A TRIP DOWN FUR CUPS MEMORY LANE

Happy Friday, Knuckles!

My talented friend Pat posted a link to an article he's featured in on his Tumblr.  It's about Brooklyn bands in the 2000's and reading about old venues, bands, and friends made me embarrassingly awash with nostalgia. 

(Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

One day I will share stories with CoStar all about FCFT: riding my pink girls' BMX bike to the practice space 3 nights a week; mini Budweisers; living above a 1-car garage in an apartment with insufficient heat across from Pete's Candy Store; and running into her dad at shows and occasionally at the video store; and hauling gear in rented Lincoln Towncars; and the mysteries of North 3rd and Berry where there lived 3 bars, including the one where Mr. Brass Knuckles first bought me shots and years later after that bar shut down we had our engagement party at the one that replaced it; and The Dead Betties and The 00Agents and NoThings and Hula and Big Digits and she'll be like "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT I GET IT!" 

(I wish I'd kept all our posters!)

(We had an oft-naked all-male dance troupe called The Beardettes that trailed confetti like Pig Pen trails dirt)

(My three gorgeous bandmates)

(One of our earliest shows.  I still have those suspenders; I pray to the fashion gods that K. still owns that yellow vest.  No drummer; our rhythm section consisted of a wood block, pots, pans, a washboard, a baking sheet, a maraca shaped like a tangerine and the programmed beats on our Casio keyboard.  Light Rock!  Salsa!)

(I was 6 months pregnant at this show.  Many of these images can be found on flickr, search "Fur Cups For Teeth" for proper credits.  Please check out the work of the extraordinary rock photographer Jackie Roman)

But wait! Fur Cups For Teeth will rise again!  Details to come.

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

HIGH SCHOOL PUNK ROCK NERD ALERT

Hello Knuckles!

Some days I can't bear putting in my contacts:

(Top, new, H&M; pants, American Apparel; shoes, Sam Edelman; belt, the Alley in Chicago; bracelets, Alex+Ani, F21; glasses, Lenscrafters; purse, Elliott Lucca.  Lips: Cover Girl LipPerfection jumbo gloss balm, Coral Twist #235)

This beautiful new coral lipstick was a recommendation from Erica at Diary of a Trendaholic.  I'd been looking for an orange-tinted shade and this one is perfect.  Thanks Erica! 

The belt is from high school, and one of the oldest items I own.  Back then I used to hang out at a biker goth store called The Alley (still around!), which was next to a Dunkin Donuts with a hearse in the parking lot.  This little corner had tons of cool stores, like an army-navy surplus outlet, a super cheap thrift store called Ragstock, and several pre-F21 fast-fashion boutiques.  I bought the belt and my first pair of Docs on this street, which surprisingly hasn't changed too much.  If you had shown me these photos of the current Brass Knuckles back then, I would've been horrified.  Lipstick, long hair and heels?  Actually trying to look pretty?  What a sell-out!  

Ahh youth...you're a knee-slapper!

Have a great week, Knuckles!

VACATION, ALL I EVER WANTED, VACATION, HAPPY TO GET AWAY

Hello Knuckles!

I haven't posted in almost a month due to traveling and vacations.  I'm finally home today and am pretty bummed to be back, especially because Mr. Brass Knuckles is still away through next week!  Lucky!

I had so much fun this past month, and even learned a few things:

10) "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is incredibly difficult to sing.  Don't ever pick this during karaoke -- you won't nail it.  I got an "E" for "Extra Fancy Dance Moves" to compensate for my off-pitch warbling.

9) Meat wins!  I had dinner with a couple of dear friends who've been vegetarians for as long as I can remember, and one of them ordered a pork tenderloin and my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as my head calmly exploded.

8) It is possible to eat two buffet meals in one day, but only just barely, and you must be in Las Vegas, and the earlier one must include unlimited champagne and the later one must include ginger ale and an elastic waistband extender.

7) Watching fireworks while lying on a blanket in the middle of a baseball diamond and listening to Celine Dion versions of patriotic standards is surprisingly moving.  Murrica! (tears)

6) I am very thankful for Mr. Brass Knuckles, who put in a lot of daddy overtime these past few weeks.

5) It is possible to go to a nightclub alone, particularly if your friends are still playing blackjack and someone hands you free drink tickets.  It is not possible to look cool, however, enthusiastically dancing to Tupac's "California Love" which was your college jam but for everyone else in the room it's like Elvis or Beethoven.

4) Any evening that includes voluntarily ordering an over-priced frothy pink martini is bound to be memorable.

3) Seeing old friends is the best. 

2) A man on the street may ask to take a photo of you and your girlfriends and claim it's because he likes your outfits, but in reality it's probably for some kind of "Cougars of New York" blog.

1) Vacations are never long enough!  (Plus, you are more-than-slightly afraid of your Outlook inbox).

Have a wonderful weekend, Knuckles!

RE-CREATION TUESDAYS: ENGAGED IN DVF, AND AWASH IN MEMORIES

Good morning Knuckles.

Today's post was supposed to be an ode to Diane Von Furstenberg, and how her clothes are inextricably woven into some of my most meaningful memories.  I wore the dress below on the day Mr. Brass Knuckles proposed to me in Battery Park, under cloud cover and before an impending thunder storm.  I wore DVF to my rehearsal dinner and my dearest cousin K's bridal shower.  I've also worn DVF to countless job interviews, cocktail parties, weddings and funerals. 

But after yesterday's events I'm feeling sad.  Seeing this dress and writing this post is flooding me with a million different memories; it's almost too much.

(Sunnies, Target; dress, DVF; shoes, Gucci; purse, The Sak; necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique, MyNameNecklace, Anna Sheffield for Target; bracelets, Asos, F21)

My dear Knuckles, hold on tightly to the people you love!

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!