FFR?

Every once in awhile, I feel compelled to write an entry about stuff that I see and, like a gag reflex, makes me think, “For freakin’ real?”  Usually it’s an image, occasionally it’s a post.  Today, I’m going to share both.  Maybe you won't make an ishy face like I made, but maybe I’m just getting old fast.

Here are some flummox-worthy finds...

This email from retailer Singer 22, which sells trendy threads and shows celebrities sporting said threads, is what gagged me to write this post.  I hadn't even seen the actual image yet.  I simply scanned my Inbox and came to a screeching halt when I saw the subject line.  While all it touted was the brand's name, it was WTF enough for me:

Fairgound Bunny Gets Nailed.  Eh?!  Wha???  Yep, I kid you not:

Their latest obsession.  And they want it to be yours, too!  I'm going to have to pass that plate on down the table.  I'm on a diet.  Trying to cut back on things that make me look like...  well, that.

More options for you to look like a bun-bun who wants (and apparently got) plenty of action:

Um.  Looks a LOT like the trend that both Singer 22 and Revolve were peddling last Fall...  Spirithoods!  Say it with me (and the models) - RAWRRR!!!

Really?  Those pants?  And really?  That top?  Not even commenting on the hood...

Don't forget the "paws!"

This email from Barneys gave me a shuddering pause as well.  I know fashion and art often produce  images meant to provoke and even disturb, which is fine.  It just weirded me out a little.  You can probably think up multiple storylines, but they all seem to include "bank robbery" and end with "jail uniforms."

I've designated this news about Abercrombie & Fitch selling push-up bras to elementary-aged girls as my runner-up to first prize for FFR.  I stumbled across this article thanks to the women at Threadbared (again, boy they aren't missing a beat).  They reposted from the original source, which comes from Racked.com, a site I need to explore more.

If that's the runner up, you ask, then who's the lucky winner?  Why, here is the image upon which I bestow that sketchy crown:

Whuzzat?  Why...  it's a RAT.  A sweet, furry, ginornous rat.  In the windows of the NYC Skechers store.  This snap of Cuddlekins comes courtesy of my weekly Fashion Alert e-newsletter.  The unexpected display-crasher was spotted by a passer-by, who took the photo and sent it on to Gawker, which was picked up by Racked (again), which was picked up by Fashion Alert/The Cut - phew.  While you read more, I will reminisce briefly about waiting for the Red Line back home...  Sweet memories of watching the subway rats scurrying around the tracks, down in the depths of the Clark & Division El stop.  Makes me all warm and (cough) fuzzy.

Hmmm...

You know, the more I think about it, Mr. Whiskers may need to share its status of FFR royalty with today's weather.  April starts this week.  But Mother Nature sure as heck didn't get that memo:

There's a somewhat perverse pleasure in hearing those poor birdies chirping away as the snow falls steadily.  Silly birds, you thought it was Spring!  HA-ha!  Coupled with a low tonight of 17 degrees (Fahrenheit), it may as well be December all over again.

Well, then!  Since we're feeling so Christmas-y, here's the video I promised you last week:

'Tis the season!  For flippin' real :)


Images:
Fairground Bunny Got Nailed pix - Singer 22
Spirithoods - Singer 22, Revolve
Junya Watanabe pic - Barneys
Skechers rat - Gawker.com
Snow video - own
Christmas Laser Cats - You Tube

I'm Dreaming of A... Big, Fat Blizzard?!

Since my last post, which had me dreaming of even more Karin jewelry that night, many of you now know we got slammed by a fairly big snowstorm in Minnesota.  Currently buried under 17” of the white stuff, I will weirdly admit that I like snow.  Yes sir, I like it.  But maybe not in the form of four foot-high snowpiles everywhere I turn.  Sad to say, but that storm kind of whupped our arses.  The main event was Saturday (and I mean all dang day, Saturday).  Tonight, I can still hear the sad howl of overtaxed snowblowers on their fourth go-round.  Cars are still stranded in a cement-like soup of frozen snow drifts, people are scrambling over these mini-mountains to get to their buses, and in many cases, we’re just walkin’ down the street because the sidewalks never got plowed.  Traffic is a mess, and to top it all off, we started this morning at a lovely -7 degrees Fahrenheit.  Not cold enough fer ya?  Then I’ll add the -20 degree Fahrenheit windchills that accompanied the cold.

Oh yeah, and the Metrodome roof collapsed.

Wish you were here…  no, really!

