the piano man.

you know what is so totally weird? when you're at the airport, completely cracked out from a red eye flight, reading us weekly at the newsstand (stop, you know you do it too!!) while waiting for your luggage when you stumble across that "stars! they're just like us!" page (which, btdubz, they are SO not), see the above photo of drew + scarjo with the caption "they go to concerts with their friends!" and realize, HEY! I WAS AT THAT CONCERT TOO!!! true story. just me, drew, scarjo, and rufus wainwright at the rose bar. too bad i didn't get in on this action...talk about the perfect opportunity to advance my photobombing career!! also, rufus? totally adorable. his songs make my heart ache. in a good way.

l.a. state of mind.

whew, sorry for the radio silence. i've been in l.a. working on a story/shoot with the amazing/aforementioned jeaneen (more on that later!), driving all over town gathering props, eating delicious dinners with the bf (little dom's!), and soaking up as much sun as possible. this lovely "welcome home" rainstorm i returned to this morning has me daydreaming about the so-cal sun, picnics in the park, and lounging poolside. the only thing that could make that better? this we are handsome bathing suit. summer, will you just get here already? geeeez.

girls on film.

jeaneen lund takes some really lovely photos. their dreamy, hazy, so-cal feel is right up my west-coast crazy alley. i especially love her "girls at home," series of including these of kime buzzelli: artist, blogger, stylist extraordinaire. crotch panda, shower dancing, madonna poster? i'll take 'em!

hogan knows best.

oh my goodness. i have found my dream spring wardrobe and it's been hiding in auckland all along! these pieces from kiwi designer juliette hogan have me pining for comfy dresses, lovely details, and well-structured bows. and crazy long hair to pile on top of my head.


via so much to tell you

i never travel far without a little big star.

hearing the news of alex chilton's death this morning was a seriously heartache-y bummer. this amazing video features vintage footage of the big star guys recording #1 record, their tried-and-true classic, in 1971. but it's this track off radio city that is one of my all-time favorite songs. ever. rip.

and children by the million sing for alex chilton
when he comes 'round
they sing, "i'm in love
what's that song?
yeah, i'm in love with that song"

what about my behavior?

i think watching secretary for the first time waaaay back in 2002 is when i really started paying attention to maggie gyllenhaal (who is now pretty much a mainstay on my crush list). i mean, how could you not? this little s&m love story is kind of amazing. the fact that it's based on a short story by one of my favorite writers, mary gaitskill, just makes it that much cooler. well, tonight i trucked on over to dumbo to see mary read from her newest collection of short stories and it was, of course, awesome and inspiring. but one of my favorite moments of the evening was during the q&a, when someone asked her how she had come upon the idea for "secretary." the answer she gave is somehow one i had never heard. mary got the idea from an old issue of ms. magazine. apparently they used to have a column in the back featuring letters people would send about their experiences (maybe with sexism? i was unclear on the "why" part. or maybe i've just forgotten it. did i mention the free wine?) and one such letter was written by a woman who had experienced this sort of master/servant dynamic in the workplace, as in, IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. her boss would spank her when she made mistakes and he'd force her to sit in the corner of his office with a dunce cap on when he didn't approve of her behavior. in real life!!! of course, mary turned it into a poignant story about emotional vulnerability and sexual power and hollywood turned it into an s&m fairytale, but i LOVE the fact that it all began with a bizarro nugget of truth. as mary said, "you can't make this shit up." i know what's going to the top of my netflix queue (and the top of my reading list).

puttin' on the RIT.

tie-dye tights are pretty high on my must-have list, so this handy-dandy DIY tutorial (written by my amazing co-worker callie) is pretty high on my to-do list.

poppin' off.

new yorkers! i'm sure many of you are already familiar with the awesomeness that is homemade brooklyn, but if word of this little pop-up shop has yet to reach your ears, let me tell you about where you're gonna wanna be this weekend. the lovely ladies behind the shiny squirrel and sew moni have curated a cool, temporary retail/diy spot in kill devil hill's greenpoint joint. not only can you shop for locally produced goodies (i can't wait to see the new collection from every little counts!!) but you can also get your craft on at one of the brooklyn skillshare classes that will be happening saturday and sunday. opening party tonight. see you there??

that's a wrap.

yes, please. all of the above.

thanks to refinery for introducing me to this adorable lil' frenchie!

row m, seat 17.

whew. returned this morning (omg, red eye flights are BRUTAL) from a whirlwind weekend in l.a. that included, oh, you know, the ACADEMY AWARDS (whaaaat?!?!), which i decided is a lot like prom for grown-ups but with a whole bunch of famous people who happen to be there too. you guys, it was SURREAL.

