Made My Year

Lets just say 2013 was quite busy and meaningful for me - more on the personal level, less on the media, fashion scene and everything else level. Nevertheless, I decided to turn yearly summaries into a welcome tradition. Here are my choices for 2013, in fashion and culture.

1. Julia and Sandra wearing color

I loved watching how, slowly and gradually, two of Hollywood's most understated leading ladies begun to realize the power of red-carpeting. I can't be sure what exactly happened, but both Bullock and Roberts finally started to look fantastic – Sandra in tight, hip dresses, Julia in purple and red. Both of these actresses have a "next door" charm that got them this far – but our hyper-visual world demands more, and they delivered.

2. Fashion going places – Missouri, Texas

December was marked by the "Paris, Texas" extravaganza, courtesy of Chanel, and earlier this year a huge fashion exhibit moonlighted in Missoury Chess Hall of Fame, no less. I kind of like this turn of events – fashionistas in Dallas, headlines in the Vogue featuring flyover states – it's fresh and interesting, and makes me wonder where this is going next. What quiet, un-hip town Karl Lagerfeld is going to devour next – that sort of thing.

3. Scandal and Suits do preppy right

Ever since my year-and-a-half long stint in advertising, I swore off office spaces. No more pencil skirts and "clients" for me, thank you very much. This is why Scandal and Suits, two shows that do office so well, are my guilty pleasures. I look at the cubicles and office politics (Suits) and Olivia Pope's sharp outfits (Scandal) and marvel at the clean, ruthless office aesthetics. Two of the best shows of 2013, for my inner secretary.

4. Israeli celebrities got the memo

On the other side of the globe, where celebrities go to the same grocer as you, it seems like the Israeli stars finally got the message – black and blah is not a dress code. Young starlets discovered color and local designers, local designers discovered PR – it didn't happen overnight, I know, but it's slowly arriving. Toda la el, amen.

5. Touchy indie comedies

As the blockbuster relationship dramedy is slowly disappearing from the screen, the indies take over. I enjoyed "Frances Ha" and "Drinking Buddies" immensely, especially the latter – Olivia Wild finally wasn't annoying and the premise of the subtle screen really got to me. As for Frances, a.k.a Greta Gerwig, needless to say it was the hipster favorite of the year. I loved it, despite the over-thinking and the mumbling. Hopefully, more to come in 2014.

Trashy Love

After a long journey into Vintage Land, here's a brief comeback of the "new". Busy times are all around - guests, work, big birthdays and New Year resolutions, but I had a burning desire to pair these items I bought recently and to play around with proportions and even, dare I say, styling. 

Shorts - Free People

Jacket - H&M

Shoes - vintage

This is the mood these days - big puffy "baseball" jackets, fringe (the shorts - on sale, in a forgotten isle, in a flurry of winter coats), crazy shoes and yes, knee-high socks. "Clueless" meets trashy, and that's the way I like it.

In da spirit

This will be brief - while it might be time for Christmas sweaters (Israeli readers - you're lucky we're not in this game), in my book it's just about festivity. Crazy patterns, crazier finds, floor-sweeping gowns to go shopping in, and just plain old silliness and fun. All concentrating in this dress:

Dress - Desert Diva

Jacket - vintage

Shoes - Zara

I love this look and I've been loving this dress ever since I found it - it had cartoonish characters on it, and the cut is so flattering - I always feel like I stepped out of the "Gone with the Wind" set (my man has it on repeat - he should have known better than letting me cross my feet in a long dress. I look like a freak of nature in picture 3). The jacket is a recent find - it's a bit too 80s, I won't lie, but something about this works. So consider this a tribute to all things kitschy and out-there, just like the sweater - I'm loving dressing up recently and the end of the year feels exciting indeed. Cheers, y'all. Just kidding. 

Strictly Necessities; My Gift Guide for the Hollidays

Oh, the annual gift guide! The quintessence of shopping, the bread and butter of print and websites. Although I was recently entertained by this article about crazy-overpriced gift guides in fancy magazines, I do understand the sheer pleasure of seeking out cute presents you secretly want and putting them out there for everyone to see. Hell, I did it again this year, it's so much fun. This time, I promised myself, only things I really need! Well, maybe except for the ring. 

