderful blog, Sea of Shoes.

Daily Ensemble: how to fail a test

2010-03-25T13:05:00.005-04:00

Big test today. Ah well, I guess I wasn't meant to be a scientist. Failing tests sucks. My three tips for working through the pain:

1. Wear pearls. At least you'll look good while failing.

2. Bring a used pencil. There is nothing worse than starting to answer the first question on a test and realizing that your pencil squeaks. And then everyone stares daggers at you.

3. Have a plan. R. makes fun of me for this but I have very rigid test rules. Two nights before I go to sleep early after studying throughout the day. The night before I study, relax and then do a final look over my notes before going to bed. (Insert snack breaks whenever needed, last night I had an egg cream procured by the aforementioned R.) The morning of the test I get up early, have breakfast and then I read something other than my notes before going to the test. This helps, I swear. It's like you're giving your brain a rest.

pearls from an antique store in Michigan

Wearing: anglo-american optical glasses, vintage pearls, UO shirt, wilfred belt, jbrand jeggings, repetto ballet flats

André Leon Talley comes to visit

2010-03-24T18:50:00.005-04:00

Today Ezra Stile college hosted a master's tea with Vogue's editor-at-large, André Leon Talley. It was pretty incredible to hear his thoughts on everything from America's Next Top Model to Marie Antoinette.

The moderator seemed to want to talk only about his autobiography, which was definitely interesting but not exactly what I was expecting. Talley talked about his childhood, time at Brown, and his relationships with his grandmother, Andy Warhol, and Karl Lagerfeld to name a few.

He also talked a lot about his fashion influences, citing Marie Antoinette and Saint-Simon several times.

That is an embarrassingly huge grin, but I was pretty excited!

Talley was wearing one of the custom capes that Chado Ralph Rucci made for him to wear on ANTM. I was wearing a jcrew sweater, ba&sh sequin shorts, assets tights, and opening ceremony boots

Currently Loving: polka dots

2010-03-23T21:28:00.005-04:00

Inspired by my new computer case:

via Cath Kidston

I have fallen in love with all things polka dotted.

Polka dot hair bow ($2.50)

From another's treasure

A polka dot bag and computer case might be a little much...oh well, I still want this vintage Gitano bag ($22)

From some girl's vintage

Peter pan collar + polka dots = the best ($70)

From tiny vintage wardrobe

The perfect shoes for a full polka dot outfit ($17)

Forever 21 is also rocking the polka dots ($17.80)

An extremely cute take on the classic denim mini ($19.90)

Look for Less: Chloe pumps

2010-03-23T19:12:00.004-04:00

These shoes are amazing.

Image via the cherry blossom girl
And considering what Chloe shoes cost I assume they're way out of my price range.

Thank goodness for Pour La Victoire. They just launched their new wedding line and the Antoinette pair is a dead ringer for these Chloe's. (All they're missing are the diamond embellishments on the strap, I feel a DIY coming on...)

Available exclusively at zappos, $202

DIY: pom pom headband

2010-03-23T19:06:00.003-04:00

I am obsessed with these headbands from Sonia Rykiel.

I'm thinking of using this DIY from once wed to make a slightly pared down version.

There is also a great yarn pom pom DIY here. Decisions, decisions...

P.S. I also have a test on thursday which is going to require a great deal of studying so posting might be light for the next few days.

Research Find of the Day: Foxe's Book of Martyrs Frontispiece

2010-03-23T17:09:00.008-04:00

Click on the picture for a larger image

I'm in a truly amazing class this semester, The Historical Imagination in Early Modern England. Most of our classes are spent in the Beinecke Rare Book Library, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Sterling Memorial Library Map Collection. All three of these are incredible resources which are under utilized by Yale students. But I digress.

A few classes ago I became completely enamored with the frontispiece of the 1632 edition of John Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Briefly, the book of martyrs is a history of Christian martyrs from the 1st century through the early 16th century, with an emphasis on the martyrdom of English protestant martyrs. Cheery right?

What is so interesting to me is that this frontispiece IS cheery. It has wings with a love poem, animals, birds and bees. It reminds me of a Valentine. I especially love all the baby animals.

My delightful professor Mia Genoni asked Beinecke to make a digital image for me, so now I can share it with you. And eventually I will use this in some paper or another. Because it is amazing. Did I mention the bees?