i don’t even know where to begin. maybe with the dress? i splurged on my first ever big designer purchase: this DVF cocktail ditty that i kind of fell in love while simply “looking” at barney’s (lesson learned, do NOT try things on if you wanna get out of there with your rent money, i lost all self-control as soon as i zipped that lil’ number up. don’t even ask how much it was. don’t do it!). if you could see it in person (the slightly asymmetrical neckline, the perfectly fitted empire waist, the amazing layers that look like artfully placed uber-fancy cupcake wrappers) you would understand my lapse in judgment. luckily, i got my patent-leather, stiletto mary janes at a sample sale for 20 bones so i feel like less of an asshole. too bad this photo is pre-accessorization cause caroline loaned me a vintage champagne-colored beaded clutch and karyn made me a beautiful sparkly bracelet and drop earrings so i wouldn't be blingless on the red carpet. and speaking of... oh, haaaiii, who's that there to the right behind cheryl hines? riff raff alert! thank goodness this pic is small cause i've got a real goofy look on my face which is not surprising since i walked the whole red carpet in a daze. lemme tell you what, when you arrive at the same time as rachel mcadams (whose dress was EPIC), it's really hard to get it together. especially when you realize charlize theron is in front of her (homegirl is amazonian, fyi) and SJP is in front of her (looking a little orange, i have to say) with matthew broderick and helen mirren is in front of them and you've only walked 10 feet. of course there were strictly NO cameras allowed so you have to take my word for it.

once we got to lobby though, things were a lot more chill (which may have had more to do with the free champagne?) but still totally bizarre. a few highlights: standing in line at the bar next to quentin tarantino and diane kruger (her dress was way more awesome in person), watching stefan narrowly avoid stepping on the train of demi moore's gown (eeep!), running into gabby sidibe in the bathroom (she is all kinds of adorbz), nearly bumping into zac efron (he really is just a baby!), watching vera farmiga try to walk in that crazy ruffled getup, and seeing rachel mca bro down with mariah carey/nick cannon and jake gyllenhaal while we sipped on some bubbly. oh, cruising by lauren bacall on our way out after the show wasn't too shabby either. and what about kathryn bigelow winning best director?!? watching history in the making was a super sweet bonus.

we had someone snap a sneaky iphone pic of us in front of oscar, cause who wouldn't want a photo with an enormous, anatomically ambiguous dude made out of fake gold? there's a shot of me on the other side of the statue, pretending to grab his butt (sometimes i like to put the ass in class, what can i say?) but i'll spare you that one.
afterwards we high-tailed it to canter's for some late-night diner food where we pulled up in the parking lot next to the mayor of sunset strip himself, rodney "on the roq" bingenheimer. talk about icing on the celebrity sitings cake. and how cute is my date?? i think the tux suits him. as does the vinyl booth. ok, the end. sorry for the monumental rambling narrative, i'm a little sleep deprived! tomorrow we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming. thanks for indulging me!

i'd like to thank...

ok you guys, i didn't mention it before because i wasn't sure it was happening but as of yesterday, my sunday is shaping up to be really effing epic. cause i have a super awesome boyfriend who has a crazy cool job which grants him the opportunity to take his significant other to a certain somethin' somethin' that is going down in los angeles less than 24 hours from now. i'll give you a hint: i just got my nails did. the color? "red carpet" red. omgz, i am totally. freaking. out.

snow day!

it's true, most of the white stuff has melted by now, but this past weekend, brooklyn briefly became a magical, winter wonderland. on friday the flakes were so intense we even got the day off work! So what does a southern california girl do on her first official snow day evs (besides totally freak out from sheer and utter joy)? she hits the movies (crazy heart), the bakery (pumpkin whoopie pie), the coffee shop (maple latte) and the slopes, the slopes of prospect park that is! word to the wise: a plastic tray “borrowed” from mcdonald’s makes for some serious sledding action (see below). and here i thought i was over winter. this weekend, amidst flying snow balls, epic igloos, cozy DIY food adventures in, and multiple hot chocolates, i took it all back.
photos courtesy of caroline!

oliver twisted.

those crazy cool sublet girls have done it again. this lookbook for their f/w '10 collection has so much awesomeness i don't even know where to begin. so i'll just start at the top. 1. annie hart. from au revoir simone. 2. rocking a totally boss dress featuring a print collab between sublet and one of my favorite people on the planet, caroline hwang. 3. sporting jewelry from two of the loveliest ladies on the internet, kate miss and jenny gordy. 4. theo the bunny. 5. inspirations: archimedes, oliver twist, and tipsy brooklyn girls 6. printed, pleated trousers. get in my CLOSET!!

hold me closer tiny wardrobe.*

amazing tights + old-school docs + patent oxfords + faux fur anything = my new favorite vintage shop.


*i've been wanting to bite that post title from kate ever since she wrote about making mini pies. also, is it weird that i think of her every time i hear that song now?? (which really has only happened twice, both over christmas vacay while i was in l.a. driving my parents' car and listening to classic rock radio. southern californians LOVE elton john!!)

the lovely bones.

remember that show i went to, back in october? dead man's bones? cool, spooky, graveyardesque music? the singer's ryan something...ryan...ryan...gosling! that's it. well, thanks to pitchfork, you can feel like you were there too. they just put out these awesome little videos of the night's festivities starting with the kids' choir gettin' their makeup did, to some of the onstage antics of the evening, with a healthy dose of rg himself. don't say i never gave you nothin'.