For my entire life, I’ve been a devout non-gym-goer. My weight was completely dependent on a semi-fast metabolism and decent genes. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve managed to skate by with an alcohol-free diet and the occasional juice cleanse. But then I committed the ultimate weight-gaining commandment: I quit smoking. After trying to quit three […]
Personal Pragmatist
Perfect Pasta: No Recipe Needed
I’ll admit it — I hesitated to include a cooking feature on this blog for fear of veering too far away from fashion. But style and cooking are symbiotic — both are easily malleable to suit your personal tastes and both are skills that can be learned with diligence and practice. And the ultimate goal in […]
The Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift
When it comes to gifts, I don’t like to be surprised. It may seem tacky, but whenever a holiday rolls around, I take the guesswork out of the equation and send my husband a couple potential gift ideas. He knows not to stray from the list. (PS: I always ask him for a list, too. […]
The Things We Wore
Every time I visit my childhood home, it’s like walking into a mini-museum devoted to me and my sister. Every available surface, from the bookshelves to the piano, is crowded with photos of us clad in clothes that document various milestones, from Halloween costumes to bridesmaids dresses. Since I’m in my 30s, the photos are […]
Taking a Break from Eye Makeup
For the past few weeks, I’ve had a little problem. It started last month, when some late-afternoon mascara flakes fell into my eye. After a swipe of make-up remover, I felt fine. Two weeks later, a dreaded sty appears. No problem. I swabbed that sucker with some antibacterial cream. Cut to last week. I’m in Vermont with a house full […]
My New Year’s Resolution
2015 has arrived, so it’s time for some quintessential water cooler talk: New Year’s Resolutions. I know many hate the resolutions ritual. It’s easy to believe that resolutions set us up for inevitable failure or disappointment. I understand the sentiment. Plenty of my resolutions have fizzled. In 1999, I vowed to get my drivers license — but […]
Citrus-Flavored Graffiti
Back when I was still living in Miami, there wasn’t much civic pride in the local art scene. “Culture” was limited to the city ballet and J. Lo’s frequent appearances on South Beach. In the decade that’s followed, Miami’s undergone a major transformation, becoming an international hub for creativity, entrepreneurship and design. Nowhere is this turnaround more evident […]
A Miami Christmas in Photos
If you asked me to choose a favorite between Miami (my hometown) or Manhattan (my adopted home), I’d typically choose NYC in a heartbeat. But Miami ALWAYS gets the edge in December. I’m aggressively recharging, but I’ve compiled some snippets of my hometown sojourn below. In the meantime, I’m taking Christmas off — but I’ll be back on […]
Commence the Closet Demolition
My husband and I co-exist in a 500 square-foot apartment. This pint-sized piece of Manhattan somehow squeezes in a bathroom, sleeping alcove, kitchen, living room and two closets. Needless to say, none of these spaces are particularly roomy — I’ve been in hotel rooms with bathtubs that are bigger than our entire apartment. (Mostly in Orlando.) Renovations are desperately needed across […]
In Defense of the Brown Sweater
My mom recently gave me a copy of Women in Clothes, a book of essays, Q&As and oral histories focused on our relationship to our wardrobes. Based on my reading thus far, the book’s cadence and tone is self-important and intellectually stilted. That’s not necessarily bad — writing about clothes connotes a certain amount of pretension, after all. (Ahem.) […]