Have you ever looked up the word "lady" in the dictionary? Well, if you're like me, and haven't done so EVER, I've gone ahead and saved you the trouble: Click right here.
Go ahead. I'll wait.
Surprised? Yeah, me too. There are 12 definitions of the word "lady." And they range from extremely antiquated (like a 'female feudal superior') to unsurprisingly worthy of an eye roll or two (like 'a woman who is the object of chivalrous devotion'). For the sake of this argument, the first definition suffices here as it is the most commonly understood meaning of the word. It reads:
"A lady is a woman who is refined, polite and well-spoken."
Seemingly simple enough, right? I suppose so. Until we start diving into the semantics of the words "refined," "polite" and "well-spoken" especially in the context of how society associates them with women. I'll spare you all the exercise of looking up each of these words, but I imagine you can see where my point is going. We have a hard enough time pinpointing the word "lady" as it is -- so the waters get murkier when we throw in other words that carry a fair amount of subjectivity to them. Grace Kelly was refined. And so is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Princess Diana was on all accounts polite. And yet, she politely gave the middle finger to the royal establishment by breaking it's stuffiness and making more contact with the public through her prolific charity work. Charlotte Bronte was certainly well-spoken. And so is Malala Yousafzai. The list goes on.
I think it's safe to say, in a society that, on many accounts is still struggling to even the playing field between the sexes (a subject for another post, for another day), we as women have been going through a drawn-out identity crisis, blurring and redefining the lines of what it means to be a woman, a lady and, heck, a human being in 2017. It hardly boils down to three adjectives. It boils down to far too many adjectives to list here in a single blog post.
And it's this very idea that Talbots has been tackling head on in their "Because I'm a Lady" campaign. When their team first approached me about working together on this, I was intrigued to see how they were positioning the word "lady," a word that amongst millennial and GenZ generations tends to get tossed around both positively and negatively. What I found was a refreshing take on grace, intelligence, humility, tact, poise, confidence and leadership -- all redefined, challenging traditional conventions, unapologetically and boldly. And it's a lady I think we can all identify with -- regardless of age and background. She prides herself in being assertive in the office. She dines alone, because she enjoys her own company. She laughs heartily with friends, unafraid of how she appears to others. She moves with grace, in a way that's unabashedly her own, dancing to the beat of her own god damn drummer (perhaps to the chagrin of her partner). Seriously, go watch their reel of campaign videos here, it will only take a few minutes.
I'll wait right here.
Naturally, when they asked me to choose an aspect of the campaign that spoke the most to me, I realized I actually couldn't choose -- and I don't think I need to. Just as we have 12 different definitions of the word lady (and likely more to be added in the coming years and generations), I think the beauty of being a lady is that it means a multitude of many different things to many different women. And WE, as women, get to define that. For no one else, but ourselves.
This post was in collaboration with Talbots. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!
Raise your hand if, once upon a time, you used to subscribe to numerous monthly subscription boxes.
(My hand is raised.)
OK, now raise your hand if your experience since then goes a bit like this:
What started off as one innocent subscription-based membership, let's say for beauty, slowly morphed into a subscription box for pretty much every category and reason under the sun, from fitness to fashion and you soon realized: "I just don't have space for this." It boiled down to, too much stuff, way too often. And perhaps you got tired of your mailman looking at you like you were secretly a hoarder?
(My hand is certainly raised.)
OK, so if your hand isn't tired yet, keep them up if you then unsubscribed from said monthly subscription boxes?
(Yep, my hand is up there.)
As you can imagine, I have a love/hate relationship with subscription boxes -- not because I don't like the concept. It's more than I wish there was a better way to tailor them for my interests and needs. Like a lot of you, I imagine, I got tired of the onslaught of products every month, many of them sample size, which made it hard to determine if I REALLY liked them or not. And more often than not, I found myself holding onto a few really great products across all the different services/categories, and wishing I could have gotten that assortment in ONE box, not 7.
So you can imagine my curiosity when the folks over at FabFitFun approached me about reviewing their latest Editor's Box, the contents of which, you can see here in my photos. What initially hooked me, on premise alone, is the fact they send boxes seasonally (essentially every 3 months), not every month, which if you ask me, is a much more manageable frequency. Plus, they curate products from a broader range of categories, including beauty, fashion, fitness and travel (the 4 keys to my heart!) that you can ultimately edit yourself if you choose to do so (or keep it a surprise -- the choice is yours!). All products are FULL size (finally!) and each box is $49.99, with at least $200 worth of products inside.
And just to top things off here, they partner with a different charity for each seasonal send, with a portion of the proceeds going back toward the organization. This month's send is benefitting the American Heart Association.
OK, so the deal sounds good, right? What about the content?
I'll be sharing my favorites from their Editor's Box down below, so keep reading -- and if happen to want to scoop up a box for yourself, be sure to use the code TOMORROW at checkout for $10 off your first purchase! Just a quick note: the Editor's Box has since sold out, but you should check out their latest Winter Box available now (which actually has the BB Dakota poncho I wore in this Instagram post).
The lineup: Salted, Himalayan Salt Kit: So I'm no at-home gourmand, but there is something so decadent about whipping out some Himalayan salt for even the most basic of snacks. This kit was probably the first thing I used from the box -- it comes with a grater and wood stand, and came just in time for a good binge session of Stranger Things and some popcorn (which I definitely topped off with extra salt).
Realher, Lip kit in deep red: Such a great red, so it had me sold there. But I just love the female empowerment packaging!
Mytagalongs, high speed skipping rope: This skipping rope couldn't have come at a better time! Admittedly, I've been in the market for a jump rope ever since writing this post a while back about easy workout tips while traveling. And for some reason or another, I just never pulled the trigger on one. But now, with the holidays almost here and the fact I'll be in Australia for most of December, I'm excited to bring this rope along, so I can mix up my exercise routine on the road!
Spongelle, body wash infused buffer in French lavender: In one word: heavenly. It just smells heavenly. Lately, I've been really into scheduling a Sunday night bath for myself. While I don't have the world's most luxurious bathroom or bathtub (this is an old building in the West Village, after all), it really comes down to the little touches that make all the difference. Great candles. Music. A book. And this body sponge have all been making me one relaxed woman come Sunday night.
Sterling Forever, wishbone necklace: So this was probably the second used product in the box -- I immediately threw it on and loved how it looked mixed with all my other white gold and rose gold jewelry. Plus, you guys may recall I recently misplaced my go-to wishbone necklace, so this was a welcomed surprise!
Anderson Lilley, Dry Body Oil in Manhattan Beach: At first glance, I wasn't entirely sure what this product was intended for: hair? face? body? nails? That is, until I realized, it basically worked wonders, for all of them! The texture threw me off at first -- it glides on with a bit of a matte finish, which seems counterintuitive for a moisturizer, but it lingers in a really satisfying way. Lately, I've been using it on my face, after my moisturizer and SPF, and before my foundation, to give a bit of a base glow.
This post was in collaboration with FabFitFun. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!
Happy Friday, everyone! It's the home stretch before the weekend, almost 5pm and I bet you're already making dinner and weekend plans (perhaps you've already started them?
Before you head out for the day, I wanted to share a fun little video I've had in the works for a while now, in celebration of my YouTube channel launch! Admittedly, I've had a channel for quite some time now but have never found the time or the energy to dedicate to video -- it's always seemed so daunting, and quite frankly, out of my comfort zone. I started This Time Tomorrow initially being quite intimidated by taking daily photos of myself (I've never really liked having my photo taken), so the idea of being ON camera, where I have to worry about awkward facial expressions and the sound of my voice (which I hate), has never boded well.
But, after some poking and prodding from friends, I decided, why the hell not? I already spend a lot of time on YouTube watching my friends' channels so I'm somewhat loving the idea of tackling a new content stream for you guys. Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing one new video per week, covering everything from style lookbooks to New York City guides, from weekly vlogs to beauty and hair tutorials. And I would really appreciate it if you would consider subscribing to my channel -- it would mean a lot to me.
And today, in the spirit of getting to know each other a bit more, I decided to create a 73 Questions video, inspired by Vogue's mega hit series. My friend Grace and I were chatting about her recently launched YouTube channel, when I suggested she try spoofing this style of interview -- which then had me thinking, perhaps I'll give it a go! Hope you enjoy and please do let me know if there are certain types of videos you'd like to see more of over on my channel. Would love to connect over there!
Just a few weeks ago, some of you may have seen my Instagram Story poll, in which I asked the following:
"For my influencer and non-influencer followers alike, are you frustrated by the algorithm change?"
To be completely honest, I wasn't entirely sure what the response would be. My guess is that many of you, my dear followers, are content creators by profession as well and thereby, have been somewhat impacted by Instagram's algorithm change. My other guess, is that some of you, my dear followers, aren't necessarily content creators by profession, but have been frustrated by not seeing updates from folks you originally used to engage with.
Are either earth-shattering problems? No, of course not. And in light of much bigger issues in the world, I wanted to highlight up front, that I am completely aware everything I'm about to list as a "solution" to this "problem" comes with the perspective that these are indeed first world problems -- ones that shouldn't define you or I, or our passion to create quality content that makes us happy, in a world where we could certainly use all the positivity we can get. The numbers shouldn't control us. But of course, as with any business, you can't ignore the numbers either, which brings to me to my next point: you guys felt largely the same way, when I asked the above question the other day.
Many of you feel frustrated, defeated, discouraged, beat down, confused and bewildered by the algorithm change. Some of you even said it made you feel like you should give up creating content all together. And trust me. I've been frustrated, too. That's when I realized perhaps this is a bigger conversation we should all have -- to share tips and tricks, frustrations and triumphs -- instead of trying to figure it all out by ourselves in our own respective silos. I've compiled a list of efforts below, some more effective than others for me or for my fellow influencer friends, each noted with an overall impact rating. None of this is to say that I've certainly figured it out, but I have seen some impact along the way, and hopefully you will, too.
Before we start, I'd like to set up some preliminary framework here. None of the following will focus on the merits of content. While I firmly believe content is king -- and finding your unique voice is imperative -- I also firmly believe you don't need me to tell you that. So let's move on, shall we?
Engage with Others: This one may come as overly obvious, but it should be noted first: the more active you are with any online community, especially Instagram, the more engagement you'll get back. Sure programmes like kenji will help you accomplish this, but you also need to be motivated yourself! As someone who spends a lot of her time already on the app, liking and commenting throughout the day, this one seemed like an easy checklist item that I thought I was already doing, but I noticed, the more diligent and focused I was with my time spent on the app, the more effective it seemed in boosting my content overall. Each time before I post, I'll take about 20 to 30 minutes to catch up on some of my favorite accounts (an activity that I would normally do anyway), and I'll like and comment on my favorites. I'll do a bit more of the same activity after I post and also answer back to each comment on my post -- it may seem time consuming at first, but I think the underlying point is key: you need to nourish the community you're a part of for it to support you back. A random, informal poll done with other influencers friends revealed that they spend anywhere from 1-2 hours daily, just engaging with other content -- either in the form of comment pods or organically searching.
Overall impact: High
Instagram Filter Effects: Admittedly, the jury is still out on this one, because it's hard to gauge it's overall effect, but I was once chatting with a group of my influencer friends at an event here in the city, when someone suggested using the pre-set filters available in Instagram on your photos to help boost it. Yeah, I'm talking about Nashville and Juno. Remember those? When they were all we used to use 7 years ago, when the app first launched? While I can't necessarily sing any glowing praises here, more often than not, I'll place the filter Juno on all my photos and set the overall effect to 1% (so you really can't tell it's there). The reasoning here? When you think about it from Instagram's perspective, they're likely looking for users who are using the app as it was originally intended: candid, organically and more off the cuff. Which brings us to point #3!
Overall impact: Low
iPhone shots: Eva Chen brought this up in a recent Business of Fashion article: Users want to see more of the "Insta" in Instagram. That means, in an age where our feeds are meticulously curated, with just the right VSCO treatment on our DSLR camera shots, it's sometimes refreshing to see someone post something that's a tad bit grainy, with lower overall fidelity and, gasp, snapped on a phone! Lately, I've been making more of a point to post more iPhone shots and have noticed a significant initial boost in activity. It's not 100% the answer, and sometimes not entirely feasible, given that you're probably creating higher fidelity content for all your different channels, but perhaps, next time you're out shooting for a blog post, snap something really quickly in between on your phone and see how it does, in comparison.
Overall impact: High
Experiment with times: The other day, I was skimming through my analytics in Instagram, and noticed that a large amount of my followers, aside from the United States, lived in London and Bangkok. That got me thinking about posting times, for time zones drastically different from my own. I randomly decided to post at midnight one evening, in efforts to catch New Yorkers as they were going to sleep and probably very captive in bed with their phones, which meant my followers in London and Bangkok were likely starting or just about to start their days. It's been hit or miss lately, but overall, I've seen good engagement traction at that time, so I encourage you to do the same and switch up your posting times to find a sweet spot.
Overall impact: Medium
Instagram stories: Naty brought this up in her recent 5 Tips for Creating a More Engaged Audience post, and I completely agree with her! Insta Stories is a great way to stay top of mind for your followers, so the more active you are on it, the more they can engage with you on the app. It's a wonderful platform to showcase your personality and more of the candid peeks into your day, both of which I think resonate and go a long way in terms of fostering an engaged community. Take advantage of the Swipe Up feature, which can drive traffic to your blog, and, as Naty brought up, you can highlight when you have new Instagram photos up on Insta Stories, for anyone who may not have seen it in their feed.
Overall impact: Medium
Shadow bans and hashtags: A few months ago, my good friend Andi and I were grabbing dinner at Mary's Fish camp when she leaned across the table and whispered, "Have you heard of the shadow ban?" Her eyebrows went up, as if she was about to share a really good urban myth with me. And boy, let me tell you, if there was ever an urban myth that got this girl believing in urban myths, it's this one. Essentially, there was a well-documented (and somewhat data supported) rumor that Instagram had implemented a shadow ban -- that was hiding your content from people who weren't already following you, making it incrementally harder for you to gain new followers. Why were they doing this? To discourage spammy, inappropriate behavior. The downside? Many influencers, yours truly included, didn't realize using the same hashtags over and over for certain posts might be working against them. Again, as with any good urban myth, this was never full confirmed by Instagram to be the case, but since then, I've been much more selective with the hashtags I add to captions, usually keeping it to 3 or less, if I add any at all.
Overall impact: Jury is out.
