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steven alan fall2012

2012-02-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

More photos from NYMag

I don't know about everyone else, but I always hope with bated breath that the fashion shows bring nothing but so-so clothes. Steven Alan and Rachel Comey are usually the big humps for me -- especially Steven Alan. There's always something from the Steven Alan show that will captivate me, and the Fall 2012 showing was no different. That brown shirtdress is so pretty. Pretty is probably not the right word for it, but I like it a lot.

2012-01-31T12:38:00.001-08:00

I've stalked this item ever since Nau introduced it last year in their new collection, so I snapped it up when it went on steep sale. It's filled with 850-fill down, which makes it inherently warmer than most down jackets, even taking into account its billowy, heat-releasing cut. I wouldn't wear this on the coldest of Ithaca days, but I like that it gives me some tunnel vision when the hood is on (perfect for the computer lab) and that it's quite a thin version of a down jacket, which means that I don't look like a poof cloud. It also looks best buttoned up rather than open down the front. Many women complimented me this weekend when they saw this, and the unique style is probably one of my favorite purchases this year. (Note this is the M/L size, which means that it's positively voluminous in the chest area, though not shapeless overall. But I made sure to try the larger of the two sizes because the only thing I cared about was that the back went past my butt a little bit.)

Nau down stole

2012-01-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

I think most women are drawn toward certain things all the time, so much so that that's all they wear for a long stretch. I know that among all of my jackets, I wear one. And I have my favorite pants, my favorite backpack, brand of scarf, etc. It doesn't help much that I pile onto the chair next to my bed. I almost never hang anything up. Everything lives in the clothing mound, so it's easier to know what I'm grabbing for, doubly so when it's guaranteed to be on top, with my everyday belt already looped through it.

Barbour Bedale, the jacket that I wear all the time, even when it's technically too cold for it

Fjallraven Kanken in burnt orange

A Peace Treaty scarf

Virginia Johnson merino wool shawls are very lovable

Lauren Moffat zip peacoat

APC simple parka with super cute quilted jacket inside (completely inspired, of course, by the Totokaelo model)

The super cute quilted jacket

Steven Alan navajo coat that I have never worn before (it doesn't live in the pile)

The North Face Denali and other heavy handed reds and pinks

Nike puffer jacket when I max out in warmth, as I did in Montreal

Fidelity shawl collar peacoat bought from Steven Alan -- also made in the USA!

Steven Alan rain parka that I wear almost every day when the weather is okay

joo-joo-bee

2012-01-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

As a kid, I hated jujubes (a k a Chinese red dates) because I always associated them with traditional medicine and soups with weird ingredients. Their texture was always too mushy, and raw they were like apple-flavored styrofoam. My parents have always been on a quest for the very best variety, and they must have tried everything in bins at specialty stores, every single package from Korean and Chinese markets. I'm inclined to say that they've finally found it. Apple jujubes at Los Angeles farmers' markets* are humongous and flavorful. Not every jujube is perfect, but the best ones are dense and look like nougat and chocolate truffle on the inside. (About $10/lb for fat apple jujubes at farmers' markets -- one pound is one bag, as pictured. Look for Korean vendors: they are serious about their jujubes.)

*Suburban (east) LA now has markets in South Pas, Pasadena, Alhambra, Temple City, Monrovia, La Canada!

2011-09-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Finally managed to be at my computer at the right time to snag the For Me, For You brass drops necklace (shop here). It came with charming packaging, and I love it. I will learn to wear jewelry.

2011-08-30T16:20:00.001-07:00

More Le Minor dip dyed shirts from Madewell (last time). I'm a lot happier with this batch.

2011-08-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

I know I sort of wax on about "foot slimming mojo." It might not make sense to people with little feet, but when your flippers are size 9, you set much store in not making them appear larger than they already are. (I actually wear a size 9.5 about 30% of the time, including my running shoes.) So here are some shoe reviews. The first day of classes is for nothing if not procrastination.

Ecco "Goya" (navy patent): Extremely unflattering. I imagine that they make even small feet look very wide and short. The sides don't come up enough and the vamp has too little curvature. This visually slices the foot such that the exposed area looks rectangular. I also ordered the size 40, which tends to be either 9 or 9.5, and the heel slips occasionally on one of my feet. They make a weird squeaking noise when I walk. I got these heavily discounted.

