Friday, May 30, 2008

Matchin'-ista

FASHIONISTA! Get out of here with your bad self. And by bad I mean good. They discovered these two little matchlings who are just making my day.



(The commenters are crying Urban Outfitters--even Fashionista says that they look like an "Anthropologie catalog come to life." Normally I would wrinkle my nose at such Preciousness, but I really like these outfits. Possibly the Victorian orphan vibe of girl-on-right?)

Speaking of hot dogs and beer


(pic from sexandthecity.com - sjp!)

SATC premier tonight! Don't hate. I got snickered at the liquor store (by a non-female no less) whilst describing the Flirtini but I will not apologize.

Ben and His Bar




(pic courtesy of benschilibowl.com -- legendary half-smokes!)

Um, like, are we the last to know about the new Ben's Chili Bowl Bar (simply named "Ben's II")? Just read about it on NotionsCapital. Chili dogs, salads (hot dog salads?), AND beer? Why hasn't this already happened? Also, feel free to float us an invite to the gala with honorable guest Bill Cosby. We promise to come dressed in our best hot dog ensembs.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Live-Blogging the LOST Season Finale



9pm: OMG

9:20pm: OMG

10:12pm:
OMG

11pm: OMG

D.A.N.C.E.



Dudes....Saturday Commonwealth is hosting DC's biggest rap star (? I just made that up, but he does chill with Mark Ronson) for a lil' party. 1 pm at the Florida Ave location, there's gonna be free shit and also music. Wale's mixtape is awesome and he just got signed!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Economics of Fashion

Interesting article in Times Online about current fashion trends in these cash-poor times. Excerpt: "Buying eight T-shirts for the price of one sock holds little attraction, there is much to cherish in clothes that are original and that make us feel special." And then there is a quote from the CEO of Topshop about how people are more inclined towards "better quality." Yeah...
But mostly, I agree with what the article is saying. I see the trends being more creative and colorful and the shapes showing more freedom. I do love my blacks and beiges but lately, I cannot stop myself from hitting a thrift shop and buying the boldest colors possible. The 80's are no longer taboo, especially when you can match it up and bring old outfits to life again. When you have to stretch a dollar, do you really want to spend it on a disposable piece of clothing from H&M?

Friday, May 23, 2008

Etrosexual

Etro is spot-on this spring. "Ethnic" prints + commune mom + early-nineties palette + menswear-y blazers and button-downs? Listopad is pleased.



Aggy, there's nothing wrong with being 25.





Behati is supposedly the new Victoria's Secret girl.



Dear, I didn't catch your name, but I love your haircut.





Look at stunning little Veronica Etro. Hi cute girl! Work!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

"Mike Mulligan Lady"

is how I referred to Virginia Lee Burton earlier today after spotting my friend Jennifer's post on refineDesign, the Washington Spaces blog. Now, I am going to assume that we all remember Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne, his unstoppable steam shovel, from reading-before-bed circa 1988, right? Anyone?



Well, what I didn't know until reading Jennifer's post (inspired by a piece in the current issue of Vogue) was that Virginia Lee Burton was equally unstoppable, founding a printmaking collective called -- wait for it -- Folly Cove (so smitten with her word choice) and being ten times hotter than pretty much everyone ever!



The Folly Cove Designers site (run by the descendants of the original Folly Cove-ites) is chock full of images, old photos, and a 1958 Life article about the collective.



A Rose is a Rose



Zaidee and Her Kittens



Fish Story

Woman power! Vintage!! Printmaking!!! DIY!!!! Gah!!!!! Did I mention the documentary about her that just came out?!?!?

(Insane awesome MMAHSS .gif from All About Symbian. All other images from Folly Cove Designers.)

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Listopad Mix #3

Guess the theme of this mix, y'all...

