IN THE COLD, COLD NIGHT

My pal Frankie has been blogging on the regs again over on her site Lawrence, and I couldn't be happier! Recently, she asked me to contribute to a roundup of little things that help get us safely and sanely through the winter months--and I'm in mighty good company! If you're feeling blue, or if that's just the color your toes have been turning lately, click over for a sneak peek at a few well-loved pick-me-ups.

STYLING: FORT TILDEN FALL

Photography: Charlie Rubin
Styling: Siri Thorson
Hair/Make-up: Hannah Metz
Model: Jana @ Fenton Moon

I'm incredibly excited to finally--finally--be sharing with you these photos taken by Charlie Rubin and styled by myself back in October. This series was shot in and around Fort Tilden and Rockaway and features gorgeous pieces from both Shabd and Caycee Black, as well as a lot of beautiful vintage from The Loved One. My endless thanks go to Hannah Metz for providing hair and makeup and a cool attitude, and to the beautiful Jana at Fenton Moon for tramping through brush dabbling in some light trespassing with us.

I know it's technically winter and all now, but freakishly enough up until a few days ago one could easily have rocked any of these outfits in NYC and hardly felt a shiver...anyways, I'm awfully proud of what our little team produced, flying by the seat of our silk tie-dyed pants! I hope you like :n)

(Please feel free to reblog these images with proper credit, thanks!)

GIVEAWAY: PUPPY LOVE

It's gotta be tough out there for a puppy these days, what with kittehs getting all the glory on teh internets. "Are we not fluffy enough?" they might ask. "Do we not yip and yap loud enough, or fall down on hardwood floors hard enough? What's a baby dog gotta do to get a break around here??"

North Brooklyn Dry Goods would like to help rekindle your puppy love affair by offering the chance for one lucky guy or gal to win this cozy vintage sweater. Made by L.L.Bean (purveyors of some of the best sweaters in the world, I might add), this 100% wool pullover is marked a medium, but could easily fit a range of sizes (see the Etsy listing for details, and check out their shop announcement to find out how to receive 20% off any order while you're at it!) To enter, we ask only that you:

a) follow North Brooklyn Dry Good on twitter for shop updates, sneak previews, promos and more.
b) leave a comment on this entry.

That's it! A winner will be chosen at random and notified on Monday, December 12th. This giveaway is open worldwide. Best of luck, and Happy Howlidays, bwaha!

EDIT: If you haven't got a twitter account, I forgive you, JUST THIS ONE TIME OK? You can enter by instead checking out NBDG's shop and leaving a comment as to which item is your second favorite (because duh, this sweater is the best!)

CONTEST NOW CLOSED. Congrats CeeLee!! And congrats to your sister as well...maybe ;n )

TOURIST

I'm honored and excited that a selection of images from a shoot I styled with Charlie back in May have been featured on Tourist Magazine today. Some of the shots have been posted here, but there's a few outtakes mixed in as well. Many thanks to EIC Sanna, whose work I've followed since she ran Manchester Looks (which probably makes me ancient in internet years!)

SWEET SWEATER

Eddie Bauer hat
L.L.Bean Kid's sweater
Revlon Matte lipstick in Wine Not

I could barely believe mine eyes when a late night eBay search turned up the very sweater I had hemmed and hawed over and eventually missed out on scoring last November. LLBean kids, size Large, 50% wool 50% acrylic 100% dreamy. I'm still clinging to the hope that they'll stock it again this year, since if memory serves it comes in navy and grey as well. Bean, baby, Bean!

P.S. I wrote a sweater joke:
Q: What did the traffic cop say to the old lady he saw knitting a sweater while driving?
A: Pullover!

THE LONGEST WEEK

The past week has been equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. Being booked to work all day every day during Fashion Week (on a non-fashion week related project) meant long days followed by long (for me, anyways!) nights and a weekend spent meeting many new yet familiar faces for the first time.

I also attended my very first proper fashion show, having only worked presentations before, and had a taste of that particular magic that exists only for a few minutes, when the lights come up and the music swells and the girls come marching one by one (hurrah, hurrah.) A Détacher S/S 2012 was a thing of beauty, and I can't thank Caitlin enough for inviting me!

