Martha, Martha, Martha!

I forgot that last week I attended a live taping of the Martha Stewart show. My store was invited to go because it was a special episode all about consignment shopping, thrifting and vintage.

The set was even more beautiful in person, Martha was charming (and soooo dead-on when taping her promotional materials), and OMG…..one of the special guests was Iris Apfel!

Iris brought several of her own pieces that she styled on the mannequins. The jewelry was in.sane. She talked about staying the same size your whole life so you can collect amazing pieces and the fact that she was wearing 25lbs of accessories. I’m not sure how much of a joke that is.

Also on the show were model and avid vintage collector Tatiana Sorokko, along with designer Ralph Rucci. They brought a few of the best pieces from her clothing exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum, going on now through January 2. The piece de resistance was this gorgeous hand painted Ralph Rucci dress. It recieved a lot of ooohs and aaaahs. Up close, it was pretty amazing.

I wore a smattering of vintage and secondhand goods. Everything I’m wearing is thrifted or secondhand (excluding the tights…gross!). I guess they liked my look because they sat me in the second row next to the live (and on-camera) Martha tweeters. Prime seats!

I call this shirt my haunted house shirt because of the print. It’s Miu Miu meets the creepy time traveler old lady’s house in Donnie Darko. Plus, it kind of goes along with Tavi’s whole teen witch vibe, although admittedly, it’s more 70s Halloween than 90s laissez-faire . I think she could get down with that.

F21 leopard jacket, 60s red flower pin, antique style citron ring and rhinestone ring (Vintage Thrift store); Haunted House shirt (Beacon’s Closet); Wool High Waisted Shorts (Salvation Army); Natural Comfort platforms (The Dressing Room); Sarah Coventry gold heart necklace (St. Vincent de Paul Thrift);

I don't have to be anything!

I had to do it. I had to go private and disappear for a while. Sorry, folks.

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I recently gained insight into why I’ve been hating on this blog. The main reason is because I felt that it turned into something that wasn’t me. It seems so obvious now, but for the past year or so, I’ve been a blogging funk. A lot of that had to do with my move to NYC, being surrounded by wildly successful people, people who came here because they wanted things just like I did. And their dreams seemed to be coming true, almost effortlessly, while I interned and slaved away for the most meager of perks. What exactly was I doing wrong?

I became so concerned about what my blog should be and how it could lead to future jobs (which are so scarce right now) that I lost track of what I loved about it in the first place. I studied blogs as a product; I attended conferences, I collected advice and I doled it out just as easily. As it turns out, the very thought of monetizing and capitalizing on what is essentially me, my own self, my blog, was enough to ruin whatever (non-monetary) value it once had.

I thought about giving it up. I thought about it a LOT. I toyed with the idea of getting a new name and moving to WordPress (turns out I’m too uncreative to come up with another suitable name). All the while I was worried that abandoning this blog would cost me my small, but awesome group of followers. Even more grotesquely I thought, “I need to keep this up so I can put it on my resume.” And that's when I realized that that was the whole problem.

In the end, it all came back to the pressure to do something with my blog and turning that success into being something in real life. If there's anything that gypsy craft night reminded me of, it's that I don’t have to be anything!

I’m good enough, right now, just as I am.

After mulling over the options for the past few weeks, I've decided to stick with it. Mostly because I couldn't settle on a name I liked, but also because I don't think it's necessary to throw the baby out with the bath water (and this is definitely my baby!). I don't need a new blog; I just need a new perspective.

So, I’m releasing the pressure to live up to the glory days of AGD, whenever that was. The truth is that it’s only become a hindrance to all the growth I should be welcoming in my life. New York City moves fast, and I've got to move with it.

Let’s try this again.

CATURDAY THE 28TH

This weekend was awesomesauce applesauce full of brownies and win. Alexandra and I made like gypsies at the Family Dollar school supplies craft aisle.

(There are no Hobby Lobbys in NY!)

