Inside the box

Gift boxes from Anthropologie - how exciting! You don't know what's within, but there are so many wonderful possibilities! (Despite the logo's mysterious placement on the inside of the box, there was no mistaking the look of Anthropologie.)

This post is long overdue, since our wedding anniversary was in the beginning of December, but I finally downloaded the pictures to share with you, my fellow Anthropologie fans.

The husband and I have a long history of unexciting gifts. The way it used to work for us is that I would start dropping hints about two month before our anniversary, and husband would ignore those hints because he figured he wants my present to be a complete surprise. Getting me what I hinted about would make him too predictable and rob him of the glory of going out and finding me a perfect present all on his own. A noble sentiment, but never quite worked out in real life. First, the husband would scavenge the Internet for some unique and unpredictable gift. Then he would give up on the Internet and spend days (What dedication!) going in and out of shops, confused and disoriented. Finally, he would admit to himself that he is out of his league and get me something with a good return policy. I, of course never knew what to get him either, so I would just end up getting him books every year, which he seemed quite content with.
Anyway, to make a long story short, this year husband finally caught on that getting me a present from Anthropologie is a pretty safe bet. Comes our anniversary, husband is feeling pretty confident, knowing that for the first time in seven years he did well in the present buying sphere. I got him two books again and he seems happy (Took him all of two days to read both).
So here I am presented with two delicious Anthropologie boxes (Aren't the fuzzies they use instead of ribbon just adorable?).

And here's what's inside. A lovely embroidered sweater and...

Shweshwe dinner plate and serving bowl. At least I think it's a serving bowl. It looks like a funky flower pot. Whatever it is, it's very original and beautiful. The Shweshwe stoneware is handmade in Africa and is inspired by vivid patterns of shweshwe cloth.

Thank you Hubby!

Show and Tell - Fainting Sofa Blazer

Well, I've finally caved and ordered the Fainting Sofa Blazer from Anthropologie. As I mentioned in a previous post, this blazer was not available in any of the Anthropologie stores in my area.
It was delivered today. So, I open the box and, surprise surprise, the first thing I notice is that the buttons are different from the picture on Anthropologie.com.



This is the second time this has happened to me with Anthropologie items and it's really starting to piss me off. Why can't Anthropologie get their act together and make sure the pictures on their website are a true representation of the products they're selling?
I'm sure some people would not mind the floral buttons, but to me personally they look a bit juvenile.
I also have a difficult time actually getting them into the button holes; it's a very tight fit and I feel like the button holes are stretching every time I try to button up the blazer.
Aside from the buttons, I have very mixed feelings about this blazer. I like the color very much and the silk applique adds a unique touch. The lining is pretty in swiss dots and there's a little applique under the tag. Not that anyone ever sees it, but I like knowing it's there. I'm still weirded out about the sleeves though. Something about the poofy shape does not sit
well with me. It makes me feel kinda butch. Also, the
blazer fits me OK in the front, but the back is loose. It doesn't seem to be tailored too well. If I would have gotten a smaller size, I wouldn't have been able to button it up.
Also, the little paper pouch that holds the spare button came torn and scotch taped back together. This makes me think the blazer was previously purchased and returned. Now I might be wrong, but it seems to me that nice stores usually don't resell returned merchandise at original prices. Shameless! How am I supposed to feel knowing I got someone's discarded jacket?

I haven't yet made up my mind whether I will be keeping or returning the fainting sofa blazer. Here are some picture of me wearing it. What do you think?

Photography Inspirations

When I went to Anthropologie in Rockefeller Center, I noticed they had an exhibit of a young photographer inside the store. I found the concept of Anthropologie promoting young artists very interesting. I'm not sure how they go about deciding on whose work to exhibit, but I think they should catch on to Molly Holland's photography. In my humble opinion her photographic style would fit into the image of Anthropologie perfectly.

I first met Molly when I was a student at FIT. She seemed like someone from another era. Molly possessed a unique ability to see beauty in everyday objects and people and to transform the mundane into ethereal images.

As you can see, Molly's photography is very poetic and feminine . In the past year she was invited to exhibit her photography at the home of Juliet Margaret Cameron, among other places.


So Anthropologie, I hope to see Molly's photography in your midst soon, and if Molly should find exhibiting in a chain store beneath her, I'm always available :-).

