thanksgiving

Looking forward to sitting down with friends and the moms and my *husband*

I have made myself helpful today by staying out of the way. But I will be in charge of the traditional martinis.

Happy day to you all!

p.s. I want these chairs. (Image courtesy of my polaroid blog)

I'm digging these ties by Band of Outsiders

They have a vintage vibe like these, but the skinny gives them modern appeal.

Via men.style.com. Available at oaknyc.com

let's talk about groom style

Come on. Does it get any better than this?

Photos of Bianca and Mick Jagger just after their 1971 wedding in St Tropez by Patrick Lichfield.

(Thanks to P and Peonies for the inspiration.)

did I say I didn't like engagement photos?

I'm a gemini. Sue me.

auburn & ivory via The Bedlam of Beefy. (Also spotted on Once Wed.)

p.s. Are balloons the new cupcakes? Emilia and I are taking an informal poll.

(Photo by Josh Goleman)

I interrupt regular programming

To rave about Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products. They're eco-friendly. They smell good. They make it bearable to, you know, clean.

But I didn't appreciate the shower cleaner until today. You're supposed to squirt it on your tiles, shower curtain, etc, every day to prevent soap scum build-up. Which I must admit I do not do. But this morning -- in a complete panic because my mother-in-law was about to arrive and I had not replaced the mildew-ridden shower curtain liner -- I tried spraying it on the mildew. Boom. The black gunk rinsed right off with mere encouragement from a scrub brush. A far cry from the last time I labored to clean mildew off a shower curtain with traditional cleanser.

Awesome.

You have your choice of basil, lavender, lemon verbena or geranium (scented with essential oils). I favor the lavender, especially since I read on Earth Friendly Weddings that lavender helps you sleep. Maybe I should start cleaning before bed?

the way to a woman's heart: shelves

My male readers deserve to know this invaluable secret. (Who am I kidding? I have three male readers, and two of them are gay. Anyhoo.)

P posted here about how Fauxhawk salvaged the day from hell with a stiff drink and an Ikea shelf. So I feel compelled to tell my story.

A year + ago, H-town and I moved in together with nothing but my bed, my dresser, my little desk, and quite a few boxes of crap. Shortly after, I went away to a theater festival in Edinburgh and he did some serious nesting. Adorable, but a bit nerve-racking for both of us. (I'm a control freak and I'd never officially lived with anyone. Or let anyone else pick out the furniture.)

He kicked ass. He was most proud of his thrift store finds: yellow vinyl chairs and a white pedestal table. But I could not get over the shelf made from a salvaged wine box he put up in the bathroom. Seriously. It was all about the shelf.

Recently, he put up another wine box shelf for me next to my desk in the kitchen. The bungalow is on the small side, but we're making it work....

It's killing me that I didn't tear out this New Yorker cartoon last year: the female praying mantis says to the male praying mantis, "After we have sex and before I kill you, I want you to put up some shelves." I bet my mom saved it.

(Photo: Phil Mansfield for The New York Times via 2 or 3 things I know)

yay! I love it when you ask me for advice

(Even if I'm totally unqualified to give it to you.)

Amanda writes:

Question for the groom fashion expert: my guy wants to wear his favorite pair of brown dress shoes to the wedding, and I really want to see him in a nice pair of charcoal gray slacks with a button up shirt (I'm leaning towards a light pink pinkstripe. maybe purple).

Can this work? Any advice here? Being a girl who wears a black yoga suit out everywhere, I need fashion help.

Ok, they aren't wing tips, but they are pretty much this color (maybe a bit darker).

I say yes! Let the man wear his favorite shoes.

And I searched the Style Guy to back me up. Here's what I found:

Q: I often see men who know how to dress well wearing gray suits with brown shoes and a brown belt. It seems like black would go better than brown with a gray suit, but maybe there is something I don’t know.

A: Either black or brown shoes are “correct” with a gray suit. There is a movement toward brown shoes, I think, because they offer more potential in the patina department. Great brown shoes look luxurious. If the suit is dark gray, however, the shoes, if brown, should be dark brown.

Jelsen broke this rule, wearing honey-brown shoes with a dark suit, and he *rules*

So there you have it.

(Image courtesy of The Sartorialist)

can I get an oh yeah?

Hat by H&M, grandma's vintage necklace by Christian Dior.

I do feel compelled to point out that Nadia is dressing for LA, not Zurich.

(Image courtesy of LOOKBOOK.nu)

rock the tux

Brandon Flowers of The Killers, one of GQ's Men of the Year, demonstrates. GQ offers tips on how to buy one here.

(Photos by Paola Kudacki courtesy of GQ)

welcome back to blogland

We missed you, lady. Those eleven days felt like an eternity. And oh, the trolls were restless....

(Image from here)

taxidermied bride & groom

I was headed over to Paxton Gate to stalk Laurie Brown when I found these. Omg.

I think they'd make the perfect wedding present for someone really really cool. (According to Jeanie's bio, they are actually intended to go on top of the cake.)

P might also appreciate the Mexican tourist mouse.

The little rodents come with a warning: Although their hides are cured and dried, they still may appeal to pets. Keep them out of reach of your dog or cat.

okay, now I'm stalking Alyson Fox

I just found these photos of her Austin remodel on Design*Sponge. And the sneak peek here.

Alyson used a spray gun to paint the kitchen cabinets the same orange/red as her $12 thrift-store desk.

Hello, this is my color palette.

seriously repurposed wedding dress

Alyson Fox made her dress from a vintage kimono and a WWII parachute bought off ebay.

She. Rocks. Maybe it's an Austin thing?

Via Once Wed. Photo by Ashley Garmon Photographers.

