Cute Collab: Orla Kiely for Uniqlo!

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Went to take a look at Uniqlo this week to see what was going on and spring is in the air!

What was new is that they do have a very cute collaboration with Orla Kiely going on.
I've heard about this brand, but wasn't really very familiar with them...

Turns out the items were cute, with very graphic prints (reminded me a little of Marimekko), but overall different and attractive.

What really caught my eye were the scarves... Less than $15 and amazing. Did not know which one to take home with me...

Look at those puppies:

I am trying to cut back, but I work close to Penn Station and there is NOTHING to do here at lunchtime except go to stores... Sigh...

Ended up picking this one up:

 

Cute, huh?

Ends up that this pattern is their brand logo. 

Super Euro-chic I must say.

Just have to wait a bit to wear it (looks a little springy to me) 

;-)

Congratulations My Captain!!!

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FINALLY!!!!

Christopher Plummer has won an Oscar!!!

Christopher Plummer has just won a best supporting actor Oscar for "Beginners" at 82 !!!

"You're only two years older than me, darling," ... "Where have you been all my life? I have a confession to make. When I first emerged from my mother's womb, I was already rehearsing my Oscar speech."

I am so happy for him, such a great actor. And my first major movie crush... That all started when I was a kid in Brazil and watched "The Sound of Music" for the first time. I was instantly smitten...

I just wish I had internet when I was a kid! It was so hard to find a picture of him! I had to scour magazines, newspapers, etc just for a grainy picture... Now... Just do a Google search and you are flooded with images, videos, what have you...

"Over more than 50 years in the industry, Plummer has enjoyed varied roles ranging from Captain Von Trapp in the “The Sound of Music” to the voice of the villain in 2009’s “Up.” He was nominated for his portrayal of Leo Tolstoy in “The Last Station” three years ago"

I am so happy to see him so well and with so much vitality! 

Take a look at his awesome career here!

Congrats Chris!!!!

 

New York looks like a slice of somewhere else...

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I've been living in New York City for almost 15 years... Scary how time flies...

Funny how some areas here look like another place in the world... Here are some shots I took to prove that New York City looks like a slice from somewhere else...

Italy? 

No. Gramercy Park!

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England?

Nope... Lower Fifth Avenue... Just wishing it was Downton ;-)

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Texas? 

Once again no... A restaurant in the West Village...

More shots to come!

Already missing Downton Abbey!

One of my favorite series has had its season finale this past Sunday...
I am already having Downton Abbey withdrawal!

The story, the scenery, the costumes, the drama!!! Awww. Cannot wait for the 3rd season!
Well, while the third season doesn't come, I will be entertaining myself with some awesome books about that period/subject:

Did not read it yet, but looks super promising. I just love history and how people lived in the past... This books depicts the lives of both upstairs and downstairs, the crazy class system in which people lived and "knew their place" in just over a hundred years ago.
If you like Downton Abbey and wants to know more about this time, I really do recommend this book.

Get it here.

Another one I've just received:

Another gem depicting the history of this period, the "perfect summer" just before everything changed in England...
Sounds super promising. Read the beginning here.
Oh, and just to think what a difference a mere hundred years make! Not a "mere" hundred years, but actually the greatest difference contained in such a relatively small amount of time ever...
Fascinating!
Cannot wait to read all of them!

This will make my wait for Downton Abbey more palatable... Oh, and also Mad Men is coming !!!!

And oh, one last thing: Mr. Ralph Lauren  used Downton Abbey as an inspiration for his Fall 2012 collection too!

See the rest of the collection here.

Cheers!

Ralph Lauren Extravaganza!!!

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You gotta love those winter sales!!!!

This beauty went from almost $70 to an unbelievable $31 bucks (a delightful extra 20% off!).

So Scottish aristocrat chic!!!

And then this equestrian beauty:

Bought two actually three of those - just think of what a wonderful gift this will make... Let's not disclose the price shall we? So, it will be a gift pour moi and also for another lucky girl... and another special person in my life!!!!

Wanted very much to emulate these looks:

Oh , to be a Ralph Lauren girl...

Another great finding for a girl with "athletic" calves!

