How to dress for the cold like a Parisian

 

There is something about the cold that makes me want to sit in my pajamas all day long drinking almond milk lattes and reading bad chick-lit (or, as my sister Karen describes this category: ‘books about teenage girls murdering other teenage girls’). Part of the problem is figuring out how to look good when you need to be covered up head-to-toe. I took a trip to Paris in January last year, and the French women know how to do this perfectly. I went back to look at some of my pictures to inspire me to dress warm and get moving.  

One of the most brilliant ideas I saw on the streets of Paris was coat-layers: women will wear not one, not two, but three layers of coats and jackets instead of one single monstrosity. I tried it myself by layering a fur vest over a long wool blazer (and topping with a utility jacket for the extra cold days, like the picture above on top of the Notre Dame cathedral).

 

My dad likes to say there is no such thing as ‘too cold,’ it’s just that you’re dressed all wrong. The French survive the cold with luxurious accessories: oversize cashmere scarves, unwashed hair in smart wool hats, and long leather gloves. And by far the best idea ever: vin chaud, or ‘hot wine,’ available on street corners all across the city. Same concept as hot chocolate, but more fun!

 

 

 

 

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Small space idea: decorate your small walls!

 

Wes and I are sharing one tiny bathroom, which we knew was risky going into it. With a little creativity around storage space (and ample discussion of showering schedules) it is working out ok!

 

We have a small étagère in the bathroom that holds the everyday items like shampoo, Advil, and our toothbrushes, but we had nowhere to store all the extra toiletries that I certainly wasn’t planning on parting with (although that was discussed as a potential solution). So, our bathroom storage moved into the hallway – I picked up this small table with basket storage, filled it with toiletries, and that was the end of it. 

To make it work in the hallway (and keep it from looking like the overflow bathroom storage afterthought it really is), I decided to dress up the tiny wall around it with a frame and a silver cross that had formerly been living in a box underneath the bed in the guestroom. One side of the table is where my rolled-up yoga mat now lives, and the left is where I keep my vintage eel skin cowboy boots on display.

 

I decided to follow suit with some of the other small walls (or small wall spaces between furniture) to make them the new homes for forgotten posters, artwork, plant stands, shoes, etc.

 

This teensy wall above is right next to the front door, and was a perfect fit for an old plant stand that I found at Goodwill years ago but has been living in the attic. Spare keys, gum, and pepper spray (thanks, Mom) are in the little drawer, and I added a plant to use it for its intended purpose. It made a new home for an African tribal mask that had been living in a box in the closet, my favorite ankle boots, and a little lantern.

And the small space between my armoire and Wes’s unreasonably large TV in the living room became a place to display his vintage Lakers pennant, Michael Jordan poster (???) and store my extra pads of sketch and watercolor paper (and of course, a place to display my rose cowboy boots). var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

Paint your nails hot pink, be the talk of the office

Rachel is the administrative assistant in my office, and these are her nails. Every other week she comes in with a perfect manicure and beautiful rings, makes me ashamed of my dry cuticles and unadorned fingers. She is my go-to source for nail tips n’ tricks and routinely inspires me to buy new nail polish and fine jewelry.

Last week, she came in with the perfect pink color paired with a monogrammed ring. I went to Rite Aid and lunch to buy her pink polish and spent the night filing, trimming, and painting to come in with nails that looked almost exactly like Rachel’s.

To get her look, I picked up OPI ‘Kiss Me on My Tulips’ and I found a lookalike gold signet ring here.

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How to get skinny and toned fast

The answer, my friends, is Bikram yoga (or ‘traditional hot yoga’ as the bootleg version is called) three times per week while wearing a motivating outfit of yoga hot pants and a crop top in front of a good place in the mirror. And, cutting out processed foods for a week. That’s all there is to it.

I’ve been practicing Bikram since I started working in consulting to manage my stress levels (on a recommendation of a colleague) and combat the pale, smushy body that would inevitably be mine if I spent another week sitting in front of a laptop. It’s been a true life-and-body saver: you can’t beat the calorie burn, detoxification, and instant gratification of seeing progress at your second class.

