Boston Bloggers Event at 28 Degrees

How would I describe last night? First-class.

I have to give a shout out to my friend Kinsey Michaels for pulling this all together. She's the creator and driving force behind Boston Bloggers, and we're all going to miss her dearly when she moves to the west coast in September.

The Low Down
What: Boston Bloggers Mixer last night
Who: Approximately 45 ladies (and a handful of gentlemen) from the Boston blogging community
Where: The ultra-chic 28 Degrees Restaurant in the South End
Details: 28 Degrees mixed up some special Watermelon-blog-a-tinis for guests, and there were great little swag bags to take home, too.

It can be a little nerve-racking when attending networking and social events like this one, but I can honestly say that Boston Bloggers is full of welcoming and genuine individuals. I'm amazed and the connections you can make through blogging!

Before we get to the event photos, here's what I wore:

Dress: Xhileration

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Photos from the mixer...

Me with Jaime from La vie...J'aime

Noelani from Mon Petit Chou Chou and Katy from Modly Chic

Amanda from Red Bird Vintage, Kinsey from Kinsey Michaels and me

If you're a Boston Blogger reading this who has not attended an event before, be sure to come out next time!

Barcelona Countdown: One Week

One week from today I’ll be leaving for a short visit to Barcelona, Spain. The trip is for work, but they always give us a little bit of free time to explore and enjoy ourselves. I can’t complain.

I’m especially looking forward to the hotel, as it looks like a miniature version of the Jumeirah in Dubai and is right on the beach. I’ll take plenty of pictures.

 

 Photos via http://www.w-barcelona.com/

I’m keeping my list of things to do short since I’ll only be there for a few days (and since work is priority, obviously). Here are my “musts”:

Go to the Beach

That's pretty obvious. I’ll be happy if I even have an hour to splash around in the Mediterranean.

Image via arizonafoothillsmag.com

See La Sagrada Familia Basillica

Another obvious one. No shame in being a little tourist-y.

Photo via Perfecttravelblog.com

Enjoy plenty of paella and sangria

My favorite part of traveling is the dining aspect. Can’t wait to sample the local fare. I love paella, so I imagine I’ll be eating my fair share. Sitting and people watching over a good plate of food is always a delight.

Photo via alamodeus.net 

 

I told you it was a short list. If you’ve been to Barcelona and have any suggestions, I’m all ears!

Matters of Style: Making Your Wardrobe Work (Part 2)

 Making Your Wardrobe Work

Part 2: Taking Inventory

Ah, here comes the fun part.

Some people try to avoid the daunting task of organizing at any cost. I love it, especially on days like today when my bedroom is the only air conditioned room in the apartment. What better time to hole myself up in my room to sort? Also, SO is out of town, so he's not around to be horrified as mountains of shoes make themselves known.

Now that you’ve created an inspiration board or book, it’s time to take a look at what you have to work with in your closet. This step is critical—don’t skip it!

I’d like to note that it’s really helpful to have a friend help you as you begin to sort and organize. Not only is it easier to stay motivated to complete the task when someone is there to support and/or help, it’s also more fun. Friends act as the voice of reason. If he or she is a good enough friend, he/she will give it to you straight—and won’t allow you to keep anything dingy or unflattering.

Let’s begin.

Step One
Find What You Like

Start by flipping through everything hanging in your closet or folded in drawers and pull out the things that you LOVE. It doesn’t matter if the item is casual or more suited to work wear, just as long as it isn’t the fat pants you wear at home (‘cause we all love lounging around in those). Grab the things that really speak to you and put them in neat pile. When I did this, I realized that a lot of the things I grabbed were things I don’t wear that often. Go figure. Really, these items should be the key pieces I’m utilizing.

Here are just a few of the items I came up with (in total, there were about 12):

Be sure to go through your shoes, too.

Keep a mental note of these items. You’re going to work with them in Part 3.

Step Two
Find What You Don't Like

Time to part with the items that have no business hanging around in your closet (I’m talking to you, dress that’s going to look awesome…when I lose 10 lbs). This step requires actually taking time to try clothes on. This is also where it’s helpful to have your trustworthy companion around. 

For whatever reason, I find that it’s harder to part with items than it is to pick out the things I really like. Maybe it’s a security issue. Maybe it’s because I’m evaluating my own shortcomings through my clothes. After all, tossing out my size 4 pants means admitting to myself that my body isn’t what I want it to be, and tossing out the 10 cocktail dresses I don’t actually wear reminds me that life ain't as fabulous as I wish it were. Damn. I’ll venture a guess that laziness is most of the issue. Tossing things out forces me to stop and think, and normally on weekends I’m just plain tired of thinking.

Whatever is keeping you from tossing, get over it quickly. You’re more of a failure just by keeping dumpy or unflattering things around (just sayin’). I only keep items that fit the following criteria:

1.    It’s flattering
2.    It fits well (or can be altered to fit well)
3.    It isn’t damaged beyond repair
4.    It’s not too shameful to be worn in public (don’t worry, there’s a special place for your favorite
       pilled sweater, but we’ll get to that in the next step)
5.    It’s likeable on some level. I don’t keep things I dislike.

