Not long ago, I was doing my best to catch up on my RSS feed (all 900+ articles, thank you), and something Garance Doré had to say stopped me in my tracks. She was talking about her plans for the new year – resolutions and such – and somewhere in the midst of a ramble I couldn’t totally make sense of, she repeated something a professor of hers had once told her:
Happy long weekend!!! I wish I could say rest and relaxation were in store, but sadly, I have a project on my plate that has other plans. So, I thought I’d use our Friday Finds this week to show you all the goodies I wish I were putting to good use this weekend.
I think Coclico is the absolute best when it comes to sandals. So stylish, original…and comfortable! They just always seem to hit the perfect summer note between chic and relaxed. A little birdie told me they’re taking 20% off all Chie Mihara for the holiday weekend (starting tomorrow). Sadly, they almost never have my size, but I’m already making my shopping list just in case.
Verve, $360 (before discount) / Wilona Menta, $355 (before discount)
I haven’t braved an H&M in years, but it might be time just to score this wispy pleated skirt in the hottest color of the season: mint. I wouldn’t splurge on a piece, but for $50, I’ll happily take a steal. Bonus: the length is actually appropriate for grown-ups. I’m picturing it with a bright coral or raspberry tee and a denim jacket. Summer perfection!
Obscenely expensive? Of course. But I spotted this zebra beach towel from Maslin ($240) a few weeks ago, and can not rid myself the image of being the envy of every girl on the beach. Maybe some of the boys too. I venture to the beach about once every two years, so it’s not a worthy splurge for me. But if you’re an LA girl, it just might be!
One of my favorite lines, Graf+Lantz, has a new collection of boat bags, and I’m predictably obsessed. Bright colors, crazy functional, and stylish without being feminine (translation: your significant other will actually carry it to the pool for you). It also happens to be the perfect size to pack a picnic – a bottle of wine fits very nicely in that front pocket.
And if you’re not headed somewhere exotic this weekend, you’re probably sorely in need of a virtual vacation (I know I am). This series of photos by Christian Chaize should fit the bill: he shoots the same beach in Portugal every year when he goes to visit. The results are somehow both nostalgic and hopeful…and just plain beautiful.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend in store, friends! Get those Eileen Fisher entries in, and one of you will be getting a “lucky winner” email from me before you know it!
Happy Friday, friends! As always, I hope you have fantastic weekend plans. Me, I’m going to an ice cream churn-a-ment this afternoon, and then I have a hot date to see “Bad Teacher.” So, we’re starting it off right!
Before we get going with this week’s list, can I ask you a quick favor? My little Shopping’s My Cardio Facebook page needs you…come on over and be my friend, won’t you? We can, like, throw a kegger or something.
And now, business aside…time for our usual Friday eye candy!
What do you think of clogs? I can’t quite make up my mind…but there is something about this particular style of Swedish Hasbeens that I love. The strappy-ness (yes, I just made up a word) does a lot to balance out the heft of the sole, and they look mighty comfy. The balance of that is that they’re not cheap…but I’m told these things last forever.
This print by Julien Pacaud has been open on my desktop all week. I can’t explain the love, but it’s there…it’s like some fictional land I’d very much like to visit. I should really just buy it already.
I am trying so hard to convince myself I could pull off these Rachel Comey zigzag pants. Think you could do it?
Speaking of zigzag (I’m a little more than obsessed these days), I got a little tip this morning that John Robshaw is having a 40% off sale for the next week. I’m annoyed that my quilt from them has rapidly deteriorated (I really need to email them about that), but that doesn’t stop me from wanting this delicious robe. On sale, it’s $57, and Robshaw’s cotton is definitely something I want to be swathed in for as long as possible.
And, okay, one (two) more zigzags…I can’t resist. You won’t be able to either when you see this stunning wallet and crossbody bag (originally spotted by the beautiful Joy) from Deep Dark Africa. I’m so head over heels, there are no words. While you’re there, check out the rest of the site…there are a bevy of world-traveled beauties you won’t be able to live without.
Are you feeling the zigzag love like I am this year?
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone…see you back here next week!
Happy Friday, friends! This list is quickly becoming more of a way for me to close the browser windows I keep open all week so that I don’t forget things to show you. By the time we’re done here, my desktop is going to be squeaky clean…and I love it!
First things first, friends: won’t you please come over and “like” my new ShoppingsMyCardio Facebook page? It will just take a second, and will make me oh so happy. I promise not to have one of those annoying pages that posts 10 times a day and takes up your whole feed…I hate that.
