...while visions of tuna treats danced in their heads...

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Happy Feet. And Happier Feet.

Sunday:

Tuesday:


I'm in South Florida with the family this week. Posting will either be a) light, 'cause I'm out in the sunshine; or b) frequent, should it start raining. The trip is our Christmas gift, so I'm not expecting much from Santa this year. (Which means I may do a teeeeensy bit of self-Santa-ing. OK, OK, I might've already started with Macha Jewelry's super-cool Rockwell studs.)

But I'm curious: What do you hope Santa brings you?

Also: D.C. Blogger Party!

The inexhaustable Makeda of The Glamazon Diaries has finally accomplished what we'd always hoped to: A D.C. blogger meet-up! If you blog about fash, food or lifestyle, come hang out with Makeda, Kate, Angie and the FW team (including yours truly) this Wednesday at Sweetgreen from 6-8pm. We are already contemplating outfit choices...

On the fourteenth day of Christmas...

...We start thinking hard about New Year's resolutions. Among them: A new commitment to sewing projects. Starting with an exaggerated Peter Pan collar, inspired by the YSL spring collection...

On the tenth day of Christmas...

...More inspiration! One of the things we really, truly enjoy in life (besides handbags, Lanvin and "Glee" ... we can't be the only one who cried at last night's fall finale?), is Cintra Wilson's "Critical Shopper" column in the NYT. It never fails to be equal parts hilarious, insightful and intellgent... much like the woman herself, it turns out. Our friend Johanna snagged a fab interview with Cintra for her blog on Elle.com. It's full of awesome gems. For example (when asked how she'd blow 5K at Barneys):

"For the record, I have never in my life had 5K to blow at Barneys, but if I did, I’d probably end up buying something boring, sensible, indestructible thing that I thought would last the rest of my life for about 2K… and then I’d buy all my Christmas presents.

If there was a gun to my head and I was forced to be frivolous and self-indulgent, I’d head right for the Rick Owens, Lanvin and Givenchy and probably end up with a long, bruise-colored garment, platform bondage boots and/or some tarted-up variation on a big black bowling bag."

The whole interview is a must-read for aspiring fashion writers (um, and we so can't wait for her upcoming book). Enjoy!

On the 8th day of Christmas... {again!}

...Some inspiration! I don't mean to spoil the January issue of O (for those of you who haven't gotten it yet), but fashion journalist Lynn Yaeger is featured in a piece called "Do you love the way you look?"

Writes Yaeger: "I had long admired women with strong signature looks — Anna Piaggi, Diana Vreeland, Isabella Blow — for whom the fashion world seemed to make an exception." And so, Yaeger was inspired to create her own eccentric, original style. Of course, her look isn't for everyone. But doesn't it make you want to be a little more daring every day?

I've already stuck the magazine picture on my inspiration board. And now, when I'm feeling in a bit of a style rut (because some days are just like that...), I'm going to ask myself: WWLYD?

On the eighth day of Christmas...

...A little nostalgia, if I may... When I was home for Thanksgiving, I was tasked with cleaning out all the crap I've been storing in my parents' basement since, oh, the age of six. Into the garbage went tons of notes passed in sixth grade; off to Goodwill went my college poster collection (Blues Traveler! whoo!), the J.Crew sweaters I basically lived in throughout high school and my small stash of Barbies, most of whom suffered very unattractive haircuts over the years.

Of everything, it was the Barbies that made me the most sad. Say what you will about unproportioned waistlines and whatnot, but I loved my Barbies growing up. It was probably my first introduction to fashion: All the extravagant little outfits, the teensy accessories, the tiny shoes! (And don't even get me started on the awesomeness of the dream house...)

The Barbie collector shop (where I went looking for the Comme des Garcons Barbie Susie B. blogged about, prompting this whole trip down memory lane — and no, they did't have it) features a number of vintage reproduction Barbies, including the 1985 Peaches 'n Cream Barbie (above, center), which featured heavily in my youth.

Some more editions I can remember below, via the extensive Barbie media site... and yes, I really kind of want that purple-edged asymmetrical skirt in an adult size...

On the sixth day of Christmas...

We were feeling very busy! (But also very happy about the big, flaky snowstorm this weekend... Finally, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!) We're also enjoying The Boston Globe's Big Picture annual advent calendar of Hubble Space Telescope pictures. (That's day one above. Purrrrrty.)

It is almost as good as the Obama Advent Calendar I've got set up at work. Alllllmost. {In related news: Just 19 days to go!}

On the second day of Christmas...

...Inspiration! I was on a quest for something else entirely when I came across this amazing Flickr archive from myvintagevogue, an absolute treasure trove of fashion mag images from the 1920s to the 60s. (There's an image-driven daily blog of the same name.) It's the perfect offering of nostalgic whimsy and new ideas to curl up with on an otherwise rainy night.


Which reminds me! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention two extra-special things that just happened (Santa came early to Spinachland, it seems). First: Today marked the launch of a new weekly fashion-pop culture column I'll be writing every Wednesday for The Washington Post Express. I'm pretty excited about it, and not just 'cause I can finally put my decades of dedicated People and Us reading put to good use. (Dear mom, See? It did come in handy! Love, me.)

And second: I was surprised and veryvery flattered to be named to the Best Dressed List: DC (um, apparently none of the judges saw me running around town in my jammies and ball cap yesterday after oversleeping. Phew.) Many of the others on the list are people who I personally admire for their ability to totally rock a truly original style, and to be listed among them, well... It's enough to make a fashion blogger all verklempt.

