New Name and Identity Crisis

Since I won't live in New York City anymore, I was thinking I should change the name of my blog. I started brainstorming new names, but they all seem so lame. Suburban Fashionista, Surburban Fashionista Queen (as suggested by my daughter, who BTW, wants to start her own blog at the ripe age of 7!!), Suburban Style, Fashion and Style in the Suburbs. Yuck... Seems as if I am stuck on the word Suburban...and I guess that is why all the names are so boring. Suburbs are boring. I can only ask what the hell was I thinking, buying a house in the suburbs? What am I doing to myself? I don't want to become a boring suburban soccer mom who drives around in a minivan - nightmare! Thank God my kids don't do soccer. I think I am going through a small identity crisis. All my life I have identified myself as a Citygirl. So what happens to that identity now that I won't live in the City anymore? And, what will I name my blog?

From Birkins to Composting

Isn't it wonderful what a wide range of items a person can be interested in? Sometimes it is pretty funny though. I just feel a bubbly giggle coming up when I think about my current obsessions and put them side by side: Birkins and Composters. So far apart, but still so important. My transformation from a Citygirl to a real suburbanite is taking place faster than anyone could have imagined. And I am embracing that transformation whole heartedly. Soon I may even purchase my first Crocs (NOT!).

So yes, I am a bit obsessed about composting. But being still at least half-hearted citygirl I have been looking for a composting bin that would look good, not smell and not attract flies.. And surprise, I have found some good options. Gardening seems to really have moved to the 21st Century. Here are some great futuristic looking composting globes that may even work as pieces of lawn art:

When a dream almost comes true..

For the longest time I had dismissed Hermes Birkin bags as something quite ridiculous because I felt that they were too expensive to be taken seriously. Meanwhile I bought a couple of designer bags each season and those did not come cheap even though they were nowhere near to the prices of Birkins. When I recently stopped shopping I started looking at things a bit differently. Birkin (and Kelly - but I just love big bags, which is why I am focusing on Birkin) is something that lasts forever. The style never changes, never goes out of style, it is classic and has exquisite workmanship which is quite rare these days.  Birkin is recognizable, but probably not by the masses, which also makes it more desirable for me, as I am sick of logos and bling bling. (The other bag on my wish list is a Bottega Veneta - also logo free, but so far the purchases for the new house have overruled any accessories shopping.)

So about six months ago I made an announcement to my husband in which I told him to forgo any Valentine, Birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas or Just-because-I-love-you presents for the next couple of years and just get me a Birkin for my 40th birthday (along with a big party weekend in Vegas!!). Since then my darling hubby has had his eye open for Birkins. He now recognizes the bag that he had never heard of before and can point it out for me if he sees someone carrying it.

On Thursday he went to an auction partly because they were auctioning off a Blue Jean Birkin (among some artsy objects that we were interested in). He was a successful bidder, in the end competing with an old lady who looked like she probably had a good collection of Birkins. I guess she was missing the Blue Jean as she had the guts to bid higher and higher. In the end it was too much even for my dedicated hubby and the old lady won the prize. The good news is that there is another auction coming up soon with a Birkin on the list! Did I tell you that once my man has gotten something in his head, he is relentless until he gets what he wants, even if it takes a lot of effort and a long time - so I am assured that I shall have my Birkin one day.

Birkin is a bag that evokes passionate following, as evidenced by the books that have been written about it, most famously by Michael Tonello: Bringin Home the Birkin -My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag. (The title says it all!)

Whole blogs have been dedicated to Birkins: http://mybirkinblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-birkin-blog-spots.html

Varpunen - A home worth featuring

What a nice surprise it was this morning as I checked my email and the Remodelista entry contained a wonderfully original and stylishly black and white little home from Finland. I love this home because it has obviously not been decorated with big money, but with big vision and ideas. I wish I had half the creativity of this decorator!

Spring has sprung

I love Michelle Obama's style! As does the rest of the world..everyone seems to be in awe of our first lady and her easygoing and yet elegant and always appropriate style. I have always found spring dressing a bit difficult. I am not big on pastels, flowery stuff and all that. But Michelle Obama does the Spring Dress so well, kudos to her.

Memories of Snow

Now that it is almost summer, snow looks almost exotic..

Stella McCartney for Gap

I finally had a chance to go to the Gap yesterday to check out Stella McCartney's collection for Gap Kids. I loved the collection, especially the tissue thin cotton ruffle tops for girls and the adorable eyelet and fish dresses. For some reason I can't post pics today, so you need to go the Gap web site to view these very cute clothes.

