So I have not worn shorts in more than five years. I have always thought my legs were too short and chunky. But this summer I embraced the J.Crew boyfriend chino shorts, and have been thinking I’m sort of cute in them. Then I walked past the Gap (purveyor of shorts, mind you) and saw this sign:
Great! Back to the therapist….
Every August I travel somewhere with MILo and the kids to escape the heat and stench of NYC in the summer. I’m very grateful to be able to do this, and I try to make the most of the time I have with the kids and various family and friends who visit. This year we’ll be in Montauk, a slow, quiet, and gorgeous little place on the eastern-most end of Long Island.
I’ll be keeping up the blog while I’m gone. There is just too much good blog fodder out there to ignore. I frequently have to go into the Hamptons for groceries and other errands. Last year I was standing in the Starbucks in East Hampton behind three men in blue blazers wearing ascots and talking about their horses. Things like this must be shared. Continue reading
I was quite literally stopped in my tracks by this display in my local American Apparel store:
Q: What's wrong w/this picture? A: OMG, what ISN'T wrong with it??
You probably know about American Apparel. Their product is made in California. They are uber-trendy but they say they make basics. They hire very pretty people. As a matter of fact, they’ve had some trouble recently because of their alleged hiring practices and rules for employees. And their stock is in the dumps.
Well, after looking at this display, I can clearly see why. Obviously the center outfit is the offending one. You have:
That’s about it. Isn’t that enough?? This is an 80s flashback fashion nightmare for me. Only a beanpole could ever hope to look good in these proportions. But why would you want to? Yuck.
A remake of “Whip It” by Lady Gaga I could accept. This beige high-waisted monstrosity? Someone call the Ghostbusters.
(Find this outfit at the UWS American Apparel stores: 2831 Broadway and 2103 Broadway)
Megan Fox goes braless at a "Transformers" premiere in Germany. Good lord. You are not Megan Fox. Please wear a bra.
I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend this summer. Well, some of you may not think it’s disturbing, but I sort of do. As you may be aware, we’ve had record high temperatures in NYC this July. It’s been effing hot. I have been wearing the most sack-like garments I can find.
I’ve noticed a lot of Upper West Side women, who don’t look at all like porn stars or strippers, going braless. I understand why. After a long day at work and a foul-smelling, crowded subway, the first thing I do when I get home (besides find my chocolate stash) is rip my bra off. They are uncomfortable. They accumulate pools of sweat.
But I don’t advocate walking down Broadway looking like this. I saw a mom pushing a toddler in a stroller with a tank top and no bra. A 20-something wearing a cute red peasant dress in Central Park. No bra. Continue reading
Spotted on the UWS. I won't give the location. I don't want the poor thing to get hurt.
I was slogging through the ridiculous heat and humidity, lugging groceries, when I was stopped by this lovely little number on the street. I couldn’t usually care less about cars (except of course when rental companies promise me one then don’t deliver), but this one is sweet. And hot. Two good adjectives. I’m having daydreams of stepping out of it in some ridiculous black heels and tossing the keys to a grinning valet.
Oh, wait. The car seats wouldn’t fit in the back. Sigh.
Cut off denim skirts, boxy white T's, sneakers, identical hobo bags. Creepy.
As an observer of style and fashion, I’ve noticed this phenomenon quite a bit. I’m sure it’s not a shocking revelation to all you sociologists out there, but peer groups tend to dress alike. I notice it constantly on the street. It appears in both genders and all ages.
This group really struck me because they are IDENTICAL. Two of the three were even carrying the exact same bag. I took advantage of my place behind them and shot this. (As a sidebar, I’m sure I garner some questioning looks from passersby for the weird shots I take. MILo is often embarrassed by my stealth-paparazzi methods. He is convinced I’ll be beat up one day. )
I’ve seen this happen with my friends, too, though I will never admit it. We are all unique dressers, damn it, and don’t look for the approval of our peer group.
Must go run and see what Celine is wearing out to dinner tonight….
Posted in On the Street, Style
…new Fallon earrings. I was in my favorite Upper West Side shopping mecca, Barney’s CO-OP on Broadway, and I noticed the shop girl unloading a big box of jewelry into the display cases. Being a sucker for jewelry and also incredibly nosey, I took a peek. *GASP!* She pulled out bags of Fallon creations. It was like winning Cheryl Candy Land. Continue reading
My new Sauconys, my running shoe of choice. In pink! And yes, I have a tattoo.
Yes, it’s true. The last marathon I ran was Chicago, in 1999. So I’m a little rusty. And older. And have crunchier knees. But I have a very big birthday coming up this year, so thought it would be a nice way to say “Eff you, impending middle age” and really prove that I am still spry and young and nubile. Hopefully it won’t end with me in traction nursing two knee replacements.
MILo and I are both running the marathon as a fund-raising opportunity. We are running for Hope & Heroes, which directly benefits children and families undergoing treatment for childhood cancer at the Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian. As a nurse practitioner in pediatric bone marrow transplant at the same institution, I meet many of these families when they come to us for a transplant. Many of them come from the Washington Heights neighborhood and are quite impoverished.
I am going to be running in memory of some of my favorite patients, and will provide more information about them and the program (which includes, yes, hitting you up for money!) in upcoming posts.
In the meantime, I only have four months to plan my marathon outfit. You can be quite certain it won’t be a running skirt and will likely involve the color pink. And possibly be sparkly.
Today I’m going to use my unlimited power as a blogger (don’t laugh) to call out a really crappy company. I was living a Seinfeld episode yesterday; specifically this one:
I don’t own a car. Owning a car in the city can be really onerous and expensive. On the flip side, we sometimes can’t be very spontaneous. But we’ve made due with Zipcar and various traditional rental companies and have been fairly lucky. Until this weekend.
We decided to go out to Riverhead in LI to go to the Splish Splash water park. That is a story for another time, but suffice to say that it is a good thing I couldn’t carry my camera around in my bathing suit. There were some spectacularly awful tattoos there. But I digress as usual. Continue reading
I spend an inordinate amount of time at Whole Foods (808 Columbus). There are several reasons for this. First, it’s dangerously close to my apartment. Second, I don’t plan meals well and am constantly running out of things. Third, I go there in order to avoid Gristedes, whose cashiers are even ruder than those at Duane Reade, if you can believe it.
Whole Foods reusable bags have become a bit of a status symbol here on the Upper West Side. I see them everywhere, with their owners looking smug: “Screw you, BP. I’m carrying this reusable Whole Foods bag.” OK, OK, I use them, too! They give you TEN CENTS OFF YOUR ORDER for every bag you bring in. Who can pass that up? Continue reading