Daily Ensemble: fresh start

2010-03-23T13:16:00.005-04:00

It's rainy and dreary here in New Haven, but my new floral skirt from Zara is helping to keep my spirits up. Also helping: the giant brownie I am eating as I type this.

Wearing: UO tshirt, jcrew elephant necklace, zara skirt, jcrew tights, opening ceremony boots

Look for Less: Wedges

2010-03-22T20:58:00.004-04:00

Wedges like this:

Christian Louboutin, $535 at barneys

have me foaming at the mouth (definitely not attractive) and searching for a reasonably priced alternative.

Both of these are under $100.

Banana Republic, $98

Vince Camuto, $97.95

Congratulations are in order

2010-03-22T16:53:00.003-04:00

I'm sure Leah is going to kill me after I post this, but I know a lot of you enjoyed her guest posts and I just wanted to let you know that she has been accepted at the USC Theatre School.

I also don't know how she thought she could leave this on my computer without me posting it

I'm so proud of her, she's an amazing actress and a great sister. Yay Leah!

Daily Ensemble: Joan of Arc

2010-03-22T16:45:00.003-04:00

That's who R. thinks I look like today. Joan of Arc. Boys are weird.

forever 21 hairpin, forever 21 dress, assets tights, stuart weitzman boots

Currently Loving: green nail polish

2010-03-21T00:33:00.004-04:00

My friend L says that green is her her nail polish color. And I will admit that she wore green nail polish long before anyone else I know.

Light green nail polish seems to be showing up everywhere, especially after Chanel's Jade polish was so incredibly popular.

I don't really follow nail polish trends but when I saw this color I was intrigued. When I was getting my nails done this week I decided to venture away from my usual spring color (OPI Fiji) and try something new, OPI's Gargantuan Green Grape.

I have gotten so many compliments! What do you think?

Wardrobe Redux Part Deux

2010-03-18T21:12:00.003-04:00

Leah and I are continuing our wardrobe update and today we hit up Jcrew, Banana Republic and Old Navy.

We found great work pants at Banana Republic and moved onto Jcrew in search of some cardigans. Even with my student discount of 15% those things are so expensive! We especially liked the ones with applique flowers but a simple merino cardigan like the one below was $98. We moved onto Old Navy slightly discouraged. (Though I found a very cute pink and white striped shirt.)

We weren't really finding anything at Old Navy until we came to a table with cardigans, when we realized that they were almost exactly like ones from Jcrew, except $26. These were cotton rather than wool (which is a plus for Leah because she hates itchy things) and they came in several colors.

You could buy three of these sweaters for the price of one from Jcrew

Score Old Navy: 1 Jcrew: 0

Currently Loving: heart sunglasses

2010-03-17T19:58:00.002-04:00

I know I just talked about the importance of classic sunglasses and I stand by that. But sometimes you just want to have fun, especially when there are so many cheap options out there which are perfect for a season or two, not forever.

When we were in the airport in Cancun we were wandering through duty free when my friend Louisa pointed out the most adorable heart shaped sunglasses by Juicy Couture. (Disclaimer: I hate Juicy. It is a prejudice passed on from my mother and I will never ever get over it. No one should walk around with the word Juicy on their butt. No one.) The sunglasses were $100 which sent me on a hunt for a cheaper option.

These started the hunt

A cute option from fred flare ($11)

From Kohls ($12)

I think these look almost exactly like the Juicy pair, from Urban ($10)

There are several options on ebay, like these pink ones for $10 (click here to buy)

10 essentials

2010-03-16T13:24:00.003-04:00

I've been seeing a lot of people talking about their ten essential wardrobe items. This exercise only works for me if I do warm weather and cold separately, and since spring is upon us I thought I'd do warm weather essentials. Here they are!

1. Repetto ballet flats
I hate sandals. My favorite footwear for warm weather are soft leather flats in an unexpected color. I have these in bright yellow, cobalt blue, and black with stars on the toe. I'm loving this soft pastel green for spring.

From Mytheresa

2. Full skirt
When it's warm I love to have my legs bare. My favorite skirts are high waisted and full. I wear them with tap shorts underneath just in case of a strong wind!

From Jcrew (and on sale!)

3. Soft shirt
My favorite super soft shirts are from Gap or Madewell. The Madewell shirts are pretty see-through so I usually layer a tank underneath.

