Great Catsby

May 21, 2013

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Mike and I went to see The Great Gatsby over the weekend. I didn’t remember that much about it from reading the book in high school but that’s probably because I “read” the book, meaning I got through the first couple pages and then gave up and looked up the summary in cliff notes. I wasn’t a model student, what can I tell you. What I can tell you is this: I absolutely loved the style in that movie! So elegant and beautiful and perfect.

I knew I had a dress camping out in my pile-of-thrifted-stuff-that-needs-to-be-altered bag which kind of reminded me of the dresses from Gatsby. I pulled it out from the black hole that is my to-alter pile and got to work. All it really needed was to be taken in a little bit under the arms, but once I’d finished that I got a crazy idea. To hem the lining to make the bottom part sheer would step this dress up to a more modern place. So I went for it. And I’m pretty sure Gatsby would approve.

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All I had to do was decide where I wanted the hem of the lining to fall and then measured all the way around to make sure it was even. Then I used a straight stitch to hem it up and voila! Vintage is new again.

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The Great Catsby, on the other hand, was more interested in eating grass. Good thing I don’t wait around for her approval on all my refashioned clothes.

New York Trip (Part 1)

May 17, 2013

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About this time every year I make an annual pilgrimage to the one and only New York City. There are many reasons to visit- there’s always something to do or a new place to explore, it’s a relatively simple 4.5 hour bus trip away, and some of my most favorite people in the world live there. Last weekend I took the Megabus bright and early Friday morning and after 4 episodes of Game of Thrones, I had arrived.

First I visited with my brother, his lovely girlfriend and some cousins. A great way to start the trip! We walked around SoHo, had a nice snack/drink and then my brother and I headed back to his dorm to cook up a dish for the Shabbat dinner we were heading to that evening. The dinner was perfect- lots of friendly faces, piles upon piles of delicious food, and was rounded out by listening to everyone sing many vivacious songs I didn’t know the words to.

The following day we walked around Central Park for a few hours, just taking in the sights.

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Glasses: Zennioptical, Scarf: GAP (similar), Black skinnies: H&M (similar), T-Shirt & Pink Studs: Target, Cross Body Bag: Old Navy (similar), Brogues: Ollio (similar), Leather Jacket: Thrifted (similar)

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Pretending to be a tough New Yorker.

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My trusty leather jacket and brogues got me through the walking and the cool weather. Unfortunately the warm, sunny days were on the days I was stuck on the bus. Oh well! Guess I’ll just have to schedule another time to visit soon! Stay tuned for Part 2…

Project Runway: Marymount Edition

May 14, 2013

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My friend Kellie invited me and my sister to join her for Marymount’s annual fashion show for the seniors and some alumni to present their lines. Kellie is studying to become a designer at Marymount (she wants to focus on bridal designs!), and she usually is behind the scenes helping out at most of their shows. This time around she got to sit out in the audience and enjoy it! Here are some of my favorite looks from the show:

I really loved seeing the major talent these students have- I can’t wait until it’s time for Kellie to show her stuff on the runway for her senior year! Some of my top faves from the show were the drop waist floral dress, the light green gown with sequin appliqués and the shimmery reddish gold one shouldered gown. Which ones were your favorites?

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Ooh La Laura

May 7, 2013

Who had their money on dress number 4? Well if you did you WON! Email me to claim your winnings. (Winnings include a virtual high five and maybe some sort of eCard). Laura looked totally glamorous in this Elie Tahari sheath from Rent The Runway. She decided that red peep toes and chandelier earrings would pop nicely against the neutral dress, and she borrowed the vintage gold beaded clutch from me. I’m getting a Joan from Mad Men vibe from this chic ensamble, dontchathink?

