WIWT Weekend: 30/5/2009

Boring grey jersey dress made less boring:

I have a Benetton jersey dress from two seasons ago when all things maternity-ish and shapeless were really popular. In the first picture, you can see this dress resembles something close to a sink full of dish water. After the usual perfunctory whine of "I have nothing to wear" at my closet, I decided to belt the damn thing, but with a scarf since the flowing lines of the jersey would have made an decidedly ugly bunching effect with any "real" belt. I added a layer of contrast with a metal snake-like necklace I found at Kokoroko. Add one pair of gladiator sandals from a brand called "Nickels" and my outfits is both comfortable and loses its annoying formlessness. 

Grey, jersey dress (UCoBenetton) / gladiator sandals (Nickels) / scarf used as belt (?) / snake-like necklace (Kokoroko) 

Eat: Simplest Apple and Berry Tart

What could be more summery than berry tarts and galettes? As blackberries and raspberries flood the farmer's markets, get 'em while the gettin's good! I adapted an easy tart recipe into an easy and relatively healthy one with berries (only a couple of tablespoons of sugar used!). The Smitten Kitchen Simplest Apple Tart really lives up to the name. Instead of just apples, I ended up layering some fresh raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries as well. Next time, I think I'll bake the apple tart as is for 15-20minutes before adding the berries over top.

(Lacking a tart pan, I used a pie pan. As you can see, I still need to work on my pie-crusting abilities. Let me just say, it's damn hard getting a perfect looking crust! Practice is definitely required.)



With the left over crust, I cut up some more apples and made a mini-galette:

(The galette is so much easier. Beginners, just stick with doing a big galette or many little ones! Next time I think I'll just make a batch of mini-galettes instead of a big tart.)

So, go on with you... get some berries & follow that recipe; it is pretty fool-proof. One thing to take note, especially if you have no experience with making pastry: when the recipe calls for "just-softened butter", it really means "just-softened butter". Anything softer will result in dough disaster. And try not to work with the dough for too long: the warmth of your hands will affect the texture of the buttery dough.

Lastly, the recipe's "glaze" calls for using a lot of sugar, but I don't think that's necessary at all. Simmer the peels in water with a little bit of sugar on low for a long time and the fructose will naturally result in a good glaze that isn't overly sweet.

The Blog: Updates May 2009

Ceda will now officially be joining the fold. She kept gchatting me suggestions for posts so it's really silly for me to continue posting on her behest! Her contributor bio is to come.

Also, take note that there is a "Mobile Photo" section in the sidebar now. The girls and I will be sending various mobile (and occasionally non-mobile) photos there. Thanks for reading! Let us know if you have any other site suggestions!

/End updates

WIWT Weekday: 20/5/2009

Be prepared to be seeing a lot of this this summer. That is to say: dress + blazer = instant work outfit. I really can't emphasize enough how much I love a good dress. To think that I essentially went through my entire childhood refusing to wear anything that didn't individually sheath each leg in fabric! Why was I so naive? Was I being a feminist or simply buying into the phallocentric world of pant-wearers? Heh heh. Anyhow, whatever the reasoning behind my misguided worshipping of the pant, I'm making up for lost time.

Wore this last week when I was in Chicago and went to grab dinner with a former colleague and one of her business acquaintances. I absolutely love this dress. It may be from Target, but the fit is excellent and looks a lot richer than it is. It's probably one of my favourite dresses.

The panda face is to cover up my own dour expression. Didn't want to frighten my readers off again with a nasty sneer. Instead, I'm luring you in with a delightful panda head. Oops about that visible bra strap.

Black, lightly pinstriped, light wool blazer (Zara) / ruffled, multi-tiered, graphic dress (Target's Go International) / black, patent leather, buckle pumps (Carshoe--they make more than quality carshoes)  

(I just returned from Phoenix an hour ago and am still quite awake. Posting this a little late!)

Question to the Readers: Non-Matching Suits

Dear Readers:

As I was deciding what to wear for an interview in the mercilessly hot temperatures of Phoenix, I found myself tempted to mix a pair of white, linen slacks with a navy, linen jacket. But then I thought to myself: does anyone wear non-matching suits to interviews?

I've never done this in the past and truthfully, I've never seen anyone do this. In general, it's a dull sea of black or charcoal suits with crisp, white, starched shirts.  I'm always playing with my suit-colour combos, but I've never ventured into the non-matching world for interviews.

What are your thoughts? Can non-matching suits be done in a professional, corporate interview, or would you just stand out like a sore thumb in a bad way? Much appreciate your input!


In other news, here is what I'll be wearing for that interview in Phoenix tomorrow (opted for the matching route):

They're flying me out around noon, and I'll be on a return flight late in the evening. Then it'll be off to New York in another week or so!