Engaging captions: I already said we wouldn't spend much time laboring over the content side of things, but I do think we should spend a minute on captions, which tend to get overlooked in today's very visual world of Instagram. Having a good caption might mean you get more likes. If you're worried you're not getting enough likes, check out automatic Instagram likes. Much like Insta Stories, your users are likely hungry to get to know more about you and what your personality is like. As much as I love seeing a good avocado emoji when someone's sharing their avo smash breakfast, I do think it's worthwhile trying to dig a bit deeper to start conversations in your captions. Someone I really admire here who does an AMAZING job at this is my good friend Courtney of Color Me Courtney. What you'll notice with her captions is she consistently engages with her followers by handing the mic back to them -- she asks them questions and she asks for their opinions, and it creates really meaningful conversations. I've been trying to do more of this, by asking open ended questions like this one.
Overall impact: High
Giveaway loops: Granted, I've participated in only a handful of giveaway loops myself, some more successful than others, so I can't necessarily weigh in as an expert here. But, I do think, when done right and with intention, they can be wildly effective. The key is to form groups with like-minded, similar aesthetic accounts, that you already follow or would be happy to follow. The main idea is, if you form the right group, you'll gain a new group of highly engaged and excited followers, who will appreciate your content and what you're producing. If you want to find out more, click here.
Overall impact: High (if you go about it the right way)
Play with new features as they launch them: This may seem trivial, but I do think it's an easy way to flag yourself as an active Instagram user (and one that could possibly get boosted in the algorithm). When they launch a new face filter feature, try it out in Stories. When there's a new widget, like the poll feature, give it a whirl. You'll probably find your followers will be excited to learn about this new feature and excited to see how you're using it, thereby resulting in more direct messages and engagement back on your channel.
Overall impact: Low to medium
Live video: So, I've only done live videos a handful of times, but I've seen some of my good friends, like Lisa DiCicco and Mary Orton, host them and I think the effect is largely positive. Much like the candidness of Insta Stories, live video allows for real time conversations with your followers that allow them a peek in your world and your sense of humor. Many influencers will schedule out live video times days in advance, giving their followers the chance to mark their calendars and weigh in with specific questions. If you don't like the sound of this, you could also try doing a podcast to help boost engagement. In fact, at least 5% of podcast listeners choose Soundcloud so it might be worth learning about it. Podcasts can be a fantastic way to help grow your business. One of these days, I'll work up the courage to try it out for myself -- would you guys be interested in that? Let me know in the comments below!
Overall impact: High
And there you have it! My 10 engagement tips for Instagram. Now I'd love to hear what you think? Any tips I missed that you'd like to share?
Can you believe October’s almost over already? It seems like we were just celebrating Fourth of July yesterday, and I’m sure by Christmas we’ll be scratching our heads wondering where Thanksgiving went. I’ve been swamped with school (midterm season!) and work, so I feel like I haven’t had a chance to really enjoy October yet, which is one of my favorite months of the year — I absolutely love Halloween! So, to remedy that, we made a trip (okay, three) to Target to deck out our apartment in true Halloween style.
This year, we wanted to go for a classic color scheme of black and orange, and keep our accents in the white or gold family, with pops of other fun traditional Halloween colors like orange and green. Target is great for that because they have such a range of decor options that are both classy and whimsical, but the brand is cohesive and all looks great together! (Sidenote: This post is not sponsored, I just really love Target!) 🙂
One of my favorite things we got was the broom we hung next to the calendar — it's actually made out of cinnamon and makes the entire apartment smell incredible. Our apartment has one insanely long hallway, and you smell the cinnamon as soon as you step in the door, so that's pretty impressive, in my book. We found ours at Home Depot, but I've seen them at Whole Foods and I'm sure Trader Joes has a similar item!
Some of our best finds were in the dollar section, too — the little stick-on holographic and black glitter bats, candles, lots of garlands, and more.
So, head out to your nearest Target or check out some exact pieces from our living room below to complete your Halloween decor. Oh, and don't forget the cobwebs. LOTS of cobwebs!
Do you love Halloween? How are you decorating for the holiday? Let us know in the comments!
Growing up in Reno, Nevada, I spent a lot of time outside. This comes as a surprise to most people, a fair one at that I suppose, as Nevada in general gets lumped into the same tropes as a Johnny Cash song -- gambling in casinos or on apps like 918kiss 918kiss.care, a lonely Route 66 and a place for fast and easy divorces. But what I love about Reno, (admittedly, something I took for granted while I was living there), was how much it debunked all these stereotypes for me. Situated at the crook of the Nevada/California borderline, Reno sits in a valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, clocking in a 2o minute drive up to Lake Tahoe from my childhood home. I spent my winters skiing and snowboarding and my summers hiking and swimming in the many lakes in and around the Tahoe Rim Trail. I grew up a tomboy at heart, camping and playing many sports, with bruises on my knees and more than my fair share of sunshine.
Now that I'm many years removed from my childhood stomping grounds, with first San Francisco and now New York as two major cities that have shaped me, it's a bittersweet feeling when I get to escape somewhere far outside the city. Open air, open road and lots of space to just, BE. A few weeks ago, the team over at Wildfitness, a fitness retreat group dedicated to helping people rethink how they approach exercise by reconnecting them with nature, invited Nora and me on a long weekend getaway up in Hudson Valley, and it was just the recharge I needed. While in the city you don't really get a chance to enjoy the peacefulness of the outdoors while building up your fitness so going on a fitness retreat was a welcome change to our lives.
We spent most of the weekend hiking the Mohonk Preserve, eating all paleo-inspired meals and playing more than our fair share of ultimate frisbee. And the team was stellar -- all wonderful coaches and fitness experts -- firm believers in rediscovering your body's full potential (a big thing for me these days as I'm knee deep in marathon training). Of course, after only a few short days, we were sore and tired, but at the same time, re-energized and excited to find ways to incorporate simple Wildfitness principles into a city-based lifestyle back home. I asked our head coach (and seasoned mountaineer), Josh Valentine to share his top 10 ways to start living a more movement-focused lifestyle. They're straightforward, which I think is a necessity for New Yorkers, as most are as easy as leaving for work a bit earlier to walk to work once a week. I'm already starting to do this to most of my meetings (yes, even some uptown ones!).
Keep reading for his tips below and I hope you enjoy the rest of our weekend activities photos, which included apple picking at Fishkill Farms and cruising around in the most incredible Bentley Bentayga for the weekend.
Huge thanks to the Wildfitness team for having us! I'm already looking into how I can possibly join for this Costa Rica retreat. Perhaps you are too? Head over and book a retreat today at 5% off if you mention This Time Tomorrow. valid now through Thanksgiving.
1. Get Outside More: Whether its a hike through the mountains or simply a stroll through the local park, getting outside and connecting with nature is important to physical and mental health. Sunshine, fresh air and the calming effect of the outdoors is no myth, it has proven scientific benefits, so be sure to get outside and drink it in, however you most enjoy.
2. Play More: Too often, exercise and training is approached as "getting beasted", leaving us so sore that we can't move right for a few days. Other times, it is viewed as a punishment for something we ate or drank the day before. Nobody enjoys punishment! By making exercise more playful, it becomes something we can't wait to do, rather than dread. In one game of ultimate Frisbee up in the Hudson Valley, we ran, jumped, dodged, pivoted, rolled, caught, threw, and used our hand eye coordination. Everybody got in one hell of a workout, but were too busy laughing and being competitive to even once think about how hard we were excercising. Plus, we grew closer together, which moves us to our next point:
3. Find Your Tribe: Connection with other people is integral to a happy, healthy life! Long ago, we existed in small, tight knit groups that relied heavily on one another for survival. Today, we often lack these connections with others. Finding your tribe not only helps make exercise more playful, but helps build relationships and find support in others that help sustain our positive life changes.
4. Respect Rest: Often times, on days off, we wind up running ourselves into the ground trying to catch up on errands, work, or socializing and drinking with friends, often leaving us even more tired and stressed than we were from the week. While these things are important, it's also important to respect our body's natural rhythms. Take the time to actually rest, and allow your body the recharge it needs. Whether that's choosing water over wine for a night, taking the extra time to read that book you've been meaning to, getting yourself a massage, or simply deciding to turn in a bit early, it's important to acknowledge our need for rest.
5. Move Wild: Humans were designed to be capable of so much, and the more varied our movement and training, the more rounded our fitness results, and the easier it is to avoid injury or burnout. Run, jump, roll, crawl, climb! Learn Animal Movements! Begin with the basics of these simple motions, and you will find quickly that you develop stronger and more precise control over your breathing, flexibility, strength, and overall movement.
6. Take Your Breath Away: Do something regularly that takes your breath away. The human heart and the human spirit both work in the same way. If they go too long without stimulation, they start to weaken.
7. Kick Off Your Shoes: This is a very simple way to treat foot soreness. Our feet are the foundation of almost all of our movements but they spend most of the day in shiny little coffins separating them from the world. This can often be the root cause of many pain issues anywhere from knees, hips, back and even shoulders! The arches of the feet work just like the dorsal fin of killer wales, if they spend a life in captivity, not exposed to the forces of the natural world, they collapse due to lack of use.
8. Spice Up That Commute:When commuting, get off the bus or subway one stop earlier and walk. It's a great way to add exercise and stimulation to your morning routine. Over time, you can add or vary your route. Add two stops, then three, or perhaps try a different route. You never know what you might discover on the way!
9. Get Wet: The water provides so many soothing health and fitness benefits! Try open water swimming: most cities have lakes or reservoirs (or the sea) and a community of wild swimmers to expand your growing tribe, and your options for connecting with the natural world while still in the concrete jungle.
10. Never Stop Learning: Wildfitness is a philosophy and a way of life, but it's far from the only one out there! In addition to our ways of living and moving wild, seek to try a new discipline: anything from Yoga, to Tango or Thai Chi. Look for activities that vary your movement experience and inspire your passion for growth. Confuse and challenge your body with unfamiliar movements and positions.
This post was not sponsored, however, Nora and I were invited to the Wildfitness weekend at a comped rate. The Bentley was borrowed for the weekend -- although, trust me, I would have LOVED to keep it. As always, all opinions and styling are my own.
There's something particularly charming about the intersection of West 10th and West 4th — Bar Sardine on one corner with its big windows that swing open in the summer, Empellon tacos with its dark and intriguing doorway, and of course Fairfax, bursting at the seams with gorgeous plants from end to end. Now that I'm newly 21 (finally!), I've been meaning to grab a glass of wine from Bar Sardine, but I always seem to find myself needing coffee and a bite to eat in the middle of the day (I'm a super boring 21 year old; I usually head home and make dinner at night!).
This is where Fairfax comes in. The former Perla — still in the same family — has arguably mellowed out a bit, and is now open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The space feels more open and casual, perfect for hunkering down for a morning of working on your laptop and sipping on too many almond lattes, like Krystal and I did. But it also doubles as a cozy date night spot, offering a great glass of wine + entree deal until 6:30pm and a huge drink list.
Krystal and I were so happy when we finally made it to Fairfax, taking up a little corner of bar space for our work station, grabbing delicious smoked salmon toasts and yogurt and, of course, the lattes. The staff was kind and accommodating, and we had a little too much fun with the gorgeous light that streams in through the windows. The only gripe we had with the place was the tiniest thing possible: if the staff at Fairfax is reading this, double check the spelling of Neil Diamond on your receipts! 😉
Everything about the space, the food, the ambiance of Fairfax was perfect — if you're in the West Village and in need of a casual, adorable spot, head here immediately. You might even spot us hanging here on Friday mornings, so say hi!
If you've been a reader of This Time Tomorrow for a while now, you've undoubtedly seen my good friend Heather pop up numerous times. She's been a lot of things in my life the past handful of years since meeting her back in San Francisco -- fellow Googler, travel companion, confidant, therapist, business partner (we once started a styling service for tech folks!), fellow wine aficionado, but mainly, my best friend. So you can imagine my pride when she launched her long awaited fine jewelry line, Show Road earlier this year, after years of dreaming and talking about it.
Like me just a few years ago, she's balancing two full-time gigs these days, working on brand development at Google during the day and Show Road at night -- with very little downtime in between, making her a poster child for the ultimate woman crush: an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. Keep reading to hear more about her mother (her muse for many of her pieces), how a chance encounter opened several doors in the fine jewelry space and what items she'd like to steal, right now.
We've been friends for hmmm...for forever now. And I think for the entire duration of our friendship, jewelry has always been one of your trademarks. Can you tell me how that love originated and how it's developed over the years?
I love all jewelry -- whether it's laval jewelry, gold jewelry, statement pieces, or minimalistic jewelry! I inherited my love of jewelry from my mother. Getting dressed was an art form and jewelry was her favorite part. I spied on her while she got ready so I saw her study it, curate it, and style it every single day. I understood at a very young age that a woman's jewelry is sacred. Every time I was rewarded as a child, it was with a piece of jewelry. I have this enviable collection of studs that are really fashionable now, but were actually little treats from her when I was a toddler. When I was a teenager, we went to Beverly Hills every week so she could get her rings cleaned at Tiffany's and I browsed the cases, memorizing the detail of every piece. I've had jewelry design ideas for my entire life and would point at pieces and tell her how I would change them.
It wasn't until she died when I was 20 that I began to actually make jewelry. It was my way to still connect with her. I started making pieces by hand using gold filled wire and semi-precious stones that, to my surprise, would sell out at local boutiques. As I got older, I longed to bring my designs to life through a fine jewelry line. I wanted to make jewelry I knew could last forever because my mother's jewelry collection is so special to me. Fast forward to May this year, Show Road launched and the designs that have lingered in my mind for years are finally real.
We love the connection this brings with your mom. Tell us about her. What was she like? What piece from Show Road would she be wearing non-stop?
She was the kind of woman who had a gravitational pull. You know those editorials of women dressed in over the top designer outfits doing basic things like getting gas and groceries? That was my mother in real life. She did not care what other people thought of her. She was a real estate broker, an interior designer, an illustrator, a certified gemologist, a SAG accredited actress (fun fact: she was an extra in Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion), and was even about to complete her degree in psychology from UCLA. She was complex, an unexpected combination of creativity, depth, with a big, often inappropriate sense of humor. She was fiery and emotional. I chose the name Show Road for the line because "let's get this show on the road" were her dying words. It was the only possible conclusion for a woman who spent her entire life saying and doing exactly what she wanted. Show Road is the story of a woman who designs her own life as she did, and as I do now.
I inherited quite a few pairs of hoops from her so I think her favorite would be the Grand Hoops. They're bold with an air of elegance, like her.
What's the road (pun intended) been like leading up to Show Road? What were you up to before this?
It's been a winding one (pun also intended). I work full time at Google as a Brand Strategist, so I I have people who manage Show Road during the day while I work on it mornings/nights/weekends. It took me about 7 years to get to this point having no prior experience or connections in the fine jewelry industry. At that time, I had started a blog (RIP Heather in a Candy Shop) originally intended to document the launch of my fashion jewelry line on Etsy while also working full time. I eventually pivoted my blog to overall fashion and lifestyle because after a few years, my jewelry ideas were really in the fine jewelry category and not something I could create with my own hands anymore.