I arrived at yoga this afternoon in old leggings with holes and spray paint stains, and a workout top that lost its stretch a long time ago. As I stared at myself in the mirror in that saggy, ugly getup, I realized that the sleek Spandex outfits are something I rely on to motivate me, to feed that inner voice with thoughts like “kick harder, your calves look amazing” and give me an honest, no-holds-barred reality check for my body. I remember what it looked like, how it worked, and what it felt like during my last class – and the way that I eat, drink, and exercise is evident every time I am in front of that mirror. I leave class with a renewed devotion to taking care of my body, eat more vegetables, and avoid (ok, limit) processed foods – it’s amazing how much better my body works (and feels) during Bikram if I’ve been eating a clean diet.

Did you ever hear that whole argument about how being proud of your professional appearance makes you more effective at your job? If you’re in your pajamas on a conference call, you’ll handle yourself differently than if you were in your favorite tailored suit. It’s a classic fake-it-’til-you-make it argument, and it’s the same for physical fitness: I think if you think you look like a devoted yogi in the best Spandex outfit you can find, you’ll try harder, sweat more, and get better results from taking yourself more seriously.

On that note, I am refreshing my gear and stocking up on new crop tops, tights, shorts, mats, and a great sweat-proof nylon duffel – here are the ones I love: one, two, three, four, five, six. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-46889504-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_setDomainName’, ‘thestyleheist.blogspot.com’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

How to make a drab little dining room cool

When we first moved in to this rental house, the dining room was the worst part. It was small and dreary and dark with dirty, damaged mini blinds and had a wall separating it from the kitchen that I wanted to knock down (and still do). It was a pretty depressing place for someone like me who takes hours to drink my coffee on Sunday  mornings and loves to throw dinner parties. It needed light, color, and fun to make it a relaxing place to work, eat, paint, sew, etc. 

It’s been a ‘work-in-progress’ for months now, meaning that I’ve had the below to-do list that I just never did. I finally took the time to knock out some of the items on my list of improvements for this room:

• Replace the ugly light fixture
• Take down the mini blinds
• Install white roman shades
• Add a colorful rug
• Hang bright, fun artwork
• Add kitchen storage
• Add colorful placemats
• Add colorful dishware
• Paint wood barstools (white?)
• Hang black-and-white striped wallpaper
• Replace fold-up butcher block on the island

Actually, now I am second-guessing the wallpaper because I like the light and airy feel so much. Maybe it just needs a couple of coats of a pale gray paint to add some dimension, but that can wait.

Anyway, I have officially moved my coffee-and-Kindle tradition from my couch to the dining room, and finally had my first real dinner party on NYE – I took some pictures with the place settings because finding the right colors was half the battle.

 

The whole room was inspired by the elephant painting in the photo below – Wes and I bought this from a street artist in Thailand on our honeymoon and carried it through multiple countries to get it home. Our last transfer was at O’Hare airport and I left it behind at a Chilis Too! Miraculously, the foodservice folks in Chicago found it, answered my frantic voicemails, and airmailed it back to us where I DIY-stretched it onto a canvas frame, hung it on the wall of the dining room to get it out of the way, and ended up designing the entire room around it.

 



 

 

P.S. The cards dangling from the ceiling in the picture above are attached to this amazing card chandelier that I found at Crate & Barrel. When I went to take down my Christmas decorations, I decided to leave it up and add in some fun pictures of friends and family to make it season-less. The mirrored star below is also a holiday decoration that just might be left up year-round.

 

 

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Giveaway for New Year’s Day

 

Last night I had Crown Royal with ginger ale, learned to do the Wobble, and resolved to wake up early today and for the rest of the year. Which is why I’m kicking off 2014 with messy hair, eggs/cheddar/bacon on sourdough toast, the tee shirt I wore last night, and lots of caffeine. And of course my trusty oversize glasses – trying to put in my contacts on a day like today is a risk I am just not willing to take.

In support of my new commitment to rising early and also understanding that this commitment and putting on my contacts are mutually exclusive activities, I’m ordering a few new pairs of frames. The people at Bonlook are hosting an Instagram contest for some freebies today and asked me to post the details here. Get snapping and get yourself some free frames!

On a side note, this New Year’s Day outfit is made possible thanks to the best pair of high-waist tapered sweatpants ever made. I found them at Target and wore them to bed last night too. So versatile! Worn with my Bonlook frames and red lipstick to make up for my lack of shower, (an old) silk kimono from BCBG, Lovers + Friends tee from Nordstrom (that now has a few wine stains from my Wobble lesson on the dance floor last night), Rebecca Minkoff clutch, and (old) Matiko suede wedges.

 

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