GOAL #1: LET MYSELF FLOAT

Soundtrack: Alberto Balsalm, Aphex Twin

Hello everyone!

As promised, my next few posts are about my goals for the remainder of the year.  

#1: LET MYSELF FLOAT

NAMASTE, BETCHES

(Dress, Zara; sunnies, Akira; shoes, Kate Spade; flowers, F21. My husband said I looked like  a cool cult-y patient in a hospital gown).

2016 has been filled with a lot of pragmatism and not a whole lot of creativity. As the cool weather rolls in, I promise to allow myself the luxury of daydreaming about exciting, fun, and confusing things. 

(Today's soundtrack is especially meaningful; it makes me feel buoyant. Ignore the creepy cover).

One of my greatest wishes is for my kids to grow up thinking anything is possible. For this to happen, I realize Mom has to model the belief.

A few tactics to spur more expansive thinking:

Keep up this blog

Use my phone less, particularly before bed

Stay in better contact with friends, because nothing inspires me more than you all (that's the truth!).

So here's to floating above the clouds, getting a bit lost, breathing thin air, having faith in the unknown, looking like a Snapchat filter. 

Xxo

WE RUN THE WORLD

Good morning Knuckles!

On Wednesday I spent the evening with three inspirational women.

Beyonce played the United Center, and she was amazing.  FLOTUS and her daughters sat a few boxes down from us.  Her handlers asked us not to take any photos but said we could "take her in," which I gladly did.  And last but not least, I got to spend some quality time with my work BFF.

(Here I am awkwardly posing against the wall, and yes I have a dozen bug bites on my legs.  CAN'T STOP SCRATCHING.  Sunnies, Target (recently I've lost/destroyed two beloved pairs of fancy sunglasses so I've decided I do not deserve expensive sunglasses this summer); watch, Casio; earrings, Anna Sheffield for Target; necklaces, MyNameBoutique, PersonalizedBoutique; jacket and skirt, H&M; bustier, F21; shoes, Asos; purse, Elliott Lucca.  The women at this show were DRESSED UP!  Slinky jumpsuits, sexy dresses, sequined shorts, all paired with sky-high heels.  I honestly felt like a mini-Shrek in my googly-eyed flats).

What did I learn from these amazing women?

1) As L. observed, Beyonce owns the "swimsuit as eveningwear" look.  I would like to embark on a butt-toning adventure this summer so I, too, can pull off swimsuits as eveningwear, or at least give the seams on my skinny jeans a break.

2)  FLOTUS was wearing a patterned green peplum blouse, with a metallic belt and matching green pants.  It was the exact outfit I would like to wear when I grow up: classy yet on-trend and all-around gorgeous.

3) I love living vicariously through L.  She is living proof that you can be foxy and successful in a corporate environment.  She never wears pants and basically taught me how to wear skirts again. 

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!  I hope you spend it surrounded by successful, talented, beautiful, and inspirational women!

A SHOPPING PRO, EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO SWIMSUITS

Good morning Knuckles!

It's pretty obvious that I love to shop; I find it both fun and relaxing.  I can't really relate to women who don't like to shop, except on one occasion: SHOPPING FOR SWIMSUITS. Shopping for swimsuits is stressful.  It is even more stressful when you haven't bought a swimsuit in over 10 years, and since then you've had two kids.

Knowing the beach/pool are in my future this summer, I headed to Macy's to find a suit.  

The only thing worse about swimsuit shopping is when you walk into the section and a middle-aged salesman walks over and says, "Hello Miss!  Are you looking for something in particular?"  It is so embarrassing when old men say "Hello Miss!" 

I didn't want to openly cringe because he was genuinely trying to be helpful.  In fact, he started pointing to different styles, asking "Are you looking for a one-piece?  Two-piece?  Padded?  Cups?"  He pulled out a bunch of suits that I would never wear in a million years, and I could just feel the blood rush to my face and droplets of pure BO stream out of my pits. 

Anyhow, after an uncomfortable hour or so, I ended up buying the swimsuit below.  It's exactly what I was looking for, and it was on sale!

1) Cult Gaia Bardot Headwrap

2) Prada Minimal Baroque Sunglasses

3) DKNY Shirred Swim Dress

4) Moyna Hello Malibu Woven Tote

5) Keds for Kate Spade Lace Up Oxford Sneakers

I really love the rest of this outfit, particularly the turban.  And aren't the sneakers adorable?

I just realized this is my 100th post!  Wow.  Thanks for reading, everyone! 

Have a great weekend!

