What I read: wintertime books

For the past couple months, I’ve been on a reading frenzy! This cold weather makes me want to read since it’s too cold to do anything outside. And a beach vacation with 5 hours of flying each way provided me with some good reading time too. Have you been reading? Anything you recommend? Here’s what I’ve been reading:


Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – I’ve seen the movie, but had never read the book. And this type of story is exactly what I like reading – coming of age books, stories about family and relationships, historical fiction. It was as good as I had hoped. The one thing I thought was so amazing is how timeless this book is. It came out in 1868 And I felt like I could still relate to the story. I loved getting a peek into what life was like back then. The book is broken up into two sections. I learned from  the book that Louisa May Alcott originally just wrote the first section and then when that was published and so well received, she wrote the second part in only 3 months! I will say I liked the first section a lot better, but it was good to find out what happens to each sister in the second part.


All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown – The book cover says “a killer summer read” and that’s totally true. I read this on my beach vacation and it was perfect. It’s easy to follow and suspenseful, so it’s easy to get engaged even when you get distracted every once in awhile by the kite boarder or swimmers in the ocean. It’s about two sisters and a mother who are all going through not-so-positive changes in their lives at the same time and how they come together. It was a light read, but at the same time, it had something behind it in people’s interactions and emotions.


The History of Love by Nicole Krauss – I have picked this book up so many times at the bookstore, but hadn’t ever bought it. But then one day I was at my parent’s and my mom had the book, so I decided to give it a try. I started reading it the day before Valentine’s Day so I figured that was the perfect time to be reading it. I have to say, this wasn’t my favorite book. The chapters are written from different people’s perspectives, so it took me a little bit to follow what was going on. There was one character that I liked and understood and then when it switched over to the next character, I would get lost until about mid-way through the book. I read it in a week, so it was a quick read, but I’d have a hard time explaining to you what I read!

PS – Let me know what kind of posts you like on my blog by voting here - thanks!

Read more

Help me out! What do you want to see on this blog?

A couple months ago I restarted this blog with a goal to put more of my personality into it and get to know you more!  Since then this blog’s posts have been a little different from in the past, but I want to know what you like and want to see more of.  It would be great if you can take this quick little poll to let me know.  And feel free to pass this post and blog around to your friends! :)  Thank you!


Read more

Totally unique jewelry made from vintage car clock parts

As you’ve probably seen, the 70′s are coming back this spring with wide-leg pants, blousy shirts, and platform shoes.  The jewelry from independent company, LYKY Design, is the perfect complement to the 70′s fall trends.  And they are completely unique; the earrings and necklaces are made out of American car clock parts and other found objects from the 1930′s to the 1980′s.  How cool is that?  Shop online to get your one-of-a-kind piece.  And watch this short film from LYKY Design to get inspired:

Read more

My Favorite Things: Winter 2010/2011 Edition

If Oprah can do it, why can’t I!  I’ve decided to share with you this year some of my favorite things from my closet, starting with what I’ve been wearing this fall/winter.  It was actually an interesting exercise pulling out what my favorite clothes are.  I’ve never really taken a step back to look at what my favorite pieces are and how they go together.  I think when I look at it all together it shows that I have a casual stylish wardrobe.  Try it for yourself.  What are your favorite things from your closet?  What does it say about your style?

And now, here are my favorite things to wear this winter:

1- A black tunic/dress from H&M.  It’s hard to see here, but it has a cowl neck and gathers at the waist and then flows out to an A-line.  I bought this probably 4 years ago now when I lived in New York and it’s still a favorite.  I usually wear it with leggings and boots.

2- A gray turtleneck dress from Urban Outfitters.  Since it’s 3/4 length, I usually wear some kind of cardigan over it.  And since it’s pretty plain, I usually layer a scarf or necklace over it to jazz the outfit up a little.

3- I bought this American Rag jacket from Macy’s last year as an impulse buy.  I went back and forth on buying it because I didn’t really need it, but I’m glad I got it.  I like the different patterns on it.

4- A gray sweater coat thing from H&M from last year.  In the fall, I’ll wear this as a coat.  In the winter, I usually wear it on the weekends to keep warm.

5- I’ve received a lot of compliments on this sweater from Asos.  I bought it at the beginning of the winter as my new staple sweater.  It’s a very drapey sweater at the front and I like that the colors are neutral so I can wear it with anything.

6- I love this tunic from Free People.  It fits my body so well and is great for the weekend days.

7- I wanted a basic neutral color tunic to wear as a layering piece and got this one from C&C California.  I’ll wear it with jeans and heels and jewelry for dinner or with jeans and sneakers for a casual day.

8- This mini skirt from H&M is very bright for my usual wardrobe, but I liked it.  I usually end up wearing this with a black long-sleeve top and boots to work.

9- My favorite Citizens of Humanity jeans ripped this year, so now these James jeans are my favorite.  They’re my “going-out” jeans.  They are hemmed to wear with heels, so I only wear them going out on the weekends or to work on a casual day.

10- Converse Chuck Taylor’s.  I bought these when I lived in New York.  I don’t like wearing running shoes with a casual outfit, so I bought these instead.

11- I love these black suede knee-high Chinese Laundry boots and wear them with jeans, leggings, skirts, and dresses.  The only problem is they aren’t great for winter weather  - the bottom has no grip, so I slip and I don’t want to get them wet.

12- These wedge booties from Blowfish are the only new shoes I bought this winter (I’m not a shoe girl).  I don’t like wearing heels because they are annoying to walk in.  But wedge shoes are perfect because they are so comfortable.  I wear these with my James jeans or various dresses/skirts.