I started looking into school for metalsmithing so I could create my ideas when I came across an article in Daily Candy on Jessica Winzelberg. She had recently left her corporate job for metalsmithing school to pursue her dream of creating a fine jewelry line. I emailed Jessica to see if she would meet with me to share her experience and answer a few interview questions for my blog. She met with me for over an hour and you can actually see the 2010 interview here. I haven't thought about this in 7 years, but having to answer this question right now, looking back at what I wrote, I get teary eyed because I'm reminded how long it has truly taken me to get here. "I don't know any jewelry designers so I have no one to give me advice or talk to about it" I wrote. Isn't that a little heartbreaking? 2010-2016 me was trying really hard to figure this out.
Alas, based on my conversation with Jessica, I decided that going to school wasn't my path and instead I needed to look for experienced jewelers to manufacture my pieces. I tried to find manufacturing in San Francisco, but it's not really a hub for it. Most people were unhelpful at best. I did eventually find somewhere willing to make it, but they also made things like doorknobs, so it just wasn't the level of expertise I envisioned. I met with someone with connections to manufacturing in China, but I wanted to stay close to production and ensure good working conditions. I found manufacturing in LA as they have a great jewelry district, but it was too difficult to manage production from San Francisco with my full time job. The jewelry industry is quite old school and business is largely done in person so good luck getting responses via email.
When I moved to New York two years ago, I was with you, Krystal, walking down the street in the West Village when you ran into an old co-worker so while you caught up, I started chatting with his wife. She happened to be jewlery designer Jillian Abboud. Even though it was a chance encounter that lasted maybe 15 minutes, she offered to meet with me and teach me the ropes of New York's fine jewelry district. Soon, I had my production process established. Jillian connected me to a female CAD designer who brought my ideas to life using the latest technology, then I reached out to a female San Francisco acquaintance who had done graphic design for companies like Bare Minerals and One Kings Lane to design my logo and website, and I had tons of support from you and the rest of my girlfriends to get me through this process. I felt like I had assembled this badass female army who was going to help me make this happen. One year after meeting Jillian, almost to the day, I introduced Show Road to the world, finally. I just needed one person to really help me and now I work with the same people who make the fine jewelry for designers you see in Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
Balancing two careers is something we know about! What's been the biggest challenge in entering the fine jewelry space, especially while working another full time job?
The biggest challenge is managing the mundane realities of running a business. After a long, intense day at my corporate job, nothing takes the edge off like figuring out how to calculate and pay the correct state sales tax for Show Road. When you're the sole owner of a new business you really need to be involved in all of the details. It's not just about designing, which is my favorite part incidentally.
Tell us about the Show Road woman. What's on her mind right now? What's she wearing? What is she reading? And where is she headed on a Saturday night? (Sorry, we just really want to know!)
She reads books that expand her thinking. She might be reading "The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck." She reads the news, voices her opinions, and supports causes that are important to her.
Every Saturday night would be different because she likes to keep it interesting, but perhaps jazz or the theater followed by dinner at one of the restaurants on her "list to try." It would include red wine and dessert. She worked out earlier that day after all. She's planning her next trip. Luckily, I know a lot of Show Road women as they comprise my interesting, intellectual, and fun friend group.
As you know, we're obsessed with your Grand Hoop earrings (they rarely leave our lobes!) -- what was the catalyst/inspiration for the move collection?
I wanted to create a collection that captured a woman's sense of movement through life. My mother was always evolving. There's something curious about feminine energy that keeps us moving forward. After I completed the samples for the Move collection, in a serendipitous turn of events, I found myself on a date with a concert pianist, who told me that my designs were technically a Mobius strip. It's a mathematical curiosity containing a half twist that creates one continuous plane vs a normal ring, which would have two planes. Bach's arguably most genius piece of work, Crab Canon, is written as a Mobius strip, it's the same string of music played forwards and then backwards- that's why my date recognized the shape. It's often associated with infinity, which was amazing to learn since my intent was to capture continuous forward movement. In that way, the collection is really about where dream meets reality.
What's your personal philosophy when it comes to jewelry?
Invest in quality pieces by designers you believe in.
Lightning round!
New York or Paris?
Well, this is just a mean question! You know I love French men and French fashion...and that I'm at least 20% French according to 23 and me.
Right now I'm obsessed with...
Polka dots.
This morning I woke up and ....
Went to brunch at Butcher's Daughter followed by a latte at the Elk that I drank with my friend while sitting on a bench in one of my favorite secret gardens (St. Luke's on Hudson).
Every woman should own...
A trio of my Move rings.
Last text I sent ...
Was to you, confirming I bought tickets to join you in seeing Olivia Wilde on Broadway in 1984.
My style icons are...
Cate Blanchett, Amal Clooney, Lee Radziwell, Bianca Jagger, Maja Wyh, Alicia Vikander, Jennifer Connelly, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana, Lauren Bacall, Jeanne Damas
A favorite daydream of mine ...
Seeing all of the Show Road collections I have in my mind created and ready to be purchased in my online shop. I probably have close to 20 collections in mind so it will be a while, but very soon there will be stripes and diamonds!
I'd love to steal ...
Your Jonathan Adler marble coffee table, the rug you got in Turkey, your Chanel black cap toe slingbacks, your Realisation Par polka dot dress in XS because I got the S and I think it's slightly too big, your tan and muscle tone.
The piece of jewelry that never leaves my body is...
Any advice you'd like to give to someone entering the fine jewelry space?
Don't give up. Make small incremental progress and commit to doing it forever. Seriously, I will do this forever so the universe is going to have to give in and make it successful eventually. Make sure you have saved enough money or have funding, gold ain't cheap.
Where do you see yourself and Show Road this time tomorrow? How about 5 years from now? 21 years from now?
This Time Tomorrow I expect to see a few new orders in my inbox as a result of this article 😉
Five years from now I'd love for Show Road to be a known fine jewelry brand that you come to when you want something elegant and wearable, but with an artful point of view. Jewelry that's typically considered wearable art can feel like you're attaching a complete painted canvas to your body whereas I'd like you to think of Show Road as the paint.
A few weeks back, I asked on Insta Stories what kind of fitness content you wanted to see. An overwhelming amount of you asked for more nutrition based guides and honestly, I'm so glad you did. Admittedly, if you looked in my cabinets and refrigerator at home, you'd probably shake your head at me. Whether it's my travel schedule or the sheer amount of restaurants around me, I don't prioritize cooking at home as much as I should, which I'm starting to realize is a big mistake as a runner, not to mention way too expensive in general.
I recently asked Lacee (who's a big runner herself), to sound off on some digestible (pun intended) ways to start incorporating a more balanced, well-rounded runner diet into my routine, that doesn't involve me waiting in line for a leafy kale salad at Sweetgreen every night. Here are her 12 nutrition tips for runners.
One thing to note: Lacee isn't a certified nutritionist. I value her thoughts as a trainer and a big runner herself, but of course, encourage you to run these tips by your doctor/nutritionist if you're curious how each might affect and work for you.
1. Whole foods, healthy fats, complex carbs! It’s all about managing this balance, along with replenishing vitamins, minerals and adding antioxidant-rich foods. I find smaller meals and portions work well for runners, especially during training season.
2. Hydration is important, especially replenishing electrolytes/salt after a long run. Coconut water and electrolyte replenishing tabs (check out the company Nuun) are great to have on hand.
3. Heavy carb loading is a myth; binging on complex carbohydrates like pasta and bread the night before a long run is unnecessary. Sweet potatoes, lentils, steel cut oats, figs and bananas are all great options and easier to digest a few hours before a run, or added to dinner the night before a long run.
4. Smoothies with fruit, vegetables and healthy fats are an easy to digest option and packed full of healthy carbs, sugar and fiber. My favorite combos: coconut water, kale, ½ banana, blueberries and optional ½ avocado.
5. Marathon runners shouldn't use logging miles as an excuse to overeat or eat anything in sight! It can be common for a runner to gain weight or maintain weight during training. Try to focus on easily digestible, fiber-rich foods (like leafy greens and veggies), lean protein and healthy fats (like avocados). Eat when you’re hungry, not because you think you need to.
6. Hydrate the evening before a long run and two hours before a run; three liters per day is a good benchmark; adding more depending on length of runs and training conditions.
7. What to eat before a long run? Something carb rich, with a bit of sugar. My favorite recommendation is a slice of flourless bread (Eziekiel 365) toasted with a layer of almond butter and ½ smashed banana or handful of raspberries or blueberries. This is personal and depends on how good the runner feels after eating. Try out multiple variations (previously mentioned, smoothie, etc)... to find what feels good.
8. What to eat pre-race on race? Same as above, but a few hours before the race.
9. What about after a run? This is when protein can be added in higher amounts: lean meat on a salad, eggs, vegan supplement in a smoothie.
10. What about traveling? As simple as possible: keep sauces and heavy foods to a minimum. Being prepared and taking small snacks along can really reduce the temptation to grab processed food. Unsalted nuts, fruit, Lara bars (good pre-run, a good amount of carbs and natural sugar from dates) and avocado are easy foods to transport.
11. As for dairy? Avoid it. This can be difficult to digest for most.
12. An ol' beer tastes SO good after a long run and will metabolize quickly. This is the time to drink those carbs!
If you ever find yourself in the Flatiron district after having done what one does in the Flatiron district — look at the Flatiron building — and are craving something a little bit more, but you're not sure exactly what, I have a little advice for you: go to the Ace Hotel.
Coffee? They've got it — a little Stumptown is attached to the hotel, with lovely natural light and a great latte. Cool space? Check — the lobby is huge and filled with tables for getting work done and couches for lounging. Food? Yes, in spades: The Breslin at the Ace is the perfect place for a cozy comfort meal — proudly "meat-centric," the menu is artisanal and seasonal, comfortable and welcoming. When Krystal and I visited, we indulged in the Scotch egg, a lovely salad, and some delicious grilled cheeses. It was the perfect place for a midday pause, and it would also be great for pre-dinner drinks.
So, next time you're in the neighborhood and either don't want to wait in line at Shake Shack or don't want to wait in line at Eataly, just head a couple blocks north and hunker down at The Breslin for a warm welcome, strong drinks, and delicious grub.
Last spring, I studied abroad in Paris. It was my first time abroad, I barely knew the language (meaning I had one semester of Elementary French under my belt, so I didn't know the language), and I had no close friends going with me. It was an intense and beautiful experience — tough at some points, like watching my friends back in New York enjoying an early spring in the city, and rewarding at others, like when I could finally easily navigate the metro. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time on my own. Reading in cafes (shoutout to my favorite coffee shop, Cafe Oberkampf!), strolling in parks (seek out La Promenade Plantée — like a Parisian High Line), and taking photos in different neighborhoods (Le Marais! Always Le Marais!) were all activities I did solo.
One place I had on my list to visit before I even arrived in France was the brick-and-mortar store for the French brand Sézane. I had coveted their collaboration with one of my other favorite brands, Madewell, and knew I had to see their gorgeous L'Appartement in person. I remember walking aimlessly around the second district one rainy afternoon and literally stumbling upon the store. It was gorgeous, imposing, and alluring, tucked away on a picturesque corner. And, for all the exploring I had done on my own, I almost couldn't bring myself to go inside. I knew, without even stepping in, that this was an experience that was meant to be shared.
I didn't go in that time — I think the store actually ended up being closed when I gathered the nerve to walk up to the door. However, I returned not long after, on a lovely, sunny weekend day with one of my friends. Walking inside went beyond any expectations — the store was huge, airy, and unbelievably chic. I felt like I was literally in a stylish Parisienne's closet. It was nearing the end of my tenure in Paris, and I had saved up some euros to treat myself before I left. I knew this was the perfect place — inherently French and, thus, inherently timeless. I picked out the perfume (still one of my favorite scents to date) and a navy leather wallet (I had my purse and wallet stolen earlier in the year!). They were the perfect little trinkets to remind me of my time in France.
Long story short, I was elated to find out that Sézane has finally opened a store right here in NYC! You can shop the entire collection in yet another iteration of their gorgeous spaces, over on Elizabeth Street. Krystal and I visited during Fashion Week, and it's absolutely charming. A little piece of Paris in New York.
So, if these photos don't convince you, take a look at their Fall Lookbook and just try to resist a trip. Grab a beret and your favorite French girl inspiration and head straight there!
Given that we have a TON of travel content lined up for this week and the following weeks, I wanted to kick off another Marathon Monday (albeit a day late now, sorry!), discussing how to best go about working out while you're traveling. As someone who's on the road (and on planes and trains) pretty often, I'll be the first to admit, I'm horrible at figuring out this balance. More often than not, I'll pack my workout gear for a trip, only to find very little time available for actually working out.
A lot of you expressed interest in this topic a while back, so I figured, let's all take a page (or 8 for that matter), from Lacee's book, with these 8 simple ways to make time for working out while traveling.
Planning ahead is a must! Think about the destination and surroundings and try to make the best use of what is available. It could be a hotel gym, a run on a beach, trail run, hike or a visit to a local boutique fitness studio/gym. Research the area you'll be visiting and see what will work best, given your schedule.
Don’t be a victim to jet lag; getting in a workout or a short burst of physical activity is better than a nap fresh from a plane. Get in the mental habit of moving first and resting second.
Walk as much as possible; this is easier in some places than others, but the more movement, the better. Walking in a city like NYC is easy, riding a bike in Amsterdam is natural.
Get up early! Again, beat the jet lag and start the day with endorphins. It is much more likely a workout will happen on the road before the day officially starts (especially on business trips).
Running can be done relatively anywhere and is a great way to explore a new city. Find a run group or just bring your shoes, get up early and start your day with a brisk morning jog. Chat with the hotel concierge about running trails or paths in the area. Most of the time, they have actual maps to give you of where to go run.
Pack equipment if you can. Jump rope, resistance bands and even a travel TRX strap can easily be packed and used in a hotel room. (I've linked some favorites below.)
Bodyweight workouts and tabata intervals are a great way to get your heart rate up with basic body weight movements. Try 20 second work intervals with 10 second rest intervals in between for 8 rounds. Combos like jump squats/push ups, jump lunges/dips on a chair and burpess will all get the heart rate up and quickly!
Share your goals and progress with friends or a support system at home. Social media, apps and text check-ins can help with accountability and give you that boost to get out there and work out!
Have more fitness questions for Lacee? Let me know in the comments below!
Let's face it: Fashion Week is crazy. As fun and glamorous as it always is, it's also physically exhausting and mentally draining, running from show to show and keeping on a tight schedule, late night events giving way to early morning meetings. It's also super hard to fit in important things like proper sleep, hydration, and, of course, food. Sometimes it's hard to even find the time to eat a granola bar, let alone sit down for a big lunch.
