En Vacances

Bike storage at Les Frigos, an art collective in Paris

I've been silent for the past two weeks because I've been on family vacation in France.  In college, I spent a semester in Grenoble, but there are still many areas of the country that I haven't seen, and we took a car trip around the Loire Valley and Bordeaux, finishing with the requisite stop in Paris.  Jimmy and I went there starving, as we lack decent affordable restaurants in Stockholm.  As you can imagine, I was too occupied stuffing my face and expanding my waistline to take any decent photos, but here are a few snapshots I captured along the way.  Can't wait for my next trip back.  Now it's time to get back to work, more consistent blogging, and my regular all-carb diet of instant noodles and pasta. 
 

The requisite cup of hot chocolate at Angelina's in Paris. I'm proud to say that I finished the entire pot.

Toy sailboats at the Jardin Luxembourg

Jimmy at Les Frigos

One of the graffiti teddies that kept on making appearances all over Les Frigos

Outside of Les Frigos

A serpentine street grating in the medieval town of Sarlat

Duck at the Jardin Luxembourg

A four hundred year old wine cave in Bordeaux

L'Arc de Triomphe

Le Louvre

The last two Pierre Hermes macaroons :(

-Tiffany

Stranded!

Louise Bourgeois sculptures of--need I explain? At the Louisiana Museum outside of Copenhagen. Nakkna dress, Barbara Bui sandals, jacket designed by my Mom, Threeasfour bag, Alexander Wang sunglasses.



Of all places to be stranded, I can hardly complain about Copenhagen. Nonetheless, I've been away from home for the better part of a month, and was looking forward to getting back. Of course I have excellent luck with weather, and timed my arrival to coincide with Irene's. My flight home was canceled, and it's just as well-- my apartment is literally on the borderline of evacuation Zone C, so I consider myself successfully evacuated. I am wondering where all of the other evacuees are going as this whole hurrication thing is fun, but expensive.



If I only had some company here, I'd be much happier. Jimmy got on his flight back to Stockholm as scheduled, so I will be stranded here alone. I won't be joining him in Stockholm for another 2 months, but we had an amazing time visiting the Louisiana Museum before he left.



Anyway, if you are in Copenhagen, holler at me! And if you are on the east coast, stay safe and dry!











This guy was part of a puppet festival in Helsinki!



-Tiffany

Red Stripe + Goat Curry

This camera hogging stray dog followed us around for twenty minutes and insisted on jumping in all of my photos. Cropped tee courtesy of Blood is the New Black, Acne shorts, backpack courtesy of Fjällräven, Charles Anastase sunglasses, Havaianas flip-flops.

Last week I got a birthday present better than I could ever deserve: a surprise trip to Jamaica. Jimmy had hinted that he would take me on an excursion, but I didn't know anything until twelve hours before our plane departed for Kingston. We spent the first part of our trip in the beach side city of Negril, and then spent the last two days of our vacation in the lush and verdant Blue Mountains outside of Kingston. I have to admit it took a couple of days for me to adjust my city girl self to doing absolutely nothing, as well as being in nature with half of the known members of the animal kingdom creeping around. Nonetheless, I got acclimated to our beautiful, if slightly random surroundings: a little resort hotel that was mostly populated by middle-aged, topless sunbathing, pot-smoking, single females from America and Germany who had taken Jamaica as their second home.

After this strange but lovely interlude in MILF country, we moved on to a more quaint and cozy bed and breakfast called Rafjam's nestled into a nice little valley in the Blue Mountains, which felt more like a home stay. Susan, who owns and runs the bed and breakfast with her husband and young adorable sons, couldn't have been a more wonderful host and guide, and I would honestly go back to Jamaica just to visit there again. In addition to the idyllic setting, the goat curry by the side of the road is worth a plane ride on it's own. While our hiking was minimal, we did take a little trek through Alex Twyman's family run Old Tavern Coffee Estate, which is a must see if you're in Kingston. We got to see how coffee is grown and produced, in addition to tasting plenty of it. Thankfully, one habit that laid-back Jamaicans and high-strung New Yorkers share is conspicuous caffeine consumption.


Birthday dinner at The Rock House in Negril. Alexandre Herchcovitch x Rosa Cha skirt, Chloe Sevigny x Opening Ceremony top.