HAPPY SPRING BREAK! BRIGHTENING UP THE SEASON

Good morning Knuckles!

Despite what the thermometer says, it's Spring!  I've been on such a black and white streak lately that I feel like I need some bright colors to liven up my wardrobe.

(Sunnies, Target; jacket, F21; blouse, new, Aqua; jeans; Chip and Pepper; shoes, 9West; bag, Elliott Lucca; bracelets, Alex+Ani, H&M; necklaces, PersonalizedBoutique.com, MyNameNecklace.com)

Luckily I have the day off tomorrow for Spring Break (unfortunately when you're a working mother you don't get hedonistic spring breaks anymore; you have to squeeze in hedonism where you can, and normally hedonism consists of sitting around in your pajamas, drinking martinis and online shopping).  I'm meeting my work crush for shopping, dinner, and drinks so maybe I will find some color --  in my cheeks, if nothing else!

Have a happy and wonderful weekend Knuckles!

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!

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!

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!

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!

DEAR LEADER

Hi Knuckles!

It's "Superfluous Sunglasses Day" here on The Covert Boutique (it was highly overcast):

(Sunnies, YSL; scarf, a gift; jacket, F21; skirt, Topshop; tights, Hue; belt, H&M; boots, Miss Sixty; purse, Elliott Lucca; bracelets, Asos, H&M)

I rarely wear this coat because it's not very warm, but it's incredibly special to me.  It was a gift from my mother when I was pregnant with CoStar.  At the time I lived in New York and she was in Chicago, so we hadn't been shopping together in years.  That fall, however, I went home for a visit and we went to the mall.  My body was just starting to change and I think this really touched my mother, and she generously bought me a bunch of new things to accommodate my growing belly.

The scarf was a bridesmaid gift from my dear friend and bandmate, K.  Her wedding colors were eggplant and chartreuse and we wore these shawls over deep purple dresses.

I gotta say, I'm kinda loving the photo of me smiling.  It isn't the best of the bunch, but I included it because even though I've worn these YSL sunnies about a million times for some reason this shot reminds me of Kim Jong Il (or maybe Margaret Cho?)

(Margaret Cho on 30 Rock)

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Like the Man Repeller, I don't buy clothes because I think men will find them alluring (I doubt many women do).  However, I did make an exception for this sweater:

(Sunglasses, Chanel; sweater, H&M; shirt, J.Crew; jeans, James; bag, Gucci; shoes, Via Spiga, bracelets/earrings: Alex+Ani, Pandora, Target, Claire's)

I bought this sweater a few years ago at H&M (from the boys department) because I knew Mr. Brass Knuckles would love it.  He definitely does, and so do a lot of other dudes.  I swear, sometimes I'll go out wearing something slinky and get nary a glance but then I'll wear this sweater and it's like I'm Boobs McGee.

For Mr. Brass Knuckles, Star Wars and superheroes are always at the very tip of his consciousness.  One night I was working late and crept into the bedroom after he went to bed, wearing a pair of ratty green shorts and an orange long sleeve shirt.  Mr. Brass Knuckles stirred, looked in my direction, mumbled "You look like Aquaman" and then rolled over and went back to sleep.

(Super Friends)

Have a great week, Knuckles!

GIDDY UP!

I love gorgeous, sunny fall days!  In Chicago we get like 15 of them between summer's sweltering heat and winter's barely bearable cold.

This is what I imagine I'd wear to go horseback riding (speaking as someone who has only rode one horse in her life, and didn't really enjoy it, and doesn't intend to ride another one again).

(What is up with this super awkward pose?  Look how bad my posture is!  This explains why every morning when I wake up the first words that come out of my mouth are MY BACK!)

 (CoStar does a great impression of this, by the way.  She puts her hand on the small of her back, leans over and yells MY BACK!).

(Sunglasses, Chanel; blouse, Rugby; pants, James; belt bag, vintage Coach; boots, Miss Sixty; bracelets, Target, Alex+Ani, my mom's vintage gold cuff; rings, from Mr. Brass Knuckles).

I received the tiny purse as a gift about 20 years ago.  I found it while rummaging through my childhood bedroom recently .  It came with a long strap that has since been lost, but there are a couple of belt hooks on the back.  I also found the belt in my childhood bedroom; it originally came with a pair of Palmetto khakis that I wore in junior high.  I think the two work well together as an accessory, but the bag is really too tiny to hold anything (at most, a couple of credit cards and a Blistex, it was designed pre-iPhone, after all).  

