Blue

(images from citizen couture)

Citizen Couture, you are my new fave.

Green, Part 2

(image from citizen couture via moodboard)

I'm not usually one for bright nails, but I looooove the pop of the kelly green against the neutral shoe. So gorgeous.

...Itty Bitty Living Space!

So I have a pretty decent size apartment, and even though it would be nice if we had one more room, I am fine with living in a relatively small space.

The boyfriend and I have always talked about moving to NYC at some point, just for a little while. And we know (and he constantly reminds me) that with moving to NY comes downsizing quite a bit.

But this...

Daniel and Dasha Faires are 20-something newlyweds from the South who moved to a 375-sq ft apartment on the Lower East Side a year ago. And what they've done with the place is pretty remarkable. To be fair, it has great character—brick walls, beautiful wood floors, and a backyard area that is to die for, and looks to be nearly the size of the apartment itself. For this, they pay $2000/month, which seems outrageous, but once you see the patio, you'll understand. It's pretty gorgeous.

I hope we don't have to downsize this much whenever we make the move, but with this adorable little space as inspiration, it might make the shift a little bit easier.

Slideshow here.

(images from nytimes.com and ny.curbed.com)

Moments

I stumbled upon this documentary on KCET, "The President's Photographer: 50 Years in the Oval Office." It's absolutely fascinating, but the most intriguing part is that I just discovered that the Obama White House has a Flickr feed! I had no idea. I love the photos, they capture the slow, quiet moments you rarely see, of the president hard at work, of the real emotion in each day. It's incredible, and beautiful. Check it out here.

On a side note, Nixon greatly restricted his White House photographer. Telling, hmm?

Big Art

Like I said in my first post, I like BIG ART. High impact. Room-defining. I already have a giant vintage Bob Dylan poster in our living room over the desk, but that's just not enough, I guess. I have big plans for a couple botanical prints of pink roses I got off Ebay and they involved gorgeous round-cornered gold frames like these...

(images via Lonny Mag June/July 2010)

Lady Skirts

So it has been a week since I last posted, but real life things have distracted me from blogging fun time. Bad things, but also fun things, like sorting through super old family photographs. Soon I will post about my awesome great great aunt Ethel. I recently discovered 1.) that she existed, and 2.) that she was super stylish. Pictures soon.

But for today, I was inspired by many of my favorite bloggers putting up new posts today (aka I am about to straight up copy the latest post from Just Say Maux).

A few months ago, I bought this skirt after seeing a few images here and there of lovely ladylike skirts. It's a little small, so I'm going to get some elastic put in at the waist so it fits nice and snug and smooth, but I have been lazy about getting to the tailor. But after seeing a new crop of lovely longer skirts, I might have to bust my ass on over to Jenny's Tailoring and get that worked out. See below:

(image via the sartorialist)

This image has been reposted to hell and is probably behind this most recent resurgence of ladylike longer skirts, but I had to post it again because the sweater-skirt-heels combo is just so good.

(image via chictopia.com)

This is the image that started it all for me. I saw it on Chictopia and went nuts over the white tank-printed skirt combo. Awesome.

(image via the sartorialist)

Another great printed skirt example from The Sartortialist.

More great examples from Chictopia:

(images via chictopia.com)

The important thing to note here is that it is NOT a maxi skirt (a trend which I am OK with, but not 100% behind yet). The look is '50s or '70s ladylike, not '90s grunge/art gallery patron. On a side note, I just remembered that I had a heather grey maxi skirt when I was probably about 11, with a matching hoodie, and I wore it once when I went to the museum with my parents, with my yellow tinted wire-rim sunglasses, because it made me feel artsy. I may have worn it with my bright blue pop art Mona Lisa tee. (That was a pretty epic shirt.) Awesome. However, this is not the look we're going for here.

I am excited to wear my skirt with big platforms and chunky brown strappy heels (which I must first acquire), big belts, and blousy tops. But first stop, the tailor.

And finally, this is just taking it to the next level.

(image from j.crew s/s '11 via style.com)

Green

My mom's favorite color was always green, and when I was little I didn't like green, so I didn't really understand why it was her favorite, but I thought, wow, there is green everywhere, in all the trees and plants, it must make her happy all the time.

(Photo of my purse, wallet, and scarf, all green)

Luxury (or, If You Need to Buy Me Stocking Stuffers...)

I am a Taurus, which means I like nice things, pretty things, comfy things, luxurious things. It's why I will sometimes scrimp on food to get a throw pillow I love. It's why sometimes I will buy the fancy cheese for $2 more just because. I like to be surrounded by beautiful things and things that make my quality of life better.

