LIGHT THE FUSE AND WALK AWAY, 'CAUSE HAPPINESS THROWS A SHOWER OF SPARKS

A walk through the cyber-park of loveliness:

The desk. I'm loving the wooden pedestals for legs.

All of it. Shade of dresser against the perfectly ripe, yet not quite wilting pink flowers, all positioned so proportionately, so clean, so beachy beautiful.

Vogue. My favorite calendars are those displaying Erte artwork for each month. Glitter, bold colors, images of fantastical women of the '40s and '50s. But lately I've had a smallish obsession with old, old Vogue covers as art. This shot is a perfect example of my growing obsession..

The two entryways above = me happy. The West Village brownstone gleams "Merry Merry Fa La La", and this vine-encased stone villa is purely magical- with the old school bicycle, the 19th century door- simply lovely.

And now, Santa, may I please please PLEASE have this dressing room?? Complete with all of the shoes displayed? I've been SUCH a good girl this year..

(images courtesy of bellevivir.blogspot.com, decorno.blogspot.com, brilliantasylum.blogspot.com, habituallychic.com)

LIES, LIES, LIES YOU'RE TRYING TO SPOIL MY FUN

A little comic relief, since I know I (Styx) wasn't the only one to get pummeled in the pulmonary artery today:

Carrie Bradshaw: What makes you think something bad is gonna happen?
Charlotte York: Because! Nobody gets everything they want! Look at you, look at Miranda. You're good people and you two both got shafted. I'm so happy and... something bad is going to happen.
Carrie Bradshaw: Sweetie, you shit your pants this year. I think you're done.

And here's what cousin Dan, who turned 21 last weekend, has to say about it- to further express my current feelings:

Aaah, to be young!

TEA FOR TWO AND TWO FOR TEA, ME FOR YOU AND YOU FOR ME

The little bro of the Underworld (Terry) has blossomed into quite the impressive photographer. Between classes and just plain old screwing around, he's got a neat style and captures some really cool moments. Last October, he asked that Junior and I be his subjects for a final project. Here are the results of that glorious day in downtown St. Paul: (click to enlarge- the details are amazing)




As far as Hecate and Styx are concerned, Terry's hired. We love his work- of nature, people, architecture. He's got a great eye, and of course we love being his subjects.

In case you care-
On Kat: vintage Urban Renewal blazer, nameless fur stole, H&M sweater and jeans, Michael Kors boots, Oliver Peoples sunglasses
On Paz: Kenneth Cole blazer, H&M shirt, Gap pants, Cons for kicks, and a Twins cap from the next door neighbor kid's teddy bear

OUR TIME IS SHORT, I'M YOURS

What I'm lovin' today:

Grrrrreat boots.

Love Garance Dore's depiction of the cool Chloe SS10 style.

My new girl crush: Bimba Bose. Spanish stunner. Love her.

Lingerie of the 21st century = ouch.

And more delicious boots. I LOVE.

(images courtesy of garancedore.fr/en, jakandjil.com, fashiontoast.com)

THERE'S A MONSTER IN MY CLOSET, SOMEONE'S UNDERNEATH MY BED

Wa-ah-ah-ah-aaaah! Halloween in the Underworld was a fun night. Both Hecate and I typically enjoy dressing up and hitting the town, but this year we kept it close to home and took the little Transformer trick-or-treating with Lil Bro. Check out the Phantom, er, Pa Dukes, and the whole brood:

And one of the more amazingly awesome photos of the queen of the household, Ma Dukes, with Hecate and Junior, the same night:

I'LL NEVER BE YOUR BEAST OF BURDER, I'VE WALKED FOR MILES, MY FEET ARE HURTIN'

Street Style Lovin'

Some of my current favorite looks from the street, all on stylesightings.com:

YOU KNOW WE'VE GOT TO FIND A WAY, TO BRING SOME UNDERSTANDING HERE TODAY

New Age Christianity: the fist bump

Imagine Moses and Jesus not hugging, kissing, or washing one another's feet - as was standard practice back in the days of camel riding and miracle making - but instead, they gave one another a hug-it-up-homey fist bump. Not likely. But apparently, in these days of H1N1 scares and hypersensitive hypercondriacs, the fist bump has replaced the standard sign of peace handshake.

