Skip Covets Dior Couture

While I have no delusions about my future with regard to Couture clothing (namely, I have no future with regard to Couture clothing), a girl can still dream.

And, how lovely that the Spring 2009 Christian Dior Couture show (with the masterful John Galliano) conveys just that idea...of dream-like, optimistic 1950's silhouettes created with crinolined fabrics but with shockingly gossamer transparency and lightness.

I'm going to channel these looks for my Spring/Summer wedding circuit.

The Inspired Fire Extinguisher

I am a firm believer in the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-redesign-it school of classical industrial products. For example; please consider colorful, retro telephones compared with the insipid new black/silver plastic wireless versions or compare a time-honored time keeper clock with an impersonal digital doomsday type that haunt bedside tables everywhere. Most of the time, vintage is better. But not always...

For this little beauty I will certainly make an exception...it is a cleverly redesigned version of the classic, red fire extinguisher that I discovered while perusing the surfeit of design blogs on the world wide web this past weekend.

If only it were available in the U.S....currently, you can buy it at Cox & Cox in the U.K.

Skip's Tip Top Hat Hunt

In order to glamorously convey my British-ness, I have decided that I will be wearing a hat (or fascinator) to the myriad of weddings RTT and I are attending this Spring/Summer. Of course, this requires me to find the perfect hat first...While, in an ideal world I would fly to London to visit the ancestral home and meet with my milliner, alas I am rather confined to searching on the world wide web for now.

Thus, my new favorite website is the quaint, curious site of Samuel's Hats, based in downtown New York City, selling insanely beautiful hats by Anna Rizzo, Herald & Heart and Philip Treacy, to name a few. It is a bit of a cumbersome site, but with some dedicated searching, I have found more than a few hats that I am lusting after...less Isabella Blow and more Renee Perle, I hope.

Of course, the hat is dependent on what my couturier designs for my dress...

Skip Attempts the Blueprint Cleanse

Persuaded, unknowingly, by my little sis, Fabs, and further provoked by Holiday party pounds, RTT and I embarked on a super trendy, 3-day pre-packaged juice cleanse from Blueprint Cleanse this past week. Promises of renewed 2009 energy, clear spirits and weight loss convinced us that the $65/day cleanse (I picked up the juices in NYC while visiting the fam) was worth it.

The Renovation Cleanse consists of 6 juices per day and stricken all solid foods from the diet (the only non-Cleanse item permitted is herbal tea). Two of the juices were a green lettuce-y based concoction that tasted suspiciously like L'Occitane's Verbena soap smells and thus required me to quickly gulp them down to avoid my gag reflex. Another juice was a delightful pineapple-mint beverage that I thoroughly enjoyed and the Peppery Lemonade (with Cayenne) was actually quite refreshing as well. The juice menu was rounded out with a very ginger-y Beetroot juice (RTT hates beets, but I found it to be decent) and a well-received Cashew Nut Milk.

We were considerably hungry during day one and both experienced persistent but minor headaches, yet, to be honest, after the initial food withdrawal symptoms passed, we were good. No hunger, no headaches on days two and three.

Here's the thing, while I was not hungry, I was also not satiated. I was feeling not bad but not great either. I was expecting to feel rejuvenation yet I felt run-of-the-mill. And, I just got so sick of juice! It was too much liquid for one person to consume and I missed the ritual of getting up from my desk for lunch and chopping and cooking for dinner. It was so dull.

So, my lovely readers, I can happily disclose that indeed the money was well-spent because RTT and I learned a valuable lesson; cleanses are gimmicky and boring...for people like us. If you want to detox and need focus and a filter, Blueprint was a peachy option. But, next time, RTT and I are going to limit ourselves to fruits and veggies for a week instead. I expect that will Renovate us just as well.

Skip Loves Happy Ending(s)

While watching my most favorite guilty pleasure on television, the show Privileged on the CW (I know, I can't believe I have sunk to this level), I heard the most fantastical song ever! And, using Shazam, I discovered that it was funky, far out "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" singer Mika's oddly uplifting yet depressing ditty, "Happy Ending."

Of course I am late to the Mika party as the song is from his March 2007 album, "Life in Cartoon Motion," but I almost don't even care! I have literally listened to this song on repeat everyday since.

Participate in tween-er music love by buying the song on iTunes...oh, and watching Privileged.

Skip Supports the Steelers

Thank goodness I was wearing my #7 jersey! Again!! Go Steelers!!!!

PS- Hi, Ben.

Skip Wants to Throw a Party

I can't believe I am even uttering the word 'party' after barely making it through the Holidays, but I am looking for any excuse to buy these confetti-filled pinatas.

They are perfect for my glam, white and gold color-schemed Mexican cocktail fiesta which will also include these White Paper Flowers, something made of feathers and will take place in my yet-to-be-bought-and-or-built party barn.

