A SUMMER SPENT BY THE SEA

Good morning Knuckles!

I never thought I could pull off pink lipstick but I am kind-of loving this new shade:

(Sunnies, YSL; leather jacket, Vince; necklace and shirt, J.Crew; skirt, H&M; tights, Wolford; earrings, Judith Ripka; purse, Elliott Lucca; shoes, Sam Edelman).

Several items in this outfit are NEW, thanks to generous sister-in-laws!  The blouse, necklace, and skirt were holiday gifts, and I paired them with something old.  I got the Vince leather jacket sometime in 2009 and wore it all that summer.  I was living on the beach in L.A. for an internship, and it was the perfect jacket for warm summer evenings over light dresses and shorts.  The sleeve has a small hole; some co-workers and I were in San Diego for Comic-Con and a careless hotel valet shut the trunk door on the jacket.  My boss asked me if I was mad but I was oddly zen about it.  In fact, the hole is now a reminder of the good times that week and friends made that summer.

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

WINTER WHITE MUSHROOM HEAD

Good morning Knuckles!

This weekend I went digging through boxes for winter gear and found this hat!  I bought it at H&M several years ago, and it's one of my favorites:

(Doesn't it look like I'm swaying back and forth and snapping my fingers?  I wasn't.  One of my 2013 resolutions is to work on my posture.  I've been meaning to take up pilates but every morning the alarm goes off and I think Pilates can start tomorrow).

(Hat and necklace, H&M; sunnies, Carrera; sweater, Ralph Lauren; pants, F21; shoes, Via Spiga)

I love this hat!  Whenever I wear it I feel like an extra in Dr. Zhivago (or Super Mario Bros?):

(Dr. Zhivago)

As much as I love the idea of winter white, I have to say that by the time I came home the bottoms of these pants were splatter-painted with slush.  Instead of nude pumps, white Snowjoggers would've been better!  Also, it is almost 70 degrees in Chicago today and looking at these photos is making my head feel hot.

Alright, enough with this rambling and pointless post.  Have a great week, Knuckles!

CONQUERING THE WORLD IN AN OLD COAT FULL OF MEMORIES

Hello Knuckles!

There was a great article in the Sunday New York Times Magazine about how we are more likely to remember events from our 20's than from other periods in our lives.  That certainly rings true with me!  I have so many rich, hilarious, sad, scary, and awesome memories from my 20's.  But I also have a ton of very mundane memories, like the time I bought this coat.

I had just started working at an internet start-up which was located on Bryant Park.  After work I loved to walk along 5th Avenue.  The weather was getting colder and in the Prada store I noticed the fall coats had arrived, and after trying a few on I ended up buying the one below.  It was a WP (Whole Paycheck) purchase but I loved this coat, and even though it's super old and I've worn it a ton, it still looks and feels like new.

(Sunnies, Chanel; coat, Prada; sweater, H&M; jeans, Chip+Pepper; purse, Orlany; boots, Miss Sixty)

Until this weekend I hadn't worn this coat in forever, but I brushed it off for a trip to the Children's Museum:

(These two are going to rule the world one day).

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

RE-CREATION TUESDAYS: IT WAS OUR FIRST DATE, AND I WAS YOUNG

Hello Knuckles!

There are some outfits I’ll never forget, like the get-up I wore on Mr. Brass Knuckles’s and my first date.

It was a Tuesday night and I was supposed to meet Mr. BK at Arlene’s Grocery for an early evening show before dinner at a low-lit Tibetan restaurant (that I later found out he took many girls to.  Oh hey-y!).  I rushed home from work to change into a ruffled plaid XOXO mini-skirt, thigh-high boots, and a cotton motorcycle jacket.  I’d gotten the skirt at Macy’s and the boots and jacket from Beverly Island in Hong Kong.  The boots were suede and were partially held up by some long ties that I had to wrap around my legs so tightly they were basically tourniquets.  All in the name of love!

In honor of our many years together, the other weekend I assembled this outfit.  Only the jacket is the same.  I had to part ways with the original thigh-high boots because in general I prefer circulation in my legs, and the skirt got too age-inappropriate. 

(Sunnies, Gucci; dress, Patterson J. Kincaid; shirt, J.Crew; jacket, Hong Kong high street; belt, H&M; tights, Wolford; boots, Miu Miu; jewelry, ASOS, Alex+Ani; minaudier, Luella Bartley for Target.  Since there are no Targets in New York City, my dear mother bought the minaudier for me when that collection came out.  It's pre-smartphone and back in the day it had just enough room for my credit cards, ID, house key and cigarette case).

When I donned the outfit above I asked Mr. BK if it reminded him of anything and he looked at me blankly.  When I told him it was similar to the outfit I wore on our first date he shook his head and said, “No, that skirt was plaid.”  WOW, Mr. Brass Knuckles remembered!  Now that’s what I call complete outfit success!  Thanks to that trashy first date outfit we are now a couple of suburban-dwelling MBAs with two kids!  

Have a great week, Knuckles!

INSTA-FRIDAY; A DENIZEN OF SPATULA CITY

Happy Friday, Knuckles!

I am so thrilled it's the weekend, and my morning is all Instagrammed up:

If you recall, I was in the market for a new pair of glasses.  The Warby Parkers didn’t work out, but I got the above pair at Lenscrafters.  I love them but they are a different look than my family and I are used to, particularly in the mornings when I just wake up.  Usually right out of my bed my hair looks like – at the very best end of the spectrum – Carrie in SATC circa Season 2.  At the worst end of the spectrum it looks frizzy and disheveled, and paired with these glasses….

Me, on one of the first days I wore the new glasses, walking out of the bathroom, to Mr. Brass Knuckles:  Hey look, your wife looks like Weird Al Yankovic!

