Thursday, September 25, 2008

goodbye moon...25 september 2008



goodbye old east village apartment. goodbye rats. goodbye bedbugs. goodbye ants. goodbye place where my beloved pink cruiser was stolen. goodbye 6th floor walk up. goodbye leaky washer and dryer. goodbye no place to sit. goodbye first apartment in new york city.


hello new lower east side apartment. hello half a flight of stairs. hello elevator. hello clean space. hello sugar sweet sunshine bakery. hello freeman's alley. hello teany. hello decorating project with amy merrick (who you should see is featured on domino magazine's website's deco file section). hello future home with me and pete. hello three's company. hello future marital home with my sweet eddie. hello love.

i can not wait to show you the progress. until then...

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

inspire me...16 september 2008 gratitudes






1. ran into lois smith on the street. she is the actress who plays sofia in how to make an american quilt. this is one of my absolute favorite movies and i love her character. sofia is sort of this crochety old woman who completely endears herself to the viewer by the end of the movie as her story is told. anyway, normally i try and be polite and pretend i don't recognize actresses because i don't want to be rude. and then sometimes i can't control that i'm a huge geek. this was one of those times. this poor sweet woman was just looking up bus time schedules and i totally confessed my love for her in this movie. i'm pretty sure i scared her. almost positive. i had on big heart glasses, a big goofy grin, and my grey hair was a hot mess. oh well...

2. found inspiration for my wedding via a cup of joe's photos from last weekend's jazz-age lawn party on govenor's island. how did i miss this?! more so, how was i not a young lady in this time?

3. went to my favorite local speakeasy little branch with peter, coco, and max. this is one of my favorite places to go after a long day with dear friends. its dimly light with a jazz band playing as waiters dressed in 1920s attire bring you sipping cocktails. i was introduced to this sweet spot by tracy rosenbaum who described their drinks as "bespoke cocktails made with love". spot-on description. order a "bramble" which is off the menu, and you will be quite happy. crushed ice and crushed fresh blackberries are involved. you won't be disappointed.

4. received an email from one of the dolls in au revoir simone. i'm a complete band-aid for these girls and to receive an email from erica made me smile from ear-to-ear. they are the most adorable package. cute girls in dresses and high waisted shorts with long hair singing sweet, catchy diddies. their songs are like nursery rhymes and lullabies for grownups. oh how i love them!

5. got a phone call from my amy merrick who happened to be in paula rubensteins, an amazing antique prop shop in soho while i was on the phone with one of the store's shopclerks. she said she thought she recognized my southern twang coming through the receiver. once she heard the man reply, "oh you're looking for mercury glass hat stands?" she laughed and called me right away at my store. i'm a sucker for anything with mercury glass, and y'all know i loves me some hats.

6. signed the lease for my new apartment, my future first home for eddie and me. i can't wait. it's a two bedroom in the lower east side with an art deco hallway leading to our door. there is no natural light hardly because all the windows face buildings, but we're calling it the rabbit hole. i will truly feel like alice now. and i'm a stones throw away from sugar sweet sunshine, a yummy cupcake bakery. i'm in such trouble!

7. the new lula magazine is in news stands now. every time i see a new issue i feel giddy and celebratory. its jam packed with girlish charm. each page is like a dreamy collage. the collection of photographers and artists who contribute have always been on my list of inspiration . each issue is the most beautiful collision of thoughts and imagery and sentiment. swoon.

Monday, September 15, 2008

stay golden, my children...15 september 2008




and this is why haynes riley makes me smile. he is one of my favorite artists and a dear friend since our art school days in savannah, georgia. he speaks about art in a pure, altruistic way, like he's thinking out loud and not caring who is listening. i wish my thoughts were as poetic as his. here is what he wrote about the piece he created. and the photo is of his mother, marilyn and her sister. they are twins. like haynes and his brother hunter.


"it is supposed to be about "my process" of creativity. i explain it by saying I just GO and enjoy myself. I let the visual and idea drive the piece, while using a grid and other design techniques. but mainly it is about the joy of designing. I think the gold represents what it does in that Robert Frost poem that they recite in The Outsides: when Johnny says "I think I know what that guy meant when he said nothing gold can stay." and then Johnny continues, "like when were younger, that's gold. and the way you dig sunsets Pony Boy, that's gold"

when dawn turns into day, nothing gold can stay. i need to find this exact poem and quote it correctly.

what do you guys think? actually, what do you guys feel?

haynes"

and this is one of my favorite things about haynes. after working together for ten hours at the stores, grumpy and tired, he sends me something like this. thanks haynes riley.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

dear eddie...14 september 2008




my darling man,

i am so grateful for you every day. i'm counting down the days until you move here. all day long i think about how happy you make me. i can't wait to move into the new apartment so i can practice my wifely skills. kristen dearden is going to teach me how to make you a proper italian dinner. amy merrick promises to come over and help me cook a manly breakfast (even though i know how proud you are of your fried egg and bacon talent). hopefully meagan bennett will give me a cupcake baking crash tutorial. i am going to make a conscious effort to start making my bed, cleaning the bathroom, and maybe vacuuming once in a while. i know you aren't marrying me for my domestic skills... but i can't wait to acquire them.

i will make us coffee in the morning so we always have something to start the day off right.
i will make you brownbag lunches to take to law school so you have at least something to look forward to during the day.
i will go see a drive-by-truckers concert with you sometime, even though i feel like i paid my dues with p-groove, allman brothers, and lynyrd skynyrd.
i will scratch your back at night before you fall asleep, because i know it makes you happy.
i will make an effort to get one weekend off during football season so we can go see a game in athens together.
i will happily fall asleep to the sounds of cnn, for i will be a much more informed citizen with you here.
i will make an effort to contain my little girl aesthetic to one part of the apartment. and i will find a spot for your knowshon moreno painting. well...i will try.
i will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me.

oh i am so madly in love with you and i can't wait for you to move here. always and forever, my love.

