I Saw Larry David and Walked Through His Set. Plus Other Things on Columbus Today

I got yelled at for taking pictures. Not by Larry David, unfortunately

Whew! I was on Columbus in the 70s today headed to an appointment. It was the street to see and be seen on, let me tell you.

First of all, the Starbucks on 73rd and Columbus is probably the most stylish one on the Upper West Side. I saw a girl wearing a perfect pair of cut-off denim boyfriend shorts, a slouchy t-shirt, magenta Chuck Taylors, and matching magenta Blackberry sticking out of her back pocket. I also saw an older woman in a white t-shirt tucked into a neat straight navy blue skirt. The wow factor was the kelly green belt and patent kelly green boat shoes. She looked so put together.

Then as I wandered up Columbus I noticed a film set in front of Isabella’s (77th and Columbus). There were a lot of people craning their necks, so I figured there might be someone to look at. Larry David. Not exactly the Sarah Jessica Parker or Madonna sighting I usually hope for, but not a bad one, either. And a member of the staff yelled at me, “Move along! You can watch him on the show.” Um, no. I don’t have HBO.  Jackass.

Am I An Old Prude or Is Victoria’s Secret Just Trashy?

I would consider these if they came in a thong version

I was walking down Broadway and I stopped into the Victoria’s Secret near 84th Street because I was hot as hell and needed to cool off. Plus there were a zillion people in there so I thought maybe something exciting was going on inside. I am never one to pass up a retail event.

There wasn’t anything going on. Just people shopping maniacally for lingerie and panties. I felt like I was in a cartoon and there were brightly colored dainties flying everywhere.

Best Summer Pedicure Ever

OK, so she’s seven years old. But she is owning this pedicure. It’s just so summery.

Happy weekend!

Running Skirts Are For Sissies

I try out a lot of trends. This one, however, I may skip. Francesca first told me about running skirts. They’re apparently popular in the South. I haven’t seen many women here in NYC wearing them.

I walked into my local Equinox (92nd and Broadway) the other day and saw this ruffled skirt outside of the shop. It’s by a brand called “I Run Like a Girl” and they were doing a trunk show there. Great name, awful item of clothing. Under the skirt is a  panty-like knicker contraption.

I’m running the New York City Marathon this year, and I can’t see myself running in a skirt. I want to be a complete hard-ass with rippling calf muscles and 8% body fat. Don’t get me wrong: I love skirts, and anything involving fuchsia. But it’s different when I’m running.

Silly Bandz: The Hot New Children’s Accessory

If you don’t have children, you may not be aware of the newest craze on the playground. Silly Bandz are brightly colored rubber bands that are molded into shapes. Kids wear them stacked on their arms (much like the jelly bracelets of the 80s) but when removed, they retain their shape.

At $4.99 for a pack of 24, every single parent I know is saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?!?” And of course they have inspired more bootleg imitations than a Fendi Baguette. Every store on the UWS is carrying rubber band bracelets.

And I have to admit, they’re fun to wear. Even Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted wearing them.

Jeggings For Men: Oh, no.

First of all, I may need to provide a definition here. What is a jegging, you ask? It’s a deceptively simple equation, which as you shall see, is not always so simple to wear.  Jeans + legging = jeggings. Women have been wearing them for the last year or so. Well, some women have been wearing them. Some would rather be dipped into a vat of Axe Body Spray.

I’m in the “yes to jeggings” camp, with a few caveats: a) They must be the right size.  b)Your posterior should always be covered. Traditional jeggings are very stretchy denim usually having an elastic waistband.  Some brands just make a really stretchy jean made out of thinner denim, yet still having traditional jean styling and a zipper. It’s tricky territory, the jegging.

It’s men’s Fashion Week in Milan right now. I’m not sure many men on the UWS really know or care. And I’m fine with that. But then two things happened within days of each other, making me think that perhaps the sensibilities of Milan and uptown men are not so far apart.

Dear readers, I saw this man on the street the other day:

UWS Urban Outfitters Update

Image from Racked NY

I found this item in the Wall Street Journal today:

“Bodega chic is coming to Broadway.

Philadelphia-based retailer Urban Outfitters plans to split the facade of a new store on the Upper West Side into four distinct “storefronts”: a hat store, a hardware store, a neighborhood bar and a bodega.

“The whole idea was to do this kind of ironic statement of lining the building with storefronts that would be reminiscent of independent businesses,” says Ron Pompei, creative director of Pompei A.D., which designed the store, slated to open in August. “It’s the story about the streets of New York as they once were.”

The Upper West Side store, at 2629 Broadway near 100th Street, is one of three stores Urban Outfitters plans to open in Manhattan this year. It’s also planning a flagship store at 521 Fifth Ave. and another at 86th Street and Third Avenue.

Urban Outfitters doesn’t have any other bodega-themed stores, Mr. Pompei says. It does, however, offer a women’s “Loomstate Bodega Tank” for $110. {WSJ}

Wow. This is going to piss off UWS’ers to no end. First of all, the new Urban Outfitters is in the Ariel West building, whose mere existence is an affront to the aesthetic sensibilities of many residents. And to “ironically” do old New York when everyone’s already upset about losing real Mom-and-Pop businesses?

Yikes, Urban Outfitters.

I Went To Chicago and All I Got You Was This Lousy Blog Post

A hot dog the way God intended them to be. The culinary pride of Chicago

I’ve  just returned from a 10 day extravaganza in Chicago and its various suburbs. I saw just about every family member and friend that I have. And I sat in traffic for endless hours.

One thing I don’t miss is car ownership. I love my insular little life here on the UWS that does not require me to drive on 290 in Illinois.

So what did I do? A summary and some observations:

{Chicago Edition}: I Had To Beg a Store To Sell Me This Scarf

I was wandering around Woodfield Mall trying to get my bearings in the sea of artificial lighting, when I happened upon an Anthropologie. There’s not one close to me in NYC. I love the colorful, vintage-inspired clothes there, so I popped in to take a look.

Perched atop a mannequin wearing a crisp white linen dress was this exquisite and happy scarf. Doesn’t it make you want to drink a margarita?

My sister thinks it’s ridiculous that people wear scarves in the summer, but they are a perfect year-round accessory if you take the color and weight of the fabric into account. I have quite a few scarves–possibly more scarves than striped outfits. When I get back to NYC I’ll have to figure it out and write a post.

{Chicago Edition}: RIP Marshall Field’s

Marshall Field’s became Macy’s in 2006, much to the chagrin and disgust of many Chicagoans. I love that my mother saved this old Field’s bag. Someday it may be considered an antique. I need to convince her to shrinkwrap it and put it away as part of my inheritance. Between that and all the artsy duck decoys she has (thanks, Wisconsin), my inheritance should be about $147. Barely a decent pair of jeans.

Anyway, I’m still in Chicago. Lots of memories come flooding back when I come home. It doesn’t help that I sleep in the same room where I slept  as a teen-ager. Thank God my parents painted over the Pepto-pink walls, though. And threw away all my half-naked pictures of David Lee Roth.