And now...on to summer :)

OK, kids...you know what time it is...and you know you love it! The unofficial start of the summer season begins this weekend...well, today, as far as I'm concerned. The Friday before the Memorial Day weekend is one of the quietest of the year at the library and I am ready for the break. What loveliness do you have planned? I will say that I am a little down, if only because the weather today is as gloomy as I have seen it. Man, cloudy, cool and massive fog (of all things) are really putting a damper on my good mood but I refuse to let it get me down. After work today I am going shopping!!!!! A sure fire way to pick up the spirits! I haven't been shoppping in months (literally) so I can't wait to see what the stores (LL Bean and H&M in particular) have been up to lately. Chris and I have a bunch of yard work planned for Sunday, including mulching ... everywhere. Saturday night is a 'Fight Night' so you know Chris is getting excited...but other than that, it will be a lot of hanging out...and hoping for some decent weather.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing...make sure it's a fitting kick-off to our favorite season :)

XOXO Katiep

*Beautiful photo of Zeus at sunset on the beach of Kiawah Island, by Laura

Don't miss the latest at LL Bean

It's no big secret that I am nuts about LL Bean. And I am not just talking about their Signature line...I mean the whole she-bang. I am just loving some of their new arrivals...especially those items with that 'Cape Cod', 'nautical' theme...like these adorable pajama bottoms ...note the lobsters :)



Not to mention these pajama shorts...with whales!



Such a pretty, summer scarf...perfect for that growing summer scarf obsession of mine.



And to top it off, this lovely floral print skirt.



One more from Death Valley

On the Death Valley shoot back at the beginning of May, there were probably about 18 folks (cast and crew) who participated...and these days, you know what that means...18 cameras. I have to admit, the number of photos from that week has been staggering and they continue to make their way out via Facebook and the 3.14...the movie web page. I promise, at some point, to stop posting but every once in a while a shot comes out that's just too good to ignore. I love this shot of Chris and the second camera perched on the rock formation. Amazing.

Happiness is a bike ride



Aren't these just the cutest gift bags? I think they might make the perfect wrapping for those awesome tool run rolls from soulrun :)

And now it's the Olsen twins...

...via the fabulous Coco & Kelley, making stripes look even better :)

The way it began...

 

 

Do you remember this Vogue cover? The proverbial 'shot heard round the world'? The (then) unknown model (beautiful, Micaela Bercu), the acid wash jeans and the $10,000 Christian Lacroix top? Well, it was Anna Wintour's first cover for US Vogue and it was amazing. Refinery 29 has a great slide show of some of the most iconic (and arguably, important) mag. covers in recent history. For various reasons, their influence can still be felt. Bet you recognize them all. 

And I just have to ask...Anna, what happened to your daring?!?

Celebrating 100 years - LCM

Did you know the New York Public Library, arguably one of the greatest libraries in the world is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this month. The occasion is being marked by a special exhibition of their treasures (which runs through the end of the year) and a gala event. Hurrah to a fabulous and inspirational institution ... and 'Patience' and 'Fortitude' (or 'Leo Astor' and 'Leo Lenox') have never looked better...don't you think :)

Inspired by the open

Maria Sharapova debuted her Nike designed, Eiffel Tower inspired dress at the French Open today. What do you think? It's subtle but I definitely see it...and with her long, lean torso, she really pulls it off.

Ooh La La!

'Stop in Greece'

The cover of the July issue of French Vogue is...sigh...lovely.

Via The Cut

Brunette cache

You won't find too many posts about Jennifer Aniston on this blog...nothing against her, but I never watched the show Friends and I've always been kind of  'who cares' when it comes to her. However when this lady, who had one of the most famous haircuts in history, changes her color (for a movie role)...and it looks fabulous, I just have to acknowledge it. What do you think of her as a brunette? I have to say, I love it :)

Holy!

 

 Just LOOK at what Laura found in my mom's koi pond this morning?!?! A baby alligator!! Too good not to post on Ooh La La Du Jour. Babies are adorable ... in any form, don't you think? Love!

*Oh, and in case you were concerned, no koi were harmed during his visit :)

Well, don't we all !?

Such an adorable shirt. Looks like I'll have to be making my annual trip to Delia's to check out their graphic tee's any day now :)

Hello my dears!  It is 12:04 AM on Sunday and I haven't gone to bed yet....I know I will dearly pay for this in the AM, but what the hey!  It's kinda nice staying up late---something I rarely do these days, since my baby thinks he has to get up each morning at 6am (even on weekends!). 