Frye "Regina" (cognac brown): Very flattering. I guess pointed flat is a category unto itself, but they're comfortable enough despite their necessarily squished toe box. These shoes come in a lot of different colorways, too. I went with a size 9.5 in these. Size 9 would have been too small, even though that's always my size for Frye boots.

Vera Wang "Lillian" (black): I didn't initially understand why this shoe (and the Tory Burch "Eddie") were considered a class of their own, but now I see. The sole is phenomenally padded and has the slightest wedge lift, unlike most thin-soled ballet flats. Not much of the foot is exposed, and, along with the rounded (but not bulbous) toe box, the collective effect is comfortable and attractive. I'm thrilled with this shoe. Only downside is that the bottoms are not rubberized. Will be getting Vibram soles.

Bloch "Fonteyn" (taupe): I really like this style. It's retails at significantly less than the Bloch Arabian (see below) does and is a more quintessential "ballet" shoe. The little bow ties are made of elastic and actually serve to tighten the vamp part of the shoe. Bloch shoes were a little frustrating to buy because of sizing reviews online, but I went with my usual 40. They fit perfectly. Bloch shoes are considered very similar to but much cheaper than Repetto shoes, which have skyrocketed in price lately because they've been adopted by the fashion set. Will be getting Vibram soles.

Bloch "Arabian III" (black): While I always like black flats, I wouldn't have kept this shoe had I not gotten them as a present. They actually set me off on this ballet shoe quest. They're very comfortable but not as attractive as the Vera Wang Lillian shoe. As is the case with all Bloch (and Repetto) shoes, the soles are extremely thin. I went with my usual 40. Will be getting Vibram soles.

2011-08-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

Baggu by Mociun. Is it too late to go to textile school?

2011-08-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Even though my career hasn't started yet, I have the retirement fantasy of owning a stationery shop. It would be beautiful things, day in and day out, and I'd get to go to paper-related trade shows and bring cute notebooks and cards back from Japan. One can dream!

Every once in a while I get mad and give up on Anthropologie clothes, even the sale rack. But I really love these notebooks, especially the ones from Rifle Paper Co. Their covers are made of thick, textured paper, and the insides are printed with little gold pineapples on a grid. Pineapples are always winners.

Safari notebooks

Rifle Paper notebooks

2011-08-02T14:02:00.001-07:00

The shoes of July. It's August again. This marks the end of my first year in New York.

2011-07-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Being at home in LA means that I can cook pork belly, which I couldn't possibly finish by myself in New York. It involves the pork belly itself and also a lot of rock sugar, soy sauce, and rice wine. Same goes for banana bread. I used a popular online recipe that involves sour cream, but I don't recommend it. It's impossible to tell that there is sour cream in there, but I used half the tub.

So it's the barley water that's my discovery of the summer. I first tried it at Phoenix, a fantastic chain of Hong Kong style restaurants in the Los Angeles area. They're well known for their desserts and drinks, and I went in on one of the hottest days in the city. To make it at home, all you do is simmer some barley in more water than you think is prudent. (The worst thing that can happen to barley water is to have barley that's sticky and clumpy.) When it's cooked all the way through, about 30 minutes, add some rock sugar. The drink should be gently sweet at most. Chill in refrigerator and serve with a wedge of lime.

2011-06-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

It's summer, but I'm going back to California for a few weeks. So far we've had some really unpleasant and humid days in Ithaca, but most days are just fine. Los Angeles is still "home" to me, and it'll be great to have some really great food and to be able to shop. I've been wearing the same shorts and two skirts for several weeks now. And I know I've knocked Toms shoes in the past, but I bought a pair in New York this spring, and they super comfortable -- and also have foot-shrinking mojo.

2011-05-23T19:33:00.001-07:00

School's out for the year. Frankly, I can't believe it. I suddenly have tons of free time and celebrated the end of the school year with some bourbon and Rachel Comey Penpal boots. Summer here has been an unexpected joy for me, someone who doesn't actually like summer. But I guess the blunt force of an upstate New York winter has cured me of all that.

skin

2011-04-23T11:24:00.001-07:00

I don't do makeup at all, but skincare I do care about, as is the case with a lot of Asian women. My skin hasn't been good since moving to New York. I didn't do anything in the fall except use Olay pink stuff moisturizer and Peter Thomas Roth sunscreen, so I've gone back to what I did in California.