I confess. I'm a total wedding snob.

F* it. That's why you guys love me, right?

(Image by MISPRINTED TYP E found here)

engagement *polaroids*

I'm usually yawn about engagement photos. They all look the same to me (sorry).

But these polaroids by Samuel Lippke, part of the duo responsible for these pics, are f'ing awesome.

I hate to say it, but the rest of the shoot is pretty cool too. I love that it has a story. And that Samuel stopped to get a close-up of a grasshopper.

um, no

Paul Smith says his inspirations for the collection were English cricket, rock, and Mick Jagger.

When I think Rolling Stones, I do not think pleated pants. (Are the dark circles under their eyes supposed to help?)

Trendland via NOTCouture

East London

This piece in the Times Magazine makes me want to go.

(Photos by Ronald Dick)

I'm digging this blouson dress

Very Saturday Night Fever, as Bride Chic points out. Thoughts?

it's a wedding mustache epidemic

I love how the "nuptials" sign is kinda mustache shaped. Have I been sitting at my computer too long?

Visit photographer Robert Sukrachand's blog to see more photos of this upstate New York campground wedding. The air stream trailer (pictured in the background above). The vintage Volvo. These woodsy centerpieces.

Via little winter bride

going green this weekend

My landlord is fumigating his bungalow, and this morning they turned off everybody's gas. No heat, no hot water, no dryer, for three days.

He did give us a hotplate and fifty bucks "for a nice dinner." Aaw.

faux-laroid created by desert fete using this process.

My Readers Rock (Part II)

Polka Dot Bride somehow knew I needed this photo from Derby Day of a hot guy in shorts.

Please don't ask me to explain what Derby Day is.

(Photo: Ian Currie)

awesome

Ordinarily, I'd wear a small.  But H-town and I could share a size medium.  If anybody is wondering.

print liberation via monmelodie

Comme des Garcons hits H&M today

Damn I wish I could be there.

nitro:licious via The Cut

and the bride wore black leather

I have this jacket. (Okay, it's not Comme des Garcons, it's better. I bought it on Haight Street in when I was in high school.) My mom is still storing it for me, even though she's moved at least seven times since then.*

I could never bring myself to part with the jacket, in spite of my propensity to get rid of things. Ah well, maybe I'll wear it for the vow renewal....

Photo from New York Magazine via Nibs. Do you follow Martha's wedding posts? You should.

*Um, mom, thanks for storing my secret stuff while I brag about being a minimalist.

wednesday morning color palette

I am digging what popped up on my dashboard this morning. (It's the esb colors!)

The ColorBurn widget delivers you a daily color palette.

I could have gone nuts with this when I was planning the wedding... Maybe a good thing that I didn't know about it.

Groom Style: The Boy (Part II)

Peonies held out on me. She mentioned back in June that The Boy has a thing for skulls, and that they'd bought some tiny silver skull buttons to put on his shirt, "so he doesn't feel so boring and grown up!" But she waited until *after* my groom style post to put up the photo.

Hey lady, how about an extreme close up? I'm up for Part III if you are.

Photo by Peonies herself, of course.

It was quite chilly this morning

Maybe I can finally pull out my (faux) furry hat.

Kind of wishing I bought the real one I found at a vintage store this summer. It fit me perfectly, but it was a little mangy. And I felt funny wearing it.

Would anyone care to weigh in on fur? If you buy it vintage are you honoring the animal? Putting one fewer *new* fur hat/coat/stole on the market? Or are you just glamorizing the thing?

There is a lot of fur going on right now.

Images via LOOKBOOK.nu

GroomsMEN Style: Oh Yeah

Vintage ties from the 70's. Mustaches. A genuine SWAT van. (I won't even rub it in about the no socks trend.)

See more of this cool-ass socal wedding at snippet & ink. And check out Eric's blog.

Photos by Samuel Lippke and Ira Lippke.

Groom Style: The Boy

Peonies and Polaroids posted the killer getting dressed shots yesterday.

On the subject of Groom Style and The Boy, which let's face facts, we are all overlooking in our oohs and ahs over Peonies herself:

1. Yes on the single flower plucked from his lady's bouquet. Overwhelmingly yes. (I must tell you, I have never been a big fan of the boutonniere.)

2. Hello, this shirt is fabulous.

obama supporters vs. mccain supporters

Check out this cool interactive feature at nytimes.com and register your current mood.

I've already gone from anxious to excited.

Oop. Back to anxious again. So much for getting *any* work done today.

Vote NO On Prop 8

And please vote for Obama.

I had planned to do a more elaborate post for today. I meant to take up this challenge from Peonies. What better time to mull over what I love about my country.... Right?

But I'm a little f'ing freaked out to be frank.

monday morning mustache

Are you sick of the whole mustache thing? Because I'm not.

It's Hollister Hovey, of course, as Daniel Plainview. (No, not a Halloween costume. Just Hollister celebrating her 30th birthday.)

Via A Cup of Joe. Joanna Goddard just got engaged, b/t/w. I'm hoping a little of the wedding planning will spill over onto her blog....

swap meet here I come

The other day I found myself watching Tim Gunn's Guide To Style. I'm not proud of it, but sometimes you need a little style TV.

Anyhoo, the fashion *victim* got busted for carrying her big bag everywhere instead of pulling out a little clutch to take to the bar after work. Oops.

Do I need to go shopping?

Fab swap meet finds (and fab photos) from Jen Gotch.

p.s. Stylista, starring the new Nina Garcia, is not bad either. If you need a replacement for Runway. Edit: Okay, it is pretty bad. But sometimes you need bad.... Right?