I bought the Chanel sunnies at the Hong Kong airport on one of my trips abroad back in the day.  I bought a ton of stuff at that airport.  After a long, taxing trip it was very easy to think MAN!  AFTER ALL THIS HARD WORK I DESERVE SOMETHING NICE! 

The shirt is fairly recent from the Rugby store in Boston.  I love the bustle in the back.  Rugby is one of my favorite stores -- all the salesclerks are cute college boys in letterman cardigans and silk bowties and jaunty little caps:

(Rugby.com)

Have a great week, Knuckles!

ELLO GOVNA

Hello Knuckles! 

 Fall is officially here!  The air is getting crisp and the September issues are out!

On Sunday afternoon I was perusing the New York Times Style Magazine Men's Fall Fashion edition, and one spread completely stopped me in my tracks: the new Prada campaign featuring Gary Oldman, Jamie Bell, Garrett Hedlund and Willem Dafoe:

Seriously you guys, I had to stop reading the magazine to look up the campaign online:

(All photos Tumblr; there are tons more and they are all crazypants AWESOME)

The colors, the clothes, the people, the poses... I'm totally obsessed.  It's steampunk Commissioner Gordon and the Green Goblin!

Prada posted a making-of video and it is mesmerizing.  It's what I imagine Queen Victoria's Next Top Model would've been like in 1862:


Anyhow, if Mr. Brass Knuckles showed up wearing any of this stuff I would probably make fun of him.

This weekend was all about enjoying the weather:

(I get a total kick out of this photo.  Most fashion bloggers get photographed against the most amazing urban backdrops; here I am with my STROLLER at the MALL, buahah!).

"Hey Brass Knuckles, what's that on the ground?"

(Top: sunglasses, Times Square kiosk; blouse, H&M; tank top, Hanes; belt, Banana Republic; jeans, Chip and Pepper; shoes, MIA.  

Bottom: sunglasses, Carrera; blouse, Express; pants, American Apparel; necklace, Tuleste Market; shoes, 9 West).

None of this clothing is all that sentimental.  The oldest thing is the silk floral jacket.  I bought it eons ago and it's always been kinda "meh."  It comes out every so often and... I am boring myself talking about it.

That is all, internets.  You may now return to more exciting and/or informative time-wasting.

A GIANT, REFLECTIVE SURFACE ON A HOT DAY

Happy Tuesday after Memorial Day, everyone!

Our weekend was pretty low-key; we spent lots of time with my family, had a few BBQ's, and set up the sprinklers and kiddie pool in the backyard (it's nice to see CoStar and her brother run through the grass in bare feet with abandon.  I have a strange phobia about bare feet and grass; here's hoping irrational foot rot fears aren't necessarily inheritable).  

On Memorial Day itself, Mr. Brass Knuckles and I took the kids to Millennium Park downtown to explore the Bean and Crown Fountain.  The Bean and Crown Fountain are these incredibly beautiful works of public sculpture, and they are normally surrounded by a million tourists:

Cloud Gate (aka The Bean), Anish Kapoor; Crown Fountain, Jaume Plensa 

Who would've thought bringing the kids to a giant reflective surface on a 97 degree day would actually be a good idea?  They loved it!

My outfit was nothing extraordinary:

Silk dress, F21; Vest, La Rok; Shoes, Asos.com; necklace, Francesca's Collections; Lolita-style sunglasses, bought at a kiosk in Times Square. On CoStar: sailor dress, H&M; sequin Mary Janes, Target; Dora the Explorer sunglasses

I bought the dress -- which is real silk, surprisingly -- sometime in the last two years from Forever 21.  I purchased the denim vest, which attaches to a blazer, at a LaRok sample sale years ago.  I just Googled LaRok to see if they're still around; sadly, doesn't look like it!  I used to wear the vest/blazer with a sleeveless yellow bubble dress, which I still have, when I was first pregnant with CoStar.

The shoes have silly googly eyes and eyebrows on them.  When they first came in the mail, CoStar was HORRIFIED.  She begged me not to wear them: "Everyone will make fun of you!" She has since learned to appreciate the absurd, which is a good thing since I loved the shoes so much I got them in two colors:

These shoes are the flimsiest things ever and manufacturing them definitely contributed to the downfall of the polar bear.  Also, they reek of plastic and glue, so much that they give you reverse foot stink: they actually give your feet BO.  I feel guilty wearing them, but they've got eyes and eyebrows, you guys!   

Anyhow, the Bean was a lot of fun but hot, and the Crown Fountain was the perfect complement:

And now it is Tuesday and now it is back to work.  Good night, little Knuckles!  Hope you are reading this with a tall glass of wine, cuz I'm drinking one as I write!