Real Women Jiggle

Today my Google Reader was stuffed full of recaps of fashion and beauty looks from last night’s Oscars ceremony. Everything was pretty standard: how-tos for hair and makeup looks, best and worst dressed lists, and in-depth analysis of Anne Hathaway’s seven dresses…  that is, until I landed on an interesting tip sheet on Allure’s blog, The Daily Beauty Report.

The tips were from David Kirsch, Anne Hathaway’s fitness trainer. He shared his pointers on eating right and exercising. His first “inspiring” tip just really floored me:

“Try this for inspiration. If you need some motivation to get to the gym, Kirsch recommends jumping up and down in front of the mirror, nude: “If things are still moving after you’ve stopped jumping, you might want to de-jiggle them.”

Ok, can I just say — WORST.ADVICE.EVER.

Why are we bewildered that so many women in this country have issues with body image when these fantastic “celebrity trainers” are suggesting asinine things like jumping up and down in front of a mirror naked to check for jiggle and suggesting that you “might want to de-jiggle” if you find some (which, if you are 95% of women, you will).

I consider myself to be a very fit and lean person who feels good about her body, but I can tell you right now that if I jumped up and down in front of a mirror naked, my thighs would be jiggling– because I’m human, and built like my momma. And that’s OK.

So the moral of today’s story? Don’t hate on your jiggle. I’m all for living healthfully and exercising, but don’t lose sight of the fact that real women jiggle. And if you want to stand in front of your mirror in the buff? Go for it — but positive affirmations only, please.

Thanks to Charlotte Astrid on Flickr for the photo!

Do You Buy Faux Leather?

Tonight as I was browsing the web for a little Spring inspiration, I stumbled across this bright, fun bag by Melie Bianco. It has a lot of what I’m looking for in a bag — a pop of color, nice structure and large enough to lug around half of my life with me at all times. Everything was looking great to me, until one tiny detail jumped out at me: the bag is “faux leather”, which to me screams “PVC! Plastic! Cheap!” I fully realize that this reaction might make me seem like a snob; I don’t know where my aversion to anything faux leather came from but I just can’t seem to get over it, especially when it comes to handbags. I don’t own many handbags, consequently, but nearly all of mine are real leather. I have theories that they look nicer, last longer and wear better, but that also comes with a hefty price tag!

As I considered this bag further, I realized that it wasn’t “cheap” by any stretch — nearly $100 for a faux leather bag? How could I justify that? This is where I’d love an opinion — would you rather have fewer real leather handbags and instead buy more like this one? Do you feel like these PVC-type bags can look real, or can you always spot them from a mile away?

Pins & Needles Fabric Shop, NYC

Yesterday I visited a new fabric shop on the Upper East Side in Manhattan called Pins & Needles (isn’t their shopping bag so cute?). It’s a really cute little sh0p on the second floor, so you probably wouldn’t find it unless you knew what you were looking for! They carry all kinds of pretty printed fabrics from the UK and Japan — I was drooling over the selection they had!

I picked up these fat quarters to start a new project with. I’m a big fan of fat quarters, because they are super easy to lay out together to see how they’ll look next to each other, and they are just the right amount of fabric to do smaller projects, like the necklace I’m about to attempt. I’ll let you know how it pans out!

Spring Trenches

I realized today that I’m slightly obsessed with coats. Back in the fall, I stalked a cape coat at Topshop until they got it in my size, even though I have two other perfectly sufficient cold weather coats. Now I’m lusting after some new trench coats for spring. To be fair, I desperately need to replace my classic khaki trench coat, which is why I have my eye on this funnel-neck play on the classic from Gap.

I’m also craving color after this long and dreary winter. I have a fantastic black satin trench that I picked up last year, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t throw a little something bright into the mix to give myself another option. This pink trench from ASOS would definitely provide a nice pop of color!

 

 

 

Chocolate Crème Brûleé

This past weekend was what many like to refer to as “Valentine’s Day Weekend.” Yeah, I know… blerg, right? Although I do have a special someone, we’ve never really been into the holiday, so we tend not to celebrate in any elaborate way. This year was much of the same, and consisted of some delicious Indian takeout for dinner and watching the documentary Man On Wire on Free Movies On Demand (AMAZING movie, in case you were wondering!).

It doesn’t take much of an excuse for me to whip up something chocolaty, so I decided that Valentine’s Day was a valid enough reason to make some chocolate crème brûleé. They are quite simple to make, and the result is downright delicious! I omitted the recommended chocolate liquor because I didn’t have time to go out to buy some, and I honestly don’t think it made a huge difference. I would recommend that you strain the mixture into the ramekins as suggested in the recipe though — I forgot to do this and got a few lumps in ours! It is actually Paula Deen’s recipe, so you know it will be decadent!

