I'm back with another edition of a style diary for January 2020. Now that winter is really here, it's harder to shoot outfit photos. I tend to only get 1 or 2 good photos of an outfit this time of year, so I figured I'd combine a few into one post. This month I found myself drawn to a more neutral version of my color palette, which seems fitting for how my mood was this month. On my first day back at work after the holidays, I received some disappointing news, which had me in a bit of a funk. I felt like I couldn't get motivated to start the year and was having very negative thoughts about myself. One thing I want to work on this year is to try and be more present in the moment, and stop wishing away time. I want to keep in mind that whenever I'm going through a rough patch in my life that it's just a phase and it will pass soon enough. Here's to more cheerful color palettes and thoughts in 2020. ​

There's a new diner in town, The Soho Diner, located at the Soho Grand Hotel to be exact. This new spot is close to where I work, so my friend GG and I came to check it out one morning a couple weeks ago. I decided to wear this vintage set I recently thrifted. It was originally below knee length, but I hemmed it to make it look more modern and to have more of a Clueless vibe. I thought this new vintage diner with a modern twist would be the perfect backdrop for this look. Luckily because we went early in the morning on a weekday, it wasn't crowded, so we were easily able to get some pictures. The decor is absolutely adorable, the only negative is the lighting is VERY warm, so not ideal for taking photos. When it came time to order, I went with the pancakes. They were cooked a bit more than I usually like, but they were still good. The prices are on the higher side, but not too outrageous for Manhattan. I'll definitely come back again and would recommend! 

Playing catch up and finally getting around to putting up a blog post about my visit to the TWA back in December. My long time Instagram friends, Jenna and Cortney, also known as A Whimsy Wonderland, were coming to visit from LA, and they wanted to check out the TWA hotel, so we made a day out of it with our friend Katie. This was my first time meeting Jenna and Cortney but it felt so natural to be hanging out together. It's so magical when you finally meet people from social media and it feels like you've been real life friends for years. 

This was my third time at the TWA hotel and there were a lot of new additions since the last time I was there over the summer. Upon arriving, I noticed some new vintage cars parked out front, including this groovy VW van. There were also a few new photo opportunity spots, like the Twister room, pictured here, a 60's style living room, and a photo booth. Since it was Jenna and Cort's first time though, we stuck to a lot of the classics, like grabbing a drink on The Connie. We also ate at the Jean George restaurant, The Paris Cafe. The cafe has been open since the beginning, but this was my first time dining here. I was actually pleasantly surprised, I ordered the margarita pizza, which was very good and decently priced, and the vodka thyme lemonade which was also delicious. Overall, it was another marvelous and magical day at the TWA!  

I recently found another bowling shirt while I was vintage shopping, so what better excuse to go back to The Gutter for a photoshoot. The Gutter is my favorite place to bowl in the city because it's super divey and vintage. It's a great place to spend a Saturday, especially during the day, as it usually gets super crowded in the evening. I went with my friend Emily again after a nice brunch in Greenpoint, then we headed over to bowl and enjoy a beer. It was funny because a few people came up to us and asked if we were in a bowling league because of the shirt I was wearing! 

Joanie Clothing was kind enough to send me this sweater from their latest collection. As soon as I received it, I knew I wanted to pay homage to the 1960's and the West Village. The West Village here in NYC is one of my favorite neighborhoods and was home to bohemians and beatniks back in the 1960's. I decided to take these photos specifically at The Music Inn, a record store that opened in 1958. Being inside still feels like being back in the 60's. They even shot a few scenes of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel here. You may remember it from Season 1, when Susie brings Midge here, and again when Joel stops in and overhears a recording of Midge's standup.

With the new season of Mrs Maisel only a week away, I decided to write a blog post with locations from the show you can visit in real life. I wrote a similar blog post last year, with spots from Season 1. You can check out that post here:

For locations from Season 2, check out the following spots: 

McSorley's: 
15 E 7th Street (Astor Place/East Village)
Although it is referred to as a different bar in the show, McSorley's is where Benjamin and Midge grab a drink and meet artist Declan Howell. McSorley's is one of the oldest and most historic bars in NYC. There are vintage photos and antiques decorating the bar. They only serve 2 kinds of draft beer here (light and dark) no wine or cocktails. Even if you're not a big beer drinker, it's still a cool place to check out for the history and vintage vibe.

Old Town Bar:
45 E 18th Street (Flatiron)
Another historic bar that dates back to the Prohibition era and appears in Season 2. Joel and Archie come here to drink together. It has a similar aesthetic to McSorley's, but a wider selection of alcohol if beer isn't your thing. 