Just in case you're living in a pre-Vatican cave, here's how Wikipedia defines the "fist bump":

The fist bump (also known as "fo' knucks"^[1]) is a type of gesture similar in meaning to a handshake, high five or nose rub. A bump also can be known as a symbol of giving of respect. Fist bumps can also be followed by various other hand and body gestures, and may be part of a dap greeting.

Also known as "fo' knucks"? A dap greeting? Oh this is too much. I didn't experience this first hand (admittedly, it's been a liiiiiiittle while since I've been to church), but instead I got this revelation second hand from a colleague who was astonished to get the new-age handshake from a bunch of blue hairs at mass on Sunday. She, too, hadn't praised the Lord from the pews in a dog's age and, when turning to give the sign of peace to the other early morning service-goers only to be greeted with fist bumps, first thought "gee, this woman doesn't have fingers". Until she looked around and realized the entire church was peace-ing it up homey-style.

Wow.

If you never before believed that the media can turn a bunch of civilized people into frightened crazies, believe it now. And imagine your grandparents, when directed by the priest to "turn to one another, and offer a sign of peace", doing this:

Call me crazy, but that's just too far out. But I'm also the type of person who will give milk the sniff test past the expiration date and not bathe my toddler every day of the calendar year, so don't take my word for it. Although, I will say that all this gangsta lovin' makes me want to go to church on Sunday, just for laughs (and fo' knucks). Ha!

(image courtesy of wikipedia.com)

I CAN TRANSFORM, I CAN TRANSFORM, I CAN TRANSFORM WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

Junior's quote (more like comical conversation) of the week:

Mommy, I wanna go to Target and get a present.

Me (Styx): No presents honey, you just got a super awesome Halloween costume.

Junior: Ok, I want to get you a present.

Me: Honey, I don't need a present. And I'm sure not buying one for myself.

Junior: Mommy, I will buy you a present.

Me: With what money? Do you have money?

Junior: Yes mommy. You put money in my hand ok, and I will pay money.

Good lord, he's starting in on this stuff waaaaaay too early. Next thing he's going to be asking for is a spa visit to wax his eyebrows.

Here's the little Transformer in all his trick-or-treating glory:

AND SO ON AND SO ON AND SCOOBY DOOBY DOOBY

Go here: Bar La Grassa

This cool new joint in the North Loop neighborhood of the Warehouse District in Minneapolis is a welcomed addition to the downtown dining scene. Great food (the beet and avocado with citrus starter was deeeeelish), great wine, and great company (LB in the house!). I'll make a return visit in the near future, especially for the gnocchi with cauliflower and orange. Magnifique!!

Here's what I squeezed into for a night out with my fellow fashion-loving sartorial maven:

Blazer: Calvin Klein, Shirt: Yaya Aflalo, Leggings: AA, Boots: L.A.M.B, New Tat: care of Nic at Uptown Tattoo (he ROCKS!) ((and yes, it is the letter 'K')) (((and no, I'm not done getting tat's already, but at least I'm not piercing stuff!!)))

HEY NOW, YOU'RE A ROCK STAR, GET YOUR GAME ON, GET PAID

Some of my favorites from Alexander Wang's Spring 2010 show:

I love the total wearability of these looks, how the slouch factor doesn't equal frumpy. And the boooooooots. They MAKE these looks. Love 'em.

(images courtesy of fashionologie.com)

BUT I MISS YOU MOST OF ALL MY DARLING, WHEN AUTUMN LEAVES START TO FALL

There aren't loads of opportunities to get all dolled up here in Minnesnowta, so when presented with a chance to dig into the closet for an event in cold months, I love coming out with my great-grandma's fur:

Dress: W Hotel Boutique (thanks LB!); Fur: vintage Chebris Fine Furs; Shoes: L.A.M.B.

I especially love stepping out for a cause - I attended the Taste of the NFL, a hunger benefit hosted by the MN Vikings, and had a grand time with the boss and his wife and daughter, and my pals from the office. Hoping for more philanthropic galas in the future! Any excuse is a good one to rock the fur.

YOU'RE ALL I NEED, I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR PICTURE LYING IN THE REEDS

Beautiful art, thou takest my breath away and makest me want you:

The woman in the red dress is uber wunderbar. They're from Agent 002 in Paris. Check out more here: http://www.agent002.com/

PICTURE YOURSELF IN A BOAT ON A RIVER, WITH TANGERINE TREES AND MARMALADE SKIES

Holy Moses, this is the all-around abode of my dreams:

All of it. The white, the black, the velvet, the checkered floor, the chandeliers, the sofa (which is strikingly similar to the sofa currently in my living room..), the wood floors, and on and on. I can see all of this within a brick-structured farm house down a cobble stone driveway with a backyard chock full of vineyards and apple trees and an epic pool and a big arse sandbox full of Tonka trucks for my little Bob the Builder and a serene space overlooking dreamy mountains for morning sun salutations and....