From Gap

4. Cashmere cardigan
I can't go anywhere without a cardigan, I get cold easily!

From Jcrew

5. Classic sunglasses
I am not a huge sunglass person. Which is why I was so thrilled to find these super simple Tory Burch sunglasses on a recent trip. I have a small face so I have to pick carefully, I don't want to look like an insect!

From Bloomindales

6. Hair bow
I like bows. I can't help it, they're sweet and they keep my hair out of my face which is especially nice when it gets hot out. I usually make my own, but sometimes I can't resist buying them from Forever 21 and Urban.

From Forever21

7. Floral sundress
I like for my dresses to have a defined waist and to be on the shorter side. Both of these help short people (me! me!) to look taller.

From Topshop

8. Jean jacket
I was ambivalent about denim jackets until I found the perfect one. Mine is a fitted motorcycle jacket from Erin Brinie. I can't find a picture of it online but I'm loving this darker wash by Cheap Monday.

From Shopbop

9. Across body bag
One of my favorite things I have ever bought is my Chanel bag. I saved and saved and scoured the internet and I finally found one on ebay. I messaged the seller and she agreed to sell it to me for much lower than her buy-it-now price because she was moving and wanted to get rid of things. I love my bag so much, and the search made it all the more special.*

10. Comfy heels
I love dressing up when it's warm out. You don't have to worry about coats and scarfs and you get to wear cute open toed shoes. I am on a hunt for the perfect pair of spring heels. I'm loving the wooden wedges I'm seeing everywhere.

*I buy a lot of bags online but I always make sure to get them authenticated by the amazing ladies over on the purse forum. I highly recommend doing this. They are very nice and incredibly knowledgeable.

Thank you and Hello!

2010-03-16T12:16:00.002-04:00

First I'd like to thank Leah for doing such a great job this week. We're going shopping together on Saturday so a joint post might follow!

Second, I'm back! Mexico was great and very relaxing. We stayed at the Viva Wyndham Maya. It was perfect, especially the 24 hour snack bar which we took advantage of quite a bit.

We wandered in town but to be honest there is not much to see in Playa Del Carmen so we mostly hung out on the beach at our hotel and read lots and lots of romance novels. I have so many ideas and I can't wait to keep writing.

Its good to be back in Chicago, if only for a little bit. On Sunday my dad took us to The Purple Pig which I would definitely recommend. The noise level was a bit intense but the food more than made up for it. My family is big on sharing so it's always good to go to find restaurants that encourage that in their menus. Everything was delicious, but my favorite was the dessert. We had a Sicilian Iris, which is a ricotta and chocolate chip filled brioche. Yummy.

I'm back to regular posting, so see you later!

Thanks for a great week!

2010-03-13T16:50:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone,
just wanted to say thanks for sticking with me this week. Bea comes home from vacation today and will be back to posting regularly next week. I have had a great time this week. I started the week with one of my favorite cartoons and will end it will one of my favorite jokes. See you all next time Bea goes on vacation!

Awesome Rings

2010-03-11T17:52:00.008-05:00

I told you at the beginning of the week about my metalsmithing class and the beautiful ring that E. made. She agreed to let me share it with you. She got her inspiration from a ring from Sowat Paris. I am having trouble accessing their website but if you are interested in trying to find the ring it is called the Angel Dust ring.

This is the Sowat Paris ring

And this is E's version

I think she did an amazing job on the ring and I love the way it turned out.
I asked other friends of mine to share their interesting or unique rings with me as well. I love how my friends all have such different styles and you can see it in their jewelry too.

This ring belongs to E's twin W. I have always loved it and notice every time she wears it. She got it at a street stall in Italy.

For a much different style, check out this ring belonging to S.

It is way cool. I love jewelry with everyday objects on it.

This is a present I gave to my previously mentioned best friend L. I got it in Morocco. It is actually three rings in one. Each one says I love you on it, one in English, one in French and one in Arabic.

Gives Me Hope

2010-03-11T13:03:00.003-05:00

I will do a proper post later but I had to share this website that I am now obsessed with. E showed me the website Gives Me Hope whose tagline is "like FML, but for optimists." If you are having a bad day, go and visit GMH, you will instantly feel better.
http://www.givesmehope.com

Dressing as a young professional

2010-03-10T23:07:00.012-05:00

When my sister was home for winter break, we gave my closet a makeover. I am getting ready to start working my first real job and wanted to give my wardrobe a bit more grown up and professional look. However, I didn't want to start dressing like I was older then I am. I wanted to still keep a young sense of style while looking more put together.
So Bea and my very best friend Laura and I hit the shops!
Below, you will see some of the pieces I got from Gap, Banana Republic, Anthropologie and Forever 21. They are all stores that I like but I strayed more towards the work type clothes then the casual clothes I normally buy. I am really happy with the direction my style is going in. I have gotten a lot of compliments on my new look. I don't feel like I am losing my style but I do feel that I am presenting myself in a more polished and put together way.