Cotton, khaki, skirt suit (Ann Taylor) / yellow, patterned, silk blouse (Club Monaco) / grey, vegan, patent pumps (Stella McCartney) / let the record show that I never wear pantyhose. 

Eat Like an Adult by Understanding the Menu

Guest post from Ceda. Frankly, I think she should join the regular blogging fold even though she's fearful of commitment; ha. In any event, she's my guide to the best Chicago fare these days, and in fact I spent last night at the recently opened Grocery Bistro upon her suggestion. Nothing better than fine dining and BYO. Delicious!

Without further ado, here is her delightful guide for the burgeoning foodie:



Ceda aping Anton Ego at (omg, suh good, worth killing for) Alinea
My diet in college was more gulag than the USDA food pyramid. Now that I have stepped out of the Progresso-soup pantry of my youth, its was time to try eating items not made from corn starch or construction cone orange. If menus full of annoying food vocabulary pisses you off, this is the article for you. Because underneath all that blather of foams, geles, and soupcons there’s some damn tasty food to be had.

• Amuse bouche – Too bad this has nothing to do with the seminal dance band from the 90s; it is a one bite appetizer that’s suppose to tickle your senses.
• Prix Fixe – In college, I couldn’t tell you Prix Fixe from prize leeks, but now I know that sometimes, this is a great way to score an appetizer, entrée, and desert for a set price usually less than the menu price.
• Roulade – Think little Debbie swiss rolls. Now imagine them in meat form. Now in chocolate. Now in corn meal. Yes, the roulade is merely the SHAPE of the food, not necessarily the contents within.
• Chèvre – it's cheese, goat cheese baby.
• Charcuterie – meats; plenty of cured meats usually served on a platter.
• Crudo – raw fish; think Italian for sushi, but no rice.
• Ramps, morels, chanterelles - the mushrooms for the food connoisseur.
• Quenelle – a spoon shaped scoop of ice cream or whatever food which can be scooped. Spherical scoops are like the silicone implants to the elegant, naturelle form of the quenelle. At least this is the impression I get from other foodies.
• Amish, Berkshire, Heirloom, Artisanal – if these are mentioned near the ingredients, you can be sure that the restaurant is charging more.
  

Costa del happiness

Photo by Bruno Dayan

Hello lovelies! I apologize for the lack of updates lately as this wannnabe fashionista had to get through her dreaded econ finals and papers. I'm now thankfully done with it all and will soon be departing for a much needed vacation in España. I'll try to post from abroad and keep you updated on some of the travel wear. I have a sneaking suspicion the Andalusian sun makes everything look fantastic.

Wish me a sexy time!

Shopping List: Asymmetrical dresses & tops

Asymmetry has been an oft-referenced style in the fashion canon. For a long time, I dismissed the look as asymmetry always brought up visions of asymmetrical fishtail hemlines circa my high school prom--a look I've never liked. The recent return to asymmetry is much more Athena and a lot less Vegas showgirl. I'd like to get one such dress for a wedding I'll be attending this summer. Below are a few I've pulled from ShopBop.com after a quick search for "one shoulder":

dresses all on ShopBop.com. I'm not especially craaaazy about any of these, but they're good examples

There is also a distinct 80s vibe with the oversized necklines and the ensuing falling-off-the-shoulder effect, another look I quite like when done right as demonstrated by none other than the first lady herself:

Image via Getty & Jezebel

Who makes this pleasant blousey top? Anyone know? I especially like the motley of graphic prints going on there. Great, modern look.

WIWT Weekend: 02/5/2009

I unfortunately (or fortunately depending on who you're talking to) live in a city with few opportunities to showcase one's interest in fashion. In Washington, you're more likely to get judged by your choice of reading material than by your choice of shoes. I therefore look forward to the Virginia horse races, otherwise known as Gold Cup. Just out of that memorable scene in Pretty Woman, its all about the clothes... and hats! This year, I thought I'd take a different approach with a empire waist and halter. God knows there's enough floral sun dresses to go around. The day was rainy and my hemline is completely covered in mud. Nothing a few mint juleps didn't fix though.

Empire waist dress (Tommy Hilfiger) / wide-brimmed hat (J. Crew)/ gold linen scarf (India) / sunglasses (Prada)

Drink: DIY to Drunken Bliss

Another guest post from the beloved Ceda! Tough economic times call for boozin'; empty wallets call for boozin' on the cheap. Ceda gives us the at-home rundown on the Violet Hour's classic Prohibition era drinks.



Waking up this morning with unexplained bruises meant that last night’s effort at stay-at-home cocktailing went a little TOO successfully. As much as I love food, it is safe to say that I would spend my last $11 $12 (prices went up; boohoo) dollars on drinks at the Violet Hour. If you are in Chicago, get thee to the unmarked door at 1520 N. Damen quickly. If you’re not in Chicago, then there are alternatives aplenty in New York, but what to do for the people unwilling to drop $11 $12 per drink in these tough economic times?

