Things of the Week: Sayonara, 2010
Claire: I’ve given in to the fact that if and when the snow does melt, we will be forced to contend with flood-like conditions, and therefore the suede wedges I got for Hanukkah won’t touch the concrete until March. In the meantime, I will be wearing the Jeffrey Campbell Voom boots you see above, with a thick knee sock underneath for warmth. Every. Damn. Day. They’re my second pair. The ones I wore last winter got a crack in them, but at less than $70 a pop, I didn’t cry about it. I like to think they stand out in a sea of Hunters as much sleeker and more elegant without stooping to the (reprehensible) level of the high-heeled galosh.
Erica: I’m ashamed to admit this, but I am a terrible vintage shopper. I don’t have the patience to spend the requisite amount of time in one store digging, trying on, getting my hopes up. Which is why I am enamored of the Etsy store, Mammal and Lamb, curated by 19-year-old Portland-dweller Hillary Boles. She is adorable, has fantastic taste, and sells her finds—a double-breasted, black velvet coat from the seventies, a sixties sunflower-yellow sweater dress, a black floral eighties mini—to those of us less skilled in the realm.
Mutual: We’re feeling a little reluctant about sharing this, but we’ve found the best nail salon in NYC. It’s a very new spot called Tenoverten in a lofty, sunny Tribeca space. They serve you tea and soda, have iPads on hand for you to fiddle with as you get your cuticles moisturized, and give the best manicures and pedicures we’ve had since…well, we don’t even know when—and they’re only $20 and $35, respectively. But wait! There’s more! The polish selection includes offerings from RGB, Chanel, Uslu Airlines—basically all of the colors you really, really want but can’t validate owning.
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Things of the Week: What Day Is It? Edition
Mutual: Last night a group of our girlfriends got together and had our nails minxed. Minx is a nail film that comes in an endless array of patterns and colors. Because it’s sort of like paper and can be printed on, you can get some seriously intricate designs laid down on your fingertips. Simply put, it’s the flyest nail art on the market today. The artist who did our manicures also happens to be the minxtress to the stars, Lisa Logan. This woman has her own damn line of Minx patterns—that’s what a big deal she is. It was all pretty dizzying, and it’s still a little soon to talk about it. You don’t process something this important overnight.
Claire: I wore fashion tape for the first time with a strapless dress that wouldn’t stay up. I then figured out (per the packaging) that it works wonders on collared shirts that gap at the buttons around the the boobs. If you possess even the slightest semblance of a bust line, you know this is a big deal. I keep thinking that one day I’ll regret my reliance on it because I’ll have a dirty line of stickiness on a fancy piece of apparel—but it always peels right off everything. Since then, our photographer has used it in almost all of our product shoots, and this week at our launch party when we wanted to arrange bunny bags in a display case “just so”, fashion tape was the only thing that would suffice.
Erica: I always feel a little bit Confessions of a Shopaholic saying this, but I am a shoe person. As great as Zappos is, I am easily overwhelmed, and, until now, I have never found an online store that carries a pared-down mix of the stuff I like (scratch that: love). But these days I have Solestruck, which carries nearly all of the lines that I’m into that fall under the affordable heading: Marais USA, Matt Bernson, Senso, Osborn, Rachel Comey, and, of course, Jeffrey Campbell. If you spend your Friday night trolling for shoes, know that I am right there with you.
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Things of the Week: We Launched! Edition
Mutual: We’re sending out our first shipments today, and we’re almost as excited for people to experience our certificates of authenticity as our products. (Is that insane? Yes, yes, it is.) Anyway, we’ve been obsessed with these suckers, which are all signed and numbered by the designer who created the piece, and we’ve been showing them off to anyone who will humor us. They were designed by Claire’s cousin Anna Akawie, who you can find on her own tumblr. So, hang onto them! Put them in a special place! They might be worth something someday!
Claire: I have no idea why, but at some point after we started working on Of a Kind, I started listening almost exclusively to misogynistic hip hop and gangster rap. It’s not an endorsement—it’s just the way things are. The song “Erase Me” from Kid Cudi’s new album falls in the first category, and I should also say that I’ve been starting to feel like I would really like to date Cudi (admittedly against my better judgment). I played this song on repeat a lot this week while we were spending late nights with our developer. Whenever Erica started to look sad or stressed, I would put it on for her, and she would start bopping around.
