Christmas Wishes

I think this marks year three since I've made my Christmas Wish List via a blog post. Past lists seen here and here. I like to think that it makes it easier on my parents to see my wishes creatively displayed because let's be honest, I'm not the easiest person to buy clothes for.

Christmas in New York has treated me very well so far. Although my roommate and I had a minor mishap with sleezy car salesmen, excuse me, tree salesmen that resulted in us not paying $70 for a mini tree. Other than that the city is romantically lit and radiating with Christmas cheer.

I participated in Santa Con this past weekend, which was nothing like anything I've ever seen. Basically thousands of people dress up as Santa, Reindeer, Elves etc. and unitedly parade around the city shouting Christmas Carols in between pit stops at bars. This eventful day unfortunately resulted in me getting a terrible flu. Lesson learned.

I still have a couple of holiday oriented things remaining on my list to do here including: ice skating in Bryant Park, visiting the tree at Rockefeller (I know, I also can't believe I haven't seen it yet), and lastly, seeing Elf on Broadway.

I am leaving the city in 6 days to head back to the desert and I hear is in the mid 70s right now... I have to say, that sounds rather nice. I think I might pack my bikini.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Love,

abby

Boot Skoot and Boogie

I was very excited to come home from a very long/stressful day at work to find my new boots waiting for me! I had to opt for the Forever 21 knock-off's of these Acne Pistol Boots because I live in New York and am poor beyond belief. However, I'm really happy with them and think they are a fantastic alternative.

Forever 21. Photo from: Where Did You Get That

ACNE Pistol

Oh Nah Nah What's My Name

This post is kind of an ode to my favorite Brit, Alexa Chung. I don't know why but I feel like if she and I ever met that we would be instant best friends. I say that in a total non-stalkerish way... Alexa has effortless style and stays true to it.

Consistency in fashion is key.

I'm recovering from last night's events that consisted of whiskey cokes, old school Good Charlotte sing-a-longs (Shhhh don't tell), taxi rides, leather jackets, red lipstick and awesome dance moves.

Today's events so far have consisted of oatmeal with peanut butter (I swear it's good!), blogging in bed, Rihanna and iced coffee. Hopefully I'll fit in a yoga class and laundry too.

xo

20-NOV

Zara November Lookbook

It is a beautiful day today in NYC! The sun is shining and the air is crisp. Weekend's spent here are the best. Let's be honest, everyday spent here is the best. There is so much to do and see it is hard to fit it all in.

Started my Saturday with the best bagel ever. This place is arguably the best bagel spot in NYC and I happen to live right above it. I'm going to go check out some thrift shops now in the UES and hopefully find some cool stuff for our apartment.

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

LOVE,

ABBY

Rainy Days

I cannot wait for Fall to arrive. It's probably due to the fact that I'm snuggled up on my couch, drinking a hot cup of coffee, gazing through the blurred window at the pouring rain that has triggered this desire. I simply cannot wait for chunky knit sweaters, lace-up heeled booties, faux-furs, thigh-high socks, burgundy stained lips and layers of denim.

Summer in New York has treated me well--don't get me wrong. I've thoroughly enjoyed shopping for jewelry at street markets, reading on the beach, sunshine in Central Park, outdoor concerts, fresh fruit and copious amounts of iced coffee, however I'm ready to switch gears.

My desired Fall wardrobe is reminiscent of J Crew's latest Look Book. Key word: desired. Here are some inspirational looks.

Photos all from J.Crew

See

I want these. Bad.

See by Chloe

Revolve Clothing

Sleepy Girl

Top 3

I would say my Internet usage is distributed to the following:

70% Fashion blogs or related fashion sites
10% Twitter
10% Facebook
10% News sources i.e. CNN.com

As you can see the majority of my "interneting" is dedicated to browsing Fashion Blogs. Since I allot 70% of my time to them, I decided to dedicate a post to my Top 3 Fashion Bloggers of the moment. They're the blogs that I actively make a point to visit each day and look to for inspiration in styling outfits.

5 Inch and Up

I like that she takes the current trends of the moment (i.e. silk floral Acne shirt, clogs) and makes them her own. Not to mention she always experiments with cool Chanel temporary tattoos. (See 2nd photo)







photos by: 5 Inch and Up

Natalie Off Duty

Aside from being absolutely beautiful, Natalie has such killer style. She has an Alex Chung essence to her look, which let's be honest, is my style idol. I think what I like the most is that she never over accessorizes. She barely wears make-up and her photos are always clean and fresh. I'm not sure those are accurate adjectives to describe a picture, but I'm going to go with it. Plus, I think she reads my blog sometimes too :)






Photos by Natalie Off Duty

Intrigue Me Now

I think she's a bit of a newbie to the blog world, but she's entered with a bang. I'm saying "she" a lot because I don't know her name. I love how she mixes different fabrics and textures together and I love her hair.






