here's to alissa

alissa czisny won the u.s. national championships yesterday. she skated third-from last, in a virtual three-way tie with mirai nagasu and raechel flatt. her performance to "selections from winter into spring," by george winston, a graceful, quietly powerful piece of music that featured a single piano, perfectly showed off her elegance and maturity. she is coming off a major international win - the grand prix title, almost more impressive than the nationals win because it's against competitors around the world.

but what's even more special about alissa is her age: she's 23. she was competing against girls who were almost 10 years younger than her. most ladies in this sport peak early (sometimes too early - see caroline zhang), and lasting from one olympics to another is considered longevity.

but alissa is changing that. she is actually better now than she was as a teenager. as a person in my 20s, i am so happy for her. i have been watching skating almost my entire life - i remember thinking oksana baiul's pink costume at the 1994 lillehammer olympics was the prettiest dress i had ever seen. i have always loved skating, and not because of the jumps or the points. it's the artistry - the way skaters like alissa express themselves through their programs - that i love.

chalk one up for the 20-somethings.

what's in my purse

i saw this on another blog and thought it was an interesting idea. besides old receipts, grocery lists, target lists, expired coupons and kleenex, i keep a lot in my purse. i feel naked without it - except at work. i hate having more than one bag at work, so i only carry my computer bag (that is full to the brim with everything i may need that day).

but on a normal day, my purse contains a medley of goodies*:

• c.o. bigelow lip balm in sheer rose
• nars lipstick in funny face
• yves saint laurent radiant touch in luminous ivory
• larabee dot stacy kate spade purple wallet
• giant brown sunglasses from target
• vera bradley hard sunglasses case
• l'oreal pressed powder foundation
  
• moleskine pink notepad
• l'occitaine hand lotion
• a granola bar
• orbitz gum
• keys
• iphone
  

purse: could be one of three favorites - black coach, taupe big buddha arlene slouch bag, or my personal favorite, my beloved louis vuitton speedy.

and yes, i have a makeup problem. or is it a sephora problem?

it's amazing when i take it all out how much crap is in there. every now and then I bother to go through my purse and actually throw some of the crap away.

what's in your purse?

*dog not included

what's worse than a tiny bedroom? a tiny bathroom

especially when you are like me and can't go into sephora or target without getting ONE MORE LIP GLOSS because maybe this lip gloss will be the magic lip gloss that will solve all your lip-related problems. that sounded like it could be possibly misinterpreted.

my bathroom really is tiny, though. including the shower, it's 7' x 5.5' or so. small. way too small for me, a person who swoons at public restrooms and their enormity of counter space.


here's looking into the bathroom from the doorway. no, we don't have a blue wall - that's just the camera flash.


here's the other side. ugh, that toilet seat cover makes my eyes bleed.

i now have to time doing my hair and makeup around t, because we both can't fit in our bathroom. redoing it wouldn't change the size issue, but it would update the 80s fake wood vanity. thank god.

any ideas?

damn you, tiny bedroom

as i try to distract myself from the fact that my roots are in desperate need of a touch up and my hair appointment is still a day away, i'll ponder the other obsession in my life: new furniture for my house. i love my house. love it. i love the archways, the built-ins, the tiny kitchen nook and most of all the wonderful warm feeling it gives me at night when i go to sleep.

but what i don't like are the tiny, tiny bedrooms.

it's a sacrifice you have to make peace with if you want a 1940s starter home. the rooms are small. deal.

never mind the fact that i have ONE CLOSET. that is bad enough.

they don't make houses like mine anymore. everyone has more bathrooms than they do bedrooms (srsly, what's up with that?), massive amounts of counter space, and vaulted-ceiling bedrooms. so most of the furniture being made doesn't fit with my bedroom size either. i'm still jamming my undies and sweats into the same tower dresser i used when i was 10. the night stand is literally breaking with the weight of clothes. knobs have fallen off, the bottoms of the drawers are caving in. do i have too much clothing? never. but i do need new furniture that doesn't cost as much as a mortgage payment.

i should mention that i'm an obsessive cheapskate when it comes to thinks that i actually need. t and i have been surviving on a box spring made for a full mattress (when we have a queen) and propping up the broken frame with 2x4s. that's how we roll.

anyone have any luck with furniture that will fit in tiny bedrooms?

how much is an amazing scarf really worth?

say, $395?

yeah, i know i'm years behind, but it's freaking mcqueen, mkay? let's be honest, there is no price that tops the late alexander mcqueen's genius - and this is his signature item.

i may have found my next i-really-can't-afford-this purchase.

scarf, alexander mcqueen, $395

fashion review: golden globes 2011

the golden globes mark the first pre-oscars awards show of the 2011 season, and celebs did not disappoint. the outfits usually verge on this side of crazy for the globes, then go back down to "safe and simple" for the sags, then go back up to Crazy with a capital c for the oscars, but i thought there were a lot more high notes than usual. stars seem to be embracing color (yes!) and going for modern, fitted looks as opposed to volume - and the ones that did go for volume (talkin' to you, czj) are the ones who can pull it off. i was pleasantly impressed.

trends include hunter green and its various variations, sleeves (thank god) and way-out-there hair. like i just dunked my head in hair spray and then stood in a wind tunnel.

olivia wilde in marchesa

gorgeous gown - i love brown instead of black. but the hair has to go. can you imagine how much better this would have been pulled back? even despite the hair, i still love it.

elisabeth moss in donna karan

improved by about 200% - it's a modern, elegant look, and the earrings are fab.