This post probably belongs in my baby blog, but I thought I'd post it since it has more to do with fashion...

At this point I think Jack has surpassed his mom in having the most clothes in our household!

It's true. 

We  I shop a lot for this 11month old.  Who knew it was this much fun shopping for boys clothing? I didn't. 

And the coolest thing is Jack actually looks like he enjoys all the clothes I put on him...and he just has this charming personality that suits all the fun clothes he wears. 

We went to Zara today and I went crazy picking out the cutest kids clothing.  If you have little ones or are planning on shopping for little ones in the near future,  get thee to Zara. Pronto! 

They have such fun clothes...I even picked out fabulous spandex swim trunks with cute skulls for Jack's summer outings.  Seriously, when else in his life will he get to enjoy (and not be ridiculed!) for wearing spandex trunks?!?? 

I'll need to post a pic of that sometime soon!

In addition to Zara, I love shopping at Crewcuts (by J.Crew), H&M, and a few online sites that sell cool tees/bottoms that you don't find at your usual kiddy stores....I figure Jack has his whole life to dress like an adult, why dress a baby in adult clothing?  Yawn!

That's also why I don't bother letting him wear khakis or any real pants for that matter...Again, he'll have the rest of his life to wear boring, old pants!   That's why leggings are usually my go-to item for bottoms.....Again, this is not a look an adult can pull off, but a baby with chubby polkies can definitely get compliments with this look! :)

Anyway, I leave you with a cute new purchase from this afternoon's shopping extravaganza...baby Lolita sunglasses.  I know, they're pink..but why not?  I think Jack looks fabby in them!  He now has 3 pairs of sunnies.. again,  more than his mommy! 

Stay cool...and I'll talk to you soon!

I feel sleep deprived now.  :)

-kj

The weekend music mix

Remember the 80's? Remember the BMX craze? Even more importantly, remember the super catchy tune 'Send Me an Angel' by Real Life? Well, I had pretty much forgotten all of it until this week, when this fabulous clip (from the movie Rad) showed up on the soulrun page (thanks Joe!!) Needless to say it's been the song of the week.

And seriously, how great were the 80's? Excellent. For sure.

Have a totally awesome weekend homies ;)

Smashing Straws - Etsy Friday

It goes without saying that these are perhaps the best looking straws on the planet. Fabulous!

From Etsy shop Emerald and Ella

Threshold

Yesterday evening, I went to the 'book launch' for the latest Preacher's Biscuit Books publication, Threshold by Tate Shaw. After the gorgeous slide show and reading, I took my copy home and read it. Quietly elegant and thoroughly mesmerizing, this artists book is one of the single most interesting 'travel narratives' you will ever read. The eloquent balance between the prose and photographs is, in a word beautiful.

Wegmans does it again...

...with the 'Trail Mix Bar'. Leave it to Wegmans to come up with something like this. Genius!

Hey...it's National Bike to Work Day!

Joe just pointed out on the soulrun facebook page that today is National Bike to Work Day. I love it!! If you haven't headed out to work today...maybe you'll feel inspired to hop on that bike. 

*Love this pic of Joe's bike, tucked in his spot after his ride this morning :)

A gift...from me to me :)

I just ordered (and received!)  a little early birthday gift for myself. Remember these Kate Spade 'Spade' earrings that I was loving weeks back. Well, first they were there...and then they were sold out...and then they were back. Of course I adore them and know that I will be wearing them everyday for the forseeable future but when it comes to our lovely friend and hero Kate Spade, you know I have to comment on the packaging. Seriously, can you believe this fantastic box?!? Purple lid with red box and gold print. Honestly, the box alone is a work of art :)

And just as an aside, I realize the the 'spade' symbol which cleverly and adorably pops up on Kate's designs here, there and everywhere, is really her symbol but do you think she might share with me? I never imagined I could love this little symbol so much and I seem to buy it every chance I get :)

Cooking with herbs 101

I get such a boot out of cooking...especially now since I have a nice kitchen :) As I continue to learn the skills, understand the ingredients et al, I find that the one thing that continues to mystify me are herbs. I usually use whatever recipes call for but when I don't have something on hand and just choose to omit it (I just never have dill, for instance) I wonder how much better the dish would be had  I taken the trouble to add it. Cooking Light has a really awesome slide show on the basics of cooking with herbs. I feel the urge to hit the kitchen coming on .... :)