1. Clarisonic facial brush - an American obsession i'm curious about. I want to try it. NOW.

2. How come I only discovered Gypset now? Their book might be pretentious, but it looks so damn good. 

3. I'm eyeing this Asos dress for a month now, hoping it reaches the sale. Velvet and embroidery - sigh. 

4. I seriously need a new shoulder bag. This Cambridge Satchel might be it - simple but oh so cute.

5. It's been a while since I invested in a great piece of jewelry. Launch sugar daddy hunt. 

6. Now this is new, and I already can't live without it. Wes Anderson has a coffee-table book. 

7. Also, Rene Redzepi, the mighty chef of Noma, issued a whole package of books, with journal and notes. 

8. Cold winter days + my unruly need-to-be-showered hair produce hazards. Hence, the pink hair drier!  

9. I'm running out of my favorite facial cleanser a.k.a miracle worker. YSL Top Secrets, thank you. 

10. 2014 will be year during which I'll pick up running. For now, I'd love some crazy shoes.

11. Madewell, always on my list. A new home for my sunglasses is all I can afford there. 

12. I had Sensuous by Estee Lauder in 2012 and loved it. I believe it's time for a repeat. 

13. And finally- I tried on this beautiful creation in Zara and walked away. But it should be mine.

Modest and efficient, I'd say! Not including: spa certificates (always welcome), charcuterie plates, vacations. Quite honestly, after I complied this list I'll probably make a point to purchase these lovelies myself. You can't trust no one with gifts. No one, I tell you. 

Ready to Jump

It's been a while since this blog featured a decent jumpsuit, and for a good reason. Amazing jumpsuits (overalls, rompers) are extremely hard to come around, especially since many brands think they produce for supermodels and make them extremely long and narrow. I was just about to give up my dignity and look up the Kardashian collection (plenty of jumpsuits for curvy girls) but then I found this: 

Jumpsuit, shoes, belt - vintage

What's not to like here? True, with bad accessorizing this magic piece may look like a pajama, but add heels and a slimming belt - and you feel like a couture base jumper (at least I do). I rarely wear heels in everyday life, but this comfy, almost flannel friend requires something edgier than my average getup. A side note: this is straight out the Man Repeller guidebook, methinks: men shriek at it and absolutely don't get it, women love it and covet it. Go figure - men are supposed to like astronauts, aren't they? 

Favorite 3: Grandpa Style

I'm not the one to encourage young ladies to dress up like a grandpa, although this trend had made appearances in street-style blogs, especially on skinny ladies with no need for a bra. Grandpa-chic just doesn't look good on voluptuous girls, and it's a life fact. However: 

1. A totally cool grandpa cardigan is the stuff of my dreams - my inner geek rejoices whenever I see a smart, old-timey knit like this Sacks piece.  

2. It never comes up in the photos, but I'm blind as a bat and wear black Tom Ford glasses whenever I can (otherwise, in public - contact lenses). I might switch to these Traction glasses, however.

3. Ballet pumps and booties are my shoes of choice, but oh how I envy women who can pull these Pretty Ballerinas off. On red, no less!

Mixed emotions

The winter won't start. My new coat is waiting, my boots are yearning, my hair is dry and contemplating a new color - perhaps, Siena Miller's? Anyhow, I'm trying to keep busy and distract myself - instead of waiting for rain I'm lighting Hanukkah candles and developing projects. Candles burn fast, projects go slow.

Dress - The Webster Miami

Vest - Twentyforseven

Bracelet - Naki by Sara Kallus

This post is a true celebration of some of my new favorite items. I never could resists a crazy print, and this dress may look like a maternity rode from the 70s, but I adore it anyway. A complete contrast - this delicate bracelet, by a designer who incorporates Israeli materials into the jewelry. A perfect gift for the homesick girl. 

Who's that girl?

As a dedicated fashion person, I'm supposed to be a "chameleon", trying on new trends and identities. I'm supposed to be "true to myself" but also "to experiment". Instead, I sometime wish I was someone else altogether. Someone like this:

Icy blond, with dark brows, someone who's so evidently bold she isn't afraid to wear faded colors and be slightly melancholic (from Shlomit Ofir Northern Lights collection campaign, with the enigmatic model Ola). Someone, let's put it this way, Scandinavian - with bone structure and skin of an elegant Ikea sofa, with precise, understated charm. 

