Nothing quite like Polar Vortex II: Return of the Polar Vortex to get me thinking about my early Springtime aesthetic. If my spending habits were as carefully curated as my virtual moodboards, this is the precise sartorial formula I'd have to show for it:
20% 1980s supermodel (with about 90% of that 20% being Monica Bellucci)
It's hardly begun, but what a week we've had already. Sunday night's Golden Globes saw Richard Linklater's 12-year undertaking Boyhood walking away the big prize. For a few hours there we were all united in admiring Chrissy Teigen cry face, contemplating Jared Leto's modern man-braid, and beating that Amal is Too Good for George dead horse just a little bit more.
In other (breaking) news Zooey Deschanel announced that she is expecting her first child, which we expect to pop out a sporting a printed pussybow blouse.
Most importantly, the final season of Parks and Recreation premieres tonight on NBC. What could be better than a little Snake Juice to facilitate simultaneous celebration of new episodes and tears in our popcorn over what is truly the end of an era? Our beloved Tom Haverford describes the Snakehole Lounge's signature beverage as "a bunch of alcohol" mixed together with sugar, coffee, "and some other junk...and it kind of tastes like Kahlua."
You could always try your hand at making your own snake juice. We suggest coffee, rum, vodka, and brown sugar. If you come to master the basic recipe you might take it a step further and make a more complex cocktail as suggested Snakehole Lounge mixologists themselves:
SLITHERY RUSSIAN
This tastes like if a hot Russian spy and a badass snake got it on... in a world where fictional woman-on-snake hookups were pleasing, and could somehow be served over ice.
1 oz SnakeJuice 1 oz vodka 1 oz cream Splash of Sweetums High-Fructose Corn Syrup 1/4 cup of ice
Combine ingredients and shake well. Sip slowly and slither over to your prey.
Julius Caesar marches his 13th Legion across the Rubicon from Cisalpine Gaul into Italy, signaling the start of the Great Roman Civil War. So dice earrings. A wrap sweater AND a wrap skirt. Those deep muted jewel tones on that Roland Mouret skirt seem to have been carefully chosen with such a power play in mind. Military coat. This ensemble is best paired with a soiree you're certain that guy who wasn't quite your boyfriend but managed to keep you in the dark for too long will also be attending. Et tu, sorry what was your name again?
1810
Napoleon, desperate for an heir, divorces his beloved Joséphine. The ceremony was a grand affair, with both swearing they'll totally still be friends. Channel the fallen Empress and dig that empire waist frock out of a dark corner of your wardrobe. Remember the empire waist? Brave polar vortex 2.0 with your most opulent yet functional coat. Give your low heels a last hurrah.
1927
Fritz Lang's science fiction film Metropolis is released in Weimar Germany. A long structured waistcoat evokes Italian futurism and flared cerulean leather trousers scream German expressionism. Read up on both movements in relation to the film and era and use liberally as buzzwords. Best if worn to "some performance art thing, idk." Just go. I bet they have craft cocktails.
Be nice, have fun, don't drink and drive. Or text and drive. Or drink and text. Happy Saturday!
I could not tell you the last time I went to the theater to see a movie. For a preteen or adolescent of the early aughts, East Louisville's Cinemark Tinseltown was the place to be at 8:30pm on a Saturday. But times have changed, teenagers have changed, I've changed, and everyone who's anyone has Netflix. When I entered my late teen years and loitering in the multiplex parking lot fell out of vogue, I began to regard myself somewhat of a (pseudo-)intellectual and seasoned film buff and nothing at all was lost. Only in the last few years have I completely fallen out of touch with modern cinema. The impending award season serves as a stark reminder of just how fundamentally uncool I've become.
The annual sense of panic triggered by the announcement of Golden Globes inspired me to create a system in years past, in which I prioritize and binge-watch as many critically acclaimed motion pictures as humanly possible before one gilded statue is given to Daniel Day Lewis again. Of all the films or performances with nominations I've only had the pleasure of seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything, and Gone Girl, all three of which I enjoyed. The next seven on my list are under the cut.
I've always been inclined toward black on black on black no matter the season, but lately I've come to embrace browns and navies. In the season to come, I'd like to push myself even further. The extremist in me wants to dive headfirst into a Bauhaus wet dream with ultra-saturated yellows, cobalts, vermillions. Another side longs to be a soft, approachable Olivia Pope circa 1983 in the Hamptons, probably.
Can it be both? Would combining elements from the two cheapen the effect of each?
I've spent my 22 years between predominantly Catholic cities with famous drinking cultures and have mostly lived to tell the tale. 1. New Orleans, LA, USA (NU OR-ləns)
I called New Orleans home from 2011 to 2013. If you know anything about the city beyond red beans and rice and the devastating Hurricane Katrina, I probably don't need to drive the point home any further that New Orleans is so much more than Bourbon Street. The culture is so unique that assimilation becomes difficult for those unfamiliar, and I'm certain that's part of it's allure. I'm not making an argument that Bourbon Street isn't worth a stroll (with closed toed shoes, trust). I'm not saying Mardi Gras doesn't earn its reputation. I'm certainly not making any unique assessment of the city, as New Orleans has been a darling of travel writers and food bloggers for as long as I can remember. But if you do pay a visit, I'd like to give you a jumping off point.
When you think of New Orleans, the ancient electric streetcars screeching up and down St. Charles and Canal probably quickly come to mind. They're horribly inefficient, often crowded with a combination of elderly tourist groups and locals with armfuls of groceries, but inexpensive and undeniably safer than driving after a few drinks. I'd absolutely recommend using them.
Spiked apple cider made by one of my dear roommates.
Describe 2014 in only three words:
Too. Many. Selfies.
Danielle
Favorite place visited in 2014?
Lisbon, Portugal
Favorite purchase?
Plane tickets for the boyfriend to visit me in California (okay technically I exchanged air miles for these and not actual money). Also, these sushi socks.
Best thing you read?
You Get So Alone at Times by Charles Bukowski, always. (He's my problematic fave.)