I’d like to add a personal note that defies general wardrobe building convention: I don’t believe in the saying to “keep only what you love.” If you’re anything like me, you schlep around the house from time to time (hello, Sunday afternoons). You want something that’s easy to wear. You know, stuff that you couldn’t give two cookies about becoming stained, snagged wrinkled or ruined. My inspiration board tells me I’m a bit of a glamzon, but not all of the time. I like my old J Crew dresses and Splendid tops for lazy Sunday afternoons (or hellish 100+ degree days like today).

Step Three
Organize by Category

This could easily vary from person to person, but as a general rule a good way to organize is as follows:

1.    Basics/staple items (camisoles, cardigans, black skirts, work pants, etc)
2.    Blazers and layering jackets
3.    Work blouses/tops
4.    Work appropriate dresses/skirts
5.    Casual dresses/skirts
6.    Casual blouses/tops
7.    Casual Pants
8.    Cocktail and party dresses
9.    Outerwear
10.  The dingy Sunday stuff

I put my work items in my closet where they’re easiest to access since that’s what I wear Monday through Friday. Obviously, if your life allows you to wear casual clothes most of the time, you’ll want to organize your closet so that those items are the most accessible.

All of my casual weekend wear, for the most part, stays folded up in drawers in my closet. Same with my tights and dainty underthings (hah).

Once you’ve categorized, is one category falling short? Do you have a closet full of work blouses but only one good pair of work pants? Make a list. We’re taking inventory, after all.

Step 4
Take your favorites and start coordinating

Actually, I’m going to cover this topic in detail in Part 3, which I’ll publish next week. It’s a topic of its own, but is an important part of the inventory process.


Up next: Working with Key Pieces

Matters of Style AND Opinion: Polyester and Rayon, How Do You Do?

This post started out as something completely different, but then I came to my senses and rewrote it.

Boston the past couple of weeks has been heinously hot. Seriously, like the pavement is going to crack open beneath my feet and the fire-y pit of Hell (or just the center of the Earth) is going to suck me and everyone else in hot.

But what does that have to do with anything? It’s affecting my wardrobe, that’s what.

Let me just cut to the chase here—I’m a fabric snob. I’ve been one since I received my first credit card. Imagine that. If I had the cash flow to do so, I’d stick to designer lines in all of their touch-ably soft and well constructed glory. My fabric snobbery is part of the reason I rarely set foot in stores like Forever 21 (actually, that’s a whole other story). Simply put, I’m not a fan of the synthetic blend fabrics that typically make up inexpensive clothing (think polyester, rayon and the like). I tend to pass up on trends and affordable fashion because of my fabric selectivity, which in return means I tend to dress in my same old trusty, but boring, jersey dresses most of the time. And since I’m being honest here, it puts me at a loss for outfit of the day posts.

Really, I’m in a bit of a rut. I like nice things and lust after the latest contemporary lines at Saks/Neimans/etc, but most of the time I can’t bring myself to cough up the $300+ for a single item. If I do, it’s only one or two items within a season (or two). And while I purchase my clothing for longevity and wear items for years (to hell with the fact that the pattern is clearly from a 2009 collection), I kind-of-sort-of-maybe want to look a little more…current?

So besides wanting to look current without dropping thousands of dollars each season, there’s also the issue of upkeep, especially in summer temperatures. A silk Tucker dress is fine and all, but not when I’m traipsing around Boston when it’s hot as Hades outside. Reality is a harsh mistress. In what reality is it worth it to spend oodles of money on nice quality items that aren’t made for the lifestyle I’m living (i.e. not an air-conditioned non-public transportation commute to and from work)? Captain obvious likes to remind me that dry cleaning is REALLY a money suck.

Alas, I’ve finally come to my senses. I want some cute new guilt-free threads—the kind of clothes I can wear around without giving them much thought. Cute, affordable and not fussy. There’s too much fussy in my closet (with a huge dose of boring, too).

In the best cases these new threads will be comprised mostly of cotton (if not 100%), in the worst case they’ll be some sort of polyester blend. What they lack in fabulous fiber content, though, they’ll more than make up for in style and wearability. 

Fall may be a different issue altogether, but for summer, at least, I’m about to get my synthetic blend on.

Blame it on delirium from the heat, but the ruthless temperatures have me on a bit of an affordable dress binge. I’m itching to wear less clothing. Here’s what’s new:

BTW, how awesome is Target for affordable chic? I only get to Target now about every six months when I go back to Nebraska (the one in Boston is too far of a hike for me since I don’t have a car). Cute stuff and, in my opinion, a lot better quality than Forever 21. I ordered the two you see pictured online.

So now you tell me: what are your feelings on inexpensive clothing composed of synthetic blends? Does the fabric make up bother you? Do you not even notice or care? What is makes you buy something new for your wardrobe? Are you dying of the heat where you live? :)

Discuss with me, please :)

My Thoughts: What To See and Do In Boston

Hosting out-of-town guests is a win-win situation (assuming they're not the unwelcome kind): you spend time with great company and get to play tourist in your own city.

