Weekend in Utah

I went to Sundance last weekend and it was a dream.

I had some unbelievable stars sightings, like Michael Cera watching Jason Mraz perform with Alia Shawkat (and one major mustache), as well as Paris Hilton trotting through my empty hotel lobby in thigh-high hose and stilettos. I attended some fancy parties, though the decidedly un-fancy No Name Saloon decorate in moose heads and Christmas lights was my favorite social outing. I snowmobiled, I traveled by gondola, and I ate dinner in a yurt on the top of a mountain that's reachable only by sleigh.

Out of the entire whirlwind weekend, though, the best part was Saturday's blizzard--and enjoying it inside my cozy hotel room complete with a fireplace and balcony with a view of the mountains.

When can I go back?

Be sure to follow me on tumblr... I've been much (okay, a little) better about posting there, since I can do it on the go.

Christmas in Missouri

The holidays are way over, but I'm still coming down from a relaxing seven days at home. It's been ages since I've visited Missouri for a whole week, and it was just what I needed in life. Thanks, Santa! My hometown is exactly what New York City is not, in every best way possible: cows instead of homeless people, parks instead of skyscrapers, slow-moving instead of face-paced, and cheap drinks instead of expensive ones.

I spent the majority of time reading (The American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, who just might be my favorite writer in the whole wide world, and A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, which was wonderfully weird and kept me entertained my whole flight back) in between marathons of Christmas movies (Home Alone, Annie, and The Holiday) and the least cheerful show ever (The Walking Dead).

I caught up with a few new magazines and lots of old ones (ElleGirl, CosmoGirl, YM, and a very short-lived TeenStyle), which actually inspired me to impulse-buy iloveteenmagazines.com. I'm clueless about what I'll do with it, but I was feeling awfully motivated by my quiet schedule and the impending New Year. So if you have any ideas...

Reasons I Want To Be Jessie Randall

"In the cold months of winter, Jessie Randall, president and creative director of the high-end Loeffler Randall shoe line, essentially lives in boots. The New York City-based designer has about 15 pairs in regular rotation once winter arrives. 'I like to be comfortable, and boots are the best thing to keep my legs warm,' she says." -- Wall Street Journal

I'm crazy for everything Jessie Randall says--and designs--and this is no exception. I don't own any of her shoes, unless you count a pair of metallic flats from the Loeffler Randall for Target collection that I loved so much I bought twice. I count it.

Not only does she consistently create some of the most gorgeously classic shoes around (I'll take these and these, please), but she's also a totally cool Brooklyn girl who has admitted to finding style inspiration from grandmas and dolls (i.e. my two biggest fashion icons).

And as if I didn't respect her already, the lady owns fifteen pairs of boots. FIFTEEN! Sure, that's what she does for a living, but that makes me six pairs feel awfully insignificant, and I consider myself a boot girl to begin with.

I'm curious: how many pairs of boots do you have?

P.S. Jessie's on the cover of Matchbook Magazine this month, where she says adorable things like that Fifi Lapin is her style icon and Brooklyn is her favorite city (OMG, mine too).

Cheers To The New Year

My resolution for 2012 is just more. More everything. Wear more sequins, buy more shoes. See more friends, go out to more restaurants and bars and concerts and parties. Listen to more music, read more books, take more pictures, write more... anything. See more sunsets, go for more sunrise runs.

But mostly wear more sequins.

Necessary Sequin Skirt

New Year's Eve Sparkles

Last Sunset of 2011

Polaroid Photo Booth

Dessert At Serendipity

Waiting at a restaurant for 20 minutes makes me want to cry, so you can imagine my emotional state when Serendipity told us it would be three (!) hours before we could get a table on Sunday night.

But it was one of my best friend's birthdays, and it's Serendipity, so we walked around Bloomingdales (awesome) and Barney's Gaga Workshop (overrated) while dreaming about frozen hot chocolates despite the fact that we couldn't feel our fingers because it was so cold outside.