1. Q Lazarus "Goodbye Horses"
2. Debbie Rose "Was That All It Was"
3. Berntholler "Emotions"
4. Cristina "You Rented a Space"
5. Roberto Cacciapaglia ft. Ann Steel "My Time"
6. Allez Allez "Allez Allez"
7. Romeo Void "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)"
8. Y Pants "Favorite Sweater"
9. Dusty Springfield "What's It Gonna Be"
10. Delta 5 "Now That You've Gone"
11. Selda "Ince Ince Bir Kar Yagar"
12. Linda Perhacs "Paper Mountain Man"

Download

(43:57)

This Weekend: Groove at the Hillyer Art Space



If you are sticking around town for le Memorial Day, kick off the long weekend at Hillyer Art Space with dj's, art, and light refreshments and drinks. The event is fundraising for local artists and programming. We haven't checked out this space yet but the word is that this is the start of many great events!

Pandahead Mag

We're proud of buddy Morgan's new endeavour... a shot at internet publishing. Make sure you check out Pandahead Mag!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Space Age



You know we love the mid-century, so we are absolutely pumped for the Eero Saarinen exhibit at the National Building Museum. I saw an exhibit solely dedicated to his chairs whilst living in Scandinavia and it was quite inspiring, so I can only imagine that this retrospective will be awesome!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Glad Fan

Guys. Guysguysguys. After seeing a mention in WWD -- the full article is unavailable to subscribers, sadly -- I was reminded that I had not recently checked on the status of a cherished vintage piece: Mad Men! Looks like the second season will start in July.

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Island of Kawaii





(photos from Unica.com)

Japanese artists like Murakami have knack for pervading pop culture with cute and desirable things that grown women, like me, go apeshit for. What Shinzi Katoh has done for Sigg water bottles and tote bags is not just cute stuff, this is saccharine goodness - This. Is. KAWAII. But in the best way. Indeed, I consider this a mature step up from bright red Hello Kitty notepads and shower curtains, not that I will ever seriously give up on any of that (much to my boyfriend's dissapointment). Also, I will point out, his use of English is totally (pretty much) understandable. You can purchase Katoh items at Unica but his online catalog is much much more vast and is probably worth shipping overseas. I am so overcome with kawaii, I cannot deal.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Power of Style Discussion Tomorrow

This sounds fascinating. From Sunday Source and DC Scout:

Get a crash course on the power of style during a talk with Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth and author A'Lelia Bundles. The discussion will cover sartorial history from the time of Bundles's great-grandmother, Harlem Renaissance-era socialite A'Lelia Walker, to today's political power brokers. Friday at 7 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 3040 M St. NW. Free. 202-965-9880.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

V for Vegan

I just found out that Natalie Portman has a line of vegan shoes. I am digging on a particularly minimal pair of Grecian doodads myself (second row, fourth from left) -- they come in a lovely shade of aubergine! (Make sure to say that in your best Olympia Dukakis drawl.)

(Thanks to Fun Vampires.)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Projects

Can't wait to grab one of these wonderful new scarves by our friend Renee...they are absolutely gorgeous.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Warm Buns


Another rainy day blog post: here is Saffron Buns recipe I was just drooling over on Design Sponge (photo from DS), courtesy of Delicious Days. I "think" I can make these:

Sunny Saffron Brioche
yields 12 muffin-sized brioches
Active time: about 30 minutes
Baking time: about 20 minutes

500g (appx 2 cups) all-purpose flour
20g (1.4 tablespoons) compressed (fresh) yeast (or 7g- 0.5 tablespoons- active dry yeast)
200g (7 ounces) milk, warm
~1/4 tsp saffron
75g (5.3 tablespoons) white sugar
1 pinch of salt
75g (5.3 tablespoons) butter, soft, plus extra for greasing tray and brioche
2 large eggs

All ingredients need to be room temperature, make sure to take them out of the fridge early enough.

Sieve the flour into a bowl, make a little depression in the middle and crumble the compressed yeast into it. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Grind the saffron threads in a mortar - it is easier, if you add a teaspoon of sugar – then add the saffron sugar to the warm milk, it will instantly turn bright yellow. Pour as much milk into the well as necessary to cover the yeast crumbs, then stir the yeast-milk mix once or twice. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let this sponge rise for about 10 to 15 minutes in a warm and cozy spot, the surface will start to look bubbly.

