A Day at the Circus!

As I have mentioned previously, my family has many holiday traditions. I love them all, but my favorite one of all might be the Big Apple Circus. The circus travels around and comes to New York at Lincoln Center every year from late October until the middle of January (so if you haven't gone yet, you have another week! Don't miss your chance!) It's really a highlight of my year.

For many years, we went on Christmas day. They would always wish us a Merry Christmas, which I thought was funny because the audience was always filled with Jews. This year, we went on the Sunday after Thanksgiving due to people's busy schedules, capping off the weekend's many events.

There are probably other circuses that are more over the top and grand, but I can't imagine loving any one more than this one. The show changes every year. The clowns are neither obnoxious nor scary, and the tricks seem more and more extraordinary every year. (See a few examples towards the end of the post.) I've probably been 25 times, and I've only ever missed one year. Many years ago, we started going with our best family friends, and now we all sit together. A few years ago, we brought Simon for the first time, welcoming in the third generation, and this year Leo got to come too.

He was enthralled. And happy that we let him eat popcorn and cotton candy. And that my mom bought him a toy. What's not to like?

Toys and junk food. Happy children.

There's only one ring, which I like much better, because then it's easier to know where to look. There are cute puppies and horses, which I sometimes find sort of boring, but they are pretty. I always love the acrobats and aerialists, two examples of which you can see below. It's an amazing reminder of the strength of the human body, even though I would never be able to do what they're doing in a million years. In solidarity with their crazy feats, I wore a neon pink skirt. If you can't do it, might as well look the part, right?

After the circus, as is customary, we went back to my parents' house, made a fire, and ate lots of cheese and other delicious things. We also celebrated Maddie's birthday. She's only one now, but we can't wait for her to join in with us in just a few years!

What I'm wearing: Boden kilt (this year's model on sale here), GAP long sleeved shirt, GAP Factory cardigan (similar here), HUE tights, Born boots, scarf from Nepal

Thankful! Part 1

A very balmy December 24th to one and all. If I can, I'll take some blog pictures later, so you can see how I am not wearing tights despite the fact that it is supposedly winter. Weird stuff, man.

So let's have a Throwback Thursday to Thanksgiving week, when it was actually at least semi cold out. My family is many Thanksgiving traditions, beginning with the night before, and extending through Sunday. These pictures were taken at our annual pizza, ice cream and beer celebration. If you ask me, beer is gross. But I do love pizza and ice cream, so it's all good.

This tradition began many moons ago. My parents live right next to where they blow up the balloons for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which means that getting up and down their street is a giant nightmare. Because of this, leaving the house was always a challenge, so we would hole up at home and order in instead (a challenge in its own right.) This tradition no longer makes a tremendous amount of sense, as everyone but my parents now live in Manhattan but away from the parade, but we are very zealous in the protecting of our traditions, and so it lives on.

I liked this outfit because it had a lot of different elements going on (stripes, dots, zippers and buckles), but because were all in the same color scheme, they came together nicely. Also, this dress is one of my sweatpants dresses (looks like a dress, feels like sweatpants), which makes it perfect for eating lots of pizza and ice cream.

And here, just for fun, is a picture of Maddie in a turkey headband. Because she and her brothers are high on the list of things and people I am thankful for every day.

To all of my Christian readers, I hope you have a very merry Christmas. And everyone else, enjoy your movies and Chinese food.

What I'm wearing: Boden dress, GAP Factory cardigan (similar here), HUE tights, Born boots (similar here), Old Navy scarf (similar here)

A for Effort: Stitch Fix Review December 2015

Ok, true confession time. I did not blog about my November Stitch Fix. (Gasp!)

Here's the thing. It wasn't terrible or anything. It was just nothing special. I ended up sending everything back because there was nothing that screamed out to me, "Keep me in your wardrobe!" and I am trying to be selective these days. Combine that with the fact that it arrived on the day of my last comp, when I was double slammed with jet lag and a horrible cold, and it just didn't happen. Hopefully you all will forgive me.

However, lucky for all of you/ unluckily for me, I have yet another stomach virus (I know, how can that even be possible), so there is nothing to do but lie in bed and update my blog. So now, we move on to fix #13, my December Fix.

For a review of how Stitch Fix works, click here.

As you can see, I named this post "A for Effort." Everything Alison sent me was theoretically spot on, but I only ended up keeping one thing, much to my sadness. Let's see what happened.

Nice combo of colors = a good start 

For this fix, I had asked for a few things. First, for it to be a bit more budget conscious. (My last fix contained a $98 sweater, which was just never going to happen.) Second, for some dresses, especially the gold one Sarit got. And finally, things with special details or a little bit of sparkle.