Recently with the Sephora discount, I've moved back to Shiseido White Lucent cleanser, which my mom uses and which I used to steal in high school. It lathers up magnificently from a tiny pea-sized drop and makes my face feel so clean. I tried Cetaphil's popular cleanser but find that it does nothing for me.

Many people have recommended Peter Thomas Roth sunscreen, which I have come to love. It's reasonably priced and does not feel greasy. For sports (i.e. when I prefer 80 SPF), I use Neutrogena's popular Ultra Sheer Dry Touch sunscreen. For arguably the most important things, moisturizers, I like Yu-Be cream and the much-lauded Ultra Repair Cream. Both are inexpensive and get the job done. I like black charcoal masks and really like Origins charcoal, but right now I'm trying Boscia's Luminizing Black Mask.

2011-04-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

Fell in love with the new Madewell x Le Minor shirts after getting the JCrew e-mail last week. I really like the boxy cut and thick, non-stretchy cotton. The problem is that all of the shirts are different, and it seems like very few are as extreme in color gradation as the ads would have you believe. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll restock the pink one.

2011-04-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've kept this blog for a while now to keep track of what kinds of things I buy. It's fun to see how taste changes over time -- I'm sure that if this blog went back far enough, it would feature velour tracksuits, carrying cases for rat-sized dogs and, before that, Polly Pocket and little ponies. Sometimes I suspect myself of being a raging materialist, but in fact having a place to write about pretty things has been armor against spending a lot of time on shopping. I unload everything in my head here and instead think about real estate pro formas and economics. Where the real fun is.

2011-04-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

This last one is my apartment. The rest are neighboring houses, the curvy driveway behind my apartment, and our street. I live in the tan building, although the front entrance is through the green house in front. They used to be a dormitory for nurses who worked in the old town hospital.

2011-04-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Comme des Garcons wallet (an all-time favorite)

Filson 256 briefcase

I'm at least succeeding in not buying trendy crap in favor of sturdy things that will last a long time. The smartphone is also one of the best things I've ever gotten for myself. I didn't expect to enjoy reading Kindle books, texting people, or answering e-mail while walking nearly as much as I do.

2011-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Dieppa Restrepo 'Jericho' bootie

I want a pair of the popular 'Cali' oxford style, which goes on sale every once in a while, though usually in colors like metallic gold or silver. Probably need to get a pair in navy or black before going there. All the Dieppa Restrepo shoes I've tried have some serious foot-slimming mojo.

2011-02-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

The Frye Harness boots are a lot more comfortable out of box, but the hiking boots are more my speed for the snow around here. I've been a lot happier ever since I discovered leather protector.

2011-02-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

Quoddy Ring Boots -- easily one of the hardest to break in shoes I've ever owned. I opted for the crepe soles rather than the bare leather ones just because I've done so much slipping and falling here, even with Vibram-soled shoes.

2011-01-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from happier times with my old camera. I stayed on for weeks during winter break after everyone had left, so the department was deserted. This is what I see every day.

2011-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

When I was in LA over winter break, I was pretty excited to get my dad's old dSLR and left my trusty but aging G7 at home. But now the reality sets in that it's not a point-and-shoot. I thought I'd take advantage of some rare apartment brightness and do a quick set of photos before stepping out this morning, and this is what happened! I'm going to have to read the manual and some how-to guides to use this thing.

APC trench and APC Madras wool cardigans, from steep January sales
Barbour Bedale and Mountain Hardware Monkey fleece jacket, my favorite things to wear here
Floral socks from the Gap

2011-01-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

After spending two weeks in California, I came back to about a foot of snow. This is pretty cool too, except I managed to do a cartoon banana peel fall while walking downhill to my apartment.

2011-01-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

Here I am with Bass* Weejuns. Have bought into the Americana-prep thing, even though the these aren't made in Maine anymore.

*When your brand collaborates on a shoe with Mark McNairy, you're officially cool again. If you're a cool retailer like J.Crew, you can charge $120 for a shoe that retails at $88 in regular Bass stores. (And everything in Bass stores is marked down at least fifty percent.)

2010-11-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

I love these colorful ink pens. The tips stay tight and ink doesn't bleed through to the other side.

Sakura Pigma Micron (0.25mm), Uchida LePen, Stabilo Point 88

2010-11-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

We had a Thanksgiving dinner party on Thursday at my friend's house. She and her husband cooked a delicious turkey, and we guests brought side dishes. Check out the fabulous table napkins.