Dress: Gold Infused Lace Sheath by Elie Tahari via Rent The Runway, Earrings: Old Navy, Shoes: Me Too via Shoes By Lara, Clutch: Thrifted from Goodwill (Borrowed from me)

Once again Laura is giving me great ideas about how to pose for future outfit posts. You’d think because we’re twins we’d already be doing the same poses, right? Fraternal twins are really just sisters born on the same day, so no, she won’t feel it if you pinch me. Although we did have our own secret language as little kiddos and we would copy each other a lot. Any other sisters out there who were like this?

ps to Laura- I just learned that we are actually sororal twins since we are both girls. We’ve been saying it wrong for almost 30 years!! oops.

Sister Styling

May 2, 2013

It’s that time of year again where I help my gorgeous sister decide what to wear to her office’s annual gala! Remember how great she looked last year? Well if you don’t have a photographic memory, I’ll help you out.

I loved this yellow lace dress on her, and the teal green earrings she chose really made the look pop. Once again Laura chose to use the very thrifty and super easy route of Rent the Runway to give her a great bang for her buck for this one night a year. Here are the contenders for this year’s look:

1. Zac Posen Pink Lady Dress (Rent for $75) 2. Elie Tahari Tuscan Sunset Dress (Rent for $85)

3. Halston Heritage Forever Mine Gown (Rent for $135) 4. Elie Tahari Gold Infused Lace Sheath (Rent for $125)

Laura actually came over last night with the winning dress and I helped her style it up to be ready for the gala tonight! I love playing dress up with my life-sized sister doll. Laura promised that she’ll ask a co-worker to take photos of her in the final look so I’ll share them with you all early next week. Now time to place your bets, which dress do you think she chose?!

Make it Work

April 30, 2013

Despite my blasé expression in these photos, I had quite a pleasant weekend. On Saturday I went to see the Nats play (I have the sunburn to prove it) and on Sunday I wore this outfit as a strategic transitional look to go from brunch with family to the ballet with friends. One thing not pictured- the flats I wore to brunch. I figured these heels would start annoying me pretty soon after I made more than one walk to and from the car so I went with flats for the beginning of the day and threw on the heels to make more of a dressy statement for the ballet. Basically I didn’t want to feel too jealous of the extremely talented ballerinas, gracefully prancing around on their tip toes.

Dress: Modcloth (similar), Heels: Nine West (similar), Faux Leather Jacket: Target (similar), Clutch: Thrifted @ Goodwill, Earrings: Francesca’s 

I’m happy to report that most of the ballerinas were pretty short, so I felt victorious in my quest to appear taller than normal. (Full disclosure: many of the ballerinas in this production were children). So yes, I am taller than a 5th grader.

Court is in Style

April 26, 2013

Oh man, this week has been intense. As I’ve mentioned a few times on this blog, my full time job is working as a social worker. I love my job and feel fortunate that I have the honor of helping those in need every day, but sometimes it can get crrrrazy. For example this past week I had to attend court for a case and I actually had to testify to a jury! This is definitely not a typical day in my work world, so I apologize for my lack of posts this week- I’ve been busy.. testifying in COURT to a JURY. Anywho, let’s talk about the part that I didn’t mind during the week- figuring out what to wear!

I knew that I wanted to look presentable, professional, but still wanted to look like myself (i.e. cute). After looking for suggestions about what to wear from my lawyer friends (no low cut tops and no big earrings) I decided on a shift dress, a bright yellow cardigan, some sophisticated stud earrings and easy to walk in flats. Since no pictures are allowed in court (unless they are officially brought in as evidence) I didn’t get any photos of my outfit. Luckily, thanks to the magic of the internet I threw together a little collage of a look that is similar to what I wore on the big testimony day.

Grey Shift Dress   Beaded Cardigan   Faux Snake Skin Flats

Amber Stud Earrings   Rose Gold Watch   Navy Blue Trench Coat   Lip Gloss

I’m glad that the whole thing is over and I can get back to my normal social worker duties, such as carefully navigating my way through a hoarder’s house or chasing after client’s animals for them. Oh man, they do not pay me enough. (kidding! I would do it for free. No, actually I still want to get paid).

Have a great weekend!!

