Reese’s Pieces

Like I said yesterdday, watch out for Reese Witherspoon around town.  According to Michael Klein, aka Philadelphia Insider’s twitter, Witherhaal (That’s Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon) were spotted last nigth at Alma de Cuba. Reese was wearing white dress, Jake in shorts/T-shirt.

Courtesy of Glamour.com

Also spotted yesterday was Michelle Obama combining summer colors in an unexpected way. Choosing lavender and turquoise pieces by Michael Kors, Michelle gave off a happy warm weather vibe.

In the same vein as NBC10’s list of things that you should buy before the recession ends that I posted yesterday, Cosmo has some tips on how to be Luxe for Less. Cosmo shows the way to seemingly high end items that can be purchased at lower prices.

Cosmo also has a video on how to do a perfect hair blowout at home. Please watch. I had a blowout last week and all I could think was ‘Geeze, what a waste. I can do this myself.’ For some reason I was under the impression that blowouts were magic and there would be glitter and gum drops.  They aren’t. You can do it just as well as a stylist and spend your cash elsewhere.

Lastly, I watched some of the World Swimming Championships in Rome this past weekend. I was going to blog about how I think it’s interesting that some swimmers wear jewelery, something I was banned from wearing during my competitive swimming career in High School. My coach told us that the judges thought that the jewelery had special powers and would make us faster.

The fact that I wasn’t allowed to wear bracelets or studs in my ears always makes me look out for swimmers baubles, bangles and beads. Far more interesting than any swimmers jewelery though, is the wardrobe malfunction that took place at the Swimming Championships. Somehow I missed it when Ricky Beren’s swim suit split, but Perez didn’t. I wonder what the judges would have done if that happened during one of my meets…

J-E- oh Hell no!

Once upon a time, some dude you may have heard of promoted a classic snack food that I found TOTALLY terrifying as a child: Jello.

LET ME START THIS OFF RIGHT: So, this article is going to end with me talking about Bill Cosby’s face, so everyone knows I’m not just incoherently type-rambling about my disdain for a particular dessert. SO, before anyone talks about anyone’s face or gelatin products, I need to publicly declare to the internet that I was 300% anti-Jello when I was little. …Um, as in I thought Jello Jigglers would like, kill me in my sleep.

My mom thought since she liked the wiggling thing that shall not be named and it was also ”kid friendly” that I’d take the bait and like her jiggly alien-life-form snack… but even at age 8, I totally hated the way it wiggled on it’s own and instantly associated it with rubber bands (something else I was afraid of for some reason). Whatever, it looks like Flubber!

Nowadays you won’t see me with Jello shots at your friend’s birthday party or politely carrying a Jello mold to new neighbors (creeee-eepy) because, well, let’s just say I still don’t trust a food that only takes form after you boil and cool it. All things considered, I don’t dislike it the way I did in elementary school: It’s grown on me a little… thanks to a certain celebrity.

So, with that awkward anecdote fresh in our minds, I’m going to say Bill Cosby was the thing that made Jello uncreepy. Him, dancing with a bunch of 3rd graders with a sweet sweater was what made me want to like jello.

Annnnnnnd, without further ado, here is what I found in the elusive edges of the interwebs, complete with amazing chart:

YES… Bill Cosby’s face is entirely made of different flavored jello in cups. Isn’t it AWESOME? There’s more info on this artist’s blog here, but I’d like to leave you all with a quote from my room-mate: “That thing belongs in the Smithsonian“. AGREED.

Date with IKEA

The 2010 IKEA calendar just went up on the internet, if you’re interested. Looking at it is making me feel like I should be in a bathroom, as that’s where my IKEA catalogs have been stored for many years.

It’s 1-5-#4-2-3-1! Dammit, Kevin!

Totally sweet present: a DIY music box kit. It’s only $15, too! It comes with a teeny holepunch and a card that apparently has the music for Happy Birthday, but it looks like you can code in whatever song you want (in any event, the example song on the strip of paper isn’t Happy Birthday). It looks like you don’t get any sharps or flats, though, which would put a damper on songs you’re able to do.

Yesssssssss! I gotta tell you, there are very very few occasions in life when a degree in music theory can be put to practical use: these include a party trick where I can tell you what interval there is between two beer bottles of differing levels, and I would totally be able to rescue He-Man and save the world if I were to wake up in the 1987 movie “Masters of the Universe,” seen here (the video’s from dailymotion, not youtube, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to make it automatically start where I want it to, but if you watch the first video from 2:40 to 3:55 and the second from 3:00 to 4:00 that should give you the relevant parts):

Manic Monday

Courtesy of InStyle.com

This past weekend, Reese Witherspoon was seen brunching at Sabrina’s near the Italian Market with her boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal. Reese was also featured as the Look of The Day on InStyle.com While the InStyle.com picture was taken in Santa Monica, be on the lookout for Reese and her Gladiator Sandals around Philly.