2010-11-10T08:56:00.001-08:00

Lately it's been all Nike, probably because I think the styles are more varied and street friendly than Asics running shoes. And I really love the weirdness of the Air-Rift style. (Note: these were perfect in size 10; regularly wear 9 in shoes and 9.5 in other Nike brand shoes.)

2010-11-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

My first batch of Japanese masking tape since moving has arrived! I decorate my notebooks with this stuff, though I might as well plaster them with Hello Kitty stickers. I think it's to counter the weight of their content -- NOTES. WORK. Thud. (But I do have a real soft spot for Hello Kitty.)

2010-11-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Wright's Coonley House
I like its heft (nickel plated brass and enamel)
I like the MoMa store

2010-10-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

It happened really quickly, actually. Over a long weekend this month I went to visit my friends in Philadelphia, where it was actually pretty hot, and when I got back to New York the season had officially turned -- it's now regularly 30 or 40 degrees during the day. The wild colors of autumn foliage are splayed all across campus, and it's impossible to stay indoors. What a pretty time of year.

2010-09-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Take Ivy
Tamasin's Kitchen Bible

2010-09-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Between my last post and now, I moved to New York. About a month before I left, I planted a magnolia tree in my backyard. Michelia Alba (白蘭花) are hard to keep alive, even in Southern California. They do best in the partial shade of a large tree, so I had to plant a garden umbrella in the soil next to mine. Anyway, they're popular in Asia for their fragrance.

2010-07-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was little our house would be flooded with fragrant Babcock peaches every summer. 水蜜桃 are especially prized in Taiwan for their honey-like juicy white flesh, so the best, biggest stock gets shipped overseas.

2010-06-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

The books that were shoved down my throat when I was a teenager have become part of my regular teaching repertoire. Makes me feel kind of old.

2010-06-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Incase markets its popular compact backpack as the ideal Macbook 13-15" carrier. At first glance, it doesn't have the same overt hardiness of a TNF backpack, most notably with the omission of heavy duty YKK zippers. But once I loaded my laptop and a few books inside, I started to get the idea. For example, the way the padded interior laptop compartment doesn't extend to the bottom of the bag is genius -- there's no shock to the computer if I set my bag down on the floor too hard. The top handle also helps the bag fit comfortably in my hand, so it's like carrying a briefcase rather than a sack of potatoes knocking against my leg. TNF bags are better generalists, but the Incase bag has more structural integrity and padding for comfrotable computer transport.

2010-06-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

Mom's Banana Bread
from Saveur issue 129

Butter, for greasing pan
1 cup flour, plus more for pan
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
2/3 cup chopped pecans
3 very ripe bananas

Heat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan with butter and dust with flour; set pan aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Whisk together sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Add pecans and mashed bananas and whisk gently to combine. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, 60-65 minutes.

Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Serves 6-8.

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Pomegranate green tea

I've always wondered about this drink because it's so fragrant, yet I could never figure out how to mix Pom juice and honey together in the correct proportion. As I discovered today, it's easier to use pomegranate molasses, which is commonly found at Middle Eastern grocery stores. I poured about a centimeter of the syrup into a mason jar and microwaved for about twenty seconds. Then I filled the jar with brewed white tea cooled to room temperature. (It's not necessary to use green tea, which I think is chosen only because of its mild flavor. I just wouldn't use dark, strong teas like Oolong.)

2010-06-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Natural Healing Wisdom & Know-How
Mesquite chocolate chip cookies
Cold brewed iced coffee (more details at Smitten Kitchen)

2010-06-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

This "cake" is traditional yet easy to make. It's also not particularly rich as far as these things go.

Glutinous Rice Flour Cake
糯米糕 (nuo mi gao)

5 minutes preparation + 50 minutes cooking time

1 package of glutinous rice flour (16 oz.)
1 can of sweetened red beans (18 oz.)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup oil
2 cups milk
(optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
(optional) 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds

About the ingredients: the amount and variety of milk and oil is flexible. I can't taste the difference between using skim or 2%, between canola and extra virgin olive oil, so use whatever you have on hand.

The only specific recommendations I have are about the package of flour and can of mashed red beans. If you visit an Asian market and look for glutinous rice flour, you'll inevitably run across this package and brand. The hardest ingredient to find will be the can of red beans. In any Chinese market, this aisle will be flooded with variety: whole beans, small beans, jumbo beans, red bean paste, black paste, unsweetened, etc. I always buy Shirakiku because both the texture and amount of sugar are perfect for the recipe, so I prefer using it over trying to figure out how much sugar to use. The package of flour is about $.75 and can of red beans a little over $3.

