my halloween costume...

Wig? Check. Huge sunglasses? Check. Frown? Working on it.

And yes, I talked the fiance into being David Beckham with me. It wasn't too hard to convince him to buy a Beckham soccer jersey. Should be interesting...

Forever Frugal Friday...Halloween Edition.

If you don't have your Halloween costume yet, you might be better off going to Forever 21 today rather than braving a costume store at the 11th hour. They have so many things that could be made into costumes, like this dress:This is perfect for dressing up as Rainbow Brite, or maybe Jem (from Jem and the Rockers). I mean, they couldn't have made this dress for anything other than Halloween, right? No one would ever seriously wear this dress...right?

yawn.

Was anyone else as disappointed as I was by the costumes on the Today Show this morning? It all seemed very...boring. Fairy tale characters, really? I miss the good times, when Ann was Tina Turner and Matt was Paris Hilton...I did love that they made Kathie Lee the big bad wolf. That was a nice touch.

in the bag

barclay is in the market for a clutch this xmas...while attempting to cross her off my list, i came across this lil diddy from emma gordon

too bad it's UK based...not sure how that works...

photo love

I plan events as part of my job. I am a huge type-A control freak. I will be one of those brides who gives her photographer a "shot list." But how can you not when there are amazing photos like this one to be taken?

LOVE LOVE LOVE. And, to make it better still, it's from a wedding in Indianapolis! Discovered through my new favorite wedding blog, Tying The Knot, written by Jessica, who recently got married in Indianapolis.



Ok Shift, no more wedding posts...today :)

madewell

i love all of these looks from madewell...makes me want to paper my closet walls for inspirations...

how much do you love that gray coat with the brown boots? *love*

wow.

Came into work a bit early this morning to catch up on my google reader, and Ellie over at one of my favorite blogs, The Lucky Nest, posted these amazing photos of people who stood in the pouring rain and freezing cold yesterday to see Obama speak in Philadelphia:
Incredible and inspirational and dedicated and...no words seem sufficient. If this doesn't motivate people to get their lazy butts to the polls next Tuesday, I don't know what will. Not sure where to vote? No excuse! Vote411.org has a search function that will help you find out.

hello, lover.

how amazing would these blue satin louboutins be for my "something blue" for the wedding? love love love.

I love Chicago (but not the weather).

I'm back from a wonderful, whirlwind (emphasis on the WIND) weekend in Chicago with Shift. There was lots of fun, lots of good food, and lots of just hanging out and catching up - just how I like it. Here are a few of the highlights:

The Goddess and Grocer, quite possibly the best and cutest gourmet food shop I've ever seen. Food is to die for, and they have a really impressive selection of wine, hostess gifts, and yummy stuff. If I ever open a food shop, it will be modeled after this one!
Chicago Antique Market is tons of fun. If only I had a UHaul to take things back to New York in, I would've made out like a bandit! So much nicer, more diverse, and more affordable than any antique market in NYC (but no big surprise there).
Mado restaurant is new, BYO (yay!), affordable and has amazing food (well, other than that my fish entree came with the eyes still on it, but that's neither here nor there). I could dream about the skirt steak and gorgonzola polenta that Shift got...yum.

I will be back in Chicago...when the weather is warmer :) Thanks to Shift for being a fabulous hostess! Now back to work...

I'm going to chicago and I'm bringing with me...

Uh, rain boots? (ooh, these have fur trim!) A heavy coat? Not sure, but I'll figure it out tonight. I'll be in Chicago with Shift until Monday night, so no posts from us for awhile - but we'll be back on Tuesday, hopefully with some good stories, some good purchases, and some good pictures. Cross your fingers the rain doesn't turn to snow.

forever frugal fridays

I actually agree with Shift's picks for once. And I like this dress, although i'd have to see it in person...I love the mix of blue and black. Maybe Shift and I will have to visit the forever in Chicago this weekend...

forever frugal friday...

time for forever frugal fridays...i have two picks this week (we'll see if they make barclay gag or not...)

pick one: rope halter top in dark purple

pick two: wool cardigan (i would need to feel this to see if it was cheap and scratchy...)

whoot whoot!

t-minus 24 hours until barclay gets to the windy city!

unfortunately the windy city is cold, windy, rainy and possibly snowy but fun will prevail.

(i loved this picture on this is glamourous but couldnt find a reason to link it...instead i'm pretending the brown one is me (but shorter), the blond one is barclay, the red head is missing and the city is chi-town....humor me)

linda and harriet

i love these wedding invitations from linda and harriet...

and even though it's not a wedding invitation, i had to throw in cute pigs for good measure...

waves

i'm sure we have all seen the final collections from project runway but i was watching re-runs last night and i think leanne's collection is better the second time around...

if and when i find someone to marry, i want this dress!

what if my hands arent cold?

i love club monaco...but i'm wondering why every look they have is paired with some crazy kind of gloves...

barclay...did i miss the glove memo? is there some must-have fall accessory trend i dont know about...

color me confused.

bring it.