As you know, I do have a serious issue with my rather larger than what is "judged" normal calves...
Have a terrible time finding boots that fit me...
Someone else might have been complaining, because finally Aerosoles listened!

Their shoes are sometimes kinda dowdy, but as of late, I am finding their boots quite niiiice!
Especially with that double zipper feature. Someone should have invented this earlier!!!!

So I did get these babies half price! From $200 to around $100 bucks. And they are real leather, not those flimsy pleather things.

See the double zippers?

AWESOME idea!

The little grommets details are sorta edgy, me likey!
I hope these babies last for a long time... Especially because of the mileage I accrue every day waling everywhere in Manhattan!

Yay! These boots are made for walking!!! Right, Nancy?

30 Anos sem minha querida Elis Regina.

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Hoje o post eh em portugues mesmo...
Porque soh brasileiro entende e curte...
Ha 30 anos, morria a minha cantora preferida...
Sei que estou entregando a minha idade, mas eu era pequena quando ela morreu. Um dia inesquecivel. Estava de ferias da escola e ficando na casa da minha avo paterna - o meu avo materno tinha tido um infarte e eu estava curtindo a companhia do meu avo Ique e da minha saudosa Vo Nena.
Nesse dia, 19 de janeiro de 1982, nunca me esqueco... Meu avo me levou para passear de metro - entao uma novidade no Brasil.
Andei de meto rpor la pela primeira e ultima vez. Quando cheguei na casa da minha vo, ela disse que aquela cantora, tao boa, tinha morrido... Isso fica na cabeca de uma crianca. Lembro como se fosse hoje.
Como eu era apenas uma crianca, nem me toquei muito, mas o tempo me fez apreciar essa cantora fantastica e sem igual.
Ate hoje nao consigo achar uma substituta para essa voz de cristal. Nem a filha chega perto...

Te amo para sempre, Elis.... Que falta voce faz...

In love with Downton Abbey

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Ok, I am total period piece fan, and I do try to watch everything that comes my way, but this amazing series is one of the best I've ever seen!

Contrary to many period movies or series, this amazing gem doesn't come from a book and is chockfull of elements of surprise - you never really know what is going to happen next...

What is incredible is the social differences between masters and servants, how little rights women had and your life was really governed by birth. A simple "accident" of birth made your position for the rest of your life!
I, like many people long for the past, as a perceived better time, but... After growing up and learning, I would NEVER trade my life of today for another one in the past... Especially as a woman...

But we can dream, can't we? At least I dream that I would be born in the "right" circle and that I could wear these costumes all day...

I want this necklace!!!!

 

The whole series is amazing: the acting, the plot, the scenery, everything!

At least one good thing on Sunday nights!

Cannot wait for another episode! This is like an amazing book that you never want to finish reading!

Congrats PBS on a job well done!

NYC signs of a bygone era: Lower East Side

 
I've always noticed Manhattan's faded signs and plaques... I thought I was the only one who really cared about them...

Boy, was I wrong!

There are a lot of blogs dedicated to old remnants of what NYC used to be... Take a look at these cool blogs:

http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com


http://www.fadingad.com (this one has fading ads from all over the place).

Then I decided to to take some pictures myself, before these things are gone:

Always loved this old school neon sign, obviously left behind a restaurant that no longer exists...

More info about the restaurant "Jade Mountain" (I remember seeing this place still open) and the sign here. It seems that I am not the only one fascinated by this sign...

Then this other gem on the Lower East Side:

LOVE this sign and I am glad that this pharmacy still survives. Hope that it won't close in the future and get replaced by another Duane Reade monstrosity...

Some info: "The classic neon sign that graces the facade was placed there in 1950, and stepping into Block Drugs is like entering a bygone era. The store still features cabinets, drawers and ceiling rollers from the 1920s, as well as some old-fashioned products on display."

It was closed when I passed by, but I will make sure that I can enter it next time!

More signs to come from my future NYC expeditions! Stay tuned!

My grandparent's former apartment in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Just found these shots on my computer. Pure nostalgia...

This is the apartment where I've spent great childhood moments. A huge place (not only by children's standards).

Had to post this...

Of course these shots were for the online selling ad, so the amazing decorations my grandparents spent most of their lives collecting weren't present anymore...

The apartment has since sold. But the memories will always be with me ...