Or mysterious, wise and experienced (like ex-beauty pageant girl Yana Kalman, shot by Anna Yam for Comme il Faut campaign). Anna Yam is a noted Israeli photographer and artist - once I ate crumbly cheese at her galley opening, while she was greeting guests and being demure. I guess this goes to prove art and commercialism can co-exist sometimes, when done by true artists: these shots are amazing, and I've never seen Yana so severe and magical before. One can allow herself with a beauty-queen resume. I wonder if she ever wants to be someone else too.

Screen Heroine: Ava Hessington

Sometimes, I discover things too late. I always thought "Suits" was one of those empty-shell, superficial shows for people who actually have cable TV. Well, I was right, but who knew everything in that office is so desirably glamorous? The dialogues, of course, are way too scripted, and the characters put more effort into their wardrobe them into acting, but the wardrobe department, let me tell you, is marvelous. It is especially marvelous when modeled on a very hot mature woman:

Ava Hessington, the very sexy corrupt mastermind, appeared out of nowhere in season 3 and single- handedly stole the thunder from the svelte Jessica and the naughty Donna - fashion-wise, of course. Her designer ensembles, usually in royal blacks and creams, are spot-on. The capes, the asymmetric sleeves, the big jewelry - if I will have Ava's figure (the actress Michelle Fairley is almost 50), I'm willing to reconcider my bohemian-grandma plan for her style. 

Seeing Red

"Cheap manicures and magazines - that's why I'm still in the US", I told my significant other today. Joking, of course, but those and the cheap garage-sales clothes are, indeed, among the undeniable strengths of the great "America". Just look at all the stuff I got this weekend:

Dress and belt - vintage

Shoes - Osborn

My latest hobby is raiding estate sales and picking up the most cheerful things - a poncho, a red dress, fun shoes, for the price of a candy bar. I fell in love with my new friends - the "matador" dress and the "tribal" ballet pumps the minute I met them. How could other people have things that are so "me"? It's a riddle. The weird, "crumpled" wall also caught my attention while shopping for upholstery fabric, so I had to pose with it, but lets face it - these items deserve a vacation setting, something of Portugal or rural Spain. Hopefully, sometime soon! 

Winter news: 5 Things I'm ambivalent about

In the fast workflow of a journalist warrior, you deal with tons of bits and pieces of info, on daily basis, browsing on your computer. Sometimes you mumble "this is so cool!" to the dismay of your book-preferring partner. Sometimes you're outraged (he dates WHO?) and sometimes you are ambivalent. And this is a very confusing feeling to have. So let's just say this is my therapy:

1. Natalie Portman's "comeback"

I recently wrote an article about comeback for my magazine, and apparently - maternity leave does count! Now Natalie is back with "Thor: Something Something" and I'm not sure how to feel. Her red carpet style is a snooze as usual. Her refusal to look sexy is not cool anymore. But then, she's classy, no? But I'm subliminally bored and the whole Dior thing feels so parve. 

2. Lars von Trier movie posters

So the gloomy Dane's new movie, Nimfomaniac, is due in December, and already causing quite the stir. We hadn't had a good sex movie in years, and all of a sudden this, plus Blue is the Warmest Color - so much for a cold, frigid winter. Although I'v never met a von Trier I didn't like, the posters are part genius, part cringe-worthy, right? Do I really want to see Defoe's orgasm face? 

3. The Homeland obsession of season 3

This one is tough - it happens that the promotional interviews around Homeland's new season pop out well into it (I'm currently watching the 6th episode). And while Claire Danes looks beautiful and I love Carrie Matheson to death, it's been, so far, the weirdest, most depressing piece of TV on earth. No spoilers, I'll just say it's not quite the same, and the obsessing and praising at this time seem disproportional and misplaced. Tough, indeed. I highly recommend this issue of British Vogue though. Good reads. 

4. The Olsen twins line for JC Penney

For a while, I wasn't aware of the existence of JC Penney. But I'm well aware of the Olsen's design career, and quite like Elizabeth and James and The Row, whoever makes those happen. But this cheap effort is underwhelming - Olsenboye has nothing to offer me, so it seams, even though I really wanted to buy something and bask in the reflected glory of an affordable diffusion line. Confusing and disappointing. 

