A Twistah! A Twistah!

Or, more accurately, a snowstorm guaranteed to make Chicagoans chuckle and upstate New Yorkers el-oh-el.  But whaddyagonnado?  It's snowing in DC, kids!


Wait.  Not yet.  But that hasn't stopped Mayor Fenty from issuing a premature Snow Emergency starting at 7am tomorrow morning.


Have I stocked up on essentials?  If gossip magazines and catnip count as "essentials," then the answer is yes.  I have plenty of both.


As for sustenance, I figure I can forage through my backyard until the storm blows over - you know - like, Sunday morning.


Just so I don't seem all glib about this, I've gone ahead and started following the #dcsnowpocalypse hashtag on Twitter.  You'll see the corresponding widget at right.  I encourage you to hunker down and get serious about this, too...

Pretty Shiny Things (That I Own)

Read an interesting article in yesterday's NY Times about a reporter who rented her holiday dresses.  Services like that are popping up all over, with everything from a clutch to couture being available for a finite time with a little outlay of cash.  The writer came to the conclusion that she did, indeed, like renting a different dress for each occasion, but she still didn't make a very compelling case for renting versus buying.  Personally, I'd rather add a festive piece or two each year to augment my existing wardrobe.

Which brings me to today's Conspicuous Consumption Christmas Item of the Day, a Belted Sequin Cardigan from Robert Rodriguez.  There's just something about sequins that screams "festive!"  And the dark green color is just right for Christmas.  I'd pair with pants, belt it over a dress, or use it with other monochromatic separates to spice up an after-work look.

Rodriguez' stuff don't come cheap, and even at 30% off this cardigan clocks in at $238.  But let's put it this way: that NY Times reporter got three outfits for about $75 each, or a total of $225.  For just a little more, I could have one versatile piece that doesn't have to go into a padded envelope at the end of the night.  I think I'd choose the latter...

Joy to the World, It's Porcelain

I'm not much for holiday decorating.  Plop a neon pink plastic Christmas tree next to the Russ Santa Troll and call it a day, in my book.  Oh, and don't forget the glitter be-decked mini stocking for...my cat.  You know, for when Santa Claws shows up.

Rarely am I excited by much in the holiday vein, probably because it would ruin the aesthetic of my apartment, and also because I have a hard time spending good money on something that will only be around for a few weeks.

I would gladly make an exception, though, for the Nativity Scene in porcelain by Massimo Giacon for Alessi.  Look at that fun, happy little family!  Throw in a donkey (?) and a...something else and voila!  It's the perfect little mod Christmas decoration.  At $92, it's a bit steep for a temporary decoration, but I Alessi stuff is made to last, so it might very well be the last manger scene I need.


Therefore, consider it officially added to my ever-growing, semi-fabulous Conspicuous Consumption Christmas list.  The porcelain Baby Jesus approves.

Time Flies...Sorta

Is there no end to my insatiable search for cool stuff in my apartment?  I think not.  When you have a space as small as mine (maybe 600 sq ft?), every inch is precious, every nook and cranny an opportunity to DO something interesting, every unused piece of wall just a nail away from being a miniature art gallery.  I love interesting objects; even more than that I love well-designed interesting objects.  Something can't just be "cute" or "fun" - it had better serve a higher purpose in furthering my attempts to curate a livable, aesthetically pleasing place in which to dwell.

This lifestyle does not come cheap.  I could probably have a down payment on a house for all the Swedish stoneware and steel, mid-century modern seating, and candelabras (7 and counting) I collect.  But I'm okay with that.  And sometimes something comes along that I HAVE TO HAVE.  Like, no discussion needed.  Even if that item is technically still a prototype and available for purchase exactly nowhere.

As in the Switchital clock by Pugin Design.  Check this: the numbers are comprised of magnetic bars that - like the mustachioed bald guy in the plastic and cardboard toy we all had as kids - magically move with the use of magnetic pull behind the scenes.  The minutes move, literally, before your very eyes.  I can't.  Stop.  Watching.  Seriously, if I had this clock on my desk or next to my bed, I'd never get anything done, nor would I fall asleep.  How could you miss a single minute going by?!

