Author Archive
Lily Day 30
Time flies and summer is at the tail end. I have done so much, but there are months worth of adventures still to be had.
I also want to make so many more things before the heat of school burns away my free time. This painted silk shirt I am wearing with some loose black UNIQLO pants and under the LBD is inspiring me to batik some clothing. Hopefully I will have some time before school starts…
Lily Day 29
I got girly today in the LBD, and tied in a bow over a homemade cotton jean skirt and striped pink tank with matching striped shoes. I made a bow in the center of the dress by twisting the two sides and then buttoning them together.
Stripes may be considered a stylish, hip, and cute detail in today’s fashion, but their history hasn’t always been so positive. They originated in the medieval times as a way to identify sociatal outcasts (prostitutes, jugglers, etc) and otherwise it was illegal to wear the “devil’s stripes”. Stripes became assoociated with the lower classes and were worn during the French Revolution.
Inmates were made to wear them and sailors adopted this tough look and brought it to the mainstream as a seaside favorite pattern.
It has been adapted and reused over and over so, I am curious about how we will view the stripe in a few years.
Lily Day 28
Ethiopian food is my favorite food to eat; it is delicious, you get to use your hands, and the plate always stays clean so you don’t need to do dishes.
Today I wore the LBD over a homemade aqua crop tank and a pair of altered grandmother curtain shorts. As I ate my lunch next to a man eating a bagel, a little boy eating an ice-cream, a woman eating sushi, and a lady eating a box of Italian cookies- I was reminded of the diversity of the city.
Apparently when Ethiopian restaurants started in New York, they didn’t have the correct ingredients to make Injara(the sourdough bread) and used Aunt Jemima Pancake mix.
Now the correct ingredients are available and there are twelve Ethiopian restaurants in the city. It is a shame how few people have tried this amazing cuisine, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to spice things up.
Lily Day 27
I usually don’t like to spend anytime inside but a rainy day calls for a trip to the movies. When it isn’t raining there are a series of free rooftop screenings that I have been meaning to check out.
There are such a range of theaters and a slew of highly acclaimed movies just came out so it is a hard decision(especially given that they cost $13 a pop).
I wore my LBD over a homemade black halter shirt and an altered tassel knit and spandex skirt from Salvation Army. The sequined hat is borrowed from a friend who inherited it from her great aunt in Poland.
Ready for a rainy day of movies and hot tea!
Lily Day 26
Prospect Park is such a wonderful summer hangout spot. It hosts concerts, baseball games, lovers, camps, and anyone looking for a place to relax.
The rolling hills are surprisingly picturesque and allow privacy for intimate moments.
I wore the LBD as a vest over an altered 99 cent T and a pair of homemade short shorts. These pictures were taken in front of the grandiose Marquis De Lafayette Memorial on edge of the park
On the way back from the Park I saw this cute dog being driven around on a bike. Living the high life.
Lily Day 25
This triangular building in Greenwich Village used to be a dispensary that treated “Edgar Allan Poe” for a head cold, it then became a dentist office and was left with all the supplies and equipment still inside. Buildings in New York live many lives and their histories are fascinating, but rarely do you find a piece that is abandoned. I am intrigued by the blatant disuse of this prime real estate. You can read the full story here.
I tried something new and wore the LBD as a scarf with an altered denim onesie from a yard sale in Gloucester, MA and a pair of door knocker gold earrings from a stoop sale.
I wonder what lays in store for this funky triangular building.
Lily Day 24
I am living at my friend Ana Ratner’s house for the month. It is a treasure chest of hand crafted works from South America, and there is always a story to go along with each piece. Behind me is a miniature model of skeleton Diego and Frida.
I wore the LBD over a floral dress from Urban Renewals that has been through its fare share of picnics and bike rides.
Lily Day 23
Even though I hated writing book reports when I was little, Summer Reading was such a nice routine. I always dreaded the first day of school if I hadn’t read the right book, but now I am nostalgic for how seriously I took on the task of reading during the summer.
Now my summer feels too busy and reading has become an indulgence rather than a necessity. I am planning on enjoying some books this week while lounging in a park with a friend or two.
I styled the LBD as a cape and wore it over a vintage Dior shirt ($3!!) and altered velvet tuxedo pants-styled appropriately for a day in the park.
Lily Day 22
I have been so attracted to African prints this summer. These pants are from a Senegalese clothing stall on 7th ave. After a long conversation with the shop keeper, I want to go to Senegal more than ever and listen to their amazing music. One of my favorite bands Amadou and Miriam are from Senegal.
I hemmed the cuffs of the pants around the ankle, and am wearing them around my waist rather than my hips, and wore the LBD as a crop top. My shoes are second hand snake skin that I brought to a cobbler who did them wonders.
Now I am off to apartment shop with a friend!
Lily Day 21
I am always amazed by how drastically different the LBD can look with different accessories. Wearing the dress everyday encourages me to experiment.
I can transform my look day to day, but each item is also transformed person to person. These boots have gone from soldiers to hip second hand. My see-through lace romper has gone from lingerie to outer-wear.
These jagged black and silver earings from a yard sale in Woodstock, NY can make a look go from grunge to rockstar, elegant to diva, simple to stylin’.
Lily Day 20
Sitting on the roof of my friend Ana’s house, reading, and sipping homemade lemonade has become a favorite afternoon pastime.
