The Art of Awkward

My new friend, the Jungle Nymph

At the end of July, I set out to make August a month of culture. A way to cram in those last precious moments of summer before the weather changes. Too spend a little less time networking and more time hanging with people I already know. How’d I do?

I made my first trip to the Central City Opera to see Lucia di Lammermoor. After years of saying, “I should go to CU Boulder’s Shakespeare festival,” I went and saw Hamlet at the Shakespeare Festival. I attended (well…more like skimmed) the First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe. I had a great time at Kings of Leon at Red Rocks. I saw a Nude Descending a Staircase at the Philadelphia Art Museum. I was bored out of my gourd at the Franklin Institute. And I made friends with jungle nymphs at Philadelphia’s Science Museum.

I didn’t make it the Arctic Caps & Absinthe or Denver Botanic Gardens, but I’m still hoping to make it before the leaves fall down.

I think this shoot with Emma Watson in Teen Vogue is stunning. Yes, I read Teen Vogue. Shut it.

I have a current obsession with Weardrobe. Because startup founders are primarily male, I think they’re missing a huge market in creating sites and apps that appeal to women. Weardrobe is one startup I think that is absolutely nailing it. It nailed the street fashion trend that Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist helped bring along. Then other sites sprung up like Fabsugar/Teamsugar where women can post their own photos. Weardrobe lets anyone post pictures but then picks the cream of the top to appear on the front page, encouraging people to step up their fashion game.

They run these creative contests asking members to dress in themes like Fourth of July, back to school (my favorite outfit), day-to-night, etc. The contests alone provide great opportunities for companies looking to interact with fashion forward women. Her outreach is right on target. Weardrobe is hosting a conference for top fashion bloggers in New York that includes shopping tours. Who wouldn’t want to participate? They’re even looking at having a Weardrobe closet where users can borrow clothes and ship it back e.g. Bag, Borrow or Steal style. I got to meet Suzanne Xie, one of the founders, at Chicks Who Click last weekend. She’s straight-up brilliant, and I’m excited to see what a former analyst at Goldman Sachs can accomplish in the fashion world.

I love a good Vogue editorial, but real women wearing real clothes are a lot more interesting and approachable.

This picture is from DulceNinaVintage and she takes a pleated skirt and turns it into a dress. I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) to do this with vintage skirts before.

My biggest accomplishment of 2008.

I know I’m Twilight obsessed, but I think this is one the most beautiful set of pictures I’ve ever seen. Vanity Fair never fails to astound me with their writing and photos.  It’s the most flattering lighting I’ve ever seen.

Before my nephew was even born, I decided on our first tradition. Everytime I went somewhere, everytime he had a birthday, everytime there was a special occasion, I would buy him a book to commemorate it. After all, his parents had announced his forthcoming arrival with the book The Giving Tree.

I figured what better gift could I give him then a love of reading.  It was what made my childhood and teenage years bearable. The ability to retreat into books. It was the gift my parents had given me. Enchanting stories of Babar and Madeleine, erstwhile lessons from the Berenstain Bears, scrappiness from the indefatigable Boxcar Children and independence from Nancy Drew. Oh, and the perfect size from Sweet Valley High.

So I came back with The Maestro Plays from the Opera at the Met, Mister Seahorse from the Chicago Aquarium and Then & Ben from the Franklin Institute. I gave him Lemony Snicket’s The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming for Hannukah. Because even if we’re not Jewish, every kid should understand that their holiday isn’t the only holiday. He received the Library Lion about a lion too loud for the library. It’ll be useful as being 1/2 Ellis, he’ll never have an inside voice.

I love picking out the books with the beautiful illustrations and the enchanting stories. I like the lessons they teach Bob-Saget-from-Full-House style. I know now to imagine reading the book out loud to him when making the purchase to spare myself boring reads.

And I think my favorite part is how much he enjoys my reading as well.

Xander on his first birthday. Me reading in the background.

Lapo Elkann is considered one of the best dressed men in the world. He’s Italian and a Fiat heir, so I suppose it’s his birthright. Doutzen Kroes (pronounced doubt-zin crewes) is a dutch model, my favorite. The Vogue editorial using all of Lapo’s actual clothes has always been a favorite of mine.

It’s been three weeks since I’ve had my last cup of coffee. If I had to pick my unhealthiest habit, that would be it followed closely by my consumption of refined sugar. At some point, I probably would have sold you my liver for a cup of coffee. But the reality is that my reliance on hot water and ground up coffee beans is more in my head than anything. Feeling deprived of my favorite substance made me melancholy, but when I took Kristy’s advice, I thought about looking at it from a different perspective. Rather giving up the love of my life, I could look at it from the perspective of becoming a green tea drinker. Green tea is full of antioxidants and other stuff aimed at keeping you healthy. But you know what would make green tea taste better? Coffee. Preferably from Lavazza or Novo.

I like the three week increment. I mean, what’s the big deal of giving up something for three weeks? So to up the ante, I’m ridding myself of my next worst habit. Refined, glorious sugar. Even if it’s free or someone’s birthday, I’m saying no thank you! Instead, I’m going to replace sugary treats of goodness, and fill my plate full of fruit. You know what makes fruit taste better? Sugar. But that is neither here nor there.

So cheers to three more weeks of nurturing better habits for myself.

Carolyn Murphy, Carmen Kass and Kate Moss for Versace S/S 07. Gives me a Sharon Tate of Valley of the Dolls feeling.

Penelope and Monica Cruz did an editorial for Vogue several years ago. I went to Spain in college, and I love the Spanish women style. They carry themselves differently. They literally sizzle. And they rock scarves. Also, if you recognize the dress, it’s the dress Blair wore to prom in Gossip Girl (Marchesa).