The Truth is Just a Rule That You Can Bend

 

I love this time of year--there are Christmas trees going up everywhere I look (my buildings lobby, the Soho House, South Street Seaport), and everyone is bundled up cozily against the winter cold. It snowed for the first time this year yesterday--it was only a steady showering of light flurries, but still. Nothing beats the holidays in NYC.

That said, it's also one of the most hectic months of the year for just about everyone. The days are shorter, there are holiday parties galore to attend, Christmas shopping to finish, and work to squeeze in. The fashion industry generally likes to take the last two weeks of the month off as well, so all of the above needs to happen twice as fast. And for that reason, my wardrobe has been pared down lately--I've been in the mood to clean it up and stick to simple, restrained, streamlined pieces that are classic and a little more grown up and efficient. A silk long-sleeved blouse (albeit with a racy back), opaque tights, a time-honored quilted Chanel bag, sleek black patent booties--all pieces that work seamlessly from day to night, from board meeting to cocktail party. It's the time to multi-task and your ensembles should do the same. 

I'm wearing a Kimberly Taylor blouse, Kimberly Ovitz shorts, Club Monaco tights, Chanel bag, Christian Loubutin booties. All photos by Mark Iantosca. xo

Land on the Heart With His Feet Up

After 17 hours of travel, six of which were spent stuck in the Pittsburgh airport because of weather issues during a flight that was supposed to be nonstop, I am FINALLY back home in NYC. I've never been more relieved to step through my front door than I was just a few minutes ago.

The entire time I was cooped up in that plane, I kept on thinking about how I would probably be going stark raving mad if I hadn't dressed comfortably for the trip. I hate it when I see people dressed like total slobs at the airport just as much as the next person, but I have to admit, those Juicy Couture track suits can bring on the occasional bout of envy when I'm traipsing through baggage claim in a silk dress and heels after endless hours on a plane. This time, I struck a healthy balance and wore the exact ensemble I'm wearing in the photos above (with flats instead of the now-ubiquitous JC heels). There's nothing like being in an oversized flannel button-down and tights to make your travels go down a bit more smoothly.

I'm wearing a Kimberly Ovitz shirt, Club Monaco tights, Jeffrey Campbell shoes. All photos by Mark Iantosca. xoxo

Crash to Take a Chance

As the days here in NYC get cooler and shorter as we approach winter at a rapid-fire pace, all I'm wanting to do is curl up in huge chunky knits somewhere warm with a cup of steaming tea and a big, engrossing novel (i.e. by the fireplace in the lobby of the Bowery Hotel). Or, you know, hide in bed doing nothing at all. Seriously, what is it about the cold that makes people want to burrow down under comforters and pillows for extended periods of time, and preferably with someone they long to lick? I mean, it's a serious annual affliction. Hence, the city-wide search for "winter boyfriends" and "winter girlfriends" that has commenced among my friends who are usually too busy having fun to worry about little things like relationships for the better part of the year.

Personally, this year I'm more excited about all the huge, comfy sweaters-I-can-wear-as-dresses on the market than anything else.  But we shall see. 

I'm wearing a Kimberly Ovitz sweater, Kimberly Taylor shorts, Henry Holland tights, Jeffrey Campbell Lita shoes, Chanel bag, Topshop hat. All photos by Mark Iantosca. xoxo

Say You've Been With Me This Whole Time

And we're back to our regular scheduled programming. New York Fashion Week was a doozy and I've spent the past 72 hours in a semicomatose state drifting in and out of sleep, sorting through a mountain of gift bags and making half-hearted attempts to hang up the clothes that somehow ended up scattered across the floor of my apartment. I call it "Hurricane FW." Happens every time.

This week, I'm trying to wrap up any loose ends before I take off to Shanghai on Saturday--I'll be going as part of Charlotte Ronson's team as she opens up her very first store in China. Very exciting. Then, I'll be flying directly from Shanghai to Paris for yet another fashion week, after which I'll surely be spending another ridiculously extended period of time doing nothing but sleeping.

Fall is exhausting! And so, I thought the dress above was an appropriate one to post for today. It's by Kimberly Ovitz and it's one of my favorite ones to wear out at night, namely because it feels like I'm wearing a chic nightgown out. It's basically a super-soft, long, slouchy white t-shirt with a chunk of hemline cut out of it. Of course, I love. There's something really current about a dramatically asymmetrical hemline right now. I saw it on chic girls all over fashion week and nobody does it better than Kimberly Ovitz. Making myself a mental note to buy this little baby soon.

All pictures by Mark Iantosca. xoxo

I'm Doing it Wrong, Singing Along

Last week's unexpected fall-like weather brought on a sudden craving for the drapey knits and cozy layers I'll be wearing come late September. So, I decided to pull on this loose, romantic sweater by Kimberly Ovitz and take a walk in the park. There's almost nothing better than those exhilarating few days when the weather is slowly changing, bringing with it the inexplicable feeling that life itself can change too, that anything could happen. The changing of the seasons always refreshes me in a way and reminds me that all things are possible.

I picked up a memoir called "Spoon Fed," by Kim Severson, a food writer for the New York Times over the weekend and haven't been able to put it down. In it, Severson writes a lot about the various cooks (i.e. Edna Lewis, Ruth Reichl, Marcella Hazan, Marion Cunningham, Alice Waters) who changed her life and taught her invaluable lessons that saved her, in a way. There's a line in the book that reads, "When you wake up, you never know if the day might end up meaning everything." When I read that, I thought to myself: Wouldn't it be great to wake up every single day with that thought? With a feeling of expectancy and hope and endless possibility? This could be the day you meet your husband. This could be the day you get a life-changing job offer. This could be the day your baby is born. This could be the day you unexpectedly change someone else's life. This could be the day that means everything.

Hopefully, I can learn to hold onto that feeling regardless of the season.

All pictures by my favorite Mark Iantosca (he tried something super different with these pics--let me know what you think in the comments, por favor!). xoxoxo

Everybody, Everybody Just Wanna Fall in Love

And my obsession with all-white summer ensembles continues. I cannot stop picking up white pieces, it's the only color (non-color?) I want to wear. It's like my winter black fixation did a 180 degree turn as soon as the sun came out and came to a screeching halt at the other end of the spectrum. Anyway, I'm in love with this snow white Kimberly Ovitz dress--as is usually the case with her clothes, she takes a really simple shape and adds a subversive twist (hence, the fabric that looks like it took a couple of turns inside a paper shredder). It's the perfect late summer cocktail dress, don't you think?

Photos by Mark Iantosca. xo