Active-where?!

 

   Some people may call me a dreamer...but I am always searching for fabulous finds that can be incorporated into the everyday lives of those of us not gracing the catwalks whilst still giving a nod to the creative and fun flair that we see in an actual runway show.  I think that now there is really no denying that fashion & functionality have been able to come together in a lovely marraige that looks great and is still indeed practical--activewear.  Now, this word can be somewhat elusive because the literal translation that many of us have been programmed to accept is that activewear is strictly workout attire.  If you can't run 3-4 miles in it, it isn't "activewear".  Now, hear me out.  If you are in fact, getting up, running errands, taking kids here, there & everywhere, making dinner, shopping, hitting a yoga class, lunching w/friends--are you not incredibly "active"?  So that being said, can't we broaden the horizons of what is known to be activewear?  I think so...and obviously so do others like Stella McCartney & Heidi Klum.  I believe I'm in good company here.  Designers are starting to take notice of this new fashion niche and popping a little pizzazz into your once basic, black zip-ups and yoga pants.  Think ruched shoulders, lined hoods, bright colors & even prints-- to bring a once overlooked area of dressing into the fashion realm.  It's like the last kid waiting to be picked on the playground & we are finally scooping her up & making her over--turning her out to be oh so chic. I mean seriously--when you get up in the a.m. you're not dying to put on your sky high heels, cropped, sequin jacket & smoke out your eyes--you may want to come sun down, but when it's early & you're just meeting a friend for coffee, swinging by Target or dropping kids off to school you want to be comfortable yet still sleek & pulled together.  Wish granted.  Activewear has serious potential--take a look at lines like Adidas by Stella McCartney & HKNB (Heidi Klum: New Balance) to see this wonderful shift forward for activewear.  Then run... or hell-SPRINT to get your busy hands on these practical yet still seriously posh pieces and enjoy activewear--everywhere!

*HKNB is sold exclusively on amazon.com & features 3 looks from Project Runway 2nd runner up: Andy South

Gray Matter

  

 

  Even though I love, LOVE color--everything comes back to nuetrals in some way, shape or form. Who doesn't own a classic white oxford, nice pair of khaki/black pants, LBD, worn-in, white tee, even brown boots? (If you answered "no," you should remedy that--like now.) Black, white, brown & khaki have pretty much dominated that section of our wardrobes in which we build so many wearable outfits. I feel like up until recently though we have been tossing aside a wonderfully diverse neutral that can go from dove to charcoal & sweatshirt to evening--Gray. I think that for so long we have associated gray with sweats and storm clouds and instead we should be looking at it as a fresh alternative, which clearly has more range. It can be so light, almost a tinted white, a fun, metallic--offering silvery shine and even so dark, that it's just a barely there black. Just like it's neutral parents and browns--it looks great paired with any color or even another neutral. Gray has even been showing up in nail salons--black is too Halloween, white screams I got bored at my desk with the Wite-Out pen & is so last year Gwen Stefani--doesn't gray just seem like the natural transition? So stash your crisp whites & foreboding blacks & embrace that middle ground--it looks so good to go gray!

More times than not in the recent past, I have gone out for what was supposed to be a wonderful date night with my husband--classic, dinner & a movie. But it seemed that with the rising movie theater prices, the astronomical cost of snacks & dealing with obnoxious tweens texting and talking--it was almost not worth our while. Then, when the movie was a flop on top of all that--it definitely seemed like a major waste of time & money. But, our Friday night this weekend yielded a delightful change of pace...I had been hearing from some family members that 'Inception' was indeed worth going to see but due to our sometimes radically different taste in cinema I wasn't entirely sold. I appreciate many of the performances that Leonardo DiCaprio has debuted, particularly in recent years but, I had decided that choosing films based on their writer & director might yield a more consistent result. I had thoroughly enjoyed writer/director Christopher Nolan's past films (The Dark Knight, Memento) so I was confident that this would be in the same aesthetic vein as his past work & my expectations were surpassed. I find the subject of dreams in itself quite fascinating, but this film really explores the inner workings of our subconscious and will definitely have you trying to decipher your dreams in the nights following. I love seeing a film that promotes discussion long after the credits roll & this had me bubbling over with conversation on the ride home. The best movie I've seen in the theater in quite some time--don't sleep through this film's theatrical tour!

