A Perfect Day at the Ballpark... Except for One (Big) Thing

For reasons that nobody in my family, including me, really understands, I became a hardcore sports fan when I was 10. Every morning, I would make a beeline for the sports pages. I could recite  all sorts of random statistics at the drop of a hat. My bedroom walls were lined with sports posters. My family thought I was some sort of alien.

If my father had cared about sports, it's possible I would have ended up a Pirates fan, but he didn't, so I chose my teams. And, as would be the case with almost any kid choosing their loyalties from New York, I chose the Knicks and the Yankees, because in those days, they were the ones who were winning. (Yes, I know. I have paid dearly for those Knicks teams of the 90s in recent years.)

Over time, my obsession wained and became more of a hobby. I still pay attention, but if you asked me to name, say, C.C. Sabathia's ERA, I would certainly not be able to summon that information from anywhere in my brain. But because this was the summer of the Bucket List, I made sure to head to Yankees Stadium. My friend Yossi, who is (along with his wife Brooke) among the hardest of the core, was kind enough to accompany to a day game on a BEAUTIFUL day the last week of August.

One of the things I liked best about the Yankees, even as a kid (besides, you know, all of the winning) was how classy they were. Mariana Rivera (hence my t-shirt), Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams-- those core guys stayed out of the tabloids, kept their heads down, and got things done. As a mediocre athlete with a strong sense of sportsmanship, I think that appealed to me. So it was fun, before the game, to head with Yossi into Monument Park, where so many Yankees of that era have had their numbers retired. Even if it also made me feel sort of old. But also like I got to watch players I might tell my kids about one day. Hate on the Yankees, as I'm sure many of you do and will, but you have admit that they have history.

The perfect day for some mediocre baseball.

 The weather was perfect. Monument Park was so cool. There were kosher pretzels and ice cream. The recipe for a dream day at the ball park. Except...

The Yankees forgot how to play baseball for the fifth inning. They remembered again later in the game, but by then it was too late. And, as happened earlier this week in the Wild Card game, the Astros just totally shut them down. It was not pretty, the score was not close, and even that score suggested it was closer than it was. Oh well.

But part of being a true fan is picking your head up and carrying on. So I am doing my best to get my nephews (and niece, when she's older) to cheer for the Yanks. Because their father is a Red Sox fan, and that just won't do.

Pinstripes forever! See you at Spring Training.

And because this is a fashion blog, at least theoretically... Yes, I am wearing red pants! It took me a long time to get up the courage, but now I have somehow managed to accumulate two pairs. Go figure. These are the casual ones. I love them.

Also, yes, my Converse have holes in them. I know, they're disgusting. One day I will throw them out. It turns out Converse aren't supposed to last 10 years. But man, do I love them so...

What I'm wearing: LOFT cropped khakis (similar here), Yankees t-shirt (similar here), '47 baseball hat (similar here), Converse sneakers (not made in this color anymore, but similar here)

Tutus for Grown Ups

Yesterday, I was at synagogue (because it's that time of year) and one of my friends complimented me on my dress. "Thanks!" I said. "But you've seen it before! I wore it on Rosh Hashanah." And she said, "But it hasn't been on the blog, so it's as if it didn't happen."

So apparently that's the new rule. Blog or it didn't happen.

I have apparently given up on blogging in order. Oh well. So you will see a mix of pictures from back in the days when I was wearing sandals all the time, and ones that were taken recently where I am wearing boots and tights. Although now that I think of it, I'm not sure I've taken any pictures recently, in part because of the hideous brace I am sadly still wearing and in part because my main photographer has been busy on account of having had a baby. (I know, where are people's priorities?)

I decided to post these pictures tonight because I wore almost the exact same outfit last night for Simchat Torah. Just imagine that I am not wearing the necklace and that I AM wearing an awesome pair of red sequined Converse. Simchat Torah is all about singing and dancing, so if ever there was a time to dress in a tutu and crazy sneakers, last night seemed like it. My friend Molly and my sister Rebecca told me that I looked like "What Carrie Bradshaw would look like if she went to Simchat Torah." I chose to take that as a compliment.

