A VERY BEJEWELED FRIDAY!

Happy Friday internets!  

I am still feeling sad about Ann Curry's departure from the Today Show yesterday.  She is CoStar's favorite anchor and we really enjoyed watching her.  CoStar is usually milling around our bedroom in the morning as I get ready for work.  When the Today Show starts she yells "NEWS!" then "RAINBOW!" then "ANNCURRY!" 

This morning while I was getting dressed, CoStar motioned to my bracelets and said, "I never see you without those."  Ha ha, she is right!  I have a selection of jewelry that I wear almost every day, including these bracelets:

(All bracelets Alex & Ani, except for the 3rd one, Pandora)

My mother-in-law gave me the Pandora bracelet for my birthday last year around when the little dude was born.  Each charm represents something or someone special in my life.  CoStar told me that when I miss her during the day, I can look down at "her" charm and feel better.  How sweet!  (And hilarious... I am beyond the days of missing my kids while at work... I KEED I KEED!). 

The Alex & Ani bracelets were gifts from various relatives.  I LOVE this line of jewelry and was introduced to it by my gorgeous cousin-in-law, who works for the brand.  Their bracelets are expandable, making them incredibly easy to wear.

I like switching up my necklaces a bit more, but on any given day my neck looks like this:

(name necklace, Personalized Boutique; trophy necklace, Target; J necklace, So Good)

The name necklace was a gift from Mr. Brass Knuckles years ago.  Yes "Carrie" necklace SATC ya ya ya, WHATEVER!  I still like it.  The trophy necklace was part of the Anna Sheffield line for Target a few years back.  I loved this collection, and bought the necklace, earrings, and the most awesome coo-coo clock ring (which I have yet to re-size).  I bought the giant "J" charm at the So Good jewelry store in Soho years ago.  That was one of the first "jewelry emporiums" in Manhattan and I bought a ton of incredibly fun costume jewelry there.  The chain that came with the charm disintegrated shortly after I got it, but I put it on a sterling silver chain and the necklace still looks great!

Does anyone else wear the same things every day?

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

RE-CREATION TUESDAYS: MEETING A BEST FRIEND, WEARING HANES

Today is my best friend's birthday!  I've now known this extraordinary woman almost as long as I haven't known her.  She's a successful attorney, an amazing aunt, a marathon runner (she ran a half on Saturday), dead-fish dancer, sometime competitive eater (and champion, I might add), and all-around amazing supporter and human being.  If you're reading this Ms. Howdy, please know that I wish we lived closer to one another and expect my call tonight.

In honor of Ms. Howdy, and for this episode of Re-Creation Tuesdays, I've re-created what I was wearing when she and I met. 

It was the very first day of college, and my parents were moving me into Soto room 203 in Wilbur Hall at Stanford University.

I was wearing:

a white Hanes T-shirt onto which I had puffy-painted the name of an old noise punk band called Picasso Trigger:

(Hanes t-shirt, ya you can buy these anywhere)

a pair of jeans (don't remember the make, probably The Gap):

(Kaylie boot cut jeans, 7 for All Mankind, Shopbop, $225)

black Converse sneakers, with fashion duct-tape:

(Chuck Taylors, Zappos, $45)

and a cotton velcro Split wallet with wallet chain, buahahaha!:

(Mine was navy blue with the logo embroidered in white.  Levitt wallet, Split)

I remember walking into our dorm room and meeting Ms. Howdy, who was probably wearing baggy jeans, a t-shirt, and an oversized plaid flannel.  We nervously talked about jazz music (the only musical common ground we shared between country and punk) while I surreptitiously eyeballed her stuff.

On paper, ours is not a likely friendship but over the years Ms. Howdy and I have shared everything with one another.  There's not much about me she doesn't know, and I'm sure she will continue to show up on this blog many times.  

Don't you just love best friends? 

Speaking of Hanes t-shirts, to this day I love them and basically live in white crewnecks during lazy summer weekends, for several reasons:

1) There is a seemingly endless supply in Mr. Brass Knuckles's underwear drawer

2) They're super comfy and go with everything 

3) Even after washing, they smell vaguely of Mr. Brass Knuckles's deodorant (OLD SPICE).  