So, with fashion week coming to a close, it's time to put you first again, and that starts here, at Citizens of Chelsea. Tucked away on 25th St and 9th Ave, the light and airy space is perfect for a midmorning brunch session with your closest friends. The food is healthy and delicious — they are famous for their Smashing Avocado toast (of course the spot is Aussie-run), which, pictured here, is absolutely divine. Don't forget to add a poached egg and snap a pic when you do. Their bircher muesli is the perfect sweet compliment to the savory toast, and definitely get a latte in one of their pretty blue cups. The space is huge, so it's not too hard to find a seat, but be careful — on weekend afternoons, the wait can get crazy!
Go enjoy some leisure time over a beautiful brunch and let me know how you liked it!
As I mentioned last week, I'll be tracking my marathon training progress weekly, every Monday (which let's face it, is the hardest day to work out of the week, AM I RIGHT?). Last week, I introduced you to Lacee, who will be overseeing and helping me train for race day (which is SO CLOSE ALREADY). Not only is she one of the strongest women I know (literally, she is), but she has this uncanny ability to trick you into thinking your workout is going to be fun.
"Oh, what's that, Lacee? Burpees, followed by pull-ups? I thought you'd never ask!"
I blame her unassuming, bubbly smile. And the fact she usually throws on a little gangsta rap before class starts, so you basically feel like a bad ass at 8am. And who doesn't like feeling like a bad ass at 8am?
Anyway, I digress. On with the running schedule. For context, up until this point, I've been averaging anywhere to 3-5 miles every other day, sprinkling in cross training sessions over at Fhitting Room about once a week.
Week 10:
Monday, 9/11: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Tuesday, 9/12: 3 mile run
Wednesday, 9/13: 7 mile run
Thursday, 9/14: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 9/15: REST
Saturday, 9/16: 15 mile run
Sunday, 9/17: REST
Week 11:
Monday, 9/18: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Tuesday, 9/19: 4 mile run
Wednesday, 9/20: 8 mile run
Thursday, 9/21 Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 9/22: REST
Saturday, 9/23: 16 mile run
Sunday, 9/24: REST
Week 12:
Monday, 9/25: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Tuesday, 9/26: 4 mile run
Wednesday, 9/27: 8 mile run
Thursday, 9/28: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 9/29: REST
Saturday, 9/30: 12 mile run
Sunday, 10/1: REST
Week 13:
Monday, 10/2: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Tuesday, 10/3: 4 mile run
Wednesday, 10/4: 9 mile run
Thursday, 10/5: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 10/6: REST
Saturday, 10/7: 18 mile run
Sunday, 10/8: REST
Week 14:
Monday, 10/9: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Tuesday, 10/10: 5 mile run
Wednesday, 10/11: 9 mile run
Thursday, 10/12: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 10/13: REST
Saturday, 10/14: 14 mile run
Sunday, 10/15: REST
Week 15:
Monday, 10/16: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Tuesday, 10/17: 5 mile run
Wednesday, 10/18: 10 mile run
Thursday, 10/19: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 10/20: REST
Saturday, 10/21: 20 mile run
Sunday, 10/22: REST
Week 16:
Monday, 10/23: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Tuesday, 10/24: 5 mile run
Wednesday, 10/25: 8 mile run
Thursday, 10/26: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 10/27: REST
Saturday, 10/28: 10 mile run
Sunday, 10/29: REST
Week 17:
Monday, 10/30: Fhitting Room
Tuesday, 10/31: 4 mile run
Wednesday, 11/1: 6 mile run
Thursday, 11/2: Fhitting Room/Cross train day
Friday, 11/3: REST
Saturday, 11/4: REST
Sunday, 11/5: MARATHON
If you happen to be in the New York area and want to take a Fhitting Room class together, now you know my schedule! I typically sign up for the 8am class on both Mondays and Thursdays, so shoot me an email if you're thinking about joining! Also, feel free to nag me on social if it looks like I'm not keeping up with my schedule. Sometimes the best way to stick to a routine is to invite your friends (and subsequently your social media followers), to keep you accountable.
I'm going to make a bit of a bold claim: West Village is at its best around 5pm on a cool, rainy afternoon. No, not at 8am on a sunny spring morning, or at midnight in the middle of a wild winter storm. 5pm, in between bouts of drizzle and downpour, on a September evening, is when the village is at its most lovely.
I think it’s something about the way rain scatters people — everyone is either huddled under an umbrella or holed up inside, so the streets are hushed and open. You’ve given up on your own umbrella, as it’s not really raining hard enough to justify its use (you know that rain that’s more of a mist than anything else? That’s New York rain) and you’ve passed the point of caring. I think it’s something about the click of your heels against the sidewalk as you round the corner of West Fourth and Charles Street, past the staff having a family meal inside Mary’s Fish Camp before dinner service opens. The sound of your heels mixes with the clinking of glasses of champagne at Bar Sardine, celebratory midweek bubbly best enjoyed inside, but with the windows open to let the cool breeze float in. I think it’s definitely something about the air — fresh and clean in a way New York air never is, and yet smoky with a hint of Santal 33 ghosting past you like a stranger you thought you might’ve known.
West Village in the rain at dusk is the red-lipped woman whose eyes are hidden in the shadow cast by her wide-brimmed black and white hat as she crosses the street in front of you, or is it actually just time that is in black and white when the clock strikes a certain hour? You’re jolted back into color when a bright yellow cab appears seemingly out of nowhere to silhouette you in a shock of white light. Did you look both ways before you crossed?
It’s something about sneakily peering into the warmly lit windows of the monstrous homes that line the cobblestone streets, furniture and art and staircases and back gardens and children setting the table for dinner visible only when it’s just dark enough to switch on lamps all over the house. The children are inside because it’s witching hour, where what is real is not, where men in full three-piece suits wander past you with a tip of their hat, where fuzzy jazz music drifts from what you’re sure is the sky and right down into your palm so that you can carry it in your pocket from block to block. It’s that feeling of having your headphones in and not just feeling like you’re in a movie but knowing you’re in a movie. This can’t be real life. Can it?
West Village in the rain at dusk is pure magic.
I’ve thought about this far too often because, far too often, I find myself wandering through the village on days like this, usually on my way to The Elk to meet Krystal or to just sip coffee and read a book on my own. The Elk is the perfect accompaniment to a rainy West Village afternoon — delicious drinks, incredible food, and a warm atmosphere that relieves that nervous, exciting tension that builds up in your chest, walking there through the enchanted village. Before I even moved to New York, The Elk was actually already on the top of my list of places to visit, and over the years it has never let me down. Be sure to order the egg sandwich (hands down the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had) or the market rice bowl with extra avocado. Hold your coffee tight to defrost your hands, crack open a book about the magic of New York, and begin to figure out what is your West Village.
As you may or may not know, I'm running the New York Marathon in November. Granted, it's not my first marathon (it'll be my third actually --remember Paris here?), but given some recent injuries in past years (not getting any younger I suppose), this will be the first time I'm enlisting the help of a seasoned professional to help me train. Cue the adorable blonde you see here. Lacee Lazoff. If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you may have spied my running snaps and, as of this summer, my tortuous work out snaps from Fhitting Room, a high intensity boutique studio here in the city. As a self proclaimed tomboy and work out enthusiast myself, it's surprisingly hard for me to find studios here in the city that I actually want to return back to. Most are great, don't get me wrong, but I find myself either anxious or bored or just downright overwhelmed by how niche each class sounds. Barry's Bootcamp meets disco party with fog machines? Say what?! So when I first started going to Fhitting Room last summer with my good friend Heather, I was pleasantly refreshed. A downright sweat inducing, muscle-working high intensity class? With great music? And instructors who have the ability to yell in an encouraging way (as opposed to the scary, drill sergeant kind of way)? Sign me up! And I've been going ever since. Now this is where the aforementioned adorable blonde comes in. Lacee. I've recently started making a habit of signing up for her 8am Thursday class at the Flatiron studio and have always admired 1.) how bright eyed she seems at 8am! and 2.) how she can whip out a few pull ups without flinching. Seriously. This girl is tiny but mighty -- essentially representing all my fitness goals in one! Of course, once I found out she had run the New York Marathon before, I knew she'd be the perfect coach for me and a great source of ideas and tips for this new series I'm kicking off today: Marathon Monday (yes, I'm aware it's Tuesday now, but let's pretend the long weekend didn't throw off my posting schedule). That said, I wanted to introduce Lacee to all of you, so you could get a feel for her approach to fitness, how she stays motivated and her tips for getting arms like hers. (Insert flexing arm emoji here.) Over the coming weeks, she'll be weighing in on my training schedule with a day by day running and workout plan, tips for working out while traveling (my weakness!) and nutrition guides, tailored for runners. Have other topic ideas for Lacee to answer? Let me know in the comments below! And without further adieu, I'll let Lacee take it from here!
First things first, where are you from and when did you move to NYC?I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and moved to NYC seven years ago (May 2010).Ah! A fellow Left Coaster! So where do you live here in the city? East Village! I started in the West Village and moved east six years ago (and am still in the same apartment).How long have you been at Fhitting Room?Since December 2016, but I've been in the fitness industry in NYC since I moved here and used to take classes at Fhitting Room when it first opened 4+ years ago.What's your relationship with fitness like? How did it start?How has it evolved over the years?I've always been athletic and grew up doing a ton of outdoor sports. A good amount of my youth was spent figure skating and running. I found yoga in college and starting practicing weekly along with weight training sessions at the gym; I've been a gym rat since my late teens! I don't feel like myself if I'm not moving and that has taken many forms over the years. In my early 20's I was really into yoga, running and crossfit; that translated to group fitness/spin and about every boutique class you could name when I moved to NYC. I loved yoga so much, I even considered enrolling on a yoga teacher training course in India. I spent the first 10 years of my career working in operations for a fitness apparel company and made a career switch to personal training; it has been the most natural and scary leap, but one that has truly taken me full circle in my love of fitness.My connection to yoga and weight training has stayed consistent and that came together when I found kettlebells and functional movement. I literally fell in love and have never felt stronger than I have through working consistently with kettlebells (it has been about three years). Now I'm in a phase of bells and bodyweight training; I've become obsessed with strict pull-ups and see a future helping people (especially women) to achieve their first pull-up and beyond. In my early/mid thirties, I'm stronger than I've ever been and want to maintain that and thrive as I age.What do love about personal training/instructing?I love people and helping others use their bodies to their full potential; it's something so many of us take for granted. Personal training is often a unique bond, as I'm getting to know clients on a one-on-one level that feels close to family sometimes. It's very rewarding to watch an individual achieve goals, make progress and really see how it affects their life closely. Group instructing for me is all about creating an experience and motivating a team. There is something about creating energy, teaching and bringing people together that is so much fun. At Fhitting Room, I get the best of both worlds because of the client interaction and being on a team of skilled trainers. It feels so great to be on a team again!What's a common misconception about strength training that you'd like to banish now? That sexy equals skinny and strong equals bulky. There are so many spaces in between and every person is different. Also that being fit is all about eating perfectly and working out every day with no grey area. It's possible to drink wine, not be in the gym constantly and still look and feel great.How does NYC impact your fitness routine?NYC can be a blessing and a curse! I like to eat, drink, stay out late and be involved socially in the city, but these things for sure impact my fitness routine. I find that eating very well 85% of the time, prioritizing sleep and scheduling my personal workouts like they are business appointments allows me to enjoy city life. I also love group fitness for the social aspect; it has allowed me to find friends that are likeminded. I also walk everywhere and plan on hustling a little more in the gym during the times I'm more social (ahem, summer). What's your workout philosophy?Workout to thrive at life; everything else will fall into place (including those body goals). I believe strength of body, strength of character and a positive outlook will give every person the ability to get after their goals and live BIG.Motivator of choice? (What pushes you to go that extra mile during a workout?)I'm a tighten my ponytail and throw on some dirty rap kind of girl. Also being around people that push me. It's easier to do that last burpee when you know your workout partner won't let you quit. Also, that extra glass of wine!Yeah, girl, we're with you for that extra glass of wine! Advice for someone looking to create a workout routine they can stick to?Plan ahead and schedule your workouts with the importance of a business meeting. Stay consistent for 6 months; yeah I said it. After that, it will feel as easy as breathing to keep going. Also, if you hate running, don't run. Start with something you really enjoy to ignite the spark, then build upon it. Group classes are a great option because they enforce commitment. Not to sound like a trainer, but... Consistency and habits create results.No matter how intense the workout seems at Fhitting Room, you're ALWAYS smiling! What's your SECRET?!I really believe in loving every moment of life, even the hard shit. Because it's real and usually accomplishing goals or getting through the tough moments feel the most satisfying. I tell myself all the time: don't make this hard, because nothing has to be hard. It's all about mindset, so embrace the suck with a smile.OK, but seriously, how do I get your arms? HELP ME!Lots of push ups, pull up and kettlebells! If you don't already have a set of Kettlebells, it's as easy as checking out sites like https://store.trxtraining.com/products/trx-kettlebell to get yourself this essential equipment!
Let's set a goal for you to achieve a pull up and everything else will fall into place. I actually think that as much as you travel, kettlebells and bodyweight is the way to go because you can really do them anywhere. Also: A TRX strap is a great investment; easy to travel with and you can hand it in any hotel door frame. Eep! So I have pull-ups in my near future? Finish these sentences...I feel strongest when... I lead with my heart and don't quit. My favorite kind of workout is... Kettlebell complexes and bodyweight movements.My torture workout of choice is... for sure HIIT classes (that assault bike never gets easier).My pump up jam at the moment... Anything with a Kendrick Lamar cameo; he can do no wrong.Pick your poison: BURPEES or PULL-UPS? I actually love both, but... Pull-ups have changed my life and I will never stop!In the past, I've underestimated how much I needed to cross train (hence the pesky ankle injury I had last year!) -- what are the specific areas I need to pay special attention to up until race day?The common areas for runners to watch: glute strength (your butt) and core strength. Deadlifts, hinge movements and posterior chain work (back of body) are all very important. Fhittiing Room classes are great for this. Here are a few things:
Foam rolling: calfs (especially if you're wearing heels), quads, a little bit hamstrings, and piriformis (upper hip area).
Glute bridges and deadlifts are awesome for building glute/hamstring strength and also connecting your mind to using these muscles. Oftentimes (especially women), people are quad-dominant and don't actually actively use the glutes!
Hips: tight hips can lead to lower back pain for runners. A total body kettle bell workout is good for building strength as well as endurance.
Core: planks, hollow holds, push ups, pull ups. Ab wheel exercises could be great for you especailly while traveling. I can show you all of this in person!
Walking: normally I tell New Yorkers to walk as much as possible. For you, try to keep walking miles on the lower side when you start getting in to longer runs. You'll already be logging in miles and your legs will need rest.