So, I haven’t been being all that good about letting you know where else I’ve been writing lately, and we should remedy that. Mostly because I’m quite proud of an interview I recently did with Rachel Gorenstein, a woman who’s both the creative director & buyer for one of my favorite shops in Portland and the designer behind one of my favorite boutique labels, Rachel Mara. Total dream job! The feature was for a new print magazine (remember those?) called About Face, but you can also check it out here. Also, this dress, which we featured in the piece, is my latest stalker-grade obsession. Must. Have. It.
Also, I did a fun little feature for a local site called Neighborhood Notes, all about locally-made perfumes. And I’ll tell you guys the joke I begrudgingly left out of the feature…the one about how when they asked me to write about Portland perfumes, I was instantly snickering to myself, thinking that a “Portland perfume” would have to be some sort of body odor/bong water concoction. The locals would burn me alive…but I knew you’d think it was hysterical (because it’s true).
Anyway…on to our finds!
This week was “Preview Week” in NYC. For those of you who don’t obsess over these things like I do, this is the week that virtually every brand that doesn’t show at Fashion Week was showcasing their new collections for Fall. I’ll have more to show you next week, but for now, a little eye candy from the J.Crew preview. For the full collection, check out the coverage from Racked and The Cut…but these are a few of my favorites:
Good bags, in particular, don’t you agree? And those plum wide-legged pants are mine, people. If you’re now in a J.Crew mood (sorry about that), the good news is that they’re offering 20% off $150+ purchases this weekend. The code is SUNNY…hey, here’s hoping.
I’m perpetually in an art-buying phase…right now, I’m getting ready to print some of my talented husband’s photography for our walls. But I came across artist John Murphy’s collages for the second time recently, and fell in love with them all over again. I’ve always wanted a diptych of these two, but how could I possibly be expected to resist that elephant, with the little flower poos? (I can’t believe I just said “poo” on the blog. Twice.)
Thoroughly awesome.
In the “cheap thrills” department, Lands’ End Canvas is having a ginormous clearance sale right now. While I didn’t have much luck with their denim when I tried the brand a while back, I am sort of feeling I could use a back-up pair of skinny jeans for spring, and these Super Slim Jeans are $29, which is highly tempting. This cut has almost 50% spandex, so really, how badly could they possibly fit? I will warn that, in my experience, their denim runs s-m-a-l-l…so, size accordingly.
Oh! Remember that pretty green Cole Haan bag I snagged earlier this month? Well, nab 25% off the entire (full-price) Cole Haan handbag line today only with code…wait, wait, wait. You have to go to my Facebook or Twitter page to get the code. Mean? Extortion? Nawwww…this is creative marketing, people! Indulge me, won’t you?
And have a great weekend, friends!
happy friday, dear readers. it’s the first ‘friday finds’ of the new year, so we’d better make it good…don’t you agree?
i honestly can’t remember where i first spotted these bold graphic drawings from artist josh cochran. but i haven’t been able to get them out of my head. i emailed the artist begging him to make a print available, and he was kind enough to let me know that they were just about to be released! now, they’re available on his site, and for a very reasonable $55 each (i also love that they’re 13×19…i’m overloaded with 8×10 prints in my life at present). my hands-down favorite is the museum steps print, but they’re all such perfect scenes of new york, with all its grit, confusion, personality and color. i can’t wait to have one on my wall.
and now moving from the serious and artistic to the superficial and stylish, i’ve been eyeing this navy coat from asos for months now, but in recent days it’s turned into more of an obsession than anything else. it looks exactly like the sort of thing you’d be wearing when the sartorialist sprinted across the street to beg to take your photo, doesn’t it? beyond being the perfect oversized, slouchy hybrid between a blazer and an overcoat, the details are what really make this amazing. i love the buttoned pleat in the back, and as always, am swooning at the mere sight of elbow patches. at $200, it’s hard to continue being disciplined.
i spied these beautiful canisters at west elm last week, and i’ve been dying to show you. but they’re not available online…so irritating! if you happen to stop into a west elm store, look around for these beautiful, heath-style ceramic canisters in the palest sky blue, with a wooden lid, that look right out of a kitchen styled for martha stewart. oh, and they’re marked down from $70 to $24.99…hmm, no wonder they’re not available online any longer. i did, however, manage to track down a photo:
have a great weekend, everyone! and if you’re lucky enough to have monday off, well, send a little thought of thanks up to dr. king for handing you that work holiday, won’t you?
i was going to skip ‘friday finds’ this week, if only because this whole week of gift guiding has felt like the most gigantic ‘friday finds’ ever. but, there were a few little goodies that didn’t quite fit the guides that are still utterly lovely and deserving of your attention. and so, this week’s guide is for them!