Ah, confetti-filled dreams!

Skip Adores Mistral

When I left San Francisco for Boston I was convinced that I was leaving behind the incredible foodie culture and iconic, gourmand juggernauts of the region like Cyrus, Zuni, Town Hall and Kokkari. And, in fact, upon arriving in Boston it became clear that my premonitions were completely conceived. For the most part, this city is chock-full of pub grub grease-pits and mediocre, uninteresting restaurants with vastly inflated prices and extensive truffle oil use.

But, maybe, keeping my expectations low (and after a series of disappointments at supposed Boston yuppie hideaways like Masa and Sibling Rivalry and special occasion treats like No. 9 Park) prepared me to be blissfully surprised when I finally dined at Mistral.

If I were to describe in exquisite detail my ideal daily (note, this is not a description for those exclusive, once in a lifetime, sell-your-Jimmy-Choo-handbag-to-pay-for-the-meal places) dining event from the valet to the entrance way's first impression to the decor to the lighting to the music to the service to the bar scene and bartenders to the wine list to the menu layout to the appetizers and entrees to the prices to the companion clientele and, of course, to the bread offering and bathroom conditions, I would describe in exquisite detail the entire Mistral experience.

First, the valet service is quick and helpful (one kind young man rushed to catch me when I hit the skids on a nearby patch of ice) and, um, kind of a ridiculously handsome bunch, and the entrance is impressive and sophisticated in wrought iron glory. A warm, neutral space with simple, organic decor elements strikes a Mediterranean slash Northern California Wine Country note (and you wonder why I love this place) overall. The lounge-y hipster area encourages happy hour co-mingling at the front of the restaurant and off to the far-right of the larger dining space that occupies the side-left and back of the place, separated subtly from the more demure diners with frosted glass (I did prefer the potted cypress wall that was recently replaced but I'm sure no one really cares what I think), is the fantastic, expansive concrete bar where RTT and I prefer to feast. There was a happy quote collage on the bar-facing wall which I thoroughly enjoyed as a bar-dining view, but it has regrettably been replaced with a chic liquor display and less-chic television nooks (alas, there is now no restaurant in Boston from $ to $$$$ that doesn't have a television on which the obsessed public can ogle their beloved sports teams). I should also mention that the bathrooms are always clean and oddly devoid of women, which I find to be rather lovely and calming. Who likes to wait in line to use the restroom?

My drink of choice is the rare Hangar One Kaffir Lime Vodka & Soda or a generous glass of the Catena Malbec. And, I must say, the bread teaser with a garlic-chick pea spread is some of the best I have had in my life (and I am a wee bread snob). I think my favorite food item in all of the earth, the Maine Crab Ravioli, is my preferred appetizer but I also adore the Seared Foie Gras and simple Garden Greens Salad. I am essentially addicted (if one defines 'addicted' as devoted to a practice or habit or fare) to the White Cheese & Hot Pepper Pizza and will be scarcely able to face the daylight when they take it off the menu in the Summer season. Perhaps I can abduct chef Jamie Mammano and force him to make it for me come May? Really, in the end, a shocking lack of matchbooks is all that is left to be desired...

By the time we leave Mistral, I am perfectly satiated, life is grand and I am the happiest Skip in Boston. Why would I not want to eat here every week? Why would RTT not want to keep me so euphoric?

Indeed, RTT and I are going to make Mistral 'our place.' RTT knows it's worth the investment.

Skip Lives in the Arctic

I have determined that there is really only way to survive Winter in Boston...and that is with a glamorous Dr. Zhivago-inspired fur hat.

Shockingly, the fabulous fur hat market is relatively devoid of stylish options (and normal head models) but I have narrowed it down to a Black Fox Pill Box style and a Silver Fox Zhivago Hat.

This is a matter of life and unfashionably freezing to death.

Puppy Paraphenalia

As today is my favorite Frenchie's half-birthday (the esteemed Eleanor, revered Rigby, beloved bulldog) and given she can't yet communicate her own birthday wish-list (try as she might to chew on the computer at every possible moment), I feel it is my duty as Rigby's trustee to enunciate her very deepest pet preferences for birthday bounty...

(1) Cheeky Dog Bowls. Rigby has consummate taste in dinnerware and clearly deserves to dine out of the very best bowls. These cartoon-y bowls from Wagwear will surely make every meal more enjoyable.

(2) Couture Collars. Needless to say, Rigby is a ridiculously spoiled pet and has three collars with which to accessorize her daily duds. However, a girl can never have too many shoes and a Frenchie can never have too many collars. Rigby is partial to the prepster meets hipster options from Ella Dish and these WASP-y wonderful collars from the lovely luxe Blueblood brood, but I secretly desire to round her Summer collar collection with these pretty Palm Beach Lily Pulitzer bands. She'll fit right in at the Breakers.