Directions:
Mix together everything EXCEPT the red bean. Just toss everything together in a big bowl, crack the three eggs over the side, and mix with a pair of chopsticks. After about two or three minutes of stirring, the texture will be like white glue and should no longer contain too many lumps. At this point, pour in the can of red bean and chopped walnuts, fully incorporate (but don't wait too long or else the beans will start to settle at the bottom), and pour into a shallow baking pan lined with foil. Make sure to butter the foil because this stuff is sticky. If you want to use sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the surface of the batter before baking.

It's easiest to remove the cake within the first half hour out of the oven. After it's been separated from the original foil, it won't stick as badly. Invert the crust (which doesn't stick) onto a new sheet of foil, then let cool upside down for an hour before cutting into smaller squares.

Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 or 375 F.

2010-06-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Heaven is homemade caramel candies from well-curated gourmet food shops.

2010-06-11T12:33:00.001-07:00

The most interesting things about New Jersey were all the mites and ticks, the general lack of stucco buildings, and the verdant swaths in everyone's backyards. Some people actually lived behind forests!

2010-05-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

2010-04-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

This July I'll be moving across the country, so I've already put a moratorium on buying new books, especially big, heavy ones like cookbooks. But I just couldn't resist when Breakfast, Lunch, Tea became available.

2010-04-18T16:00:00.001-07:00

Purple sweet potatoes, also known as Hawaiian sweet potatoes, are sweeter than their orange cousins. Every once in a while they'll be available in tiny chicken nugget sizes, and those have the best texture. Steam or wrap individually in foil, bake for 45 min - 1 hour at 375.

2010-04-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

L.L.Bean Signature catalog -- digging the rose-trim tote the model is holding but can't find one like it on the Bean (or Bean Signature) site. Love how faded and frayed it looks.

2010-04-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

I went to go look at the Liberty x Target collection without really expecting much, but I liked the trio of small notebooks ($6.99). As for the bedding and clothes, the patterns were Liberty but the cloth wasn't, so most of it was pretty stiff cotton.

Springtime packing

2010-04-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

Some favorite travel things:

Under Armour tights (short and long lengths, for everyday wear or cold weather running)
Patagonia casual dress
JCrew tank tops (very long in the torso)
Virginia Johnson merino wool shawls (really cozy and a nice change from all the spandex and nylon)
GoToob containers for things that aren't in 3.4 ounce containers
Hearos ear plugs

2010-04-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

I've been lusting after tea towels by Skinny Laminx and finally got a few to use as easily portable wall decoration next year -- way better than any conventional artwork!

Etsy
Heath Ceramics

2010-02-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

DISNEYLAND

2010-01-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Chloe Sevigny x Opening Ceremony boots

"Eating home-cooked meals from whole, in-season ingredients obtained from the most local source available is eating well, in every sense. Good for the habitat, good for the body."
-- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

2010-01-22T23:41:00.000-08:00

It's been raining hard in Los Angeles, a city that doesn't know how to deal with inclement weather at all. Every morning I wave to the mailman from inside my window. He is drenched and has a crooked shower cap clamped on his hat. The FedEx guy gave up altogether and dragged a damp package up my driveway and then had to come back because he forgot to get a signature.

2010-01-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

The more I realize that my undergraduate major didn't matter, the more I wish I took art history classes. This morning I went through some of my old books stashed in my closet and found some textbooks and Leigh Pennebaker's portfolio from several years back. I saw her "wire couture" sculptures in the windows of Barneys on my first trip to New York and wrote a fan letter when I got home. Leigh was so generous and mailed me a portfolio of her sculptures.

2010-01-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Sprinkles cupcakes and a matte car

2010-01-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

The flea market at Pasadena City College
LIFE's full archive from 1936-72, the magazine's entire run, is online

2009-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

I found another one this morning, but it was completely different.

2009-12-30T00:15:00.000-08:00

Japanese cast iron animals from DWR

Winter bamboo shoots (and a tiny orange, for scale)

Ugly-pretty Coach bag

undoing plastic

2009-12-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

(Above) Image from Ancient Industries

2009-12-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

I could have breakfast food all day long but should probably learn to make some of it myself, especially if it's just diced potato and flecks of bacon, onion, and jalapeño glued together with lightly scrambled egg and then wrapped in a tortilla straitjacket. With some roast tomato sauce and melted cheese on top, it's an easy dish to multiply for friends.

