my treehouse!

for a while there, i was doing so well with the regular postings ... and then ... i moved! saw the listing on a tuesday. studied the pictures so i knew what to expect. confirmed that i liked it that saturday. applied and gave my deposit check that same day. and told that it was mine on monday. less than one week from seeing the listing! crazy!

but i said i would need a couple weeks before moving in, so i would have time to pack up everything. i also went in a few days before my move-in day to sign my lease and take measurements.

so here's the floor plan i put together before moving in. more or less. i didn't have the sofa or rugs yet, but they were on order. and it really helped on moving day. i was able to tell the movers exactly where to put everything and haven't had to move a single big piece of furniture since moving day (except lifting the bed to slide the rug under it).

and here's a quick snapshot of the living room taken a week after moving in.

i'll probably be posting a lot of progression pictures since that's what's taking up most of my time these days.

fun weekend find

over the weekend, bought my first skirt since july 2007. (yes, i keep ridiculously meticulous records of all my purchases.) 9-10 months from runway to purchase. very work appropriate.

dkny fall 2009 ready to wear

source

fall 2009: gowns

i haven't had the occasion to wear a gown in years, but it doesn't mean i can't look

bottega veneta, lela rose x 2

jasmine di milo, malandrino, ports 1961

badgley mischka, j. mendel, lela rose, naeem khan

badgley mischka, etro, j. mendel

giorgio armani x 2, jason wu x 2

zac posen x 2

pictures from: style

fall 2009: cocktail dresses

and time for cocktail dresses for holiday parties

akris, basso & brooke, luisa beccaria, peter som

gianfranco ferré, lela rose x 3

lela rose x 2, malandrino, miu miu

burberry, karen walker, luca luca, michael kors

erin fetherston, emanuel ungaro, naeem khan, matthew williamson

pictures from: style

fall 2009: office appropriate

after a couple major rainstorms, i think it's finally officially autumn over here. so with that, here are my picks for fall/winter 2009.

mix of stripes and houndstooth: dkny x 4

more monochromatic looks: dkny x 2, michael kors, maxmara

prettier pieces: chris benz, collette dinnigan, luca luca, peter som

distinctive coats: adam, elie tahari, marc jacobs, ruffian

pictures from: style

spring 2010 paris fashion week

andrew gn x 4

andrew gn x 3, christian dior

chanel x 4

elie saab, valentino x 3

givenchy x 2, requiem x 2

pictures from: style

spring 2010 milan fashion week

aquilano.rimondi x 4

belt by d&g, luisa beccaria x 2

pictures from: style

spring 2010 london fashion week

and london fashion week went by. just like that.

basso & brooke, binetti x 2

burberry prorsum x 3

burberry prorsum x 3

erdem x 3

erdem, jasmine di milo, josh goot

matthew williamson x 2, pringle of scotland

pictures from: style and elle

spring 2010 new york fashion week: dresses & gowns

and now for the pretty stuff ...

pale, muted, watercolor-y dresses with some metallics by: chris benz, christian siriano x 2

cynthia steffe, halston, j. mendel

halston, l'wren scott, peter som

marchesa, pink dress collection, zac posen

and some more colorful dresses by: dennis basso, prabal gurung, twinkle

carolina herrera, halston, malandrino

pictures from: style and elle

spring 2010 new york fashion week

the bulk of ny fashion week was disappointing. out of 4000+ or 5000+ pictures, i found not even 30 fun looks. or maybe i'm just getting more critical.

i think the winner of the week was peter som, at least for me. really liked the colors and stripes. so i guess we'll start with peter som.

allude and geren ford had similar looks as well.

alexander berardi and chadwick bell had some work appropriate stuff

pictures from: style, elle and mb fashion week

how was your weekend?

it was a baby-rific weekend! babysat my nephew on saturday and went to a baby shower on sunday.

at 14 weeks, he was a perfect baby. the right amount of cuteness. not too much crying. in fact, not enough crying. he poopied his diapers and didn't display any discomfort. didn't realize it until i took a big whiff. blech! changing my very first poopie diaper was definitely an experience.

sunday had dirty diapers too. but instead of stinkiness, the diapers had yumminess ... in the form of mystery melted chocolate bars. and a bunch of other fun shower games. i don't think i've eaten more food or laughed harder at a baby shower before. and this was definitely the first one with rum as game prizes.

no pictures this time ... unless i get requests to see poopie diapers!

more movies ...

yep, also saw another movie over the weekend: the september issue

very entertaining. if you're expecting a deep look into anna wintour's life, you're going to be disappointed. you get some, but not much.

the real "star" of the documentary was creative director, grace coddington, who was even featured in a vogue.com interview

even though i'm not a vogue reader, i am familiar with her editorials. she's quite talented. and feisty!

how was your weekend?

pretty good ... did some bike shopping. i think i'm going to pick that up because jogging's been pretty tough on my legs. biking should hopefully have a lot less impact.

restricted by my size and my budget, there seems to be a consensus as to which bike i should start with. too bad it isn't as pretty as i'd like. after pointing out bikes on the street, i've come to the conclusion that i prefer the more vintage steel frame bikes. you know, the kind that looks like the actual bike lane/route signs.

came across a perfect example in a random japanese bike magazine while we were browsing in kinokuniya ... riteway ... hellooooo, pretty bike!

too bad they don't make ones small enough for me though. neither does bianchi nor masi. but then again, those are slightly above my budget. bianchi's dolomiti is at $3300 and masi's speciale bikes at $1150+ ... vs riteway at $760.

we also tossed around the idea of finding a vintage bike frame and building it to a full modern bike. but that would be a long shot, considering most vintage bike frames are much too large. hmmm ... maybe we can find a vintage kid's bike frame? maybe one that's not too small?

and oh ... i would note that jeans are not the pantwear of choice for test-riding bikes. not comfortable!

what to do about lunch?

so i've been pretty good about using my daisoware at work ... just about every day for breakfast and most days for lunch when i bring something from the market.

and it's been great. i tend to eat healthier/fresher now, like the market cherry tomatoes, cowgirl creamery fromage blanc and acme torpedo roll above. instead of, say, a turkey sandwich from a nearby deli or a burger or pizza or tacos with chips & salsa. or just feeling way full after lunch. portions are much more manageable now. and lunch has been way cheaper. it's a win all around ... or so i thought.

i went to the cafe across the street for some puree of butternut squash to supplement my leftover savory risotto today. and the guy there asked if i just got back from vacation or something. because he hadn't seen me around in a while. and i told him that i've just been bringing stuff from home lately. and he responded, yeah ... i lot of people are doing that now ...

oh man ... i know restaurants in general have been having a tough time. but fidi lunch spots? i hadn't even really thought about them. i don't want them all to start closing. my favorite breakfast spot already shut down a couple months ago. boo ... what to do?

how was your (labor day) weekend?

very relaxing ... mostly just watched a bunch of dvds.

i love you, man was a really cute bromatic movie. in the same general vein as knocked up and forgetting sarah marshall (starring the same main guys).

duplicity with julia roberts and clive owen ... you can skip that one.

and coraline. super cute and creepy at the same time. you'll never think of buttons the same way again.

also started shopping for a road bike, so i can move away from all the impact stress on my legs from jogging. instead, i'll be putting myself at risk for falls. watch out!

too bad most off-the-rack road bikes are so sporty looking. why can't they make more simple ones like muji (as seen in tokyo) ...

will keep looking. i'll probably be making a purchase within the month.