One Belongs to New York Instantly

Weekend (Wear) Update-Met Gala 2012!

Hello All!

Monday was the grandest of all galas, the most spectacular of all parties, and for some reason I wasn’t invited? Hmm rude.

It was the MET COSTUME INSTITUTE GALA! And literally…I mean LITERALLY…just blocks away from our Upper East Side stomping grounds, at the Metropolitan Art Museum. Since it is a fashion gala, everyone invited is always on their A—Game (well…usually everyone). I decided to list of my 5 personal favorite looks of the night. Let’s see if you guys agree!

1.       Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren: The moment I saw this dress in this year’s annual “Hollywood” issue of Vanity Fair, I fell in love. It is just so beyond classic, but so sexy…Not to mention Camilla actually looks perfect in it. The dark burgundy lip adds to the classic look, but also brings an edge along with it. Joe Jonas (who was also at the gala)….eat your heart out.

2.       Jessica Biel in Prada: Jessica has one of my favorite red carpet styles (probably second to Gwyneth Paltrow…who I was sadly underwhelmed with last night). She never looks generic, always taking risks that pay off. No one does print like Prada, and I love the 60’s feel they have been going with lately. I also adore a tea length dress. The best part of the ensemble, though, is that rock on her ring finger. Well done JT (who is shown here in Tom Ford.)

3.       Rachel Zoe in Rachel Zoe: Rachel Zoe is severely stuck in a different era, and I cannot get enough of it! The white fringe with that amazing choker? I. die. It is bananas. Both the necklace and dress are so out there, but still so perfectly simple. (She is shown here with Karolina Kurkova, who is also wearing one of her designs!)

4.       Christina Ricci in Thakoon: Shut. The. Front. Door. Now this is a risk that paid off. The two piece Thakoon number is something you can only wear to the Met Gala. I love the colors (light, peachy pinks are my favorite…and as you can tell from my choices above I love my neutrals {black, white, ivory, etc.}). I am just in awe of this outfit. Here she is shown with Thakoon himself.

5.       Lea Michele in DVF: Lea is wearing my absolute favorite silhouette (also partly demonstrated in dresses #1 and #2). I think the plunging neckline/halter silhouette is just beyond flattering on almost all body types (as is an a-symmetrical, one shoulder silhouette). I love the navy shine and Diane von Fustenberg has such an amazing aesthetic, how can any of her design’s look bad? After a lack-luster red carpet season, I would say Lea Michele is back in a big way!

There you have it. The five looks that I couldn’t get enough of on Monday.

Also, Remember, if you are in the area, stop by the new Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibit at the Met. It is the reason for the season after all.

That is it for me…remember the world is your runway {or is you went to the gala…I guess the Met steps are your runway}

XOXO,

Alison 

Met Gala Runner Ups

So this is Wynne’s selection of Runner Ups from WWU, people who look good but were not chosen by Alison, the real WWU fashion selector. To see all the looks and decide which ones were your favorites, go here!

Ed Westwick, in Prada. GG for lyfe.

Amy Adams in Giambattista Valli

Rhianna in Tom Ford

Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior

Caroline Trentini in Olivier Theyskens

Gerard Butler in Alexander McQueen

And one we’re undecided on…(Alison pro Wynne con)

SJP in Valentino (with Valentino!)

White Pizza for Poor New Yorkers

We haven’t included a Recipe for Poor People in awhile, so I decided to share this little number I whipped up this weekend for a friend that was in town. I had a feeling these ingredients would jive together, and boy did they ever! This pre-made pizza crust is my favorite, not only for how easy it is, but because it can’t seem to decide whether it’s a crispy crust or a flaky biscuit. Delish! It also made great leftovers. 

Serve it with an arugula salad, (covered with the extra mushrooms and balsamic?) Or all by itself. Feel free to add chili flakes, thyme or any other veggies you think sound great. This is very adaptable!

Ingredients:

Pillsbury pizza dough (the kind in a biscuit tin)

1 small red onion

sliced portobella mushrooms

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

2 cups of ricotta cheese

non-stick cooking spray (optional)

1. Slice red onion into fourths and then small slices. If mushrooms aren’t already sliced, cut cap in half short-ways and then slice into half inch sections. 

