Best Wedding, Best Dress

If you read my last post, you know it's been a bit of a rough week, as I have a stomach virus that won't go away. Luckily, I also have wonderful friends and neighbors who take extra good care of me, including one who showed up at my door last night with a giant plate of rice that she made me so that I wouldn't have to eat Tradition Soup and then die of MSG poisoning.

So in Sarit's honor, and because she and Abe got married a month and a half ago, and because Throwback Thursday is apparently a thing... I (finally) bring you Sarit and Abe's wedding!

First of all: the wedding was beautiful, and more importantly, super fun and energetic and everything you would have expected from Sarit and Abe. Every detail was thought out, including one of the most rocking tisches I've ever been to. (That link is not especially progressive, and therefore only talks about the groom's tisch, but many of the weddings I go to, including this one, have a bride's tisch as well.)

Secondly, the dress I wore is amazing and if it were appropriate, I would probably wear it every day. I bought it on major clearance from the Boden holiday line last year, but haven't had a chance to wear it because this is most definitely a special occasion dress. It's jacquard, which is sort of like a brocade-type fabric. It has an amazing vintage-y feel to it, which I love. It came with sleeves, which saved me all of the "what layers can be worn with this and still look normal" troubles. And it's super unusual, which I enjoy in what is often a sea of black dresses. (Yes, Jews wear blacks to weddings.)

The happy bride and groom.

Accessories for this outfit were a bit of a challenge. The shoes really needed to be navy, but I didn't want to buy new shoes for a dress I hardly ever get to wear. But then I saw these at DSW on crazy clearance for $12, and then they were the most comfortable heels I've ever put on. So here we go.

Also, there are few things stupider than a clutch. This is when it's hard to be a girl. What's the point of a purse where, if you put anything in it, it gets lumpy and looks bad? Sigh. Luckily I had a giant suitcase with me, and luckily we live in the age of flat phones, so it all worked out ok. But nonetheless, let my objection be noted.

Ahh this is so exciting!

Now look below. This is my friend Ariella. It's hard to see in the picture, but she was wearing a super awesome necklace. She's smart and fun and interesting, and she is VERY excited to make her blog debut. (Actually. Like, as soon as we took this picture, she said, I get to be on the blog!)

Sadly, I missed most of the reception because I (happily) had to go to Nepal. The first round of dancing was epic enough, though, to ensure that I smelled very terrible by the time I got to Nepal. Sorry, everyone who had to sit next to me on the airplane.

However, everyone knows that a true fashionista has an outfit change in the middle of a major event, so here was mine:

Mazel tov Sarit and Abe! Enjoy your honeymoon! Thanks for being such good friends and neighbors! And for all of the rice.

What I'm wearing (in outfit #1): Boden dress (never seen anything else like it, but similar genres and fabrics here and here), Kelly and Katie heels via DSW, clutch via Amazon

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

Signature Look or a Rut?

Do you ever have the feeling when you look in your closet that you basically have many versions of the same outfit?

Guys, I feel like I'm in a rut. Partly because having this blog is making me more aware of what I wear every day, but also because every day when I get up, I feel like I'm putting on the same thing. Full skirt (whether printed or solid), solid top, sandals, and maybe a belt if I'm feeling creative. On one hand, this look mostly works for me. It flatters my pear shape and keeps me comfortable. But on the other hand, shouldn't I mix it up sometimes? Granted, it is harder in the summer, when I can't do my usual compulsive layering and often find it too hot to wear pants. But still. Is it time to diversify? Is the blog getting boring?

Sarit wanted me to post this on the blog solely
because of the belt. So there you go.

I recognize that this feeling often happens at this time of year. I get tired of my summer clothes and start wanting boots and tights again (but NOT my big winter coat.) But I think this is also partly a post-summer malaise. I love summer because I get to teach and it reminds me of why grad school is worth it. But the anticipation of going back to the library (basically) full time is sometimes difficult for me. I am very spoiled that I get to learn what I love full time, but sometimes I feel like I am not out in the world doing enough. Sigh. Apparently I am introspective tonight. I'll be more fun next time, promise!

Anyway, food for thought. And if you have thoughts on ways to mix it up, please leave them in the comments!

What I'm wearing: Moon skirt via ModCloth, Target shirt (super old, similar here), random belt from Bolton's (similar here)

I Carried a Watermelon.

Guys, today is a very exciting day. Our first ever fashion-recipe mash-up! (Not literally, though, as that would be messy.)

No one puts baby in the corner!

When I was a kid, we used to go to Connecticut for the summer. I called this the country, although in retrospect, it was clearly the suburbs. What did I know? I was from Manhattan.

Anyway. During said summer adventures, one of my strongest memories is making popsicles. We had molds that we filled with juice (or, during one ill-fated adventure, milk and mashed up Hydrox, which did NOT turn out to be cookies and cream) and then ate as popsicles. So when I realized I had a gift certificate to Zabars, I decided to relive my youth and make some popsicles!

Sarit and I have been having lots of fun with my popsicle molds and her Vitamix, which is crazy awesome and amazing. Last week, we made watermelon lime ginger popsicles and they are delicious.

Aren't they a beautiful color???

The original recipe is here. We didn't exactly measure anything and we left out the sugar and instead added just a little bit of honey. The spicy/ sweet/ sour combo is amazing and super refreshing. And healthy! Hurrah! We made waaaaay too much, so we made icees in plastic cups and then, when we had too many of those, brought some to Shaina and Avi next door. Watermelon for everyone!

