December 2011
“If you’re not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you.”
—
Dr. Gregory House (via thegirlkyle)
Have to agree with this one.
Holiday Style: Tights On, Tights Off?
Q. Jordan! I’m wearing this dress to my husband’s work cocktail party (I wouldn’t normally pick such a tight dress for a holiday party, but the husband insisted on “sexy” instead of my usual flowy dress style). Will it look dumb with stockings (because girl, it’s cold out)? Still undecided if I should go with these booties - should I, shouldn’t I?
Thanks so much,
Rain
A. Oh my goodness, definitely wear tights! Because yeah, it’s cold out…but also because if you don’t, you’ll spend all night with people coming up to you and saying, “Bare legs?! Aren’t you cold?!” And that’s annoying. I know because I constantly go out in the winter with bare legs (sorry, Mom), and people constantly lecture me about it, and it’s annoying. If it was a very fancy affair, I’d say maybe suffer through the chill, but if you’re looking to wear that dress and those boots, it sounds like a pretty fun, relaxed kinda event. So: tights, yes.
Stockings, I don’t know about. Nude stockings are theoretically making a bit of a comeback thanks to the royals, but…ehhhh. They still feel kind of weird to me. And black sheer stockings run the risk of taking a look into Pretty Woman territory, I think (I’m generally only a fan of sheer black stockings if they’re patterned and come packaged with an ironic wink). So my advice would be to go for opaque black tights, which will actually go quite nicely with the rocker chick feel of the booties, so long as you balance out the darkness on your lower half by adding some key accessories to your top.
The fact that the black booties are a little rocker-girl sexy actually gives you lots of options for adding balance to the outfit - anything from a dark wrap to a glittery bolero jacket can work. Or you could just throw on some heavy jewelry, like a statement necklace or black resin bangle, to streamline the look - just keep your makeup fairly neutral and pretty (think sheer lips, not red).
Have fun!
Product info after the jump.
10. Lanvin choker
Hangover Helper / New Year's Breakfast
Every year, we spend New Year’s Day on the couch, wrapped up in blankets and watching extremely bad movies while eating things like oeufs en cocotte (eggs baked in cream). Why baked eggs? Two of those and a little hair of the dog in screwdriver form (it’s a holiday, shush) make for an excellent hangover cure.
And this year…oh, this year we’re adding avocado to the mix.
I spotted this “recipe” (if you can call it that; it’s so easy) a couple of days ago on Tumblr, and immediately picked up some enormous avocados so that I could make it for lunch. All it really is is a very thick slice of avocado with a fried egg in the middle, but for New Year’s breakfast, I’m going to try adding a little cream and putting these in the oven (basically, making oeufs en cocotte with avocado slices taking the place of ramekins). Or maybe baking the eggs in ramekins and then transferring them into the hollowed-out avocados to serve. Not sure yet, but stay tuned. I think it’ll be a good one.
But in the meantime, here’s what I made yesterday:
AVOCADO & EGGS
1. Take a thick slice of avocado (leave the skin on) and remove the nut, hollowing a little extra room into the space left in the middle (I used a shot glass as a kind of cookie cutter).
2. Place the avocado slice in a lightly oiled pan over medium-low heat.
3. Crack in an egg, cover, and let cook for a couple of minutes. I found that the egg was still a bit too runny for my taste at this point, so I flipped the avocado slice using a spatula and let it cook another minute on the other side. And because my avocado was truly enormous, I added a second egg that I fried up separately to the top.
4. Finish by seasoning as you like - I just used salt, but pepper and hot sauce would probably be popular, as well.
Growl.
Oh, Hi, Mama.
Did you know I’m eight weeks old today?
Being eight weeks old is funny.
Hi Jordan! One of my new years resolutions is to work towards a more grown up wardrobe. I am 21 years old, graduated college in May, but I am starting work after the new year. Any advice as to wear I should begin? Staples? Must haves? I don't even own a pair of black pants!
Hi there! I’ll answer this question in more detail ASAP, but as a jumping-off point try this post on wardrobe basics and finding your style. (And congrats on the graduation!)
Palm Tree Dreaming
Just thinking how much I’d really like to be sitting on a beach today.
Wearing this. Or some variation on it.
Holiday Style: Black Sequin Shorts
Q. Hi Jordan!
Since your style is somewhat similar to mine, I need some major help finding an outfit to go with a pair of black sequin shorts I bought for my holiday work party. If you would be oh so kind as to recommend an idea or two I would be forever grateful.
Thanks a million! And happiest of holidays to you and your family :)
Lance
A. You know I love me some sparkle shorts. Black ones can be a little tricky, though, because the goal is to look like you’re attending the party…not working at it. To that end, I’d avoid things like red lipstick (choose a sheer pink instead) and button-down white shirts, and instead go for black-on-black sophisticated, or a little Carrie Bradshaw in Season 4 (when she was all ruffles, all the time). Either way, add elegant jewelry (nothing too costume-y) and black tights (preferably opaque, for warmth and coverage).
You might also want to try a cream tank/black silk blazer combo with a lariat necklace and sophisticated pumps; just make sure the pieces you pick for the top are relaxed rather than overly tailored. And for a more casual party (not a work party), I like pairing something sparkly on the bottom with a fitted flannel and boots for a little mix-and-match look (I know, it sounds too weird, but it works).
Product info after the jump.
Halston Heritage shorts and Marni necklace paired with…
On the left: Clemens en August turtleneck, Milly purse, DKNY boots
On the right: Hoss Intropia top, Sondra Roberts clutch, Valentino pumps
How-To: Blow-Dry Perfect Bangs
So I’m not gonna lie: bangs are tricky. Or at least they are on my hair: as I suspected would happen, I wake up looking far more like Alfalfa than Audrey. Kendrick thinks this is funny (I disagree).
But what Karmela told me when I was getting them cut is true: if you can manage to make your bangs look decent, that’s really all you need to do with your hair - if you’re in a hurry you can just twist the rest up onto the top of your head and look respectably done. And while at John Sahag Workshop last weekend, I learned how to do just that (the results of my tutorial are pictured above).
HOW-TO: BLOW-DRY PERFECT BANGS
1. Start with wet hair, and dry your bangs first (counterintuitive maybe, but they get a lot tougher to wrangle if they’re left to their own devices for even a few minutes).
2. First use two fingers to pull them down and slightly out, aiming the blowdryer down the hair shaft.
3. Then use a paddle brush to make the same motion - the pulling with the fingers makes them straight, while the brush gives them just the slightest bend (in other words: volume without veering into poofy ’80s territory).
4. Next, “wrap” the hair, using the paddle brush to push the bangs first to one side, then the other, blow-drying all the while.
5. Repeat these steps until completely dry. The result should be bangs that aren’t too flat and aren’t too curled…bangs, in other words, that are just right.
Now, for product. To give my hair shine I like using Alterna Bamboo Dry Oil Mist, but if you spray a product like that onto bangs there’s the danger that they’ll look oily. What I like to use on the shorter pieces around my face (and now for my bangs) is a little of Kendrick’s hair wax - I rub just the tiniest amount into the ends only, to break them up. But honestly, you know what I do more often than not? After I moisturize my skin, I just twist whatever residue is left on my fingers into the ends, and that does the trick. Easy easy.
