Light the candles

I used to consider myself a pretty decent friend. I remembered everyone's birthday and I'd at least give them a call on their birthday to wish them a happy day. I always tried to make sure that my friend had a good day to remember on their birthdays. However, as I've gotten more involved in work, I've become more focused on my aspiration and forgotten that I had friends, I've become quite oblivious of the fact that my friends are still a large part of my life. This is a public apology to all of my friends for forgetting your birthday, whether it has passed or whether it is coming up.

This brings me to another thought. Why is it that the older we get, the less sensitive we get to the presence of others in our lives? We are always so involved in our own lives that we forget about the people around us, who care about us. I may actually just be speaking for myself, but I really feel that I have become insensitive to those around me. Its tough having to grow up and maintain the relationships you had before the real world slapped you in the face. In college, my idea of fun was just hanging out with friends, whether we were playing boardgames until 3am or on 6th street until 3am. Now, I'm lucky if I have the energy to even drag myself out of my room to meet up with friends for a drink. Maybe yoga may help...

The truth about style...

People often ask me what rules I follow when it comes to my wardrobe and sometimes I can bullshit something well enough that it sounds legit, but honestly, I don't think their are set rules to having style. The rules change so often, that ignoring one or two can be the start of a new trend. It used to be that black never went with brown, or gold never went with silver, and big flashy jewelery should only be worn with elegant gowns. Now, black DOES go with brown, two-toned jewelery is versatile, and big flashy jewelery can even be worn with a tshirt and jeans. I think the most important factors in determining the quality of style is color, fit, and poise.

Color is such a crucial factor in my daily life--not only in what I wear, but also in what I look at, and what I find beautiful. I like to mix complementary colors in my outfits in subtle, understated ways... maybe a turquoise necklace with a red sweater, or purple drop-earrings with an orange dress. However, I can't begin to emphasize how important it is to know when you're over-doing it. I wouldn't be caught dead walking down the street wearing a big green hat with a red tshirt, green pants and green boots.

Fit is so extremely important, it's not even funny. You wouldn't believe how many girls I see every day wearing clothes that are just not the right size. I am guilty of this myself. I admit that there are times that I just don't want to admit that I've gotten fatter and I need to go up a size. As we speak, I am wearing a cookie monster tshirt I got for my birthday two years ago that my boobs have rapidly outgrown due to my post-college weight gain, but I love this tshirt and I will most likely be wearing it for the next ten to twenty years. However, this is no excuse for wearing it out in public. You can still flaunt the goods without wearing something that is two sizes too small.

The most important thing in possessing style is possessing confidence--confidence in yourself, in how you look, and how you feel in your clothes. If you feel good in what you wear, you'll more than likely look good in what you wear--not because of what you're wearing, but how you're wearing it. You could be wearing a $10,000 Versace gown and still look hideous if you don't feel good in it. You could be wearing a plain white tee with jeans and look ravishing because your confidence illuminates.

Elizabeth and James

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's new line recently showed up on NM floors and I must say that I am extremely pleased with the product. The pieces are classic and versatile and a great advancement from their last attempt at breaking into the fashion industry. I've always been a big fan of their vintage-chic style. I think the line really speaks for itself.

Keep it together.

Anywhere you go, you'll run into a conflict. I've decided that it's human nature. There are just certain people who will never get along no matter the circumstance. It's just a matter of what action you choose to take regarding this conflict. When you're faced with an uncompromising opponent, you enter fight or flight mode and you have to choose your battles wisely. I've chosen to fight this battle. It seems lately that I've had many battles to fight and it's exhausting. I have to continue trying to keep it together and focus on the big picture. Anywhere I go, there will always be people who have ill-will towards me and if I continue allowing them to bog me down, then I will get nowhere.

My favorite fall designer, as of today, is Phillip Lim. I am in love with the 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2007 collection. His collection consist of articles that are comfortable and ready-to-wear. I tried on most of his new pieces and they felt equally good on as they looked cute. The tailored pieces hugged my body in all of the right places and fit like a glove. I didn't feel like I had to suck my gut in when I had any of them on. In addition to being comfortable, his designs retain a moderately conservative, clean cut, feminine look. His oversized tops are made of delicate fabrics and his more masculine fabrics are used in his more tailored designs. Its an equal balance of feminine and masculine which I think is very representative ofwomen today in general. The best thing about his line is that you'll never feel guilty about paying so much for it because you'll always want to wear it, so you'll definitely get the most out of them. My favorite piece is this navy blue dress because its so wearable! I could see myself wearing this anywhere, anytime... which is what I look for in my clothes... most of the time. If I could afford it, this would be in my closet in a heartbeat.

I got a great deal of this new Rebecca Taylor coat I couldn't pass up, even though I probably won't be able to wear it for another couple of months. It is absolutely gorgeous. If you haven't picked it up, I have a very distinct style. I like clean classic looks with a touch of girlie. This coat is the perfect example. The a-line cut is clean and classic while the large puffy collar and powder pink tint make it girlie.

Another coat I found that is extremely adorable, but not so much on the feminine side is this blue cord Marc by Marc Jacobs coat. I know I'm supposed to be partial to NM, but seriously, Barney's has a lot of better contemporary items than I've seen at NM lately.

Now for shoes... I've been searching far and wide for the perfect pair of shoes to match my black strapless DVF dress that I'm wearing to a wedding in October. I've got time, but its more like a fuse thats quickly reaching its end. I spend so much time at work, I barely have time to even think about the shoes, so I've started looking online. I am a very skeptical person, so I don't buy certain items online, such as jeans and shoes, because these are things that need to fit perfectly, and how would you know if you don't try it on? So I'm basically just getting ideas.

This is a 12th street by Cynthia Vincent dress that doesn't exactly look like mine, but its the closest thing I could find to show you all.


I would love to be able to wear any of these with it (especially the Valentino ones on the right).


And these are a more affordable and completely suitable alternative.

Have a date with yourself...

You may think it sounds sad and pathetic to have a night alone with yourself, but I actually find it extremely refreshing to be able to be in the comfort of home all by myself, snuggling up with my favorite pillow and throw, sipping a glass of fruitful red wine, and watching a delightful, semi-honest indie film. Some of my favorites have been 'Annie Hall' and 'Scoop' by Woody Allen. Recently, I've developed a taste for Woody Allen's quirky and witty sense of humor. However, my favorite rental this summer, has to be 'Broken English' with Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud [a handsome French actor]. This movie first caught my eye because of Parker Posey. I love her. I think she is adorably quirky and her fashion sense isn't too shabby either. She plays a neurotic, desparate woman looking for love in all of the wrong places. Her lonliness is, in part, due to the fact that when she finds something good, she pushes it away. When she begins to give up on the hope of finding love and romance, the love of her life finally appears, but she is skeptical and resistant because she never imagined that something this wonderful could ever happen to her. Sounds cliche to you? Well, this is in no way a typical chick flick. This woman is seriously disturbed and depressed and you really start to feel her pain, which makes it an honest film. The only thing that seemed too good to be true was the fact that Melvil's part is completely empathetic and understanding of his love interest and the ending is a bit of a stretch. However, it never exactly gives you a happily-ever-after ending. You should see it for yourself.