Happy Thoughts

April 18, 2013

Tuesday was my 29th birthday. Usually my birthday is just a fun time to hang out with friends and family and enjoy their love and attention for a whole day (I am a self proclaimed attention seeker). But, these past few years it’s been somewhat difficult to focus on being happy on my big b-day because of all the sad events that have taken place around this time of year. Like I said in my last post, it’s so easy to get caught up in all the terrible acts that are going on around us and drown in all the sadness that goes with it.

Don’t worry, this is where the post gets happier! A few months ago I was approached to become a Happify Pioneer. A what? I can see that befuddled look on your face. Let me explain. As the folks at Happify were researching how to tie style to happiness they came across this little ‘ol blog of mine! They explained Happify to me as “an NYC based company with a vision to bring the science of happiness to mass market in an entirely new way.” I knew I wanted in when I learned more- it’s a way to connect with others by using interactive activites to form daily happiness habits. A way to be happier on a daily basis through scientifically proven methods?  They definitely had me at HAPPIFY.

Once I was officially inducted as a Happify Pioneer, I was pleasantly surprised with it’s user friendly appearance. Happify reminds me of what it would look like if Facebook and Pinterest had a baby:

Cute right? After being a pioneer for the last few months I really do feel like I’ve been increasing my daily happiness just by participating in the activites and connecting with other like minded happiness seekers. If you’re still not really sure how it works, I’ll give you an example. The first activity I participated in was called “Savor the Small Stuff.” The goal was to take one of your normal everyday pleasures and really focus on what you’re doing to take notice of how enjoyable it is. I decided to focus on one of my favorite things I do everyday- getting dressed! To quote myself from my profile page, “I really paid attention to what I was putting on and made sure that each item brought me joy.”     

Let me tell you, it was quite the eye opening experience. Now I try to do this everyday and I’m noticing how much happier I am actually taking the time to notice what I’m doing rather than being on autopilot. This activity was posted on my profile page with a photo of my choosing and then people can like it, or post comments. It’s pretty much a way to be involved in a supportive community where everyone is being positive and giving each other high fives for working towards a happier lifestyle.  

If being a member of Happify sounds like a train you want to jump on and ride into the sunset, sign up here! You’ll find me there with the biggest grin on my face, saving you a seat.

Stand Together

April 16, 2013

With all the senseless acts of violence that have happened over the years, including yesterday, a few months ago, or even 6 years ago today, it’s easy to fall into a rabbit hole of despair and confusion. When devastating events like these happen, I try to focus on what good and caring acts are going on around me, rather than letting myself get swept up with the constant repeat of images in the media, or giving in to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

My Facebook feed was full of people sending prayers, hope and encouraging stories of those who went out of their way to help those who were hurt. I personally have been lucky enough to find out that people I know and love who either live in Boston or were runners/spectators at the marathon were not harmed and are safe. Seeing people come together in a time of need to help each other is what I’ve decided to focus on, and I urge you to do the same. Focusing on the positive in a terrible situation takes the power away from those who terrorize, and empowers us to rise up above these horrific acts to put our energies towards supporting each other in a time of need.

Small children want to be like me

April 11, 2013

T-shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: Forever21, Flats & Heart Studs: Shopruche, Sunglasses: Target, Long necklace: World Market, Short Necklace: Gift from Meghan

Ah, Springtime. A time of rebirth, regrowth and first tattoos. Wait, what? Yes, you heard right. I decided to get a tattoo of an eagle on my left inner wrist. The eagle represents FREEDOM and my love of ‘Merica. If you have a problem with that then you my friend, are probably guilty of treason. Or some form of being a traitor.

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April FOOLS (a week and a half late). I figured I would really fool you guys if I waited about 11 days later, pretty clever if I do say so myself. It’s just one of those temporary tattoos that your kid brother EVERYONE likes. The unfortunate part is that I fooled absolutely no one in real life. Except for some 8 year old girl who I passed by in this park who said “woah that girl has a wrist tattoo!” And I rejoiced in my victory of fooling a small child.

ps- I hope you enjoyed my totally UN-awkward poses to show off my rad new tat.