WHO ROCKS THE PARTY THAT ROCKS THE BODY?

I know I've been talking about it for a while now, and now it's almost upon us--The Chromat and Upstate party at Anchor Bar (310 Spring St.) this Thursday! Two of our favorite friends from Paper Magazine, Alexis Swerdloff and Drew Elliott, will be practicing their recently acquired DJ skills (it's not a bad night job!), and our friends from International Playground will guest host. I hope you can stop by, I promise you there will be plenty of cagey-madness, cuckoo-outfits, and Grey Goose galore!

-Tiffany

Heart Brigade

Louise Gray was one of the few designers that I didn't get to meet during the London Showrooms Event this past Fall. Either she was shy or antisocial, but I didn't feel particularly comfortable poking around her collection without her permission and opted to skip the entire thing, even though I had been looking forward to seeing it. Anyhow, her collection is partially available at ASOS, in addition to the latest installment of a wallet-friendly collaboration she did with the online retailer. The small collection includes My Girl style denim overalls and jackets, as well as two sweet heart-emblazoned jersey dresses which might be the perfect choice for Valentines Day--adorable but not overly saccharine.

-Tiffany

Snow Day

Vintage shearling coat courtesy of What Goes Around Comes Around, Coven dress, Topshop Unique cardigan, Jameson sweater leggings, Hunter boots, YSL belt, We Are Owls scarf that Ashley gave me for Christmas, Peter Pilotto x Kipling backpack, Arms and Armory necklace, Devaki hat.

In case you haven't heard, this winter has gone down as the snowiest so far in New York's history. My husband is simultaneously loving the three snow days he's gotten thus far while openly mocking our American inability to cope with extreme weather. In Stockholm they deal with this on a very regular basis, and he's relayed frightening stories about using the half-mile frozen lake near his apartment as a drunken shortcut in the middle of the night. Anyway, while he enjoyed his day off, I still had to go to work with Christina, which was a trecherous, yet beautiful 20 minute walk. Luckily, I just got this vintage shearling coat from What Goes Around Comes Around, which is so thick and warm, I don't even need to layer anything under it. Paired with my Hunter boots and sweater leggings which I basically haven't removed for the past month (don't worry, I've at least laundered them), and I was decently set for the elements. Here are some photos I took of the snow on my way to work!


I grabbed a sandwich at Defonte's to warm me up

The park on 17th St. looked so pretty, but all of those snow-laden tree branches are pretty much death from above. I can't tell you how much mini snow-avalanches I saw falling from trees and buildings.

These people in Stuyvesant town were in the midst of building the biggest snowman ever

-Tiffany

Putting Pen to Paper

There's always gossip whispered through fashion circles regarding so-and-so designer who doesn't really know how to sew, or so-and-so designer who doesn't really know how to draw. I've found that most of my designer friends tend to know how to do both pretty decently, if perhaps being stronger in one area than the other (although I've found that most cut-and-sew knitwear designers really don't know how to knit). In fact, often I'm amazed by how multi-talented many designers are. A while back, I wrote about Ann Sofie-Madsen, who recently emailed me saying that she had updated her website with some of her gorgeous illustrations. While many of the drawings relate back to fashion, they're also an artistic outpourings of a wild, twisted, and overactive imagination. My favorites are her latest drawings from her "Blue Ink" series, which I think would translate extraordinarily well into some decadently demented fine jewelry. Here is just a small sampling of her work, I highly suggest you go to her inspiring website and view it all!

-Tiffany

Caged Bird

Breaking the blogging silence with some Chromat fun. I've been working like crazy, but nothing cheers me up like some crazy cages created by my girl Becca, who is pretty much a one-woman party (speaking of which, we'll be throwing her a party with Upstate next Thursday, more details to come!). For Spring, she's created a slew of her signature cage skirts, dresses, and bustiers in white and pink, in addition to a few specialty stud pieces. Don't be surprised if you see a few of them on the inimitable Nicki Minaj, who has taken to wearing Chromat when she performs.

-Tiffany

Gone Upstate

The onslaught of snow that we've been getting in New York over the past month looks beautiful, but it sure is a mess to walk around in. Every step is a precarious balancing act, and I live in fear of slipping and falling into the semi-toxic looking sludge pools accumulating at every street corner. I think every New Yorker is counting down the days until Spring, and taking a peek at Upstate's Spring lookbook makes me even more desperate for warmer months. Designed by my new friends Kalen and Astrid, the scarf, sarong, and specialty textile line is all hand dyed in Brooklyn using the Japanese technique of Shibori. Each piece is unique, and can be worn and styled in a multitude of ways. January might not be the right season for sarongs, but I wouldn't mind wrapping one of those gigantic shawls around me while it's still cold out. You can find Upstate at taste-making boutiques like Ten Over Six and International Playground. We'll also be hosting a party for Upstate and Chromat on February 3rd at Anchor Bar, so stay tuned for details!

-Tiffany

Around and Around

DIY knit sweater, vintage Gunne Sax dress that I adjusted myself, Marc Jacobs heels, Devaki hat, H&M tights, Triskaidekaphobia necklace and earring. All photographs by David Carlo.

Yesterday night, I had the pleasure of hosting a party at vintage mecca, What Goes Around Comes Around, with Elizabeth of White Lightning, and Leandra of The Man Repeller. I dressed in vintage for the occasion, wearing a 70's prairie revival dress by Gunne Sax that I had picked up after scouring eBay. Leandra directed the photographer to take a picture of me, and explained,"I'm going to write about Chronic Man Repellers" and then aside, "I hope that's not offensive." Thankfully I'm married, so I no longer care about grossly offending the opposite sex (not that I cared much before I was married either), and I am always happy to be surrounded by my own kind (you can see the list of fellow Man Repellers here). As you know, female fashion freaks/repellers tend to attract fellow repellers, and I definitely thought there were plenty of stunning looks in the house.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who stopped by last night and had a drink with me. I know I had a few too many, cause I ended up having nightmares about being attacked by the ghosts of invisible jellyfish, which seeped through the walls and could only be seen under black light. If you didn't make it, you should swing by the store soon (351 West Broadway), as all of the fall collection is on sale for 70% off!

The lovely ladies of WGACA


Elizabeth from White Lightning, and Gerard from WGACA, and myself. I ended up taking home this plaid asymmetrical jacket from the WGACA in house label, along with a few other vintage goodies.

Leandra, aka The Man Repeller

Just a few of the amazing women behind Stylelikeu.

-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

Two Parties! What Goes Around Comes Around and Bijules Birthday Bash!

Updates have been sparse since I've been in Paris, but I wanted to let those of you who live in New York know about two parties next week!

First off, on Wednesday night I will be hosting a shopping soiree at What Goes Around Comes Around with two of my favorite fellow bloggers, Elizabeth of White Lightning, and Leandra of The Man Repeller. There will be wine, and steep discounts of up to 70% off all evening. Plus, it's always fun to meet some fellow internet freaks in person.



Then, on Thursday night, we'll be throwing a joint birthday bash for Jules of Bijules, and her twin sister Sam of Skimkim at Anchor Bar (see adorable flier featuring baby Kim Twins below). Both birthday girls will take turns DJing alongside Marcos Udagawa and Ibemusic, and there will be plenty of Grey Goose to go around!

-Tiffany