The crappy weather did not dampen the spirits of the hardy Twin Citians, however.  Nope.  Like those ueber-chirpy Whoville residents, people were out helping people.  Whether it was snowblowing a neighbor’s driveway, helping push someone’s poor car out of a snowdrift, or some other kind gesture, “Snownami/Snowmageddon/Snow-whatevs” brought out a very admirable quality in the people around here.  It also failed to keep a small crew of us from venturing out into the nuttiness for some beer and bowling.  Yes, we walked for nine blocks (the roads were often impassable).  Yes, it was cold (so I looked like that kid from A Christmas Story for realz).  And yes, it was a great night!  At least in our neighborhood, the bars were packed and people were out and about, sometimes on skis and snowshoes.

So.  I like the snow.  I do not like the messy aftermath.  But I do like the attitude of most people up here regarding the inevitable winter weather.  We live in the Upper Midwest.  Snow and subzero temps are an annual rite of winter in these parts.  So we might as well try our best to enjoy it.

For your enjoyment (whether it's because you truly love winter or just love laughing at us Northerners), here are some images from Snowmygosh, as well as some video.  While I was dreaming of bling, I don't have to dream of a white Christmas, because I don't think this stuff is going anywhere until April.

It started out innocently enough...

Keep watching the car next to the sign post...

Braving the snow and cold for beer and bowling...

Yep, there's a bike under all that stuff...

Snowstorm?  What snowstorm?

The morning after.  Aaaand...  car's still there.

Here's what downtown looked like this morning:

And some pics from our local TV station KARE-11...

Yaaay...  running in the blizzard is fuuuuun!

Driving, on the other hand, not so fuuun...

Oh wait, did you ask what it sounds like?

For those of you who haven't seen the broadcast-everywhere footage of the Metrodome roof collapse, our City Pages takes it one step further and delves into the mystery of the blur hauling you-know-what in the upper right-hand corner of the video.  Click on the City Pages image below for the link to the article:

And there you have it.  Snowtastic 2010. 

All images:  my own except for the 4 from KARE-11 and the last image from City Pages

Video:  my own

Snowstorms and Icestorms and Cold - Oh, well!

Yup.  We finally got our summer arses handed to us here in Minneapolis this month.  After a deceivingly September-like start to November, Mother Nature decided our warm weather karma had hit the goose egg.  Only a few weeks ago, I walked home from work in nearly 70 degree weather.  In shorts and a t-shirt!  In Minnesota!  The following night was so balmy that a few of us took advantage of an al fresco happy hour.  A very surreal experience, knowing we should be getting pelted with a cold, uh, November rain (sorry, GnR!).  However, there was no complaining as we sipped our Jamesons and Guinnesses and watched the sun set at a very non-summer hour.

Good old Mama Nature must be a fun-hater, because just a few nights later, I was watching snow falling in the glow of the street lights.  That would turn into what was apparently the biggest pre-Thanksgiving snowfall in 19 years.  A week after that fun, she treated us to the biggest ice storm in 20 years.  Mmm, interstate skating…  not so much.  Just to really stick it to us for enjoying the super-extended Indian summer, she slapped us with subzero windchills.

From near 70 degrees to -10 degrees in a mere 20-odd days.  And all before December.

Winter is finally here.  Some friends jump for joy and run for their sleds and cross-country skis.  Others (particularly some of my Southern pals) have a meltdown.  Having grown up in Chicagoland, it’s more like “meh” to me.  I'm not a fan of the first cold snap (especially this one), but after a while, you accept it.  After all, we just move happy hour indoors!

Knowing that the weather is only headed downhill from here, I’ve become quite interested in the down coats currently on display.  I have a great black, ankle-length down coat that’s been my Old Faithful for the last few years.  As you can guess, it’s already made its debut this month.  Whenever I wear it, which looks to be now through February, I refer to myself as a pizza roll.  Not really sure why.  I look more like that kid in A Christmas Story than something from the frozen food aisle.  On second thought, after 10 minutes of waiting for the bus in frigid temps, maybe not.  A pic of Old Faithful:

She's long, she's super warm, and she's also kinda shapeless.  Hence, pizza roll-ish.  Anyway.  The trusty coat is starting to show her age (yeah, like my Aersoles boots).  This isn't to say I love her - oh, I do, do!  But she needs a day off here and there (don't we all!) so I don't run her into the ground.  And I’ve been seeing a number of cute coats via all the emails and catalogs crowding my inboxes, both virtual and metal.  So, here are some toasty-looking ones that have caught my eye...  click on the images for more info.

My friends swear by The North Face.  I might have to see what all the gushing is about.  The length of this coat, which is called the "Triple C," isn't as long as Old Faithful's, but it's still a possibility.  I found this one on both the Bloomingdale's and The North Face websites.

Again, the North Face…  this time from Nordstrom, my favorite department store.  The black color makes it a little more stylin' than the grey coat above, but the latter boasts a slightly longer hemline.