(3) Tasty Treats. Rigby is an all organic gal as she is constantly concerned about her health, fantastic figure, and the sustainability of the food she eats. Lucky for us, we live very close to the phenomenal Polka Dog Bakery, where the Piglet shops for all her preferred products. But, for her 6-month birthday, Rigby will undoubtedly prefer the Bully Bonanza on which to munch.

(4) Organic Dog Toys. As Rigby is known for literally ripping her toys to shreds through a painful series of dismemberment and repeated beatings, it's better for all parties that her toys be organic. This way, when she inevitably ingests the arms, leg, tail or stuffing, RTT and I can rest a little easier knowing it's 'all natural.' Rigby really likes Percy, the organic chicken plush toy from FetchDog.

Skip's Christmas in Chicago

The beautiful Harding tree!

The Girls

Greer Parents & Mummy & Daddy

Fabulous Fabs

Penny & RTT

Happy Christmas!

Yes, I made these cookies and not, as you may think, a 2nd grader.

Last Minute Gift List Update

For those of you desperately looking for some last minute Holiday gifts (Mummy, this one is for you) allow me to update my ever-expanding, never-necessary list of gift must-haves.

(1) A Letterpress Calendar. While I am thoroughly enjoying the time management function on my iPhone, Victory, I find there is always a need for month-at-a-glance calendar viewing at work. What prettier way to fulfill this function that with an artistic and original letterpress calendar! I love the hand drawn feather version at The Wild Unknown.

(2) Crafty Teapot Cozy. For a house to be considered truly English, it absolutely must include a biscuit tin for biscuits and a biscuit tin for tea bags (as advised by my father), a plethora of dish cloths, a teapot (obviously), ample tea mugs (again, courtesy of my Daddy) and, of course, a tea cozy. While RTT and I have a cutesy cupcake version from my Mummy, I do so love this flouncy crochet kind from Eden & Eden.

(3) Dyptique Fragrance. I am sure it's been made abundantly clear that I am a fragrance freak. RTT can attest to the overflowing tray of perfume bottles on our dresser each of which I labeled with appropriate moods and feelings imparted by the smell contained within. Is that crazy? Yes. Do I care? No. I even want more, like this divine fig-scented bouquet from Dyptique, Philosykos. It is described as a "fig tree and white cedar on a hot summer day in Greece." Yes, please!

(4) Fancy Gladiator Sandals. I fulfilled my fashion need for flat gladiator sandals last Summer with an adorable, gold pair from Matt Bernson. But this Spring, I really want to glam it up on the gladiator front. This fab python pair from Coach will be the perfect match for my incredibly stylish, yet-to-be-discovered cocktail dresses at all the weddings we have to attend this year.

(5) Personalized Stationery. More, you ask? Again, you say? Well, what would a Wish List be without a stationery line item? And, clearly my dreams have yet to come true in this department otherwise I wouldn't keep including them! My new favorite is this uber-chic vintage wallpaper version from Linda & Harriet. Of course, $490 for a set of 50 is a tad-bit excessive, but...why not just make sure everyone is at least aware of my amazing taste?

Only 4 more shopping days until Christmas, folks!

Skip Dreams of a Sunday Ride

I am almost 100% sure that this bicycle would inspire me to take up bike riding after a 18-year hiatus.

The Simple City 3 W. In Gloss Aqua, obviously.

Skip Asks the Question

Oh, what a happy world in which we live! It just makes you want to smile!

This peppy attitude could too be yours if you logon immediately and watch the Fifty People One Question videos (just avoid reading any financial news at nearby websites or driving in Boston for a little while so that you can maximize the gladdening effects).

The clever idea is a social project by Crush + Lovely, a small creative studio based in New York and San Francisco, that involves asking 50 people one question and filming the responses. The result of the first, precious question, Where would you like to wake up tomorrow?, now includes over 900 stirring, silly and sweet responses from people all over the globe.

If someone as anti-other-people as moi can be so captivated and even endeared to such a charming public simply from watching these videos, just think of the added bounce in your daily steps?!?!

Skip Succumbs

Well, it's happened. I have given into the pressures of mass consumer culture and purchased an iPhone. I know, I know.

But, in my defense, the entire purchase was motivated by my current complete lack of cell phone service in my own flat. While I am enternally devoted to T-Mobile, if there is one place my mobile needs to ring, it is in my house! Secondly, please believe me that this was a carefully considered (and reconsidered) decision that involved multiple trips to Verizon and AT&T before I finally accepted the iPhone as my own. I tried the Storm (painfully slow) and the Omnia (frustrating user interface) but, ultimately, the iPhone was the lesser of the evils.

