Three Things for Spring: Nude Shoes

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I am so very ready for the spring. March is here, but it feels colder than ever, high winds and a big snowstorm headed our way this week. If only we had sunshine and 70 degree days, drinks on the patio and a stop to stuffy noses.

Dreaming of spring weather is only made worse by looking at spring clothes...still, I couldn't help but put together this little guide to three essential things to add to your wardrobe for spring, whenever it decides to get here.

Nude shoes are essential once the wool tights retreat into storage. Nothing makes legs look longer than flesh-toned footwear. Here are a few favorites to pick from.

Traditional round toe pumps, Nine West ($69), or some slingbacks with a twist, Elliot Luca ($95)

Peep toes high, Ivanka Trump ($120) or peep toes low, Wallis ($52)

Sharp and sleek pointed wedges, Lillybee ($84), D'Orsays, Sam Edleman ($110), or classic pumps, Lerre ($79)

Basic ballet flats from prim and proper, L'Autre Chose ($85) or Wallis ($49), to cute and comfy, Camper ($138) or Calvin Klein ($70)

Funkier flats either soft and sleek, Vince ($295), a flash of flourescent, Matisse ($69) or folded and layered, Kling ($47)

Sexy sandals, either perforated and pinkish, J Crew ($248) or simple and smooth, Corso Como ($139)

Color-block cuties in two hues, Dolce Vita ($169) or five, Nine West ($89)

Retro wedges, purely old-school, Kork-Ease ($140) or with a hint of metallic, Wallis ($67)

Finally, sandals for Saturday-Sunday, a hint of neon, Splendid ($66), simple studding, Corso Como ($109) or elaborate wraps, Matt Bernson ($105)

some notes on packing

Photo by Tim Walker

One thing that my odd assortment of jobs over the last several years has provided me with is the ability to pack like a pro. Whether for two weeks in China, five days of dinners and meetings in Istanbul or a lengthy trip that takes me from a ranch in Tampa to the streets of Manhattan (in November), I am a dedicated carry-on only traveler and have a fairly formulaic approach to what goes in the bag. Traveling frequently brings other troubles to the table (dry cleaning?!) so I have a few different versions of this clothing menu (namely blue, black and gray).

When it comes to toiletries I finally caved in and bought duplicates of all my bathroom necessities (in travel sizes) so I am more than halfway to packed and ready to go. For me this not only cuts down on packing time, it also ensures that I don't forget to toss in my toothbrush or contact solution after I'm done using them the morning before I leave.

Here's what I have been packing lately - it should take you through about a week of meetings, dinners and a little tourist-ing on the side.

In addition to your pajamas, a few pairs of black tights and all of your other unmentionables, these basics are essential. I rarely travel without each of the items above since they take up essentially zero suitcase space. My picks are a tunic-length racerback tank from here although this is a decidedly more glam offering.  For a long-sleeve tee, I'm very fond of this one... but people, Nordstrom Rack and Loehmann's are designed for picking up a stack of these for much less. For my short sleeve pick, I have entertained my family for the past several years by having a drawer literally filled with these, at $8 a pop I buy a new one every time I walk into a Target. Mediums, larges, extra larges, I have multiples of each. Stretchy pants are essential, and I am having a love affair with these leggings from Zara - so high-waisted, the perfect in-flight pants... but I might be convinced to stray for a pair of these.

