Lazy Monday

Well. On that note, good morning and good night.

[photo cred here and there]

Blue Morning

I love how New York City is cast in shades of navy in the early morning when I wake up and walk to the gym. I always imagine the city as a gritty steel color in my mind, but when it's 6 AM and the lights are still winking, it's something altogether a little lighter and fresh.

How was your weekend? I went upstate to the Hudson Valley, which manages to be pretty even in the dead of winter (if you consider 50 degrees to count as winter). I don't mean Poughkeepsie so much as the woods and hills and creeks around it. I figured everyone would be confused if I used the modifier "pretty" for Poughkeepsie. I've been reading The Marriage Plot lately. Has anyone else started reading it? I'm halfway through, but the references and obscure quotes make me feel so unread (and I was an English major) that I can't decide how I feel about it. There's also the part where I'm obsessed with an entirely different genre and set of writers (dirty realism from the 80s; Raymond Carver, Amy Hempel, Richard Ford, Flannery O'Connor). Are you thinking of reading it? I know it received a lot of hype.

[photo cred here and there]

Morning Glory

This weekend, I went to margaritas with the fashion department before heading home to bake cookies and decorate my miniature Christmas tree. Did I say bake cookies? I meant eat them. Oops. My mistake. The thing about grabbing drinks with the fashion department is that even while wearing two necklaces and wedge boots, I still manage to be the most underdressed person there. You know what could help? A choose-your-own-adventure-outfit video from Madewell. After twelve years of wearing plaid kilts and knee socks, I'm not good at dressing myself in new and imaginative ways. If I do in fact find a creative combination, I'll wear it once a week until I do my dry-cleaning. So tomorrow, I'm going to let this cute video decide. Where did your choices take you? (Mine were: Tea, geeky chic, handbags, dress down, confetti).

Rise & Shine

This weekend, I accidentally spent an afternoon devoted to myself. First, I went to Via Quadronno, an Italian café in the heart of the Upper East Side that features delicious paninis and the best cappuccinos ever. It cost me a mint (or let's be honest, about eight mints), but the wild boar prosciutto panini was worth it. The cappuccino was light, foamy and rich. It completely lived up to my expectations, and I'm probably going to dream about it for the rest of my life.

It didn't stop there (of course not). I went to Ladurée. Duh. About every other word on this blog is about macarons. During the forty minutes waiting outside on line, I steeled myself to resist temptation and only get five. Once I got inside the actual shop, I gave myself a break and bumped that up to six. And then, when I reached the counter, I ordered eight. One chocolate, one caramel salted butter, and six raspberry macarons later, my bank account is empty and my appetite, satiated. They too lived up to my expectations: melt-in-your-mouth and perfectly sweet.

How was your weekend? Please tell me it was as good as mine or I'll feel awful for having devoted this post to gloating.


[photo cred here and there]

Monday, Monday

I went home this weekend—it's nice to get out of the city for a bit and lounge around my house. My little sister made cupcakes and bought me cookies, so really, the past two days have been one long sugar-high. I also went to Crazy Stupid Love (and adored it). Have you seen it? The trailers (or, to be honest, a well-dressed Ryan Gosling) had me hooked.


As for the winner of the Estée Lauder giveaway, congrats to Sara of Sara in Le Petit Village (#13 of 17 eligible posts on random.org). Thanks so much to all for reading and participating!

Happy Monday!

[photo cred here]

Skirting Around

It's been so hot around here that I've completely abandoned pants for skirts. I'm obsessed with really breezy, feminine numbers as of late—chiffon and leather with pleats and tucks. I'm currently pining after this Robert Rodriguez crinkled chiffon skirt (does it ever get better than crinkled chiffon?) though my wallet isn't.

I spent my weekend curled up with my AC unit and occasionally wandering out at night to explore the Lower East Side. How are you beating heat? I would do terrible things to have access to a pool right now..

[photo cred to 1 and 2]

Brand New Start

I've realized that I've reached the point where black tees and denim short-shorts are no longer appropriate for everyday wear. I have to dress like a professional now (says my mother). However, dressing like a professional does not mean a life filled with starchy fabrics and uncomfortably-high collars. My staples for office-wear (which I perfected last year at Allure) are light chiffon dresses and colorful pencil skirts. They're breezy yet grown-up and, most importantly, they won't make you sweat like a pig that knows it's dinner.

This week is going to be incredibly hectic for me, as I start my new job and move into the city to get a taste of urban living. On the bright side, I'm legitimately excited for work and so pleased to be moving in with my best friend from Northwestern. I've already begun fielding texts from her that say things like "I have a toilet brush and a Pope John Paul II mug" and "Thoughts about me bringing kimono fabric that I once used to make a toga?" (The answer to which was a resounding "YES").

[photo cred to 1, 2, and 3]

Pink Crush

Put a little punch of vivid pink in your Monday morning! (And sip some pink lemonade, for kicks).