Luckily it was worth the wait. So worth it. The restaurant looks like something out of Alice and Wonderland, the desserts are crazy-delicious, and the dinner menu included one gem of a veggie burger amidst seventy-five chicken dishes, which was enough to make my night alone.

All Decked Out

As excited as I am to go home, I'm really loving how decorated my apartment and my neighborhood and all of the city is.

My apartment is all decked out with twinkle lights and mini trees and these funny window stickers, and Greenpoint, Brooklyn looks like a small town in the '60s.  When I get off the subway at night, I'm not quite sure whether I'm in New York or in Pleasantville (which is in fact in New York, but you know what I mean).

So Merry (early) Christmas, from my apartment to yours.

Blogs I Follow and Like

If I don't get this for Christmas, then Santa just doesn't really know me.

I'm actually trying to cut back on the absurd number of blogs I read every day, just so I can make more time for news (and I'm not just talking WWD and Styleite and Fashionista, though those do count for news, am I right?).

But regardless of whether I'm reading 200 blogs a day or just 20, I've never seen such a perfect notebook.

And if you're curious, I would fill the first few lines with three recent favorites that I just can't stop reading: Happy, Honey Lark, Ruby Slipper Journeys, and Everyday Musings. You'll love them too, I swear.

Archie Grand for J. Crew notebook, available here.

Dashing Through The Snow

Even if you got me to confess how many times I've watched this, I would be lying. Because I've watch it so. many. times.

My favorite is the little guy in the striped scarf, but you probably already knew that.

Safe Travels

Is it time to go home for the holidays yet? Can it be, please? Well, fine, if I have to wait another week, I will be listening to "Safe Travels" by Peter and the Wolf on repeat.

And you should, too.

 

Do You Believe?

The other night I was rushing around Midtown, trying to cross a few important errands off my list (read: snag this amazing sweater that was on sale for, like, pennies at Old Navy) before meeting up with friends.

Herald Square on Friday evening during the holiday season might be the most stressful place on Earth (with the exception of Times Square). But then I looked up and saw this and everything was better.

Even though I didn't find the sweater.

Rockefeller Tree Lighting

Last Wednesday I left work early (which is to say I left a few minutes after 7 even though I was supposed to leave a few before; "on time" isn't my strong suit), and met up with a friend to watch the Rockefeller Tree Lighting. Even though Justin Bieber heartbreakingly canceled his appearance, it was the single worst crowd I have seen in my life. But that's how it's supposed to be, right?

After being re-routed avenue after avenue, we finally got close. Not close enough to catch a glimpse of the tree, but close enough to maybe, kinda, sorta hear a few musical performances. Tony Bennett? Carol King? We couldn't decipher the difference from where we were standing. Or over the hordes of screaming children. One of the two.

So we gave up and went to Saks. There's always next year.

Band Crush: Wake! Owl

I own owl-covered plates, glasses, necklaces, ornaments, keychains, and sweaters—and that's only what comes to mind at the moment—so it's no surprise that I would fall hard for a band called Wake! Owl. But I swear I love them for reasons other than their fantastic name. And their name's fantastic punctuation.

The entire EP is golden (listen here!), but my favorite song is called Wild Country.You're going to love it, I just know it.

Wake! Owl - Wild Country by FluidArt

Brooklyn Sunset

The hardest part about having a job (even a job that's totally, undeniably great) is missing out on most of the daylight hours and leaving the office when it's as dark as midnight.
 
It's sort of magical seeing the lights of Times Square all the time, but it sure doesn't compare to this.

Seeing Spots

I, without question, need this sweater in both colors.

The black and white one will be worn over one of my many (many, many, many) black dresses for work, a dark denim mini at night, and faded jeans on the weekends.

 The navy and gray version is just asking to be paired with all my colorful skirts--bright pink, acid green--that don't seem to match anything else.