Winter Wonderland

Although I've never really embraced the cold weather, I find that coming up with winter activities or traditions often lessens the bite of the chilling winter wind...Here are a few things keeping me warm this holiday season: 

{The Holiday: Classic}

{A Warm Fire}

{Hot Cocoa at Cafe Lalo, NYC}

'Tis the Season to Give Thanks

Just a few of the things I am grateful for everyday: 

(love)

(chocolate chip cookies)

(art)

City Love

Every time I visit my sister in the Big Apple I'm reminded of just how much I want to live there ASAP, but probably not until I have enough money and a steady job to actually afford this... Everything about the city is comforting, stressful (in the most exciting way) and teeming with life. I love the feeling of walking down the street or peering out the smudged glass of a cab window seeing everything but nothing at the same time. There are so many things going on that it's hard to get a clear view of the big picture. However here is a list of a few of the things that I love about NYC:

1. The culture: Want to get your culture fix? The Met, the MoMA, the Guggenheim are just a short cab ride or subway stop away...Furthermore, if Monet is not your cup of tea, The Museum of Sex is always an option...
2. The restaurants: SO MUCH GOOD FOOD. end of story. 
3. The (window) shopping. Louboutins? Check. Prada? Obvs. Marc Jacobs? yep. Old Navy, and Target Harlem, no problem
4. Magnolia Bakery
5. Russ and Daughters (sorry food is a large theme here...) 
6. The fact that you have to be "in the know" to know about various artsy events, but they ARE there, and yet there is enough street and performance art to keep everyone's interest 
7. When the opera gets out and a slew of diamond and fur clad individuals fight each other for taxis
8. Street food. People line up around the corner for the taco truck
9. Parks: central, riverside, madison square. What NYC lacks in nature they make up for in grassy parks with people watching and an abundance of dogs, joggers and strollers 
10. "...falling asleep to the sound of sirens"-JM. When your day comes to an end and your head hits the pillow, the night has barely begun for someone else. 
11. Almost forgot: Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center 

So many more, but these are what came to mind this weekend!

"How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone"- Coco Chanel

Lately there has been much discussion in various aspects of my academic career of feminism and what it means for women to achieve equality with men. Tonight I went to a screening of 'Coco Before Chanel' a movie about the life of Coco Chanel. What I found extremely interesting about this movie was Coco's boldness and her attempts at breaking the social norms that women were expected to follow. She broke fashion rules by refusing to wear frilly, revealing dresses and stifling corsets and pioneered 20th Century fashion that was elegant, modest and classy. She wore pants, refused to marry a rich man and paved her own way eventually becoming one of the most renowned names in the fashion industry. It might be a stretch to say that Coco was a feminist, but she certainly was strong-willed and willing to take risks to achieve her own success. She was not afraid to be who she was and did so with confidence and elegance. 
Plus, her classic skirt suits and quilted bags are gorgeous...


celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe wearing a Chanel Jacket