Sunday, April 29, 2007

Class is in Session

Knowing that I'm leaving New York soon, I've reverted back to my old self circa 2005. Picture me single, with Monkey the dawg, living in the 10th Street apartment, late nights, late mornings, dog run, cawfee, bla!

All that glamour aside, I've also become someone worse than a tourist in the way I am analyzing and scruitinizing New York. I'm a hyper-absorber/observer because at this point anything I do could be the last time I do it, so it's got to be done to the fullest.

Lesson One: New York, last weekend in April 2007
  • Marie Belle in SoHo serves a chocolate and lavender butter sammich that is divine
  • Jewelry, jewelry, jewelry!
  • Todd's 9th Street Market is an East Village institution
  • Some people are intentionally obtuse (ML)
  • There's nothing like your college friends
  • There's nothing like the East Village crew
  • Anthropologie may support anti-abortion groups, but it has a lot of great clothes
  • MUD is the strongest coffee in Manhattan so take that, Starbucks!
  • Holy Basil is another East Village institution - apparently we'll still wait an hour to be seated there
  • The only way to stay out at night until 4 am and then function the next morning is to eat something before going to bed (I recommend pizza or soy sauce/ginger fried chicken drumsticks)
  • Only 25 year-olds can really get away with the above mentioned formula
  • Handbags with serious hardware are heavy even when completely empty
  • Bloomingdale's SoHo has great public bathrooms (the best are in the basement in the men's department)
  • Graffiti can be art

Monday, April 23, 2007

Straight Off the Streets

Well, Girlshop is closing so I'm going to have to come up with a new list of quality online shopping locales. But today was an unusually warm Spring day so phooey on the internet - let's take a trip outside and see what's in store for Summer fashion, shall we?

Of note:
  • Mini dress are everywhere
  • Flats, flats and more flats
  • The Spring jacket is the short sleeved, empire waisted, big-buttoned number
  • Skinny jeans (please only wear these if you have the appropriate rear end)
  • Biggie big sunglasses
Yawn! I'm no editor at Vogue but truth be told, I am bored. The only style that is catching my eye is being worn by the super-Urban. And yes people, it's reminiscent of the 80s Hip Hop styles so I am loving it something fierce. The look is this - for men and women:
  • Relatively slimming jeans, but not necessarily skinny
  • Classic hightop kicks
  • A crisp, well-fitted solid color Tshirt
  • A kaffiyeh scarf around the neck (check out this 1988 article from Time Magazine - is this article really that old? I guess so; seems the pub's archives are free)
  • If you're a man, a new baseball hat, brim off to the side

Thursday, April 19, 2007

I Reminisce For A Spell

Things I'll Miss about NYC
  • That band that plays in the 14th Street Union Square subway station in the evenings
  • Prune
  • Ciao for Now
Things I Won't Miss about NYC
  • Shuffling off the subway while everyone moves at a sheep/cow herd pace
  • Cellphone culture
  • Rude kids

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Flip Flops

Yesterday I purchased Teva flip flops because we're going to a wedding in Atlanta this weekend and I think I left my stash of flips at my Dad's place in FL.

Hello?! Teva flips? Am I ready for South Carolina or what?! Are Duck Head pants still around? I'm living out a dream, people.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Caroline Goes to the Carolinas

By now you may have heard, I'm moving to South Carolina. That's right, y'all, Caroline is going to the Carolinas and she is ready to drink some sweet tea!

When I shared the news with JK, we inevitably brought the conversation around to what the heck Imma do in order to get my shopping on. Let me tell you, dear friends, as soon as my man and I made the decision to get down South, I was shopping in a total and complete panic. Two weeks ago I bought a purple leather Katrin Leiber handbag as if my life depended on it. This past weekend I strolled into Filene's Basement in Union Square with absolutely no focus and strolled out with two dresses and a skirt.

When the decision was official, I initially stressed about how many items of clothing I own in the color black; this week I've convinced myself (with some help from KH) I'll start a trend down there.

As JK put it, I'm like No Impact Man's family preparing for a year of making no impact on the environment. Mind you, I mean this as no disrespect to No Impact Man because I think he's righteous (read his blog, check out his experience, unplug your cellphone and other chargers when you're not using them. Al Gore knows what he's talking about: if we closed the hole in the ozone we can definitely do our part to conserve energy and not completely F-up the global environs). My only point is, I am in a shopping frenzy - it feels kind of like stockpiling.

Oh and for the record, it's not just me. Seems me man had a touch of the shop in him all along. Consider the following: Two days ago EJ asked me to buy him 3 packages of MOP pomade "just in case." And as I blogged last week, home slice dragged me into every store in the Chelsea Mall looking for new outfits for his new job.

The result of all this moving hysteria? I have settled down slightly as the reality has set in. I am now very patiently scoping an over-the-shoulder off-white Marc Jacobs handbag on sale at Loehmann's (new location opening soon on the Upper West Side - holla!), but I am also scoping cardboard boxes because the gear has to be packed in something.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Mariachi Express

Hop on the 5 train, sit down, lean back, plug the iPod headphones into your ears and relax. Let a couple of stops go by and realize there's a richer sound coming from inside the subway car. A trio of accordion, guitar and stand up base with pleasant, harmonized singing. Turn the iPod off, slip them a buck when they're through. Smile. Thank you.