Scents have a really powerful effect on me.  A guy I work with wears Old Spice and whenever we are working together in close quarters I smell the Old Spice and it instantly reminds me of Mr. Brass Knuckles and launches me into the kind of glossy-eyed reverie that can only be broken by a "And what do YOU think we should do about the excess inventory, Brass Knuckles?"

On Saturday we took the kiddies to the beach!  Both kids had a great time,and both parents had a great time taking pictures of kids having a great time:

(Shorts, cut from full-length jeans, Old Navy; swimsuit, Target; sunglasses, Carerra; earrings, Claire's.  My mother-in-law bought this swimsuit for me shortly after CoStar was born.  That winter break we all took a ski trip up to New Hampshire and I didn't pack a swimsuit, thinking there'd be no need.  Lo and behold the place had a hot tub so she quickly went out and bought one for me on Christmas Eve.  Lo and behold when we got to the hot tub it was closed).  

We topped off our day at the beach with dinner and cheese fries:

On Sunday we took the kids to a great local park that has fountains you can run through (perfect for hot, sunny days):

(On CoStar: dress, Baby Gap.  Her swimsuit fell out of my bag on the way there, silly Mommy, so she got drenched in her dress instead.  Oh well, at least we had an extra change of clothes)

a shady swing:

(Speaking of Hanes, t-shirt, Hanes; bloomer-style shorts, Tracey Feith for Target; jelly gladiator sandals, Old Navy)

and lots of room to play hide-and-seek:

Have a great week, Knuckles!

TGIFRIDAY BAGUETTE FLAIR

Happy weekend, little Knuckles!  It's HOT in Chicago; I hope I stay as cool as my martini:

So I was sitting here thinking about Fridays, which made me think of TGIFriday's and Jennifer Aniston in Office Space and her suspenders full of flair, which totally sidetracked me into the Etsy rabbithole for fun buttons and pins ("Hmm, what would I buy for my flair?" -- this thought actually ran through my head),

Jennifer Aniston and her 37 pieces of flair, Office Space, 1999

 and that led me to remembering this amazing Teen Vogue interview with accessory designer extraordinaire Katie Hillier that I read ages ago, in which they showed her decorated Fendi baguette,

  This crappy picture is the only one I could find of Katie and her decorated baguette.  She's recently launched her own collection, Hillier London, and blogs for Vogue UK.

 which was re-launched this year for its 15th anniversary with 6 re-issued styles and a new book.

Fendi baguettes (photo from TheBagHagDiaries.com)

Back when baguettes were all the rage I bought a bag at the Fendi store on 5th avenue that was slightly different because I felt everyone and her dog had a baguette and of course I had to stand out of the crowd buahahah!  What was I thinking?  What an idiot.  Anyhow, I've barely worn this bag ever because it's so dang boring and looks like it's from a Fendi store next to the Bath & Bodyworks at the local outlet mall:

However, I'm feeling inspired by the baguette's re-issue and TGIFriday's and Jennifer Aniston's suspenders and all those punk rock pins I used to collect back in the day, including FCFT pins that we made and sold for a dollar each at our shows.

(Our crafty friend Luisa showed us how to recycle old 1" pins into our own new pins: 1) color the pin with a black Sharpie to completely obscure the old graphics, 2) use a white-out pen to write whatever you want on the pin, 3) coat with clear nail polish, 4) let dry.  This method is surprisingly effective, and we spent hours in our poorly-ventilated tour van making these things).

So I want to do something fun with this bag but can't decide what.  There are so many pretty embellishments this fall to be inspired by:

(All photos Style.com)

Even just quickly throwing on some of my mismatched flowered hairpins gives it some character, and could look pretty with a well-curated group of flowers properly sewn on:

Or, having had success with my jacket, maybe I try to stud it up (though this would require an extraordinary amount of patience, plus the very real possibility of completely destroying a triple digit purse):

Or do I just throw on a Twilly and accept the fact that it's a boring classic and look back ten years from now and say "See aren't you glad you didn't ruin it, I told you so!" (Apparently future me is a real jerk!)?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Have a wonderful weekend, little Knuckles!