China is the newest retail frontier, and for that reason shopping in America is more practical. Most store windows in Shanghai serve only to coax aspirations. Except for the sliver of the population that is China's new super rich, nobody can afford to pay retail prices on high-end Western brands. Meager sales happen at the best department stores because the idea is to build a brand that young people can covet rather than to actually sell things. There's plenty time of time for that later.

We're going bird watching!

2009-12-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

Whole Foods, home away from home

2009-12-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

The Kitchen Diaries
Jamie at Home

2009-12-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

2009-12-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

Zinsser

Maira Kalman's illustrated version of The Elements of Style

On the road

2009-11-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

Larabars. How can something so healthy be this delicious yet come in a crinkly plastic wrapper? An inquiring mind wants to know. (The chocolate bars are from The Tea Room.)

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Everything you need to know about persimmons: 1, 2, 3, 4

2009-11-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

2009-11-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

1. Comme des Garcons for the best wallets

2. Stanley for bringing sweet potato congee to school every day

3. Muji notebooks for affordable paper

4. Billy Kirk for wallet, phone, keys, lip balm

5. Xootr for smooth gliding

6. Tsumori Chisato for daydreaming

2009-11-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

(above) Images from nytimes.com and latimes.com

Tuition crisis at UCLA and the UC system as a whole

2009-11-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

My idea (plus a cup of coffee and an empty Inbox) of a perfect Saturday morning.

2009-11-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

I unpacked some boxes I moved over from my apartment to my parents' house. It's always funny to see the accumulation of girl-things over a specific amount of time. It's a lot less fun trying to sort out what I can keep. The green elephant sitting on the chair comes from Kit+Lili.

Diesel, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Orla Kiely, Filson, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Coach Legacy, Anya Hindmarch, LeSportSac

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(above) Rachel Comey image from R29

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Cute men with their Filson bags.

Agent Orange

2009-11-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

Each year we contact all the persimmon tree owners in a mile radius and offer to buy every last fruit hanging from the branches. And then over the course of the season, the boxes of fruit take over the house. The thing about persimmons is that they have all these caveats, both real and imagined. According to superstition, they're highly toxic when eaten with crab. I love crab! Too many persimmons at once or on an empty stomach lead to indigestion. They contain tannins and are thus bad for the heart. There are also no reasonable recipes out there that don't involve pretending that persimmons are the culinary equivalent of bananas.

There are two main varieties. I prefer the mushy type (Hachiya), so I have to wait for them to ripen just like I do avocados. It's not just a matter of taste. Biting into an unripe Hachiya persimmon is thoroughly disgusting because the tannins are in full force. On the other hand, they are marvelous when soft to the point of collapse and peeled into an ice cold glass of whole milk. Mushy persimmons keep very well in the freezer, too, or can be hastened in the ripening process by putting them in a paper bag alongside an apple or banana. Hard persimmons (Fuyu) look different and tend to be more yellow than red and more apple-like in texture. Most persimmons I see in markets around Southern California are Fuyu varieties, but plenty of people own Hachiya trees.

2009-10-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

My mom is fond of cakes that are fluffy with a very delicate crumb, not very sweet, and topped with whipped cream. Recipe books from Taiwan are perfect for this type of baking.

Edward Tufte

2009-10-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Edward Tufte's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

2009-10-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Floral Doc Marten shoes

These guys above are the real deal: Rachel Comey Barbaro $334, Rachel Comey Penpal $345, Opening Ceremony Bison $382, Opening Ceremony Desert Boot $382.

2009-10-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Moleskine Volant

Nantaka Joy notebooks

The North Face Purple Label (Japan)

2009-10-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

(Above) Some wow prints, from Nanamica

The North Face is an American brand. It's based in Berkeley, California, but in Japan a unique strain exists as the North Face Purple Label. It's completely unavailable outside of Japan. Thinking about this really bums me out.

2009-09-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Where the Wild Things Are
The new movie-themed collaboration with Opening Ceremony

All the presidents' dogs

2009-09-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

The Clinton cat Socks was abandoned in favor of Buddy the dog, for whom Socks showed considerable hostility during the presidency. President Clinton was said to have made more progress between the Israelis and Palestinians than between the two animals.