Mr. Brass Knuckles: <bursts into wild, uncontrollable guffawing>

Me: …

Mr. Brass Knuckles: <his shoulders are shaking he’s laughing so hard>

At this point I expect him to wind down and wipe his eyes which he does and say something like You’re always beautiful to me but instead he says What do you wanna do for breakfast?

....

Have a great weekend Knuckles!  Enjoy your Friday!

ART IS CHAOTIC, BUT THE SWEATER IS TOASTY

Hi Knuckles! 

Last year we took the kids to the Art Institute, and boy was that a mistake!  CoStar was too young to appreciate anything and I was still nursing the little man, which was impossible in a crowded museum with communal benches.  

This weekend we figured the kids might be old enough so we tried the Art Institute again; it was only marginally more successful.  At least I had on a comfy sweater:

(Sunnies, YSL; sweater, Vince; shirt, J.Crew; liquid leggings, Silence+Noise; boots, Chinese Laundry; purse, Elliott Lucca; bracelets, Alex+Ani, Banana Republic; name necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique.com, MyNameNecklace.com; watch, Casio). 

Nothing too exciting about this outfit's provenance, except that this sweater is one of my favorites because it is incredibly warm and does not pill very much (which is a huge sweater pet peeve of mine).  I wore it while walking across the Williamsburg Bridge during the NYC subway strike in the winter of 2005.  It was a freezing cold morning and then-boyfriend Brass Knuckles and I were walking to work, and I distinctly remember thinking "Man this sweater's warm!"

Anyhow, the Littlest Knuckles thought the art museum had too many rules: no touching, climbing, running, or snacking, all 4 of which we got called out on by the guards.  Screw rules, man!

Hope you are having a great week, Knuckles!

THE SWEETEST THING, OR DO I LOOK LIKE A PINHEAD?

Hello Knuckles!

Clothes are funny.  They can either make you feel super confident or super self-conscious.  

I've always loved this sweet little faux fur jacket that my sister-in-law bought me a few years ago, but I rarely wear it because I think it makes my head look small.  THAT IS SO WEIRD.

(Who says fashion bloggers don't smile?  Sunnies, Gucci; jacket, Velvet; dress, H&M; name necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique.com, MyNameNecklace.com; earrings, Juicy Couture; shoes, Charlotte Russe.  Okay, normally I don't buy super cheap shoes because I don't want to insult my hard-working feet but I saw these knock-off Loubs in the window and you know what sometimes style trumps quality.  And they were about $1400 cheaper). 

Anyhow, I've learned that people always scrutinize themselves far more than others do.  Unless your outfit is completely outlandish, people generally don't notice what you're wearing.  Maybe that's why I love blogs like The Sartorialist and People of Walmart; they make you actually take a moment to appreciate all the fashion that is happening around us at every moment.  

So does this make me look like a pinhead or what?  I'm talking to you, KCB!

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

PINTEREST DIY: RIBBON-SHOULDER SWEATER

Hello Knuckles!

Good gravy I've been busy with work!  However, I found a little time this weekend to get crafty and try this Pinterest DIY ribbon-shoulder sweater (how-to below).  The sweater was a gift from my cousin from a few years back.  It's an awesome cut but unfortunately it was getting all pilly and needed a refresh.  After removing the pills with a fine-toothed comb and adding the ribbon, I love it all over again: 

(Sweater, Banana Republic; pants, H&M; boots, Miu Miu; bag, Elliott Lucca; watch, Casio; name necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique.com and MyNameNecklace.com.  There are no good images from this shoot because Mr. Brass Knuckles kept cracking me up by saying things like, "YOUR LEGS NEED MORE ATTITUDE."  He was being totally serious.)

I used a pink ribbon because that's all I had, but I might swap it out for neon yellow grosgrain -- how cool would that look?!  

Anyhow, it's now back to the grind.  

Have fun, Knuckles!

A PATENT LEATHER SKIRT?! BUT HOWEVER DID YOU KNOW?!

Good morning, Knuckles!

If you'll recall, I had a lustful moment a few months back over a patent leather skirt on Asos, but talked myself out of buying it.  Well, a certain work crush got this skirt for me for the holidays!  When the box arrived, needless to say I TORE IT OPEN LIKE A RABID ANIMAL.  Just look at this skirt, it is totally amazing ARGHEAHABLAHEAAGGRAHAHH!!

(Heart-shaped sunnies, Times Square; sweater, Ralph Lauren; skirt, Asos; shoes, Fendi, bought these on my honeymoon; watch, Casio; bracelets, Banana Republic, Alex+Ani; pearl necklaces, Target.  Sorry for those nasty dry legs!  This is when my inner voice says "Moisturize, girl!")

I had to hem it about 6 inches but it didn't require any actual sewing, so it was the easiest hem ever.  Oh and by the way, don't ever wear your coveted red velvet shoes in the mud, you will pretty much destroy them argheahablahraaggrahahh.

Aaaah.

You complete me, black patent leather skirt.

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

HAPPY 2013!

Hello Knuckles!

Yesterday was filled with travel for the Knuckles family, so when it came time to ring in the new year Mr. Brass Knuckles and I celebrated by polishing off a bottle of good champagne and enjoying a midnight smooch before falling asleep.  New Year's Eve hasn't been the same since the FCFT/Rubulad days (of which there is little photographic evidence... probably a good thing!).

2012 was an awesome year.  I started my clothing fast in February and started this blog in May.  Thanks for sharing my journey!  I hope your year is starting out well (remember: Tylenol, water, hamburger, repeat) and I hope every day after is more enlightening than the day before.

Happy New Year, Knuckles!  GO STANFORD!!!