Trying to be a ballerina #1.

 One of the many things I love about New York is that you can walk down the street wearing a tulle skirt, a fleece, and red sequined sneakers, and almost nobody looks twice. Except the little girl who told me I looked like a beautiful princess. So I think we can say I was winning.

Try to be a ballerina #2.

I have wanted a tulle skirt for a long time, but always wondered if people older than 7 who are not dancing for the New York City Ballet could actually get away with wearing one. But in the name of taking more fashion risks in the new year, I went for it, and I must say that it is one of the most fun items of clothing I have worn in a long time. I might be double digits in age, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good twirly skirt.

Now that the holidays are over and my thumb is still splinted but feeling much better, hopefully I will be back with all of you, my dear readers, with more regularity. As always, thanks for sticking with me!

What I'm wearing: Eshakti tulle skirt, Kosher Casual shirt, b.o.c. sandals (similar here), Laila Rowe necklace (similar here and here)

Stitch Fix Review September 2015: The Fun's in the Details

Ok, I'm back! I'm sorry for staying away for so long. I'm still wearing the annoying brace, which makes typing a challenge, but thankfully, my thumb hurts a lot less, so I came back to all of you, dear readers!

And... it's Stitch Fix time!

This Stitch Fix actually came almost three weeks ago. I'm just behind. And this was a good one! Alison really listened to my requests, which were as follows: I asked for something I could wear during this crazy holiday season, the jeans from my last fix in blue, and things that would transition well for fall. (These pictures were taken the day before Rosh Hashanah, which is why my hair is weird and straight.)

Let's see what we've got. (And for a reminder of how Stitch Fix works, click here!)

The excitement builds... 

And look! I see color!

 I had a little bit of credit left this time around, so that gave me some pricing flexibility. If I had kept everything, it would have cost $202 before the credit, or $165 after. However, I did not keep everything (but I did keep more than one this time around!)

The Style Card

I included a close-up of Alison's note this time, because it was so nice! I really felt like she listened to me, especially with her recommendations about the dress. Let's take a look:

Fun2Fun Altoona Crew Neck Top in Black-- $48
Dear John Marson Wide Leg Jean in Navy-- $78

 This was a 50/50. I loved the jeans. They're the ones I got in the last fix, but I hadn't liked the black wash, so Alison sent them in blue. I had to keep them. I HATE jeans shopping. Seriously. It is just the worst. So if someone wants to send jeans that fit perfectly to my house, then I will keep them. Also, I used to be all about boot cut, but they all either stopped fitting or got holes in them, so it is nice to have something other than a straight leg again.

The top, I was less enthusiastic about.  As you can see in the pictures, it was sort of too big. Also, it was a little blah. My sister said, It looks like something someone middle aged would wear. And I'm not there quite yet, so I was not sad to say good bye to this one.

Jean status: Kept!
Shirt status: Return

Crescent Freese Scoop Neck Top in Navy-- $48

Shaina said this picture is a little Jesus-y.
I assure you I was just trying to show off the weirdo sleeves.

 I hated this top. I actually liked the pattern okay, but that was pretty much it. I didn't like the fabric. It reminded me of the crinkly skirts I used to wear as a teenager. And I HATED the sleeves. Seriously, who wants sleeves that are going to slide over the place and make your arms look bigger?

Also, there was this tie in the back. My shoulders were way too narrow for the shirt, so everything was flopping all over the place. Not for me. Good bye, weird shirt.

Status: Return

Papermoon Gresham Split Back Knit Top in Navy-- $48

This is the shirt I kept going back and forth on. At first I loved it, especially because it fit so well. Then I felt like maybe I have too much navy. But then it was so fun. Sarit ultimately convinced me to keep it, and I have already worn it, so I guess it was a good pick!

