The International Edition: 6 Hours in Tel Aviv

Ok, so, when I brought the blog back, the goal was to blog twice a week. Clearly that's not going very well so far. So, we'll aim for once a week while I get back into the swing of things. Better a little than never, right?

When I was in Israel (admittedly, already a long time ago), I forgot to make plans in advance. Oops. It's because I was so excited to hang out with Gila, I didn't think about anything else. Also, it was so hot that it was sometimes difficult for me to motivate myself to go outside. (That's why there aren't more blog pictures from this trip. Tooooo much sweat.) But one morning, two days before I left, I realized I had nothing to do and Gila had to work all day. So... time for a spontaneous trip to Tel Aviv!

Everything is better on the beach.

Literally, when we left the house (for Tuesday coffee and AMAZING PANCAKES), I didn't know I was going. But then I decided to get on the train. I'm so impulsive guys!

Tel Aviv is hopping, but also pretty strange (is it a city? super fancy? full of slums? high rises? low rises? Yes to all of the above!) I don't know my way around there at all, unlike in Jerusalem, so I got lost more than once, but I persevered.

This is why I don't pose for pictures.

 Luckily, my friend Shayna has been living there for the past two years on a post doc, so she gave me excellent advice about where to go, and also met me for delicious frozen lemonade and a walk to the beach. My favorite place was the Carmel Shuk (see pics below!) mostly because it was so bustling and crazy. It's what the Shuk in Jerusalem used to be like, before it got super fancy and filled with expensive restaurants. I walked back and forth probably five times, just taking in the sites and occasionally dodging the vendors who tried to shove things in my mouth to get me to eat them.

I decided to finish off the day at the beach, which was beautiful. As you can see, I was not at all dressed for it, but really, as long as you can take off your sandals, you can always make it work. I might have been the only woman not in a bikini. I'm an individual through and through, even internationally. And I was extremely proud because I asked someone to take my picture in Hebrew and she didn't answer in English.

I started work this week. It's actually the best (I heart teaching), but there is a part of me that misses vacation. And Gila. And pancakes. Oh well.

Coming soon: the unveiling of the new Summer Bucket List (aka SBL2.0). Get psyched!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (with pockets!), Jones New York top via TJ Maxx (similar here), Bare Traps sandals (similar here)

February 2016 Stitch Fix Review: I'm in Love...

Friends, thank you for waiting so patiently for my latest Stitch Fix review. I know I skipped January-- it came right before I went to DC and I didn't have time to take pics before I sent it back. It's sad, as it was a really good one, even though I ultimately only kept one thing. (Which I have since worn three times a week.) But we must chug along, so be it.

The good news is... this Fix was awesome! Alison has really been killing it lately, and this box just raised the bar even higher. Thanks Alison! (For a review of how Stitch Fix works, see my earlier post here.) I had a fashion show during the Super Bowl with my friends Jenn and Doron, because there's only so long that you can watch people give each other brain damage before you need a new activity.

My styling card: look at all the colors!!

 I loved the whole box and had to exercise some self control to not keep everything. (How that happened will come later.) Luckily, the combo of a gift certificate and referral credit meant that I had $125 to work with, so there was some flexibility. Because of that, the whole box would have cost $115 after the discount, credits, and styling fee. Let's get to it, shall we?

Colorblock Verbena Sequin Detail Blouse in red-- $68

According to Alison, I pinned this blouse. I don't remember, but that seems like something I would do. I loved the sequined detail, and how it is not overpowering but so pretty. I also really liked the color, which was an orange-y red, which is not something I have a lot of in my wardrobe. It seemed classy but also sparkly, which is a good combo. I was sure I was going to keep it when I tried it on the first time, but when I modeled it for my friend Jenn, we both agreed that it was good but not great. It was a little short in the torso and I couldn't quite figure out when I would wear it. For the price, since I wasn't keeping everything, it needed to leave me. Good bye, beautiful blouse. May you find a good home with a shorter torso'ed friend.
Status: Returned

Ezra Cuballa Embroidery Knit Top in navy-- $58

This I did pin. That's because I am in love with it. First of all, I love that the back fabric is different than the front. Second, it's SUPER soft. Third, I love the embroidery detail very much. The only weird thing about it is that it's short on the sides, but my friend Rachel theorized that it's supposed to be that way. So I will wear a tank top underneath and feel happy forever.

Status: Kept!