Add the remaining ingredients (saffron milk, sugar, pinch of salt, butter, eggs ) and knead well, either manually or with your kitchen machine until the dough can be easily removed from the bowl (non-sticky). If it still feels too sticky, add some more flour, only one tablespoon at a time. Again, let the covered bowl rest in a warm place for at least an hour, the size of the dough should almost double.

Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F) and grease the cups of a regular muffin tin (12 holes) with butter. Knead dough one more time and toss on a floured pastry board. Cut in equal pieces and form little snow ball sized dumplings (I prepared a model, trimmed it until it had the perfect size and weighted it afterwards. The rest of the dough I cut into equal pieces, each around 70g.) Reserve a small amount of dough for the little balls to top the brioches and to ensure typical look.

Fill each cup of the tin with a dough ball, then poke it with the handle of a wooden spoon or your finger, this is where you place a tiny little dough ball – hey, it’s all about the look! Melt two tablespoons of butter and carefully brush the soon-to-be-brioches. Cover with foil and let rest a final time, 15 to 30 minutes should do just fine. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 18 to 20 minutes or until the tops turn golden brown. Cover with parchment paper if the tops get too dark too fast. Remove from the oven, carefully release them from the muffin tray and brush them with a little melted butter if desired, giving them a nice little extra glow. Enjoy for breakfast or whenever the time is right for a treat!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Rainy day women

Hey kids, don't forget your



and your



today.

(Pics from Marimekko and Calico, respectively.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Marvin's "Tip Out"

The fashionable Sheldon at Marvin just sent us some information about a "Tip Out" that will be happening every 4th Monday. This month, it will be on the 19th. It sounds like an excellent way to have a leisurely Monday dinner (avoid weekend crowds, people), enjoy excellent food and drink, and help out local charities (new one each month). Be sure to mention "Tip Out" upon making your reservation. From Sheldon:

Monday, May 19, from 5:30 PM to 10:15 PM at Restaurant Marvin for this new project I started called "Tip Out". On this night I will be waiting tables and donating 100%of my tips to a selected charity. This month's charity is Pediatric Aids/HIV Care, Inc. http://www.pediatricaidshivcare.org/ Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care is a community based non-profit organization that works to preserve, assist and strengthen the well-being of children ages 5-18 infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in metropolitan Washington, DC...I would ultimately like to see this become a city-wide event and strengthen the impact of charitable donations on a more regular basis.

Here's the info:
"Tip Out"
Restaurant Marvin
2007 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-797-7171
www.marvindc.com

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

D.C. Taxis

Rant 'o the day: yesterday I heard the running of my first D.C. cab meter and it was music to my ears. Very soon those of us who live and visit here can travel to other neighborhoods without having to haggle. Case in point, I went from Adams Morgan to the BYT/Artomatic party at 1st and M NE this past weekend and was quoted everything from $10.50-$14.50 for the exact same ride. Cabs were plenty empty but I spent a good 10 minutes rejecting un-metered cabbies pulling quotes out of their ears. Hey Cabbies, it's not an auction, and we are the enemy. We are just trying to live. Many cabs will not have meters until 6/1, click here for the Post's taxi fare estimator. Hopefully, I will never have to pay $8 to travel 5 blocks again.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Ladies! (and gents)

It's Friday!



From Pink Ponk.

Object Lust: Carrie Bicycle Basket



I love the multi-functionality of this basket by Design House Stokholm available (also in lime and black) at Relish. You can hook it up to your bike and the strap doubles it as a purse. Most importantly, it is pretty - the designer was inspired by her Swedish grandmother's crocheting. Sweet!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

How?!

How? How do you wear black on navy and blow my mind? How do you wear a transparent shirt and not look slutty? How do you get your hair so perfectly fucked up? How!?!?



I will say this: that vast expanse of collarbone is crying out for a necklace. Just a lil' something, you know?