RE-CREATION TUESDAYS: I WAS MUCH COOLER BEFORE FAST FASHION

Last Saturday the Knuckles clan had lunch at FLO, a delicious Mexican restaurant in the city, with some out-of-town family members (extended Knuckles) whom we always love to see! 

That day I pulled out an ancient skirt that reminded me of the days before the big fast fashion chains hit New York City and my subsequent descent into disposable fashion began.

On me: button-down top, F21; skirt, vintage; shoes, Nine West.  On CoStar: dress, DKNY; shoes, Stride Rite.

Of course, even before the H&Ms, Forever 21s, and Zaras opened I was shopping for cheap stuff; I was a regular at the Macy's Herald Square 5th floor, which (at least back then) had an on-site DJ and a small food court. 

(By the way, does anyone else remember when H&M opened on its first store on 5th Avenue and 51st street?  My coworkers and I left work for like 4 hours that day to shop).

However, I also did a fair amount of vintage and thrift shopping.  I bought a TON of stuff at the legendary Screaming Mimi's in Noho, and loved finding treasures at flea markets in Chelsea.

I found the skirt above in Chelsea; it was part of a vintage late 60s suit, but I've long since donated the jacket (why?!  WHY?!).

So for today's Re-Creation Tuesday, I've re-created the outfit I wore to meet Mr. Brass Knuckle's parents for the first time.  I was wearing the MOST extraordinary textured wool 60's suit jacket that had its original rhinestone buttons:

(I'm not gonna lie, this jacket is a poor comparison to my old one, but it's the closest thing I could find.  Mine didn't have a fur collar and it had these gorgeous rhinestone buttons, but the fabric was similar.  Available now on Etsy.com).

This jacket, too, was sadly Salvo'd long ago (why?!  WHY?!).  

I wore it with the most perfect pair of subtly ruched suede boots:

(Khomo boots, Manolo Blahnik, Bluefly.com, $1,035.  As gorgeous as these are, again I gotta say I liked mine better and mine were only one hundred bucks.  I bought the boots (don't remember the brand) at Lori's Shoes.  I wore them into the ground, until the heels were falling off and the suede was completely ruined.  I've never found another pair of shoes that were as equally stylish and comfortable, and it was with a heavy heart when I finally had to throw them out).

and a flippy miniskirt from Old Navy: 

(Mini skirt, Alexander McQueen, Neiman Marcus, $845.  Okay ya this skirt is way nicer than the one I had).

This was a good outfit to wear whilst meeting your future in-laws for the first time.  Mr. Brass Knuckles and I had only been in it for a couple of months but hey, why not?  His parents had driven down to New York to see a play so we all met at a French restaurant in Midtown.  I believe I endeared myself to his mother that night because I ordered creme brulee for dessert.  Anyhow, I am lucky because my in-laws are great and super easy to talk to.

While we are on the subject of vintage, will someone please buy this incredible Sean Young in Blade Runner-esque BIBA suit?:

Vintage BIBA suit, Ebay.com, $540

I'm completely intrigued by Biba.  They re-launched the line last year but it's the 60s stuff that interests me.  Can you imagine what that store -- that whole 60s Kensington High Street scene -- must've been like?  Fast fashion in its origins!

Good night, little Knuckles!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY MR. BRASS KNUCKLES!

Happy Father's Day to all Dads out there!

A special shout-out to Mr. Brass Knuckles....  The BEST father to our little ones: patient, loving, kind (not to mention really really ridiculously good-looking).

(Photo by Eric Ray Davidson.  This was taken during one of Mr. Brass Knuckle's last photo shoots, when he was making music.  I was never much of a stylist, but I am very proud of styling this particular shoot.  It's easy when your model looks good in everything.  Jacket, Calvin Klein (we used to call this his "Cool Guy Jacket."  Sadly, he left it at a restaurant last year.  The place was super crowded and the tables were on top of each other and CoStar spilled an entire glass of water everywhere and the baby wouldn't stop crying and there was no place to put the carseat... in our haste to hightail it out of there the jacket got left behind.  Super uncool.); shirt, H&M; necktie, Rugby; sunglasses, Eric's).