We laid everything out on F$'s floor, divided it up, and then added some balloons, a birthday banner, and crystal growing kit for good measure.
Back at home, we rearranged all the lamps in the house so we could have cozy light instead of unpleasant overheads. Then we blew up the balloons (except red), hit the framboise and made Betty Crocker brownies for the most decadent unbirthday night ever.

And look what we made! (This one is Alex's.)
(do what you wanna)

Following the instructions of Miranda July's Learning to Love You More project, we started with what seemed like an easy one. Appropriate, too, because this relentless job-search, job-advice, network-building stuff has me hating it all.

So, you know what?
I don't have to be anything.

ALL BUTTONED UP

Ohhhh, that breeze is making me dream of fall. And with the cool wind comes the need for a new jacket....new boots... a new bag...new socks... and new sleepy shorts...(or is that just the retail push I'm feeling? Consumerism can be such an ice queen). Either way, let's talk fall wardrobe wish lists.

First up, a top that's buttoned from the bottom up. Whether it's a sleeveless summer camp style (a la YSL), a crisp white school marm cut (as in Cacharel), or a double-knit ingenue version (hello Miu Miu my dear friend!), I'm all about a top that gives good collar. Prim, it is; boring, it is not.

A few of my favorite neck decorators:

YSL, Marni, Marc Jacobs, Cacharel, Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Miu
all via Style.com

DON, THAT CRAZY FOOL

You probably couldn't tell because of the inherent deceptive-ness of scheduled posts, but I ran out of town for a minute for a family emergency (don't worry, everyone is fine). Before all that hullabaloo went down, I traipsed over to a friend's going away party. Good ole Matt is heading back to our mutual alma mater, Tulane, though I didn't know him then.

I managed to score a stuffed dancing goose sculpture, avoided getting iced, traveled in a pack of feather-wearing friends, and received a very appropriate magic marker tattoo down my right arm.

Everyone seemed to really like this outfit for whatever reason. If I'm going to do the 90s thing that's been (re)circulating, well, I'm going to do it my way--with hot pink J Crew socks.

Thrifted Angie Dress, Vintage Slip, J Crew hot pink socks, Natural Comfort platforms, Free People bag

PRAISE VOGUE

In July's issue, American Vogue asks if they can get "an Amen up in here?" From the depths of my fashion soul sings a resounding YES. You see, Vogue is celebrating the return of the woman-- of waists and boobs, of tailoring and tights, of kitten heels and graceful gestures (Think Prada). Bye bye oversized, shredded don't-give-a-fuck, pour-yourself-into, liquid-sexpot-latex-and/or-leather-leggings and geometric skyscrapers more commonly known as "shoes." Nope, I've never been a huge fan of the downtown, model off-duty look.

Not sure if I need to be strutting around in nude pantyhose just yet, but there's something about elegance and poise that's utterly refreshing. I'm drawn to the idea of dressing up (Everyday! How did we get so casual in the first place?? People wear pajamas outside of the house--seriously?), hair that's set once or twice a week, and always knowing exactly what to say (Hello, Oprah!). I'm seriously ready to crack an etiquette book.

Editor Sally Singer sums it up, "The point is that right now, the look that has been doing the rounds for what feels like, oh , forever is suddenly tired, tired, tired. The biker jacket with one too many zippers. The slouchy distressed tees that now only cause frayed nerves. The heavy buckled platform ankle boots that are a dead weight. And the leggings! The leggings, in leather or nylon or gleaming PVC; time for them to walk to the back of the closet. Girls who once dressed for their inner rocker don't want to hum that tune anymore."

Yep, we've got a new song to sing; its highlights can be found in Vogue's Met gala round-up (be sure to check out Doutzen Kroes glorious powder blue tulle confection), the classic 1950s housewife melodrama in which Natalia Vodianova must choose between happiness with her rebel boy toy or a marriage with the secure Ewan McGregor (a bit trite, but it works), and Sally Singer’s foray into carefully coifed up-dos. Each feature made for a spectacularly cohesive issue, one that truly inspired my barely beating fashion heart.

Well done, Vogue, well done.

Marion Cotillard photos via Just Jared