Next - you shouldn't go anywhere without a black dress, I picked up this Theory one for a steal at Loehmann's. It's a great basic layer that works well by itself, with a collared shirt underneath or with a cardigan/jacket on top. With bare legs and heels or black boots and tights, you could probably wear it for five days straight. Dark or black jeans are a must, I am in good company with my love for Uniqlo's ridiculously stretchy pairs, they are so comfortable I'm not sure they count as real pants, must be the Japanese technology. The Tippi Sweater, another thing I can never have enough of. My former colleague and I used to have to consult with each other before picking up another color to avoid dressing like twins on a daily basis. I love this sweater because it's kind of slouchy, works under a jacket as part of a suit or by itself with a skirt or jeans. You don't have to tuck it in - a big plus in my book.  I love leopard print accessories, so I bought two pairs of my Bandolino kitten heels to ensure I had a backup when the first pair burnt out. Unfortunately the leopard print is no longer available, but you could try these instead. The Donald Pliner boots are my newest obsession. They never see the inside of my suitcase, but they are perfect for looking pulled together at the airport or trekking up and down cobblestone streets. Sleek enough for business attire, but comfortable enough to pair with jeans for after hours sight-seeing. The red roll is a Turkish towel, which I have re-purposed as the best airplane scarf ever. Amply sized, heavy-weight and beautifully textured, the only place where it attracts odd looks is in IST. Want one for yourself? Let me know before I leave town.

Finally, the suits. I'm a big fan of the 1035 trousers and jackets from J Crew and I'm always waiting for the 40% off final sale deals to pick up another piece. A great black pencil skirt is a no-brainer and I think a white collared shirt is so classy. For the latter I prefer something on the looser side that can pair just as well with skinny jeans as with suits. I've been coveting this one from J Crew forever. Throw in a few fun belts, and you're packed... well almost

I love a long cardigan for the plane, and it also does a nice job dressing down the black dress.  This one was a great deal at Loehmann's and I promise it's much cuter in person.  A clutch that packs flat like these from Claire Vivier is a handy thing to have when you want to leave your big day bag in the room for the night. Finally an assortment of fun jewelry can completely change the look of the same dress or sweater that you've been rocking for most of the week. 

What are your travel must haves?

follow me

Russian photographer, Murad Osmann has created the most beautiful instagram love letter. His series, #followme chronicles his travels around the world at the end of his girlfriend's outstretched arm. Although we never see her face, we sense her character from her wild auburn waves to her ever-changing nail polish all juxtaposed against the most iconic landmarks and vistas from their globetrotting.

Follow Murad for more...

Required Royal Reading

Anyone with even the slightest interest in Buckingham Palace, the comings and goings of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge or Henry VIII's long and tragic line of wife after wife after wife should take the time to read Hilary Mantel's piece in the London Review of Books.

I found it to be a fascinating examination of the monarchy, fame and female beauty. How we as voyeurs feel entitled if not required to critique these humans, who in so many ways are no longer human (to us) as we, like Mantel in her essay, wouldn't know what to say if we found ourselves face to face with one of them.

I think similar comparisons could be made with our first family or with any number of Hollywood celebrities, however the monarchy occupies a space distinctly separate from those two realms and, as such, there's no direct parallel.

Mantel's piece caused quite a stir; "Kate Speech Hate Speech" read the Guardian and The Independent was equally offended. I think both papers are slightly missing the point, that Mantel's thesis is not anti-Middleton (god forbid) nor anti-monarchy but a more complex look at the machine that will write the Duchess' story for her as it has for so many young women before.


My favorite passage?

"I used to think that the interesting issue was whether we should have a monarchy or not. But now I think that question is rather like, should we have pandas or not? Our current royal family doesn’t have the difficulties in breeding that pandas do, but pandas and royal persons alike are expensive to conserve and ill-adapted to any modern environment. But aren’t they interesting? Aren’t they nice to look at? Some people find them endearing; some pity them for their precarious situation; everybody stares at them, and however airy the enclosure they inhabit, it’s still a cage"

God save the Queen.

Yawns

Yawns from Everynone on Vimeo.

Because it's that time in the afternoon...

App love

I am having and instagram love affair with Over - a fantastic app that allows you to combine your iphone snapshots with text in an array of beautiful fonts. The interface is intuitive and the final result, so lovely that I am spending endless hours creating these little works of art. The combination of caption and image in one results in a form storytelling where the sum is greater than the two parts. 

For $1.99, it's worth the download.