I wore my LBD folded over as a hem under a silk Tibetan skirt from “Little Tibet” on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Cambridge used to be made of specialty import shops that catered to specific ethnic groups, but now those are being replaced with banks and bistros. It could be a sad corporate and culture-less fate for little Cambridge.
Unless we support local businesses like this shop. This isn’t hard to do when you find beautiful items.
This pressed and dyed leather belt is borrowed from a friend who got it at Beacons Closet in Brooklyn where you can buy and sell items. I have yet to go!
Lily Day 19
The little public gardens scattered through the city are such a charming relief from the stuffy heat. Today I had lunch with some of my best friends in the quaintest garden in the West Village.
This particular garden is called Father Demo Square and there are tons more all around Manhattan.
Today, I wore the LBD over a breezy Salmon dress that was a gift from the family I lived with while in China. On top I wore a Moroccan belt that a toothless man sold me for two dollars in Rabat. Take a break from using the computer and go out and people-watch, read a book, or snack in one of these cute parks.
Lily Day 18
Recently I have been wondering why as we get older we no longer have animals like Sea Monkeys or Ant Farms, and I feel a little deprived. So, I am planning an aquarium and I went to the fish store to scope it out.
I was expecting to see the typical gold fish and minuet but instead most of the fish looked like aliens.
I wore my LBD simply as a dress topped with a coriander Kangol hat and belted with a scarf from a market on Portobello Road in London. That market is made up of hundreds of little shops where you can find anything from antique swiss army knives to knitted beer cozies.
I started to wonder if this exotic fish trend was contributing to any species’ loss, so I refrained from purchasing any fish until I am a more educated consumer.
Lily Day 17
I just saw Salt n’ Pepa perform live and FREE in Brooklyn as a part of the MLK Summer Concert Series!
Salt n’ Pepa used to be style icons, and set the trend for empowered female hip hop performers with songs like: Salt n Pepa Shoop. It was a night of nostalgia where Old School was revered and New School was dismissed as being baby talk.
I danced up a storm in my Cousin’s old graphic T, my vintage white tennis shorts that I altered, and the little back dress keeping me warm as the night got chilly.
Lily Day 16
Today I wore another homemade african print piece. I romped around town today in this romper under the LBD.
It made me remember a show I saw a few years ago at the Brooklyn museum of outfits by Yinka Shonibare.
He constructs eighteenth-century European clothing out of traditional African prints. The bright, festive colors revive the patterns and transform them into a politically charged aesthetic wonder that inspires me.
Check him out!
Lily Day 15
I went on a little overnight to Bard College two hours north of NYC where I picnicked in wild flower fields.
It takes a while for my city gears to slow down to the stillness of the Hudson River Valley. It is much cooler in the country and so I wore some vintage high waisted leisure pants and a sun hat that I borrowed from a friend. She got it in a consignment shop in Providence, RI.
This part of NY is completely gorgeous and the clean air is a fresh change from sweaty, stagnant city.
Activities here can be so wholesome and innocent. When I got here freshman year I felt like Huckleberry Finn or some romantic character. In my spare time I started doing things like picking blueberries, hiking mountains, swimming in the swimming holes, riding bikes past stables and farms, and entering pie-making contests.
Lily Day 14
This morning I am working from home lounging on this luxurious velvet green couch. ( I am much happier than I look in this picture)
I am wearing sunset oranges and pinks to brighten up sitting inside. My wrap-around shoes are from the Salvation Army in Central Square Cambridge and have served me well this summer as beach shoes. I pinned my dress (actually a nightgown from Second Time Around in Boston) to the LBD to give it the effect of being one dress.
Life is sweeter in pop colors.
Lily Day 13
My grandparents’ house is full of such magical spots. Wild flowers spill over the foundations and butterflies flirt in and out of the open porch.
My feet are callused from growing up playing barefoot here.
The LBD covered me from noon time sun as I picked a bouquet of “weeds”.
Underneath I am wearing a light sundress from my first week in Beijing when I thought $10 was a bargain.
It was a beautiful few days home, but now I am ready to go back to the good ol’ NYC hustle and grind.
Lily Day 12
Went for an over night trip to my grandparent’s house on Cape Ann.
The LBD is styled with my race-car bathing suit from Urban Renewals (the best second hand store in the Boston Area) and a pair of flip lens glasses from Inner Mongolia.
Water gear is so goofy but the ocean is super freezing so I always bring some floaty device to ease myself into the water.
I have spent so many hours playing on these rocks collecting sea creatures in buckets, picnicking, and causing mischief with my cousins. I always revert back to that innocent excitement when I go to this magnificent landscape.
Lily Day 11
I went home to Cambridge this weekend and spent some time relaxing in my garden.
I rediscovered this African print dress I made in high school. It seemed quite short. Maybe I grew or became more conservative, but either way the LBD was a stylish cover up. My shoes are from the Silk Market in Beijing and my purse is a Moroccan souvenir from a trip I went on in high school.
My mother is a landscape architect so she devotes most of her free time and love to this secret Cambridge gem.
This is my mother’s adopted stray, Machiata. She’s such a Wild cat.
And this is my tiger of a cat, Chi Chi Boo. He’s a sweetie, and I missed him so so so much.
