Little Things I Love (Miss) About Berlin...

...the living room bars. A friend who I lived with for a second in Berlin, who also lives in New York again, is coming over tonight and I've been trying to figure out of what we should do. This got me thinking about Berlin again and something I particularly miss about my old home. Both NYC and Berlin have more bars than one city could possibly need, but the atmosphere inside of these establishments couldn't be more different. American bars have, well, a bar, bar stools, and maybe some tables, a TV, and they usually smell like stale beer and other things depending on their level on the dive-y scale. Berlin bars are more like living rooms or old attics where your grandma is storing all her unwanted furniture from her living room. They are full of couches and ashtrays and old lady lamps, and you can sit in them for hours without really feeling like you are wasting away at a bar. And I certainly did a lot of that with my friend, and she doesn't even drink. The cozy hangouts serve coffee, tea and club mate (when is it coming to the States?) and it isn't weird if that is what you want — everyone isn't just there to get drunk and hit on each other. I do miss that. The pic above is from one of my favorites, Luzia, and here are some of the others I hung out in as well.

Fashion Week Street Style: NYC, London and Milan

New York, London and Milan fashion weeks are history — we've just Paris to go. So yeah, things are winding down here in the office and I have had a moment to look at the inspiring street style shots I have been collecting off our site. When I put them all together they certainly had a common thread and fell into little categories, although in no way was I thinking about when I dragged them each to my desktop. We all just like what we like and it is pretty obvious what I am into: florals, stripes, polka dots, rose tones, pattern on pattern, buttoned-up collars, hats, long-skirts, 40s-inspired dresses, skinny waist belts, platforms and those sparkly Miu Mius. What about you? What are you seeing on the streets that you love?  

All images via Harper's Bazaar.

Random Sunday

CUBA—1961.

Alexa Chung for Madewell Again!

I'm thinking of making a quick pop into Madewell this evening to check out one of my (and everyone else who has a penchant for thrift stores and boys in bands) favorite fashionista's latest line that came out today. Alexa Chung has hip minimalism with a touch of tomboyish (or is it little girlish?) quirk down to a tee and her closet is probably on the top of my list of those I would love to raid. That being said, just like last time around, I would definitely wear a majority of the line but still feel weird about the high-prices for such muted reaction inducing clothing. That that being said, last time I regretted not buying the lovely polka dot dress when I saw it around on the blogs. That that that being said, I still sorta hope when I see the clothes in person (there is another polka dot dress) that my reaction continues to be somewhat lackluster cause in the end I don't want to spend $200 on a dress or $350 on a pretty dope pair of shoes. Wish me luck!

Random Sunday

Sweden. 1971.

And the Oscar Goes to...

I do wonder when I will buy my first real designer piece (no, Chanel perfume does not count, neither do the Miu Miu clogs I found at Beacon's Closet). I, of course, also wonder what it will be (maybe a pair of Chloe shoes or a Stella McCartney blazer or a Prada sweater?). Who knows? But I do know what it won't be: a Marchesa. The only people lucky enough to wear gorgeous Marchesa gowns — and gorgeous Marchesa gowns is all Marchesa does — are the people who make regular appearances on award show red carpets. I don't see that in my near future, but if I did fantasize about making a little witty and humble acceptance speech for a dramatic high-intensity role that I changed my whole appearance for (and then was magically back to my skinny self just in time to accept the award), I might just be wearing this little number that walked down the runway a few hours ago.

Photo via the NYTimes. 

No Words

This just made me laugh.

Image from The Cut.

Random Sunday: 9/11

NEW YORK CITY—Young people along the East River while a huge plume of smoke rises from lower Manhattan, Sept. 11, 2001.

A Trip Down Memory/Bread Lane

As I have told you before, my BFF Bryn is in town, but sadly I am working ridiculous fashion week hours. I went out her first night but there was no way I could do it again last night, so as I was home waiting for images (until 2 am!), Bryn was off galavanting in Green Point and sent me a photo she took along the way that brought back memories of her visit a few years ago where I was lucky enough to join in on the fun, if not make it. It was one of those hot summer Brooklyn nights that turns out unexpected adventure after adventure. This particular rendezvous, involving a serious bread heist, was documented in full detail by Bryn herself. Although the evening itself was hysterical, it's her amazing captions on Facebook that really make me laugh. So I thought I would put it on the blog for a little good old New York summer nostalgia as fall continues its inevitable creep in. 

This is the photo she just sent me:

Remember this place? Our haven

These are the photos from a night in July 2009:

bread! delicious!

megs and I

oh jeeeeezzzz

it's bread time

nice work, megan

her little baaaaby...

...is scrumptious

i second that

the bread walk

in depth conversation about the effects of bread on american culture. it's making megan 2 nervous

get it in their, megan

preparation

the main course

bizarre digestion tactics

Cynthia Rowley

By a stroke of luck I got to sit front for the Cynthia Rowley show last night (see look how close my photos are). As many shows as I have been to, I have never had the luxury of sitting in the very front. It is a little intimidating with those flashing lights and all, but certainly so much better when it comes to seeing the amazing clothes. And amazing they were, from the gold shoes, to the floral prints to the cut-out fabrics. It was definitely a show that reminded me of why I love fashion — which is an important thing to remember when you are working 13 hour days for fashion week for some reason. 

Other people in the front row? A fried-platinum Lindsay Lohan and a my sparkly Miu Miu shoe wearing Alexa Chung. Not bad for a celeb sighting, eh? (Read a funny little piece about them written by the fug girls for the Cut here.) I also decided to include a couple pics of me and my BFFs since 7th grade Bryn and Mary, who I met up with after my 13 hour day — which was probably not the smartest decision I've ever made for more reason than one, but it's not too often Miss Bryn is in town, and a guarantee you have to go out on her first night in the big city if she is. 

Hey Fashion Week!

 

New York Fashion Week has started and you can feel it in the air. The office has gone back and forth from a dead quiet with all the girls out at the shows or an intense buzzing with a red lipstick covered rush before the shows. I'm going to my first of the season (Cynthia Rowley) tonight, but will mostly be at my computer getting first looks of everything hot off the runways. So I am going to try and post things that particularly catch my eye, like this amazing Jason Wu dress from this afternoon. I am loving this lime color lately and have realized I own absolutely nothing in it. Time to go shopping, per always.

Cut It Out!

There is a little folder on my desktop where I have been collecting photos of cutout dresses for some time. Although I don't own one — maybe because my confidence isn't quite at the level it needs to be to pull one off or maybe just because I haven't found the right one yet — I still have a bit of an obsession. And yesterday when I saw this photo (which is certainly not helping that earlier mentioned confidence) of my dear friend Bryn (who will be arriving in NYC for a vacay next week!) on Facebook, I knew it was time to post the bunch. 

Hey Brynnie, can you please wear this when you are in NYC. I can only imagine where the night will take us....

via Harper's BAZAAR

via Miss Pandora

via StyleClicker

via Lulus

via Vanessa Jackman