I hope you can forgive me, dear readers!

Update 1/18: Just a wee note, on the ridiculously cool iTunes/iPhone App store. As much as I wanted to hate it, it might make the entire conformist thing worth it. I am obsessed with Shazam (already put to use on a Ray LaMontagne song), my Traffic update application that helps me avoid road rage on my commute and the quirky Quad Camera program that has turned my otherwise crappy iPhone camera into a nifty Lomo-type one.

Skip Loves Jack's Mannequin

I love a good story nearly as much as I love a good song (though I don't necessarily enjoy listening to the former on repeat as I do the latter). So, you can imagine my delight when I heard the story behind and the music of the band Jack's Mannequin.

The band was originally created in 2004 as a side project of the super adorable slash scruffy Andrew McMahon of the group Something Corporate. He released one album under his new band name but then was diagnosed with leukemia shortly thereafter and took a 2-year hiatus from music. Throughout his treatment he penned inspired piano ballads that were included on his latest, September 2008 album The Glass Passenger.

Now, I well know that I tend to get overly excited about a lot of bands and a lot of music, but trust me on this one, dear readers! The result of Andrew's physical and emotional peril is a heartfelt, earnest collection of California surfer piano anthems that both darken and delight the spirit and upset and enlighten soul. It's music that makes you want to turn up the volume and belt out the lyrics....er, maybe that's just me.

No. Seriously, buy this album.

Skip Loves Her Girls

It was such a heavenly treat! Jess & Lauren visited me in Boston this past weekend. We basically did nothing very much (and even despite a horrid hangover and frigid temps)...it was absolutely perfect.

Thanksgiving

Since RTT and I are now adults, we hosted Thanksgiving this year for my marvelous family. Despite a frustrating couch delivery issue and some minor meal scares (the turkey was cooked upside-down), the entire weekend was relatively stress-free...

The Duck Boat!

Penny & Dan

Oh, Frances Palmer, how I love thee!

RTT cooks.

Charades is fun for everyone!

Mmmm...leftovers.

Keeping in Touch

I would keep in touch with so many more friends if I had a swank sofa on which to lounge and this retro-marvelous phone on which to make calls...

At Russell John Imports.

Skip's Best Performance

This past weekend having finally received our elegant wedding dinnerware from Frances Palmer, RTT and I decided to cook up a fancy feast, one-pot wonder to warm our spirits in this frozen tundra known as Boston (which, fortunately, also allowed us to use our new Le Creuset pan).

After extensive research on Epicurious we discovered the recipe that had collected the most rave reviews...like the best reviews we've ever seen for an Epicurious recipe. The Moroccan Slow-Cooked Lamb from a February 2005 Bon Appetit. Cautiously optimistic, we spent Saturday chopping, braising, stirring and spicing.

Um, seriously. This was the best thing I have ever eaten!

Make it. Now.

Skip Loves Websites That Work

Some might consider me to be a wee bit of a critic. Seriously though, who isn't these days? I simply have very high standards, which is not something I will apologize for, but which often results in my frustration (i.e. is it too much to want there to be more than 3 check-outs open at Stop n' Shop on a busy Sunday afternoon? is it too much to expect drivers to indicate when they are making a turn? is it that difficult for Comcast to build a website with even an iota of added value to the customer?)

Anyhoo, this rather frequent disappointment that I experience (or the vocal tirades that RTT gets to observe) is rendered painless when I discover something, or someone for that matter, that completely blows my already high expectations out of the water and makes my entire life shiny with beaming elation (OxiClean comes to mind and my Dyson miracle vacuum).

When RTT and I decided to drive down to New York City for my darling brother Penny's 24th birthday this past weekend, I was happily hit with not one, but two ridiculously helpful websites that were clearly created by someone with (a) common sense and (b) a modicum of intelligence. Being a wee bit of a planner as well, I embarked on world wide web quest for parking locations in the Big Apple and information regarding toll-plazas across states that take the Fast Pass (don't get me started on why all commuters don't have a Fast Pass) . The results of my searches were the incredible Icon Parking website, that allows you to locate, price and reserve a parking spot in Manhattan, and the vastly informative Mass Pike website which confirmed that you can use Fast Pass in all states west to Illinois (Ohio is coming soon) and even offered puppy break spots along the way. Both websites not only provided me with useful information in a wonderful format, but they actually worked in practice too! Parking in NYC was a total breeze as was speeding through the E-Z Pass lanes on I-90. YAY!

Now, if only Comcast could design a website that...er, just works even some of the time.

Skip Hits the Birthday Jackpot

Check out the fantabulous bag RTT gave me for my birthday!

It's absolutely perfect; lady-like yet hipster edgy, brown-ish yet black-ish, cavernous yet small....In other words, if Skip were a handbag!

Er, I wish.