(Photos borrowed from Domahoka and Zimbio)

HAT TRICK

The good news: I found this secondhand Eddie Bauer beauty a few days before escaping the city back in July. Constructed from chocolatey brown felt and sporting a rugged braided leather band, it's a true rarity in that it fits perfectly atop my delicate noggin'. Only took me a couple years to track this marvel down.

The bad news: I "misplaced" my digital camera while home in Washington. (I refuse to say "lost" because I still cling to the hope that it will emerge from the floorboards of Dag's car or the bottom of some bag of detritus. Fingers crossed.) Preparing to embrace Photobooth with gentle resignation once more.

The other good news: Fortunately, I've finished off almost four 36 exposure rolls of film in the last month, the first of which I'll post up soon!

HEJ FRA KØBENHAVN

After the Alive Festival last night in Thisted, we left Jutland at 5:30am this morning and arrived in Copenhagen four bleary hours later, closing out a balls to the wall ten days on the road. We've rented our own little studio apartment on Sankt Peders Straede through Visit Copenhagen, which was not only the best deal in town but is such a warm relief after too many nights in sterile hotels. Tonight we have groceries and zinnias and the next two days all to ourselves in this beautiful city. Danmark er et fantastisk land! (My newest and most useful phrase.)

HOW I KNOW I'M HOME

Exhibit A: Snowy Mt. Rainier out the window of a jet plane. At one point I could see Rainier, St. Helens, Adams and even a tiny speck I'm sure was Mt. Hood off in the distance, all at once. Sound the trumpets in my heart!

Exhibit B: The first little bouquet from my parent's garden up in my attic room: Buff Beauty, honeysuckle, lavender, oregano flowers. Grandma's silver teapot. Many more to follow.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Photography: Charlie Rubin
Styling: Siri Thorson
Model: Lydia Carron (NEXT)

Long story short: a few weeks ago, my friend Charlie and I were asked to put together a photo shoot for an online magazine that, ahem, shall remain nameless. After an enthusiastic initial review, they proceeded to sit on our images for several weeks, only to drop us last minute due to unclear and, frankly, lame reasons. We were both looking forward to having our work "published", albeit in a looser sense of the term, but finally we decided: screw it. This blog is as good a place as any to publish them, and I think you guys will appreciate them more anyways, gall darn it.

I think I can speak for both Charlie and I when I say how proud we are of the way the story turned out. Lydia was an exceptionally adventurous and patient model, crashing around my corner of Brooklyn and braving allergy-inducing dandelions all for the sake of her art. A big thanks is also due to Hannah for letting me raid her hat stash. I'm really, truly happy with the work we all put in, and I hope you feel the same way!

If you're feelin' it like we're feelin' it, both Charlie and I would love to encourage you to reblog and spread 'em around--we only ask that you provide credit and link back to our sites and/or this post. ♥♥♥

GARNETT JEWELRY GIVEAWAY

It's been a while since I hosted a good ol' fashioned giveaway, so today I'm very excited to offer up the chance for one of you to win this beautiful necklace from Garnett Jewelry. Designer Aimee Munford's line of earrings, necklaces and bracelets is a gorgeously eclectic mix of vintage and new, charms and pendants, glass beads and semi-precious stones. And while every piece is handmade with care by Aimee herself in her Richmond, VA studio, she still manages to keep her price points gratifyingly reasonable, which I both appreciate and respect.

All you need do to win this double-pointed crystal necklace, strung on sterling silver chain, is "Like" Garnett Jewelry on Facebook, then leave a little comment here letting me know you've entered. This giveaway is open worldwide, and the winner will be notified on Monday, July 11th. Very best of luck to all!

EDIT: And the winner is...Kallie of Happy, Honey and Lark! Congrats Kallie, your necklace will be on its way in no time. And thank you SO MUCH to all who entered and checked out Aimee's gorgeous jewelry.

PICK YOUR POSEY

Somehow in the last few months, we ended up with two bottles of St. Germain in the house. Which is fantastic, because St. Germain tastes and smells like delicious flowers, which is exactly what it's made of. I've been known to drink it with nothing but soda, but ever since a bartender flat out refused to serve it to me that way (Too sweet?? Maybe for you, sir...) I've been trying to come up with something extra creative to do with it. After having a lychee mojito the other night, and finding fresh lychee at my local Over-Priced Fruit Store, I came up with this little doozy. Might make a nice addition to your weekend? If you can find time between Dark & Stormies that is...

