Westerly

We had a very long day driving to get to Santa Fe, but the drive coming out of Texas proved to be a spectacular one. The dry, dusty, flat desert gave way to cliff and mountains dotted with cacti. And as we pulled off the highway into town, we began to see the adobe buildings that Santa Fe is so well known for. It, indeed, looked like a movie set.




After checking into our hotel, we made our way down to the plaza for some Southwestern grub. We walked around the area a little bit, admiring the Cathedral, picturesque hotels and restaurants, and the Native American artwork and jewelry that was so readily available.




We snapped a few pictures near the art museum. Note how my Tahari blouse perfectly matches the red adobe walls. It was after labor day, but that didn't put me off wearing a pair of white flared Seven jeans. I stepped into my go to DV wedges to match my blouse, and slapped on my white MJ watch. It started to thunder just as we we're finishing up, so we ducked into a nearby tavern for sometacos and green chile.

Nowhereland

We drove clear across Texas. It took 8 hours, and we're still in Texas! We picked Lubbock as our halfway point between Austin and Santa Fe. And that's exactly what it turned out to be: a point on the map.

Upon arrival at our crappy motel, the pregnant sixteen-year-old concierge informed us that there is nothing to do in Lubbock and that, in fact, it's "just about the worst place to come to."

Awesome, thanks.

We decided to make a night of it anyway. I got all gussied up in a dress I got in London at a cute little store called Oliver Bonas.We made a pit stop near the Lubbock Lake to get cozy with some statues of some Colombian Mammoths. Whatever.

The blue and white stripes had me feeling very patriotic, especially as we rolled into the Stars and Stripes Drive-In. I slipped off my black and white Chanel-esque top shop flats to kick my feet up on the dash.

When we got back from the movie, we decided to call it an early night so that we could wake up early and haul ass outta Texas.

God Bless Texas!

We had a big day in Austin. Apparently, everything is bigger in Texas. We went for a dip in Barton Springs this morning before stopping to get breakfast tacos from a truck. Amazing!

We explored SoCo, as the locals call it, after breakfast. We hit up the candy store for some pick'n'mix, which I guess you could call lunch and poked around the most unbelievable antique store, Uncommon Objects. Though I was tempted several times to make a purchase, I had to remind myself two thing: I can not afford a butcher block from the 1930s, and said butcher block will not fit into the back of Alex's car.

We headed back to Alex's apartment for some R&R before going back out into the heat. We decided to drive about 40 minutes to experience the best barbeque Texas has to offer. We went out to Lockhard to visit Smitty's. We feasted on fatty brisket, sausage, pork ribs, potato salad, beans, and bread.

Even though I was stuffed, we stopped to take some shots in the tiny town. Here I am wearing a Nieves Lavi silk jersey maxi dress and my Austin-approved DV heels. I was sure to remove my MJ watch while eating, and was careful to keep my new feather earring from getting dripped in BBQ sauce.

Who knows what this evening will bring? Tomorrow we're off to Lubbock, TX. I'll let you know how that one turns out.

Lonestar.

Despite our best efforts to get to Austin at a reasonable hour (hey, we even got our beignets to go!), Alex and I didn't pull into town until well after sundown. (I had to cheat and take these pics this morning.) I guess we could blame our tardiness on our early dinner stop in Houston. We met up with Alex's college buddy at Beavers, for some meat. Country fried steak never tasted so good!Our host, Alex, promptly escorted us down to 6th Street for Old Fashioneds at a Speakeasy. We rocked out to some psuedo-Gypsy Klezmer tunes before hiking down to the Colorado River for some evening views. The best views, however, were of the trashy bars and clubs along North 6th. Neither Alex nor I expected Austin to sport such a hoppin' scene.

It was hotter'n'hell, and even my light vintage silk dress couldn't keep me cool. I felt super cool in my actual Dolce Vita nude wedges, and waist-defining belt.

My squirrel on a chain kept me company when the boys' conversation turned to jazz... again.