[photo cred to 1, 2 and 3]

Flora and Fauna

Now that I'm graduating in less than a week, I'm trying to find reasons to look forward to leaving Chicago. Number one? New York has hills and my house there is surrounded by beautiful green forest. Number two is that it's impossible to find a deli in Chicago—as someone who adores sandwiches, I find this vaguely offensive. Number three: New York doesn't usually have 40-degree drops in temperature overnight. Although I don't actually mind if it's a drop from 95-degrees..

How was your weekend?


[photo cred to 1, 2, 3 & 4, all via love and some verses]

Wine & Cheese

A lot of great things happened this weekend — for one, the creepy haze that has been lingering over Chicago finally cleared up — but everything pales in comparison to the most delicious dinner I have eaten in quite a long time. You know that a restaurant is promising if it a) has no website (although this could work against it), and b) the Yelp reviews read something like, "I don't even want to post a review because people are going to come here in droves."

My friend from Allure was in town for the weekend and I chose a place called DiSotto Enoteca. It's an underground cavern of a wine bar that features small antipasti plates, like an Italian version of tapas, with incredibly intimate and old-world ambiance. I ordered a glass of Chianti (my staple) and then tried a spicy French Syrah (decent, but no Chianti or Malbec). Then, I ordered a plate of taleggio cheese and fig compote, which I followed up with portobello, fontina and rosemary bruschetta. I began to miss the taste of taleggio and thus ordered pear, taleggio and toasted pecan bruschetta. Then we shared a chocolate cake. As it happens, saturated fat and I are having a very torrid love affair at the moment..

If you're ever in the Chicago area, go go go. I promise it's wonderful. I'll meet you there. I'll help you out with that cheese and bruschetta and chocolate cake.

So how was your weekend?!


[photo cred to 1 and 2]

Touch of Blush

Blush hues strike the happy medium between in-your-face fuchsia and subdued beige neutrals. I love how they can add a dose of pretty, feminine color to an otherwise neutral outfit, like that on the left. On the other hand, blush works as a nude when paired with a cheery shade like rich, buttery gold. I'm usually more partial to the first look (I've never met a leather jacket I didn't like), but those lace sleeves and that clutch have me switching teams faster than Santana from Glee.

I had quite a productive weekend, thanks to the rain and chills all too reminiscent of March. I caught up on reading, went to the gym (twice!), and even made time to go to Violet Hour in Wicker Park. After Violet Hour, which had the most delicious drinks (I ordered a Juliet & Romeo, a lovely creation with Beefeater gin, cucumber, mint and rose water), we popped across the street for a completely different change of scenery at the Texas-themed Big Star. You know those pockets of time when everything in the world seems wholly and utterly perfect? My friends briefly disappeared and, while I sat alone with a Lone Star beer in one hand and a pork belly taco in other, I looked around at all of the laughing twenty-somethings and red twinkle lights and thought, "Well, this is pretty stellar."

And so it was. How was your weekend?!


P.S. The grey pair of Bensimon sneakers won out (in last week's post). Thank you so much—I loved hearing your advice!
[photo cred to 1 and 2]

Farmers' Market

How was your weekend? I went to the farmers' market on Saturday morning, where I found fresh eggs, bunches of lilac, and plump mushrooms. I then promptly swept past the kale and spinach and instead, bought my first chocolate cake ball ever (a hunk of chocolate cake smothered in chocolate frosting and perched on a stick ... yep). I went back for a second. And a third. In total, I ate three and a half. They were so good, moist and crumbly and sweet and delicious. A foolproof proposal would be to hide the ring in one of these babies (I don't care if I accidentally eat the ring). I'm having a meltdown just thinking about them. I love you, chocolate cake balls.

Here's a tip, though: it's vaguely awkward when a boy meets you at the said farmers' market and you have to skirt around the chocolate stand because people recognize you and say things like, "Back again?" instead of telling you about the spot of chocolate on your nose. And then HE buys a chocolate cake ball and you stand there trying not to rip it out of his hands.

In other news, I've found what seems to be a foolproof recipe for chocolate chip bacon biscotti. I'll be back with updates on their development tomorrow!

[photo cred to 1 and 2]

Dark Chocolate

Midterms are setting in, and I'm in need of a double-shot of espresso with a twist of lemon. I spent most of my weekend translating and writing commentary for Old English texts. Do you remember being in grade school and asking the teacher whether it was necessary in real life to know whether or not a quadrangle was a rhombus or a trapezoid? The eleventh century homily I translated is kind of like that.

I did, however, get a nice break on Saturday for a venture to the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was wonderful... until it snowed. IT SNOWED. There's nothing worse than wearing a pair of really cute Marais bow flats and watching helplessly as Mother Nature laughs maniacally and promptly ruins them.

How was your weekend?


[photo cred to 1 and 2, both via Patterson Maker]

La Mer

I feel so refreshed, finally! It was eighty degrees and sunny for most of Sunday, so we wandered out to Lake Michigan and studied (read: napped, chatted, people-watched). I also treated myself to a terribly overpriced white chocolate and raspberry bar, which was so delicious and rich and necessary. I gave up cheese for Lent in an effort to cut down on the tons and tons of saturated fat that I eat, but as it turns out, I've just been replacing it with chocolate. Still, it was so nice to get a little sun and catch up on work.