That said, there are some things I just can't bring myself to indulge in, some things that just scream "ultimate luxury" to me.

$60 Dyptique Feu de Bois candle

My dad's girlfriend got me this amazing candle (the mini version) for Christmas last year. I had never heard of the brand, I knew nothing about it, I was like, gee, thanks, a candle. But oh my God, what a candle. The first time I burned this thing it was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. The warm, cozy, woody smell of this candle is so enveloping and seductive, all I wanted to do was lounge on my bed under soft lighting, smell the candle, read magazines, paint my toenails, and pretend I had not a care, and all the money in the world. I burned that thing out in 2 months flat, so I looked online to see how much it was so I could get a new one, stat, and was amazed/horrified to discover they cost $60 for a full size. So when my birthday rolled around in April and she asked what I wanted, the first thing I said was "a Feu de Bois candle!" I have been rationing this one, burning it only when I know I will be in the room a lot and my nose isn't stuffy so I can smell it (I know, I know). But it's nearing Thanksgiving and I've still got a few hours on that puppy. Worth it. What do you think is on my Christmas list?

The ultimate Dyptique luxury?

Dyptique Feu de Bois Room Spray, $60

To me, luxury is about being super comfortable and enjoying things that are absolutely frivolous and absolutely wonderful.

A few years ago, I got a pair of shearling slippers from J.Crew for Christmas. They were super cozy and soft and amazing, and I wore them until the fur wore out of the inside and one of the little bows came off. So last year I went and got myself a pair from Target for $15. They were a little scratchy, and made my feet sweat, but they were essentially the same thing, and I've imagined that they've lasted longer but I think I've let the 3 years that I had the J.Crew ones run together so I am pretending that they wore out faster than my cheaper ones. Either way, it's about time for a new pair. Especially since you can't really wash them. Also on my Christmas list?

J.Crew Shearling Scuffs, $58 (There's also the men's version)

A set of cozy flannel pajamas also seem absolutely luxurious to me, perfect for picturesque Christmas mornings by the fire (or no fireplace, with the windows open because it's 85 degrees, welcome to California). Either way, these are adorable.

J.Crew Women's Plaid Flannel Sleep Set, $85

What else is absolutely luxurious? Those little things that are completely frivolous but help you pretend you are impossibly rich, like a snakeskin passport cover.

J.Crew Snakeskin passport cover, $39.50

Perfect for your jet-setting lifestyle, and keeping your passport protected from wear and tear as you hop from European country to European country. (While you're at it, maybe you want to pick up some glamorous $2000 luggage to transport your wardrobe? Just go for it and get the whole set.)

If I had my absolute comfortable glamorous bedroom, I would love to have a sable-colored faux fur throw. But it seems silly to spend $100 on it just randomly. Luxury.

West Elm faux fur throw, $119 ($95 at 20% off until 11/22)

(Ironically, that image is from a page on apartmenttherapy.com on how to make your own faux fur throw and NOT spend hundreds of dollars. Instructions here.)

Also luxurious? $22 nail polish. (I still want this color really bad. I might bite the bullet and pay the jacked up eBay prices for this limited edition, out of stock shade.)

My post-Christmas days will likely be spent splurging on more practical items at sale price, just the way I like 'em. But a girl can still dream...

Happiness is...

a bag of clementines.

Marling Darling

I've been hearing about Laura Marling from various people for a while now. A friend gave me her most recent album as a gift, and I don't know if I even got all the way through it. I know I haven't listened to it past the first time. She has a pretty voice, and nice instrumentation, and lovely little songs, but somehow, her music hasn't pulled me in like some other folk girls I like. Perhaps she is a little too British, gray and drab, for me?

But this I like.

She's done two covers for Third Man Records' Blue Series of 7" vinyl singles, "Blues Run the Game" by Jackson C. Frank, which I think I heard for the first time via a Paul Simon cover, and "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young. Maybe it's just because they are songs I know and love, and I can tell what the lyrics are, but I like her so much better in this setting than playing her own songs. Her voice sounds magnificent. Sorry Laura. Maybe do a covers album and I will become a devoted fan.

Tender Mercies, aka Crazy Heart Part 1

Somebody told my boyfriend he sounded like Tender Mercies. He had heard of this movie, I had not. We Netflixed it.

This movie is fantastic, absolutely gorgeous. And Crazy Heart totally copied it, but not as well. There are fewer cheesy, obvious plot twists in this one than in Crazy Heart and it is more of a mood piece than a dramatic heartbreaker. It reminded me of Badlands in that way. Or maybe it was all the shots of the wide open prairie.