Hola, NOLA!

Hungover, though we were, (we blame Pat O'Briens hurricane concoction), Alex and I managed to get up and go touring. We marched our butts back to the scene of the crime -- the French Quarter -- for breakfast. After grabbing a quick bite, we meandered through the streets, listening to street corner jazz, window shopping in antique stores, and gawking at the 10am drinkers.

After thoroughly taking in what the French Quarter had to offer, we boarded a streetcar (named desire) and headed out to the Garden District. The area boasted beautiful old mansions, shady walks and a lovely old cemetery. We lingered in there until I was too burned and thirsty to think.

We rested poolside at the hotel before getting all gussied up to see Katy Perry at the arena. The show was absolutely wild. We had am amazing time dancing with tweens, screaming song lyrics, and squinting to see each one of Katy's 20 plus outfits.

After the show, we headed (guess where?) back to Bourbon Street! We sampled some less-strong hurricanes and called in an early night... if 1 am can, indeed, be considered early.

The Big Easy

After driving all day through the rain in Tennessee, stopping for lunch and antiquing in Alabama, and cracking our windshield in Mississippi, Alex and I we're ready to hit the town as soon as we arrived in NOLA. Needless to say, we rushed over to Bourbon street and forgot to snap pictures of my outfit.


What with all the hurricane drinking, these are the only two pictures I got of my in my studded dress from STA, knock off dolce vita heels and silver belt -- which I made myself. Please note the amazing Marc Jacobs watch and lovely copper necklace. They were both generous gifts.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The weather in Nashville hadn't cleared by our second day there. In fact, it was cold enough to put me off the Hayden-Harnett dress I had planned on wearing. Instead, I opted for a loose-fitting charcoal grey jersey blouse from Forever 21, with a pair of Gap leggings (Thanks, Mrs. Chaloff!). I threw on a Nic+Zoe denim jacket that I snagged at Goodwill for about 95% off the original price.

We explored the city by car. We stopped in a cute shopping area near Vanderbuilt and a friendly woman in a vintage clothing store complimented me on my necklace. I had to inform her that the turquiose look is totally fake. It's basically a printed piece of paper encased in resin and gold-tone plastic. Gets the job done though, I suppose.

After wandering around Nashville all day, we were totally in the mood for some heavy Mexican food and $2.50 margaritas. Ellice took us to a dive in her neighborhood and we chowed down before hitting the sack early in preparation for an 8-hour drive to New Orleans.


We took these photos next to a little creek near Ellice's apartment. I'll definitely be using these shots for when I release my country album.

Little Girl of Mine from Tennessee

The drive from Asheville was rainy, long, but beautiful. The views of the Smokies, even under the sheets of rain and cloud cover were amazing.

Nashville was wet as well, but we didn't let that hamper our mood. We hit the bars, ice cream joints, dance clubs, and eventually bed pretty hard.

I wore a DVF tent-style dress with the Alice and Olivia belt from the day before. A stack of gems around my neck and a simple pair of nude heels got me all dressed up for dinner and drinks. My raincoat kept me somewhat dry in the downfall....

I'm Going to Carolina in My Mind

After catching the Virginia sunrise, we pulled out of town and started rounding our way through the South. Stopped about an hour outside of Virginia Beach, in Suffolk, for breakfast. It was the most amazing experience. Bunny's Family Restaurant was like walking into the '70s. Wood paneling and macrome we compounded by overly-friendly biker dudes sipping coffee over their morning papers and a uber-blonde waitress who made sure we knew to come back and visit real soon.

Asheville was absolutely incredible. We happened to stumble upon a funky street fair which went on uninterrupted despite the rain. We wandered through wide, street-like alleys which were covered in graffiti, folk art, and wonderful nooks and crannies.

We grabbed our late-day meal (not sure if it's lunch or dinner when it's 4 pm and only our second meal of the day), and Lab downtown. The white ale and pretzels hit the spot.