Erica: It’s a good thing there’s a lot to do around here because otherwise I would spend every waking hour staring at our Chartbeat report, which tells us how many people are visiting Of a Kind right now. In my mind, seeing this info roll in is nearly as captivating as watching an episode of Veronica Mars.
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Things of the Week: We’re Not Messin’ Around Edition
Mutual: We both discovered this graphic statement of truth completely independently of each other and each found it compelling enough to make it our desktop backgrounds. The fact that it’s uncredited only adds to its mysterious specialness. So, mark your calendars: Full-on amazingness arrives on Nov. 17.
Erica: I have a new favorite blog, you guys, and that seems like a big deal. It’s called Miss Moss, and it’s written by a South African graphic designer named Diana Moss who has stellar taste in everything that has to do with aesthetics. According to her Twitter, she also appreciates cheese and cured meats. How about you go check out some of my favorite posts and then immediately add her to your RSS?
Claire: There isn’t so much to say about Zicam RapidMelts except that they work. They really work. The moment you begin to feel mucus aggregating anywhere in your body, take one. Completely disregard the thing it says on the bottle about every three hours: Follow your first by as many as you can stand, as quickly as possible. It’s homeopathic; there is no overdosing in homeopathy.
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Things of the Week: Dig Out the Warm Clothes Edition
Claire: I’ve been refining my hair routine since the fifth grade—I don’t mess around with the title of “curly adopter.” My years of research keep leading me back to Bumble & Bumble Curl Conscious calming creme. It is absurdly expensive, but so is buying 12 different drugstore brands in order to find one that works half as well as this. I go for the economy-sized bottles like they have at a salon, because I have a lot of hair and because it’s ultimately a better deal. If you’re in a humid clime, mix in a little (just a little!) gel for some extra hold. There: Those are my secrets. Those are my hard-won hair secrets.
Erica: A killer winter coat is almost as hard to come by as a good swimsuit. Most of the time, you must decide whether to look good or not freeze. But last year I found the rare gem that goes as well with cords and snow boots as with tights and wedges: Dunderdon’s L25 coated-canvas parka. Its A-line cut and shearling hood mean you don’t feel like a toddler in a snowsuit, and some legit filling guarantees you don’t shiver all the way to the train. Everything the Swedish outfitter makes is really well-priced, and the guy version of the jacket is just as flattering. (I know this for a fact because a co-worker had it, too.)
Mutual: The site VYou, founded by our friends Steve and Chuck, launched this week, and we’re hardly the only people who are excited (oh, hi, TechCrunch, The Washington Post, Urlesque…). The basic idea behind it is that people ask each other questions and record video responses, over time building up a catalog of answers that gives a pretty solid sense of your personality and expertise. Though some of our very favorite users offer more in terms of entertainment than real knowledge—check out Tess Lynch on fighting a chicken or Chuck Klosterman on anything—I have already started abusing the poor America’s Test Kitchen dude. He responded to my super controversial question—what is the best way to hard boil an egg?—within a day. So, you should join. And you should ask Claire and me questions. This is a mere taste of what’s to come.
Curl creme available at Bumble & Bumble, from $27; Coat available at Dunderdon, $229
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Things of the Week: We’re Still Here Edition
Claire: I recently started adding vegetables to the smoothies I make after my morning runs. (Yes, my 21 year old self finds the preceding sentence both alarming and obnoxious.) I’m pretty sure the self-congratulatory psychological benefits of green smoothies far outweigh the actual nutritional health benefits. The thing is, you can’t really taste the vegetables—it just tastes like fruit. I force these on Erica sometimes and I think she’ll vouch for me.
CLAIRE’S GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE:
Throw all of the following ingredients in the blender for awhile. Amounts should vary depending on how hungry you are. I typically consume almost an entire blender-full, which I know is insane and probably way too much. If you’re going to make this much, consider sharing it with a friend or drinking half and saving the rest for later—it keeps fine for a day or so in the refrigerator.
