gifts for leon

the sweetest baby gifts arrived last week from jenny and elly. i cannot believe that those little moccasins and that gorgeous linen quilt are for leon. jenny was inspired by this dress. as for the book, how is it i never heard of cowboy small until now? i may be in a striped sailor shirt mood nowadays, but plaid buttondowns are definitely on my shopping list for spring. thanks to elly for tracking down a striped shirt at old navy for me! i'm hoping that other stores like jcrew will start carrying them soon. other than that, all is quiet here. not too much shopping yet, but lots of planning for spring and summer purchases has begun...

martin clothing on sale

military moleskin jacket, now $247


cashmere sweatshirt, now $175

first of all--thank you for the well-wishes! i feel so lucky to know such thoughtful and kind people. the first week is nearly over, and with leo snuggled in his p-sling, the only thing i can reiterate is how amazing it has been.

so, while researching strollers (still), i couldn't help but post about the martin clothing 50% off sale. i'm wearing my straight-leg jeans right now, with the help of a bella band, of course, and wishing i could wear this cashmere sweatshirt and moleskin jacket. they're both perfect for the gorgeous spring weather i've been admiring from my window.

birth story and other leo-related news to be posted on the other blog soon, hopefully when his jaundice clears up.

i have a feeling i'm going to spend a lot of time next week catching up on everyone's posts....

a good day

photo by gob
one of the belly's final sightings



leon jiyoon made his arrival at 9.40 pm, sunday 2.22.09, after a relatively fast labor. it was snowing at the time.

oh, and my mociun dress was delivered yesterday. all in all, it's been a good week...

mociun ikat dress...a sad ending

first lena and her virginia johnson camel scarf, now me...

you may remember, but the mociun ikat tie-front dress that beklina was graciously sending to me as an exchange for the small? well, it looks like it was stolen from my building because it's nowhere in sight. what is going on??? it makes me so sad to think that someone thought there was something worth stealing. i've no doubt the poor dress was trashed as soon as the package was opened.

this is the first time one of my packages has gone missing. i guess i was lucky, but it makes me reconsider my reliance on online shopping, especially since i spent $190 for nothing. from now on, i'm going to have to request insurance or a signature, even if i have to pay extra for shipping.

update: it arrived! (along with something else...)

future*perfect blog update

since google reader won't allow you to add a private blog, i've decided to make future*perfect public....i can't possibly have 'that' many stalkers--or can i?

we are in this together

i saw lorena siminovich (petit collage)'s "we are in this together" collage on doe's website a couple of years back, and it really resonated with me. well, i just found out that there's a print version available.

i think it'll be perfect for welcoming the baby (in the next week, we hope!)....

spring fever

you know it's bad when you look at a website 8 times a day just to ogle the stripes and florals. oh steven alan....!

i am in need of more bateau striped shirts. any recommendations for affordable ones?

here are examples of ones that are out of my price range right now:


makie, $85


a.p.c., $75

laws of general economy update

alas for me, most of these items are too small.

they include:
lyell julie christie dress in white linen (size 6)
tashkent by cheyenne shearling flats (size 36)
two eskell blouses (size 0)
vintage plaid blouse (size x-small)
and many other lovely things.

as always, any feedback about the clothing blog is much appreciated. i will have a few more things to post once i'm better able to assess my spring wardrobe.

craving color--new psling

orla kiely dress

i'm with anabela on this one...i can't get enough of purples with grey undertones. you know it's mid-february when all you crave is color.

my new psling arrived the other day. his due date is still 1.5 weeks from now, but i am so excited to try out this sling with him. it's an avant linen sling in the sumile colorway. thank goodness for sample sales, these slings certainly are pricey!

mociun ikat dress update

my mociun ikat dress arrived today from beklina, and i am so bummed because it is even more beautiful in person but too small! and i'm not just saying this because i'm 8.5 months pregnant--it is too tight in the shoulders and high waist, and that will not change post delivery. it's actually a bit annoying because if it were just 1 1/2" wider around the waist, it would be perfect. i should have ordered the medium...i wanted this to be my go-to summer dress.

unfortunately it was a final sale, and i can either put it on ebay or see if anyone here wants to buy it. obviously i'd love to get back what i paid ($170), i'll pay for shipping (usps with delivery confirmation).

the fabric is medium-heavy weight, very sturdy yet soft. it is also very very short (but adorably so), and probably better suited to someone who is a size 4 and 5'5" or shorter (i'm perfectly comfortable with the length, and i'm 5'5").

here are the measurements (flat)
shoulders: 17 1/4"
length of bodice: 11 1/2" (from back of the neck to high waist)
high waist: 15" (just under the bust)
total length: 31"
hem opening: 19" (tulip skirt)

UPDATE: Beklina is letting me exchange the dress for a medium, hooray!

another update:
the medium sold out before i could exchange it, so i'm getting the large instead. the measurements look pretty much identical except the empire waist is 17" instead of 16" across. shouldn't be a problem with the adjustable tie-front.

oh, and if you're looking for this dress in a small or medium, ooga booga (a fantastic store in LA's chinatown) has it for $150.

how many is too many?

update**
the top dress is now on sale for $155 with an additional 30% off ('grechen') at sotto boutique (m and l only).


so i got rid of my mociun tie-front dress (blue linen) on the clothing blog in order to make room for a different one. i was thinking of getting this one, which is on sale at a few places.



but then i saw this new one from the spring 09 collection, and now i need to know,

how many is too many when it comes to mociun tie-front dresses?
(both photos by lena corwin)

mociun spring 09

spring 09 lookbook
photos by alyson fox

the little dress that could

here we are at shower #2, and my poor annelore dress is stretched to its limit.
in a moment of weakness, i bought another 'favorite' tank top at j.crew because they're super long and stretchy. but in general, i'm just biding my time until the spring collections arrive. for instance, when will the new mociun lookbook be available? i hope i (we) can go to nyc in late march when it's warmer.

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.

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.

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 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.

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!

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.

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...

virginia johnson warrior dress

photo by Elisa Gonzalez

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

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.

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.