On the first day of Christmas…

Happy December, everyone! We are tree-trimming and wreath-hanging and party-hopping in these parts (and celebrating the fact that it's finally — finally! — cold enough to break out the Wolford dernier 80 tights, because zomg, they are awesome). For the next few weeks, I'm going to do my best to post at least one thing per day — a seasonal tidbit or décor thought or, hint hint, gift idea — leading up to my favorite holiday of the year.

First up! The most popular (and cutest) Danish Christmas beer, Tuborg Julebryg. It's only available for a few weeks per year — and, as far as I can tell, not in the U.S. at all — but the packaging is so adorable, I just cannot resist.

Ze Weekend Project*

*Subtitle: How I Thankfully Managed to Not Turn my Building's Rooftop Patio Pink

A few months ago I wrote a story on different ways to hunt for secondhand decor finds with a few local experts, which turned me on to the powers of Craigslist. (Not that I hadn't ever used Craigslist before, but I've always found it to be lots and lots of hard-to-search junk, with just a few small treasures.) I also was turned on to the powers of the headboard as a design focus, and put my two new interests together to locate an old-timey brass headboard from a nice guy in Northeast for $40. Score!

It sat, upside-down, in my (very small) hallway for months and months, while I attempted to figure out how exactly I would find the space to spraypaint it, since I -- and just about everyone I know -- live in a small apartment with nonexistent yardage. When Sunday arrived, clear and fairly windless, I decided I'd take my chances and attempt the task in a (very hidden) corner of my roof deck.

Several coats of primer, followed by a healthy spray down of hot pink paint, followed my an emergency trip to Home Depot for more hot pink paint, followed by some rampant googling when I decided I might've inhaled too much spray paint for my own good, and ... voila! I now have a glossy hot pink metal headboard. I love it, although incorporating such a statement piece really changes the dynamic of the bedroom decor, and now I feel like I have to rearrange everything else to give the room more balance. Sigh.

Commander Robot offered his seal of approval... although based on his glassy expression, I suspect he's been sniffing some of the paint fumes...

Love, Love, Love: It's Almost Friday! Edition

1. Longtime readers know that it is basically a given that I will gush over the work of midcentury architectural photographer Julius Shulman (above, below) every few months. (A. May. Zing.) I was practically kicking myself for very nearly missing the local E Street Cinema run of the new documentary on Shulman's work, VIsual Acoustics. (I managed to snag tix to the very final screening tonight. Phew.) It's also playing in select theaters around the country, which hopefully will save a few of you some, er, panicked ticket-buying.



2. Carine & co. at Paris Vogue featured the awesome paint-splattered Groove Move Swatch watch ($55) in their latest issue, sending me into an immediate fervent search to track it down. Which I did. Whee.


3. One of the very best books that's come across my desk recently is Walker Lamond's Rules for my Unborn Son, based off his adorably inspiring blog of the same name. (I also did a q&a with him over here, if that is something that would interest you.) I love the book's thoroughly vintagey look, not to mention Walker's clever rules for a well-lived, well-mannered life. Such as: "Unless you served, no fatigues" and "Don't sabotage the family portrait. Smile please." Highly recommended for all your holiday gift-giving needs.


4. You could say I have a, um, serious fixation on faux fur jackets. (Every time I head to the thrift store lately, I seem to return with one. Or four.) They're just so perfectly retro-glam over little dresses or the fallback jean/tee combo. If you're not a thrifter, this Urban Outfitters option (above) pretty much does the vintagey trick.


5. Currently at the top of my Christmas list: jammie onesies! What are YOU asking Santa for?

Tweeeeeed Riiiiiiiide: The Recap

Oh, there is little I love more than a reason to get all dressed up in fanciful get-ups on a weekend afternoon. (See also: this past Halloween, Santacon.) So when some fashionable folk in D.C. announced the first ever D.C. Tweed Ride {the latest in a series of Tweed Rides — aka people who get dressed up in their dandy finest and ride across the city on bicycles having a merry olde time — happening around the country}, it was all but guaranteed that I would go. Or, at least, that I would go to the after-party at Marvin. (Well, I don't have a bike. Or much athletic endurance.) Instead, I took along my camera and a tiny straw hat to the sunny post-ride shindig and it was all just about as fun as it could possibly be. I offer as proof:























Evidence of the tiny straw hat. {Ebay search for doll's hat!}


More snaps up on the FW blog. See you next year!

Aw, shucks. {blushing furiously}

We were e-mailing around this interesting Financial Times article on the rise of fashion bloggers (yea, fashion bloggers!) before we'd even got to the end of the piece. Which, when we finally did, we saw this:

An expert’s guide to the best fashion blogs: Six stand-out style blogs by Harriet Quick

...Fashion is Spinach: Named after the 1938 book by Elizabeth Hawes, Ms Spinach is a professional blogger for the Washington Post but her own site is full of light-hearted glimpses into the fashion world, from the collection of an new designer to a snap of US Vogue‘s Sally Singer, lying on her sofa. Mixes a friendly tone with semi-insider culture....

Um, to be on a shortlist with The Cut (our veryveryfavorite fashion blog), Threadbanger, A Continuous Lean, Disney Roller Girl and Facehunter (plus a nod to Garance as well), is sort of huge for us, and the fact that the list was picked by Harriet Quick, UK Vogue fashion features director, is just the icing on the virtual cake.

I do believe this calls for a celebratory afternoon trip to Value Village!

{Photo: The hyped-up blogger front row at D&G this year, via WWD.}

All I want for Christmas...

Audrey had a little fawn (little fawn, little fawn!). And everywhere that Audrey went, the fawn was sure to go. But seriously. I guess when you were as huge as Ms. Hepburn, people just let you take your pet deer everywhere. His name was Ip, short for Pippin.

{Turns out this has been on like every blog ever in the past year, but I couldn't resist. I found it via Bleubird. Oh, you're not reading Bleubird? Why on earth not?}