cape of good hope.

as in, i've been wearing this cape on the regs since i got it and i'm going to continue wearing it with the good hope that the coming days won't be nearly as cold as it was tonight. cause that shit is cute, but lemme tell you what, it is NOT warm. and the hunt for a new coat begins!

and whoa. i don't know about you guys but i am still basking in the thanksgiving afterglow (aka happily stuffing my face with leftovers...including these awesome glazed maple cookies, whaaaat!). i hope your weekend was lovely and amazing!

sticky business.

i know this tape has been around the blog block and back a billion years ago but i totally forgot about it until i was gettin' my holidaze craze in order and realized stella bugbee's patterns are TOTALLY what i want to wrap my presents with. so i bought the set. amazingly that's all i bought. who knew dipping a toe into the world of decorative masking tape would be such a super slippery slope?!? SO MANY awesome colors. and patterns. and designs. and textures. i barely escaped purchasing a lifetime's supply. yow. za.

also, in totally unrelated news: i try to keep my mug off your computer screen but it just happened to show up on two of my favorite blogs yesterday so i wanted to thank those lovely ladies for the shoutouts. the super sweet kate over at la petite choue asked me a few questions that i provided considerably embarrassing answers for so take a peek to find out way more about me than you ever wanted to know. and over at for me, for you, kate (whoa, two kates. coincidence?! i love kates!) posted my gift guide page from the new issue of bust which of course features a few of my favorite necklaces from my favorite necklace-maker. talk about LB overload, you'll never wanna see my face again!

a little house in the big woods.

oooh heeeey, dan, hey shannan. so, i was thinking, is it alright if, you know, i move in with you guys? i mean, i only ask cause it looks like you have a lot of room and could probably use a little help in the garden. todd says you make a killer butternut squash soup and that's totally one of my fave fall meals ever so i know we'll get along great. i brought my suitcase? hope that's cool.





all images via the selby, of course.

r-o-c-k in the bk.

oh man, i had one of those weekends where i just totally fell in love with brooklyn all over again. seriously, this city rules and here are just a few reasons why: a crisp and lovely walk through prospect park, an amazing dining experience at a certain underground supper club, and a trip to the brooklyn museum where i spent hours soaking up who shot rock & roll. if you're here, you gotta check it out. the exhibit's full of iconic imagery and fascinating insights and enough nostalgia to power your sony walkman till you wear out that like a virgin cassette. this is just a teeny-tiny handful of the epic pop culture junkieness. so, so good.
patti smith photographed outside of CBGBs in New York City, 1976.

"It was on the street outside CBGBs where everyone used to hang out between sets. The only lighting was the streetlights of the Bowery. Patti was standing in just the right spot. I was a huge fan of hers. I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if I could take her picture. She put her hand to her face. I knew if I didn't fuck up I'd have a great picture. It was a slow shutter speed so she couldn't shake and I couldn't shake. We had a quarter of a second one-night stand that night. We locked in. I think she trusted me for that quarter of a second. I knew she was in exactly the right spot." -Godlis

frank zappa photographed in new york city by jerry schatzberg, 1967.

mick jagger performing in philadelphia, pennsylvania in 1982 photographed by michael putland.
madonna photographed inside new york city's danceteria in 1983.

"The picture is talking in a way. It's saying ‘Look who I am. I'm not famous but I'm going to be.' She didn't drink much but she liked her Martini. I don't think she smoked. Maybe I gave her the cigarette for attitude. I never saw Madonna smoking cigarettes as much as other people. She never did coke. That's why she was Madonna, why she became as big as she did: because she was always in control." -Maripol

even steven.

against my better judgment (STRICTLY financially speaking) i went to the steven alan sample sale tonight and by some minor miracle managed to escape with just one item: the most perfect, softest, coziest flannel ever made (see above). serrrrussly, guys, i'm wearing it as i type and i am so distracted by its comfort i can barely make complete sentences (or be bothered to spell correctly!). in fact, i'll probably be wearing this button-down just about every day till, oh, i don't know, may. i also had my eye on this coat:and this shirt:

but i really think i made the right decision, for me and my credit line. unless of course, i swing back by on sunday and they both happen to still be there. cause then it was totally meant to BE, right?!? riiiight.

foxy.

i have yet to see fantastic mr. fox (i know, i KNOW! it's at the TOP of my to-do list. have you guys seen it? is it amazing??) but that doesn't stop me from wanting this faux foxtail tie from opening ceremony. of course, that might have more to do with the j.schwartz factor, cause really, where the hell would i wear a faux foxtail tie??