I present to you DIY Violet Hour. My eating partner had a former life as a bartender so this means that we had a little bit of advantage going into this experiment—however, I think a proper stab at Violet Hour drinks can be made by anyone. We tried three gin based drinks: The Riveria, Fox Hunt, and Briar Patch.

Fox Hunt

From the Violet Hour menu, the Fox Hunt is Tanqueray, Pimms, Lemon and Cynar. We prepared in these porportions for two drinks: Expand for full post.

3 oz gin
2 oz Pimms
Juice of 1 lemon
Splash of Cynar

Thoughts: Despite the pretty picture, this drink was bitter enough to drive a loner away from the prospect of true love. I think that the formula must need more tweaking because the bitterness of Cynar totally overwhelmed any other flavors.

 The Briar Patch

From the Violet Hour menu, the Briar Patch is Plymouth, Lemon and Blackberry Syrup. Lucky for us, our local farmer's market grocer had a sale on ripe blackberries, which we boiled with water and sugar to make the syrup. 

We made the drinks in these proportions for two drinks:

3 oz of Bombay gin
Juice of one lemon
4 tbs of Blackberry Syrup

Thoughts: The tartness of blackberry syrup was delicious with the cool gin. I would drink this again (and boy did I).

The Riveria

From the Violet Hour menu, the Riveria is Pineapple infused Beefeater, Lemon, Egg White, Campari. 

We made some emergency pineapple infused gin by dropping pineapple chunks into the gin.

For the Riveria, which was this gorgeous color between the ruby Campari and the pale pineapple juice color, we used these proportions for two drinks:

3 oz Bombay gin
1.5 oz Campari
Juice of half lemon
1 egg white
Splash of pineapple juice

Thoughts: Not only was this drink delicious, it was gorgeous to look at.



Cost Savings: We each had about 5 cocktails that night which would have cost us 10 X $11 $12 = $110 $120... thus $132 $144 including tip.  (Ed. note: Indeed, we have all had 5+ drinks/each nights at the Violet Hour; even if we don't remember them, our credit card statements do.)

Our total liquor costs were: Gin $20, Campri $20, Cynar $18, Pimms $18, Juices $4, Blackberries $2 for a grand total of $82.

Yes! $40 $62 dollars savings! And not to mention we have enough of every ingredient to make twice as many drinks as consumed. Now if I could only get the lighting in my apartment right…

At Home with Julia Restoin Roitfeld

Photos are from The Selby (click to see the rest of the photos). Ceda introduced me to this site, and it really is fantastic. As described by its owner, Todd Selby, the site features "interesting people and their creative spaces". Go check it out!

Some well worn shoes. It's always nice to see that the soles. I always imagine the wealthy/famous have closetfuls of shoes that show no use.

Hey, I have a bunch of these things too. :d

Lots of Paris Vogue, ov course.

WIWT Weekend Special Edition: Travel

Guest blog today from Ceda, the master of packing light and looking stylish. For those of us who quail at the thought of checking luggage, one carry-on might just be enough for a weeklong getaway if you know what to pack. Here she shows us how to make one simple outfit glamourous for all those snapshots. The key: accessorize!




"You Have to Look Good Standing in Front of Important Stuff" - from Ceda

The Beater, the tank top, the plain white tee. Whatever you want to call it, I've found it to be indispensable on trips from Rome to Mexico. Since the color white is so stark, it invariably pops in a photograph against any historical monument daring to upstage the photo op. Jozee also taught me the trick that posing in sleeveless tops always means arms akimbo, because otherwise, it's pure armpit fat theater with the cruel camera lens.

With a simple canvas like the white tee, you can always add scarves or hats to make the outfit greater than the sum of its parts. The first photo on the left is the simplest incarnation of a Target tank top with Levis jeans and a hat from a street vendor. The second photo includes an Christian Lacroix scarf worn as a mini-cape (somewhat pragmatically too, since my shoulders were burning). In the very last photo, I thought that the cheapie scarf I got from a vendor in Florence went pretty well with the brilliant colors in the Fontaine de Trevi.


(Ed. note: Agreed! Plus, white t-shirts are cheap and plentiful so there is never worry about getting it soiled while sweating it out neath a burning sun. Pack two... or five! And look fresh in those photos.)

WIWT Weekday: 10/5/2009

Happy Mother's Day! Even though it's a Sunday, this is a workweek appropos outfit so it's being filed under "Weekday". We'll be leaving shortly for a lovely brunch hence the gussying up.

