The colour and the shape.

When I first spotted Gregoire Alexandre's portfolio a few days ago, I was gonna tweet it but thought it needed its own post. I love that his photos, while primarily fashion photography, are mostly about using fashion and models to create overall pleasing forms. This is a man who finds work in fashion photography, but whose first love is geometry.

I love this origami ice cave.

C'mon, anybody with a blog named like mine has naturally got to fall in love with anything pegasus/unicorn themed.

So many of his photos have this same stark, wintry quality that I adore.

Reminds me so much of Yokoo.

Tomorrow I go to help my maid-of-honor get a dress locked down, visit my Ma in the hospital and see some good old fashioned stand-up comedy, my number one favorite way to blow off some steam.

Yours,

Elissa.

Oh and PS to those of you who wondered about the contest berry concoction-- it tastes pretty good, actually. It doesn't stir perfectly, but the remains in the glass are like not-yet-set berry jello. Quite tasty indeed.

Red and white.

I feel like lately I've been treading into territory I said I never would before. First khaki, then black, and now white and red.

Sweater: Victoria's Secret. Dress: Thrifted. Necklace: Gift from Mom. Shoes: JC Penney.

Why not, say you? Well, my relationship with white went sour one afternoon in 8th grade. I had happened upon a white jeans/white jacket combo at TJ Maxx or somewheres and wore it to school feeling like Lauren Bacall. Until someone complained that me being so white and wearing white was causing them visual discomfort. I earned the nickname "Great White Shark". Gawd.

I'm telling you now that if you need shoes, clothes, or anything remotely related to covering yourself, you need to go to JCPenney. After years of assuming it was where blue-collar guys got bland polo shirts from, I went in on a whim and proved that to assume is to make an ass of u and me. These babies were a cool $9 on clearance. If that doesn't deserve a "Dammmmnnnn...." then I really don't know what does.

As for red? Well, red is vivid and alarmist and unapologetic. I like colors that can be bent and shaped to create meaning. Blue can be professional or placid; green, stuffy or outdoorsy. I'm finding that gray and khaki do a lot for red's malleability... as these shoes have now become my "power shoes", I suspect I'll happen upon other unexpected combos.


I love bright colors, I just prefer to have them tempered, which is funny now that it strikes me in writing this that that attitude is a perfect reflection of my personality (according to me) which is eclecticity-loving, but ever-seeking of moderation.

Speaking of red, a rather red package arrived for me today from the folks at Perricone MD.

perricone acai berry. I'll pop a bubble and think of you.

Having red --ahem-- read of my need to fit into my size-to-small wedding dress, they forwarded me this box of Acai supplement and some guidelines for following the Perricone Diet. Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I absolutely am completely against taking weight-loss drugs or products. They provide fake results, don't promote a healthy lifestyle, and rob you of the joy of (in the case of SlimFast type products) cooking and eating healthfully. And, I'm equally against diets, be they Grapefruit, Adkins or Master Cleanse. They're weird and unnatural.

I'm happy to report that this Perricone stuff is nothing of the kind. The diet is basically a lot of healthy fats from fish and nuts, cutting out white carbs, and comprised of things that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get from their local grocery (no bonito flakes here). And, as someone who drives about 200 miles a day, it's plain to me that I don't eat as well as I should, so I have been looking for some healthy and straight-forward guidance. So. I'm giving the plan a whirl, in addition to taking the supplement for 30 days. I'll report back on how I feel!

In the meantime, if you'd like to join me on my magical mystery acai tour, the good people at Perricone MD also have a 30-day supply of this same supplement for one of YOU magical readers!

All you have to do to enter and win this contest is to leave a comment on this post telling me about one healthy thing that you like to do for yourself-- be it exercise, alimentary, religious, silly! Contest ends at 12a.m. EST on September 2, 2009. A winner will be chosen at random and announced shortly thereafter. In the meantime, you can pop on over to Perricone MD and take the skin quiz, learn more about berries, or merely develop an appetite for salmon!

Good luck!

Yours,

Elissa.

Shuz.

"Gosh I hate it!" I said to my co-worker. "Hate what?" He said. "All I can think about is frickin' shoes and it's driving me crazy!" Now that my top two picks for wedding shoes have suddenly sold out, I'm now in a mad dash to find some that'll more than just "do". Here are some of the sartorial succubi robbing me of sleep:

Pour La Victoire "Eden"

I'm wearing a long, 1930's inspired lace dress, and I love the idea of the cut-outs in the shoe echoing the lace. But does it border on too-muchery?

Juicy Couture "Marlee"

Also in the realm of too-muchery (and expensiveness) are these hot-tastic Juicy Couture shoes. The sight of them instantly spurs girlish happiness-- in addition to having a sturdy heel. I gotta dance in these puppies, you know!

Oh! Deer "Guggenheim"

I've long had these shoes on my Amazon Wishlist, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. So gorgeous and the heel is really unusual, but not sure if these are more "business" than "wedding".

Nine West "Samiam"

In addition to silver, nude, and gold, I would also be in the market for something blue, and I think these just scream "dance the night away". However, I have been wanting to wear these tights and open toes with lace tights remind me of a fishing net full of squished scallops. Blech.

Seychelles "Yes Mama"

I love these shoes, but I might take them to a cobbler and get the wood painted silver. Plus, you could wear them after the event, but are perforations too summery?

Nine West "Zann"

I love how sturdy these heels look, and they'd be excellent candidates for any number of the vintage shoe clips I've been perusing at my local antique haunt.

