Category Archives: Fashion

In Praise of Pockets

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I promised myself that I wouldn’t buy any new clothes for the next few months to make up for a shoe and dress binge earlier this summer. I popped into Housing Works in Chelsea (for better or worse located directly across the street from my office) and found the perfect black shirt. It is almost sculptural with it’s pleats and a nice shiny fabric and even my size! “No,” I told myself, putting it back on the rack, “You have at least 3 black skirts at home.” I tried it on anyway. It fit perfectly. I put my hand to my hip. What’s that? A pocket! End of dressing room deliberation. Sold. (And besides, it goes to charity)

I wore it to work the next day, paired with my new black oxfords (simply a fall, winter and spring necessity I decided, especially for my upcoming trip to Paris which combines walking a lot with the need to look stylish… which could also describe any day I go to work in Manhattan).

Blouse by Uniqlo, Skirt BCBG Maxazaria, Tights American Apparel, Shoes Nicole

Skirt Pocket Detail

I am always carrying things and I always appreciate pockets. As a girl who wears a lot of skirts and dresses I am constantly confounded by the lack of pockets in woman’s clothing. It’s an old lament, I know. But I love a tastefully done, subtle pocket that I can slip my phone, metrocard or business card into if needed.

My new (to me) skirt reminded me of two of my other favorite dresses that also have pockets. They are both by Brooklyn Industries, which I think does a really great job of adding pockets to their ladies clothing in general.

Not only is this dress perfect for strolling in Paris in the summer, it has great pockets!

It's not only great for work, but great for the subtle pockets!

Pinstripe pocket skirt by Built by Wendy, shirt on sale at Jcrew Outlet, bag from Monoprix

I broke my own rule again this past weekend when I saw that Built by Wendy was having a sale and I happened to be in the neighborhood. I nabbed this skirt as soon as it was not only my size, had pinstripes, and, best of all, pockets!

Maine in Fall (An Orchard Photo Shoot)

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I try to get back to New England at least once in the fall and soak in the golden light, crisp air, carpet of leaves, trees all done up in color, and of course, fresh apples. My mom captured me in pursuit of the perfect Cortland.

The bounty high in the tree

Handy tool for reaching high up apples

Apple Scouting

Coat by Brooklyn Industries, Shirt by Petite Bateau, Apples by Maine

The bounty from just 15 minutes in the orchard

Orchard Idyll

After spending time in a sun drenched apple orchard after living 9 years in New York City it’s not hard to start seeing Maine as some kind of enchanted landscape.

Nightlife Denizens

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Paul with hotdog unicorn headgear and me with Slurpee hat

So if you know me even a little bit you know that i don’t go out much. I like to have a good time, sure, but partying until dawn is not my usual m.o. unless, of course, the party is CHERYL. CHERYL started two years ago by a group of stylish people who mostly worked in museums. Its tagline is “the dance party that will ruin your life” and every month features a different theme and a video that can only be described as a piece of art to go along with it. The party has gained momentum and attention and moved to progressively bigger venues. I love the fact that while dressing up is encouraged it’s not required and that it attracts a mixed crowd of, well, pretty much everyone who likes weird (but not that weird) arty and really honestly fun and unpretentious parties. This time around the theme was 7-11 and the Village Voice showed up to take pictures. Thanks to my handily constructed Slurpee hat apparently I was quite photogenic. Who knew I would be a nightlife icon for a fleeting second? Check out the rest of the Voice’s photos here. I also put photos on my flickr stream.

Casual Evening Boating Attire

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It’s a well known joke in my family that I don’t like boats. It’s not my fault, it’s just that when I am in a boat larger than a canoe that has a motor I tend to get really sea sick really quickly. Blame it on a childhood spent on them. However, I may have made my peace with boats after a wonderful evening spent aboard the ship Clipper City this past weekend. Our friends Frank and Sandy got married on the boat (by the ship captain, which is something that they can do as a captain!) and invited us to celebrate with them. It was magical to float about New York Harbor as the sun sunk behind Ellis Island and send golden rays glancing off the giant shipping dock cranes in Red Hook. The invitation called for “Casual Evening Boating Attire” and I think I was successful. There are more photos on flickr.

Rendez-Vous with the Real French Navy

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Sometimes living in New York is just surreal. My friend who works for the French consulate invited me to a cocktail reception aboard the helicopter carrier Jeanne D’Arc, a French Navy training ship that was doing its last worldwide tour of duty before being retired.

I wore a pinstriped blazer, black heels (despite being warned in an email not to, because one had to climb many ladders to get to the deck where the reception was, but I knew these would be French people, which meant the women would all be in heels), and carried a handbag I bought at Monoprix for 20 euro, figuring I’d look the part in my own American way. And yes, I hummed the Camera Obscura song all day.

My grandfathers served in the American navy and I had to laugh at myself, me who hates war, living it up aboard a ship (albeit, not an American one). It was pretty great to climb down ladders and through hatches, to drink a coke and avoid that weird, electric blue, menthalated syrup drink that the French love as the sun cast evening rays over Manhattan.

Even if the event was way too crowded and there was no where near enough food or drinks, I wouldn’t trade being served hors d’oeuvres by a French sailor for anything. And I still need to procure one of those stripey shirts that they wear…

Clothing Swap Re-Cap

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Jumpsuits…
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

On Sunday LJ and I hosted a clothing swap and recipe exchange. So many of our friends came and brought clothes they were never able to incorporate into their wardrobes, love but don’t wear or just want to get out of their lives. Among them was a Calvin Klein denim jumpsuit which E. said would be perfect for J. Here she is, making the outfit even more exciting with the addition of a pink tank top.

Apron

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Apron
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

I don’t know really what else to say besides the fact that I actually was cooking, not doing feminist performance art (though one could argue that because we are always performing our genders and because I identify as a feminist the way I move through my days is always feminist performance art… maybe).