amy adams in marchesa

this time last year she was pregnant and getting custom gowns straight from carolina herrera, and i thought she unfortunately looked dowdy thanks to bad hairdos that aged her 20 years. but this is young and fresh (the laser cuts are so in right now, and i love them), and the color is a can't-go-wrong choice. bonus for not wearing a necklace - let that gorgeous detailed top shine!

natalie portman in viktor & rolf

this dress is getting mixed reviews - ok, bad reviews, and i can see why. but i like it for three reasons: 1. she's showing the bump! 2. her makeup and accessories are perfection. lipstick is surprisingly hard to pull off. 3. the color gives her a gorgeous glow and softens her. let's face it, girlfriend is nominated for a movie in which she hallucinates killing people and growing feathers. she needs to combat that with a lovely, soft dress.

and as she won last night, i think this cements the oscar for her. i have no doubt she'll step it up for that awards show - i'm thinking platinum, fitted, modern, tons of sparkle. maybe armani. hey, she can only go up from here!

all photos courtesy of @tomandlorenzo

the other big royal wedding

with all the fuss about kate and will's upcoming wedding, we royal fans can easily forget that there's another important nuptial coming up this year - the wedding of prince albert of monaco to charlene wittstock.

i doubt there would be much of a fuss made, except prince albert's mother is of course the late princess grace, aka grace kelly, a fashion icon and legendary actress. while albert didn't inherit his mother's good looks (i'm sorry, it's true!), he will inherit monaco, a principality that is home to the richest of the rich in europe. basically it's a spec on the map with millions of millionaires.

anyway, charlene, who is south african, will become the princess of monaco and will bring back some of her late-mother-in-law's glamor, if their engagement photo is any indication. things haven't always been easy for albert - his sisters are a bit wild, and there's the whole two illegitimate children he fathered with two different women, but charlene seems to be very down-to-earth and poised. did i mention she's 20 years his junior?

their wedding will be on july 1, and i can't wait to see how shocking her dress is compared to kate's. remember - kate wore a long-sleeved dress to her engagement photocall (with a low cut, but still). charlene goes for a backless halter. here's hoping for the first royal sleeveless dress!

update: it's armani for charlene's dress!

if i was going to the golden globes

...this is what i'd wear.


oh sigh. fucking gorgeous.

gown by monique lhuillier, spring 2011 rtw

26

it sounds older than it is. at least it does to me. 25 sounded so young and fresh and green. 26 is over halfway to 30.

i was lamenting about this to one of my friends, who is past 40, and she looked at me and said, "honey, it only gets better. your 30s will be so much better."

it's nice to hear. even if i don't believe it (yet).

image: lady gaga for british vogue

music diversion: mumford & sons

i went to a wedding in august and got into a slightly wine-induced argument with an old friend about one of my favorite bands, sigur rós, and their penchant for singing songs in a made-up language. he couldn't get over this idea and after listening to a link i sent him, grudgingly said they "weren't as bad as i thought they would be." yeah, whatevs. then of course he had to throw in a band of his own for me to sample. the song was "little lion man" by mumford & sons.

this isn't a new band or even a very unknown one - several of their songs from their first cd "sigh no more" have been featured on popular shows (including one of my favorites, "grey's anatomy"). it took me five months to download the entire album, and it's probably one of my favorite cds - ever. it's easy to listen to, but emotional and engaging, the lyrics personal and beautifully written. one of my favorite lines comes from "winter winds": "and if your strife strikes at your sleep/remember spring swaps snow for leaves." i love the soft piano, trumpets, sweeping melodies and loud crescendos of their songs.

it helps they're british. come on, an accent never hurt.

an ode to my readers

...all three of you.

i realize this blog doesn't have a lot of interaction by way of comments, and i want to change that. considering i didn't realize until last week that i actually had comments - amazing!

so thank you to annie, gretchen, lauren and shannon, my amazing readers who have left comments thus far. i am one of those people who gets excited when people comment on my facebook status. blog comments are thus epic. so thank you for reading and caring.

to all of you out there who haven't commented - say hi, tell me i'm crazy, ask me questions. i want to hear from you. and thanks for reading.

the newest princess (to be)

kate middleton might be the most envied girl around right now - and i'm not just talking about the prince whose shoulder she's leaning on. she's beautiful, she's about to become even wealthier than she already is, she has an incredible sense of style and she seems like a lovely, genuine person.

the wedding details are trickling out slowly, but what we know so far is obvious: this couple is modern and wants to keep the circus that will be their wedding as minimally-crazy as possible.

one of the biggest strays from tradition (and yes, it seems silly) is that kate will be arriving by car, not by glass carriage as has been the royal tradition since 1902. it also sounds like they're not going to leave the church in an open carriage, but rather in a covered one. i have a feeling this will change due to public pressure.

my prediction for kate's gown: illusion short-sleeves (see ivanka trump's for an idea), much more fitted than we've seen on royal princesses, and classic classic classic. i'm also guessing she may do some sort of illusion low-cut, as she seems to favor this style. i think lace will be used, but it won't be a fussy gown - elegance without trying too hard seems to be her motto.

my nonexistent-never-to-happen royal engagement photocall outfit

not that i'm dreaming or anything...

but if i was marrying a royal? here's my formal portrait look:

boom. kate spade be dazzled deanna dress, ivory fitted sheath with gold overlay embroidery. chic, yet classic.

i would totes* go with hunter wellies for the informal, and maybe a cashmere comfy sweater. not that i think about random things like this or anything. ha.

*"totes" is my new fave word to use in place of "totally", which i believe has had its moment.