Song Pop, Saturday

For this 2nd installment of Song Pop, I subject you to Fun. This song has been on the radio for weeks and I can't. stop. listening.

Fun. - Some Nights

"This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?
Why don't we break the rules already?
I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white
I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack my style"

NYFW: Stripe Review

Photo via Pinterest

The verdict is in... if it's even possible, STRIPES came back bigger then ever in the Spring 2013 presentations last week in New York. We were waiting with bated breath and low & behold they did not disappoint. Although it's not earth-shattering news to here that they remained present, their interpretations were definitely notable.  Here is a photo recap of some of the best stripes I've seen walk down the runway this season.

Alice + Olivia, Spring 2013
Watercolor Stripes

Belstaff, Spring 2013
Vertically-placed Stripes

Michael Kors, Spring 2013
Stripes in mixed sizes

I actually felt the Tommy show was better done on the menswear side then on the women's. 

Loved all of the stripe interpretations for my guy.

Tommy Hilfiger Men's, Spring 2013
Placed Stripes in Menswear

JCrew, Spring 2013
Striped Pantaloons

The next dress is all over the internet from the minute it hit the runway... for obvious reasons, it's to die for. I would kill to have this dress. Where am I going in it, I have no clue, it doesn't matter though, does it. I'll twirl around in my bedroom in front of the mirror if I feel like it. Props to Oscar for taking something so simple and literally turning it into something that takes my darn breath away.

Oscar de la Renta, Spring 2013
Bias Striped Ballgown

I don't know about you, but I'll be rocking the stripes everyday. I can't help myself.

*all fashion week photos courtesy of Style.com*

stripes

My success of the day

So, since moving here and having a much expected nervous breakdown from losing my career, I've decided that  I need to see the glass half full. People would kill to have 5 minutes living my current life. That's the whole point, 5 minutes. I loved it for 5 minutes, too... and then I looked up at the sky and said "you can put me back now! you can stop with the joke... i'm not smiling anymore!"
Like playground days as a kid, I was always tormented by the kids that never knew when to stop. The joke or the poke or the chase never stopped until I had screamed STOPPPP!!! on the top of my lungs and borderline of tears. It took one of those days to get me to realize I wasn't going anywhere. This was my life and I needed to either adapt or die like an animal in the Serengeti.
In my adaption process, (which is going quite well thank you!), I realized that what I was really searching for was daily fulfillment that made me feel successful. This is what my job gave me. It's not necessarily the activity that I did every day at my job, but more like the conquering of small projects, and honestly, just being able to go home at night saying I survived another day. So, my husband and I came up with a little thing that makes me take each day as it comes. Every night whether at dinner, on our dog's walk, or as soon as he walks in the door from work, he makes a point to ask me "tell me, what was your success of the day?" It's become a great reality check for me.. mainly humbling, to realize it's not always the big things, but the little things count too. It's a life tracker, which I was losing when I was running ragged in the city. One day it was September, the next day it was 6 years later and I was quitting my job. I can honestly look back on the last 7 years and say that I remember them by the bigger life moments throughout them and not what took me from point A to point B. Maybe that's just something that happens in your 20's though....
Yesterday, I had a big success. I've had a few big successes throughout my time here, but yesterday's I will share.
The past 2 months have been such a whirlwind to make my house a home. In the beginning we went thru the first two weeks without furniture because I couldn't decide on anything. Yeah, well that sucked. I had a small kick in my indecisive butt from J and then I was full steam ahead. I went room by room, leaving the two least important rooms to last - the office and the formal dining room. I rocked the rest of the house and as we entered September I found myself a few days away from completing the last 2. Listen, 2000 sq. feet is a project when you're use to living in 600 sq. ft. Not to mention I am the queen of details, hey I'm a designer, so each room had a very distinct style that I had to achieve. For the office, I had fallen in love with a pillow design that I could only find on Etsy. I love Etsy. I find excuses just to buy something on there because I think it's great being able to support an individual or small business, not to mention the products on there are insanely original.  BUT, these pillows that I loved were selling for $50+ a piece. Rightfully so, I'm sure, but not in my budget. I'm no fool. I know what a margin is.. and those were seriously looking at 70%. I couldn't do it. I needed at least 2 for each office chair. So, being the ever savvy lady that I am, and I'm seriously savvy don't think I'm kidding, I googled the fabric code. I found it on this clutch fabric site, that I will keep my little secret, and bought a yard. Scary thing here was that I hadn't touched my sewing machine in over 6 years; since senior year of college. But I've sewn entire collections before, I have a degree blindly stating that I can sew, and I'm underestimating my ability to sew a pillow? Touché!
Yesterday, I sewed those pillows. I did more then sew those pillows, I rocked those three pillows. Yes, three! My office is now a dream and my success of the day? Yep.
All of this success did not come easy though. I had the embarrassing moment when I sat and stared at my Singer trying to figure out how the hell to thread the machine. I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I even went on Youtube for an instructional video. I was 15 seconds in when in a fit of rage at myself, stopped it, and said "you have got to be kidding me! you went to fashion school, you have a degree on this, and you are letting a 14 yr old girl on youtube tell you how to thread a bobbin?! NO NO NO" It should've been like riding a bike.. that's what I always thought. And it was, but I just needed that 1 second of how to start off the thread and the rest was cake. I figured it out - proudly without youtube, and my pillows, from my inner proud parent, are so gorg. Just take a look -