This is one of my favorite things I found. I thought I would never have an occasion to wear it, but I've already worn it several times. It's a great little black dress.

dress from Banana Republic

I love this shirt because it is just a tad more exciting than a classic white button down. The sleeves and belt give it a bit more pizazz. The jeans are dark wash skinny jeans from Gap. I think they are polished enough to wear to a casual event.

Shirt from Banana Republic and jeans from Gap

These are my favorite style of shirt from Gap. They are super comfortable and I like the rolled up sleeves. I think it shows you are ready to get down to business and work!

Shirts from Gap

Lastly, I have three different styles of jackets. First is a sweatshirt blazer which has a great youthful look. Second is a really unique jacket which I got at Forever 21. And last is a classic blazer which you will never find because I got it at some shop in Copenhagen, paired with a really pretty and delicate shirt from Anthropolgie.

Blazer from Gap

Jacket from Forever 21

Blazer from Boutique in Copenhagen, Shirt from Anthropolgie

I definitely think that you can dress polished and professionally while still maintaining your style no matter what age you are. You just have to buy the right pieces and now what you are looking for.

Brighten Your Day with Zooey Deschanel

2010-03-09T17:03:00.004-05:00

Bea is a big fan of Zooey Deschanel and so am I, so here to brighten your day is her newest music video. Zooey is part of a band called She and Him along with M. Ward. Their second album is coming out soon and this is the first single off of it. The song is called In the Sun and the video is too cute! There are hoola hoops and cute clothes and adorable dance moves. Enjoy!

Major Problem Solved!

2010-03-09T16:46:00.005-05:00

So here is my major problem:

I can't wear high heels.

They make my feet hurt, I can't walk and I have to sit down after about five minutes.

But this problem is on it's way to being solved with help from a fabulous brand of shoes called Naked Feet.

Naked Feet has a very limited collection of flats and heels but they are great. I got my pair at DSW, they are grey leather heels. I still would not chose to run a marathon in them, but they can get me through a dinner party standing.

Naked Feet does not sell from their website but they do have lists of retailers and several online distributers.

Here are a couple of their shoes:

These are the heels I have except in grey.

This is the link for the Naked Feet website. I hope your feet enjoy them!

http://www.nakedfeetshoes.com/nf/

Best Dressed

2010-03-08T14:13:00.006-05:00

It was quite a night at the Oscars, (Yeah Kathryn Bigelow!!!) and quite a night on the red carpet. I won't bore you with my endless analysis of all things Oscar, but I will show you my favorite dresses of the evening.

Anna Kendrick- Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Up in the Air
I love love love the color of her dress. It's so dreamy and light. Her dress seemed very age appropriate and perfect.

dress by Elie Saab

Cameron Diaz
Sparkles are awesome. and great hair.

dress by Oscar be la Renta

Helen Miren- Nominated for Best Actress for The Last Station
Helen Miren is a goddess. She has amazing style and still looks awesome despite being what some would consider old. She always picks the most tasteful and beautiful gowns and this year was no exception.

dress by Badgley Mischka

And my choice for best dressed of the evening is...

Rachel McAdams
I was blown away by her beautiful Elie Saab dress. The color, the draping, everything about it was absolutley perfect.

Dainty Desserts

2010-03-07T17:32:00.014-05:00

It is one of my favorite days of the year, the Oscars are tonight! Tomorrow I will share with you my favorite dresses of the evening, but first, some beautiful desserts.
We had a party at our house last night and I talked my Dad into letting me prepare all of the desserts, promising that they would be as good as our favorite bakery. Having made this promise, I knew I had to make the best desserts I ever had.

The recipes I used came from two excellent cookbooks. Gale Gand is a Chicago pastry chef who writes great cookbooks. Four of the recipes I made came out of Gale Gand's Just a Bite. The mini cupcakes were from Martha Stewart Cupcakes and the hazelnut mousse cake came from Epicurious.com. Epicurious is a great resource for all chefs. It allows you to do very specific searches for different kinds of recipes and generally has great ideas.