Alex Twyman's farm and house on the top of the Blue Mountains

Alex demonstrating how coffee beans are roasted

Freshly roasted coffee beans being cooled

The view of Alex's coffee farm from her living room window


My pathetic attempt at a hiking outfit, wearing the best sneakers I own. Something Else by Natalie Wood dress, VPL bra, Rogan x Target leggings, backpack courtesy of Fjallraven, Charles Anastase sunglasses, sneakers courtesy of Jeffrey's x Keds.

Jimmy at the Kingston military base

Rafjam's Bed and Breakfast

Typical Jamaican breakfast at Rafjam's

The view from our hike in the Blue Mountains

-Tiffany

Paris, Je T'Aime

At the Centre Pompidou. Jacket designed by my Mom, Something Else by Nathalie Wood dress, Laura Mackness x Weekdays leggings, Carin Wester scarf, Cheap Monday socks, Dieppa Restrepo brogues, Triskaidekaphobia gear necklace.

Last week I went on a quick trip to Paris with my Mom, who had to go there for a business meeting with the architect Renzo Piano. I spent a semester living in France while I was in college, so I've already done all of the sightseeing, and decided to concentrate my energy on consuming as many of my favorite French confections as I could. I basically spent my entire time there snacking at my favorite sweet spots: Pierre Hermé and Ladurée for macaroons, Jean-Paul Hévin for pâtisseries, Angelina's for hot chocolate, and Mariage Frères for tea and scones. Most of these things unfortunately don't travel well, or don't have a long shelf life and must be consumed almost immediately, which was all the excuse I needed for stuffing myself until I almost collapsed from sugar-shock.

I also made some time between sweets to meet up with my bestie, Brandon, who chunneled in from London for some window shopping (very little actual shopping was done, as the euro is still trouncing the dollar). Brandon is much better at taking photographs than I am, and you will probably see plenty more pictures on his blog, Feigned Perfection. Our first stop was the semi-hidden boutique, L'Eclaireur, which might be the most incredible looking store I've ever entered, complete with hidden dressing rooms, secret doors, and walls that lift up with a push of a button to reveal racks of Junya and Balenciaga. Unfortunately, they don't allow photographs, but they have plenty of videos on their online shop. Next up, we stopped by interior design and lifestyle store Merci, which wouldn't be out of place in Park Slope, and had every single item necessary for constructing a perfect Parisian apartment. Our final shopping stop was Damir Doma, where we were initially locked outside, before getting locked half inside, until Damir dropped by and let us into the store.

Now I'm back home in New York, where my waistline could use a break from my exorbitant sugar/butter/bread intake. Hope to be getting back to Paris soon for more hazelnut truffle macaroons at Pierre Hermé.

My BGF4L, Brandon, at Les Philosophes, showing off his vintage sweater and new Liberty print shirt.

Giant wall clock at Merci

Hazelnut and meringue poof of heaven at Jean-Paul Hevin

Perfectly aged chairs at Merci

Brandon taking photos while we were locked out of the Damir Doma store

-Tiffany

Kräftfest!

Country house outfit! Truly Madly Deeply dress, YSL belt, Alexander Wang sunglasses, Vivienne Westwood x Melissa shoes

I actually didn't go to Sweden to attend Stockholm Fashion Week, but to hang out with all of the faraway friends and family that I never get to see. No trip to Stockholm would be complete without a good old-fashioned trip to the archipelago, and since we arrived in August, it was the perfect time for a crayfish party. After Gabi was done with her show, and fashion week was over, we all packed our bags and headed out to Tobias's country house in Blido to eat some crayfish and drink schnapps. His house is actually more of a small family compound of little houses, all built by his father from salvaged wood and materials scrapped from other demolished houses, and constantly is a work in progress. Since the last time I've been there, they've already added another room, as well as a tiny playhouse for the kids.

Once we got there, they boys started cooking immediately. During fashion week, Susie Bubble and Phil from Street Peeper asked me what people in Stockholm ate, since it was evident that there is shortage of affordable, delicious restaurant options outside of fast food. I told them that everybody in Sweden cooks, and cooks really well, or at least everyone I know. The first night we got there, we had a barbecue with a pork roast, mackerel, and shrimp and vegetable skewers. The second night was all about the crayfish, which was accompanied by two Västerbotten Pies, salad, schnapps, and loud Swedish drinking songs.