1 box of Strawberries (okay maybe just half a box if you’re not a body builder or me)
1 Banana
Handful of frozen peaches or mangoes or pineapples (or some combination of the three)
Handful of spinach
Handful of kale
1-2 heaping spoonfuls of plain yogurt
Couple splashes of water (I like to use seltzer)
Generous scoop of unflavored whey protein (do the GNC brand—some of the others are way too thick)
Erica: Though I am allegic to products with cutesy names and pastel packaging, my mother is not. And thank god for that because otherwise I would not own a Miss Oops rescue sponge. I use the raspberry-colored device (if you can call it that) to brush deodorant off dresses, spilled bronzer off shirts, and crud off suede shoes. You don’t wet it—you just dry buff. This thing possesses powers on par with those of Febreze, Swiffer Sweepers, and those new ketchup packets: The uncomplicated technology works so well that you assume there must be some magic involved. As Claire pointed out, I could probably track down a sponge with a similar texture that would get the job done, too, but I wouldn’t want to cross the Miss Oops spirits.
Mutual: We sincerely adore photographer Jamie Beck—who you may recognize from her popular tumblr From Me to You. (Yes, that’s her doing a Varga Girl-style self portrait up there.) She’s on the (ever growing) list of people who we can’t believe we’re lucky enough to work with and constantly gush about. Working with Jamie is like getting an art director and a photographer in one. She brings an enormous amount of creativity (and talent, hard work, and decisiveness) to every shoot. Equally compelling is her steadfast belief in the importance of false eyelashes—particularly when juxtaposed with her willingness to ask (in a sweet southern accent) if she can grab a PBR from our fridge in the middle of the morning. We’d probably hate her if the whole act wasn’t 100% authentic and unapologetic.
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Things of the Week: Wasn’t it Friday Yesterday? Edition
Erica: Men’s fashion never gets as much love as women’s, and, after working at a magazine for guys long enough, this got to me. Thus, I tend to embrace anything that pays tribute to killer man style, but I suspect that I would love these Dress the Part posters from Moxy Creative House even if I wasn’t predisposed to. They highlight iconic leading-man looks—serving as a good source of Halloween inspiration if you’re still costume scrounging—and offer no value judgment. (Here’s looking at you, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne.)
Claire: I’ve been putting off writing about Molls in this space because she means so much to me, and so it’s a lot of pressure. At the end of the day, it comes down to this: Molls (a.k.a. Molly McAleer) is my buddha. In her writing, she achieves comedy by embodying the traits of awareness and self-love. Her industrious dedication to the practice of honesty without shame—about her thoughts, emotions, habits, and mistakes—allows her (and us) to see the humor in all situations. Molls reminds us that sometimes the only way to deal with something tragic (a boyfriend of several of years ending it via flip phone, or a bedbug takeover of body and bedroom) is to just keep repeating it—many times and very loudly—until all of its meaning is gone and the only thing that remains is the absurdity.
Mutual: We promise not to turn this into a beauty column (though we can’t say we aren’t tempted), but right about now seems like the ideal time for a chapped lips/skin PSA. You guys, if you aren’t already an Aquaphor convert, we don’t know what you’re waiting for. Claire carries around the little balm-size tube that can be applied straight to the mouth (avoiding any subway-hands contamination), and Erica totes a travel-size bottle to take care of both her lips and the cuticles on her thumbs that she picks at in a truly disgusting way.
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Things of the Week: What the F Are We Going to Be for Halloween Edition
Claire: On Monday night our pal Julie had a birthday gathering at Whiskey Tavern, where they were offering $6 picklebacks: a shot of whiskey chased with a shot of pickle juice. I’ve never met a sweet-and-savory mix I didn’t like (peanut butter + pretzels, cranberry sauce + stuffing, mango chutney + tikka masala), and this completely followed suit. I’M SO INTO IT.
Erica: I get on kicks where I determine that I’m going to count a color as a neutral and therefore incorporate it into my wardrobe. At various points, I’ve been hot on mustard, brick, and dark blue, and now I’m all about hunter green. I want clogs, a scarf, a henley, a necklace, and tights (technically in sea pine). Yup, it’s clearly a problem.