The New York Times has a slideshow on celebs at the white house. The pictures span from When JFK was in office to the current administration. In another look back, 215 magazine’s website has a bunch of different looks, all inspired by movies.

Nylon.com has a video up on street style near their SoHo, New York office. The video was shot to see if those in the neighborhood south of Houston really were as stylish as their reputation claims.

NBC10 has a list of things you should buy before the recession ends. This is assuming that you still have  a job and can afford the things on the list. That said, I have seen the prices drop of many of the things featured on the list, including women’s clothing and diamonds. NBC10also has an article about how Crocs shoes are indestructible. Great quality in a shoe, except when you are trying to make people buy more.

What To Do This Weekend

Greetings, Philadelphians! FIRST: There is a two-foot roaming gnome in town, if you didn’t know! Check out the pic above from Uwishunu.com, explaining out city’s victory over the Travelocity Roaming Gnome.

Oh, and it would appear Mother Nature is finally working out a little: she’s pumping the heat up to the high 80’s for the last few days of the month AND it’s probably going to rain. It’s cool; we all know she’s been BSing us with windy, cool “summer weather” until now, anyway… which is fine.. because according to my sources, it’s National Ice Cream Month. Well, in Biancaland, it’s all-ice-cream-all-the-time, but hey! I’m all about it if everyone else in the country would care to join me.

I actually will not be in town this weekend, and unable to attend anything I post about… so I want to see tons of comments letting me know how all the events were! Especially one that involves the pooches: seriously.

FRIDAY:
//LENA Sparkles @ BUS STOP For those of you not familiar with LENA jewelry:

Caroline has traveled to Paris, shopped for beads in Venice at the Island of Murano & recently attended the Gem Show in Tucson, Arizona. LENA jewelry is made from semi-precious gems, sterling silver, gold vermeil as well as art glass. A selection of earrings, necklaces & bracelets will be available @ BUS STOP.

On Friday, LENA Custom Jewelry by Caroline Miscichowski, will be available at BUS STOP for one night only! Drinks will be served and event is free & open to the public. Trunk Show – Friday, July 24 5:30pm – 8:30pm at 750 S. 4th Street.

SATURDAY:

//Dog Day Afternoon @ the Piazza WHOA. WHOA WHOA WHOA–Okay, so anyone who knows me knows that I’m wickedly sad I’m missing this!! It’s on Saturday 10am-4pm. There’s going to be a pooch parade (!!!!!!!), an Obedience School/ Ask The Experts session and a screening of “Hotel for Dogs. Here are some deets!

//TMNT @ The Bourse Cowabunga, dudes. According to Filmadelphia and Facebook, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are taking over at midnight for Midnight Movie Madness. Um, this is usually where I post a time… but here’s a hint: ..it still involves midnight.

SUNDAY:

//XPoNential Festival Ah, public radio coming out to… the public. The “big” headliner seems to be The Hold Steady, but there will be more music than that happening all over two states this weekend at the XPoNential Festival; Sunday being no exception. Look at all these artists lined up!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

10 Things I Hate About “Don’t Shop”

This video was recently released by the Style Coalition, who describe themselves as:

an organized group of independent online fashion publishers (bloggers) who are combining their love for fashion, passion for social media and technology, and enthusiasm for the industry to help major brands better reach the fashion masses.

This is why on facebook, this job is listed as:

This is also part of why I like Philly better than New York. Philly, and Philly media, for the most part, lack the idiotic tone-deafness fairly common in the New York fashion industry that leads writers and bloggers to act like the average person has the disposable income to purchase even one pair of Louboutins, let alone 30.

News flash: if your target audience is women in their twenties, they should not be made to feel guilty about not buying a pair of $800 shoes unless they have a seriously rich and ailing grandparent, make 10 times what the average 20-something makes or are pop stars. The situation at the moment isn’t like the drop in sales after 9/11, which was mostly people being depressed and afraid. This drop in sales is because we all spent beyond our means and wrecked our economy. But no! The Style Coalition is on a goodwill mission to save fashion! With more spending beyond our means! Here:

Concept: on June 22nd, Style Coalition hosted 13 top NYC fashion bloggers for a special video shoot at DEX New York studios for DON’T SHOP! campaign, supporting the fashion industry and inspired by DON’T VOTE! video. In a similar way our video starts with “don’t shop” message, and slowly turns into campaign message showing the importance and value of supporting our favorite fashion designers in these tough economic times.

1. You’re equating the importance of spending money on pretty clothes with voting. Do you not see that?

2. This is way too long.

3. 3:03 kind of speaks for itself.

4. Your underlying message, that not buying designer clothes when you can’t afford designer clothes is selfish, is so tone-deaf I can’t even believe it.