After the meal, we played a game of very uncoordinated game of mafia, went for a chilly midnight swim (I watched), and had an all-night dance party on the porch. I actually didn't take too many pictures because by the time the actual party started, everyone involved was pretty much obliterated, and it would be quite unkind to show them (or myself) in that state. Here are some of the photos I can show, as well as some Swedish music from my new favorite, Jonathan Johansson.

Aapo

Glass fishing floats

This room was built from salvaged doors, which still have their numbers on them

Oskar built a gigantic bonfire

Tobias picked some of the potatoes from his garden in the backyard

Newly picked potatoes for dinner!

Plenty of beer and tons of crayfish




Jonathan Johansson- En hand i himlen

-Tiffany

Back From Outer Space

Hanging out in the Fish-packing district of Reykjavic. Jacket made by my Mom, VPL sweater, Gestuz pants, Collina Strada bag, Alexander McQueen scarf, Slow and Steady Wins the Race Sunglasses, Vivienne Westwood x Melissa shoes.

Two whole weeks without blogging! I feel terrible. It really wasn't meant to be that way. I brought my computer, my camera, all my assorted plugs and converters and wires. Of course, when we got our little apartment, there was no internet, and no open Wi-Fi to mooch off. In fact, there was pretty much no free Wi-Fi anywhere, and let's be honest, I was just too lazy to lug my laptop anywhere while I was on vacation. I did however take plenty of pictures, especially of Stockholm Fashion Week, and I will start posting them shortly.

The first stop on our trip was Reykjavik, Iceland, which was sort of like being on the moon, if the moon had a lot of bars, and really hard-partying people. I've been to a lot of cities, and hosted many parties, and I don't think I've ever been to a place where people acted so drunkenly debauched. The first person we saw when we got there very late on Thursday night was a man wearing nothing but his briefs walking down the street, even though it was 50 F and raining. The second person we saw was a barefoot woman drunkenly attempting to crawl up the stairs to her own house. When she failed to do so, Jimmy and I asked if she needed help, but she claimed that she was fine, and decided to go to sleep on the steps. I think that provided an appropriate introduction to Reykjavik nightlife.

While the highlight of our short stay was hanging out at Boston and Bakkus with all the lovely and super-friendly locals (and the non-highlight being the horrible, hungover flight to Stockholm the next day), we did manage to fit in some non-alcohol related entertainment in. It was a must to stop by one of the hot springs, and we ate the most wonderful seven-course meal at Dill Restaurant. I really wish we had more time to spend to see the rest of Iceland, I definitely plan on going back soon.

Jimmy, looking very much like a serial killer, on the main drag

The old church, which was across the street from where we stayed.

-Tiffany

Derby Days

Playing croquet in the back yard. Marni dress from The Sweet Ones, YSL belt, Marc x Marc Jacobs shoes, Forever 21 boater hat, Slow and Steady Wins the Race sunglasses, Gerard Yosca cuff, Triskaidekaphobia necklace.

As I mentioned, I spent this weekend in Kentucky making new friends, learning to play croquet, hanging out in the jacuzzi, and eating plenty of delicious home cooked food. We drove down from New York with our good friend Forrest, who took us along a route that went through Dutch Pennsylvania and Amish country, and some beautiful stretches of farmland along the way. The main purpose of the visit was to see the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, but to be perfectly honest, our real motive was drinking Kentucky bourbon, eating authentic southern barbecue, and partying all weekend. Which was probably a good thing, since the Derby got rained on pretty hard, and wasn't all that enjoyable (although it was quite entertaining seeing Southern gentiles juxtaposed against Woodstock-style mud-covered hooligans). Still, that didn't stop any of us from getting dressed up in our best Southern finery, and the rest of the weekend was perfect. Not only did Forrest cook all fifteen of us an amazing taco feast (you can get his tacos at Choncho's Tacos at the Brooklyn Flea, or at The Loading Dock), but after the Derby, we stumbled upon the most deliciously authentic barbecue we could find, cooked out of an enterprising local lady's kitchen and served on her back porch. Anyway, here are some pictures of what we wore during the Derby, even though most of it ended up covered by ugly ponchos.

Eric, our photographer, wore a suit he found on eBay

My derby outfit. H&M dress, YSL belt, Hunter boots, Yestadt Millinery bowler hat, Slow and Steady Wins the Race bag, Iosselliani ring

Forrest wore a seersucker jacket, red clam diggers, and a pocket square

Jimmy wore his Opening Ceremony jacket

-Tiffany