Look, two dresses!

I had a little bit of credit, which is always nice. If I had kept everything, it would have been $227 total, which doesn't feel crazy for two dresses, two sweaters, and a blouse. However, I did not keep everything. Let's see what happened.

(Apologies for the mirror selfies. I just didn't get around to having someone take my picture, which ended up being for the best, since I was very very ill only a few hours after these were taken. But you get the idea.)

Collective Concepts Helma Dress in Black-- $78

This was the dress Sarit got, that I loved. Obviously Sarit is much shorter than me, but she had gotten it in petite, so I was hoping that it would be long enough in regular. As it turns out, not so much.

You might be thinking, Hey Rachel, we can't see the bottom of the dress! To which I would say, Yes, because this is a modest fashion blog, and here was nothing modest about the length of this dress on me. Also, as you can see, it's a little tight on bottom, but also too loose on top. I must remember in the future, shift dresses are not my friend.

Nothing like something that makes you look lumpy and shapeless at the same time. Don't I look thrilled?
Status: Returned

Collective Concepts Katelynn Polka Dot Dress in Black-- $88

Again, you can feel the ecstasy. This is one of those pull over dresses that has no real shape other than the elastic waist. I have never found one of these dresses that looks good on my body, as it always swallows my top half. Add to the fact that the fabric was a super lightweight and cheap feeling polyester, and there was no way I was keeping it for $88 even if I had liked the shape. I do love me some polka dots, but that's the extent of positive feedback I have for this.

Also, when did dresses that are longer in front and back and shorter on the sides become a thing? So many mysteries, so little time... to put this dress back in the box and return it.
Status: Returned

Papermoon Alvar Bead Detail Top in Olive-- $54

Here's the thing, guys. Olive is just not my color. Shirts that are see through are not my style. And beads that are gold versions of the little silver balls I used to use to decorate my cupcakes are not something I need in my wardrobe.

Alison sent this because I asked for sparkle. I had had something more shimmery/ sequin-y in mind, but that's on me for not being more specific. It actually mostly fit me very nicely, but that's sort of the only positive thing I could say about it. Again, good concept. failed execution.

Status: Returned

41Hawthorn Lizzy Colorblock Striped Sweater in Grey-- $68

The fact that they called this grey was confusing to me, as it is clearly actually navy. This was the item I was most on the fence about. It was SO soft. I love stripes and I love color blocking. It fit me very nicely, in my humble opinion.

However, I did ultimately send it back. There were two strikes against it. First, the navy-- I own a ton of navy already. Also, I don't like wearing navy with dark jeans, and I don't wear it with black, which makes knowing what I should wear it with confusing. Second, it was the sort of fabric I could imagine starting to pill right away. Don't get me wrong, I have my fair share of pilly sweaters and I wear them all the time. But that, combined with the color and the price, forced me to exercise my self-control and return it. I might still ask for it in another color, though. We shall see.
Status: Returned

Mak Coffman Button Up Cardigan in Red-- $48

Fear not my friends! The final item was something I loved! As you all know, if you have been reading along, I love a good cardigan and wear them multiple times a week. Also, at first glance, yes, just a plain red cardigan. As it turns out, though, I have almost no red in my wardrobe. And then, when you look closer...

It has this very pretty crochet detail on the arms and the neckline that make it a little more interesting. It's pretty lightweight, so I would say I don't expect to wear it much before spring, but it's like 60 degrees every day here now, so maybe when I finally take off my pajamas, it will have its debut. As you can see in that awkward selfie above, I am pleased. Yay! Also, with my $25 of credit, it was $23. Happy Rachel.
Status: Kept!

So thus ends my December Stitch Fix. Even though I only kept one thing, I continue to have lots of fun, and also to feel like Alison gets what I like, even when I don't keep everything. Coming up in he January fix: clothes for work, as I'm going to be a professor! (True story!)

Want to get in on the fun? Sign up for your first fix here. And wait, if you use the code HOLIDAYTREAT, you can get your first fix without any styling fee-- risk free!

Fall/ Winter Bucket List: A Day at the High Bridge

Ironically, these pictures are from October. Ironic because I look like I'm dressed for December, whereas I have not had to put a hat on since then, even though it's now actually December.

Anyway. Cold weather aside, one Sunday afternoon, Talia, Talya and I set out for the High Bridge. (They are not pictured because they never signed their release form. By which I mean I promised not to put them on the blog without their permission, which they never gave me.)