5. Fat girls obsessed with designer fashion are like Muslim Republicans and gay Catholics: something I will never understand. Don’t you know that most of them hate you?

6. I think most of the “after” outfits, meant to demonstrate what we could lose forever if people don’t continue to buy designer clothing, are kind of uninspired.

7. Most of the bigger brands you mention have been making shitloads of money over the past decade or so by outsourcing construction, switching from hand-crafting to assembly lines, using cheaper materials and marketing down to the middle class – in a word, slowly downgrading everything that made luxury products nominally worth the extra money.

8. There is so much bitchface in this video.

9. You couldn’t even come up with an original concept to get your message across?

10. Did you record this in a cave or something?

Argh, I can’t even stand it. I’m out.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I Want To Ride My Bike

“It bags” may be out, but tote bags as art are definitely in. Here are some totes from the area as featured on Philly.com. My fave is the one with the bicycle.

Philly.com also has a feature on how to wear white.  Not sure if I’m sold on this look, but it was a valiant effort. I’m a bigger fan of Glamour.com’s slideshow for how to standout.

NBC10 has a video on the organization dress for success. It’s a good one, dedicated to helping women who might not have the means to dress professionally but still want to make a great first impression.

Lastly, I’m heading over to Muji to get this cute shower radio that The Frisky featured on it’s site. I might mistakenly try to get shampoo out of the bottle but it’s still cute and completely necessary. The Frisky also features this picture of a Juicy Couture zipper pull to help you celebrate National Vanilla Ice Cream Day. Sure it was yesterday, but who says you can’t celebrate today?

Phanatical

This kid in this picture isn’t me, but I super dig his retro Phillies uniform!

Before Tuesday, the last Phillies game I attended was at the Veteran’s Field in 6th grade. My parents, two of my hometown team’s softball coaches, took me and some friends from the team up to the game in a 12-seater van. I clearly remember silently cringing in pre-teen embarrassment as my mom put her terrycloth visor on her mane of curly hair and pulled out her super gigantic ziploc bag– the maternal version of the barney bag –of protective UV blocking gear and cosmetics, insisting we all wear it. We all ate hot dogs and I proudly wore my black leather glove in hopes of catching a stray foul ball.

This was also the same game that the adorable little girls in their phillies caps witnessed a pitcher being nailed in the face by a hard pitch from the man up at bat, and was wheeled off the field on a stretcher. I’m next to positive he was in a short-term coma. Needless to say, I didn’t play softball that next season.

My Phillies cap from that game is tucked away in a drawer, dusty with nostalgia, somewhere in my parents house, as is my kids Phanatic shirt and little Phillies bat. As someone who has only since held a baseball in required gym classes post pitcher-coma-trauma, none of those souvenirs made it into my post-college apartment. (Not like that Phanatic shirt would fit, anyway)

As a gal who only wears dresses in the summertime, I was in quite a whirl as what to wear to a game. What do people wear to Phillies games?!, I tweeted. I seriously think my mom was picking out my outfits the last time I saw them place. After pacing around my room (and grumbling about wearing pants in the heat) I finally settled on cargo capris and flip flops. I have bright auburn hair, and as a result of clashing, own very few red shirts. I settled on a royal blue shirt, and deemed it patriotic enough for a Philadelphia home game and complimentary to my red hair.

Unfortunately, the Phillies were playing the Chicago Cubs… whose away uniforms pretty much entirely matched my outfit. Oops. Whatever, they have the better uniforms anyway!

…or do they?

After getting a little playful grief from my friend Colin for wearing the “wrong team color”, I decided I would do some investigative uniform research. The Phillies are apparently one the oldest established teams in the national league, and have been around since 1883! The uniforms have changed a lot in 126 years, as you can imagine. This is what I found:

Lookin’ studly… and kind of like a chef in 1899.

No red in town in 1938! The official colors were blue and yellow.

I love these uniforms from 1948. Dig the socks!

Retro fabulous: 1982 with the old logo on the cap!

The uniform I grew up knowing from the early 90s

A more recent training uniform.

2009: The current away game uniform!

Gradient nails

I keep my nails painted most of the time, because after quitting smoking (did I mention that I quit smoking?) my nasty habit of gnawing my nails into stubs has gotten worse.

I’ve been rewarding myself for not smoking by dropping a few bucks on a new shade of nail polish every week (at the moment, I’ve got every color of the rainbow, silver and bronze), but even so, I’m getting bored with the colors I have. I’ve considered doing a mix and match paint job, but it always feels a little too wacky middle-school art teacher.

But I could get into the above gradient nails done by Sophy Robson, a London manicurist who does nails for fashion shoots and has a blog about… nails. It would require an investment of a few more shades of nail polish to do at home, but if you get manicures anyway, try taking advantage of the available spectrum!

Also think these rainbow tips by Robson are totally neat-looking, although perhaps not on me.