Make a Move

Every November, the global charity Movember encourages men to grow a mustache for the thirty days of the month to bring much-needed awareness to men’s issues of prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.

I hope those of you with an aptitude for growing facial hair will save a razor in order to prompt conversations around increasing awareness and understanding. For those who want to support the scruff but cannot grow mustaches of their own, here’s a roundup of some whimsical accessories.

To learn more about men’s health and how to raise funds, visit Movember.

1. Mustache bottle stopper. 2. Zara velvet smoking slipper. 3. Cufflinks, Inc. Cool Cut mustache cuff links. 4. Mustachifier mustache pacifiers in The Cowboy, The Gentleman, and The Ladies Man. 5. Dude and Chick letterpress Grow Crazy birthday card. 6. Forever21 mustache and sunglasses ring set. 7. Tervis Tumblers in The Connoisseur; also available in The Handle Bar, The Fu Manchu, and The Magnum.

The Wee Ones

While those who are parents have the guidance of experience on their side, the rest of us are left to our own devices or a gift registry when it comes to selecting gifts for baby showers and early birthdays. With any gift, I yearn to find one that is high in quality, beautiful, and meaningful to both the recipient and the giver.

My latests discoveries this summer (thanks to Brooklyn Flea) were my favorite kind: locally made!

Winter Water Factory screen prints boldly monochromatic and whimsical textiles. They are 100% certified organic cotton, and designed with both city and country in mind. They offer some of the most creative gender-neutral options out there. Mix and match a few for a complete gift!

Clockwise from top left: Knights & Dragons snapsuit. Bridge & Tunnel French terry blanket. High Seas tee. Night Owls jumpsuit.
via Winter Water Factory.

Hazel Village hand stitches beautiful animals in natural colors of organic cotton and stuffed with hypoallergenic poly fill. Each animal starts naked (don’t we all?) and can be dressed to your liking from a selection of dresses, socks, hoodies, waistcoats, scarves, backpacks—you name it! What’s more—each animal can be monogrammed over its heart (in a heart) for the most personal touch.

Left to right: Ella Toad. Jeremy Owl. Catalina Mouse. via Hazel Village.

To tie it all together, I always keep kraft paper and bakery twine on hand. This allows me to personalize gifts for every occasion!

Published in Print

The end of the academic year brings with it squeals for summer and tears of goodbye, photos at commencement and autographs in yearbooks. This year’s yearbook was a fashion magazine featuring the sartorial preferences of students, faculty, and administrators. I was lucky enough to get a photo spread with an interview conducted by the publication’s editor-in-chief. Here’s what I had to say to my teenage audience. Hopefully there are a few nuggets in here for you, too!

1. Who is your fashion icon?
I don’t really have a fashion icon but if I had to choose one person whose style I consistently admire, it would be my mom. She moved seamlessly from a young professional to a new and active mom to a mother with teenage daughters. She had a lot of character and confidence, and somehow blended glamour and cool with practicality and a sense of appropriateness.

Other people I look to are your everyday people—men and women on the subway and in the streets—who have an effortless style as they go about their everyday lives.

2. What is your favorite clothing article or accessory?
You’d think I would say a great pair of shoes or a statement necklace, but my favorite accessory is the watch. I feel naked without one and I can’t stand being late.

3. How did you dress in high school?
Because I had a uniform in high school, there wasn’t much to play with—but where I could, I would. I wore a lot of fishnet tights and ties. I guess I was already playing a naturally feminine and classic inclination against some masculine and raw edge.

4. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear the same ensemble twice. How do you plan your outfits?
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a planner and extremely scheduled, so my outfits are centered around my activities for the day. On weekdays, an outfit has to take me from work to a meeting/volunteering to a social event. On weekends, I go from working out to brunch to running errands to an afternoon meet-up…usually there’s a costume change before the evening.

While I do wear the same ensemble twice, sometimes several days in a row, it’s rare because I love reimagining, reinventing, and repurposing. I value the longevity of quality, classic, and vintage items both to be green and to cherish the stories old things hold. I still wear some of my clothes from high school, and I wear a lot of my mom’s clothes (and even some of my dad’s) and carry her bags, etc. Sometimes they’re great as is; sometimes I update them to extend their lives.

5. Do you have any tips for aspiring fashionistas?
A. There are no rules.
B. Take risks.
C. Get inspired:
– Look up and around you—people watch!
– Read a lot (books, blogs, magazines, newspapers, art, etc.)
– Travel the world (or your city!)

Photos by Lara LoBrutto

My First Mini

Some things never go out of style: the little black dress, a sharp blazer, and giving.

This weekend, the rain came down, but then the sun came out. And on Saturday morning, a team of colleagues and I ran the women-only Oakley New York Mini 10K alongside more than 5,500 women in Central Park. Through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training (TNT), our team raised funds to help find cures and more effective treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma.

As you know, every activity requires sartorial consideration!

On race day, we donned TNT’s trademark purple and colorful kicks.

My friend Shanna and I were twinsies in our athletic getup,
but she’s a pro and personalized her singlet!

This was my first real road race, and it turned out to be not only inspiring but also a great exercise in setting a goal, training with (some) discipline, and having fun. The generosity and support of family and friends have been energizing and greatly appreciated. Here’s to the power of women!