The whole fun of this shirt is in the back. It's a split back, so it needs a tank top underneath. I like the flower print because it's really different from the things I usually wear. Plus, it's SUPER soft. I had trouble figuring out what to wear with it, because I didn't like navy with dark jeans, but when I tried it with my green pencil skirt, and I liked it a lot. So...

Status: Kept!

41Hawthorn Danette Dress-- $74

This was the other thing I was on the fence about. I loved it right out the box. The color is beautiful and the fabric was really high quality. It was also really different from the things I usually wear, which I liked, as I am trying to mix it up a bit. Plus, it had this cool tie on the side, which was a little bit different.

The problem was the length. As Alison predicted, it was too short. It has a little bit of the high-low thing going on, so it's long enough in the back, but not in the front. I wasn't sure about how to layer it, but I put a navy skirt underneath, and it looked enough like a tunic that I thought it could work. I wore it a few days later and got many compliments. So yay!

Status: Kept!

So if you're keeping score, that's 3 kept and 2 sent back. This is the first time in a while that I have kept more than one thing. If it hadn't been Rosh Hashanah, I might have tried to sell the other two shirts to get the discount, but the holiday made it too complicated. But it's ok. I'm really happy with the things I kept, and feel like they were a helpful step in diversifying my wardrobe a bit, which I wanted. So yay!

And now, because of the delay, my next fix is in less than two weeks. Time flies! Want to get in on the fun? Sign up for your own fix here!

A Polka Dot Splint

That is my poor, sad thumb. Your favorite curly haired blogger is also a klutz, and I wiped out while running yesterday. Purple-y bruised knees and a badly sprained thumb are my souvenirs. Clearly the lesson is that I shouldn't exercise, right???

Among other things, this means that typing is difficult and sort of painful, and therefore my efforts must be directed towards things like finishing my Yom Kippur speech and taking notes for comps, and not blogging for a little while. I am bummed.

Hopefully the pain will lessen soon, and then I will be back with things like the end of the summer bucket list, my September Stitch Fix review, and the big plans for the fall.

And in the meantime, at least they gave me a polka dot splint. I'd like to think it's because they know me and want me to be happy.

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)

Gonna Make Me Sweat

Hello from the library! The blog catch-up continues.

People like to say that women don't sweat, they glow. Well, people, that is dumb. I sweat. Sometimes gross amounts, or at least certainly more than I care to acknowledge sometimes. But you know what? It's part of being a human. And it means my body is working and doing cool things. So there.

These pictures were taken at Nyack Beach State Park, where I did my bucket list hiking with my friend Hannah. It was SUPER humid that day. We were both sweating before we even started up the mountain. Where we proceeded to lose the trail and get lost. Oops. Don't worry, everyone made it home safely!

See, we made it back to the bottom.

As a modest dresser, exercise clothes actually provide a significant challenge for me. I care not at all about what I look like if I'm, say, out running-- it will all be disgusting and sweaty in a few minutes anyway-- but I still want to maintain my modesty standards as much as possible. However, it seems that someone decided that everyone in the world only wants to work out in leggings. I do not wear leggings. But sweatpants don't work because they fall down, and I think we can all agree that mooning people certainly isn't modest.

The view from the top!

So I did a long and intensive search and finally found some workout pants at Marshalls that didn't fall down and weren't leggings. But now that I see these pictures... they look like leggings. Sigh. I promise they aren't, but there was only so much time and effort I could devote to this shopping project. But if you have any suggestions (that aren't insanely expensive), please let me know in the comments!

And now, some pictures of nature:

What I'm wearing: Look Human t-shirt, Danskin capris via Marshalls, '47 Yankees hat (similar here), Adidas sneakers via DSW

Shana Tova U'Metukah!

No time to write a full post, as Rosh Hashanah is approaching so there are challahs to bake and self-reflection to do, but I wanted to wish all of my dear readers a wonderful year of only good things, new adventures, successful risk taking...

... And skirts for grown-ups that look like tutus. Thanks for sticking with me on this funny project. Have a good and sweet new year!