SAVED BY THE BELL!

Hello Knuckles! 

Apologies for the extended absence.  Did your heart grow fonder, cuz mine did! :)

Anyhow, last weekend I had a fun, dressy work event.  I love seeing co-workers break free from the tyranny of business casual.  Sometimes the transformations are really dramatic, especially for women.  Nine times out of ten though the men just end up looking like Mr. Belding from Saved By The Bell. 

I love this silk jumper, but since it's backless and a little too fancy, I paired it with a simple denim shirt:

(See?  Pants!)

(Sunnies, Chanel; shirt, H&M; silk jumper, BCBG; shoes, Style&Co.; purse, Marc by Marc Jacobs; earrings, Kate Spade; bracelets, H&M, Alex+Ani, Asos; necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique.com, MyNameNecklace.com)

Okay you guys on February 27th I finally reached my milestone:  ONE YEAR without spending money on clothes!  I will provide a full retrospective on this experience later but for now please marinate on this feat.  MARINATE. 

Have a great afternoon, Knuckles!

BRASS KNUCKLES AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMSCARF, OR, MY CINDERELLA STORY

Good morning Knuckles!

Let's go back in time to 2003.  A swinging single Mr. Brass Knuckles and a couple of his homeboys take a trip to Ireland to visit his sister and reconnect with the homeland (i.e. drink beer and pick up girls).  During one of their roadtrips he finds himself at a store with local wares and sundries.  There he spots a bright, multicolored scarf hand-knitted with Irish wool and thinks, It'd be nice to have someone to buy this for.  And because he's an optimistic romantic, he buys it anyway for some special lady of the future.

A few months later and not long after we started dating, Mr. Brass Knuckles gave me this scarf along with the story.  I guess I was Cinderella, and this was my glass slipper!  I dutifully wore this scarf every winter until we moved and it got packed away in a random box that I didn't open again until this weekend.

(Sunnies, Gucci; scarf, a gift from Prince Charming; jacket, Ann Taylor; shirt, Target; pants, F21; wallet, Elliott Lucca; shoes, Asos)

And as they say, they lived happily ever after (if happily ever after means your rock bands go on hiatus you get your MBA have 2 kids move to the suburbs and work for the Man.  JUST JOKING!  Cinderella's got nothing on me, except for the talking to birds and mice thing)....

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

FINALLY FEELING SUNNY AGAIN, IN MY MOM JEANS

Good morning Knuckles!

After a long bout with a sinus infection I finally started feeling like myself again, just in time for my little guy's 2nd birthday.

(Sunnies, YSL; coat, Club Monaco; sweater, F21; jeans, Grey Ant; shoes, D&G; necklace, Zara)

Aside from the necklace, this outfit is super old (as you can see from the pills on the sweater, yikes!).  I think I bought the shoes the first time I ever shopped at Century 21 in Battery Park.  I've had these things re-soled and re-heeled multiple times and if I ever become famous they will show up in an US Weekly "Brass Knuckles really loves her D&G shoes!" feature.  BTW this weekend Mr. Brass Knuckles was making fun of my penchant for celebrity gossip and he was like "What are you reading, U.S. Magazine?"

These pants are definitely of man-repelling ilk.  High-waisted pants always remind Mr. Brass Knuckles of Mom Jeans and he can't really see the fashion behind them.  

Okay, I agree these Grey Ant jeans would look better if I were 4 inches taller but whatever, I love these pants.  I'm a Mom, after all!  Now I just need a Carol Brady haircut.

Have a great week, Knuckles!

SPRING CLEANING FOR A GOOD CAUSE

My dear Knuckles!

Around this time every year I feel the need to purge my closet: 




 (Nothing like some good Pinterest closet porn)

Usually I just stuff everything into black garbage bags and haul it to my local Goodwill or Salvo, but there are lots of really wonderful organizations out there that take clothing and other gently used items.  

This month's O Magazine has a great list of donation sites, including:

Donate My Dress, which distributes prom, Sweet 16, and quinceanera frocks;

Career Gear, which offers suits and employment advice to unemployed men;

Webthrift.com, where you can sell you stuff and donate the proceeds to charity;

Newborns in Need, which provides essentials for babies.

For more organizations, Miss Minimalist compiled this comprehensive list a few years ago.

Happy purging Knuckles!  I hope your fashionable outcasts find good homes!

VALENTINE'S GIFT GUIDE FOR YOU OR A MAN

Happy Thursday Knuckles!  With Valentine's Day just around the corner I've compiled a short collection of items to get you in the gift-giving mood!  

For the Men in your life:

1) Team City Red Sox Hoodie, $85: Sports never get old.  The Red Sox never get old.  NEVER.

2) Star Wars Daily Planner, $9.87-$13.72: Like sports, Star Wars never gets old.  Han Solo never gets old.  NEVER.

3) A snappy new bowtie, $65: Most of the time your man wears the same zip-up hoodie and jeans for 56 days in a row and then one night he walks out of the room smelling good and looking like Andre 3000 and he's like, Oh what this? and you're like Day-um! 

4) Kisses from YOU.  Let's face it, men don't care about gifts on Valentine's Day.  They want YOU.  Make sure your lips are super soft with Lipstick Queen Medieval Lipstick, $20.

For the Women in your life:

5) An amazing studded necklace, for the aging punk rocker in you.  This one by Joomi Lin, $162, is edgy but still looks like real jewelry.

6) A new pair of white heels.  I love the straps on these Michael Kors beauties, $275.

7) On February 10th, go to your nearest Target at 5am and wait in line.  Then when the store is about to open, call your lady and tell her to drive over.  Trust me, this is a really good idea, and it's free.

8) A varsity letterman jacket, $80.  This gift is extra special if you sew on your old football numbers (numbers available at any JoAnn's Fabrics or Michael's).

9) Kisses from YOU.  Let's face it, we love gifts on Valentine's Day, but mostly we want to feel loved and appreciated.  So do 20 push-ups then throw on your softest grey Hanes t-shirt and give your lady a smooch... if she really likes you, it's the best Valentine's Day around.

Have a great weekend, Knuckles! 

PURPLE AND BLACK, OR, IS THIS A TRENCH COAT OR A DRESS?

Good morning Knuckles!

Here's something I rarely wear because... well what is it?  It's neither a trench coat nor a dress.  It has short cap sleeves making it impractical as a jacket, but the fabric is rather too stiff to wear as a summer dress.  Hence, I bought this from the Macy's at Herald Square years ago but have only worn it once, to Mass with my in-laws.

(Holy feathered hair, Batman!  Sunnies, YSL; hat, American Apparel; dress, Plastic Island; shirt, J.Crew; boots, Miu Miu; bag, Elliott Lucca; gloves, Alfani; necklace, Francesca's Collections)

I think if I turn this dress into something more fall-like, I will wear it more often.  What do you think of adding black puffed leather sleeves?  I think the black and purple look nice together...

Mr. Brass Knuckles is normally very appreciative of my get-ups, but this one so deeply reminded him of 3 childhood icons that he couldn't help but make the comparison:

(If you know the names of all three Congratulations! You have great memory).

Have a great week, Knuckles!  Let me know if you have any mysteries to solve, people to spy on, or crimes to mastermind! OMG I am such a dork.