head case.

i'm not typically a headpiece kinda gal, but this lil' fascinator from lara vincent has me convinced that i could be. also...i need a crown? and maybe that sweet little flower chain, too. in which case, i must totally be a headpiece kinda gal. not gonna fight it!

we have a weiner!

i have a serious weakness for erica weiner's jewelry. it's so simple and cool and affordable and vintage-y. if you live in nyc, you've probably seen it, or maybe you've just gotten a glimpse of it through the mass of people that swarm her table every time she sets up at the flea or the craftacular? well, it's worth taking a few elbows to try and nab a piece or ten, trust. she's got a new website a brewin' and if these peeks are any indication, it's gonna rule. i always forget to wear earrings but if i had these studs below, i'm pretty sure that wouldn't be a problem. hearts.

twisted sister.

WHO is this girl, WHY is she wearing a braid around her neck, and WHERE can i get one?!?!

also, how cute is madmanila? she read my post about the bun to end all buns and whipped one up herself. luff.

via copenhagen streetstyle

buns of steal.

as in, i'm totally stealing this 'do. how-to over here.

snow day.

a few months ago i had the pleasure of meeting jackie bos at a certain shiny squirrel's birthday shindig and when i scoped her work afterward i was so stoked to find out that her illustrations are as lovely as she is. so of course i dig her new book, i heart the arctic. take a little peek, it's adorbz!

brunch? mais, oui!

my friend anna takes amazing photos. so i wasn't surprised when she got tapped by YSL to snap the influence of paris on cities in the states (french food, french style, french je ne sais quois, you know) for some new fragrance they're launching (along with a cup of jo and the gals from refinery 29. talk about a dream team). i was surprised though, that when she shot our ladies brunch at egg (french press coffee!) for the YSL Parisienne blog that she could make me look halfway decent after only one cup of coffee waaaaaay too early on a saturday morning. she is a maker of magic, that anna wolf. and how delicious do those beignets look?!
that's caroline and heather up top, me down below, and the three of us trying to look casual in a mostly self-conscious way. and anna, of course, is the lady behind the lens. check out the parisienne blog for more pics and posts from all the rad gals they've rounded up and thanks anna, for facilitating the one and only time i will ever be somehow associated with YSL. but really, you had me at "brunch."

fall!

daydreaming about a road trip upstate. and still laughing about this genius. seriously, do yourself a favor and read it start to finish. oh mcsweeney's. you!

images by emily o.

don't hate the layer.

ever since the fall weather hit, i've encountered a serious problem: i have NOTHING to wear. so my mornings go a little something like this: first i stand in front of my closet for an inordinate amount of time. then i flop on my bed and whine (extremely loudly to make sure caroline can feel my pain) "i have nothing to weeeeeaaaaar." then i glance longingly at my cut-off shorts and sun dresses and wax nostalgic about the ease of summer dressing. then i dawdle for a long time (brushing my teeth, petting pinky, checking my email) and with 5 minutes left to get ready i throw on the same skinnies, boots, t-shirt, and jacket that i wear every other day. you know what my issue is? i don't know how to LAYER!! i am totally missing that gene. so i'm hoping it's something i can train myself to do. lesson number one: take a clue from these ladies. and get a scarf. that seems to be key.images via the sartorialist and copenhagenstreetstyle

talent show.

i spent last night sipping prosecco at the ace hotel to celebrate the new issue of untitled and lemme tell you, it is a beautiful collection of a whopping amount of talent, full of friends (heather! meredith! brigitte!) and people i admire (ana laura perez, jacqueline di milia). published by mike, curated by anna, and designed by emily, it's a lovely little number that i suggest you get your hands on.

i don't want a steak.

i have a confession to make. last weekend i watched badlands...for the FIRST TIME. like, ever. this statement is especially embarrassing considering my strange fascination with sissy spacek (she is sooo creepy cool), the fact that badlands was made in my favorite decade (1973), and that it’s loved by my film nerd of a boyfriend (he works at the academy of motion pictures for chrissakes). how is it possible that i OWN legally blonde 1 & 2 (the sequel was a GIFT! true story, i swear) yet this classic had escaped me. well hot damn was it worth the wait. i'm a huge fan of lovers-on-the-lam movies and this one is a beautiful doozie. makes me wanna hit the open roads of montana, live in a tree house, and wear short shorts while i twirl baton, sans killing spree, obvz.





screen shots via i love hot dogs