Pick Your Posey
Juice of half a lime (which is enough for two drinks)
Fresh mint leaves
1 lychee fruit
1 Part St. Germain
1 Part Vodka
Seltzer/sparkling water

Juice the lime half and split the liquid equally between two smallish tumblers. Muddle a couple mint leaves and one pitted lychee fruit in the bottom of each. Add one part vodka and one part St. Germain (size of the "parts" depends on taste, the glass is usually about 1/3 full when I'm done with this step.) Top it off with seltzer. Add ice cubes and garnish with a lime slice.

I don't have any "fancy" tools like a real muddler or a cocktail shaker, but if you do you can probably find a way to incorporate them to positive effect. Enjoy responsibly, preferable in a reclined/semi-nude position.

MAUDE LOVES HAROLD

In an effort to raise a bit of dough towards a little trip Alex and I are planning soon, I finally got around to updating my Etsy shop, Maude Loves Harold Vintage! I hope to list a few more things this coming week as well, so if you don't see anything that strikes your fancy, be sure to check back :n )

P.S. A big thanks to Hannah and Francesca who already snapped up a couple things!

BOWS & BANDITS S/S11

I'm super duper excited to share a really fun project I had the good fortune to take part in recently. I've been a fan of Bows & Bandits Vintage for a good while now, so when Eva (one half of the B&B team) asked me to model for their Spring/Summer lookbook, I didn't even have to think twice. I'm definitely more comfortable behind the camera than in front, especially when someone else is in charge of snapping the shutter, but I knew as soon as I stepped in the door of Eva's beautiful apartment and was immediately plied with delicious pastries and a heap of the prettiest vintage dresses and skirts that I was in good hands.

Turns out my faith was rewarded many times over. Eva's friend Kathi Reckendorfer took all the photos using not one, not two, but three different film cameras (a girl after my own heart if ever there was one!) I'll be the first to admit that I'm my own harshest critic, but Kathi has such an amazing eye and the girls made me feel so comfortable that the results, more of which you can see on Kathi's website, made me feel really, unabashedly great. Kathi, if you're ever looking for work as a personal photographer, you've got my email ;n )

Visit Bows & Bandits to see the full lookbook, as well as they're brilliantly curated selection of vintage clothes, accessories and now home items as well. Thanks again Eva and Kathi (and Sophie too!), I had so much fun and I hope we can do it all again sooner than later.

All photos by Katharina Reckendorfer, please provide full credit if you repost.

HEART IN YOUR HEARTBREAK

On the one hand, I'm posting this video in honor of the Pains embarking today on a five week US tour to celebrate their brand-spankin'-newest, sophomore album which just came out on Tuesday. On the other hand, I'm posting it because I fucking love it! The first time Alex showed me the rough cut I immediately made him play it for me at least five more times in a row. Everything about it just makes me so happy! And every time I watch it, something else makes me laugh--Alex's pot leaf necklace, Kip's ponytail toss, Christoph's emo stance, Peggy's glasses and, ok, Kurt's face pretty much always. The posi-vibes are practically melting my brain!

P.S. If you happen to spot some awkward looking blondish girl up front at the Philly or D.C. shows who you think might be me...well, it might just actually be me. Maybe. Possibly. Come say hi if you like, I'll try not to embarrass us both but I make no promises.

AI FOR AI

The April/May edition of BUST just landed in my mailbox, and hot damn if it isn't a doozy. For one thing, I had the immense pleasure of interviewing the Ai sisters for a feature on their line Ai for Ai. Elizabeth and Carol were incredibly sweet, even after I made them sit in their sunny LA studio and listen to all my bitching about the snow in NYC (this was back in February) via Skype. Thanks ladies! I also have another little piece a few pages later all about affordable online shopping, including a shout out to Spotted Moth.

The best part of opening this issue, however, was stumbling across none other than Ashley of Fancy Fine all up in the main editorial, looking, dare I say it, both fancy and fine in a shoot that also features Hannah's gorgeous underthings. Phew, where to even start! A big congrats to both of them--and props to BUST for keeping me in such good company :n )