Members Only

I have to admit that I am quite the sale-hawk and a self-anointed outlet queen. I just get very excited about the thought of getting something for less. At some point this was almost a problem as I would buy anything if it was on sale..thinking that I was getting a good deal..even if I did not need or even like the product (usually shoes, bags, clothes, accessories) very much. I have a $5 Gucci scarf in my closet still that is uglier than hell! And the load of Marc Jacobs shoes that were 90% off (I mean seriously - who could NOT buy MJ shoes for 90% off??). But both the scarf and the shoes (about 5 pairs including boots) have never been used and take up valuable space in my closet. I hear someone say eBay - but I have tried it and it is just too much work for not much profit.

So, to the topic of the title --> Members Only. I was very excited when about a year or two ago I got invited to a couple of Members Only discount shopping sites, namely Ideeli and Gilt. These are sites that sell higher end overstock at a reasonable discount, usually about half off the original price. The sites send you an email about the upcoming sale and what they have in inventory, and you have to place an order at the specified time when the particular product that you want is on sale. A great idea I thought - and could not wait to start getting the emails and snagging up the best deals. Two years later I have purchased NOTHING from these sites. My inbox is overflowing with the constant emails and I have had to designate the emails as junk because they crowd out the really important emails. One of the biggest turn-offs for me is that the sales are final sales and cannot be returned. When you are buying online it is really important that you be able to return as you cannot properly assess the color, quality and fit of the product based on the picture on the screen. Another thing that bugs me is the Members Only aspect. Just as fashion has been democratized by outlets and cheap chic collections, these members only sites just rub me the wrong way.

 I have to admit that I may have grown out of the sale and outlet craze - and graduated into a mature, considering consumer. Makes me proud to say! But I am still wondering whether I should keep the MJ shoes as we move in the summer - or just admit defeat and donate to goodwill?

Jetlag and Happy Easter Monday

My eyelids are drooping as I write this and it is 4:16 in the afternoon. Jetlag is taking over. I took a little Easter break and went to visit family in Finland. Came back yesterday. I cannot cope well with jetlag and suffer both ways. It is worse of course when you fly east because you lose time. Usually Ambien is helpful in keeping some semblance of "normal sleeping hours" but being pregnant I did not use any drugs this time.. Luckily after all these years all my friends and family in Finland know that I am totally out of it until about noon time. (Thank God for mummu who happily feeds and entertains the kids while mommy sleeps..) Now, back home in New York I try to hold on to the pattern of going to sleep early and waking up early. Unfortunately it only lasts so long... There are some good news too: Despite the jetlag, I finally feel like a human being again - seems like pregnancy hormones have stabilized and there is no more morning sickness or overreaching tiredness. The first ultrasound results were good too, which is a blessing at this (advanced) age :-)  (and the ultrasound person gave me his personal opinion that I may be carrying a boy - a welcome addition to balance out the girl power in our family)...but don't tell anyone yet as this information has not been fully confirmed yet.

SUMMER! (and maternity loot)

It is 70 degrees today (20+ celsius) and feels like summer! The crocuses and daffodils are blooming, kids are having a great time on their scooters and living is easy :-) 

I did manage to buy about 20 pieces of maternity wear yesterday..of which 3 pieces have to go back after more careful home inspection. I only bought the black tunic top from Heidi Klum's Loved collection. I was not impressed with the fit or quality of the other items. The tunic is really cool though and I can start wearing it right away, and probably will wear it through to the end.. 

Here is the loot that I am keeping:
2 pairs of work pants (black and pinstripe)

2 pair of leggings (black and jeans)

1 skinny jeans (black)

2 "funky" tops (red and black; and black, green and turqoise)

1 long black t-shirt

1 long black jersey tunic

1 empire waist black top

1 "sexy" silk ruffle top (black, of course)

1 long dark blue jersey tunic

1 "pantyhose" leggings (black)

1 black jersey dress

1 black pantyhose

1 extra large denim shirt

1 pair of yoga pants

Maternity Fashions

I have been waiting for the cheap chic designer craze to make its way into Maternity wear. Hello to Stella MacCartney or Phoebe Philo, both mothers of small children - don't you pleeeeeaaase have an inspiration to design stylish maternity wear???  (Stella has done a really cure children's wear collection for Gap, more about that later.)

Anyhoo, I checked out the latest, i.e. Heidi Klum's collection for Motherhood Maternity, called Loved by Heidi Klum. The following pieces I will try to find - wish me luck on my hunting trip tomorrow - I am beginning to burst out my clothes and need something to wear. And I don't want to spend a ton since I am NEVER going to wear these clothes after this pregnancy. (Truth be told I never wanted to wear any of the clothes of my previous two pregnancies again, and threw them all out the minute I could fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.)