Here I am in Chicken Alley. I'm wearing one of my favorite dresses, a polka-dot find from H&M with my hands-down go-to sweater. This amazing Alice and Olivia cashmere wonder was mine for only $10. It was brand new with tags on at Goodwill, and I got it for a steal. Because the weather was damp, I ditched the sandals I'd worn all day in the car and slipped on a pair of worn black keds.

Alex and I enjoyed one of the best breakfasts of our lives at the Over Easy Cafe before reluctantly pulling out of town.

On to Nashville...

Happy Camper

We arrived in Virginia Beach late-ish on the 3rd. We pitched the tent (which perfectly matched my Marc By Marc Jacobs Romper) in a pinch, and scooted straight down to the beach. We watched a fantastic sunset over the ocean and even caught a glimpse of dolphins playing in the surf.

I went for a dip in the Atlantic in my sailboat pattern swimming suit before we headed off to bed. My new-ish Aldo sandals were the perfect pick for tromping around the camp ground, taking long walks on the beach, and pushing the pedal to the metal on the way across the Chesapeake Bay.

We woke up extra early to see the sunrise and got on our way to Asheville, NC.

Concrete Jungle

The great American road trip has begun!

First stop, New York City.

Alex and I arrived around dinnertime, after stopping through Northampton to congratulate Gordie on his thesis defense and say hello-goodbye to my dear sister, Maija. We thoroughly enjoyed hitting the cute boutiques and vintage shops downtown and snacking on homemade cupcakes before hauling through Labor Day traffic to NYC.

Upon arrival, Alex's brother, Scott, greeted us with champagne. What a fabulous way to be greeted!

The roof deck provided an amazing views of the sunset over the city.

For my night in the city I sported a vintage silk blouse I picked up at STA and a H&M skirt I've had for years.

I topped the look of with some wedges from Target that perfectly mimic the heels I'm sure they take their inspiration from. I also wore the new Marc Jacobs watch that was generously gifted to me on my anniversary. That thing practically never comes off.

Tomorrow we wake up early and head to Virginia Beach. Looking forward to sun, sand, and sleeping in a tent!

California or Bust!

We're on the road! Next stop Northampton. Then off to New York City. We'll be in California by the end of the month...

Many Manis

I'm still switching up my varnish weekly. Here are my latest two designs.

Here's a version of a classic look. This style developed during the Great Depression when everything -- including nail polish -- was scarce. Leaving a half moon cuticle bare probably didn't actually save that much product, but it sure was cute! I used a bright, nearly-neon hue for last week's manicure. I even accented the crescents with little pearlescent red dots, but they proved very hard to see...

This week, I'm rocking a vampy red-on-red pin stripe. I started with a coat of deep blood red, and topped it off with a shimmery red tone from a nail art pen with a very fine tip. With a steady hand, lots of patience, and many re-dos, I got the tiny stripes to look pin-straight.

Manicures of Summer

New obsession: nail art.

When I was in the 6th grade, I was huge into fancy, fun manicures. I repainted every single night. I've gotten a little out of practice over the past... 10 years, but I'm back at it.

Check out these fun designs. They're super easy to do -- I did them all myself.

This was my first attempt at a fun manicure. Robin's egg blue with speckles. It perfectly matched the Tiffany's boxes we had at work.

Watermelon!

Grey on grey French mani. Perfect for gripping a stapler. Clearly.

My most recent application. Cherry blossoms.

On Location: Sunday's Shadows

A few weekends ago, I had the great privilege of working with director John Mosetich on his surrealist film, "Sunday's Shadows."

We shot at an electronic recycling center in Brockton, Mass. The bizarre towers of TV cathodes, rejected monitors, and dirty refrigerators made for the perfect setting of this strange project.

John plans out a shot in back of the facility.

The view from below: pointing the boom towards the sun.

John talks to actors Maria and Steven about the first scene.

John and Jill shooting the opening sequence.

Stacks of computers awaiting their fate.

Some screen caps from Episode 1.

I love seeing my name in lights! Twice!