Where is Spring?

The change in fashion inventories from winter to spring takes place so early that winter seems to be unbearably long.
It's late March, and yet we just got more snow on the ground. My crocus had stuck out their little green necks right before the snow storm hit, but luckily they all survived.
Where are the flowers? Where is Spring?
Naturally, I was drawn to shop for springy looks...how clever are the retailers...
So here I am, out and about, searching for Spring.

Jacket: Balenciaga, Sneakers: Nike

Jeans: Rich & Skinny, Bag&shawl: Hermes

I missed this limited edition scarf back in 2007, but they resurfaced as monogram scarves:

 

A variety of Pique Fleuri De Provence

Gavroche

90 cm

Shawl

Yet another shawl ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lanvin doll in front of curtain "Until Dawn" by Tord Boontje

 To be continued...

Balenciaga Derby Buckle Boots

Gradually warming up to those Derby boots in the past two years, I finally decided to give them a try - dare I say that I was sold right there and then?

The boots are extremely well made. While the making of Manolos have clearly gone downhill in the past years, Balenciaga appeared to stick with their fine quality. All the hardware pieces feel very solid, and the little tabs have magnet to hold them in place. More importantly, for a pair of boots with stiff leather (as they are supposed to), the entire interior is lined with cushy cotton padding.

A pair of tough boots call for girly pieces to match, so let's try different ways to wear them:

I just got hold of Jcrew's tipped boy shirt - I like the reference of a little PJ, especially in the navy version.  The shawl is Pique Fleuri de Provence, a cute folklore design from Hermes.

 

A floral dress is always a good choice, but while the northeast US is suffering from a mass snow storm, let's stick with layers for now -  I promise to show some dress looks when it gets warmer.

The little cute cardigan is from Sacai Luck. The bias cut and the lace back caught my eyes from 10 yards away at Barneys, so they came home with me.

For now, stay warm my friends ^_^

Helmut Lang shearling jacket

I often times organize my coats by temperature. I have coats for 20F through 60F. The Helmut Lang shearling jacket is one of my "30F" coats, and one of the most practical in New York's winter.

I think that they look better with skinny pants, but I can pass with my work outfits too. By the way, I never realized how great those Isabel Marant boots look until a stylist forced me to put them on. The front dips a little lower so the line elongates the legs ever so slightly...the devil is indeed in the details.

With Hermes shawl, True Religion jeans, Balenciaga heels, and Kelly bag in graphite

With an Hermes 70cm scarf for men, True Religion leggins, Isabel Marant heels, and JPG Birkin

A very merry Christmas

How about a special order that came in half a year early?
This was a true teamwork between my beloved SA and me. 30cm with gold hardware, Violet chevre mysore exterior with Rose Tyrien interior:

 

Some action shots:

I also got a cool jacket from Santa (with Graphite 32cm Kelly):

 Not sure if I ever shared this, but I'm really fond of the "Tosca" constrast stitching on my Cole Haan wingtips...against my Tosca bag :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Balenciaga's peek-a-boo shorts

They were my splurge-of-the-season. The idea is quite simple, but the shorts are extremely well made. They are essentially double sided silk shorts, with a (sexy) boxer-like lining. The shorts can be worn with the cuffs off, to make them ciel color A-line shorts, but I just love the peak-a-boo effect.
To complete the more or less sporty look, I paired with Ann Demeulemeester's sandals. I saw a pair of Pierre Hardy wedge sandals that would look perfect with the shorts, but I acted too late...

Leica love

My relationship with Leica started 15 years ago. My boyfriend in college owned an M6, so I was lucky enough to use it on and off for more than two years.

 

Then for the next ten years, I never owned a "real" camera. I was busy with other adventures, and there wasn't a perfect camera for me.

I patiently waited for a full frame digital Leica, so when the M9 was born, I decided to make a purchase (although I only bought it in early 2011). After owning it for more than a year, I signed up for a workshop hosted by the Leica Academy. 

I like interesting people, so I always wanted to be a good street photographer. The weekend taught me exactly it. I couldn't ask for better instructors: Justin Stailey, the most knowledgeable M9 expert in America, Adam Marelli, a trained artist who knows all theories and shoots amazing pictures, and Craig Semetko, the opposite of Adam, and with the greatest instinct in grasping ironic moments in everyday life.

So here are my first tries. They are not perfect, but I'm very proud of them, and I think I will become a decent street fashion photographer one day.

The canon taking the horse

We were brought to this little park in Chinatown where all Cantonese speaking Chinese play poker and Chinese chess. I was amazed by how involved the bystanders were, and how serious and professional some of the players were. The above was taken when a gentleman's "canon" took over his enemy's "horse". I like his determined look.