Albanese Meats & Poultry:
238 Elizabeth Street (Nolita)
We got the rabbi! This is the butcher shop where Midge and her mom shop for Yom Kippur in season 2. The interior looks a bit different on the show, but the exterior is instantly recognizable. In real life, the shop is run by the cutest 95 year old man named Moe. 

Who else is excited to binge season 3?

PS: You can shop my sweater (that is currently on sale) here: 

Sweater: c/o Joanie Clothing
Hat: vintage; Skirt: May 68; Shoes: Eastland Shoe
​Location: Music Inn (West Village, Manhattan) 
​ 

Earlier in the fall I made the trip out to Jackson Hole in Queens. It was a bit of a trek from Manhattan, I had to take an uber from the subway. It was well worth it though, between both the vintage vibes and tasty diner food. I bought two outfits to wear there because there was just too much to photograph. For the outside, I shot photos in this tartan dress from Lindy Bop. If you'd like to shop it, you can find it here. 


Dress: c/o Lindy Bop
Beret: old; Necklace and Purse: vintage; Saddle Shoes: Eastland Shoe
Location: Jackson Hole (Queens, New York)
​

With Halloween coming up, I decided to put together a little tutorial for Twiggy inspired makeup. Read on to see how to get the look. 

I use Ardell lashes and Duo lash glue. You can find both of these brands at your local drugstore. I picked up both of these at CVS. 

The lashes came as a set of 2, but I trimmed on of the pairs to be about 1/4" of an inch from end to end for the bottom pair. 

Start with your makeup completely done, the lashes will be the last step. For the rest of my makeup, I'm wearing concealer under my eyes, blush on my cheeks, a cat eye with using liquid eyeliner, and mascara on my lashes. 

Add the glue to the lashes. Wait a couple seconds for the glue to get tacky before adding the lash to your lid. 

For the top lashes, I apply the falsies over my real lashes, along my lash line. For the bottom lashes, I apply the falsies under my real lashes, along my lash line. Don't worry if you have excess glue, it will dry clear. 

When it's time to remove the lashes, take a q-tip and dip it in eye makeup remover. Rub the q-tip along your lash line. It helps to soften the glue so it's way less painful to remove them!

Over the summer, Lady K Loves, a vintage inspired, ethically made clothing company based in the UK, reached out to me and asked if I would like to style an item from their shop. I chose this sweet little set, which sort of reminded me of a Girl Scout uniform. I decided to wear it Wes Anderson style and have my friend Adam be the Sam to my Suzy.

There was a little mixup with my order, and they accidentally shipped the longer skirt first, when I really wanted the shorter one. But they were kind enough to ship me out the short one too. Which one do you like better? I'm really more of a short skirt girl, but I love the rick rack on the long one. After I put it on I actually really liked wearing the longer one! The length is definitely different for me, but sometimes it's fun to try new styles. 

If you want to shop the top, you can find it here.

If you want to shop the short skirt, you can find it here. 

If you want to shop the long skirt, you can find it here. 

Top and Skirts: c/o Lady K Loves
Beret: old; Socks: Amazon; Saddle Shoes: Eastland Shoe
Location: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn 

Now that the weather has cooled down slightly, I've been able to have more fun with fashion. Even though I'm always sad when summer ends, I do love September weather because it means I can wear some of my favorite things like berets and ankle socks and pair sweaters with skirts and bare legs. I also switched my hours at work, which has allowed me to optimize my time more and let me to take photos easier. Since it's been easier to document my outfits due to extra time and mild weather, I thought, why not do a round up of some recent looks in one blog post. You know I've mentioned this before in recent blog posts, but I've become more adamant about sharing my work on other platforms aside from just Instagram. Maybe I'll make this monthly series?

Aside from my usual favorite fall fashion items I mentioned above, this September I've been loving this Kelly green color that's been popular for a while now. I've been gravitating more and more towards late 60's and 70's floral prints too. But I still continue to mix in some of my classics like polka dots, print mixing and pops of red. 

What is it about September that always makes me want to dress like a school girl? Maybe it's because I always wished I wore a uniform when I was back in school, so now I'm trying to make up for lost time. I had been on the hunt for a red cheerleading skirt forever, and I finally found one at an estate sale I stumbled upon last weekend. I paired it with a 70's short sleeve deadstock sweater I scored the previous weekend. I decided to go to the local high school before work this morning to shoot photos in this look. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find the gate to the track and field was open, so I ventured inside and headed to the bleachers. At first when I arrived, there was only a woman walking the track for exercise, but eventually a bunch of students came out for gym class. One girl told me she liked my outfit then asked what I was taking photos for. Honestly I'm surprised the teachers didn't tell me to get out or think I was some sort of weirdo for taking photos, but luckily I was able to get what I needed before I had to head out for work. I usually try to avoid shooting in direct sunlight, but I actually really like how these photos turned out.