Matisse "Ashland"

This is my most off-beat pick, but I love the idea of suede with lace, especially in fall, and that they'd give the dress a more modern edge. In addition, there are a number of Etsy sellers that will decorate bridal shoes, a la the example below:

Fascinating Creations at Etsy.

I'd love to have the cuff of this boot all beaded up! Too good!

Which earns your vote? While you decide, I'm going to start making the house ready for our Mad Men premiere party.

Yours,

Elissa.

Workin it.

Today's outfit came to me on a whim. I'd been wanting to wear this high-waisted skirt, but it fit so closely that nothing could be tucked in. Similarly, I'd been wanting to wear this blouse that I thrifted for a cool fifty cents a while back. The nipped in waist shape made it seem like a natural tuckin-in candidate, but the length was too long to tuck in without looking bunchy. The two came together today and met their perfect mates.

Skirt: Macy's. Shoes: JC Penney. Blouse: thrifted. Belt: thrifted. Bag: Kohl's.

This outfit also has heralded a new sense of self possessedness. I've not talked about it at all on this blog (and won't much here, in fact, I'm saving it for Eyeliah's lovely invite for guest posts) but since the inception of this blog, I've gone from a size 2 to a size 8, the progression of which was spurred by a thyroid problem (yes, really) caused by a lifestyle of under-eating and extreme exercise. Although to many it's not a huge difference, for me it was (though I tried hard not to make it so). Only now am I starting to feel -- not just not negative, but pretty damned good about it. So much so that I really don't look forward to trying to lose weight to try and fit into my wedding dress that I bought a size too small. The things we do to ourselves.

Bag: Kohl's.

So I spent all day feeling like a 1940's broad in my get-up today. I made a detour on the way to work to pick up a lady's laptop bag in red crocodile. I love it.

Earrings: k8kre8s on Etsy.

Here, a close-up of the clock-hand earrings I love so dear, and also some proof that the mosquitos were rampant in this part of the woods.

Future father-in-law is in town today, making a stop-over on his cross-country bike ride. He started in Washington state, and will end in Washington D.C. Although I already read his blog about it, I suspect we'll get an earful over dinner as well!

Til Later, Readers!

Yours,

Elissa.

Back in Black

Typically, I'm a color-loving gal... up until recently, I never deigned to wear black. Why would anyone wear such a soul-sucking hue that says only, "I'm unhappy," "I want to be ignored", "Go away"? However, lately I feel black taking on new significance for me: simplicity, asceticism. This summer is full of simple dresses of an austere hue.

Wrap Dress: Ann Taylor. Shoes: Thrifted. Necklace: Sarah Coventry, Rte 127 Garage Sale.

Blacks call for big-time jewelry. I positively flipped out when I saw this necklace at the garage sale. The nice lady who sold it to me let it go for $5.

Today, I had a traveling, client-calling-upon day in the ninetiest of degrees. I said f-u to heels and wore some hard-working ballet flats, a dropwaist jersey dress and a swing blazer. While I felt rather sprightly all day (translation: nervously toggling the track ball on my phone), I came back to the camera pooped, precluding my power to pointedly portray my previous pluckiness.

Yawn. Blazer: Macy's. Dress: Ann Taylor, thrifted. Flats: Etienne Aigner.

Pockets. Lovin 'em once more.

This outfit's accompanying piece of big-ass jewelry is this amazing ring I found oh-so-cheaply at a local boutique I'd always assumed was expensive. Surprise! Everything is Modcloth-priced. Think you'll be seeing a few other things from there soon.

Ring: The Emperor's Newest Clothes.

What else is new? I put a deposit down on some wedding flowers, and I'm currently scouring for The Shoes. I may need your input here. Also, a new contest is a-brewing!! Stay tuned, it is not to be missed!

Yours,

Elissa.

Travel: Cakes, Garage Sales.

Some things are worth traveling 100 miles or so for...



The first being the Route 127 Garage Sale, the longest garage sale in the world. This annual second-hand freakfest spans along the titular route from Alabama to Michigan.

Loved these charming little plaque things... kind of refined compared to the usual weirdo outsider art you find in these kinds of places...

Dogs hate garage sales.

I scored some amazing Sarah Coventry jewelry, some of which is on me today...

Click to embiggen! Dress: Banana Republic. Safari Animals Belt: Thrifted. Bag: Francesca's. Shoes: Nine West, via Amazon. Necklace&Earrings (which can alternatively be worn as rings): Sarah Coventry via Rt. 127 Garage Sale.

My other big travel this weekend (today) was to my very favorite bakery in the world, The Bonbonerie, to do a wedding-cake tasting.


The Wind Cookies (don't you love that?) are the consistency of chalk, though less dense, and far tastier, with a light almond flavor.






I couldn't believe the size of the pieces they had us try! We were expecting petit-four style morsels to split between all of us, but clearly, they aimed to woo us, and woo they did. We tried a fluffy raspberry cake (in the foreground), a more buttery, dense raspberry; tangerine (with little tiny pieces of fruit in the filling... woah), lemon, white chocolate, and my personal favorite, though not sure if it's the kind of cake I'd want for a wedding-- carrot. Their recipe omitted nuts and raisins, but was good, spicy and dark with lots of ginger and molasses.

I haven't done a whole lot of looking into cake design--- I'm mostly concerned with taste, and I know I definitely want no fondant involved in my cake, babe. We flipped through their gigundous book of designs, and I think we might go with something very close to this one (minus the corny topper, eh?):



I think a peach-colored cake with silver dots instead of the wavy pattern they have on it, with lilies of the valley transformed to dark blue delphinium might be just the ticket... Oh, I really love this one, indeed!

Have a tasty weekend, readers!

Yours,

Elissa.