In case you were curious..

I got my absentee ballot today! Quite exciting. I thought I had screwed up my registration, so I was very pleased to receive it in the mail. The registration asked for my "last residence in the US" so I put New York. But they actually meant the last place I was registered to vote, which was Boston. Well, at least that is what I thought when I checked to see if I was my registration had gone through and I found that I hadn't. So, I reregistered using my Boston address, mailed in my form. And then two days later I got my New York County of King's (Brooklyn) ballot...so I guess I am all sorted. Anyway, I was always curious about mysterious absintee ballots, so if you are too then check it out. And no, it didn't come with an "I Voted" sticker. Im missing out! But Im still ahead of the game, Ill fill in the bubbles and send it in tomorrow.

Im listening to...

Loving the Pilooski remix of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons's 1967 song Beggin'- video here

Also download: Shove It (ft Spank Rock) by SANTOGOLD. I was already into Santogold, but then I heard this song on Gossip Girl (should I be embarassed?) (Ok, since you asked- when Serena is being a biatch to Dan in the school yard from two weeks ago).
.

Enjoy.

Economista

A few weeks ago I mentioned a new swimsuit label based in Sydney called Seventh Wonderland. I was passing by my favorite boutique (I’d go out of my way to pass it- Tuchuzy, AHH just googled it so I could link to the website and I am intrigued to find that they just started a fashion blog!! Check it out!). Ok moving on..so I saw the new line of Seventh Wonderland and couldn't’t help but try on a sexy, black (and purple) one piece. I knew once I slipped into it that I had to buy it. Though unconventional, I loved the look and feel of being in a one piece…kind retro, sexy. Also, the Italian fabric is incredible…so soft and apparently won’t get distressed. I, of course, purchased it immediately. I wore it to the beach on Sunday, and while my tummy didn’t get tan, I felt fabulous.

Speaking of shopping, I was naughty last week. What recession? (By the way, I have actually read the word "economista" in a few fashion mags).I like to shop in random splurges where I get 4 things in one week, but then won’t purchase again for a few weeks (ideally). Anyway, I bought a pair of shoes I have been eyeing for a few weeks. I think they speak for themselves! Wore them out on Saturday and was able to walk in them for 30 minutes without flinching. In love.

I got this dress at Tuchuzy as well (I have a problem). Ive always wanted a sparkle dress, but find sequins a bit hard to deal with. This sparkly number is great because it is shimmers with glitter, so maintenance is less difficult. Also love low scooping back lines.

Got this bracelet last week too.

I also got a pair of stonewashed cutoff shorts, and a black silk shorts onesie. Wow, now that I am typing it all out it sounds like quite a shopping spree. Can't wait for the next one...

A tale of two Saturdays

It seems the weeks are going by so quickly since I moved here. I feel like it is always the weekend, which is a very good thing. All the weekends are sort of blending together..Here are two events that stand out from the last two weeks.

Two Saturdays ago Mario took me on a fabulous lunch date to one of Sydney’s most iconic spots- Icebergs. I think lunch dates are underrated and was very impressed with his idea. Icebergs itself is impressive; it is situated on the cliffs at the Southern end of Bondi Beach with panoramic views. We spent a deliciously decadent four and a half hours- we didn’t leave the restaurant until 5:30. Upon sitting down I had a Bellini, then we split mussels in a Neapolitan sauce for a starter. For our main we had a steak-for-two with a side of whole and mashed brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. The steak was served with chimichurri sauce, which was a bit on unexpected but took the meal to a new level. Of course we had a bottle of red wine with the steak. I was so bummed that I was too stuffed for dessert, but a coffee sufficed. Our food coma was so severe that we had to have a digestive cocktail in the beautiful bar before stumbling home.food coma....

Switching gears, last Saturday Mario and I spent the afternoon in Bondi watching some important AFL match. We returned home, and I took a hot shower. I was standing at the sink washing off my eye makeup, when I reached down for the face towel. Thank god I looked at it before putting it to my face…because this is what I found on the towel:
OMFG. The horror. I don’t think I have full fledged arachnophobia, but seeing that thing might have turned me into one. As brutal as it seems, we had to kill it. There was no way to scoot it out of the apartment, and in Australia half the spiders are poisonous. We have screens in every single window of our apartment except one in the living room, where spider man must have crawled inside. That bastard had to make his way all the way through the living room, down the hall, into the bathroom, and onto my towel! Anyway, Mario unleashed his inner rage to take on the unwelcomed insect. It took a text book, a towel, and a broom to take Spidey out. I won't go into any more detail...RIP Spiderman.
.

Hope this weekend has more good meals and less oversized insects.

Bouche: not so grande

Ok, I know I have been shameful at blogging lately. But it is all going to change! I am planning a big post to summarize why I have been so busy the last few weeks. Topics to be discussed: attack of the giant spider, the five hour lunch, my incredible new shoes, my new favorite book store, and the difficulty of blogging. In the meantime, lots of kisses! Don't give up on me...Plenty of new posts coming.