For those of you not familiar with what the High Bridge is-- it's the oldest standing bridge in New York City! Many years ago, the High Bridge was a main connector, allowing people to walk from the Bronx to Manhattan and back. Then, for many years, it was closed and left to decay. But after a renovation, it's now back and really beautiful. There's a park on the Manhattan side, including many outdoor sculptures. Hence the picture above.

 After spending a little bit of time exploring the park, we wandered over the bridge itself. It was described to me as a less crowded High Line. That wasn't completely accurate; it lacks the urban agricultural feel and flowers that you have at the High Line. However, it is also very beautiful, and definitely less crowded. It has been beautifully restored, and there are plaques on the ground which tell the history of the bridge, its surrounding area, and the different ways water has been transported into the city. I give it an enthusiastic two thumbs up.

The view from the bridge.

 Let's talk a bit about my outfit, and then I will leave you some more pretty pictures. I wanted to dress in layers because of the freakishly cold weather. I went with my transitional seasons coat, which I believe I bought at Filene's Basement back when that was a thing, which tells you how old it is. It has held up very well. But because my coat and skirt were both black, I also wanted to add some color. The solution? Colored tights, a patterned scarf, and a sparkly hat. I am super into this hat. It's not itchy and warm but not too warm. It's sparkly, but not obnoxiously so. What else could a girl want?

What I'm wearing: Guess coat (similar here), NY and Company skirt, Hue tights, Born boots (similar here), GAP scarf (similar here), hat bought at a random stand in Israel (similar here)

Happy Birthday Maddie!

I have one more Nepal post to go, but I couldn't let this illustrious day pass unmentioned... You see, today, December 1st, is Madeline Rose's first birthday! Happy birthday Maddie! So in her honor, here are some (already pretty old pictures) taken with my favorite niece.

These pictures were taken at Shaina and Avi's baby's bris. Brises = ritual surgery, and therefore not the best. However, we were all happy that Pickle finally got a name that wasn't related to a vegetable, and luckily Maddie is a baby and so she had no idea what was happening.

She was very happy after, when there was melon. Sometimes in life, it's the little things. (I happen to be allergic to melon, but I'm glad that others can enjoy it.) Maddie looks annoyed in this picture because she was thinking, "Why are you taking my picture when I am trying to eat my cantaloupe in peace?" But she came around later on:

Some notes on my outfit: colored tights! Hurrah! A post on tights will be coming soon, per Rebecca's request. But in the meantime, when it's cold enough for tights but warm enough to not wear knee high boots, a pop of color with tights and a scarf can jazz up an otherwise not-super-interesting outfit. I wasn't sure how this one would turn out, but I was happy with it in the end.  Who doesn't like a little turquoise?

So back to our main point, happy birthday to Maddie! You have made us so happy for the last year that we can't wait for all of the many years to come. And we are very impressed with your ability to consume cake. Keep it up. We love you!

What I'm wearing: Ina skirt via Purdy Girl, Kosher Casual shirt, Hue tights, G by Guess booties via TJ Maxx (similar here), infinity scarf via DSW (similar here)

On Breaking Fashion Rules

Let's talk for a minute about fashion rules. We all know them. For example, no white socks with dress shoes. Don't wear black and navy together. Or, in this case, people who are pear shaped should not wear horizontal stripes on the bottom.

Well, fashion rules, I thumb my nose at you! (Except for the white socks and dress socks thing. Men, take heed.) I love this skirt. In fact, I can't believe it's never been on the blog before, because I wear it with great frequency. I get compliments almost every time I wear it. And more important than that, you know what? I think it looks cute. So there.

This skirt is a few years old, but Boden just came out with it in other patterns for the winter. It's actually the same as the black one I wear all the time (like here and here.)

Stripes and stripes!

 In addition to my wearing horizontal stripes, I also wore my striped Toms with my striped skirt. REBEL. I'm going to tattoo my face any day now. I want to try more pattern mixing this year, and this seemed like a good way to slowly tip toe into those experiments. And it made me smile every time I looked at my feet.

Except for here, where I frowned because I was watching the Republican debate at Shaina and Avi's and it made me sad about America. Regardless of your politics, dear readers, I think we can all agree that we deserve a higher level of discourse, and also less lying. Sigh.

Finally, you might notice that my hair is not its usual curly self. I got a blow-out for Rosh Hashanah because it was easier to deal with over the holiday, and they did a good enough job that it actually lasted through four days, including a rainstorm and a rather warm walk in the park. My friend Sarah said that I wasn't allowed to put straight hair pictures on the blog, but again, I am a crazy rebel! And also, I had them add some curl on the bottom to maintain my curly haired roots (or tips, as the case may be.) Also, it made me realize that my hair has gotten super long and I really need a haircut.