Before

After - yay!

ikat

Whatta'ya Love? Weds.

Today's Wednesday... happy half-a week to you all!

If you don't just want to hug yourself or someone close-by after seeing this photo, you might just be dead.

Bey & Jay, from Beyonce's Tumblr

You can find more goodness gracious-ness on B's tumblr of personal photos:
 I am Beyonce

A peek inside...

We all have this burning desire to be a fly on the wall in someone's house we know. What's it like when they take off their mask? Do they throw the charades at the door? Who are they really?

Well, maybe it's not that dramatic, sometimes we're just curious folk by nature and really just want to get a glimpse on the other side. Today, I thought I'd share with you my side. The above photo via Instagram is my workspace. This is where the magic happens, people. 

Let me take you through the schematic of the photo. I know you are all dying over the cork-board, yes? That my friends, was a DIY from a Pinterest pin. Unlike many people, I really use most of my pins - I've cooked most of those meals, I've placed most of those house pins on inspirational boards for my new digs, and I only pin quotes that hit a little twing in my heart. 

In the upper left hand are all of my passes to fashion shows, Magic trade show, and staff entry passes... oldest dated 2004. Dead center on my cork is a quote that has followed me everywhere since college. I cut it out of a random fashion mag and have always had it next to my computer.. it says, "Just as I was reaching a point in my life where I was beginning to feel part of something, I've become restless for a new me. When you know who you are, new ideas are icing."

Lower right of the cork are my 2 best friends, my husband & my matron of honor. Both of them are the only 2 (that are not family) that I have that have been with me every step of the way for the past 14 years. They know me inside and out and take me for who I am... trust me, I take them for who they are too! These photo booth photos were taken one summer on the boardwalk when I was 14. It serves me as a reminder of where I came from, who I am, and just overall good times, the best times. Beside them is my passport with my old maiden name. It was  devastating when I had to turn that sucker in for a new one. So many visas and stamps reminding me of my world travels whether alone or with friends. I can't believe some of the places I've been lucky enough to travel, and to me this is the only thing that serves me proof. I leave it here as a friendly reminder of what I'm capable of and to never sell myself short.

Then on my desk, you have clutter-city: a frame with my 2 boys, my stardust peony soy candle, old school iPod with old school music ;), my 'this week' mousepad to keep track of all the odds and ends errands, and all those wonderful supplies creative people have like pantone markers and pinking sheers. I also have my business cards displayed because, hey why not..., and my super chic clear acrylic tape dispense (also a Pinterest find).

I love that my desk motivates me and inspires me to open that creative flow. Does your space serve you? How many of your Pinterest pins are now in your life?

See, what had happened was...

Did you all catch a bit of New York's fashion week last week?
It was a bit strange for me being away from the city. When you're living and commuting there, you can't help but feel the energy exuding from uptown no matter where you're going/working/living.
I was a tad too busy floating around my house in domestic bliss to follow it every day, but I did check in on a few of my favorite designers to see what they had in store for us all next Spring... (and I checked in on our stripe friends.. they did it big y'all! So we'll do a separate post on their success later in the week.) Not only were there a ton of awning stripes but black was a staple infused with the primary colors... Not sure I am totally there yet.
There's also always one each season that falls short, all a matter of preference of course, but for me this time was Proenza Schoular. I'm sorry, but who is wearing that? The bold print mixing, jarring color choices, 80's sleeveless (and color blocked!) leather vests and zipper-fronts were a little too much for me. Maybe next time, boys.

Here are my top 5 loves from the NYFW Spring 2013:

5. Rachael Comey - killer silhouettes. some super feminine & sweet cuts in this collection.

4. Boy by Band of Outsiders - ombre pleats. would you not rock the socks off this?

3. Rebecca Taylor - weekend luxe. Always girly, but it never gets old. Reliably casually cool.

2. DVF - flirty, feminine, color! overall, REFRESHING. Stole the show for me. So hard to find my favorite look because they're all so perfect. Please go view the full collection HERE

1. Oscar De La Renta - striped ball gown. I died and went to heaven.

Photo credits to: Fashion Week Daily