Pretty lady

I don’t know whether it is the Vegemite or something in the air but there are so many gorgeous women in Australia. Australian models were all over the fashion week runways this year. By far my favorite girl is Catherine McNeil (Chic). She has green cat eyes, eccentric gap in teeth, and transitions seamlessly between bohemian and avante-guard. This genetically blessed girl is only 20 years old too!

I'm liking...

A few weeks ago I got an oversized blazer from Cheap Monday. It looks super cute belted and open. I’ve been noticing these “Boyfriend Blazers” everywhere, and in really interesting variations. I like it because it can be grungy, sophisticated, masculine, or feminine. Here are some recent runway versions that I’m loving..
(Alexander Wang)
(Topshop)
(Erin Fetherston)
(Marc Jacobs)
(Darek Lam)
And here is my Cheap Monday blazer:
(with a belt)(without!)

The silly season has arrived!

Spring definitely hit Sydney this week. Mercury levels reached 30 degrees this weekend, and the nights are warming up too (we shed the heavy blanket last week). The city is starting to get that buzz. It starts quietly and just keeps building intensity until it is December and everyone is bursting with excitement. Then life is all about minimal clothes, maximum beach, and having a good time. I have recently been told that the summer months in Sydney are often referred to as “the silly season” – genius.

In preparation for this joyous season here are some things to think about:

Loving the idea of this crossover cozzie (cozzie=swimsuit to you Americans). In Sydney swimwear plays a huge role in mainstream fashion. It isn’t unusual to see girls shopping down Oxford Street on a hot summer day wearing shorts and a bikini top. The new Sydney based label Seventh Wonderland, founded by Carlos Aviles and Bonnie Coumbe earlier this year, consists of swimwear-meets-daywear perfect for Sydney women. “Girls today need options, so we’re designing suits that can be worn from the beach to a music festival, paired with your favorite jeans,” says Aviles. All the prints are created by hand and transferred onto Italian fabrics. The result is beautiful and very versatile.

Everyone needs a few “Little Dresses” to get through summer. There are so many amazing ones at Milk Bar in Bondi Beach (Shop 4/157 Curlewis Street via Gould St). Milk Bar carries only Australian labels, including Hussy, Bec & Bridge, and Ru Mu. All the stuff is very feminine and also good pieces for dressing up or dressing down. I just bought this adorable Bec & Bridge dress there. Of course boutiques like that are a bit pricey, but Sportsgirl, General Pants, and Supre also have tons of great dresses.

The Sydney markets are one of the best things about the warm weather, and they are the perfect place to pick up summer accessories. I went to the Bondi Markets this weekend and got a vintage YSL purse, which will go with all summer clothes. I also got the cutest linen beach dress with faux leather straps. I wanted to buy vintage sunnies, charm necklaces, and an amazing brown leather jacket (only 40 dollars!), but you cant have it all…

Choosing the right beach is also important. I love taking the ferry to Manly; it always makes me feel so laid back over there. I used to always go to Bondi cause it is so easy, but I want to branch out more this summer. I went to Tamarama over the weekend, which was lovely. A few friends had a barbi on the rocks, and it was a great way to close the day. Another good end-of-the-day activity is a sunset drink at Bondi Italian. Great people watching (I love observing Australian trendy beach styles).(Mario sipping the day away on a Sunday afternoon-Bondi Italian)

Check it out!

I've finally gotten it together and put some of the videos I've been working on recently onto You Tube. The Alex Perry one is by far the coolest to make. I got to interview him on the red carpet before his autumn/winter 2009 fashion parade. I am actually finding that I really like interviewing on camera. New career path? We'll see.... Anyway, bookmark my You Tube page because I will be updating it whenever I do a new video. Click here to check it out!

UPDATE: A longer version of the video of me interviewing Alex Perry is on the Marie Claire homepage, click the Alex Perry video on the right hand side to see!

Nobody ever fed me

Kate Moss, who rarely opens up in interviews, reveals a lot to the latest issue of Interview magazine, including that she is aware that she was too skinny in her heroin-chic hay-day. She says:
"I was never anorexic, but I remember thinking, 'I don't want to be this skinny.' When I was doing shows and flying economy, nobody ever fed me. Or I'd be staying in hotels so cheap that by the time I'd get in, there wasn't any room service...I didn't eat for a long time. You'd be on shoots with bad food or get on a plane, and the food would be so disgusting you couldn't eat it. I remember standing up in the bath one day, and there was a mirror in front of me, and I was so thin! I hated it. I never liked being that skinny."Now, everyone knows that I LOVE Kate, but how funny is it that she blames others for not feeding her! I love it. Kate is so fascinating because in one sense she is a revolutionary. She embodied so much about the 1990s and has seamlessly crossed over into this decade as the leader in what is chic and cool. But despite that fact that she is a leader today, she used to have this quality of being a malleable muse. I think it was this quality that made her such an unbelievably effective model. So did society and circumstance create Kate Moss? Or did Kate forever change society? It is those deep questions I leave you with today...!

ps- had to add this, which i just saw on style.com