Waiting for the Sunrise

To be frank, my overall impression of Spring 2011 shows at New York Fashion Week was that they left something to be desired. After all was said and done, I combed through slideshows on Style.com and only found a few collections that caught my eye. Many designers, not to name names (other than 3.1 Phillip Lim, Acne, DKNY...) left a lot to be desired in terms of creating new silhouettes and breaking away from Fall 2010's trends. I normally don't like to use this blog as a platform to criticize, but if I wanted to learn how to incorporate men's wear, giant sweaters, and shades of grey and tan into my wardrobe, I could just watch Annie Hall for the 47th time or visit the clearance rack at Anthropologie.

DKNY S11 RTW

Acne S11 RTW

3.1 Phillip Lim S11 RTW

As much as I personally love to wear black on black on black, I appreciated the designers who broke away from the pack this year at Washington Square. I normally have mixed feelings about Betsey Johnson, but I was very entertained by her show this year. Even though I wouldn't wear all of the clothes myself, I thought all her pieces were beautiful and expertly crafted. Watch the show and behind the scenes clips here on the Betsey Johnson website.

Betsey Johnson S11 RTW

I also really enjoyed this year's Alice + Olivia collection: great prints, interesting shapes, and innovative designs for spring.

Alice + Olivia S11 RTW

Hopefully Milan's shows will add the flavor that New York lacked overall this season. We shall see!

All images Style.com

My Life as a Trophy Wife

Now that I'm all settled into my house and adjusted to life back at school, I've been trying my hand at cooking. Here're a few things I've made this week.

French Onion Soup

(Soupe à l'Oignon for all you Frenchies out there...)

I made this dish (à la this recipe on allrecipes.com) to celebrate my and my roommate's one-month "anniversary" in the house. I added some chives to the soup, which I think really made a difference.

Since the recipe called for red wine, I used a little bit of Finca el Origen, an Argentine wine that our friend Thao brought us for our housewarming. We had more of it to drink for dinner, and it was spectacular. Thanks, Thao!

Strawberry Tartine

We also made an impromptu dessert with the baguette leftover from the soup. We spread cream cheese on the bread, topped the pieces with strawberries and honey, and put them under the broiler for about five minutes. I want to make these and other tartine variations again soon.

Alina wore her newest Nordstrom Rack find for dinner. Very sharp.

Chicken Caesar with Homemade Croutons

This ended up being a really simple and tasty light dinner. I just cut up and baked seasoned and buttered pieces of baguette, pan fried some chicken, and tossed everything on a plate. I guess I'm lucky that salad is one of my favorite dishes...

In a few days I'll be writing a review on New York Fashion Week. Thanks for reading and check back soon!

Four Walls and Adobe Slabs

My lovely roommate Alina and I just moved into a little bungalow in the Hyde Park/North Campus neighborhood of Austin. Here are some of my favorite things from around the house:

1. Melissa Gable artwork

I bought a couple of her prints about two years ago, and they've since made several moves with me. I just found out that Melissa has a really cool blog -- definitely worth checking out.

2. Pretty lights

My mom gave me this antique lamp last year to brighten up my ultra "energy-efficient" room last year. We have plenty of lights in this house, but I still keep the lamp for decoration.

3. Ziggy

This David Bowie paper-doll, also courtesy of my mom, greets us every morning from his home on the fridge.

4. Closet space!!

Having had my belongings split between co-op rooms, storage spaces, and basements in the last year or so, I'm so happy to finally have all of my clothes in one place.

5. Something old

I got this chair in middle school, and it's stuck with me ever since. It's very comfy -- the perfect reading chair.

6. Something borrowed

Alina's mom decided she didn't want two of these Pottery Barn lamps for her own house, so she gave them to us. They remind me of old 1930s drafting lamps.

7. Something blue

I can't forget to mention Maggie, our third roommate, who is adjusting quite well to her new home.