This photo I took of Molly was one of my early attempts at photography.

Laurel Run Dress on Sale

The Laurel Run Dress from Anthropologie was at the top of my wish list for a long time. I was waiting for it to go on sale since the original price of $218 was a bit too steep for me. As I visited my wish list today I noticed the dress is now selling for $129.95. Much better, wouldn't you say? Unfortunately my size is not available (The downside to waiting till things go on sale), but if you're size 6 or up, hurry and snatch yourself this embroidered beauty at Anthropologie.com.
If your size is not available through the website, try calling up a few stores, I might just do that.

Winter Window

Magical Winter Window at Anthropologie in NYC

Photo by Mathilda Williams

Lovely in T-Straps

The 1920's in America were times of great change. Coming out of the horrors of the First World War, society exploded in million different directions. The twenties saw women voting, the Harlem Renaissance, prohibition, and an incredible burst of affluence for the middle class. Automobiles and electric appliances made people's lives easier and gave them more leisure time.
A new breed of young women emerged in the twenties, referred to as Flapper. They wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to the new Jazz music, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered "acceptable" behavior. The flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, driving automobiles, drinking, smoking and otherwise flouting conventional social and sexual norms.
In Short, Flappers were young, beautiful, fashionable women who knew how to have fun. Do you see where I'm heading with all this? T-Straps! What were you thinking? Those lovely Flappers wore lovely T-Strap shoes. Recently (or at this point not so recently) t-straps have made a major comeback and I do like them, oh, so much! I just can't seem to put them out of my head. No other shoes have ever made me feel this way.

Here are some nice T-Straps from Anthropologie

Scene-Stealing T-Strap by Chie Mihara - $348

Patchwork T-Strap - $98 (How cool can a shoe get?)


Absinthe Heels - $298


Licorice Stick T-Strap - $168 at Anthropologie, $159 at Shoes.com (Frye, Women's Lisa T-strap)

Nina Dolls Women's Any Time Pump - $78.95 from www.endless.com (Also available in black). Anthropologie calls these Dashwood Wedges and sells for $88
Did I mention Endless has a Free Overnight shipping promotion?


I found these Skechers Soho Lab Women's Aadi T-Strap on www.endless.com
for $59.46
These T-Strap flats look cute and functional. For those of us who need to walk around, not just sit and look pretty, these shoes might be a good compromise between style and comfort.



For dressier occasions check out Women's Chum by Kenzie - $55.99 from Endless

Goodies

What do you get when you give two delicious kids some flour, sugar, eggs and butter? Why a mess in the kitchen of course! Oh, and yummy butter cookies.

I got my kids a cookie baking set in Barnes & Nobles of all places. It came with a cookies and cupcakes recipe book, six shaped cookie cutters, a mini wooden rolling pin, and an icing dispenser. The set was on sale for $6.98 and I figured the kids will have fun with it. Boy did they have fun! We started with the easiest recipe (The one I actually had all the ingredient for).

4 oz butter, softened
4 oz (about 1/2 cup) sugar
1 egg
8 oz all-purpose flour

We mixed the melted butter with sugar, added an egg, flour and voila! We had dough! The kids looked very professional kneading the dough with flour on their faces. Once the dough was rolled out, kiddies made shapes with cookie cutters. They even invented some shapes of their own. It took about 8 minutes for the cookies to bake in our Toaster oven.

They were delicious! There's nothing like eating warm cookies right out if the oven. Now, the first thing kids ask me when coming home from school is "can we bake today?"

Boden Winter Sale

Boden catalog is my favorite place to shop after Anthropologie. The clothes are well made, simple classy and wearable. Another nice thing about Boden is that all their skirts and pants come in regular and long sizes.
I was excited to find that Boden is having a sale on some of their winter items. I was looking forward to this sale for a long time. Here are some sale highlights.

Chic Applique Coat

I like the way this coat is tailored and the circle appliques at hem add some whimsy. It's available in three colors, Ivory, Dark Brown and Dark Indigo. The original price was $198.
Sale Price - $99.00. I don't know about you but at this price I'm tempted to get one in every color.