Sunday Steppin’: Kate Spade Flower Slingback Sandals

Continuing my obsession with all things Spring (oh, it’s F/W 11 Fashion Week right now? You don’t say…), here’s a delicately lovely pair of sandals from Kate Spade that I wouldn’t dream of strapping on until the weather is about 40 degrees warmer and I’ve gotten a proper pedicure. Pretty, aren’t they? I can’t even imagine what the grimy streets of New York would do to these pastel beauties, but I’ve been known to designate certain pairs of shoes as “inside-only”. Check them out here on Saks Fifth Avenue.

DIY: Proenza Schouler Rope Necklace

In this post from a few weeks back, I mentioned that I was attempting a little DIY project to make a necklace similar to this fun one by Proenza Schouler.

Well, here are my results. I’m pretty impressed with myself for simply finishing a project that I started, but there is definite room for improvement with my crafting skills. I followed the directions from Honestly WTF, but I think the big problem is that my purple cord was cut too short — the directions say to use a yard, which is what I asked the guy at M&J Trimmings for, but I think I’d go with more next time since the loops sit way up at my collarbone.

Better luck with my next project, I guess! Have you done anything crafty lately?

East Village Stroll

Yesterday we had a little bit of unseasonably warm weather (and by that I mean it was 40 degrees), so I decided to take a walk in the East Village to enjoy the weather and pop into a few thrift and vintage shops that I like in the area.

When I was a student and had more free time, I used to spend a considerable amount of time in the East Village, especially on St. Mark’s Place, because everything is relatively cheap and the area has still retained some charm. In many ways, I really enjoy the gritty-ness of the area — although I personally think that it has lost a lot of its true artistic appeal, there is no denying that some of the crowd that hangs here is really creative. And where else would you ever find random vinyl in a trash can on the street (yes, this is for real).

Although the eclectic mix of stores, restaurants and people on St. Mark’s is usually pretty entertaining, I also love wandering the next couple of streets over. They tend to be a bit quieter and some of them still have pretty old-school shops on them. This is on East 11th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, where there are a few little Italian places. Charming, right? What you can’t see from this photo is that a few doors down is a Buffalo Exchange where I’m headed to scour the racks for some fun things for spring.

Sunday Steppin’: L.A.M.B. Crepe Bootie

As a seventh and eighth grader, I was the self-proclaimed BIGGEST fan of Gwen Stefani. Ever. I went to every No Doubt concert, wore white tank tops with my bra straps hanging out, and even once bought a tube of pink hair mascara and attempted to color my entire head with it (for the record, my mom was still pissed even though it was temporary).

Now that I’m a little older, I’m so thrilled to see that my style still really aligns with my teenage hero — I’m constantly impressed with the amazing shoes and clothing that Gwen designs each season, and this week’s featured shoe, the L.A.M.B. Crepe Bootie, is one of my current favorites. I love the combination of leather and mesh, and I think they would look best paired with a colorful print dress. The neutral color is nice for toning things down, but the mixed textures still keep it interesting. What shoes are you lusting over today?

Dream Wardrobe: European Vacation

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be spending some time this spring in Europe with two friends from college who have relocated there. Airfare is certainly not cheap right now, but I’m watching the deals every day to try to make something work. Even though the cost of the trip will likely take up a good chunk of what I’d usually spend on clothes, here are a few outfits I’d love to have while jetting to Geneva or drinking cafe in Lyon.

River Island Leopard Pleat Skirt — ASOS
Equipment “Signature” Button-Down — Madison LA
70s Floppy Felt Hat — ASOS
Ella Moss Hampstead Cardigan — Piperlime
Ostrich M.A.B. Mini — Rebecca Minkoff
Salvatore Ferragamo Carla Patent Bow Pump — Neiman Marcus

Proenza Schouler Knee-length Skirt, YOOX
Elizabeth and James Striped “James” Blazer, Madison LA
Leather Covered Shapes Short Necklace, ASOS
Boutique 9 Pawla Platform Sandal, Nine West
MAC Clutch, Rebecca Minkoff

Tailored Slim Crop Pant, ASOS
Winter Kate Clementine Cami, Revolve Clothing
Vince Lambskin Leather Jacket, Nordstrom
Amrita Singh Sona Bangles, Pink Mascara
Etienne Aigner Athena Satchel, Macys