And if you don't get the references to the movie cited above.... well.... you should spend more times watching 80s-tastic movies.

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (super old, similar here), Tahari v-neck shirt via TJ Maxx (similar here), Downeast Basics cami

When Your Skirt Matches the Tree...

Last Tuesday was a very exciting day. No, not because I found a tree to match my skirt. Although that was fun too. But it was because my friend Ruth came to visit!

Ruth used to be my chevruta, but then she had to go get a job in DC, far away from me. (So selfish.) We still study together on Skype, but it is not the same. So imagine my excitement when she told me she was coming in to speak at a panel!

I have to admit that I did not attend said panel. However, we did take a lovely stroll through the park and have vegan food for dinner. I heart vegan food. I made her stop and take blog pictures for me, because I realized my skirt matched the tree so nicely!

An embarrassing confession about this outfit. I realized that it is the exact same one I wore here, but in different colors. Yes, this is my other random British skirt bought on impulse. In my defense, the two look very different, but when I realized I was wearing the same shirt in a different color as well, I thought about not blogging about it. But how could I hide such a thing from you, my loyal readers? So here you have it, in all of its awkward glory.

We also saw black tulips! They were so gorgeous. Man, I love the spring.

And finally, to top today off, some excellent advice I saw on makeup bags for sale in a store window. I didn't buy them, as I don't wear makeup, but I photographed them so I could share them with all of you. Because to me, few things sound more delightful than being a beautiful cupcake. AKA, let your freak flag fly, and the world will love you for it.

What I'm wearing: super old British skirt, Willi Smith shirt via TJ Maxx (similar here), Sperry for J.Crew boat shoes (similar here)

P is for PASS!!!

Some of my favorite things that I write about on this blog start with P. Purple. Pockets. Pleats. Polka dots. But today, our favorite P word of the day is PASS.

Yes, that is right. Your favorite modest, fashionable curly haired Talmud scholar has passed her fifth comp! This time it was Talmud Yerushalmi. For those of you not familiar with the Yerushalmi... well.. let's just say, imagine recording bits and pieces of a conversation, but not all of them, and then translating them into Palestinian Aramaic. That is pretty much the Yerushalmi. I am not sorry to see it be behind me.

Already thinking hard about my next comp.

For those of you keeping track at home, this is #5 out of 7. I'll take the next one in three weeks, and then will spend many months reading before I take the last one. But ABD is starting to feel like it might be in sight!

In addition to today being the day of the happy passing dance, it is also the first really hot day we've had this year-- in the 80s, and humid. I decided to break out the spring colors. This is a great skirt because it can match with so many different things. I went with green today, but expect to see it with other color combos in the future. Plus, the elastic in the skirt makes it super comfy, even when I eat celebratory cupcake.

Finally, Sarit, my esteemed photographer, asked me to talk about my sandals, on account of her loving them. Until now, I've sat out the gladiator sandals craze, because most of them hit around the ankle, which always made me look stumpy in the legs. However, I liked the idea of them because my heels tend to get dry and crack like crazy in the summer, which is very painful. I love that these have backs. So when I saw a pair in gladiator style that crossed the foot instead, I was very excited. But I needed another pair of shoes like I need a hole in the head. But then... DSW sent me a birthday coupon. Oh, ok, DSW. If you insist. Winning!

All in all, good day for Rachel. And I hope for you too! See you back here soon!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt, Jones New York shirt via TJ Maxx (similar here), b.o.c. sandals

A Sunday in the Garden

One of my favorite movies is You've Got Mail. I know, not the most sophisticated fare, but in addition to being a great sappy love story, the sort of thing for which I am a sucker, it is also a love song for New York, and especially for my neighborhood, the Upper West Side. I remember going to soccer camp in high school and meeting girls from rural New Jersey and Pennsylvania who were amazed to learn that I actually lived in Manhattan. "Wait," one of them asked me. "You're from New York? Are you a prostitute? Have you ever been stabbed?" Umm, not exactly. Instead, to me, even after all of these years, New York continues to be one of the most magical places in the world. (As John Updike said, "The true New Yorker believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding." Sorry, I sound like a snob. Ok, I know that it is unlikely I will be able to afford to live here forever. So just grant me my happy spring New York, okay?)

 My love of New York is never stronger than it is in the springtime, especially after a particularly horrid winter like the one we had. My parents were generous enough to buy me a new camera for my birthday, so my sister Sarah and I took it to the Conservatory Garden and North Woods in Central Park to try it out. If you've never been to the Conservatory Garden, you are totally missing out. It's on the East Side, with an entrance on 5th at 104th street. It's actually three gardens in one-- an Italian one, an English lawn garden and, my personal favorite, the French garden. We spent most of our time in the French garden, but overall spent a glorious hour or so wandering around, taking pictures, smelling the flowers, and reveling in the beautiful spring day.

Look at me, so happy under the Magnolia

And in case I didn't convince you about New York's glorious beauty, a few of the shots I took with my new toy:

Finally, I've been hearing from a number of you about how much you're enjoying the blog. I'm so glad! Keep reading, and always feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments, or by emailing me here!

What did you do on your glorious Sunday?

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (bought during the mid-season sale because who has $68 to spend on a jersey skirt?), Jones New York shirt via TJ Maxx (similar here), Toms shoes (similar here), Gap Factory jean jacket (similar here)