Here are my favorites from Heidi:

Live Couch for the Living Room

On Saturday, braving the storm that felled trees and caused more than 100 000 people to be without electricity, we drove back to the Maurice Villency store that is closing. They had received a gorgeous sectional, in the perfect cognac color for our living room with a vaulted ceiling with cognac color beams.

The picture shows the sofa in dark red, which is also very beautiful, but for our house the cognac color was just perfect. The leather of this couch is like butter, so soft and luxurious.

Suburban Thoughts

Now that I am becoming a suburbanite for the first time in my life, I am thinking about how life will change. One of the big changes for me is that I will have to start driving. I have always (37 years!) lived in a city area where driving has not been necessary. Of course we have a family car, but my husband has been the designated driver. That will change when we move to the burbs. I do have a driver's license since I was 18, but if I am completely honest, I really don't know how to drive since I never had to.. I am actually a little worried about this whole thing. Once we move, there will be no soft landing. I will have to start driving immediately, or otherwise I won't get to work, or the groceries, or the gym, or pretty much anywhere where I need to go. Will I be one of those annoying bad drivers who get stuck in the middle of the parking lot and don't know which way to turn the wheel? Or the idiot who cannot change the lane smoothly and misses the exit, or worse, causes a dangerous situation or a close call? Or cannot pass a slow-moving vehicle and creates a traffic jam? Thinking about driving makes me nervous...and no, it's not like riding a bike! It's much more dangerous and expensive!

BITCHOLOGY

When I stand up for Myself and my beliefs,
They call me a Bitch.
When I stand up for Those I love,
They call me a Bitch.

When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts
Or do things my own way, they call me a Bitch.

Being a bitch means I won't Compromise what's in my heart.
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am defined as a Bitch.

The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid,
or when I act a little selfish.
It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I 'should' be...

I am outspoken, opinionated and determined.
I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!
So try to stomp on me, just try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me.

You won't succeed.
And if that makes me a bitch, so be it.
I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.

We finally did it!

Bought a house that is... We are house-owners now. For the first time ever! Goodbye City, Goodbye rentals. Welcome money pit. Welcome space. Welcome unlimited potential to create the kind of home we have always dreamed of. Welcome home.

The New Minimalism

Since I am a big fan of simplicity and clean lines, I LOVED the new minimalism that was seen at Celine by Phobe Philo and at Stella McCartney. I can't wait to dress like this next fall!

Also, tomorrow is the BIG DAY of closing on the new house! Life will change quite a bit...once we move into the green, leafy suburbs sometime this summer. I wonder if I should change the name of this blog to suburban fashionista?

International Women's Day Today

Happy Womens' Day to all my sisters out there! Women possess amazing strength and are there for each other. Check out what you can to do help women survivors of war:

http://www.womenforwomen.org/

Here it is...

The handy man special that will be our DREAM HOME!

DIY Project

I saw this coffee table in ABC Carpet and Home, and think that it is really cool and has a great organic and earthy look while being modern. In other words I loved it. It would also be the perfect shape for our family room which is fairly narrow. In the end though I decided that this table was not worth the price tag, especially because the table in the picture was the only one left, and it was very abused and had a lot of scratches. So I decided that this will by my DIY project once we move. I will get a cheap wood bench or table such as this, saw off pieces of rods and attach them to the ends just as they did here...

The Family Room Couch

Here is the couch that we purchased for our Family room. We found this in a sale at ABC Carpet and Home. The leather looks shiny in this picture, but it is not, it is a very nice quality leather, and sooo comfortable to sit on. We chose leather because it is so easy to keep clean with children. We also liked the size which is very generous without being very bulky.

The seating around the fireplace

I am looking everywhere for furniture for the new house, making plans and just loving, loving, loving the planning of the interior decoration aspect. My current apartment has been neglected for so long because I've just been wanting to get out. And now there is light in the end of the tunnel! I found this armchair at West Elm for a seating area by the fire place.. two of these, an acrylic table from CB2, and an animal skin rug. Who wants to cozy up by the fire place?

 

 

Sophie Theallet

I want to like Sophie Theallet..but for some reason, her style is not my cup of tea. She was the winner of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion award, is heralded as superbly talented and hardworking, and has been in the industry for quite a while. Her collection is just a bit too hippy or 70's for me. I don't like to vintage look of many of the pieces. One of her best pieces, IMHO, was the dress worn by Coco Rocha, as seen below.

Move over MJ - Michael Kors is the new KING

I LOVE MK!!! Michael Kors' fall 2010 collection is so fabulous I almost forgot to breathe looking at the pics from the MK collection on style.com. It is such easygoing luxury, each look is sexy, not too young, not too old, not too complicated or weird, but just beautifully tailored, luxurious and fabulous clothes. And the best thing is that they are so imminently wearable. Once I have my current project finished next fall (wink wink), I will be sporting these looks!!

