painting, off to nyc for the day

the bedroom is finished, but some of the old ceiling paint came off with the blue tape. this apartment was poorly painted when we moved here, so i'm not surprised. i love the shade of grey we picked, it makes our furniture look so much nicer.

driving to nyc/brooklyn in about 5 minutes. after 4 years of the chinatown bus, and a lack of friends to stay with in the city, we've decided to drive. hopefully i'll make it to erie basin. oh, and maybe i'll be able to take photos in the mayle dressing room.

to do list:
mociun dresses
mayle everything
muji notebooks
moma

belt + dress

marnie skillings wool dress from stel's.

isabel marant dress

does anyone have this isabel marant dress? i found a size 3 on ebay, but i'm not sure whether it runs large or small (i'm usually a 2). i nearly bought it at impulse's winter sale, but matthew thought it was too 'oregon hippie'. i went with a different isabel marant dress that i don't really love after all, so of course i've been keeping an eye out for this one.

UPDATE: i won it!! crossing my fingers, let's hope it fits. i've been super busy getting ready for teaching, but i'll post photos when the dress arrives. plus, i have a new skirt from martha of uniform studio that needs debuting.

back from california

it's beyond my budget, but boy how i love comme des garcons' Play cardigan!
$360 at impulse

a.p.c. plaid cape

i went to stel's intending to buy the yellow peacoat and left with the plaid cape instead. the peacoat is wonderful, but it wouldn't get me very far this winter. plus, i already have a peacoat from lyell. still, if you couldn't ask for a nicer peacoat. the fabric is light and softer than your favorite sweater, which is such a welcome respite from the stiff wool typical of most peacoats.

anyway, this cape seemed (at the time) to be more practical. i think it'll look quite darling on my bicycle rides this autumn.

*off to california for the next week!

sky diving

the much anticipated sky diving event finally occurred yesterday in lebanon, maine. we arrived at 11 am, matthew underwent 'training' for his tandem jump, and then we waited. and waited. the wind gusted over 20 mph. more waiting. finally, at 6.30 pm, he jumped. i sucked on lemonheads and ate jalepeno poppers. at some point i fell asleep on the grass. afterward, we all went to morrison's in kittery to have steamed lobsters on the restaurant's pier. the clam chowder was also excellent.

humanoid dress + rachel comey belt

having never worn a belt before, this will take some getting used to. but i can see how it will be very helpful in the coming months.

the dress is so light and comfortable, i'll probably wear it as long as the weather allows. i think i'll save the creative draping for the day when i no longer have a jolly round belly to contend with.

wikstenmade fall--lena dress

lena dress
photo by emily moore





now i really can't wait for fall!

toast aw 08-09

two things:
sorely tempted to bob my hair, even though i know from experience that i'll look terrible
dark navy blue oxfords, low cut on the sides, super gorgeous. but every time i do that pound-dollar conversion, my heart stops. $270 isn't 'that' bad, is it? but for blue oxfords? sigh.

target skirt

i've always been a bit envious of people who fill their beautiful wardrobes with affordable clothing from target, h&m, gap, zara, and forever 21. granted, i have a love-hate relationship with cheap clothing (manufacturing conditions, quality, fit), especially since i lack the sewing skills to alter less than perfect finds. but still, i'm secretly annoyed with myself for spending way too much money on clothing, especially when i don't end up giving certain pieces the attention they deserve.

martha of uniform-studio recently did a flickr set of how she incorporates target clothing and accessories within her unique sense of style. i noticed a particularly nice dark skirt with a subtle sheen in one of her photographs. apparently it's from target's liz lange maternity line. hannah and sally also have this skirt.

today i went to target and found it for $10. unlike these other stylish women, however, i actually need this skirt to function as intended.

nesting

i'm in full nesting mode these days. my house is a wreck, a hodgepodge of incomplete projects. we've finally committed to painting the walls after three years of living here. a north-facing apartment with a dark kitchen and even darker bathroom = tricky. i'm going to paint a pegboard dark grey and mount it next to our new kitchen shelves. i sense another ikea trip this weekend.

i love frazier and wing's new hanging garland, as seen on d*s. alas, at $400, i'm going to have to use this as inspiration for an arts and crafts weekend. off to maine tomorrow morning to watch matthew fall out of an airplane. i will be proofreading my paper proposal and taking photographs of the event, since i prefer avoiding excitement and adventure.

humanoid dress

must be bored/procrastinating today. just bought this slouchy humanoid dress from anica.



my very first belt is coming in the mail.
rachel comey double buckle belt from stand up comedy.

ok, no more shopping. back to work.

isabel marant on ebay

i really wanted this dress last year.
starting bid $136
size 0 (2-4)
too bad i wear a 2



the photos aren't very good, but this top would be very flattering on.
current bid $20.48
size 2 (6-8)

virginia johnson tunic

apparently it's still summer, even though it feels more like early october. the fit is a bit looser than i would like, so this is probably going to be a weekend top. i love the pockets.

portland, me

(photo from black parrot)


so last saturday matthew and i drove up to portland so i could try on these giraudon oxfords at black parrot. we had lunch at the blue spoon, which is on the east end of portland. such delicious sandwiches, although i couldn't quite finish mine. afterwards, we walked around the cemetery and checked out the shops in the area.



i bought onesies at ferdinand. *pinch pinch*



(photo from black parrot)


oh yes, but what about that pesky oxford hunt? black parrot is in a huge airy space with large windows and home goods in the back of the shop. i was so happy to see a shop like that in portland, which really doesn't have too many clothing stores that interest me. the women there were so nice and helpful, but unfortunately the oxfords dug at my ankle bone. plus, matthew wasn't as keen on the pixieish pointy toe or heel. i'm sure these shoes will make someone else very very happy. anyway, i bought a loose-fitting, gathered neckline black tee by marimekko. i had no idea marimekko made such understated clothing.

after a few more hours of bookstore browsing, we drove south to kennebunkport for an early dinner at the clam shack. the lobster roll was delicious, and i wish i had saved enough room for fried clam strips.

hopefully we'll go to nyc in the next week or so to do some early back to school shopping. i keep dreaming about ippudo ramen in the east village. and mociun's latest collection. see lena's gorgeous photos here.

mer

lena posted on this gorgeous line, and i am completely smitten. i really need/want loose swingy tops and dresses like these. if i could settle for even one, that would be wonderful.

waiting for fall

zero by maria cornejo foil dress, $892 (sigh), available at La Garconne.
one of the most elegant side silhouettes i've seen lately. i don't know why, but my resistance to all-black outfits is weakening.

portland, me, trip notes to follow....

virginia johnson sale

sack dress,
$118, was $295



merino wool shawl,
$97, was $195.

cotton scarf,
$49, was $98

caftan,
$78, was $195


crocodile large tote,
$70, was $175



loads of lovely dresses, scarves, tunics, and bags on sale. i swear by my merino wool camel shawl (it's huge!). it's perfect as a travel blanket. i'm getting the countess caftan...no wait, the sack dress. darn, i want them all!

steven alan shirts

i haven't checked steven alan's website in a while, so i was pleased to find this cute short-sleeved button down shirt for only $39. i ordered one in the check pattern and one in blue.


we're going to portland, me on sunday to look at shoes at Black Parrot. Kate emailed me about a pair of Giraudon oxfords that might work for me. i can't wait to check out a few of the places there and, oh yeah, have some lobster!

new sandals

my new sara barner sandals arrived today!