A while back, I got a catalog from Bloomingdale's.  One of the pages showed off a great North Face puffer in a red color that I adore.  Granted, it's not nearly long enough, but I got suckered in by the deep red.  With apologies for the slightly distorted angle, here it is:

When I checked back online recently, I couldn't locate this coat on their website in the shown color.  I checked the North Face's website as well, and it showed the coat in a seemingly different red hue called "Squid Red."  Having flashbacks to my earlier post about J. Crew's color miss?  Me, too.  So I'm not sure who to trust here.  Bloomie's and North Face, help?  Are these the same color or did Bloomie's get an exclusive edition?

OK, you’ve gotta love a company like the Wisconsin-based Lands' End, which has its own share of nasty winters and lets you search for outerwear by temperature rating.  I mean, where else can I shop in the -15 F to -40 F range?  Yes, they offer that range and yes, I can guarantee you we will see temperatures that low.  On a particularly harsh winter day this past January, my husband used his trusty iPhone to search cities with a lower temp than Minneapolis.  He couldn’t find a major city that could beat us.  Even Moscow was comparatively balmy that day.

Anyhoo... here's their Womens Luxe Down Coat.  I appreciate the belt, since I need all the help I can get to not look like some blobby column of pouf.  The faux-fur trim on the hood is a nice touch, and it has fleece-lined pockets!

Their Dory coat looks pretty hardcore.  Not liking the absence of a belt, but it's not a deal-killer.  Hemline looks longer, too.

Here's one from Juicy Couture, which I found via one of my favorite online retailers, Revolve Clothing.

Last, we have a sweet-looking option, courtesy of another fave e-tailer, Shopbop.  The brand is Add Down.  Again, belted = good.  It's definitely the sleekest of the bunch, all shiny and kinda sexy.

I have to say, it can be hard to look even remotely stylish when it’s cold enough outside to make your head hurt after 60 seconds.  But the above pictures give me some hope.  Considering I could be wearing down for the next 3 months straight, methinks I need to alternate Old Faithful with a New Faithful.  Like I said, a day off for the old girl.


While I mull over my big, fat coat predicament, I feel compelled to share the love and ask you (yes, you!) what your go-to winter coat is?  A big wool coat with thinsulate?  A puffer like the ones I’m contemplating?  It could be you’re lucky enough to be in warmer climes, and something light and cotton-y is all you need.  (I’m jealous now, but not come summer…  I used to live in Texas and remember what that was like when June rolled around).  Wherever you are, whether it's the US or the UK, Muenchen or Seoul, I'd love to hear about your favorite cold-weather coat.


For my fellow US peeps, I hope you’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend full of good food, drink, football, family and friends.  I’ve enjoyed the last few days and amply imbibed, and now that I think about it, calling myself a pizza roll isn’t so far off the mark J


Images:  all credits are noted in the above text, the Old Faithful image is my own, catalog photo courtesy of Bloomingdale's

So Here We Go... Stuff I Like...

With the impending arrival of winter, I’ve been on the hunt for some great boots.  Now, this is Minnesota, so it’s Winter with a capital, it’s-too-cold-to-snow-anymore "W."  Plus, I commute to work by bus, so that means quality time spent at the bus stop.  In Winter.  I’ve got a sweet pair of Hunter boots which I adore, but they’re not going to get me through subzero temps and snow.  So, I’m relying on the brand of boots that people seem to both ridicule and totally depend upon:  Ugg.  Whatever your opinion of this ubiquitous label, I have to say I love them.  I’ve got a pair of tall originals which are essentially my house slippers.  I have another pair, well over 6 years old, that have shone through six Upper Midwest winters, outside.  No measly accomplishment.

So, anyway, back to the boot search.  I checked into Zappos (love them!) and found these, the Ugg Broome II:

The “chestnut leather” is a great tan color that will offset all the black I’ll be draped in, and their fabulous inner sheepskin lining ensures my feet will stay toasty warm.  If my 6 year-old Ugg Brooks are any indication, that lining sure does what it’s supposed to do…  it passed the “bare-feet-in-the-boots-in-minus-ten-degree-weather” test.

In fact, here’s a picture of those beloved boots:

Sigh.  Love ‘em.  And I really like the pretty pair on Zappos.  In fact, I may crumble and buy them shortly.  Not sure if the Broome is as hardy as the Brooks when facing up to Winter's worst, but they should carry me into early December at least.  After that, I'll turn to my old, trusty Brooks.

In any case, my feet should be all ready for whatever Winter hurls at me.  Granted, my eyelashes may freeze together, thanks to the icy winds that make your eyes spill tears (yeah, I'm not lying).  But my lower extremities will think they’re in the midst of summer.

Image:  Ugg Broome II boots - Zappos
Image:  Ugg Brooks boots - own