5. And finally, Arizona Muse for Estee Lauder

Next time I'm shopping, I'll make sure to smell the Modern Muse perfume. It might smell like the MOMA? Or maybe like books and ink? Whatever it is, I do love Arizona Muse. But I love her wild, untamed, angular, off a ship on an island, wearing a chunky knit. You get the point. This campaign, turning her into a sophisticated socialite, makes me a little sad. She's too clean, not quite herself. She's not the pretty barbarian princess at all. Discuss? 

Brand (New) Love: Riyka

It's great to start a new blog section, it's even grater when you're able to keep up with it. It's been half a year since the last (and first) "Brand new love" entry, dedicated to brands I love and lust for. Not Alexander Wang and friends, but brands for fashionistas in the know, that I can (almost) afford. As winter keeps knocking on our doors and windows (I pulled out the crochet blanket!), I'm desiring some structure and subdued sex-appeal, executed so well by RYIKA.

Riyka A/W 2013 Collection

Rebecca Johnson, the mastermind behind Ryika (together with her husband) is well known for her pointy corners and triangular patches. I attended her design school graduation show, and must say that allthough she toned it down since, the language is still the same - sharp, edgy, so London cool. back in the day in Tel Aviv, and now she's a Londoner. I love flowers and lace, but now I crave straight lines and color blocks. I guess people change. 

** * Check out previously: Draw in Light

Favorite 3: Princess Warior

New winter trends! How exciting. It's been awhile since we had the "Favorite 3" section here, but I think it's time - so much to favor this fall! When it comes to seasonal shifts and innovations, I belong to the "trendy accessory" school - don't pile it up at once, accessorize with fashionable prints and be saved of the fashion victim stigma. Unless we're talking about printed stars, of course! 

1. TNT starry shirt - sheer and dreamy, with the right amount of dazzle. I'd wear it with jeans and boots,  with a furry west thrown over.

2. TopTen camouflage loafers - the trendy accessory indeed. The camo trend passed my by so far, but   these are just too nice.

3. Nine West shoulder bag - again, not the one to switch bags every season. Hell, I think I have ONE BAG for all my appearances, which is not very fashion-forwards, but prevents the "oh, my phone is in the OTHER bag!" incident. Might reconsider for this cutie. 

What are your favorite trends for fall?  Will you don camo or opt for an optical illusion purse? 

Once upon a time, in the 90s

Lately, I've been musing about being a teenager again. It's the change of seasons - when I was 14 or 15, growing up in a small town, the cooler air and the graduate shift to winter always excited me. I'd go out to meet friends, peeling a clementine on the go - the smell of the clementine and the fresh air on my cheeks are still the strongest reminders of freedom and adventure. The 90s were a turbulent, exhilarating ride - sometimes life is now, too, but not as often. So in the 90s:

 It was OK to look trashy, individual, cheerfully cheap:

And my favorite movie was Fight Club, gritty and full of raw life:

And my favorite role model was Sara Poley in "GO", lost and bitter yet ready for action:

And I wore a one-piece bathing suit because I thought it makes me skinnier:

And for my graduation party I wore something like this:

And social life was about sitting outside with friend. Just outside, anywhere:

I miss the 90s a lot, and apparently, so does Pinterest, where all these pictures were sourced. I'm roughly guessing there's a whole world of pinners out there reminiscing about teenage-hood again. It's probably the winter. What do you miss about the 90s? Tell me while I peel a clementine. 

Event planner

A weekend in the city led to some "how to organize an event" ground rules realization, as shown in SFAI Concentrate, a San Francisco Art Institute event I stumbled upon this sunny Sunday. Besides the generous views from the historic campus, 5 things were present:

1. Naive art:

2. Interesting architecture:

3. Fun and games (aka "ping pong is trendy these days"):

4. Charismatic artists in the cafeteria:

5. Lace and tights:

Tights - Forever21, shirt - anonymous

I adore the thighs. Girls stare at them on the street, oblivious to the fact you can buy them at the nearest mall. In the left and right corners are layers I have shed during the day, climbing up Chestnut and soaking in the sun. Sitting on the wood bench sipping ginger ale, little bubbles of envy played in my heart - how fun must be to study here? But then, it's art students we're talking about. Fun is not on the agenda, right?