Camel Up

Nature provides us with tons of inspiration when it comes to fashion & this Fall will not be lacking when it comes to our animal instincts. Unlike the more majestic animals, like the tiger or leopard, that we have always borrowed prints from, this Autumn gives a nod to a more practical creature of sorts--the camel. The color camel-- to be exact. Expect to see camel coats to eye shadow palettes and everything in between. This great color gives a little more life to the nudes & beige colors, that many people have a hard time wearing. Usually, these "washed out" tones do little for one's complexion but having camel as this year's go to shade, should be a more punchy version of your basic & let's face it, often boring, beige. There are many shades of camel, but I say the darker the better, anyone that is remotely fair, needs to be wary of anything too light. Meeting between orange & brown should also offer tons of versatility & become an instant wardrobe staple. Brown & black can coexist in some instances, but bringing something camel colored--particularly a key piece: like shoes, a bag or a coat--into the mix, can offer you a stylish way to break up that head-to-toe black outfit & work equally as well w/any other neutral or bold colors. This may be a hot trend for Fall, but also a good investment piece that will be functional for years to come. You can bet that this Fall you're going to see my humps covered in camel!

Summer Salad

I made this super simple and fresh salad of sorts for a casual birthday barbecue we attended a few weekends ago. It was a big hit! You can eat it as is, or dip tortilla chips, like a Texas caviar--for a healthy change of pace from queso & bean dip! Mayo caked "salads" may still be a BBQ staple but when the heat index rises, it's wonderful to enjoy something a bit lighter that's still tasty & filling. This salad is so colorful too--a beautiful addition to your backyard lineup!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
1 14-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed
2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup slivered red onion
2 tablespoons chopped black olives

Directions:

Whisk oil, lemon juice, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add cucumber, black-eyed peas, bell pepper, feta, onion and olives; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Tim Burton @ MoMA

A few weeks ago when my Mom came into town, we decided to make a day of it in New York & planned on visiting one of the many museums. I had been dying to go to the Tim Burton exhibition for months, anticipating the dark delights I would see. Since we were approaching its last weekend, I was chomping at the bit to drag her into the weirdness with me. Over 700 rare drawings dating from his childhood to the present, paintings, photographs, story boards, concept art, costumes, props, annotated scripts-- it was a black & white striped dream world! A hectic conglomerate of all his works and it was just as strange as I hoped it would be. To see the early ideas & illustrations that sparked his later works was fascinating--Tim Burton made suburbia acknowledge & accept the eccentric. The originality & imagination behind his characters & films is truly genius & seeing his ground-breaking works displayed all together was a deliciously bizarre treat. I can only wonder what other remarkably odd ideas Mr. Burton has yet to share with us...Because while I enjoy my preppy sportswear & brunches, I look forward to getting a generous slice of abnormal pop surrealism to balance me out.

A Good Commercial?

So I actually refuse to watch live TV anymore, the only exception being the news, because of the constant interruptions & redundancy that add nothing but frustration to my television-watching experience. Plus, they are way louder than whatever program you were previously viewing--it's true, my 6th grade science project proved this to be accurate. 1st place--no big deal...So it goes without saying that in the past few years, DVR has been a good friend of mine. Well occasionally though I might be enjoying a snack though during my tube time & will let the commercials roll as I get up to put my dishes away. To my surprise, as I was doing so the other day, a song in the new Ford Mustang commercial got me excited! I kept reminding myself that the next time I got online I had to make a point of finding out the artist & song title. 'Light of the Morning' by Band of Skulls-- a British threesome, two of whom, sing lead vocals, all play instruments & more impressively--all write. Their stomp around the stage sound tinged with bluesy guitar gives them a gritty edge that sets them apart from their contemporaries, being well-dressed, hipster Brits doesn't hurt either. Between Emma Richardson's sultry pipes & Russell Marsden's classic rock sound, I think this power trio has something to offer for all ears--or at least ears that enjoy good music. Keep an eye out for Band of Skulls--their star is definitely on the rise.