Here are a few of my trial uses... for many more to come, follow me on instagram. 

Dinner party essential

As the crowds for our dinner parties seem to continue to grow and we no longer have any remaining room for a few extra chairs, I'm thinking that this emergency bench by designer Jamie Wolfond would be an excellent addition to the seating arrangment.

Watch the video below to see the bench deployment in action.

Emergency Bench from Jamie Wolfond on Vimeo.

Hipster Reads

To follow up on last week's plea for new reads - I love this infographic from goodreads. Have you read any of these?

Presidents Day

Perhaps it's the tie-in to my political pursuits or simply living in our nation's capital, but I love all things presidential and these charming paintings by Elizabeth Mayville are no exception. Mayville is on vacation from her Etsy shop right now, but here's hoping she returns soon with more installments of these pastel-hued portraits from founding fathers to more modern leaders.

Jefferson

Adams

Madison

Ford

Quincy Adams

Monroe

Reading List

Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht Holland Via

One thing I've been enjoying in my recent life shift has been the opportunity to read, for fun, again. I didn't read nearly as many books last year as I usually do and now I've been tearing through things and I'm anxious for advice on what to pick up next. Here's a quick round up of what I've loved and what left me wanting over the last several months.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers was my most recent read. An incredible book (and 2012 National Book Prize Winner) that chronicles the lives of an assortment of slum residents in Mumbai. Their dreams, their challenges and the unbelievable obstacles they face in a rapidly modernizing India. It's a very quick read that will leave you at times hopeful and at others hopeless. 

Garlic and Sapphires is such a great book. Nothing new, just new to me, a delightful collection of stories (and characters) created by Ruth Reichl while serving as New York's preeminent food critic. For more of Ruth's poetic musings, it's highly worth following her on Twitter.

So I have not seen the Halle Berry, Tom Hanks movie-version, that apparently no one else has seen either? Have you? But Cloud Atlas the book, is definitely worth your time. Give it a chance, you have to get past the first two chapters and soon you will be entangled in a series of narratives spread out across centuries and continents, but beautifully intertwined. Themes repeat, characters recur (in a way), and I think you will love it.

I started out loving In the Garden of Beasts, which tells a terrifying story of complacency in Berlin during the immediate lead up to World War II through the experience of American Ambassador, William Dodd and his family. Nazism creeps in slowly, bite by bite while socialites and diplomats remark on how pleasant the weather is, until they are swallowed whole along with the rest of the country. The story gradually builds and builds and then plateaus into chapters and chapters where far too many characters comment on the 'electric tension,' 'palpable tension,' or variations on seeing a 'storm growing on the horizon.' But the storm never really arrives, Ambassador Dodd is replaced and returns home with his family and I was left wanting more.

Oh my is 1Q84 one crazy read, and a very long one at that. You should probably read it at some point. It won't be like anything else you've read, unless you've read other Murakami books. I don't know how to even start a synopsis. There's a fiction contest, a young woman submits a bizarre story that once polished (secretively) wins. The book becomes a sensation and the story becomes real. Parallel universes, communes and a lot of looking at the moon. Did I enjoy reading it the entire time I was reading it? No. Did I put it down and read something else for a while before going back? Yes. Was I glad I read it in the end? Yes?  Someone else please read it so we can talk about it. 

I loved Eugenides' Pulitzer winner, Middlesex, but The Marriage Plot? Meh. Just meh. Does anyone else agree? Seemed like a lot of wallowing. Wallowing, wallowing, wallowing in bad relationships and self-pity. 

Oh this is a fun crazy book. No need to give you a summary, you can read the whole thing in that time. Gone Girl is a total guilty pleasure read, but not something I feel like you should actually be ashamed of (I'm looking at you 50 Shades fans) Bring it on your next vacation, but just be prepared to not put it down once you've picked it up.

What are your suggestions? What have you been reading and loving - or eyeing on the shelf? Also, did you read any of the above? What did you think?