Speaking Of Rental Apartments...
We’ve got tons of tips on what to do with your dark/small/uncomfortable/personality-free/wonderful-but-needs-a-little-pizazz rental place over in these parts.
Just click the below links for more info!
May 2012
StyleList Home / Kyle Schuneman
Yesterday afternoon I hosted a StyleList Home segment with interior designer (and author of The First Apartment Book) Kyle Schuneman, who transformed three cramped NYC spaces using products from HauteLook (I learned yesterday that they have lots of home decor sales in addition to the fashion-y stuff they’re more well-known for).
Doesn’t Kyle kind of look like Topher Grace? Anyway, he’s adorable, and was so much fun to interview. I got lots of good tips for first-time renters that I think many of you will find useful, so I’ll be sure to post the segment here once it’s up.
(Gloomy days require pink shoes.)
Above are some of my favorite picks from HauteLook’s Home section (they’re all for sale - and majorly discounted - right now). Purple stools! Lucite! And I know that arc lamps are sort of a retro cliche…but I completely love them (and that one is $229 down from nearly $500).
Adorable (And Easy!) New Mom Mother's Day Gift: DIY Growth Chart
Click through to check out Meg Allan Cole’s how-to for a super easy, customizable (and fast!) DIY gift that’s perfect for a new mama: a DIY Growth Chart (with optional felt appliques).
There’s lots more Mother’s Day-related content over on the DIGS Channel; click here to take a look.
On me: H&M dress, Timo Weiland for Tsubo heels.
All-Kinds-Of-Bright Curtains
I usually go for gauzy and white because I’m boring like that when it comes to curtains, and always feel like I’d get sick of anything more dramatic…
but this is fantastic.
The previous owners of our house are apparently leaving behind a scattered few window treatments, several of which are sorrrta similar to this (in that they’re yellow and poufy). I was planning on swapping them out, but…
hmm.
(By the way, Urban Outfitters has a great selection of bright curtains and whimsical tie-backs if you’re in the market for some of your own.)
Too Much Of A Good Thing
Sometimes “too much” is just that: too much.
As with playgrounds (yesterday’s epic swinging session resulted in an equally epic mid-snack crash).
And sample sales (we’re talking fistfight-level madness at last night’s Rebecca Minkoff bag sale over on 5th Ave).
At Three AM, The Sky Outside My Bedroom Window Is Purple
Actually, kind of a sickly yellow-gray-purple, and weirdly bright for that time of night thanks to the reflections of the city lights.
How do I know this?
Because I see it Every. Single. Night.
I’ve always had a night wakefulness problem - around 2 or 3 is usually when it happens; it’s called “habitual awakening” (where it’s become such a pattern that my mind actually wakes itself up regardless of external circumstances) - but last night was something special.
I spent three and a half hours of the seven that I had allotted for sleep staring at the clock and going over everything from my to-do list for today’s shoot to enormous worries about the future and fears for my child. And of course, the longer it went on the more and more panicked I got, and presto: 5:30AM, and still eyes-wide-open.
I feel fabulous today, as I’m sure you can imagine.
My little go-to get-back-to-sleep tricks include the following:
- Writing down everything on my mind on a notepad (this one really works if the to-do list for the next day is legitimately what’s keeping me up)
- Playing RainyMood.com (we started playing this all-night crashing-thunderstorm website for Indy, but it helps us sleep better, too)
- Turning on the A/C (I hate being hot at night)
- Getting up to watch my son sleep for a minute
- Picturing My Little Ponies jumping around in a field (the oddball little version of counting sheep that worked for me when I was a kid and couldn’t get back to sleep)
- Giving up entirely and starting the workday in the middle of the night (this is a very bad idea)
But obviously none of these things did the trick last night. (What finally worked was kicking Kendrick onto the couch - I know, bad wife - so that I could sprawl out in a full spread-eagle position with every single pillow on the bed piled onto my face.)
So I want to know: what do you do when you can’t sleep? Would love some new ideas.
“Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim: I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”
—Maurice Sendak (via nedhepburn)
Lust Object
Diane Kruger, generally. This dress, specifically.