Photos by Intrigue Me Now

I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear.

I did a little shopping damage after work today. I thought on my walk home, “I’ll just peak in Zara really quick, I’m walking right by.” Two pairs of pants later I thought, “H&M won’t have anything, but I’ll just look really fast.”

I am the absolute worst.

Sometimes I feel as though there is a little devil version of me equipped with a credit card and poor judgment that sits on my shoulder whispering, “Abby, you really do need that.” New York hasn’t made it any easier seeing as I pass by every store imaginable simply walking home from work.

This week's challenge: Practicing a little retail self-control.

A little bit country

It’s 9:15 on a Sunday night. This is the time when I sit back and mentally prep myself for another 5 days of regimented work.

My weekend, as always, flashed before my eyes. I escaped the city for a little country time in the Berkshires and it couldn’t have been lovelier. The weather was flawless. The stars shined bright. The garden produced copious amounts of veggies for salads and Berkshire Pale Ale was fully stocked in the fridge. What more could I ask for really?

I hope everyone else was able to take a few days off from life to sit back and appreciate something small. ♥

Oh, and the clothes! How could I forget about the clothes? I must still be in gardening mode. (I actually picked vegetables and carried them in my shirt this morning.)

Anyways, these are just a couple of things on my radar.

Shoes, Clothes, Wallpaper???

In honor of my return to the blog world; as I've mysteriously disappeared for the past couple months, I decided to post something a little different than my norm. It certainly doesn't interest me as much as fashion does, but I have developed an eye for it lately.

I think it’s the combination of moving in with my Aunt, (who has more style in her pinky than most people I encounter) and moving into a new apartment that has perked my interest on the subject of interior design. Although I can’t say I can actively participate in a 45-minute conversation regarding a pillow, which I’ve witnessed recently, I do find it fun matching different looks together. I do that with clothes, don’t I?

Anyway, Apartment Therapy has become my new favorite place to browse real-live peoples apartments. I particularly like looking at the New York ones because you can get great ideas for decorating small areas and let’s be honest, that’s just how it is in the city.

Here are a couple of inspiration photos that I’ve used to guide myself while decorating. It's kind of ridiculous how obsessed I have been with graphic wallpaper lately.









I'm in love with this mod wallpaper my Aunt put up in her breakfast room. Don't mind the awkward photo of me drinking coffee...



Lastly, this is the latest addition to my own wall. At first I wasn't crazy about the blue paint, but it has definitely grown on me and has helped paved the way for the rest of my room.

These are some of my favorite paintings by Elizabeth Peyton. Lately I’ve been drawn to her idealized portraits of celebrities and ex-boyfriends of hers. Marc Jacobs featured in the center of course. See? I can still loop fashion with décor in some way or another. Oh, and let's not forget Sid there top right. I'm still a punk-rocker at heart. ♥



Sorry for the glare. I was too impatient to wait until the sun went down.

First three photos of awesome NYC apartments courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

♥

I'm back

New blogs

to be

consistently posted

starting

tomorrow.

....

♥

One dress. Two ways.

Herve Leger dress

Chic: House of Harlow necklace, Thakoon heels, Juicy Couture ring, Jimmy Choo cluch

Sweet: Miu Miu heels, Halston Heritage blazer, Chloe sunglasses, Marni bag, necklace By Malene Birger

thesearethethingsIwantNOW!

My apologies for not posting anything since February. I guess I've tried to use my internet time more wisely. In other words, I'm hunched over, drinking coffee, navigating job search engines one after another.

In good news, I'm officially living in New York . I don't think it will quite feel like I'm living here until I find a job and a place of my own, but still, I'm here!

Since I technically have some more time on my hands I will be updating more frequently.

Scrunch Time

I really enjoy this cold weather-friendly look of scrunched socks paired with platform sandals. It's versatile and allows you to wear your favorite heels year round without freezing your toes. Burberry Porsum presented this look in their Spring 2008 collection and we’ve now seen many different takes on the look since.

Alexa Chung always manages to add an eclectic twist to her typical menswear inspired look by adding ankle socks to her booties. While Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast sports thick scrunched socks with D&G wedges in New York for Fashion Week.

Sources: Fashion Toast, Vogue Italia, tfs, fabsugar