seasonal depression

i love winter when it snows. everything seems good in the world when it's blanketed in white. but after the streets are plowed and the sidewalks are salted, the harsh reality sets in: winter is horrible. we're left with a grey mixture of salt, dirt and slush that slows us down as we freeze to death on our miserable, treacherous commutes. it's dark when we leave for work and it's dark when we get out. and some of us (namely me) work in a windowless office with no heat and a lighting scheme that evokes an insane asylum.

fortunately there are ways to cope. obviously drinking is a quick solution, but to compete with the harsh winter elements, drinks need to be extra indulgant.

egg nog

6 eggs
2 + ½ cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup brandy
½ cup dark rum
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground or grated (fresh is best)

eggs: beat 'em!
sugar, nutmeg and vanilla: beat in!
slowley add whipping cream to the beat.
add milk a little at a time and beat it!
rum and brandy really can't be beat.

serving suggestion: chill and serve cold. garnish with nutmeg. dust off your xmas vhs collection and sip eggnog whilst watching such classics as santa claus conquers the martians and the preacher's wife, starring whitney houston.

mulled wine

pour a bottle of wine into a saucepan and put on low heat. zest half an orange and crush the zest with the back of a knife to release the orangeyness. add the zest to the wine and a little of the juice for good measure. add half a cup of brandy, cinnamon sticks, cloves, sugar, cardamon pods and any other spices that strike your fancy. let it simmer until it's steamy and hot, but for the love of god, don't let it boil!

serving suggestion: strain into mugs so you don't get pieces of cardamon floating about your drink. bring out your old wolverine pelt and sprawl on it, nude, in front of the fireplace reciting keats to your lover.

if hot wine or raw eggs aren't your bag, be creative. mix peppermint schnapps and hot cocoa and top with whipped cream: it's an excellent alternative for the kids! a good irish coffee will really jump start your morning! just draw the line at tea. there is no good way to spike hot tea.

thanksgiving

thanksgiving is the time of year that we take a step back from our hectic lives and reflect upon the basic things in life for which we are grateful. it's also a time to eat large quantities of food and debut holiday wardrobes. i am thankful for the following elements of food and fashion:

thrift stores/flea markets
the shoes, sweater, accessories, etc. that i'm wearing with today's little thanksgiving outfit cost what may as well be a million dollars, considering my budget. fortunately the dress that makes it all work cost me five bucks at the goodwill. if you have more time than money to invest in clothing, you can always turn to thrift stores, flea markets, e-bay, tag sales, etc.

kangaROOS

these sneakers, which debuted in the late 70s and made a recent revival, are awesome! they only come in about one style, but tons of colors (from basic black to the borderline tacky lamé look shown above). the highlight is the zipper pocket on each shoe. never go running again without your spare change or house key. and if you live on the dark side, you won't have to go without your drugs and prophylactics.

gnarly head old vine zinfandel

this wine is perfect. their website doesn't lie:

"Robust berry flavors and exotic spice notes from the small grape
clusters are balanced with French, American and Hungarian oak, which
creates heady layers of vanilla and chocolate and a lingering finish.

This luscious wine pairs well with raucous fun at barbecue or pizza
parties, a family dinner of hearty pasta or chili, and on its own to
celebrate personal triumphs."

raucous fun? personal triumphs? perfect! also, reasonably priced.

napa valley harvest honey truffle mustard

truffles and truffle oil add this indescribable savoriness to anything. they're also indescribably expensive. this mustard has the same effect, with the added bonus of a mustard-y kick. and it's about 5 bucks.

french new wave cinema

the women in these films are incredibly stylish and defiant. if you need proof of this, please buy me the coffee table book "french new wave" by jean douchet. you're welcome to come over and look through it any time!


i'm also thankful for leftovers, and am now going to show my gratitude by eating them. cheers.