Read more

Edelweiss by Sarah 1940′s inspired spring collection

As a fan of anything vintage and Great Gatsby and Mad Men, I love this spring collection from Edelweiss by Sarah inspired by 1940′s summer camp.  The clothes elegantly balance nostalgia and modernness.  To get to the summer camp look, some of the pieces have strip detailing to resemble wearing a backpack and the clothes are made of fabric in earth tones.  Aren’t they lovely?  Visit here to buy the clothes, which will be on sale in the next couple weeks!

Read more

New York Fashion Week and social media: is it good for fashion?

This week is all about New York Fashion Week and social media.  Have you wanted to go to a runway show, but can’t get out of work or school?  Do you want to know now what will be the latest styles for the fall?  Well thanks to social media we are all invited to NYFW this year!  More than ever before, we all have access to what used to be an exclusive event only for fashion insiders, celebrities, and socialites.  Hundreds of miles away from New York, we can watch runway shows live, know which celebrity is attending which show and when they arrive and see photos and read about trends while the shows are still happening.  But, is social media good for fashion?

On one hand, it’s great for fashion because it increases awareness for the fashion week event and for the designers who show at it.  We aren’t just limited to seeing what went down the runway in tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal or even on websites, like Style.com.  By reading fashion blogs and going on Twitter, you can get excited about what’s happening at NYFW right as it’s happening.  Everyone is posting pictures and writing and Tweeting about what they’re seeing from their phones or iPads, creating a buzz for the event and the designers attending in the moment.  Because of that, even more people will come out of this week excited to buy what they saw online, increasing sales and profits for designers, best for lesser-known and emerging designers who need the extra exposure rather than the big luxury brands.  For the fashion week event in general, more people talking about the event in social media helps supplement reports from paid news and press outlets and in turn will increase interest from advertisers and designers for the next event.

On the other hand, all the mass exposure can be a deterrent for people and brands who want to stay exclusive.  They may wear a dress that’s been seen before on the runway by a lot more people than just who was along the catwalk, losing some of its uniqueness.  More importantly though, it also gives mass retailers six months to reproduce what was seen on the runway at much less expensive prices to be sold at malls around the country at the end of the summer when everyone is buying fall clothes.  And by keeping track of which designs and trends are being talked about the most on Twitter and written about the most on blogs and websites, mass retailers have even more of an advantage by knowing which particular pieces to focus their resources and budgets on.

UPDATE: Here’s a good video from the guys behind Proenza Schouler from the Independent Fashion Blogger’s Conference last week.  They talk about the advantages of social media for them and what they think about the “copycats.”

So, what do you think?  Is social media good for fashion?  Want to get in on the action and decide for yourself?  Here are some places where you can get involved from wherever you are:

  • Watch runway shows live at sites like livestream
  • Find out what celebrities are arriving at each show and what people are seeing on the runway by following @womensweardaily or @styledotcom
  • Read about fall trends as soon as they go down the runway on blogs like the Cut and Refinery29
  • Join the conversation on Twitter and Tumblr by tagging and searching for #nyfw

Read more

In the sunshine of Puerto Rico

Last week I was in beautiful Puerto Rico for 7 days with my boyfriend.  I saw this morning that Boston has had 71 inches of snow this winter, so it was amazing to be away from it and feel the sunshine of 80 degree weather.  We stayed in a hotel in a beach resort area, Isla Verde, and went on a few other excursians while we were there.

Our hotel was 2 blocks from the beach, had a big pool, and was right in the heart of the restaurant/bar strip.  We drank Medalla, the local beer, and ate dishes with plantains and beans and rice.  Yummy!  One night we went over to Old San Juan and walked around the 135 year old forts and the European looking streets with shops and restaurants.  And on our last full day, we rented a car and drove to El Yunque Rainforest and hiked up to the peak of the 3,000 foot mountain where we were literally in the middle of clouds!

I miss it already!  Here are some pictures from the trip:

Read more

Unique gift idea: Shake it like a polaroid picture

Last week I received an email from a photographer I love from She Hit Pause Studios.  The photos are polaroids of everything from surfers to a bubble gum machine.  The polaroids have a vintage, muted color palette and remind me of something you would see in a Free People or Anthropologie catalog.  I’ve been looking at the poloroids for years and have come close to purchasing, but my rented multi-family apartment just wouldn’t put these to justice.

But, She Hit Pause Studios made me realize that these poloraids would make a thoughtful, cool, unique gift for any occasion, like Valentine’s Day maybe (hint hint to the guys).  Take a look.  Do you like?

Read more

Small business tip #1: What is Internet anyway?

Small business tip #1: Don’t be afraid of new technology.

Have you seen this clip from The Today Show?  It’s Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel trying to figure out what the Internet is all about in 1994.

Isn’t it crazy to think that there was a time when we were all confused about what the Internet was and how email worked? Now we can’t live without it!

Well, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed from 1994 – technology is always changing and improving and it’s important to keep up with it.  For whatever type of business you own, having an Internet presence is a definite necessity.  It’s where your customers are and where they may already be talking about your business.

Right now, social media is the “Internet” of today.  Individuals, big brands, small companies are all getting more involved in social media putting themselves and their businesses in places like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and mobile.  I’ll be talking much more about each of these later, but don’t be afraid of new technologies because they aren’t going away.  If you haven’t used Twitter, visit it and just look around.  You don’t need to get actively involved right away.  It’s ok to join these sites, see what’s happening, and get comfortable with how it works.  Once you’re more confident in what they’re about, you can put your business out there.

Read more