Today we had brunch in the city with some out-of-town family, and later we're headed to my parent's house for dinner. 

Have a great Father's Day, little Knuckles!  

FATHER'S DAY GIFTS FOR A COOL DUDE WHO JUST HAPPENED TO SPAWN

I am horrible about getting gifts for Mr. Brass Knuckles.  One year for Valentine's Day I actually gave him a bottle of contact lens solution.  CONTACT LENS SOLUTION.

What makes it even worse is that Mr. Brass Knuckles always has something thoughtful and lovely for me, even on those occasions when we promise not to give gifts to each other.  This guy...

Don't be like me.  Buy your Mr. something, perhaps something below:

1. A cool poster for his office

Grand Taxonomy of Rap Names poster, Fab.com, $19

2. A novelty tee-shirt

T-shirt, Threadless.com, $20

3. Khakis that don't suck

Bottle Rockets pants, Bonobos.com, $135 

4. An invisible undershirt (how cool is this?  This company was started by my friend Jason, who I worked with eons ago in sunny southern California).  You can't see it under your dress shirt!

Invisible undershirt, Sloane Men, $34

5. Boba Fett cutout (Mr. Brass Knuckles already has one of these.  We are actually on our 2nd cutout.  The first one we found on the street in Cobble Hill, and it was as if he found a $100 bill.  Unfortunately, this one was lost (or STOLEN?!) during our move to Chicago, and I replaced it for him last Christmas, I think)

Cutout, Amazon.com, $43.95

6. Sleep.  Hair matted, lines on the face, wake up at noon after you've already been up with the kids for 6 hours SLEEP.

7. A personalized hoodie

Personalized hoodie just for Mr. Brass Knuckles, Rugby, $96

8. A belt that doesn't look like it came with pleated polyester pants

Marc Jacobs belt, Parkandbond.com, $285

9.  A new pair of Timberlands

Oxford, Opening Ceremony & Timberland, Opening Ceremony, $165

10. A monogrammed tie bar

Tie bar, Paige Forland, Etsy.com, $18

And if all else fails:

Renu contact lens solution, Drugstore.com, $11.99

Happy shopping, little Knuckles!

THE FRINGED RHINO MAKES AN APPEARANCE

Back when I was shopping for clothes (it seems so so long ago!), I had a rule that helped me curate an interesting wardrobe (well, interesting to me, at least): always buy the most unusual piece of clothing in your consideration set. 

 So if I'm deciding between two items, I pick the one in the more adventurous cut, fabric, pattern, or style. That's because when I finally take it home and integrate it into my wardrobe, it's gonna look a lot less crazy than it does styled on the mannequin.  I guarantee you that the neon shorts/oversized caftan/palazzo pants/sequin dress you thought you could "never pull off" will look a lot less shocking paired with your old jeans/cardigan/shoes/whatever.

That said, my adherence to this rule has backfired on more than one occasion, meaning I'll buy something, it'll sit in my closet while I try to figure out how to wear it during countless solo in-front-of-the-mirror bedroom fashion shows, I'll forget about it, it will languish in my closet hopefully like Corduroy the Bear until one of my maniacal Salvo purges, and then it will fall victim to that other stupid rule, "if you haven't worn something in a year, throw it out," and I will donate it without wearing it even once, often with the tags still attached (Mr. Brass Knuckles is reading this and woefully shaking his head right now).

Suede fringe skirt, Topshop, $(I don't remember)

I bought this fringed suede skirt online from Topshop shortly after they started shipping to the US. Mind you, this was before the era of US Topshop retail stores; previously I was sending my purchases to a cousin who lived in London, who dutifully shipped the packages to me in New York (CRAZYPANTS, when I think about this process now).

This skirt is pretty cool, but it adds a lot of volume in areas I've already got a lot of volume if you know what I mean. Okay, it makes me look kind-of wide, and I never knew how to wear it, and up until yesterday it was dangerously close to running through its lifecycle in my closet.

But last night was date night, and I was determined to make the skirt work! This is important, you guys!