When did the FASHION week become all about CELEBRITIES?

Fashion week is supposed to be about FASHION! For a long time though, the trend has been more about who attends the fashion shows, and who sits in the first row, than the actual clothes that are showed. This spring that seems more true than ever. Another thing that irks me, is that for some reason, mature women are not expected to be fashionable or chic. And if they are, it's a big deal. Witness the picture below, titled "Chic Cougars". These wonderful ladies attended the Donna Karan show, first row, of course.

Yay - Closing Date!!

We finally have the closing date for our new house! We shall become houseowners on March 10th. This journey has been long and arduous - given that we had two deals that fell through before. The first one was a short sale that was just incredibly complicated and in the end was not worth the effort for us, the second was because we did not qualify for the jumbo loan mortgage. Third time's the charm! We will not be moving until June, as the previous owner will rent the house from us until then. That works just fine because for us it's easier to let our daughter finish this school year in the old school, and also it's better to do renovation and move in the warmer months. I am just so happy and relieved now!!

My Valentine: The Lowell Daybed

It was love at first sight! I have had my eye on this gorgeous daybed from Maurice Villency. It must have been Valentine's Day luck, for today I found the Lowell daybed in a Maurice Villency store that is closing down. I got my daybed for a very decent discount. This is my first purchase for the new house. Some might say that it is crazy buying furniture for a house that I don't yet own, but I believe that if you act like it will happen, the universe will make it happen. The house is just waiting for the Lowell to come home now..

Goodbye McQueen

Such sad news at the opening of the New York Fashion Week. (Lee) Alexander McQueen, a very talented fashion designer with an individual style and vision, passed away in London this morning. 

The whole fashion industry and we non-industry fans are still in a state of schock.

Here's a link to the the Wall Street Journal blog that discusses fashion world's insider's first reactions to McQueens passing.

http://blogs.wsj.com/runway/2010/02/11/fashion-industry-reacts-to-mcqueens-death/

Goodbye McQueen - may your fashions live on.

New York is besieged by a blizzard today. The above picture from NY Times shows Times Square at 7 am, and the snowfall has been much worse since then. My office, which is NEVER closed, will close at noon today. Most people never even showed up for work. But of course, with Finnish heritage, I find that slightly ridiculous and trek in through snow, ice and hale... I am looking forward spending the afternoon with my girls though (schools are closed for a snow day), cozying up at home, making some hot chocolate and watching Dr. Oz (love him!).

Buying a house is an arduous process!

Everyone who has ever purchased property in New York state knows that it is not the easiest proposition. But in addition to all the rules and regulations, lawyers' demands and bank's usual conditions, it is now almost impossible to secure a loan large enough to actually buy anything that can house a family (or a growing family)... Due to the financial crisis and ensuing recession, and the hundreds of thousands (if not millions already) of foreclosures that have taken place within the past couple of years, banks have tightened their lending standards to be extremely risk averse and conservative. To a point that it is almost impossible to get a mortgage! I should know..having been through a wringer..and still waiting for the end result.

We have had to downgrade our plans, from the City to the Suburbia. First time in our lives something felt desperately out of reach financially..a bitter feeling I can tell you..even with a pretty good income from two people. Two people that are fiscally so responsible that we did not want to get caught up with the crazyness of buying with no money down, no doc, piggy bank and no interest loans that banks were offering to everyone regardless of credit rating.

Hopefully in the end we will get our reward for hard work, patience, responsibility and honesty! The reward is a gorgeous five bedroom home with catedral ceiling living room with large picture windows, a great room encompassing the kitchen, dining area and family room in one amazing large space, a basement with a movie theater, sauna and a home gym, a large back yard, 2-car garage, circular drive way, the best school district, private club, etc. etc. Keeping my fingers crossed that this will work out.

Preggers...

It was the New Year's Eve and starting the new year in a romantic and sexy way. And BAM! I so did not expect it but here we are - a new life is growing inside of me. We were talking about having a third child, analyzing whether we should do it when nature decided it for us. This will certainly put a little damper on the style front. Luckily I will be pregnant through the summer, that is so much easier than dealing with winter clothes and winter's more structured clothes. I will survive with long flowing dresses, stretchy light materials, ballerinas and flip flops for the swollen feet. I have not told my oldest yet as she will not be very thrilled that she has to share her princess position with yet a second baby.. And the middle one has to grow up so fast. Aah, such is life! I will treasure this pregnancy and this baby because it will be my last..