Fall Wish List, pt 1

Despite the content of this blog, I do not actually shop that much. I am also extremely picky and will look for years for the right item. However, there are several things that I am wanting very much and have some good candidates for each category. Maybe seeing them side by side will help me make up my mind.

First up, we have black flats. These have been previously mentioned, but now we are on to more realistic options since I'm not, at this point in time, in any position to purchace Chloe shoes.

First up we have a cute. moroccan style flat from Matiko, a company I had never heard of until Blueprint Magazine used them in a fashion spread. Their collection is actually very strong, but they don't list stockists on their site, but they do have e-commerce. So, at $95.00, they are the most expensive, but still affordable. I like the overlapping at the sides as well as the trendy but wearable patent leather. The accent of the lighter sole is also a nice touch.

Next, we have Dancer from Dolce Vita for $76.00. This is sort of a knock-off, or at least in the spirit of, the Chloe shoes with the multiple straps. I like the idea of getting away from the ballet flat a little just for some variation. Also, I have narrow heels and flats tend to slip off the back a bit, so the straps might be a good thing for keeping the shoes on my feel. I also like how it's almost a bootie also, considering the height of the top strap.




Finally, there's the sporty option from Keds. I like the perforated leather, but I don't like the white and silver stripes criss-crossing the shoe. There was actually a previous version of this shoe that I liked a lot better, but it was sold out before I got around to ordering it.

Recent Activites in the Kitchen

Sorry about the lack of posting recently. I've been distracted from my distractions by real life. Maybe I will post about some of them once I decide where the life/blog line will be drawn.

But since I'm sitting here eating left overs from last night's tasty dinner, I thought I would report some recent meals.


Last night was Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentils from Vegetarian Times October 2006. I had flagged it last year as something I wanted to make, but I never got around to it. So this year I made it. It is very good, with the perfect amount of spice. I had never actually cooked a pumpkin before -- butternut and acorn squash, sure, but never pumpkin. The recipe called for a two pound pumpkin and, of course, the smallest I could find was four lbs, so I used half for the recipe and roasted and pureed the other half. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that yet. Probably pumpkin bread, but any better ideas? Then I also roasted the seeds, which I just remembered are still sitting in the oven. Hmm, maybe I should get those out.

The night before, I made a fall classic in our house: Brussel Sprouts Cockaigne (from Joy of Cooking, 1997) over mashed potatoes. The brussel sprouts are cut in half and basically braised face down on stove top in butter, olive oil and garlic. How can that be bad? I also made Brownies Cockaigne from the same book. Noting the name of these two recipes, I decided to look up what/where Cockaigne was. Turns out its a mythical place invented in medieval times where there was abundant food and drink and sex and the peasant didn't have to work. The Wikipedia article also noted that the Joy of Cooking authors used this name to designate some of their favorite recipes. Considering two of them are in my regular rotation, I would have to agree.

Monday night we had another classic: poached salmon with dill mayonnaise served with greens (this time it was kale, usually it's chard but we had chard already that weekend) and rice (usually it's potatoes, but we were trying to mix it up.)

Tonight we are going over to some friends' house, so no cooking tonight.

The Perfect Jacket

So, I have this jacket that, at this point, is around seven years old. This may not be too bad in many cases, but this particular jacket has been worn at least four or five times a week for the past five years that I have lived in San Francisco. It is perfect. It is light weight but very warm because it is a coated cotton that holds in the heat without added bulk. It is also water resistant because of said coating, which is very usefull for light rain and tangible fog. It also packs up very flat so that I can stuff it in the second pocket of a LeSportsac bag without taking up all the room. Finally, it is a go-with-everything parchment color with enough sheen to be dressy but also perfect with jeans. It's kind of a moto style, hip length, zip-front, no collar, plain slash pockets, and no ornamentation. The lack of collar makes it an easy layering piece over a hoody when it's a little colder and there's nothing there to get in the way of a scarf.