Also, while we’re talking Met Ball - can I just say, how great is Sarah Jessica Parker? Not the dress - the lady. She knows that everyone is constantly evaluating her fashion choices (because she’s Carrie, even though I’m sure she’s as tired of SATC references as the rest of the world), and does not care. Or, rather, she cares a lot, but certainly doesn’t care what the critics think: of course she knew that this dress would guarantee her a spot on every Worst-Dressed List, but she likes what shelikes, and wears completely bizarre pieces bravely, and with an obvious sense of humor.
She’s basically a mission statement of what I enjoy about fashion.
Want to know what I don’t enjoy about fashion? This.
How-To: Forever 21 Colorblock Dress
Q. Hi Jordan,
Just to say that I love catching up with your blog and that your thoughts and opinions are a constant source of daily inspiration for me! So naturally, I thought of you as I pondered my latest wardrobe dilemma: Even though I’m closer to Forever 31 than Forever 21, I recently bought this cute, color-block shift dress there and cannot, for the life of me, decide what to accessorize it with. What do you think?
Thanks in advance!
Jaime
A. Hey Jaime! I, too, am far closer to Forever 31 (actually about two weeks away from that particular number)…but that doesn’t stop me from being a total fangirl about the place. It’s all in how you wear it, right?
As you may have been able to tell from yesterday’s post, I (like the rest of the world, and every single mass-market designer) am very into neon right now. Especially neon yellow shoes - they look just perfect for spring, and affordable versions can be found everywhere (I spotted identical styles earlier this week at both Steve Madden and Aldo).
Mix in a few extra color splashes and a touch of white, ground the whole look with a perfect denim jacket, and you’ve got an outfit that goes everywhere from brunch-with-friends (add a lightweight scarf and swap in flats, if that’s your druthers) to out-at-night (lose the jacket and add a ton of mascara).
P.S. How amazing is that nailpolish and that lipstick? Straight to the must-list.
Product info after the jump.
Clockwise from far left: Forever 21 dress, Armani Beauty Rouge Sheer d’Armani Lipstick in Acid Tangerine, Essie polish in Navigate Her, Notify denim jacket, Jada rose gold neon bracelets, Proenza Schouler pouch, Fergie heels.
Noreen Fraser Foundation Mother's Day e-Cards
For your consideration this Mother’s Day: comedic e-cards created by everyone from Neil Patrick Harris to Amy Poehler in collaboration with the non-profit Noreen Fraser Foundation, each of which highlights the importance of early detection in the fight against womenâs cancers and translational cancer research.
Click here to check them out, and here to learn more about early cancer detection.
How-To: Sprinkle A Little Sour On That Sweet
Here’s the thing:
Lately, I love super-girly (by which I mean rainbow bright/feminine/floral/fitted/embellished) pieces. I really do.
But!
I do not love looking super-girly.
So: how to reconcile the two factions at war here?
My rule, in short: When wearing a piece (like this amazing Lilly Pulitzer jacket) that could arguably make an appearance on Elle Woods, make sure that at least one other article of clothing on your body (like the slouchy boyfriend jeans I’m wearing here) would make her run for the hills.
Unless “country club chic” is the look you’re going for (which is A-OK if you like that style; it’s just not my kind of thing), mix a little punk (or whatever) into your prep. By which I mean: no French twists. No pearls. No pleats. No other pink bits and pieces.
(I make an exception for pink patent leather shoes, which I firmly believe go with absolutely everything.)
A Few Suggestions:
- Add an unquestionably un-girly piece, like a rugged leather belt or army jacket.
- When in doubt, pair super-feminine pieces with an otherwise neutral outfit (for example, a floral jacket with a grey tee and jeans, or sweet-as-pie pink pants with a navy tank).
- Tone it all down with flats: here, I’m wearing pink stilettos because…well, I like them - but a pair of seen-better-days brown boots or simple, neutral slides would look great, too.
- Don’t “do” that ‘do: keep your hair (and makeup) simple and relaxed.