Mutual: We’ve decided we’re doing a bold lip for fall. Our mouth paint of choice is Tarte LipSurgence. It looks like a toddler crayon, and the stuff really does stay on forever. (Take it from us: It’s significantly harder to get it off in the morning if you fall asleep wearing it while watching Pete Campbell’s bitchface on Mad Men.) Claire does Fiery, and I do Lively (as in Blake). But, we’ve been discussing a Sephora outing to buy each other’s not-quite-signature shades, so watch out. Oh, and if you’re not ready for a full-on magenta or fire-engine red, swipe on a layer of Aquaphor underneath and be all subtle-like.
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Things of the Week: It Actually Feels Like Fall Edition
Claire: A couple of weeks ago we were talking with Whitney Pozgay of WHIT about the fall weather that had finally started to show, and the ever-thrilling possibility of tight-wearing that came with it. Turns out she and I both turn to We Love Colors for our hosiery fix. These people are the Pantone of the tight world—they carry every color you could possibly want, including some you definitely don’t. They’re the perfect thickness, and I haven’t had a pair run or snag yet. Whitney spoke passionately of their pitch-perfect tomato-red shade. Also, because Erica tells me that these posts are supposed to be “servicey,” I’m going to tell you my second best tights-related secret: Doubling up on tights is way warmer than wearing jeans and is the best way I know to get out of the winter rut of wearing pants seven days a week.
Erica: Etsy seller Dear Colleen makes some pretty witty stuff—black rosette ribbons that read loser, letterpress posters with mentions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire—but I laughed out loud when I saw her “Dishes I’d Rather Be Doing” tea towel. Granted, if it was customizable, I would sub in Joseph Gordon Levitt, Michael Cera, Hugh Grant, Channing Tatum, and Andrew Garfield—I have interesting taste, ok?—for the standard-issue Hollywood heartthrobs, but the concept is genius. Not that it would actually be appropriate for me to own this anyway, considering my boyfriend scrubs the pots 92% of the time.
Mutual: Iced Matcha—do you know about this stuff? It’s a drink that we believe has the potential to take over significant market share from iced coffee. Its bright green color makes you feel as though you’re engaging in extraordinarily healthy behavior by consuming it, its taste is reminiscent of a highly concentrated green tea without the bitterness, and it offers a caffeine high without the jitters. We first happened upon it because we had regular meetings at an office around the corner from In Pursuit of Tea, a completely delightful but sort of ridiculous little tea shop on Crosby Street. It takes them about five minutes to prepare it and the entire process is pretty indistinguishable from that of making a fancy cocktail. We later discovered that Whole Foods carries Matcha powder in convenient little packets that you put in a water bottle and shake up a la Crystal Light.
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Things of the Week / How is it Already October? Edition
Claire: The Paul & Joe eyebrow pencil: This thing is the unequivocal jam. When I first started using it, I breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing I FINALLY had an answer in case I’m ever asked about the one beauty product I would take to a desert island. You might be surprised: people get asked this question a lot! I like to be prepared for these things.
Anyway, credit where credit is due: Albanian eyebrow virtuoso Sania Vucetaj of Sania’s Brow Bar intro’d me (and all of her customers) to this game-changer, and I think her teachings have been instrumental in keeping Paul & Joe’s cosmetics line afloat (because cat-shaped lipstick is only a good idea in theory). When you approach the counter at Bergdorf and start to ask for it, they interrupt you and say “Sania’s client?” You nod, and they shove the goods into your hands.
Erica: I’m finally watching Veronica Mars—as in, I’ve stayed up way past my bedtime glued to my Netflix (this is the issue with TV shows being available to watch instantly if you have no self-control) to power through the first season in a matter of days. There are so many things to love about the show—Logan Echolls, the very teenage-y subplots, the number of times you see Amanda Seyfried with a massive head wound—but the one aspect that I find as gripping as the whodunit storyline is Veronica’s ever-changing hair. Seriously: Who knew that you could get so many bananas looks out of a shoulder-length ‘do? A tribute above.
Mutual: Our intern Nathalie showed up on Wednesday with this amazing Baggu knapsack that we both now desperately want for laptop-lugging purposes. It is $28, but, with the super-simple cut and just-off color, it looks very A.P.C. (as in, expensive). The Brooklyn-based designer Shabd is also doing a tie-dyed version if that’s your bag (heh).
