Saturday, January 31, 2009

totokaelo-further markdowns (mayle + rachel comey)

mayle aiko cardigan, was $478, now $167 (xs and m)


mayle marion wool dress, was $576, now $201 (4 and 8)


mayle pia top, was $187, now $65 (4)


rachel comey double buckle belt, was $180, now $63 (s, m, l), also in black (m).


not buying anything, but these prices are very very good for pieces that can be worn for many years to come.

Friday, January 30, 2009

the old stand-bys

still in not-quite-ready-for-the-baby mode. hence the carseat and exercise ball crowding my living room.

i basically have 6 things i can wear now. this has been a good time for me to take another hard look at my closet. i've learned to really appreciate the workhorses, such as this j.crew striped sweater and a.p.c. corduroy dress. hopefully once i'm ready to start buying clothing again, i'll make smarter choices. even though the a.p.c. dress is relatively old, every time i put it on it seems new and different to me.



is it just me, or is there something menacing about the calf's expression?

i guess i'm on maternity leave now, since i'm not allowed to teach this semester. the last exam was graded this week, and now it's all about dissertation writing and being a mom. speaking of, matthew's friends are throwing us another baby shower tomorrow. i love that architecture students use the laser cutter for pretty much anything.

Monday, January 26, 2009

corals and greys--humanoid spring 09


coral+grey=one of my favorite color pairings.
i also love how her jeans fit. someday my apc hipsters will look like that, too, i hope.
trying hard not to buy anything--keeping a budget list on my desktop helps.

weekend


trying to make the used ikea gulliver crib more presentable
researching mattresses (coconut fiber? mohair? who knew)
browsing toast's archive sale (up to 85% off)
grading exams
waiting

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

wednesday treat


after reading jenny's post the other day, i realized that i haven't bought flowers for the house in almost a year. they may not be from saipua, but for $5, they're a pretty nice midweek treat. i highly recommend it.

the deadline came, i turned in what i had, and now i get to keep working on the chapter until i'm ready to start another one.

35 weeks down, 2 weeks to full-term--i am so ready to meet this little kicker.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

random draw

just a quick note to say that i will pick names for the pieces i listed on the clothing blog tomorrow morning. still scrambling to get this chapter in semi-decent shape, so i doubt i'll have the energy to play with random.org tonight. matthew picked up the dry-cleaning today, and everything looks lovely and ready to be shipped!

Monday, January 19, 2009

black pearl press cards



today is technically my birthday, but i'm not celebrating until later this week because i have a huge deadline tomorrow that is only going to be met halfway in spite of my best efforts.

anyway, during one of my mini-breaks from writing, i was so delighted to see elisabeth's new cards. just looking at them was enough of a birthday treat for me. that and thai take-out courtesy of matthew.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

the only thing i bought in paris



so, shopping in Paris? meh.

maybe it's because i can find so many of the same things in the States, but i wasn't super impressed by the selection. so many of the harder to find labels like Repetto, A.P.C., Isabel Marant, Tsumori Chisato, IRO, Antik Batik, aren't so hard to find nowadays thanks to shops in NYC and online.

or maybe it's because the currency exchange rate is still pretty rotten (although much better than over the summer). considering so many shops like Bird and Creatures of Comfort had already begun their steep markdowns, i decided to save my money.

i do, however, love claudie pierlot, so it was particularly nice to stop by the shop. if it weren't for the exchange rate, most of her pieces would actually be quite affordable (dresses for 280 euros).

anyway, the store that i fell in love with was L'Eclaireur. their two shops in the Marais were right down the street from us. even though many of the pieces can be found elsewhere (Marni, Dries, Margiela), the selection was perfectly edited. this is why i love places like Impulse or Stel's so much: not only do their shops look like my dream closet (wearable, perfectly styled, inspiring), but the owners and salespeople are clearly enthusiastic about what they do and are welcoming whether or not you're 'just looking.'

i bought my lambskin aviator hat (Issac Sellam) at the Rue Herold outpost of L'Eclaireur. every shop is a little different, and this one was gorgeous, very gothic and dark. it was also completely empty (tucked away on an alley, no signs). the saleswoman has my dream haircut, a short bob with bangs that somehow manages to avoid being too severe. i wish i had had the nerve to take a photo of her, but needless to say, i am very close to chopping my hair off.

she had me try on everything even though she knew we weren't going to buy them. i tried on a gorgeous short cashmere jacket with an accordion pleat in the back made of stiff moiré.

she also showed me an amazing seed stitch shawl with three holes for your arms or head. it was about 6 feet long, loosely knit, and 2-3 feet wide. i am pretty sure any of us could replicate this. i wish i could draw, i would sketch it for the knitters out there.

as for food, we ate at the apartment most of the time, or packed sandwiches for our expeditions. i ate way too many pains au chocolat from legay choc. and the yogurt. why is the yogurt so darn good in europe? i think i miss that the most...

Monday, January 12, 2009

virginia johnson warrior dress


silk warrior dress available at beklina ($360) and virginia johnson's shop.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

bloch jazz shoes

cute and way cheaper ($138) than the repetto zizis ($250).
available here.

christmas/birthday dress


remember this dress from last fall?
matthew gave it to me for my christmas/birthday present. i brought it to paris, but it was too cold to wear it.

he ordered it from frances may, a sweet little shop in portland, or. we dropped by there last summer.

Friday, January 09, 2009

two new pieces on 'laws of general economy'

two new lovely pieces available on laws of general economy.

i am so happy that other people are participating. i have a few more things that i'm deciding whether or not it's time to relinquish before the baby arrives, but it's a hard process. i just wanted to stress to anyone considering offering clothing, accessories, design objects, etc., that the compensation you request is ultimately up to you. there are no hard rules about this. the important thing is: i don't think the site should be solely about money. it's a hard thing to give without expecting much, if anything, in return, especially to strangers. it's also hard to let go of things you bought and never used. i feel like i've become too attached to things, so this is a personally challenging exercise. sometimes we need a little incentive (nothing wrong with that), but i hope that the feeling of liberation is more appealing than balancing an imaginary checkbook. the more i dwell on numbers, the more depressed i become. i've made mistakes--i'm trying to do better. time to move on.

Monday, January 05, 2009

two le bouton dresses (wishing for spring in january)

january 5 linen dress, $140. i love the sleeves and the skirt tucks.

tradition dress in fantastic linen print, $250. probably my favorite silhouette to wear, definitely makes me homesick.


or feeling sad that i no longer live in southern california....

lisa has the right idea. dress like you're going on vacation, somewhere warm preferably. how about thailand? for some reason i'm stuck on this idea of going there right this very moment.

toast on sale







i swear i'm not buying anything. after the sticker shock of paris (the sales start this week there), these prices don't look half bad. but still....

Sunday, January 04, 2009

back from paris

sainte chapelle

eiffel tower on a cold foggy day

versailles gardens

institut du monde arabe (jean nouvel)

'Chinatown'--13th arr. Les Olympiades residential tower blocks

Parc des Buttes Chaumont (Haussmann's folly)--note the faux bois concrete work

Centre Pompidou from a distance

the main entrance to our apartment

through the main door

and up the stairs

32 weeks. lovely old mirror in the living room

matthew washing dishes

a neighbor's cat who liked to come inside the apartment. i named him maurice.