Unfortunately, this clock is still in the design phase, so adding it to my very special Conspicuous Consumption Christmas Item of the Day list is quite impossible.  But a girl can dream.  That is, if she's not constantly watching the clock.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

"Hiya do, Miss Lady" - a simple greeting, given by a simply dressed older man, on my humdrum daily commute from my house to the bus stop, five blocks away.  It's pretty basic: I say hi to my neighbors, they reciprocate.  Well, unless they're white.

I'm not conducting anything along the signs of a scientific experiment, mind you, just relying on a 2 1/2 year body of empirical evidence.  Whose house have I been invited to?  Who greets me from their stoop?  Who says hello in the corner bodega?  Who makes eye contact at the bus stop?  The neighbors that are people of color, that's who.  Almost without fail.

So what?  Who cares?  Well, I think this behavior gets to a larger conversation about what it means when a neighborhood "gentrifies" (a term I'm not totally confident in using about my 'hood, which saw it's share of tough times but was never a bad place to live) and new people  - white, wealthier, younger - invade what were often traditionally Black or Hispanic neighborhoods.   You see it happen in DC all the time, and we're not the exception.  Harlem in New York, Pilsen in Chicago - both have experienced similar "white in-flight" and the concomitant neighborly attitudes that go with that.

I don't know how to force people to greet one another on the sidewalk.  And after being ignored multiple times by any particular person, I just give up.  I will continue to work to build stronger relationships with those neighbors who are friendly and who do respond to a simple "hello."  And let's be honest - I'm smack in the middle of the demographic I'm talking about: young, white, relative newcomer to the 'hood.  So the least I can try to do is set a good example for my incommunicado brethren.

Is it so hard to say "hi"?  For some, I guess so.

Cat-Woman

Yes, I have two cats. Yes, I live alone in a basement. No, I'm not like the crazy cat lady on the Simpson's, although I find her to be quite amusing when she makes an appearance. That being said, I get no end of grief when it comes to matters feline.

So what if the only picture on my desk is of Harry (male tabby) and that he has a custom Christmas sock? How else will Santa Paws deliver his kitteh treats?

So, despite, the obvious insults that could be hurled my way, I occasionally find a cat-themed item to be quite adorable. I just received my United Bamboo Cat Calendar in the mail and it's fabulous. And who could deny the cuteness of this Marc by Marc Jacobs Paisley Cat Tote? Only a cold-hearted unfeeling cat-hater, that's who.

And it's really only a cat in the abstract, right? Nobody *really* has a pink and purple and orange cat. So it's stylized and therefore sartorially acceptable, in my humble opinion. And at $90 (marked down from $128), it's a veritable bargain by Marc Jacobs standards. So I'll happily make it to my very special Conspicuous Consumption Christmas Item of the Day. Mee-yow!

Snow Makes Me Want Boots

What started out this morning as a drizzly rain has evolved into blanketing confection of fluffy snow here in the nation's capital. Snow here is not that common; snow that actually accumulates on cars and sidewalks is even more unusual. And I have to say that today my Converse Chucks just ain't working for me.

I need boots. More specifically, I need more cute boots that will both protect my feet and project my fashion sense in one tidy - preferably leather - package. Therefore today's very special Conspicuous Consumption Christmas Item of the Day is the Dolce Vita Kent Boot in Dark Yellow. (Really? Dark yellow? Not light brown? Really?) I like this color in particular because it tends to age well the more you wear it, especially in snow, for example. I'm definitely digging the worn in look this season.

And yes - I know - the boots are open on the side. But so much the better for showing off some cute patterned socks! (Try this pair from Urban.) I could see pairing with tights, too, so the buckles can receive their full appreciation. The boots are $179 but 25% off today, which might be just enough to get me to click "Purchase" today. Oh! And I forgot to mention that they're from a website that specialized in size 10 and up for women. How cool is that?