Gilli Jodie Textured Skirt in navy (although I swear it's black)-- $58

This was my favorite. I have been searching for basically this exact skirt for MONTHS. Thin stripes, knee length, pleats, textured cotton. Happy Rachel! (This was also Jenn and Doron's favorite.)

Status: Kept!

London Times Nancee Dress in green-- $98
Mak Jaclynn 3/4 Sleeve Button-Up Cardigan in cobalt-- $38

I thought two things when I saw this dress.  #1: LOVE. #2: I think I already have this? Indeed, I already own a dress in the same color and almost the same fabric and shape. As much as I love kelly green, even I have my limits, especially for $100.

Alison, knowing of my modest ways, sent this cardigan to go with the dress as well. It was very soft and I loved the color. It was also the least expensive thing in the box. I would have been happy to add it to my closet, except that I have a million cardigans, so I exercised some self control and decided not to keep it.

Do I regret it now? A little. But life goes on. It's only clothing, friends.
Status: dress and sweater both returned

So that's February. Home run. If I hadn't already had an almost identical dress, it's likely that all five things would now be in my closet. But I am very excited about my new shirt and skirt. Just have to wait for March to see what comes next!

Want to get in on the fun? Sign up for your own fix here!

Purple Polka Dot Explosion!

Dear readers, I'm a professor now! It is super fun. If my students are having half as much fun as me, then we are all in good shape.

Part of being a professor means dressing like a grown up. Mostly, this is fine. However, sometimes, you just want to wear your neon purple sweater that has silver polka dots. That's what Sundays are for!

I heart this sweater. I ordered it to hit a free shipping minimum (isn't that how it always happens?) and then this ended up being the only thing I kept. Serendipity, I say.

Shaina took these pictures. Baby Pickle was there too. Here I am discussing important things with him. As an aside, he liked my sweater too.

Purple, polka dots and sparkles. Making everything better since forever. Happy Sunday!

What I'm wearing: NY and Co. sweater, Style and Co skirt (sold out), HUE tights, Diba boots via DSW, GAP long sleeved shirt, scarf from Nepal

The East Wing...

Dear readers, as you might remember, a few weeks ago I took a mini vacation and went down to DC to visit my many friends who live there. It was a great trip filled with awesome people, fun activities, and new explorations. But by far the coolest part was my trip(s!) to the White House.

A White House tour of the East Wing is actually not super hard to come by. Anyone can sign up for one through their congressional representative; you just have to make sure you do it far enough in advance. However, I had an in. My super cool friend Cindy works for the White House and being the kind and generous person that she is, she set up not one but TWO tours for me while I was there.

Hi Cindy!

The first tour happened Thursday, which was the East Wing tour. It's self guided, so you can wander around for as long as you want. I knew the names of a lot of the rooms from reading the paper and watching way too much West Wing (as if such a thing were possible), but the main thing I was struck by was how much smaller everything was than when you see it on TV. For example, the spot where Cindy and I are standing above is in front of the hallway that President Obama walked down to announce that they had killed Bin Laden. It's actually a fairly short hallway. Cindy says that they use wide angle lenses to make everything look bigger. The secret's out!

After majorly geeking out for a long time, I finally said my good byes and went on my way-- mostly because I knew that I would be back on Sunday! Then I made some friends outside of the building and we all took a million pictures of each other.

The other highlight of the day was the Renwick Gallery, which recently reopened after a long renovation. There's currently a 9 installation exhibit on wonder, and I have to say that it was one of the best exhibits I have seen in a long time. Here are some highlights:

These were piles made entirely out of
notecards, styrofoam, tape, and toothpicks.

The inside of a perfect cast of a tree, made
entirely out of wooden blocks.

 Because I knew I was going to be running around all day, I wanted to be comfortable, but because I was going to the White House, I wanted to dress in a manner that showed respect for the office. So I ended up putting an easy cardigan over a shell with a wrap skirt and my super comfy boots. The scarf was added for warmth and a little bit of sparkle. And speaking of color and sparkle:

BOOM. If that's not wondrous, I don't know what is. Have a great weekend, everyone!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt, Kosher Casual shell, LOFT cardigan, HUE tights, Diba boots via DSW, Betsy Johnson infinity scarf via DSW

ABD(inner)

Well, I am back on the train after a super fun trip to DC. More on that later. In the meantime, I am almost caught up on blogging (mostly because I have been a picture taking delinquent, but so it goes sometimes), and we are finally experiencing winter here in the Northeast. So, welcome to my winter wardrobe, such as it is.