There are so many fun or otherwise cool things in Boston that I simply have not done. I'm sure we're all guilty of that in our hometowns. It's not like I wake up everyday and walk the Freedom Trail or eat a Lobster roll.

My sister stayed with SO and me for the Fourth of July Weekend, and it was pretty freaking fantastic. She hadn't been to Boston since our family vacation over 10 years ago, so the city was a blank canvas for us to paint. Rather than hash out all of the details without substance, I thought I'd use the weekend as a vehicle for describing the things I'd advise a Boston visitor to do or check out while here.

First Things First

• The beautiful thing about large cities is that there are generally ample things to do that won't drain your bank account. Boston is no exception. 
• Set aside the desire to be fashionable and wear comfortable shoes. Time permitting, walking is one of the best ways to obtain a personal feel for the city--and to burn off all of those I'm-on-vacation calories you consume. And if you make it to the North End, you'll likely have more than enough of those to work off.
• Cater your trip to your interests. There's so much to do here, and a sports fan's visit to the city is going to be quite different than a history buff's. My suggestions are more for an overview/general visit than anything else. Bear in mind that I love to walk everywhere.

Things we did and/or saw this weekend and why you should, too:

1. Ride the Swan Boats

 My picture of the boat isn't the greatest, but the experience certainly is. For $2.75 you get a 15 minute ride in the lovely Boston Public Garden. People-watching, relaxation and viewing of adorable ducklings in one of Boston's most pleasant areas for less than $5? Yes, please.

2. Stand In Line at Mike's Pastry on a Friday or Saturday Night. Then scarf down everything in the box.

People will debate over whether Mike's Pastry is better than Modern Pastry. I've been to both and, quite frankly, a pastry is a pastry. I just go to Mike's out of habit. I have a feeling most people go based upon hype. That being said, going to Mike's is an experience and you probably won't be disappointed unless you really hate crowds of people or really hate pastries (but who hates pastries?). Expect to stand in an absurdly long line outside the door and then elbow your way to the counter once you get in (or maybe I'm the only one who does that).

I think Mike's has some of the best cupcakes in town. I've been to most of the expensive boutique-y cupcake places in town and Mike's blows them out of the water.

 

FYI: We visited Mike's twice during my sister's stay. Once wasn't enough.

3. Take in the Esplanade. And Newbury Street. And the Freedom Trail. And so on...

I'd recommend taking a day simply to walk around the city. Stop for lunch when you get hungry (just try to avoid Faneuil Hall if you tourist trap dining isn't your thing). Stick to the more scenic natural routes (like the Esplanade or Commonwealth Ave) if you easily give into retail impulses. The allure of Marc Jacobs and Diane von Furstenberg can be a bit much on Newbury, especially if you're trying to keep your visit on the cheap. The good thing about Boston is that you can't really wander into a bad area accidentally--you'd have to hop on the Red or Orange Line and go out of your way in order to end up in one of the less desirable parts of town.

Walking across the Harvard Bridge on the Fourth of July and, no, we didn't intentionally dress this way for the holiday!

Taking a stroll along Atlantic Avenue at night is nice (great view of downtown):

Marriott Custom House/Clock Tower Hotel

Places not to walk? The Fens, Esplanade or Boston Common at night. Parks at night are not good places to be, folks, but I'm sure your mother or scary bums lurking in the dark taught you that.

4. Dine on a patio somewhere

Patio dining blows up in the summer here in Boston, probably because we're all squeezing what little warm weather we can get out of the year. For great people watching, hit up Newbury or Boylston Street. For great views, eat on the water front. The wait at the new Legal Harborside Seafood restaurant was nearly two hours (poor planning on my part), so we ended up at Jerry Remmy's just up the road. Average bar food, but sitting on the patio next to the harbor was nice.

My suggestion? Bar Lola on Commonwealth. EXCELLENT tapas and tasty sangria. As a bonus, there are at least ten other restaurants with patios within a couple blocks of this place (if you need a plan B):

5. Take in some history

Not hard to do. The Freedom Trail doesn't cost anything and takes you by most of the quintessential Boston historical sites.

6. Take in some edu-ma-cation

Lots of people visiting the city like to check out Harvard. I can't blame them. Even if they can deny our application, they can't deny us entry to wander around the campus.

Harvard Square, in general, is an interesting place to explore even if you don't set foot near the ivory tower. Pretty good mix of people--tourists, students, bums and crazy people (among others).

There's also MIT to check out, though the campus isn't nearly as inviting. The dome is worth seeing, as is the great view of Boston from the Cambridge side of the Charles River.

7. See the fireworks

Sure, you have to be in the city on the Fourth of July, but I had to put it on the list. These are pictures from Monday evening:

If all else fails and you're on a time crunch in site seeing, take a Duck Tour. I can't speak from experience, but everyone I know who has taken one seems to have enjoyed the experience.

And, please, if you're not abstaining from all out shopping mayhem like I am, hit up Newbury Street and Copley Place. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

The best part of exploring a city? Spending time with the quality people in your life :)

My lovely sister (and me)