The problem was, since it makes me look wide, I always tried to wear it with things that are narrow: cinched blouses, peplum tops, tight vests, etc. But this actually accentuated the wideness and brought the wideness to even wider levels.

So this time I decided to wear it was something that's also wide -- something light and billowy, like one fashionable potato sack on top of another, and you know what?  It worked. Wideness, diminished by more wideness!  It's so counter-intuitive, my mind is still a little bit confused:

Here are various photos of me opening doors.  Sorry that they are blurry.  Mr. Brass Knuckles said he is going to start a blog called "Can You Take a Picture of Me for My Blog?" that recounts the demands placed on blog photographers.  Skirt, Topshop; silk blouse, F21; jacket, Hong Kong high street; shoes, Fendi.  

We saw Prometheus. A visually stunning movie, but it was not as good as the hummus plate we shared at the bar with our champagne later in the evening. That hummus was good. Also, I won't spoil it but any woman who's ever had a cesarean would be like yeeeeaaahhh right!

A 24 ounce Modelo and Warby-Parker-esque 3D glasses make any movie more entertaining.

Have a great week, little Knuckles! Kick some ass!

RAINDROPS WERE FALLING ON MY HEAD

Last Thursday was Community Service Day at work, so we all took a bus to a camp for inner-city kids in the suburbs.    

I was on team woodchips, which was a great job but would've been slightly more pleasant had it not been 50 degrees and raining. 

I knew it would rain, so I unfortunately had to break the clothing fast to purchase a raincoat.  I tried to borrow one first, I swear!  But none of my friends or family own any raingear (apparently the Knuckles clan is not very outdoorsy).

Lest you think I took this opportunity to buy a Burberry trench, let it be known that I went to Target and looked for the cheapest, most utilitarian thing I could find.  It was super slim pickings, but I was determined not to leave without a raincoat so I scoured every department until I found this little number on the clearance rack:

Raincoat, Target.  Note two things in this photo: 1) the price tag, clearance, a mere $8.98; 2) the claim "Water Resistant."  Perhaps this claim is valid if you are running from your car to the movie theater in a light sprinkle, or if you are casually strolling through an outdoor mall during a spring shower.  This claim does NOT apply to 5 hours durations of woodchip shoveling in a hard pour.

There's nothing very cute about this raincoat, but I was pleasantly surprised that I found one in yellow (actually, it was the only raincoat in my size in the entire store).  Mostly because I have been obsessing about yellow and pink this spring:

Illamasqua, Rare, $14; Thakoon for Nars, Anardana, $18; both at Sephora

Trousers, Preen, Net-a-porter.com, $735

Sail dress, Zero + Maria Cornejo, Shopbop.com, $626.50

Becky silk jacket, Rebecca Minkoff, Piperlime.com, $348

Scooter Sporty Platform Shoes, Topshop, $156

On Sunday we took the kids to the Chicago Botanic Garden, and I was feeling inspired by all this color so I pulled out a pair of hi-waisted pants I haven't worn in years:

Pink pants, Judy Rosen, $(I don't remember)

I bought these at the Mini Mini-Market on Bedford Ave ages ago, back when I was still making handbags in my apartment.  I used to sell them to the Mini Mini-Market on consignment and would obsessively check if they'd sold.  Also, Mr. Brass Knuckles (just boyfriend Brass Knuckles then) lived upstairs in the girdle factory, so needless to say I was in the Mini Mini-Market a lot.

I wore the pants with an H&M sweater that has what CoStar calls "Princess Sleeves" because they are puffy, like on a Disney Princess dress:

Extra points if you know all their first names (you think this is easy, but unless you have a 

3-year-old daughter there is no reason why you should know Sleeping Beauty's first name).

Finally, I wore my trusty Dolce Vita for Target sandals and a stack of black jelly bracelets.  I found these bracelets at a Claire's boutique a few years ago.  They remind me of elementary school, and they look surprisingly chic now.

It was a lovely day for frolicking in secret gardens:

and riding in (and pulling) our pimped out canopy wagon:

Have a wonderful evening, little Knuckles!