I'm finally feeling better. Had a good, relaxing weekend - lots of napping, long walks with Lucy, and some good bargain-shopping in SoHo yesterday. Picked up that cute top from the last frugal Friday at Forever 21 (fiance: "what's forever 21?" me: "you won't like it. trust me. I'll meet you in Bloomingdale's.") and used that great promotion at Banana Republic to save 30% on a new dress for my work event this week (long sleeves = key, since it's gonna be freeeeezing). I'm ready for whatever craziness the week will bring...

Just one thing: I hope the weather gods change their minds about this weekend in Chicago...

priscilla ahn

i'm currently obsessing over priscilla ahn...

"Singer-songwriter Priscilla Ahn embarked upon a career the old-fashioned way: she packed her belongings in a car - “two guitars, clothes, and some other junk I really didn't need to bring” - and left her Pennsylvania home for L.A. That she found steady gigs - a supportive circle of fellow artists and a record deal in a relatively short period of time, give or take several months of bad waitressing jobs - will come as no surprise after a single listen to “Dream,” the lilting opening track of A Good Day, her full-length debut on Blue Note Records. Ahn artfully balances youthful whimsy and grown-up sophistication, playing guitar and singing in a warm, welcoming, and stunningly self-assured voice"

frugal fridays....

can i start by saying how excited i am that barclay referenced "hitting the town" with me...trouble trouble trouble...

dont ask me why i' looking @ dresses but here is my forever frugal pick for the week...

i'm just waiting for barclay to judge me:)

frugal fridays

I'm back for a hot second just for a frugal Friday post - being sick + crazy work week = no fun. Anyway, I'm thinking that this top might be just what I need to hit the town next weekend with Shift in Chicago:

It looks a lot like a $300+ Rebecca Taylor top I was lusting after at Bloomingdale's over the summer, but this one I might actually buy! Love the details around the bust.

Ok, that's it for now - back to work! At least it's Friday...

me likey

this sweetheart dress from language is delicious...i need a place to wear it...and i need it to go on sale...

stuff for your neck

we've been mia and we are sorry. here are some pretty things to wear around your neck to make up for it...

fairy tale necklace by alexis bittar (my fav!)

multi chain necklace by forever 21

crystal necklace by kenneth jay lane

drop necklace by winifred grace

sniffle.

I don't really get sick. Shift usually takes care of that. But I have a killer cold, and work is crazy so I'm stuck in my office with the door closed, blowing my nose every five minutes. If I can just make it to the weekend and spend some time napping on the couch with the dog, I should be golden...too bad it's only Tuesday. Sigh.

about those boots...

Dear Shift,
Unless you're planning on channeling your inner Jack Sparrow and dressing up as a pirate for Halloween, I suggest you skip the ugly foldover boots. For your own sake.
Love, Barclay

forever frugal fridays

i can feel barclay rolling her eyes at me across state lines but shoes are my forever frugal pick this week. i have two very good reasons for this... 1) i don't know if i like the whole ankle boot trend so there is no way i'm throwing down tons of cash for shoes that may or may not look ridiculous. 2) its snowy/slushy here in the winter and i don't want to ruin my nice boots running (through the slush and snow) to the nearest drinking establishment

forever frugal fridays.

This week has been ridiculously long, so I may need some retail therapy. Since you can never have too many handbags, my pick for today is this versatile black clutch:It looks a lot like a Lauren Merkin clutch that's more in the neighborhood of $200, so I say this one is definitely a better deal. Now fingers crossed that I can find it in a store...

fly

i've got travel on the mind and this book looks like boatloads of fun...

"Stewardess is a high-flying visual celebration of the era when air travel was chic and stewardesses were glamorous, gracious symbols of the international jet set. Taking off with an insightful introduction tracing the history of the air hostess, this stylish book is packed with gorgeous vintage photographs, training and in-flight materials, ads, and stewardess ephemera, plus snapshots and reminiscences from stewardesses themselves. A fun and fashionable fight for travelers without having to check your bags Stewardess pays fitting tribute to being able to maintain perfect poise at 30,000 feet. Welcome aboard."

if flying was still this glamorous maybe it wouldnt scare the ba-jeebus outta me...

I love a good sale section.

Shopping at J.Crew is tricky. On one hand, you know that if you wait long enough, everything will go on sale. On the other hand, by the time it goes on sale your size might be long gone (as is often the case for me). So once you know something is on sale, you have to either run to a store asap, or call the store to ask them to put things on hold for you (I highly recommend the latter!). All the sale stuff today was an extra 20% off, so it was extra hard to say no!I love this cardigan and would buy it in every color if I could. The ruffles just make it so girly. It was $55 marked down from $88!
It's always hard to find a good sweater dress that isn't too clingy in the hip area, and this one isn't -- but it runs ridiculously large. I need to find an XS, so maybe that will be a project for the weekend...it's worth it, since it's now $80 marked down from $150! And then no more shopping. At least until Chicago :)

yippy

my sister is coming! my sister is coming!

i'm not much of a planner (duh) but im so excited that my head is spinning with ways to fill our weekend...

she's never been to wicker park so we are shopping there for sure...

and of course we have to go to the last weekend of the antique market...

brunch @ southport grocer...i highly recommend the bruschetta

other than that, i'm sure we'll just ride the el around and around:)