As a runner yourself (and a marathoner, to boot!), what's your advice for staying motivated during training?Enroll other people in what you are up to; it's much easier to stay motivated when you're open about your goals because then you'll have so much support. People want to see you succeed, so get friends, family and even your social crew involved in your journey! Also: little rewards help me. Like a new pair of shoes or workout pants help me to stay fresh and in the game. Sometimes it's the little things...
And there you have it! Hope you guys enjoyed the first of this series. And, as mentioned earlier, please send me any fitness related topics you'd like Lacee to tackle!
Nights are getting a little bit cooler, days aren't overwhelmed by humidity, and you can comfortably sit outside without sticking to chairs/benches. Fashion week is around the corner, pumpkins will be popping up everywhere, and hot drinks will become the norm again. Knock on wood, but I think fall is on its way to NYC.
I'm just going to come out and say it — I'm not a summer person. I love the freedom feeling that comes with summer, and I love the relief it brings after horrible winters and unpredictable summers. But, as a girl with thick, frizz-prone hair, I absolutely despise swampy midsummers in New York, where there's no relief to be found except by sitting directly in front of an air conditioner. I also hate the feeling of sweat dripping down my neck while I wait for the train at West 4th Street (can anyone relate?!). Maybe it's partially because my birthday is in September, but I much prefer the temperate climate of autumn, the colorful changing of leaves, abundance of sweaters and coats and booties…pumpkin spice everything (yes! it's good! let's move on…), apple cider at farmer's markets and apple picking upstate. Fall dreaming is real right now.
So, with Labor Day just this weekend, I figured it'd be the perfect time to start the buy now, wear later search for all your fall necessities. Check out my picks below to see what you'll be wearing when we're all clinging to al fresco dining come October.
In other news, the photos above are from Loosie's Kitchen in Williamsburg — part of a new ongoing series here on TTT featuring some of our favorite spots around the city. Louse's Kitchen/Cafe is the most adorable, hidden-garden restaurant tucked behind Loosie Rouge on a quiet Brooklyn street. The food is incredible, but you come for the atmosphere — open air dining, gorgeous greenery everywhere, fun pops of color, Instagrammable corners abound. My favorite dishes are definitely the baked eggs (those pork meatballs are to die for!), the hot Nashville chicken sandwich, and the chia bowl (pictured here). Come here on a late Saturday afternoon and you will not be disappointed.
So go, enjoy the last brunches on the patio of the season, and then stock up on these amazing autumn finds.
When it comes to my skin, I'm a bit jumpy. What do I mean by that? Well, I tend to overreact, namely in my own head, about the current state of my skin and how certain foods/products/environmental issues will affect it. And if you recall from this post or this post back at the beginning of 2016, it might make sense. Toward the end of my 20s and on the eve of my 30th, I was struggling with some pretty moderate to severe acne, along my chin and jawline. And while things have significantly cleared up since then, thanks to some pretty fundamental lifestyle changes and one kick-ass dermatologist (thanks Dr. Rao!), I have to say sometimes, I half expect to feel bumps all over my face STILL.
Perhaps it's habit? Perhaps I'm scarred from it? Perhaps it's hard to stop seeing yourself a certain way, after you've been really fixated on something? I'm not sure what the answer is, but I know that I'm hyper-sensitive to my routine, when I'm ON IT and when I unfortunately, fall OFF IT. Lately, as you might have seen me mention on Instagram, while traveling brings me so much joy, it certainly doesn't always agree with my skin. When I told some friends this they suggested I get a good Sheet mask to take for my face on the road but it can be difficult. Between long flights and unexpected climate changes in new-to-me parts of the world, it can be a guessing game at best, one that makes it hard to stick to habits and even harder to bounce back from when you return home. One organic product that I'm still yet to try is Olieve and Olie, Olieve and Olie skincare is based Olive Oil which is full of antioxidants and can help fight against the effects of aging.
Hot off the heels from Europe, I wanted to share 7 things that helped save my skin along the way (and a few items I wish I had my hands on before I left.
Multivitamins + fish oil supplements: Lately, in addition to my birth control and spirnolactone (which I've chatted about the overall impact both have had on my skin here), I make sure to always bring my organic multivitamins (that a friend told me about from https://purepathessentialoils.com/best-organic-multivitamins/)and fish oil supplements. I don't get too fussy about it, I just throw enough in a plastic sandwich baggy that gets tossed in my laptop bag (never a checked bag, because you may want to access them during the flight). If you're not already taking a fish oil supplement of some kind, I highly recommend you do! I've seen drastic improvements to the overall elasticity of my skin (and hair and nails!).
SK-II Facial Treatment Essence: I've been dying to try out SK-II's lineup of products for a while now, but have been a bit overwhelmed by which one to start with -- I suppose that's a testimony to the brand. When many fashion it girls are leaving glowing reviews of their signature product, it makes it hard to figure out which one might be the "gateway" beauty product for you. Well, folks. I found my gateway SK-II product and I think it's going to be a game changer for all my longer fights coming up. Dubbed as "miracle water" by Cate Blanchett herself and for good reason. I've recently learned it's 90% Pitera™, which is an ingredient specific to SK-II, known to be rich in vitamins, amino acids, minerals and organic acids. Lately, I've been applying it in the mornings and evenings after my cleansing routine, followed by SPF and moisturizer (morning) and serum and another moisturized (evening). It's extremely lightweight and absorbs much better than a cream -- and I just love how it feels like a glass of water for my skin to drink up! I'm looking forward to documenting the longer term effects of Facial Treatment Essence, but so far, so good!
Water bottle: Speaking of water, are you drinking enough while you travel? I know I don't. More often than not, especially if I'm in a drastically different time zone from what I'm used to, I'll reach for copious amounts of caffeine before I ever think to reach for a water bottle, which is a huge no-no! And even when I think to buy a water bottle while hopping around during the day, it becomes a chore to find a store where I can find one. Now, whenever I travel, I tote along a reusable water bottle to fill up to the brim each day before I leave my hotel. This way, I have no excuse to not stay hydrated, which arguably, has far better effects for your skin and mood when you're a bit jet-lagged. Filtered water bottles can even be found across the internet nowadays. You can read more on this subject online.
Toilettes: I love keeping a packet of moist toilettes handy in my carry on bag -- something from the drugstore will do just fine! They're perfect for freshening up and wiping up spills that inevitably always happen on the plane (red wine always seems to end up on my jeans, without fail).
Skip makeup for the flight -- apply a sleep mask: Admittedly, I just started doing this. Probably because, previously, I always felt the need to wear makeup just to leave the house, for fear of my current skin situation in awful florescent airport lighting. But now, I really try to embrace my skin and let it breathe as much as possible, especially on long flights. I'll cleanse it really well before heading to the airport, make sure my makeup is ready to tote away in my carry on (so I can apply whenever I land), and I'll bring along a sleep mask of some sort to indulge in during the flight.
SLEEP: Bring lavender and melatonin: And now, speaking of sleep, raise your hand if you're able to catch some Z's while flying? If you happened to raise your hand just now, can you please let me in on your secrets? For the life of me, I struggle to find any sleep during flights -- and it seems the longer the flight, the harder it is for me to even get comfortable to begin with, which has put my skin through literal hell in the past! That said, I've found a few things that help at least put me more at ease, and with any luck, combined with a mini bottle of red wine, can help me doze off! The first is lavender oil, which you've heard me mention here before. As you may already know, lavender has incredible calming properties that has been proven to have sedative effects when inhaled. Dab a few drops on your pillow as you cozy up to watch an in-flight movie. Next, and my favorite, melatonin. I hate taking sleep aids in general -- they always make me feel a bit groggy afterward, which is why I'm a big fan of melatonin. It's far more natural and helps ease you into sleep, instead of knocking you out.
Ice during the flight: I just recently learned this trick and I'm obsessed! As your captain announces you'll be beginning your final descent for landing, ask one of the flight attendants for a cup of just ice and a lot of paper napkins. Take the ice and wrap them up in the napkins, making a little satchel and place under your eyes to banish any puffiness that may have crept in during the flight. You'll land feeling far more awake and wide-eyed because of it!
And that about wraps it up! What skin care tips/tricks do you guys swear by when traveling?
This post was in collaboration with SK-II. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!
Just taking a minute (or 5 maybe) to catch my breath. I don't know about you guys, but this summer is going by at lightening speed. I suppose I always feel that way in the midst of this season, but this one in particular has me running around like mad these days. Not that I'm complaining -- just finding myself wishing it would slow down a tiny bit.
This past weekend, I hopped over to Shelter Island (my first time!) to celebrate the launch of the Clinique X Jonathan Adler collection with the Create & Cultivate team at none other than Jonathan's and Simon's private home (someone pinch me NOW). We stayed at the most darling bed and breakfast The Chequit in town and it had me daydreaming about where and what my future vacation home might look like (a girl can dream, right?). To be honest, I've had this vision ever since my friend bought her own vacation home in the beautiful place of Costa Rica. She said that she couldn't have wished for a better home and it was all thanks to this Costa Rica real estate company who found her everything she could ever want in a property. I've seen pictures. It's AMAZING!! So visiting this town only made me think about my future vacation home even more. Immediately afterward, we scooted back to the city, where I unpacked and repacked for the Newport Folk Festival (my first time up there!). We stayed at the new Gurney's up there and after witnessing a few sunsets over the water up there, I'm convinced I need to make it back soon for a longer, proper stay in town. As for this time around? Let it suffice to say I've eaten my weight in lobster rolls and danced like crazy.
Since I'm recovering a bit (we got back into town around 2am last night at Penn station), here are a few things I'm digging around on the interwebs. Because, hey, it's Monday and I'm in need of a proverbial snooze button at the moment. Enjoy!
Speaking of dresses, I'm on the hunt for a few good ones to wear to a couple of weddings I have coming up. This guy and this guy are at the top of my list.
I recently watched Ingrid Goest West with my good friend, Christine, and I cannot recommend it enough, especially to those involved in the influencer space. It's a dark comedy, so at times, it reminded me I had to laugh at what has somewhat become my reality, but it's also a much needed reminder for perspective and perhaps a digital detox in my near future. Have you guys seen it? What did you think?
After this past weekend away, I'm craving a road trip somewhere tucked away in the mountains. So once I started digging around, much to my delight, I stumbled upon this gem-worthy news: you can stay at the actual lodge where Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze had the time of their lives. You can definitely put this baby in THAT corner up at the Mountain Lake Lodge in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
Forgot how much I love a good, chill festival and the Newport Folk Festival was a great reminder of that. Listened to a few old favorites (like the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Julia Jacklin and Nathaniel Rateliff) but also discovered a few new-to-me favorites (like The Texas Gentlemen, who we happened to share a ferry ride with on the way to the festival and Marlon Williams, who sounds like a cross between Buddy Holly and Elvis, swooooon!).
I think one of the biggest reasons I love travel so much, isn't necessarily how different each location can feel and look from the last (although it certainly doesn't hurt!), but rather it's the people that I meet along the way. Vendors. Locals. Shop keepers. The man who sold me my bus ticket and proceeded to tell me about his family and why he loves his home country so much. Most of my favorite trips are purely made by the people I meet while on them. They allow me to see their home through a lens that is indescribable and, quite frankly, irreplaceable when it comes to truly experiencing a place.
So when I had the opportunity to meet with local womenswear designer, Judy Clark, while hopping through Edinburgh, Scotland, I couldn't agree fast enough. Granted, I've never been to Scotland before, but after last summer's trip to Ireland (not to mention the fact I'm part Scottish), I was eager to explore more of this part of the world, for all the reasons you can probably imagine. Cue rolling green hills. Moody skies that threaten to crack open and pour on you at any moment. Lone farm houses tucked away from the world, with nothing but their sheep as witnesses. Dignified architecture harkening back to the age of kings and queens (and yes, even a certain Harry Potter).
And Judy Clark's designs harmonize quite well with this world I had imagined, for a woman blending modern and heritage together, for a look completely her own. It's as if you can see the woman she designs for, sporting a men's tweed swing coat but with lace and intricate beaded details, playing out a role in a great adventure novel, roaming the beautifully melancholy Highland hills -- a heroine of her own destiny, answering to no one.
To say I fell in love with this world Judy had created would be an understatement -- and it was just the right note for Alisha and I to kick off our trip through Scotland. I hope you adore her work as much as I do.
As a literature and history buff myself, I love how your designs incorporate a modern, edgy nod to eras gone by. Where do your design inspirations come from?
I love old things and places. Vintage shops, thrift stores, historical architecture. I love looking back at period clothing; they had such intricate undergarments and structure to the clothing. I am very inspired by these historical shapes and translate these beautiful silhouettes into more wearable but statement pieces. I am always inspired by the places I travel to and sometimes there is a such varied heritage in the world and I love to investigate who was wearing what at different times.
What does your design process look like from start to finish?
Research, mood boards sketching ideas in pen or ink in my design journals, pulling fabrics together from my fabric boxes, creating new patters, toile’s and then creating the final pieces.
Who is the Judy Clark woman?
Individual style atheistic who’s not afraid to be a little eccentric.
I love that you incorporate some very uniquely Scottish elements in your work -- tartan, lace and tweed for an effect that is both dramatic and romantic. Does Scotland play a role (as muse or otherwise) in your work? If so, how?
The fabrics are probably the biggest inspiration from Scotland; i usually pull together different textures and colours in the studio and drape them over the mannequin to see what works.
You’ve garnered quite the list of accolades and awards (and rightfully so!), including Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Scottish Style Awards. How did you ultimately land on designing as your calling? Was it an early discovery or something that came about later in life?
I have always had an interest in art – I spent many an afternoon in the art department in school pottering around with new ideas. If I could I would have spent my entire secondary education there. Our school didn’t have a specialized textiles or fashion department but we were encouraged to follow our interest and mine was fashion. It really came from an illustrative journeys drawing from life then pushing that into a new area of fashion illustration. I always loved to draw and still do.
I began really learning to sew at university -- I have to admit I was perhaps the last in the class in completing our first projects as most had learnt to sew through school or college. I think in some way it made me more determined and now I am probably one of a handful of people that have continued creating in the fashion line.
What are some of your favorite pieces to design? Do you have a particular favorite piece to date and why is it your favorite?
The Pheasant feather tartan Frock coat is one of my favourites; the image by David Stanton is one of our most iconic pieces. I love the drama of it. The coat combines tartan from the Scottish borders, silk velvet collar and leather sleeves with a pheasant feathers bustle.
Your studio space is stunning (such great light!). Can you describe a typical day to me, from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave?
Tunes on, kettle on, cup of tea, patten cutting, draping, stitching, creating, emails, social medial, back to the sewing table to create .
Speaking on tunes, what do you listen to while in the studio?