If you have been reading along, you know that I passed my last comp in November, right before Thanksgiving, and have since been mostly procrastinating on working on my prospectus. However, when I passed, my parents generous asked me what I wanted to do to celebrate, and I told them I wanted to go to Basil for dinner.

Basil, located in Crown Heights, is a high end brick oven pizza restaurant. The vision was to create a place where the food was good and interesting enough that non-kosher keepers would want to eat there, but still be kosher. The blending of the different demographics in Crown Heights, you might say-- hipsters and hasids. I've wanted to go for a long time, but never made it, so we took this as an opportunity.

Here are some things to know:

1. They don't take reservations and it can get very crowded, especially on a Saturday night and especially if you go with a big group. Plan accordingly. (We got there before they opened, so we were seated right away.)

2. They make their own cheese. Everything we ate was awesome. And my soup came in a squash. It was both beautiful and incredibly tasty.

3. It is not cheap, to put it very mildly. Be sure to bring your armored car. (Or your parents. Thanks parents! It was delicious.)

The Skirt.

 4. There's kosher funnel cake. Enough said.

Because we left right after Shabbat, I was still in my Shabbat clothes. I love this skirt and its 1950s feel. I've also been sort of into yellow lately. It's not really my color, but it works great as a bottom because you don't see how bad it looks against my skin tone. Also, the skirt is warm, pleated and has pockets. Check! The only problem was that I sort of regretted its fitted high waist when I ate all that pizza. Next time, sweatpants for everyone! I mean, not really. But sort of. I wasn't sure about tucking in the sweater, but it was cold and I think it worked okay in the end. I added the pendant I got in Nepal to break up the black a bit. There you have it.

Coming attractions: a trip to the Nutcracker, and TWO trips to the White House. Yup, I am that cool. Or at least, my friend Cindy is.

What I'm wearing: GAP sweater (similar here), Eshakti skirt (sold out), HUE tights, Matisse boots (similar here), necklace and bracelet from Nepal

Some Random Musings

Please excuse the crazy hair. Curly hair problems.

I made a special trip up to Sarah's apartment to take blog pictures for this outfit because I liked it so much. Preppy all the way. You're welcome.

I'm currently on a train to DC to visit the many delightful people who live there. Included on the agenda is meeting a (not so new anymore) baby, TWO White House tours, some museums, and time with great friends. In the meantime, I don't have much to say, but here are some of the random thoughts floating around my head right now. Just in case you ever wanted to know what it was like in there.

1. I've been finding lately that all I want to eat for breakfast is a combo of saltines, pistachios and dried mango. Some days I even do it.

2. It is surprisingly difficult to get work done in the library if you're there all alone, like I was last week. Also, it is surprisingly easy to go the entire day without speaking to anyone other than saying good morning to the security guard, which is pretty depressing.

3. I secretly hope that when I get to go the West Wing on Sunday (thanks Cindy!!!!), Jed Bartlet is there waiting for me. If you don't know who that is, I judge you. Sorry.

4. I think that the quiet car on Amtrak is one of the world's great inventions. When people don't respect it, I get irrationally angry and want to yell at them. But that wouldn't be quiet.

5. I've been neglecting the fall/ winter bucket list a bit and feeling bad about it. Let me know if you want to go ice skating, to a basketball game, or to the ballet.

I think that those are all of my thoughts for now, or at least all of the ones I want to put on the internet. Happy Wednesday to one and all!

What I'm wearing: A bunch of things that are really old. Boden jean skirt, GAP button down, GAP Factory cardigan, Born boots, HUE tights, scarf from Nepal

Coatless Caroling

Here, dear readers, is something you might not know about me. Despite the fact that, I think we can all agree, I am SUPER Jewish, I also have a great love of Christmas. The trees, the lights, the music, the way everything slows down and people are a little nicer than usual-- it may very well actually be the most wonderful time of the year.

One of the things I love is a good Christmas carol. I don't sing the ones with a lot of religious overtones because those feel a little uncomfortable to me (although I do enjoy listening to them since they are so beautiful), but enough of them are ecumenical that I get to sing along. So when I heard that Gramercy Park, one of the snottiest places in the city, opens its gates for an hour once a year for caroling, Sarah and I decided to go.

Here's what I have to say about Gramercy Park: not much. It's a park. It's not very interesting. Their trees was pretty, but I was less than impressed when the caroling ending and they basically told us to get out. Oh well.