- If you’re feeling extra brave, go ahead and throw in some ridiculous contrast in the form of skulls, animal print, or spikes.
Completely off-topic, but I have to show you these two pieces of jewelry: the necklace is from Forever 21 and was FOUR DOLLARS (!), and the LyraLoveStar ring is now a part of my daily must-wear Right Hand Repertoire.
Please excuse the devastating manicure. I’m fixing it today.
On me: Mille Jacket c/o Lilly Pulitzer, Rebecca Taylor cut-out tee, jeans c/o Paige Denim, Steve Madden pumps, Forever 21 necklace, Mid City purse c/o Foley & Corinna, LyraLoveStar ring, Juicy Couture sunglasses.
JITH: Mother's Day Special
A mini Mother’s Day Moment, featuring my very own, very cool mama.
Next week we’re back to regular segments…and I know that I say this every week, but the one coming up next Monday? ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. It involves Marilyn Monroe, Trojan warriors, and Mod Podge.
Weekend Snapshots
We started the weekend with a date night, and started that date night at Pizzeria Uno, mostly because we heard that you get a deal on your movie tickets if you eat at Pizzeria Uno first. As it turns out, the deal was for a different movie theater than the one we were planning to go to (we saw The Cabin in the Woods - loved it), but that’s fine, because the end result was that we got to eat Pizza Skins (pizza crust filled with mashed potatoes, bacon, cheese, and sour cream). Which are terrible. And also great.
We spent the rest of the weekend with Kendrick’s parents, who drove in from Ohio to stay in Tarrytown for the weekend (we took the MetroNorth up to meet them).
Obviously lots of shoulders were ridden on.
We stopped in for dinner at the Striped Bass - it’s a great place to have dinner if you’re doing a Tarrytown day trip, because a) it’s so right-on-the-water that you feel almost like you’re in a beach town, and b) it’s about six feet from the train station, so you can hang out on the deck with a beer up until pretty much the second before you’re scheduled to depart.
Long day trips make for some zoned-out rides home.
On Sunday morning we got all ready to head back up the river, but arrived at Grand Central to discover a total mob scene (above that’s where we hid out while we figured out what was going on). What was going on was that no trains had entered or left Grand Central since seven o’clock that morning - why, I have no idea, but we were going nowhere.
So we gave up, and Kendrick’s parents drove in to meet us for brunch at Johnny Foxes (very affordable, decent menu with options that range from standard to vaguely interesting), where we discovered the wonder that is a Yo Gabba Gabba episode played on an iPad when Mom and Dad are trying to eat.
Pink Patent Leather...And Diapers
This is what shopping sprees look like these days.
What To Do: With Your Sunroom
Q. Hi Jordan,
I have a really nice enclosed front porch, but it’s a bland room. What do you suggest for a small space like this?
Thanks,
Kim
A. I’m kind of obsessed with sunroom decor myself lately - my favorite room in our new house is a kinda-sunroom just off of the kitchen with big windows that overlook the backyard, and since I figure that’s where we’re basically going to live, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how to decorate it.
What I think makes the most sense for us is to use the sunroom as our dining room (and make the “formal” dining room, which we would otherwise never use, an office/playroom area), but what would be more fun would be to have it be a casual eat/work/play area.
Like this.
Or this (love that rustic box-as-table).
Or this.
In all three of these shots, there are two main things that really stand out: a gorgeous table with lots of personality (go low if you prefer a living-room feel, or choose a high table if you plan to use it for work or eating), and great pillows with beautiful patterns.
For a cool (and affordable) table, try WorldMarket (I love the two pictured above - the Tribal Carved Table is on the left, and the White Basanti Hexagon Table is on the right), or pick up something used on CraigsList and give it a little TLC, if necessary. Try surrounding your pick with mismatched chairs painted in a calming shade, and add some bright pillows for color.
I also want to point out this room, which I love because the owners weren’t afraid to make bold choices and mix styles. I recently saw tables (really more “stools”) just like this at a HomeGoods summer preview, so if you’re in the market for fun pieces that’s a great place to check out.