Indugle me...just one more time...pretty pleeeeease :)

Sick of every other post on Ooh La La Du Jour being about how glorious I find stripes? Yes, I know you are ... but you are just too polite to say it, right? Well, today you can blame awesome posts on Fashionologie and The Cut for the latest installment of 'Katie P's Stripe Round-up'. I am just loving that Chance is pretty much a one-stop-shop for my stripe addiction. They even have a section on-line called...you guessed it...'Stripes'!!! Here's a few faves I'm adding to my summer wish list (which probably have been on the blog before but are just too good not to post again :)

A variation of the traditional stripes

Skinny stripes

Madewell's adorable espadrilles which I am getting this year!!

That elusive summer scarf

Oh my gosh...I love love love summer scarves...but you know what I never do? Wear them. I know, what is wrong with me. I think there are 2 things wrong with summer-scarf-wise for me...1) I just don't have the right scarves for summer and 2) I don't have a flippin clue how to tie one correctly. Well, the second reason can be scratched, thanks to this awesome post on Refinery 29 this morning. So inspired to head out a buy a bunch or smashing scarves now :)

Somthing for the summer picnic

Loving this 'Alfresca Dip' from the Whole Foods site. They described it as 'something between pico de gallo and Insalata Caprese. Uh...that sounds scrumptious. We put the furniture out on the deck last Friday...here's hoping we can sit outside and enjoy a bit of this with a little crostini and a splash of wine...sometime...anytime soon :)

Can the iPhone be far behind?

Aren't these iTouch cases from Pantone the coolest things you have ever seen? Available in Apple stores as of May 25, the cases are also available in black and magenta. Love!

*Via Refinery 29

You've simply got to get one

I dragged my feet for weeks on getting this awesome cold cup from Starbucks...but I finally did and can I tell you how much I love it. Oh man, this little baby is not going to get a rest this summer (assuming it ever shows up ... ugh :) Not only is this cup perfect for my favorite summer drink of all time ... ICED COFFEEEEEEEEEEE ... it is perfect for my morning water with lemon routine. 

*Ironically, Laura just bought the very same cup for herself...here is hers...basking in the sun. Mine is not having nearly as much fun at the reference desk with me :)

A KatieP uniform

You know what I am going to say...don't you? I love love LOVE this look! From Madewell, I think this combo of the relaxed wide-leg jean and the stripped shirt (not to mention that great looking belt and those shoes) are IT. Why on earth does anyone need another outfit if they have this in their closet!

A nautical theme

Who doesn't love this anchor pendant necklace from Lands End Canvas? Smashing!

One more reason to love Starbucks

As if I needed another reason to love the coffee powerhouse...my favorite store (the one located in the student union on campus) let me participate in their end-of-the year graduation festivities. I'm not sure I ever looked better :)

And thank you to Benita, the store manager, who (very informally) named me 'Customer of the Year'!

One word...Bill

A lot has been written on Ooh La La Du Jour about street fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham. KJ and I have been fans of his NY Times column for many years and our wonderful guest blogger, JP Pullos has even worked along side the man. I finally had the chance to see the documentary Bill Cunningham New York this weekend and ... well ... there are just no words to describe how much I adore this man...how much I admire him, not just for his work but as a human being. If you have a chance, re-read KJ's fabulous perspective on this film and on the man because I could not agree with her more. Also try to re-read JP's post, which gives an amazing insider perspective.

Just a few choice words to describe Bill...hmmm...how about humble, talented, intelligent and creative...but more than that, there is something about his philosophy of life and work that makes him truly the most unique person I can recall in recent memory. He lives simply and (there's that word again) humbly. In fact, if everyone lived and acted like this man, it goes without saying that the world would be a truly lovely place. His single-minded passion for fashion is like nothing you have ever seen. The integrity of his work is something mere mortals like ourselves can only hope to marginally acheive. You know, when I left the theater on Friday night...I felt better about humanity...and I can't remember the last time someone made me feel like that.

It seems that anything I write will not do this man and this documentary justice. We ran into a dear friend at the theater before the screening who had already seen the film (twice) and she said, "You just have to see it to believe it'. Very well said. I could write all day about Bill Cunningham and I still won't be able to do him the justice he deserves...which is kind of frustrating...but something I accept. The richness of his character, the depth of his talent, the strength of his integrity..I am just not a strong enough writer to ever capture all these elements of the man. Thankfully, we have a film that does. And we have Bill...who, by the very way he lives his life, give us all something to aspire to.