Here's what I have to say about the caroling: It was fun! The spirit was good, the crowd mixed, and the band and choir pretty good. I liked that they gave us song sheets and encouraged us to sing along. Plus, as you can see, I was wearing no tights and no coat because even though it was Christmas Eve, it was in the 60s. So it was nice to be outside, if also disconcerting and vaguely terrifying if I thought too much about it. Instead, I focused on White Christmas, which is one of my favorites. Those Jews sure know how to write good carols.

I ended up walking home, which was a little insane because it's about five miles, but I wanted to see the store windows and it was a lovely evening. Here are some of the sights I saw along the way, including a red and green Empire State Building and windows from Macy's, Lord and Taylor, and Saks. The streets were full of tourists, Christmas spirit, and people eating ice cream. Because nothing says Christmas like ice cream, right?

That's it for the blog for 2015. Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2016 is everything you want it to be and more. See you back here next year!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (very old, similar here), Downeast Basics blouse (similar here), GAP Factory cardigan (similar here), Sperry for J. Crew boat shoes (similar here)

The Magic Skirt

Look at me, pretending I know how to have my picture taken while standing in front of the many piles of recycling I never quite manage to take out...

And yes, I realize the lighting is terrible. Nothing to be done about that, sadly, while living in this apartment. Hopefully you get the idea, especially because the main point here is the shape of the skirt.

Here is the story of this skirt. There's a boutique near my parents' apartment called Purdy Girl. Their stuff is really cute (and I've seen some Stitch Fix items there), but also basically always out of my budget. But they moved a few months ago and put their whole store on sale for 50% off, so I ended up buying two skirts, including this one.

Usually when I shop, I can tell what I like or don't like right away. However, I wasn't totally sold on this one. Instead, I did that annoying thing where I made people in the store tell me if they liked it or not. I was worried it made me look hippy, but they assured me that I should get it. And now I look at it and think, how is it possible that a skirt could make my waist look so small? We all have our moments of vanity; welcome to mine.

The skirt has a really pretty blue/ black pattern with touches of silver, so I kept everything else basic black and added the moonstone pendant I got in Nepal. I wore this to synagogue, where I was complimented many times and told more than once that I looked like I was going to a holiday party. Tis the season, right? What to do you wear when you want to feel pretty?

What I'm wearing: Moon skirt via Purdy Girl (similar here), Kosher Casual top, HUE tights, Aerosoles heels (similar here), necklace from Nepal (similar here)

A Day in the Garden

So I was going to write a post about transitioning summer pieces for fall today... But then I woke up and checked the weather, and the current temperature was 37. Which I think we can all agree is really unacceptable for October 18. Thus, instead, I will hearken back to a happier time, when it was still warm out, and Shaina and I went to spend a lovely morning in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

[On one hand, these pictures were taken long enough ago that Shaina was still pregnant, and as of today, Baby Pickle is a month old. On the other hand, in my defense, he did arrive earlier than planned.]

The garden was really beautiful. It was full of late summer flowers, and the weather was absolutely perfect. For a garden outing,  I chose my chambray skirt with flowered embroidery around the bottom. Looking at the pictures, I might go with a colored shirt next time. You know, when it's warm again.

One of the coolest things in the garden was a smelling garden, where there were all sorts of flowers and herbs with strong smells. It was designed especially for the blind, under the assumption that, just because they can't see, it doesn't mean that they can't enjoy the gardens. Plus, there was a flower that smelled just like chocolate, which was pretty amazing.

Smell the flowers!

 I am always a sucker for a Japanese Garden. There's something about the greenery, water and wood that is especially evocative to me. The water was really green, which was pretty gross, but hey, you can't have everything, right?

Me, Shaina and Pickle, when he was still inside.

With my IDNYC, I joined the garden for free. (If you're a New York City resident and don't have one, I highly recommend it. It takes 10 minutes and you can join all sorts of amazing cultural institutions for free for a year, as long as you do it by 12/31/15.) I am hoping to go back some time this fall to see the leaves changing, and definitely in the winter, when I bet snow makes it even prettier.

And then, because we were in Brooklyn, we went to a kosher bakery to get some of my favorite kiddush cookies, which most people think are gross, but I love. Yum!
A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I'm on Instagram now. I'm not totally sure how I'm going to use it yet, but feel free to follow me @curlyhairglasses!

What I'm wearing: super old Boden skirt (vaguely similar here), Kosher Casual shirt, b.o.c. sandals