2. Put three tablespoons and two tablespoons (approximate) of the oil and vinegar into the bottom of a medium-high skillet/sauce pan and add vegetables, stirring regularly

3. While the vegetables cook, rub a little olive oil (or non-stick cooking spray) on the bottom of a baking sheet to prevent the pizza dough from sticking. Spread out along the entire sheet and bake for five minutes according to package directions

4. Turn heat on skillet up, and be sure to keep stirring. The onions and mushrooms should be cooking WAY down, the onions should sweat and then start to carmalize in the balsamic. Feel free to add more oil and vinegar if the veggies are getting dry. It helps to put the skillet lid over the pan and shake it around too…

5. Pull out pizza dough (which shouldn’t be cooked yet) and drizzle with at least 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, and spread over dough with the back of a big spoon. Next add the ricotta all over the dough as well, spread it as evenly as possible with the back of a big spoon

6. Be sure the vegetable are cooked through, and take them off the heat, spreading evenly over the pizza dough and cheese. If they aren’t, the pizza dough will be fine sitting for a few minutes while the veggies finish up.

7. Put pizza back into oven at the package temp for 10-12 minutes according to package directions or until you have desired crust crispiness.

8. Serve immediately. Make someone else do the dishes.

Old (and gritty) New York

& (AND)

NYC Photo Blog you MUST see

The Brooklyn Flea is back!

A Train Ride

I only wait two minutes for the train. This is good, because I’ve already left my apartment four minutes behind schedule. I have planned to get a muffin, scratch that, a yogurt and juice from the shop across the street from Washington Square. That is, if I get to Washington Square in time. I’ve been reading a book on journalism and I like it. I steal every available moment on the train to read. I can feel my anxiety broiling when I can’t sit down. I need my hands when I’m standing, to hold the train bar, and can’t fully concentrate on reading. If I have to stand, I can only imagine the pages I am missing as the train flies through the tunnel. Thirty minutes on the train equals at least twenty pages, maybe closer to forty, depending on the material.

As soon as the train shakes its way into the station I spy a seat in the doorway and nearly shove my way to it. I sit and read. Somewhere around 28th St they get on my car. He’s tall, easily over six feet, with Esquire-worthy jeans swathing his athletic legs. His dark brown hair is swept back from his face, framing an angular jaw covered in accidental-on-purpose stubble. He has gentle brown eyes and larger lips. It’s hard not to stare. It’s true that I see beautiful people every minute, every second in the city. But this man comes with a pairing. She is sitting down in front of him, a small beauty mark above her lip, her chestnut hair pulled up behind her neck. She is sucking Cosi orange juice from a straw, and her hazel eyes get wider as she does so. They’re speaking another language, but through my reading I’m not able to decipher what. She is holding a Dunkin Donuts, the pink and orange wrapper to garish in her hand. I imagine a swan with a billboard stamped on its wings. She is pretty in the maddening way truly beautiful women are. Unaware of their full beauty, thus making it much easier for others to feel envious of them. 

He sits across from her, using a camera with a large lens to take her picture. She tells him in accented English that it’s “too big,” which catches the attention of the older Asian woman sitting next to him. She has permed salt and pepper hair that doesn’t move when her head does. She has on a purple quilted coat and small sunglasses. She says something to him and he says timidly, “Florence.” The beautiful couple is Italian. The journalists I’m reading about are living in Rome. I start to pay more attention to them than my book. The Asian woman says something to the man, and he ducks his ear towards her, asking her to repeat it. “You’re very handsome,” she says again. The few people around us smile, he is after all. The Italian woman smiles, and he is left grinning at her, clearly unable to translate the English. She says the word to him gently in Italian from across the aisle. He nods his head briefly, the shy smile still splayed across his lips. They both say thank you.  

The Asian woman asks them questions about New York, and the woman nods her head, “It’s very beautiful here, we love it.” Her English is good, only slightly stunted by her accent. “The weather is nice,” the Asian woman comments and the Italian woman agrees. “When we got here,” she says, “It was raining and we were like, ‘Come on,’” She puts her fingers against her temples to mimic the frustration they felt. I wonder if they got here Sunday night, it rained then. “But now it is nice,” the Italian woman continues. “It is cold though, a little cold. Right now in Florence it is hot.” The Asian woman smiles and nods as though she is well aware. I can only imagine these two statuesque Italians walking through the streets of Florence. I’ve been to Florence, but it’s been years now. I try to imagine what it would be like to live somewhere that is so often featured on a postcard. Images of coastal Italy comes to mind, and then I remember. I live in New York. The beautiful Italians came to visit us.