Sadly, perfect jacket has been falling apart. There are rips at the pocket and under the arms, and not just at the seams, but just in the middle of the fabric. Along the edges, the coating is wearing off and it is literally threadbare. Basically, perfect jacket is looking ratty. I have been looking for a replacement for a little over a year now, and I haven't found anything that came close, until today. Of course, it's like 2000% more expensive, but I did find the original perfect jacket for only $32, on super sale at Dillards in 2000, but inflation hasn't been that crazy.

I'm not really going to get it, because I cannot in good conscience pay $680 on a jacket, but it is the closest I have found yet. The previous closest was also Helmut Lang, so I think I might have found a new favorite designer.

Feeling Feisty

I don't really spend a whole lot of time or money on music, but I thought I would mention a recent musical obsession, mainly because I'm listening to it at this very moment. It's Feist. I know she's super popular and everything these days, but her voice is so pretty and I really like the mix of music. Some is kind of folky, some is early eighties, some is a little sad, and some is pure joy. So, I highly reccomend her.

The Search for Black Shoes, pt. 1

I have been searching high and low for a good pair of black flats for everyday wear. It's gotten to the point where I avoid wearing black unless I can wear my grey platforms. But I really need a pair of black shoes. I mean, who doesn't have black shoes? But I just haven't been able to find a pair that would be good for everyday but aren't either too sporty, too clunky, to delicate, too shiney, etc . . . I found one pair that were beautiful, but of course they fall into the cruellest category: too expensive. But, my, are they pretty.

Beauty

My favorite floor was downstairs in the beauty basement. Two of the sales guys were super nice. As I mentioned, the perfume section was amazing. Right now I'm wearing Mimosa pour Moi by L'Artisan Parfumeur. It's a great crisp white floral that basically smells like a super non-perfume perfume. I keep sniffing my wrists. Other hits were L'Artisan's L'Eau d'Ambre and Serge Lutens' Ambre Sultan which smelled like a more refined version of Estee Lauder's Youth Dew , which all of my female family members wore when I was a kid.

After sniffing several strips of paper, I sought out something I had been wanted to experience for a while: Lipstick Queen by Poppy King. I was looking for a good, wearable red and it seemed like the answer would be found in this line. The interesting thing about buying make up in a traditional department store, versus a place like Sephora, is that the people there spend a lot more time around make up than you do and have seen what looks good on different people. In this case, though I was gravitating towards the red or rouge, Jonathon also had me try rust and it was the best. What is funny, is that I haven't gravitated towards the orange/brown end of the spectrum since I was in middle school, when my first favorite lipstick was some coppery coral lipstick by Estee Lauder that my mom got in one of those gift with purchace deals. But, I have to say, Jonathon was right, and rust looked good, so I bought it.


The other thing I was looking for, Josie Maran's new line of makeup isn't out yet, so I didn't get to look at that, but I'll be back. I think I have found my favorite beauty department. And it is nice because you aren't right in the front of the store on show like many other department stores. It's more like being in a cozy dressing room where you can try new things without feeling like anyone is watching.

The Most Beautiful Place in the World

So, that's a hyperbole, but I'm on a consumerist high right now. Today I went to the new Barneys in San Francisco. It was lovely. The store itself is so calming, the music is softer, the colors are softer, and the people there are actually nice whether you look like you are going to spend money or not, which is more than you can say for some other stores (I'm looking at you, Neiman Marcus) but they don't stalk you like you are going to shoplift (Bloomingdales).
I spend a lot of time (too much, really) on-line shopping. I almost never buy anything, but I know what is out there and where to find it all. But, I need to see the stuff in person to really appreciate it, particularly clothes and shoes where the texture and weight are so critical. Also, the perfumes were amazing and I am in love with several of them.
So now, in a series of posts, I will show you the things that I saw today and loved (and even the one thing I bought!).