winter

now that we know what to look for next spring, it's time to snap back to the present. there's a frost advisory for tonight and i am ill prepared. in the winter, warmth and survival trump all current trends, which is why it's important to have a few reliable basics that you can whip out year after year once the temperature drops. this is a lesson i'm just learning now. every year i reach for my cheap boots from the previous year, only to find that they have disintegrated in my closet. or i'll need a warm coat, only to recall that last year i was "off coats" and that my ridiculously huge sweaters from that year would be completely inappropriate this year. well that stops now. this year i will buy real boots, a real coat, real gloves, etc. here's the shortlist:

hunter rain boots. when i first started seeing everyone wear them i was outraged that people pay $115 for the plainest boots in the whole world. but they're classic. or maybe i'm just a sucker. but i'm buying them.

nordstrom cashmere fingerless gloves for $68. please don't tell me that fingerless gloves will go out of style, and definitely don't tell me that they are not nor ever have been in style. because i will not listen to you. notcot.com posted a nice array of gloves i could never afford:

i can't only wear grey this winter. that's why scarves were invented. scarves are the one element of winter gear that i'm never in short supply of. This year, though, i went crazy buying summer scarves (which probably are just a passing trend) and somehow lost a lot of my winter scarves. this means i have to go out and buy a pashmina in every color.

i did find a really awesome summer scarf at a thrift store and would like to find something equally unique for winter, but that's a story for another day.

as far as coats go, i actually planned ahead. i have 3 very basic winter coats that should last. that doesn't mean i can't have another. it's by peligrosa for $240. apparently it's made of organic wool and has coconut husk buttons. you can buy it on environmental fashion sites, which i usually avoid for fear of alpaca adorned ponchos made from hydroponic hemp. but this coat successfully evades hippy cliches and meets my approval. look!

i'm starting to go broke just thinking about all of this so i'll leave it at that.

best of s2009rtw

spring 2009's fashion weeks were held in an economic climate where even the richest among us are scaling back. for the less rich among us however, fashion week has never been -- and never will be -- a shopping guide. it's pure fantasy, which is a joy in and of itself. so if you're part of the growing ranks for whom the runway and the closet will never coincide, don't fear. fashion week can still have a purpose for you. that being said, following the shows can be a little overwhelming and tiresome if you don't actually get to buy anything. so to simplify things for you, i've compiled a handy guide of fashion week spring 2009 highlights.

best runway show: sonia rykiel. nothing topped this show.

best designer i've never heard of: ann demeulemeester. maybe she should consider changing her name if she wants it to become household.

line i would purchase all of, had i any money: burberry prorsum. considering how much i love fashion, i'm not really very adventurous. burberry's line featured very wearable pieces that no one can mess up. i'll leave the avant guarde to someone else.


scariest: comme des garcons.the entire collection was black. every model's face was covered. it was spooooky!!!


best little black dress: viktor and rolf. everything in this collection that was remotely wearable also happened to be a little black dress. but they nailed it.


most suitable for spring: luella. kind of hurts my eyes.


most ethereal: erin featherston. to the point of nausea. i usually really like erin featherston, but this is a little much. it's like the entire collection was swallowed by clouds and fairies.


least wearable: gareth pugh. as always, nothing in the entire collection is commercially viable. one day i will understand how people make any money designing clothes for no one. until that day, i'm just going to roll with it.




all that being said, most of the real highlights came from off the runway. the best reference for looks from the street is http://www.style.com/fashionshows/sartorialist/.

the end

paris fashion week spring 2009

paris fashion week is in full swing and the line between art and fashion remains blurred. in paris, the term "ready-to-wear" takes on a whole new meaning, as in "i'm ready to wear this outfit to my cult meeting/s-and-m party/outer space/the future!"



comme des garçons. whether you're going for chimney chic or bondage beautiful, this line has it all!


hussein chalayan. it's important to have protective eye wear when engaging in interplanetary travel.


viktor and rolf. i don't know what to think. she looks like a futuristic robo-turkey. i will be wearing this outfit to thanksgiving dinner.

instead of a live runway show, viktor and rolf made a video using one model (shalom harlow) and a virtual runway. at the end of the video, all the shaloms stand on the runway clapping until they dissolve into pixels. are live runway shows going the way of the 8 track?


here are some highlights from the real world:


viktor and rolf's collection isn't all insanity and turkeys.


ann demeulemeester.




sonia rykiel's show was amazing. the models had dance parties, the audience interacted and there were birthday surprises. the line is very feminine and french and her attention to detail is impeccable as always. when i get rich i'm buying the entire line.