And now on to the main event:

I started out with Vacherins, which are little tiny meringue cups filled with whipped cream and topped with a raspberry.

They have a great delicate texture and a really quite pretty to look at.

Next, are a great little treat called Lemon Cream Daisies.

They are little cups of puff pastry filled with a lemon mousse with a little sprinkling of pistachios on top.

If you live in Chicago, you are familiar with the Frango Mint, the most delicious chocolate mints in the world. These are called Chocolate Mint Tiddlywinks and are basically a large sized Frango Mint.

I think that they're very striking looking.

I am a huge cupcake fan, I love all kinds. However, most adults are not big fans of cupcakes so when they are all having seconds and thirds, you know that they are good.

These particular cupcakes are filled with salted caramel and topped with dark chocolate frosting. They are fairly labor intensive but it is worth it. Martha Stewart is a genius!

If you want to make an impression when serving dessert, grab a brulee torch, I promise people will be impressed.

These are individual Banana Brulee Spoons. They are made by filling a spoon with custard, dipping it in Honey Powder and bruleeing it with a torch and then topping it with a banana slice and giving it one more dose of heat.

Finally, Gianduja Mousse Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Crust.

It is an incredibly delicious cake. I made a stencil for the top by cutting a snowflake out of wax paper and then dusting the cake with powdered sugar.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I spent my weekend. If you would like any of the recipes, be sure to post in the comments section and I will post them to the blog.

Enjoy the Oscars!

Layered Necklaces

2010-03-06T16:10:00.006-05:00

Happy Saturday!

The weekend is my favorite time of the week. To add to a casual weekend outfit of jeans and a cute shirt, I love the look of some layered necklaces. To demonstrate, meet the style twins: W. and E. They both have fabulous style and later in the week I will show you some of the great outfits they put together. Pairing several necklaces together can be a great way to showcase all of your interesting jewelry as W. demonstrate here:

I love how the butterflies go together and the heart makes it a little less matchy matchy.
E. is the president of our student body and for our assembly meetings on Fridays she likes to wear appropriately presidential jewelry.

She always wears her gavel necklace. The crown is a piece that I made for her. If you can't see, it says Madame President on it.

I have been taking a metal smithing class all year and absolutely love the pieces I can make for people. I will be sharing more jewelry I have made during the week including an amazing ring that E. made.

For a twist on the layered necklace look, I like the idea of paring some cute object necklaces like this roller skate from Urban Outfitters:

paired with an inexpensive bow ($18) also from Urban Outfitters:

Coming Tomorrow:
Some beautiful desserts I am making for a party tonight including Individual Banana Brulee Spoons and Vachrins with Cream and Raspberries.

Nice to meet you...

2010-03-05T11:51:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself as your guest blogger for the week. My name is Leah and I am the fabulous younger sister of your resident blogger Bea. I still reside in lovely Chicago where I like to take advantage of all of the things my beautiful home has to offer. I love many of the same things Bea does: beautiful clothes, cool vintage and generally all things cute. This week, I will share with you some of the things we both love and some things that I have a bit more expertise in, namely food. I absolutely love food. I am an avid baker and love to make food that is beautiful as well as delicious. I hope you will enjoy getting to know another member of our family.

To introduce myself to you, I made an inspiration board of some of the things that I love:

images via Google Images, Cannelle et Vanille and Green Wedding Shoes

Finally, to brighten your day, this is one of my favorite cartoons that always makes me smile.

Heros and Heroines

2010-03-04T18:48:00.003-05:00

Do you all make lists? I am a big list maker, and I find nothing so satisfying as checking things off said list. With that, I have decided (with a little help from a class assignment) to undertake a fairly large project which I have always wanted to start. With help (and lots of guidance) from two very wonderful professors I have jumped into the wonderful world of Regency England to write my very first romance novel!

Ever since I met my heroine (she popped into my head one day and has taken up permanent residence) I haven't been able to stop thinking about her story and the world she lives in. Since I am a very visual person I have been searching all over the interwebs for characters to populate my Regencyland. Would you like to meet some of them?

This is Lady Annabelle Crowley, my heroine.

And this is my hero, Theodore Gray, Marquess of Beeston

I am signing off now for the next week. But we have a very exciting guest blogger, my sister Leah! She's going to talk to you about food and rings and all kinds of amazing stuff. See you in a week!