Friday, September 12, 2008

out of focus but still looking...12 september gratitudes






1. woke up to a beautiful grey morning. i love a good dreary sky with thick clouds, swelling with rain.

2. worked with a lively, surprisingly high-spirited group (despite last nights revelries). even though we were a little worse for wear, we managed to smile and laugh the day away.

3. discovered our sweet company named the spring 09 collection bags after the shopgirls. i can't believe there is going to be a "ginny" bag. it seems so silly to be excited, but i am genuinely touched. all us girls keep talking about how neat when think this is. this company certainly knows how to make a gal feel special.

4. wore my favorite grey clown pants. i like wearing clothing that makes me laugh a little when i catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. and the fact that i feel like i'm lounging around in pajama pants is such a delightful bonus.

5. am finally about to sleep for more than 8 hours. this time of year is my absolute favorite. fashion week is so inspiring and exciting, but i am looking forward to coming back down from the clouds.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

a moment in time...11 september 2008 gratitudes









1. oh my goodness, my wedding dress came in the mail!!!!!! i am so, so happy. i bought it on ebay, which is not especially romantic, but i was having a hard time finding a beautiful and relatively inexpensive great gatsby style dress, the old-fashioned way. i paid less than $200 for this vintage gem, which i think is not too shabby for a wedding dress, no? it is literally everything i envisioned and more. 1920s silhouette. bone colored layers of tiered chiffon with beading. and sequined paneled flaps to boot! oh i'm so happy.

2. had my portrait taken by the so very kind photographer johnny gembitsky in my bedroom. he used the kind of polaroid film where it is all sealed up and when it is finished developing, you unwrap it like a present. its so much fun to see what develops. and johnny was such a kind and gentle soul. he made me feel totally comfortable in front of his camera, whereas i normally turn into an awkward blushing mess. it always touches me when i meet creatives in new york who are equally as human as they are passionate.

3. found a place on my wall for kieran's letter. kieran mulcare was the first person at the marc jacobs store on bleeker that i worked with and instantly was drawn to. he is so smart and kind and articulate and gracious. he warms the hearts of everyone he meets. he is the kind of person to invite you to tea upon meeting you; a boy who dressed up as le petit prince for halloween; and an individual who makes a point of touching all of the trees that line the street. as if to give them an encouraging pat on the back. he loves animals and children and wrote me the sweetest letter that made me cry harder than i have cried in a while. i adore kieran.

4. picked up my wash and fold laundry, finally, and made my bed with my new quilt that i scored from a flea market stall in athens, georgia. i am amassing more quilts than i can shake a fist at. i can always justify buying a quilt-"oh this will go on my bed." "oh, i'll just hang her right up on my wall." "oh wouldn't that be a perfect picnic blanket". i'm a sucker for women's handiwork.

5. uploaded some pre-fashion show photos of my cute friends getting dolled up. playing dress up was my favorite past time as girl. other than trying to kiss the boys on the play ground. i guess some things never change.

6. played around with my polaroid sx-70 camera. amazing. the lighting that this camera captures is incredible. as soon as i move into my new apartment, my goal is to scan my polaroids in. digital photography is such a convenient method of recording time, but nothing compares to film. especially polaroid film. how can it be discontinued? its more than just a dying art. its heartbreak.

i'm in the process of packing up to move into a new apartment, so postings might be slow and scattered. but i will try and be good! as soon as i'm settled into my new place it will be gratitudes galore. promise.

remember y'all...11 september 2008



sometimes during the excitement of fashion week, like this morning, i almost overlook a very important day that i should never forget.

i can't believe its been 7 years since the saddest day in our nation's history (since i've been alive). i am so grateful to live in this magical city that never sleeps. that never gives up. that never forgets.

this is a photo shot by the sartorialist of my dear friend madeleine. for some reason i feel like it fits here.

i think the wind is changing...i see sunnier days in our country's future. very soon, i hope.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

year and a day...4 september 2008 gratitudes







i have officially lived in new york for a year and a day.

new york time is on its own clock, the big hand running laps around the little one.

i can't believe i'm a sophomore in this city. this year was a true roller coaster with the highest highs, and the lowest lows. like the feeling whether you don't know if you should laugh or cry. that emotion suspended for 12 months and a day. i moved here with two suitcases and nothing else. my first day i took a cab straight from the airport, dropped my bags off at haynes riley's apartment(which he generously and kindly let me stay for three weeks), and was escorted to the women's marc by marc store on bleeker by the darling susie farhandi. my first day in the city. my first day of work. i remember thinking, "just breathe".

the week i had arrived marked the beginning of fashion week. what a time to move to new york as a young fashion designer! i couldn't have been more in love with this city. i fell head over heels. new york felt like fall. perfect weather and an energy that was indescribable. i remember standing in line for hours outside the armory waiting for the marc jacobs collection show to start. unreal. the photo of me in the black dress was taken while i was waiting in line. the only show i have desperately wanted to attend. the collection was breathtaking. the production, so clever and worth the wait. i would have waited all night for that show. even though my five inch heels made me want to cut my feet off at the ankles.

i am so grateful to be here, and while i miss the south with all my heart, i know there is so much more for me to learn and see and play and experience and discover.

i just wish i could find a place that cooks grits as good as the folks in georgia.
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