 

Blue

Here is a bit street fashion for you, Chinatown style. I was drawn to the gentleman's flip flops, which appeared to be of female style. On the other hand, he did put on a blue jacket to match. He consciously or subconsciously considered the ensemble, and he rocked the blue. The flip flops, however, really showed a sense of humor. 

The retro man

This picture was taken inside the Ace Hotel. As you know, the Ace Hotel is famous for its dark and retro interior design, and some consider it the coolest hotel in town. Here he was, standing in the check-in line with his two pals, proudly showing off his mustache. 

I see mustache everywhere in Williamsburg, but this gentleman had something extra. He was not in wrinkly hipster outfits, rather, he was impeccably dressed, with this ultra crisp raincoat and stiff skinny jeans. I was lucky to capture his profile against a dark door, and I am still mesmerized by his look. I was never drawn to men with facial hair, but he looked really sexy here.

 

noma, here we come

We often plan our trips around food, and as you can imagine, noma is a restaurant we just couldn't miss (especially after missing out El Bulli, big time!).

On one of the Saturdays in January, DH (for dear husband) got up at 4am EST to secure a reservation in April, and here we came. We arrived at the Copenhagen airport from Amsterdam, with our unsatisfied stomachs (the food in Amsterdam was unimpressive) and enormous excitement.

To our surprise, we enjoyed Copenhagen much more than Amsterdam. Just like what Matt Orlando, the noma head chef later told us, Copenhagen felt like Brooklyn. Indeed! People here are cool, low key, no BS, and enjoy life. Who dresses up for a fancy restaurant?!

Settling down at the hotel, we walked towards the 350 years old warehouse where noma is located.

 The spring drizzle finally stopped, and the sky all of a sudden opened up

 Yes, we have one of those in Brooklyn too, just not this old!

 Here is a quiet harbor facing noma

 Wood introduced warmth into the old warehouse

 Malt flatbread and juniper

 Moss and cep

 Crispy pork skin and black current

 Blue mussel and celery

 The top shell is not edible, but the bottom is

 Cookie with cheese; rocket and stems

 Shrimp and brown butter

 Potato and chicken liver

 Rye, chicken skin & lumpfish roe

 Pickled and smoked quail eggs

 Can you see the smoke rising from hay?

 Radish, soil and grass

 Edible soil

 Herb toast & smoked cod roe

 Æbleskiver & muikku

 Essentially a munchkin with a cucumber center + fish

 There is only one seating per night and we were one of the first

 Interesting wool felt cover...for the bread

 Sour dough

 This is the first main course: Spring peas and tea

 Brown crab, egg yolk and herbs

 Dried scallops and beech nuts/Biodynamic grains and watercress

 Onion and thyme/Grooseberry juice

 Asparagus and pine (the green sauce is made of green asparagus)

 Pike perch and cabbages/Verbena and dill

 Pickled vegetables and bone marrow

 Roasted turbot and bitter greens/Celeriac and mushroom

 Pear tree!

 Walnut and dried berries

 Ice milk, yorgurt, and herb-based cream

 Gammel Dansk - caramelized bone marrow

 More candies!

 Interesting candles

 Where amuse bouche is "assembled"

 

 Kitchen upstairs

Employee dining + party area + food R&D center

So, how was it?

It was amazing. It was a lot of fun. It's different from Alinea's fun. Alinea is all about theatrical performance and reactions; noma's fun is people watching, not being too serious, really savoring the local and new to us ingredients, and have a great time.  Dishes are all prepared in simple ways, yet the plating is the most beautiful I've seen. It's not so "produced", but it's so earthy and naturally beautiful. 

All dishes were cooked perfectly, and the turbot was especially impressive. It was pan roasted with skin on, and then the chef cut out the meat only for the dish. I'm not sure if there was a timer on their work station, but the delicate white meat was cooked to perfection. And the mushroom sauce! It was deep, earthy, and rich. So good I can still remember the taste.

Here at noma, chefs brought out their dishes to guests. It's not a place where cooks cook and servers serve. Here the artists introduce their work to you, with proud. I love the connection here.

Matt Orlando couldn't have been a more generous host to us. (Did I mention how attractive he looked?) He showed us the kitchen, and explained how noma works. We greeted to their apprentice upstairs, and we tasted some rare (and live!) ants. (Okay, I didn't dare to, but DH did - tasted like lemongrass he said.) We couldn't wish for better. We just want to visit again.