Annie Lennox, Florence and the Machine, Goldfrap, Beyonce, I love power ballads and divas!
We love a good diva, too! Which is why we’re personally huge fans of the Lace Noir collection. It has a wonderful empowered femininity to it -- this begs the question: what does style mean to you?
Style has to be comfortable, feminine, bold and strong.
Who are some designers you admire? Artists?
McQueen , Galliano, John Byrne, Joan Eardley
What has been your career highlight thus far?
Scotttish Style Awards designer of the Year – it came as a complete surprise and I was delighted!
Alright, lightening round! Can you finish these sentences for us?
The first thing I did this morning was … kiss my little boy good morning
Right now, I’m obsessed with … red wine
Every woman should own … a great pair of boots!
The three things you can always find in my bag are … lipstick, perfume, phone
I’ve been listening to ... Annie Lennox on repeat lately.
I’d kill to design something for …. Beyonce – she rocks!
My style icon is …. Daphne Guiness
My guilty pleasure is … I do like a good music contest such as X-Factor or The Voice.
To be a good designer, you must ... have ambition, determination and raw talent.
Hello Friday! It's Nora, here to wax poetic about my favorite summer activity.
The beginning of summer can bring a lot of things — picnics in the park, walks along the river, early clock out time on Fridays, lots and lots of rosé — but one trademark of the warmer season is the collective sigh of relief when we all realize we finally have time to read.
Whether it's hectic projects that come to a head at the start of the year, or a jam-packed semester filled with so much required reading it's difficult to think about doing it for pleasure, we have seemingly endless excuses as to why we don't read as much as we should. Okay, excuses might be a harsh word; if someone hands me even the most compelling of novels during a semester when I'm knee-deep in scholarly articles about media theories, I am not ashamed to admit there is literally no way for me to mentally ingest another sentence. So, maybe that's why the freedom of summer is so exciting — it's a chance to get away from business reports and expense sheets and whatever ridiculous 50-page reading your awful liberal arts core curriculum professor assigned. It's a chance to get back to your roots, when summers consisted of long days spent lounging on the porch, playing in the sprinkler, and eating fruit so juicy your entire arm would get sticky. When summers were about finding a shady spot at the beach to curl up, sitting in the back yard at sunset in the perfect adirondack chair, staying up late in bed with a flashlight, all with a good book.
I loved reading as a kid. I still do, but there was a ferocity to it when I was younger — I couldn't get through the books fast enough. As soon as I was done with one, it was onto another, and oh how many others there were. Sometimes I'd put down a book to go somewhere with my parents, and I'd have to take a minute to extract myself from the story, to not mention a character in the book as if they were my closest friend. I always felt totally and completely immersed in the worlds that were created around me. That is the magic of a book — when you can't remember if it was real life or just a really good story.
So, this summer, I've pledged to read as many books as I can. My dad loves to send me surprise packages of novels — every time an Amazon box appears at my doorstep, I know I have another book to look forward to. Lately, I've been loving memoirs and historical fiction. Check out my picks below to add to your summer reading list. And let me know: what are you looking forward to reading this season?
Hands down, my favorite book so far has been Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders. A totally new tale set in a completely historical moment. I'm not giving away anything other than it's about Abraham Lincoln and the death of his son, Willie, and it's set in a graveyard. Interest, peaked. Now go get it immediately. Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker was a last-summer read for me, but after recently rematching The West Wing, I was inspired to pick it up again. It's funny and depressing and so completely relatable, and Parker's voice is so totally captivating. The cover is what drew me to Harmless Like You by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, but the story of a Japanese-American girl growing up in New York rings vital in our current political climate.
These are books that I haven't gotten to yet, but are currently sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. Insomniac City's Bill Hayes intertwines his life with Oliver Sack's, whose heartbreaking book Gratitude I read last summer. Hunger by Roxane Gay comes highly recommended to me by the former book editor of my hometown newspaper, and my dad just finished The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti and immediately afterwards sent me my own copy, which must mean something good.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr has been read by everyone and her mother, but I'm still looking forward to forming my own opinion on it. I am also dying to dive into Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance — a story those of us in the city are often guilty of ignoring. Krystal's pick is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, and with the casting of the amazing Amandla Stenberg in the new movie, I'm going to have to grab my own copy, too.
Through the years, I've acquired a small handful of close girlfriends who have seen me through what I like to call my many previous lives. And Irene Lee, is perhaps chief among them. I still remember when I first met Irene on my first day of work at this scrappy tech start up in San Mateo. I was fresh out of college, new to the Bay Area and still getting used to what it meant to have a big girl salary. Needless to say, I was feeling a bit wide-eyed about it all. And there was Irene -- the cool, older sister I never had (even though I do have a rad and wickedly smart younger sister) -- showing me the ropes, i.e. telling me where the good snacks were hidden in the office kitchen, pointing out which engineer would likely make my feature requests the fastest if I asked nicely and pointing out which neighborhoods to avoid at all costs when hunting for my first SF apartment (answer: the Tenderloin, although word on the street is that this area is trendy now?).
Over the years, we moved from start up, to Google together, I went to her wedding in Hawaii (which you may recall here) and I worked pretty closely with her on a lot of our marketing photo shoots while she was pregnant with her first child, Sebastian. All the while, we'd be scheming about the day we could say goodbye to corporate life and jump into our respective creative endeavors. No matter how discouraged or busy we both got, I always loved that we shared this camaraderie -- a commitment to pushing each other forward and to not be afraid of the leap.
Well, as of earlier this year, Irene took that leap, officially launching her first designed and produced children's clothing line, Bash + Sass. As her friend, I'm incredibly proud. As a fellow entrepreneur, I'm inspired. Which is why I wanted to share her with you all today as today's Woman Crush.
Hope you enjoy!
We've known each other for years, haven't we? And in our previous lives both working very corporate jobs at Google, we daydreamed about the day we could pursue our creative passions. Where along the way did you cook up the concept for Bash + Sass?
Yes, we go way back to 2010! It feels like it's been such a long journey to finally get here! All along the way, you've been an amazing inspiration and reminder to pursue my passions and see my dreams through. Thank you so much for always being such a huge supporter and encouraging me. I've always known that I wanted to start a line of my own, especially having worked in the fashion industry as a graphic designer and Creative Director prior to Google. It wasn't until I had my first child, Sebastian (aka Bash) that actually doing this seemed a reality. I've always been a fan of modern, clean and minimalist design. This holds true to how I dress myself but I had a hard time finding baby/kids apparel that reflected this style. I ended up buying overseas brands that fit this aesthetic and paying more for shipping than the actual pieces themselves. Ahhhh! There was definitely a hole in the market for this need. That's when it clicked and I thought, "What am I doing? Why not just make what I want for Bash myself? Surely there must be other parents out there who are looking for something similar."
So! Tell us about Bash! The main man inspiration! How does he and little Isa (your newest addition) influence the line?
Oh my Bash. This little nutbag is silly dancing and singing at the top of his tiny lungs one minute, then asking to snuggle and cupping my face the next. He is a ball of happy crazy most of the time but boy are the threenager-isms are starting to come out! Bash is a pop of fun -- which is a concept I directly translated into my line. With neutral-colored fabrics, (the first collection is monochrome) I wanted to add a pop of fun and color in the mix. That's how the idea of creating new monsters for each collection was born. Kids clothing can be modern and minimalist but why not fun too, right? The first monster is named "Babu." Babu is a game that Bash made up when he could run but barely speak. He would shout "Babu! Babu!" then chase his dad around in circles until he fell over laughing or got too dizzy ... whichever came first. 😉
With the recent birth of my daughter, Isa, my design-thinking for the next collection is evolving more. I will still create gender-neutral, modern and edgy basics but can see these ideas and details working for a simple dress or skirt now too. It's fun, inspiring and amazing having both a boy and a girl. Isa, who is now 7 months, is really starting to show more of her personality. She's usually quite calm (thank god) but definitely flicks on the sassy switch when she wants something or get hangry. I'm really excited to learn more about both of them as they grow and fold in their personalities into future clothing designs and monsters.
You've worn many hats before taking on this role. Can you tell me a bit about how your previous jobs have prepared you for finally taking the plunge to start your own business?
I've always worked in a startup environment. For better or for worse, it's taught me that wearing multiple hats is not only normal, it's critical. With a background in graphic design, my first stint in the fashion world was working for a luxury leather handbag and shoe company in New York. I handled all of their branding, marketing and graphic design needs. Sometimes we dipped into getting some SEO freelancer help when it came to pushing the website, but otherwise it was all us. We were a team of five that shared a small space on the 38th floor in the Garment District where everything was made from start to finish. It was a first-hand look at how things were actually produced and how the design process worked with actual products. After a few years, I moved to San Francisco and became the Art Director for eLuxury.com - LVMH's online destination for all of its brands at the time. These were the early days of eCommerce and many brands were just starting to understand online shopping and creating their digital presence. I created and managed each of their brand boutiques (ie. Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Dior), and led all of the designs for their marketing and merchandising campaigns. From there, I moved on to be the Creative Director for a start-up that blended fashion and tech. Boutiques.com was an online shopping site where you could shop via style, color, event, silhouette...you name it, nowadays these same sites use 3d visualization to showcase their products and give customers a better look at what they have to offer, potentially upping customer engagement and buying. It also served as an online community where you could shop via the style of an influencer or celebrity by simply going to their style "boutique." That was my foray into the tech world as I learned so much about how to create, design and build a service like this. I worked crazy hours with my team (engineers, developers, project managers) and got to cut my teeth on UX and UI design too. Google became interested in our service and we eventually were acquired. Once I officially became a Googler, I spent the next 5 years focused on teams in the eCommerce space - Google Play and Google Shopping Express. I was a Visual Design lead that helped define and launch both services. I managed a global team of designers that focused on marketing and merchandising campaigns, art-directed photoshoots and learned how critical data/metrics are to determining a company's success.
From branding, marketing, merchandising to production, each of these roles has prepared me for a wide spectrum of skills that are instrumental to starting my own. I'm thankful to have had extensive experiences in each of these areas across multiple industries. However, starting a company of your own is completely different! When I was starting my business, one of my friends was telling me about using clickfunnels templates to get more customers purchasing from your business. Apparently, these funnels can be used to drive in more sales or even to get more people signed up to your email marketing system. This sounded helpful, however, I decided to try and see how much of the business I could grow myself first. She finds it helps her business a lot, it's definitely something I'll keep in mind.
I absolutely love that a big part of the Bash + Sass brand ethos is rooted in sustainability. Can you tell me more about that and how it came to be a big part of your brand vision?
I don't want kids making clothes for my kids. It's just that simple and one of the biggest reasons why I made sure to source local manufacturers (and fabrics) for my line. After doing a lot of research around production options and costs, it was shocking to learn about the conditions, pay and overall picture of many factories overseas. It is important for me as a new parent to buy ethically produced and sustainable clothing whenever possible. Making sure my own line supported this same philosophy was a no-brainer.
Supporting local businesses is another reason why this means a lot. I'd much rather have personal relationships with my vendors and manufacturers than be a number. There's something so nice about being able to walk into the production factory, with baby Isa bobbing her head and strapped to my chest, to discuss samples with my team. Its that kind of connecting that makes a difference for me. I'm not just making clothes, I'm making something very personal and feel passionate about it. I want those involved to also be connected to me and the brand.
How did you ultimately decide to jump into the children's clothing line market?
Becoming a mama pushed me to make the jump. I had a really hard time finding modern, minimal and edgy styles for Bash. I wanted simple clothes that were comfy but not too cutesy or filled with trains and cars. I didn't know sourcing simple baby/toddler clothes would be such a challenge! After spending way too much money on postage for overseas brands that had a minimal aesthetic, I said F it and decided to try designing on my own. Now after having Isa, I'm excited to continue designing gender-neutral minimal styles that both my kids can influence and wear.
Since starting this business, what have some of your biggest lessons been? Any pain points you had to push through?
I'd definitely say some of the biggest lessons have been around production because this my first dive into the world of clothing. I don't have a background in pattern making or textiles so to be honest, it's like learning a whole new language. This definitely feels similar to when I had to learn how the development side of things worked in order to communicate my designs properly with engineers in the tech industry. I can't just sketch or photoshop what I want and have it magically appear because there are so many elements to consider (ie. stretch, fit, how the fabrics drape). I'm thankful to have found kind and patient professionals in these areas to guide me through this oh-so-educational round of designing and producing apparel.
Learning how to shop for fabrics has been another one, too. I can still remember wanting to cry (and this was less than a year ago) when I stepped into a 10,000 sq ft. fabric warehouse and had NO CLUE where to even begin. It felt like I had to find a lost shoe at Disneyland, it was so overwhelming. I asked A LOT of questions and brought home a bag full of swatches before I made my final decisions.
As a female entrepreneur, what advice would you want to give to women looking to ultimately start their own businesses?
Surround yourself with positive people ... especially women. The power of community and support is phenomenal. I thought about creating a line for years before I actually had the courage and confidence to do it. I am beyond lucky to have a strong circle of family, friends and entrepreneurial (many of them new!) ladies around me. I know I can lean on them, ask stupid questions, freak out and grab a glass of wine whenever necessary. I would also say research, research, research and educate yourself on how to start your own business. I took a course at a local women's entrepreneur center on how to start a small business. I was familiar with the design/marketing side of things, but financials and numbers scared the shit out of me (they still do but I have a better grasp now). I quickly learned there are so many resources out there specifically designed to help women in this space.
I remember commuting together to work when you were pregnant with Baby Bash! Time has flown. What has motherhood taught you about running your own business?
Motherhood is 24-7 and I know there's always something more I can do. This statement holds true about being an entrepreneur too. I think motherhood as a whole has taught me more about finding balance. I'm definitely no expert here and it's still a work in progress. Balancing both mama and biz life is the hardest part as it's a priority for me to still be present and energetic for my nuggets, especially while they are still so young. Motherhood has forced me to be more organized, efficient and plan ahead whenever possible. I've learned to let the little things go because I simply don't have the time or energy for it ... and really, it's probably not worth it anyways.
It's also taught me to take care of ME, because if I'm not OK, the rest of the family cookie crumbles. Pursuing this business IS for me, which feels amazing. I think a lot of moms (myself included) lose their identity once kids arrive. I definitely felt that way the first few months after my son was born. My whole world changed and I wasn't sure who I was (I'm sure the lack of sleep didn't help either) or how to re-define myself. It took me awhile to figure out how to address what I needed and to be able to do something about it. For me, I needed to do something creative of my own that I felt passionate about. Bash + Sass fulfills this to the Nth degree as my brand is an extension of myself, my style and directly influenced by my kids.
It's beyond rewarding to work really hard at something so personal and also know that its teaching and setting an example for my kids to achieve their own goals as they grow older. I feel very lucky to have found a creative outlet that combines all of these things full circle.