Velvet Trim V-neck

Comfy cotton v-necks with contrasting velvet trim. These t-shirts are available in tons of colors. Original price was $38, now $24.50

Belted Flannel Skirt

Lately I'm very attracted to pencil skirts. This one is made of wool and comes with a matching belt. Very chic and sophisticated. Original price was $98 Sale price - $64

There are many more nice pieces on sale, I just don't have the patience to put them all up.
Also remember to check out Menswear (Yes, men occasionally deserve new clothes too) and kidswear sale. Happy shopping!

Manhattan Outing

Hi all, it is a gray murky Monday in Brooklyn NY and I ask where has the sun gone to? I don't remember the last time I've seen the sun, it feels like it's been overcast forever. Yeeek. I asked my husband where the sun has gone and he told me "To Australia". Now that's tempting. Every winter I get the "I hate NY and want to move to a warm sunny place" syndrome. I've had this syndrome for as long as I can remember yet we still live in Brooklyn, NY. How I wish to wake up in the morning to see the sun streaming in through the curtains. I wish I could look out my window and see the shimmering blue of the ocean. Dream on, Sophie...

I have a love-hate relationship with NYC. I love to stroll around the artsy neighborhoods like SOHO, walk into little boutiques and book shops, the art galleries, and outdoor markets. I love the theaters and shows (Not that I actually go, but I like the idea of their existence), but I hate the traffic, the pollution and all the hustle and bustle. I absolutely hate and despise taking the subway. Driving in Manhattan is an adventure that usually results in eye-twitching and a desire to be back in Brooklyn. Never mind the pedestrians that don't know the meaning of "Red light" and insist on crossing the street under your car wheels, looking for parking in NYC sucks all the life and hope out of you.

Regardless, the husband and I planned an outing in Manhattan on Sunday. Our destinations: Union Square Park Holiday Market, Anthropologie, Barnes and Nobles, dinner and a movie. I was also hoping to go to Macy's since I had some coupons and wanted to check out wool coats, but my husband drew the line there. The last time we ventured into Macy's together and I haven't found anything I liked after covering about three floors, Husband told me this must be what Hell is like. Five floors of clothes and nothing to wear.

After circling around for fifteen minutes (a record time for Manhattan), we found a parking spot and headed for the Union Square Holiday market. We passed by ABC Carpet and Home and decided to pop in. For those of you not familiar with ABC, it's a huge gorgeous store that sells antique furniture and overpriced home accessories. The whole place is set up like a museum. Looking at ABC price tags makes me feel better about Anthropologie prices. You can't get a soy sauce dish in there for under $50.

I have some sort of a weird attraction to chandeliers. ABC Home has a beautiful selection of antique chandeliers and scones.

This hand made porcelain sets by Jan Burtz caught my eye. Each piece had a different insect drawing on it.
A doll wedding party.

After poking around ABC, we headed for the holiday market. These markets sprang up all over Manhattan before the holidays. Local and international artisans sell their craft in little booths and everyone is in a festive mood. There was so much to see we didn't know where to start.

Moroccan Lanterns

Wooden toys

I found these rooster timers (Sold by Anthropologie) in one of the booths. I really wanted to take my time and check out every booth, but after about 1/2 hour I was freezing which took all the pleasure out of browsing and so we headed for Anthropologie on 5th Ave and 16th Street. There are three Anthropologie locations in NYC. The one on 5th Ave happens to be my favorite because it has the air of a quaint French boutique. The Anthropologie in Rockefeller Center is much larger (More merchandise) but it feels like the chain store that it is and that kills the experience for me.

Window displays made out of natural materials are Anthropologie trademarks.

It was dark outside, hence the blueish tone in the pictures.

Inside the air was so thick it made me dizzy. I've never ever seen Anthropologie so packed before. There were so many people in there I couldn't see the clothes. The line to the cash register ran all the way to the back of the store. Crowds make me feel very disoriented and claustrophobic. There was no way we were gonna stand in that line. I realized that once you take away the pleasant atmosphere of Anthropologie, the desire to spend on their clothes leaves as well. I remembered a line from To Kill A Mockingbird, "Ladies in bunches fill me with apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere". Ditto. On-line shopping started looking better and better. I snapped a few pictures and got out into the fresh night air.

Milk cartons lamp shades. What will they think of next?

Phewh, it felt good to breath again. After dinner we went to see The Golden Compass. Not a very mature choice but I love fairy tales. It was beautifully made but I didn't like that it ended abruptly. I know, I know there will be a sequel.