I quite like this neon green shirt. The story of its provenance is as follows: I was out with a friend of mine who insisted I inject some bright colour into my muted wardrobe.  I was hesitant, but when she pulled this off the rack, I fell in love with the pleating and the zipper detail on the back. We ended up getting the same shirt. Now might I encourage all of you to be a bit ballsy with some neon this summer?

So what are your Mother's Day plans? Aside from the brunch, I also baked a tartes aux pommes a la Normande from scratch. As this was my first time trying for a fancy-ish pastry from scratch, the crust is rather clumsy looking--although delicious. As such, I won't be posting any photos of my hard work. Hah. Next time it will be both delicious annnd beautiful to look at, mark my words.

Cotton, pleated, neon green top (Calvin Klein) / Wool crepe, pencil skirt (Banana Republic) / Leather, faux snakeskin, gladiator sandals (Boutique 9) / Marni-inspired necklace (from a boutique in Seoul)

Kate in the Turban

I'll leave the Met Institute Costume Gala blogging to the rest of you, but I just wanted to say, "OMG I LOVED KATE'S TURBAN--and dress". It was really just stunningly beautiful. Makes me want to go back to S/S 2007 and grab a Prada one. Of course, I think I would look positively ridiculous trying to pull this one off.

Image via Getty

This was hands down one of my favourite looks of last night.

Eat: Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Home made slow roasted tomatoes! Now that the warm air is upon us, tomatoes are once again plentiful and cheap. I was reminded of this Smitten Kitchen recipe when a recent GOOP newsletter came out with a similar suggestion.

It is so easy and amazingly delicious. Not to mention, cooked tomatoes help your body absorb the wonderful antioxidant, lycopene.

Ingredients:

• tomatoes (roma, cherry, or smaller vine-ripened tomatoes)
  
• olive oil
  
• (optional) garlic
• (optional) thyme and/or rosemary

Process

1. Preheat oven to 225º (small, cherry tomato halves) - 275º (larger, vine-ripened tomato quarters) depending on size of tomato used
   
2. If using full sized vine-ripened tomatoes as I did in the image above, quarter them. Anything smaller, cut in half
3. Arrange on baking sheet with the seed side up and drizzle with olive oil
4. Throw on some spices if desired
5. Add a few cloves of unpeeled garlic
6. Bake unattended for +/- 3 hours *
   
7. Eat as is or use for other recipes
   

I personally hate sun-dried tomatoes, but these, while similar in premise, are nothing like sun-dried tomatoes. They're full of juice, bursting with subtle sweetness, and buttery soft in texture.

I'll be using any leftovers I don't eat today for a pasta sauce tomorrow.

* Note about the cook time: I too went wide eyed at the thought of having an oven on for three hours in the warm weather, but as the Smitten Kitchen explained, the temperature truly is so low that you'd never notice it.

WIWT Weekend: 02/5/2009

Playing with colours: fuchsia and yellow. The fuchsia dress is made of linen, the quintessential summer fabric. Only downside with this cool, breezy fabric is that it wrinkles so easily (as you can see). With regards to the yellow shoes, I kind of love them. While they are not traditional espadrilles as the upper portion is leather in a faux snakeskin treatment, the wedge portion retains those espadrille roots in the rope. As far as I'm concerned, a straw rope bottom is a summer classic. What are your thoughts, dear readers? Classic or trend? Ignore my chipping pedicure.

fuchsia, linen, shirt dress (Ellen Tracy) / tan, leather belt (who knows; it's old) / leather in faux snakeskin, asymmetrical sandals (Via Spiga)

Apologies for my lack of a clothed photo, but when I arrived home last night, I quickly shed everything and washed up before snapping a pic. I wore the outfit to an afternoon/dinner "barbeque". The quotes indicate that yesterday's thunderstorms, flash floods, and tornado-watch weather was not exactly ideal for barbequeing... and yet we did it... outside... under an umbrella. That's dedication to the grilled meat, folks.

Here's a video clip I took on the way home to give you an idea of the water.

I think I will try to do more videos in the future--actually interesting ones as opposed to, "ZOMG, look at that rain, durhh". The medium is really quite fun now that I know how to use IMovie... (Note to CR: take video clips of your fahhhbulous parties!)

Shop Talk: Gap's CFDA rags

I cannot wait to get my grubby little paws on one of these dresses from Vena Cava's contribution to the Gap this summer. The dress on the left would be great as is for work and play; same for the one on the right if paired with some sort of cover-up for the bare shoulders. Really, these look so functional and easy to wear!

I wonder what the other CFDA pieces will look like...

images and scoop via Racked and Fashionologie

Also, these remind me of a slightly more professional version of CR's Mexican dresses that she referenced in a previous post and wore so beautifully last summer when we were in Istanbul together.

CR posing in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, Summer 2008

Seriously, excited!