Don't worry, I went for a run this morning and then washed my hair, so I am back to my usual curly haired self.

That's all for tonight. Coming soon: I will tell you all about my Stitch Fix that came last week! It was a good one, so come visit again!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (same cut here in different patterns), Jones New York shirt via TJ Maxx (similar here), Toms striped shoes (similar here)

The One Where I Can't Decide: Stitch Fix Review August 2015

Friends, it Stitch Fix time again! But this time, I need your help. For the first time ever, I got a fix where I could imagine keeping everything or keeping nothing. Most likely outcome will be something in between, but any and all feedback would be welcome. So please leave opinions!

Alison was my stylist again, and we are still very happy together. I had asked for a striped dress and a specific polka dot shirt, but I guess they didn't have either, as neither arrived in my box. However, Alison did send me some great 3/4 sleeve shirts that would be good for summer or for layering in the fall.

Always so exciting to see 

Look! Colors this time!

 After my last fix, some more of you signed up. Thanks guys! So I have $75 to play with, which is good, because a couple of things cost a little more than I would want them to if I was paying full price. The total would have been $234 to keep all five, but if I kept it all, it would be $159 because of my credit.

The Style Card

Sorry that there are fewer pics than usual. Studying for comps is really taking all of my concentration, and someone, hanging each item and photographing it again was a little more than I had the energy for. I'll try to do better next time! So let's get on with it, shall we?

Mystree Lodi Shirred Back Cardigan in Dark Purple (although it looked brown to me)-- $64

The coolest part of this cardigan is definitely the back. Otherwise, it's sort of blah. It feels very lightweight (although well made) for something that costs $64. The color didn't do anything for me, and I generally feel like drape-front cardigans swallow my super narrow shoulders. Alison suggested pairing this with the maxi dress I loved in fix #8, but I have a sweater to go with that that I like much better.
Status: Return

Pixley Edmond Henley Knit Top in Teal Green-- $54

This shirt is a Stitch Fix classic these days. A lot of people I know have gotten it, and it is as soft as advertised. However, I didn't love the colors on me, and the shape didn't do much for me either. Definitely not worth $54 for a t-shirt, even a cute one. I would have kept this one for the discount, but since I'm sending back the sweater, I won't miss it when it's gone.
Status: Return

Dear John Marson Wide Leg Denim Trouser in Black-- $78

Now things start to get complicated. When I saw wide leg trousers, I was skeptical. Those of us who have bottom halves that are bigger than our top halves usually do not do well in trousers, as they can make you look even bigger. However, these were more of a hybrid of a bootcut and a flare, and they fit perfectly. Plus, they had a mid-rise, which I loved. However. They are sort of a faded black, which is really not my look. It just feels sort of dated to me. And I'm not sure I can spend $78 on a pair of jeans where I don't love the color? My friends Sarit and Miriam were pushing hard for me to keep them. What do you think? Keep? Return? Ask for them in my next fix in a blue wash instead? Decisions, decisions...

Status: Undecided

Collective Concepts Rilo Button-Up Blouse in Pink-- $68

I know, who has $68 to spend on a blouse? But the answer might be that I do, as I could keep it and still not actually pay anything. I love the color and the pretty print. Plus, it's a nice fabric that could work with jeans or work clothes. It's sheer, as you might be able to see (I would not usually wear it with that tank top, but I was in Sarit's apartment so I didn't have other options.) The detailing is actually navy, which I like a lot. And I think generally it fits me nicely. This was both Sarit's and Miriam's favorite.
Status: Likely keeping

Market and Spruce Crescenta Henley Top in Teal Green-- $48

Out of the box, this was my favorite. I love the color and the pattern, and you know that I am a sucker for popovers. However, the fit is not the best. As sometimes happens to me with almost-tunics like this one, it's a little tight in the hips. But then Sarit and Miriam said it didn't look small at all. But they still liked the pink one better. But this one is so soft. Guys, SOMETIMES STITCH FIX IS SO HARD. I mean, not really. But anyway. Keep or return? (It's also the least expensive thing in the box, which is a plus.)
Status: Undecided

So what do I do? Keep the pink shirt and the blue shirt? Just the blue shirt? Just the pink shirt? Is it a bad idea to send back the jeans? And if it's only $20 more to keep everything, should I do that and try to sell everything else at a discount? Decisions, decisions. All comments are welcome!

And want to get in on the fun? Don't forget to sign up for your fix here!