We've big fans of the hammer pants (ahem, do they come in my size?). Who are your design influences?
For you girl, just maybe! Glad you heart the hammers too and don't care if it's not 1990 anymore. 😉 I wear an adult version all the time. They're super comfy, easy to wear and I even dress mine up with some heels every once in awhile (although I usually live in sneakers). I'm a big fan of minimalist designers (surprise, surprise) like Alexander Wang, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Helmut Lang. It's fun and inspiring to see how these designers mix in edgy features to everyday basics and push silhouettes to the limits. I love the subtle details that make their styles unique and sophisticated. I'm aiming to do a toned down version for toddler/kids clothing -- create mini versions of simple basics with an edgy twist.
What is the design process like for you? Walk me through from start to finish.
I usually start with an idea that is inspired from something I saw while traveling or in my day to day. For example (this is going to sound so random), there's a cute kid space where I used to take Bash that has a micro NASA space station. They have a mini control center with knobs and buttons galore and a rack of super fresh astronaut suits for kids to dress up in (kinda awesome, right?). He always chose this one orange NASA jumpsuit that had tons of pockets, patches and a popped collar. I loved the shape and the structured popped collar and started thinking about how I could translate it into something more clean and less costume-y. Next thing you know, I'm going through all of the pics from that day and studying the shape and trying to re-sketch how I can make it work as part of my collection. This is how the Maverick romper came about. 🙂
I gather a lot of my influences from the adult fashion world of course, but also just as much from other design industries like architecture, furniture/product and interior design. I'm inspired by all things modern and clean but it's fun to find inspiration in unexpected places like a mini NASA space station! I definitely also make a conscious effort to see new places and travel (local and abroad) as often as possible. Traveling has always been a huge source of inspiration for me. As a whole, it's helped shape me as a person and most definitely impacts my design ideas and projects. I hope to continue exploring and traveling with my kids so they can learn and expand their view of the world.
What is the biggest challenge of starting your own business with a young family? And the biggest reward?
Hands down it's that "B" word again, balance. I'm jumping back into startup mode but this time around, I have two amazing nuggets to consider. I'm extremely motivated to push this business forward but am very mindful to be smart about it and do this at a manageable pace. It's so cliche but true to say that your kids are only young once. I want to savor these early years as much as possible and don't want to look back and feel regret because this is time I can't and won't ever get back. I put my phone down after Bash gets home from daycare and am focused on him and Isa until they close their eyes at night. I've carved out 1 weekday where I'm 1:1 with Isa too so we can spend quality time and connect. My weekends are all about the kids too so we try to plan family activities (when we're not hitting the birthday party circuit) that involve city adventures and fresh air. The rest of the time in between, I'm hustling, photoshop-ing, trying to keep up with social media and hitting my checklist of business to-do's to get the brand out there. It's not easy and I'm definitely not racking up miles in the sleep department, but I know it's part of the launch process and building my brand.
The biggest reward is knowing that I'm teaching my kids to pursue their dreams by leading with example. Both my husband and I are entrepreneurs and I hope we show them by working hard and smart, they too can achieve their goals.
May already? Mother's Day is right around the corner, folks and if you haven't shopped for mom yet, fear not. I'll be picking up some of these things soon to send to my mom, but shhh, don't tell her! Do you have any special plans for Mom and the big day?
I think one of my favorite aspects of doing what I do for a living, that being this site, is the amount of amazingly talented, creative forces of nature it puts in my path on a daily basis. Moreover is the fact how many of those talents happen to be women.
Women creating, doing, making, crafting, pushing forward, resisting and persisting. And it would be a downright shame not to share them with you here, so they can hopefully inspire you, as much as they've inspired me. With that said, I'm so excited to kick off the first of this little Woman Crush Wednesday series with none other than my good friend, Sahba Shere, a San Francisco-based artist, whose paintings incorporate some of the most incredibly vivid, dream-like colors. To boot though, she's active in different female empowerment groups/organizations, including her own salon series that helps to promote women and their achievements across different industries. I was introduced to her through my good friend Heather and have since worked with her on a commissioned piece (which now hangs in my apartment!), and I've loved getting to know her as a fellow creative and female entrepreneur.
And I do hope you'll enjoy getting to know her as well!
I'm always intrigued by the stories of how artists "stumble" upon their craft. How would you say you stumbled across painting? What was the catalyst?
I grew up surrounded by art. My mother is a poet, painter and musician. As I was literally born into art it was the most natural thing for me. I embody, breathe art in my everyday life. It was no accident that brought me here!
As one fellow travel enthusiast to another, I love how your work is greatly inspired by the places you've visited in the world. What have been some of the most transformative trips and how do they eventually influence what you create in the studio?
I've been very fortunate to be traveling all my life. Growing up, my parents took us somewhere around the world every year. Travel is in my blood. I love seeing the world , especially the places more challenging to get to. It's difficult to pick which place was the most transformative as so many places have excited and intrigued me. I loved living in Paris for several years which gave me the opportunity to explore all of Europe and parts of Africa. Living in Bangalore, India gave me the same gift of visiting so many exciting places all over Asia. One place that blew my mind was Siem Reap, Cambodia. Seeing Angkor Wat was deeply moving. I felt I was discovering not just new lands and people but something within myself. These feelings carry through into my studio and canvas. The unfolding of experiences, feelings, discoveries, emotions translate onto my canvas.
I'd love to visit India myself one day, too! Aside from travel, what are other sources of inspiration for your work?
Music has always been a strong force and inspiration. Growing up my parents used a company to hire out a violin to allow me to practice, this day in age you can do the same if you were to rent here or somewhere similar. So from a young age I played the violin, keyboards and experimented with the Sitar. The rhythms, melodies play out a visual composition in my work. Love isn't a strong enough word about how I feel about music. It's all I can do to try to capture the "soul" of the music I'm hearing and present it visually. Nature and meditation are also huge inspirations of mine. I practice yoga and meditation daily. Lately I've been practicing on the beaches of Laguna.
Your work incorporates some of the most incredible colors and textures that really evoke a mood -- I'm curious what your creative process is like to capture that? What does the full arc of a painting look like, from start to finish?
There is no doubt that color and texture form the moods of my paintings. As in life, there is a base -- a foundation -- the roots are formed -as happens in the early stages of my paintings. I use mixed mediums to create grit, peaks and valleys to develop an earthiness before the layers of colors flow in. Sometimes the base is creamy, velvety smooth when I'm creating my meditative bodies of work. The sensory effects of colors are quite profound...reacting to the nature around me and my state of mind the colors emerge: The greens and blues of calming nature, the warm, passionate colors of red, pink and orange.
What do you typically listen to while you're in the studio?
I listen to a variety of music from classical, soul, folk-rock and world music. Both the melodies and lyrics play into my work.
I've personally been obsessed with your work since my good friend Heather showed me her "Love is Blue" piece of yours. I've never officially commissioned a piece of work from an artist (you're my first!) and I loved the process. Can you describe how you typically go about creating something from scratch for a client?
First, thank you so much for your appreciation of my work! I'll always remember beautiful, vivacious Heather visiting my art studio and falling in love with the velvety "Love is Blue" painting! It brings me joy to have my collectors and new clients connect so deeply to my work. Creating for me, is the deepest way I can connect to people - through their heart. I loved working on your painting...the lush tropical greens took me back to Bali, Sri Lanka and India. I'm heading to Costa Rica in May and can't wait to see the lush green world there! I have collectors and clients like you who commission me from time to time. Sometimes they fall in love with a piece or a theme and desire a different size. They decide on the size, color, theme and give me the artistic freedom to create something similar they like in my other work.
As a creative entrepreneur, what are some of your biggest challenges? And the sweetest rewards?
Last year I was invited to speak at the UBS Women's 2016 Leadership Conference. I was asked the same question regarding my biggest challenge as an artist and entrepreneur. I much prefer to be creating my art rather than the business side of matters so I have to be careful how I divide my time! Running your own business is challenging as it is but I love challenges so it ends up working for me. Sweetest reward is that I love what I do for a living. It is incredibly fulfilling to be able to practice art every day and to connect with creatives and art lovers. As you know, I host Salons at my studio, bringing interesting people together to share, present and discuss their latest endeavors - may it be tech, art or for social good.
I love the concept of your open forum salons and especially timely given our current political climate! That said, what do you think is art's role in achieving change/awareness?
I am a strong social/political activist. Through my art and salons I try to stay active to promote social good - especially now. A couple of initiatives I'm involved with is The Circle of Women, whose mission is to provide access to education for girls without it around the world. I'm also active with Lava Mae, a San Francisco-based non-profit bringing humanity, innovation and collaboration to the way services are provided -- restoring dignity to people experiencing homelessness.
On a related note, I personally love how your passion projects of choice relate back to female empowerment. Can you share a bit more about what initiatives you're involved in?
It took me quite a long time to develop confidence and a voice and now that I have it, I've never felt stronger. Too many women around the world don't realize they have a voice. My salon series is a result of this empowerment. I try to feature amazing women at my salons who either have astonishing lives and careers yet they may have not received the same attention as their male counterparts.
I think what I love most about your work (and it's hard to narrow it down, trust me) is how vivid your colors are. I want to dive into them! If you had to choose a color that embodied "Sahba" what color would that be and why?
How difficult to choose one color! Depending on my mood I gravitate to black, white, blue and red. Black and white embodies the peace, tranquility and power. People who know me well know that I'm all for passion, love, heat and energy, so that's the red in me! And Blue...Ok, if I had to pick just one it's blue. The infinite. The world is blue. The oceans dissolve into the sky. Sometimes the blues of the skies and seas are so dreamy that I can get lost.
Huge thanks to Sahba for inviting us into her beautiful work studio!
A few weeks back, the Elite Daily team approached me about creating a day in the life type of video, detailing along the way what lead me to ultimately quit my corporate job a little over two years ago and pursue blogging full time. Given that I just passed my two year mark here in New York, it only seemed fitting to look back and reflect on what's gotten me to this point: a lot of hard work, sleepless nights and some much needed advice from friends and mentors along the way. Hope you enjoy the video!
Lately, I've been experimenting with different workout classes around the city. Now, if you've followed This Time Tomorrow for a while, you know I love me a great cardio workout. After all, I'm a runner at heart. That said, I have the New York Marathon coming up in November and avoiding injury is far more paramount to me this year than previous years because, well, hey, I'm getting old. (Insert shrug emoji and the grandma emoji here.) Bottom line: cross training is a must.
Last year, I got hooked on high intensity training classes (hello Barry's and Fhitting Room!) and loved how they both really forced me focus on muscle groups that otherwise might have been overlooked in my normal running routine. And yet, I still felt like I was missing something to really round me out -- both mind and body. Disclaimer: I've never been a big yoga person. Perhaps it's due to the fact I'm probably the least flexible person you will ever meet. Or perhaps I just never had the patience to work at it. But I’ve always envied the mental clarity that it seems to bring my girlfriends who swear by it. And that’s what I had been missing.
So when I happened to receive an invite to The Class by Taryn Toomey, I was intrigued. The Class isn't necessarily yoga. But there's yoga principles. It's not necessarily high intensity training, but damn, you leave SORE. And it's not necessarily a meditation session, but you certainly expel some pent up negative energy (by the end of the class, everyone is encouraged to yell, shout and scream during the movements).
Needless to say, this is the hybrid yoga-inspired class I've been looking for. Yoga with some kick ass, fast-paced movements. With The xx blasting in the background. Sign me up.
As for my workout attire of choice, I'm still rotating through a lot of my favorites from the madden NYC collection at Kohl's, all of which strike that perfect balance between looking cute for the workout but also just looking put together in your downtime. These tights are my go-to lately for my classes as they're well lined and durable enough for cardio and move easily with me for the sake of strength and stretching purposes. Plus, who doesn't love a good mesh detail as a conversation starter when you’re running errands around town or grabbing brunch with my friends. As for this jacket, I'm pretty much obsessed with it for both post-workout looks like this one but I'm already planning ways to pair it with longer, feminine maxi dresses come spring. And the shirt? Well, it speaks for itself. Especially when you just gotta shake that negative energy off, because NOPE, you ain't gonna take it today.
What workout classes are you guys hooked on these days? And what do wear for them?
This post was in collaboration with Kohl’s and ShopStyle. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!
Lately, I've been answering the question: "What does a typical day look like for you?" and to be honest, it's hard for me to answer sometimes, because most of my days are pretty atypical. Especially when I compare it to my 5 years of working in a very corporate environment where my schedule was rigid, my days now are fluid and more free form (which, of course, comes with it's own set of problems, too). That said, it's taken a bit of trial and error to see what works best for me now that I've moved to working solely for myself. Spoiler alert: I actually need a regimented schedule in some regards! Here's how it (roughly) looks most days:
6am: Wake up and check my email and social channels for anything pressing that might have popped up over night. Wake Elvis up (he's not a morning person like I am!) and head out for a quick walk around the village.
7am: Head out for a quick 3 mile run along the Hudson River. Gotta clock those miles for the NYC Marathon in November!
7:45 to 9am: I love having the news on throughout the day if I'm working from home or sometimes I'll indulge in Trevor Noah (swoon!). At this time, I'll start prepping my social promotions for that day's blog post, while tackling my inbox and getting my to-do list in order. I'll then continue drafting out any upcoming posts (sponsored or not) that I have on my editorial calendar for the week.
9 to 11:30am: I try to schedule most of my in-person meetings and/or phone calls around this time. I find that it really gets me in the right head space for the day. This can be anything from creative briefings about upcoming shoots or preliminary pitch calls with brands I really want to work with.
12 to 2pm: Head out to meet Christine of My Style Pill for a little lunch work session. Since she and I both used to work in more corporate environments, we've been missing the collaborative aspects of a larger work place, especially when it comes to bouncing ideas off coworkers. I value her opinion immensely.
2:30 to 4:30pm: Prep and head out for a shoot with Lydia. We have a reoccurring shoot every Tuesday where I'll queue up three outfits that need to be shot, for both editorial and sponsored content. We've recently moved to a reoccurring shoot cadence and it's made a huge difference in streamlining my workload and hitting deadlines.
5 to 6pm: Head over to my management's office over in SoHo for a quick quarterly strategy check in. Depending on my schedule for the evening, I'll grab a second cup of coffee (or a dirty chai) around this time!
6:30 to 8:30pm: Hop back home (take Elvis out for a quick walk!) and change for any evening events that I may have lined up with different brands. This can range anywhere from cocktail parties to actual sit down press preview dinners. Fun fact: my record for event hopping in one evening....drumroll please....7! Moral of that story? Bring a comfortable pair of flats with you at all times and make sure you have your unlimited Metro card on you.