What a difference 6 months makes

Anyone remember this, not-so-fun shot I took on the Dec. 1? The view from my office window on our first snowy day...

...and here we are 6 months later...same view...totally different mood. You know, I love winter but nothing...NOTHING...beats a gorgeous, warm, and sunny day!

Wonky blogger...wonky week...and Friday the 13th to boot!

I have no idea what was in the water this week but everything seemed a bit off...don't you think? Well, for starters, blogspot has been out of commission for like, a day. Kind of threw the whole blogging rhythm off but then again, it's been tough for me to keep up with my '2-a-day'post rule lately anyway. I already mentioned that graduation is this Sunday and has posed a major distraction all week. The preparations continue (above) as spring finally hits Rochester :)

The usual Chris-related chaos continues at home. He has about one billion things he is trying to do at once...so the trickle down to me is a whole lot of troubleshooting. This photo from the Death Valley shoot just says it all...yes, that is Chris on the motorcycle in the background and yes, he is wearing a zebra-suit. Tell me Mike (the first AD on the project) isn't saying it all with that look.

Baby Jack turns 11 months old today. He was a little under the weather all week, but that didn't stop KJ from snapping this awesome, "Who you think you dealing with' pic of our favorite boy.

The Lilac Festival officially kicked off on this gorgeous spring afternoon and according to all sources, the guests of honor are in full bloom. OK, this poster is from last year but I have to admit I think it's adorable and way cuter than this year's version.

And finally, finally, finally after months of waiting, I am headed to see Bill Cunningham New York  this weekend. I can barely contain my excitement! Have a fabulous weekend kids! We totally earned this one!

Light on the posts...heavy on the nostalgia

It is senior week here at the U of R and the 161st commencement will take place this Sunday, May 15. The graduating class of 2011, began their work here back in September of 2007, which will always be very significant to me since I was away during that time. I think I will always identify closely with the class of 2011...so happy I've been able to watch them advance through their senior year. As much as I love the excitement of the beginning of the school year, this week is my favorite on campus. Our wonderful guest blogger JP Pullos said to me, on the event of his graduation in 1998, that the ceremony and tradition of this time is really enveloped in every imaginable emotion. I always remember the way he described  it as an end and a beginning, how family swarmed in and how pride ran rampant but expectations ran even higher.

It's at this time of year that I feel so lucky to work on a college campus. As preparations are made and seniors take in all that they've accomplished, I realize how much I enjoy being even a tiny part of their lives during this truly unforgettable time. 

Kudos Class of 2011! I won't forget you any time soon :)

Must have bathing suit!

A few weeks back I was yammering on about a bathing suit I spotted in the latest issue of Fitness mag but I could not find an image of it. Well, here it is!! Still not on Old Navy.com but you can see it on the Fitness website. I haven't checked the stores yet but I have simply got to get this adorable suit for my upcoming Key Largo trip! Fitness has this listed as a good suit for pear-shapes...I think it will look awesome on just about anyone.

Carolina Jr. in Lonny

Anyone who knows me know I love love love Carolina Herrera Jr. She is my style-hero and I would give my right arm to walk in her proverbial shoes, for just one day. If you aren't familiar with her, please, please, please check out the feature on her in the latest Lonny Magazine.

You know what is coming next...Ooh La La!!!!

Guest Blog - Amy Cakes

It blows my mind sometimes to think about all the amazing talent that my friends have. Close to the top of that Most Talented list is my good friend Amy DeGiulio, who crafts these amazingly gorgeous flowers out of sugar. I mean, really, when you get down to it, she's a sculptor and a gifted one at that. Check out her site. Her creations are truly phenomenal. Not to mention that all of the ingredients that go into her cakes and her flowers are all organic and local. How sweet is that?

~JP Pullos

A second chance

For those of us who missed out on the super cool, stripey dress from the Lands End Canvas line (that sold out in like, a second) here's another fab version...by Madewell. Smashing.

If only... - LCM

...these lovely ladies worked in every library :)  Please check out the amazing Etsy shop Janet Hill Ink that I found (via Laura...as usual). The library-themed works will absolutely knock...you...out but wow!!! there are so many gorgeous pieces, I can hardly stop myself from ordering them all. Love!