FDR's terrier Fala is part of White House pet lore for his unwavering dedication to the wartime president as well as for his supposed hand in turning the election in favor of his master. As the story goes, Roosevelt left him behind in one of the Aleutian Islands and had to turn his warships around to retrieve little Fala, prompting taxpayer criticism and Roosevelt's famous indignant response to the press. (As a side note, Fala is such a great dog name! If I had Fala, I'd make sure I got another one to call Fel.)

And then there are President George W. Bush's pair of terriers, Miss Beazley and Barney, who had their own official dot-gov websites. At a low point Barney bit a reporter, perhaps in response to the kind of press the president was getting at the end of his term. I admit I have spent an insane amount of time looking at their pictures.

There are other pets that are less famous but more unexpected. It's hard to think of LBJ as poetic or restrained, but he had two beagles he called Him and Her. Famously upstanding George Washington owned Drunkard and Tipsy, and the disgraced Nixon not only had Checkers (of Checkers speech fame) but also King Timahoe, Pasha, and Vicky. And in true Camelot style, JFK's daughter Caroline got her very own pony, Macaroni, as well as Zsa Zsa the rabbit and a kennel of dogs. It's no wonder Hoover didn't do so well with that whole Depression thing. Can you trust a man who had two alligators?

Finally, there is Bo, the relatively new Obama dog. Bo has gotten more media attention than any other First Dog, maybe because modern media is so persistent, so everywhere and entirely intent on being inane: does Bo get that he's famous? Are we for cats at all?

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Pictures of Bo and his family at the highly addictive Official White House Flickr

2009-09-28T20:33:00.002-07:00

Korean melon bars in summer

something bad

2009-09-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

2009-09-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

(above) Image from Cole, Rood, and Haan

Cole Haan has rolled out a pretty line of mainly vintage-inspired oxford shoes named after the original founders of the company. The shoes are old school and a little hipster, which makes them very awesome.

2009-08-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

Phillip Lim Fall 2009

2009-08-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Anthopologie makes cool chairs

Corrigan chair $1998

Emeline chair $2498

2009-08-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

The Painted Veil

Arabian Nights and Days

My Life in France (I'm on a bit of a Julia Child streak)

the anthropologie apartments

2009-07-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is the LA that I see every day on my way to school. Midvale, Wilshire, Gayley, Westwood.

my apartment

2009-06-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is where I live. Westwood, Los Angeles, California.

2009-06-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara, my neighbor's test drive on his lawn

a few pieces of home

2009-06-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

My mom began a tiny organic garden just for fun, and this was her first tomato.

dying swan

2009-06-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think Karl Lagerfeld is an embodiment of the worst of fashion, people cultivating bizarre personalities and saying outrageous things as some form of "fashion insider exceptionalism." Maybe that's just who creative people are, or maybe that's what it takes to be well known as an important creative person. Check out this great article about what must have been an enchanting 'Chanel moment.' The associated footage is below.

2009-06-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods, curried chicken salad

2009-05-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

I wonder whether anyone actually likes oatmeal.

chinese breakfast

2009-05-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

Outside of Asia, Yi Mei does it best, especially in the form of their Chinese sauerkraut.

2009-05-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

grilled veggie salad

2009-05-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Chap chae, or Korean glass noodles

2009-05-17T20:52:00.001-07:00

It really is better roasted! Be sure to not crowd the pan (like I did) to get a better brown.

Pressed glutinous rice cakes, deep fried and available on Chinese street corners. It's as good as all the ingredients promise, for about seven cents apiece.

gone granola

2009-05-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

(above) Photo from NYTimes Thursday Styles

"National Geographic dream wardrobe"

"a clean but grizzled, healthy, wind-swept Vermont look"

"Lonely Planet aesthetic"

tokyo!

2009-05-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

Tokyo, my favorite city so far

gobble gobble

2009-04-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

These days I stop at WF in the morning to pick up a sandwich, always with the same ingredients: turkey, bacon, sundried tomato aioli, avocado, spinach and swiss. When I retire I hope to have a little sandwich shop operation.

bedside reading

2009-04-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

The best company for a busy week is reading material that's easy to pick up and put down.

the perfect day

2009-04-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Sea salt caramels and aged gruyere

scrambled egg and tomato

2009-04-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

This is the view from my room. This is the view from my room.

2009-04-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Wailin Tse's home in Apartamento

I've been obsessed with cookbooks lately, even though I don't always get a chance to cook from them. I'd like a book on Indian food.