Speaking of which, a career coach at the career services office recommended that we spend at least an hour a day on our job hunt. At my rate, I could be job-hunting for eight people. And, once I do get a job (fingers crossed knock on wood wishing on a shooting star), I'm probably going to troll the job listings anyway. For fun. Which is sick. As are these fragmented sentences.

But how was your weekend?!


[photo cred to Ellen Von Unwerth for Lacoste S/S 2010 via Everly True]

April Showers

April has kicked off on the dreary side, but I'm so excited to wear my navy Hunter rainboots and splash around in puddles. I had a weekend full of late-night dancing, catching up with good friends, and reading Jhumpa Lahiri's short stories (Interpreter of Maladies, to be specific, which won the Pulitzer Prize — absolutely beautiful). What are your plans for this week? I'm going to read for class, then read for pleasure, and finally wander out to the edge Lake Michigan when the weather brightens up. Happy Monday!

[photo cred to 1, 2 via Everly True, 3 via Patterson Maker]

Caramel Cafe

Finally back in Chicago after a whirlwind spring break! Today is my last first day of classes ever and I'm so excited for spring quarter, new classes, and sunny skies (a lot of the professors like to have class outside and under the trees when it's warm out, which is my favorite thing ever). It also makes me feel incredibly old and unprepared, but I'm trying very hard not to focus on that. I'll be spending the first few days replying to emails and settling in with classes — I love getting back into the groove of things.

What's on your agenda for this fresh, new week?

[photo cred to 1 and 2]

French Vogue

How was your weekend? It was (finally) warm and springlike here in New York, so I played a bit of tennis and worked on my papers. I'm so excited to hand in my last final on Wednesday — I'm still a blur of studying and interviewing and networking. I just want to sit in my bathtub and drink some tea.

What do you think of Emmanuelle Alt's first cover for French Vogue? I adore Carine Roitfeld (although her near-pornographic aesthetic made my Catholic schoolgirl self squirm), but I'm digging the carefree, hippie vibe of this cover. Gisele looks gorgeous, of course, but the soft lighting and spring colors add so much more to it. I definitely want to pick up a copy (and finally put four years of French to good use!). 

[photo cred to Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matatin via Huffington Post]

The Palest Pink

Good things to come in the next few weeks of spring:

1. Rising temperatures that call for wispy, light dresses in the most delicate colors.

2. Longer days, late sunsets, and even later nights.

3. Playing outside in the grass...

4. ...barefoot!

5. Wearing pretty shoes without having to worry about stepping in slush (or worse, on ice).

6. Mango iced tea and lemonade.

7. Not having to find somewhere to stash my coat when I go out.

This weekend, I caught up with old friends, went to a party at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and worked on my final papers. It was lovely, with the exception of Saturday night — I had trouble breathing and almost went to the hospital. By the time I woke up the next morning, though, I was breathing normally and had received phone calls, texts, and photos of cheap champagne that my best friend had sent me from New Orleans to cheer me up. I'm going to the doctor when I go home (home! La la la my favorite word ever) on Tuesday, just to be safe. How was your weekend?

[photo cred, clockwise from top left, to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2-6 via Linda's Pinterest]

Celebrations

Is it odd that I'm looking forward to the week, if only because I'll finally get to rest and relax a bit? This weekend was a lovely blur of birthdays and basketball games and sangria and hors d'oeuvres, but if I don't get a full night's sleep sometime soon, I'm going to self-destruct. Still, it was nice to spend so much time in downtown Chicago, from sipping champagne at Crescendo to dancing at the penthouse of the Swissôtel to, finally, a delicious Sunday evening dinner at Sepia.

I'm never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to do this on even a semi-regular basis, but I made my roommate/best friend take a photo of my outfit for formal in our living room, just in case you wanted to see my sartorial choices for the evening: the dress is Armani Exchange and belongs to roommate/bestie, the earrings are Frank Gehry for Tiffany & Co, the shoes are Marc by Marc Jacobs, and the clutch is Kate Spade. People actually thought I brought a book to formal...and sadly, they didn't even seem surprised.

Paradisiaque

A little escape now and then should be mandatory. So should this Diane Von Furstenberg bikini.

This weekend, I watched l'Auberge Espagnole, a French film with Audrey Tatou, and decided that for my last quarter at Northwestern, it is entirely necessary to take a class called Intro to Painting. I hope my parents understand — then again, I'm graduating with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Drinking Tea and Correcting Everyone's Grammar, so it's becoming increasingly difficult to alarm them at this point.

I also wrote a guest post for Long Distance Loving; Alison is one of my favorite bloggers and quite possibly the sweetest person on the planet. Head on over if you'd like to see my spring picks for New York (home) and Chicago (home away from home)(until June)(crying)(freaking out about the future)(guh!)(and now job-hunting)(crying some more)(scrambling for my stash of dark chocolate with almonds)(calming down)(breathing). Phew.

Anyway, how was your weekend?!

[photo cred to 1 and 2]