(wiping drool from my bottom lip)

A dreamer? Moi??

(image courtesy of bellevivir.blogspot.com)

THERE AIN'T A THING THAT I CAN SAY OR TO REPAY YOU, THANK YOU!

It's been nearly two months since Hecate and I joined together to get this blog rollin', and I've had a blast connecting with my friends, family and acquaintances on this (one-sided) level of creativity for general consumption. Turns out my attempts to be modest and wide-reaching with my posts (the fashion stuff, design stuff, basically the stuff that's not weighty stuff) ((that's all left up to "the brain", Hecate)) have left some of my blog frequenters a little flat- desiring more personal style than the sort that can be found all over the www. Ok, I can step it up a bit. And to prove it to you, check out my skiiiiiiillllllllzzzzz with the photoshop. What I'm rockin' today:

Shirt: UO, Jacket: L.A.M.B.

Thanks muchisimos to all of you for your feedback and frequent perusal of what has become, for me, a fantastic outlet for my schizophrenic, mish-mash creativity. I know, I know, it's not like I'm Hemingway or Coco Chanel or even freakin' The Sartorialist - but I'm having a jolly time entertaining you and hope you enjoy the ride!

DON'T THINK I DON'T SEE THEM LOOKIN AT YA

Hecate and Styx have a great friend, Breanna Carlson, who pretty much kicks arse in every respect. She's incredibly smart (professor at Parsons and F.I.T. in NYC), talented (jet-setting architect), accomplished (the degrees and credentials are too numerous to count), fun (viva Miami!), funny (you carried people on your back through the rising water in Venice for REAL?), GORGEOUS, and point blank- a wonderful person. We don't see enough of her up here in the Arctic Circle, but that's why we attempt to document our time together as much as possible. Anyone lucky enough to spend time in this woman's company would be wise to take advantage- she's an incredibly special woman. (I mean, just look at her - she's a work of art)

Last month, Hecate and Bre went to a wedding together (holy hot couple alert) ((yeah right)), and I had the opportunity to hang with those stunning creatures for a night. Followed by Sunday brunch at Hell's Kitchen (go there! ASAP!! It's que ridiculo!!!). The evidence of our happy fun times together:




We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Uptown Italian joint - Rinata. Great food, great wine, questionable service (seems to be the trend these days), and terrific company. If you're in the mood for some pasta, eggplant, bruschetta, or Frank singing "Fly Me to the Moon", head to Rinata. Well worth it.

The next day, Hecate and Bre headed to Montgomery, MN to kick up some dirt, and give the rural town some of the most excitement they've seen since the cowboys and Indians settled their differences. Wonder if anyone noticed they were there??


And the weekend came to a close at Hell's Kitchen, with another amazing friend - Brandy Pickens. Talk about woman power -- between the four of us we have an impressive resume (professional, personal, and otherwise...) and closets full of luscious shoes!

WHERE TROUBLES MELT LIKE LEMON DROPS AWAY ABOVE THE CHIMNEY TOPS

Who said rain showers had to bring out anything less than outstanding footwear? My galoshes of choice:


Robert Clergerie. Yum. Bre- you rock my world with these bad boys. I wear them every time it rains, and those times when I'm having a genX Dorothy moment..

SCUZZA ME, BUT YOU SEE BACK IN OLD NAPOLI, THAT'S AMORE

Check out the latest brilliant editorial in Vogue Italia:

Take me there! Oh please! Outfit me in a stunning pant suit and dump me in a backdrop like this (preferably with a glass of crisp vino and a cannoli or ten)!

My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.

Bad. A**.

And I know Hecate's immediate ooohaaahh moment with this one is for the hair. Mine, however, is for the chair. Rrrrrraaarrrr!

(Click to enlarge. It's sooooo worth it.)

Oh Vogue Paris and Vogue Italia. I love thee so. Why must you cost so much in America, where our other choice is the washed up, years behind the curve, Jennifer Aniston-touting American Vogue? Pffffff... thank heavens for the internet. And a grand imagination. (And a liquor store around the corner.)