the very sweet melissa of zedena designs sent over this beautiful enamel pendant for me a few weeks ago. isn’t it just lovely? i’m a sucker for anything enamel, and i love the vintage wallpaper feel this design has. i can tell you firsthand it does amazing things for a simple black v-neck. the medallion is my favorite of her designs, but i’m imagining that beautiful little bird would be a perfect gift for a friend that loves music, and it’s a very affordable gift option. oh! and i’m told that code JINGLEBELLS will get you 10% off through 12/20, so that’s good news too.
i’m having a serious case of wanderlust these days, especially whenever i see anything related to paris. these two prints have been haunting my dreams since i first saw them. i can’t resist much of anything that blanca gomez does, but this may just be my favorite of hers yet. and though clare owen’s beautiful snowglobe looks to be out of stock, these etsy folks are so kind, i’m betting she’d reprint if you asked nicely.
this is another handmade find i just can’t get out of my head. i’m loathe to spend $40 on a mug, but these pretty poppies catch my eye virtually every single time i’m on etsy. so, perhaps the universe is trying to tell me something about my personal limitations with regard to coffee mug spending.
i’ve had these little pants bookmarked to show you for months now…but really, how often do we talk baby-friendly goods here? that said, they’re maybe the cutest baby-related thing i’ve seen all year. even the name is cute: crankypants! you’re dying of cuteness right now, i know. by the way, i do know that $80 for baby pants is ridiculous. but if you were going to save one piece of your kid’s clothing for posterity, wouldn’t it be the crankypants? plus, they’re handmade by a knitting cooperative in peru, so you’re basically supporting a village. how can you say no?
and, lest we get on too much of a ‘handmade’ run today, i’ll wrap up with this amazing vermeil lotus ring from the sundance catalog ($138). you can find beauty everywhere, people…even in the middle of a hippie-crunchie catalog like sundance. i’m head over heels for this beauty…and i just know it’s one of those things people would stop you on the street to ask about.
happy hanukkah, everyone! for those of you not frantically rushing around to find a gift before sunset, tonight is the first night of hanukkah. and so, in honor of the festival of lights, today’s gift guide is full of ideas perfect for friends, loves, and family, but the common thread is that each and every one is under $30…and that’s a list i’m guessing you’ll want no matter what holiday(s) you’re celebrating this year. because if you thought christmas left you feeling broke, just imagine stringing it out for eight craaaazy nights!
left to right, from top: angela adams address book and notepad sets (so, so beautiful in person), $14-15; postcarden “season’s greetings” pop-up card, $13; clinique “connect the gloss” interchangeable lip gloss set, $25; cast iron owlet (literally impossible not to love), $18; tocca crema mani viaggio hand cream trio, $18; vosges bacon chocolate chip pancake mix, $12; michelle armas signed antonia 2011 calendar, $30; allo-allo french tea towel, $15; origins “peace of mind” on-the-spot relief (great for men and women – i’m obsessed!), $10; international rescue committee blankets, school supplies or first aid kits, $20-28; happy socks (!), $10; modern madness moustache mug, $14.
{FTC disclaimer: some product samples were provided to help me compile this guide, but as usual, there’s no pay-for-play here.}
every so often, i get a major art itch. i find myself scouring etsy, style court, design for mankind, and all of my favorite online art galleries to discover new art and artists, and i inevitably find several pieces i just can’t do without. this summer, i’ve been obsessed (obsessed!) with portraits, and i find myself especially drawn to portraits of women looking happy in the midst of what must be a perfect summer day.
i fell hard for amy rice’s work the first time i saw it, and the love hasn’t diminished in the least. i love the nostalgic feel of her pieces…they remind me of something you’d find in your grandmother’s attic, but infinitely more hip. this piece is called olivia and olivia’s mom again, and you can find it at the always-amazing art star philly (which also happens to be the home of that jen corace print i’m still dying to own).
20×200 is a constant source of strife for me…it’s like gilt groupe for art. i always feel that art should be a considered purchase (after all, fashion comes and goes, but art is forever), but the possibility of pieces selling out throws me into a panic. i’m still sad i missed out on their first matthew tischler series…i really should just take the plunge and get the latest editions while i still can.
doesn’t etui’s float just make you feel instantly relaxed? it’s like everything good you remember about summer, before you cared about air conditioning, spf or what that ice cream cone was going to do to your thighs.
these two portraits, by anna bergin and tushtush, have had me captivated for the longest time. i love imagining what these women were thinking while these were being painted, and where they might have been headed later that day.
i think i’m ready for a sno cone now!