11:30pm to 12:30am: Finally head home, take Elvis out for an evening walk and jump into my PJs. I'll throw on whatever show I'm binging on at the moment (just finished the OJ series with Cuba and now moving on to The Killing), and start prepping my blog post for the following morning.
12:30 to 1am: Read before finally falling asleep. At the moment, I'm reading Hit Makers by Derek Thompson. It's about the science of popularity in an age of distraction. And I'm really digging it so far!
As you all may have noticed, I've made a commitment this year to take on more speaking opportunities, specifically at different social media marketing conferences around the city. Shameless plug: I have one coming up this Thursday at the Samsung space in Meatpacking (head this way more details). OK, shameless plug over.
And while the idea of public speaking still shakes me to my core, I've loved really delving into the different aspects of the influencer marketing space with other like-minded entrepreneurs and brands. It's made me stop several times to really think through what I wish someone had told me when I was first embarking on this blogging road professionally (and even before I hit that mark). Essentially, the bottom line is this: if you want to make your blog a business, start treating it like a business. Because no one will treat you as such, until you do.
OK, with that said, off the soapbox and onto: What I wish I had in my blog tool kit when I was starting out.
1. Invest in the right tools: Notice I didn't say "invest in expensive tools," because that's not what this game is about. It's about finding the right camera, at a price point you're comfortable with, and really knowing how to use it. I've always stayed on the DSLR side of things, which comes at a heavier price tag but there are so many great options when it comes to more compact, mirror-less cameras (which are great for traveling purposes). Many are wifi enabled, making it beyond easy to drop photos directly to your phone and most film really high quality video (if video is a direction you want to take). The way we enjoy content has changed over time to adapt to the modern age. If you want people to view your pictures and read your blogs, you might want to consider setting up a website of your own, especially if you intend to use your online platform for business. For help building a new website, you can read over Wix pricing plans to find the best route to take. There are so many options to building a website now, you can be up and running within minutes. Equally importantly, tools also extends to software and contracts, whether that's photoshop, lightroom, capture One, upleap.com, or any of the other options. Invest early to maximise ROI.
2. Video: And while we're on the subject of video, let's chat about it, shall we? Now, yours truly doesn't do much video content here on This Time Tomorrow, but that's not to say it's something I haven't been tempted to jump into. I know plenty of people who use YouTube to help promote their brand. Some even go as far as making use of companies like My Music Viral to help boost their YouTube views. From a branding perspective, I've chatted with quite a few influencer casting folks who've expressed that more influencers should invest in video. It helps show a brand your personality and how well you can communicate your ideas on camera and on cue. I'm not saying it needs to be a big content focus for you and your blog but if you can, start building out your reel on YouTube. Start small and don't worry too much about the editing quality. That's not the point. Focus on how well you come across on camera. If you want to get started making your own videos but are worried that your editing skills are not up to the task, then take a look at this online video maker from Promo.com.
3. Data is king: I can't emphasize this enough. If you want to work with brands, aside from the obvious necessity of creating original and unique content, you need to take it one step further and speak the brands' language, specifically from a marketing stand point. Naturally, they want your content because it speaks to them, but they want to know the metrics behind it. They want to know if you can help them hit their quarterly targets. They want to know how your engagement translates to sales. They want to know what return on investment they will get from working with someone like you. So know those answers. Become your own data geek. Google Analytics is extremely user-friendly to set up and, with a little practice, will become your best ally when it comes to proving your worth and effectiveness to brands.
4. Open a business bank account: If you haven't done this already for your blog, do it now. As someone who has gone through the less than fun process of filing some very complicated 1099s for her taxes the past few years, you'll thank yourself when all your business expenses are being deducted from just one account.
5. Make a commitment to learning: This doesn't mean just buying fashion or style related coffee table books (although they're great as well). Look at your space as a whole and start becoming an expert in it. Go to conferences. Learn new skills (like coding or photo editing). Listen to relevant Ted Talks. Find people who are good at a certain thing and pick their brains. You'd be surprised how willing people are to share insights with you, if you just ask.
6. Streamline your payments with Square Cash: On any given day, I'm running around between meetings and shoots with just my phone handy. And most days, I also have quite a bit of invoicing and expenses to deal with, most of which I'd like to deal with in real time (so they don't pile up). Whether that's paying a photographer or my web developer, splitting a tab at a business dinner or settling travel expenses between myself and a brand, I love using Square Cash. It's seamless when it comes to paying and requesting payment, making it easy to settle invoices before they become a stack. In particular, I love using Square Cash when it comes to travel. In just a few weeks, I'll be heading to Japan with my good friend Heather, which means we're deep in planning mode. We've been booking hotels, flights and restaurants non-stop, sometimes on her card and sometimes on mine and paying each other back has been a breeze with Square Cash (you can download it from the Apple App store and the Google Play Market).
7. Business cards: It sounds old school, but it's true. You will have plenty of moments shaking someone's hand, saying how nice it was to meet them, and they'll ask, "Do you have a card?" I used to think no one really cares about them (quite honestly, don't they always get lost in the bottom of a purse?), but it's never fun answering that question with, "Um, no, I don't have any." The truth is: there are plenty of folks in PR and Marketing, who still want your card. It may no longer go in a Roladex, but they'll remember if you remembered to bring your cards. And sometimes, that's just enough to be remembered. Can you remember that? 😉 I made mine with Moo. Super easy.
8. Understand the power of networking and PRACTICE: This brings us to my next point, as a blogger, you go to plenty of events. Some are cocktail parties, some are midday brunches, some are appointment based at different PR showrooms. Regardless of the setting and how much champagne might be around, the important thing to remember is that you're there not just representing you, but the bigger brand of YOU. Don't spend the entire time on your phone or with the exact group of people you arrived with. Find the PR or marketing account manager who invited you and make a point to grab some face time with them before you leave. If you want to work with the brand, come prepared to chat about a few ideas if they're keen to hear them. At the very least, know your elevator pitch, your 20 second platform to really convey you and your brand, and get comfortable using it in social settings.
This post was in collaboration with Square, Inc. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!
As I'm sure many of you recall (and likely celebrated!) March 8th was International Women's Day. And in the spirit of making a point to remember that we should keep gender equality top of mind every day, not just one day, I wanted to share a recap from the beautiful brunch that Farfetch hosted for the day at the Gramercy Park Hotel Terrace (my favorite terrace in all of the city!).
And while I always love seeing so many of my talented friends and peers in one place (who doesn't, especially when we're all donning red for the occasion?), I was really sold when the folks at Farfetch mentioned Cleo Wade would be doing a reading of her latest poem, which I was hoping to share today with all of you. I've been a fan of her work for some time now and I think her latest poem is a true statement to her work pioneering gender equality and female empowerment. A sweet testimony to the women who have blazed the trails before us -- Sheryl, Gloria, Maya, Coretta Scott King -- and a call to arms to pay it forward.
So without further adieu...
Who Are We Right Now
Who are we right now?
Are we Ms. Shirley
When we walk up to the table and see no seat for us
So bring our folding chair
Are we Ms. Gloria
When we remember that
When we speak about feminism and racism and poverty and all who are oppressed
that
Our issues
are linked
And
not ranked
Are we Ms. Ida
When we
Right wrongs by
Turning the light of truth
Upon them
Are we Ms. Fannie
When we yell out
That No body is free
Until Every body
Is free
Are we Ms. Coretta
When our country calls on us to remember so deeply in our souls that
Freedom is never really won
that
We must earn it
And win it
In
Every generation
Are we Ms. Angela when we proclaim
That we are no longer
Accepting the things, we cannot change
We are instead
Changing the things
We cannot accept
Are we Ms. Alice when we remember
That the most common way we
Give up our power
Is by thinking
We don’t have any
And
Are we Ms. Alice when we remember that
Activism
is the rent we pay
For living on this planet
Are we Ms. Sojourner
When we say to the world
“Ain’t I a woman”
And
Are we Ms. Maya
When
Together
Every single day
We continue
To rise
To know the women who came before us is to know ourselves
It is to know the blood memory that runs through our veins
It is to know that the unlived dreams of our ancestors are
our honor and our duty to live out
Right now
Because as Women
Right now
When it comes to the work of the Women before us…
Maybe we are not able
To pay it back
But
We can
Certainly
Pay it forward
Huge thanks to the Farfetch team for hosting such a beautiful event in honor of International Women's Day!
For every ex-boyfriend, there's a shoe box. You know the one. It usually gets shoved to the back of the closet or under the bed. Out of sight and out of mind. Full of little mementos and trinkets, notes and cards left over from the relationship. Sometimes it's heavy, best reserved for that Manolo box. Sometimes it's light and you stumble upon it months or years later wondering why it ever got a box in the first place.
Granted, none of us are strangers to this, myself included. And while I rarely share much of my very personal life here on This Time Tomorrow (for privacy sake), I do think there's something interesting I've learned about dating in your 30s and I wanted to share it today: it gets exponentially more complicated, both when it's good and when it's winding down. As some of you may remember if you're a longtime reader here, you know my boyfriend of 4 years and I broke up before I moved to NYC 2 years ago and I've had a few subsequent relationships and breakups since then, the details of which I won't be going into today because, well, I have too much respect for myself and for them to do that.
What I would love to do today though, is share what's helped me through my previous breakups, in hopes that it helps someone else bounce back. Because the reality is this: you will bounce back. You'll learn so much about yourself in the process (and be a better person for it!). And there's nothing better than clarity, especially when it comes to understanding what it is you want out of life and a potential partner, not just another shoe box.
So! Without further adieu...
Give yourself permission to be sad.It's obvious, sure. And it gets included in every "How to Get Over The Breakup" post. But I think what put it into perspective for me recently, was when a friend gave me some advice on the matter: "We have a tendency to extend the least amount of grace to ourselves. To expect ourselves to be superhuman. You'll learn so much and experience so many beautiful things if you free yourself from the expectation of perfection."
So go ahead, be sad. Cry about it. Indulge in movies and songs that pull at those heart strings. And cry about it some more if you want. The two important things to remember are this: 1.) don't be ashamed about it and 2.) give yourself a time period. A weekend, a week, whatever it is. And really feel it during that time, don't hold back. Once that time period is up though, hold yourself to it and start getting things back on track. You'll notice if you were really going through the motions of that grieving period, your system is probably drained and ready for a change of pace anyway.
Write it out, but don't text it.I've always been a big believer in journaling and writing things out when I'm going through something big, good or bad. But I've also been guilty of perhaps texting when I shouldn't have. My remedy? I'll write a really long, nothing-held-back, no prisoners, email. Uncensored. Unedited. Raw. And more often than not, the very process of writing it out makes me feel infinitely better. And I never send it to them. Because it's already served it's therapeutic purpose at that point -- it's off my chest. One big thing to remember is to NEVER put in an email address in the to: field. Even if it remains an email draft the entire time, the last thing you need is a slip of the mouse sending that email off to your ex, or god forbid, anyone else for that matter.
Avoid the rebound game.We're all guilty of this. It's easy to think that the best way to get over someone is to find someone new. Of course, it may seem that way, at least for the sake of a distraction, but I think the older I get, the more I realize I can't patch a bandaid on matters of the heart. If you don't really allow yourself some time to focus on YOU, you'll end up in a cycle of some of the same decisions as before, without really understanding why you're making them. Spend time with friends. Spend time alone. Spend time learning how to code. I don't care what you do, but please avoid jumping back in because you feel like it will fill some void. The truth is: it won't fill anything until you fill it yourself.
Evaluate what YOU want.And that brings us to my next point. What do YOU WANT? Lately, I've had a number of close girlfriends go through breakups and it's really interesting to evaluate how women talk about relationships and breakups in general, myself included. We spend so much time analyzing and talking about the things that went wrong, where things broke down or how either party could have done more (and don't get me started on text evaluating).
What we don't spend enough time doing is asking each other, "What do you actually WANT from him or from another potential partner in general?" "What makes you happy in a relationship?" "What do you want out of life and how does another person fit into it?" It's easy when you're wrapped up in someone else, to lose sight of some of the things you once held very near and dear to your heart, and don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with compromise, as long as it doesn't come at the cost of either person giving up on something integral to their being. Because the right person will never ask you to give up on that. They'll be the first person there rooting you on. And when it comes to our friends, we should remind each other of that.
Volunteer.I'll preface this with the following: by all means, you should definitely exercise, eat well (with the occasional Ben & Jerry's binge), travel, spend time doing the things that you love doing. But if you can, I really do think volunteering on top of all that, will get you back on that horse we call life. And it comes down to perspective. When you can lose sight of your own problems and focus on someone else and their situation, and hopefully bring about a positive impact for them, you start to realize how fleeting some problems are, including the ache you might feel in your heart at that moment. Give back. You'll be amazed by what it gives back to you.
Focus on the BIG picture: goals and aspirations.Perhaps this goes without saying, but refocusing on big goals and plans is sometimes the best way to reboot your outlook. Remind yourself of all the things you want to accomplish this year. The next 5 years. And start prioritizing those moves. It'll reopen doors within yourself that you might have been ignoring, walking past or perhaps giving up on prematurely. Start small, if you need to. But build out a plan and take some time to celebrate checking items off that list. Before you know it, it won't be a matter of distracting yourself or just staying busy for the sake of staying busy. It'll be YOU getting back to YOU. And that's fucking awesome.
And there you have it! I'd love to hear from you guys though -- what have you done during previous breakups to help you get over them?
OUTFIT DETAILS: Black Alexis dress // White Alexis dress (both available via Rent The Runway here, but a lot of great Alexis options for sale here)
4. Smoothies with fruit, vegetables and healthy fats are an easy to digest option and packed full of healthy carbs, sugar and fiber. My favorite combos: coconut water, kale, ½ banana, blueberries and optional ½ avocado.
7. What to eat before a long run? Something carb rich, with a bit of sugar. My favorite recommendation is a slice of flourless bread (Eziekiel 365) toasted with a layer of almond butter and ½ smashed banana or handful of raspberries or blueberries. This is personal and depends on how good the runner feels after eating. Try out multiple variations (previously mentioned, smoothie, etc)... to find what feels good.
10. What about traveling? As simple as possible: keep sauces and heavy foods to a minimum. Being prepared and taking small snacks along can really reduce the temptation to grab processed food. Unsalted nuts, fruit, Lara bars (good pre-run, a good amount of carbs and natural sugar from dates) and avocado are easy foods to transport.
As you may or may not know, I'm running the New York Marathon in November. Granted, it's not my first marathon (it'll be my third actually --
First things first, where are you from and when did you move to NYC? 
What do love about personal training/instructing? 
What's your workout philosophy? 
Eep! So I have pull-ups in my near future? Finish these sentences... I feel strongest when... 
In the past, I've underestimated how much I needed to cross train (hence the pesky ankle injury I had last year!) -- what are the specific areas I need to pay special attention to up until race day? 