If someone created a fall collection based on the colors in this movie, it would be so beautiful. Also, it's too bad Ellen Barkin got all that plastic surgery. She is gorgeous in this movie, and her clothes are incredible.

Autumn

I am in love with this.

Kennedy doesn't know it but we went to college together and had a mutual friend. I met her at a party just once. Actually, I don't know if we actually met, I think I just saw her. It was at her apartment. I always thought she was so beautiful and interesting, and then when I stumbled upon her blog, it became so much easier to internet stalk her. She would probably think I am a creep. Oh well.

(image from kennedy's blog)

The Walking Dead

Go watch The Walking Dead NOW.

Remember when Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Dexter were each the best new show on television? Yeah, this is like that.

www.amctv.com

Because it really is true that women don't dress for men, they dress for other women

Sweet baby Jesus, THREE posts in a day after no posts for a YEAR? This is what boredom and a bevy of awesome things creates.

Again, sweet baby Jesus—this blog is amazing.

There I am, trying to watch a cool old movie ("Secret Agent") and having a really hard time understanding the dialogue through the terrible old-timey audio and my blaring air conditioner and ca-thunking clothes dryer, when I pick up my newly-arrived Lucky magazine. I flip through, quickly losing track of the plot of the movie, and stumble upon their Guest Blogger feature. They are featuring Leandra Medine and her blog "The Man Repeller." It sounds genius. I open Safari. I type. I click.

Good God, it is the answer to my fashion-loving but weird-trend-averse dreams.

My boyfriend generally likes the way I dress. He likes that I take an interest in the way I look. But, he finds some of the things I wear to be ridiculous (i.e., these). But they are trendy, they are hip, they are popular, and I like them. And, more importantly, other girls like them.

It's just like that in Van Morrison song, "the girls walk by dressed up for each other." Girls dress for girls. Some may pretend they're dressing for their guy, or to get a guy, but unless you're a club chick or a trashy ho, you're probably not doing a very good job of it. Because guys don't like weird things like harem pants and big fur coats. They just want to see your pretty face and what your body looks like. Too much fabric, too many colors, patterns, shapes, they get confused.

And that is what Man Repeller is all about. Because fashion is weird as fuck, but girls like it. Guys don't want girls who are into weird shit (except in the bedroom, maybe). They generally want a nice, pretty girl, and oh, it would be really nice if she can cook.

But girls will be girls, and we will wear drop-crotch pants and turbans (maybe together, maybe not) and some other girl who sees us will think we're cool, and that's all that matters to most people. And hopefully, at the end of the day, we will somehow still get laid.

Kudos, Leandra, you are my new (celibate) hero. And you dress really well (at least, according to girls).

Oh, and "Secret Agent" is still on and I have no idea what's going on. All I know is Peter Lorre is pretending to be Mexican. Or Italian. I can't tell. It's very un-PC.

Book Porn

I just ordered these from Amazon UK (they are not available, at least not yet, in the US) and I am SO EXCITED. They will be possibly the most beautiful things I've ever owned.

(cb-smith.com)

Accumulation and its Discontents

With all these shows coming out recently about hoarding, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has taken a look around their apartment and wondered where they fall on the scale of "chronic disorganization."

After having lived in a new space each year for 3 years during college, moving out of my childhood home into a new house during my first year of college, and then moving out of that house and into an apartment with my boyfriend just after graduating, I think I have become pretty adept at keeping my possessions pared down to things that I really need, love, or cherish. I clean out my closet at least four times a year, and I try not to buy new books until I've read and donated or sold a bunch of my old ones. I used to only buy DVDs once I had seen a movie and knew it was a new favorite. And I haven't bought a DVD in at least 3 years. I pared down my CD collection years ago and it now barely occupies two short shelves in a cabinet in my living room.

Perhaps I am a perpetual anti-hoarder. I am constantly getting rid of things (and some of my boyfriend's things, oops!). I also carefully plan the things I am going to buy, considering where it will go and how it will be used and how often. Oftentimes I decide I want something and don't end up buying it until months later, even if it is not expensive, that is how much consideration goes into the things I acquire.

So when I stumbled upon this article on the New York Times website about an artist exploring our obsession with "stuff" and the comforts and anxiety it can give us, I was fascinated. The article explains her ideas much better than I can here, but she has interesting things to say about agoraphobes, the urge to collect things, and the emotion tied into simple objects. Plus, the photos of her own apartment are beautiful.

See it all here.

www.corinnebotz.com