Most Pink. Bakerloo Line, London

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I [HEART] my new Orla Kiely bag!

My big Xmas present this year - my long, longed-for Orla Kiely bag.  Sometimes stuff does bring happiness.

What a life!

There is nothing like finishing a breakfast meeting at the Tabard Inn, and hopping on a CaBi bike in a pencil skirt/tall black boots with heels/pea coat, and riding a few blocks to the office on a clear cold January day. 

It's the little things that can give me such pure pleasure.

Missoni for Target Hits It!

Guess I''m not the only one psyched about the Missoni collection at Target!

Target's New Missoni Collection Brings Down Site  :-)  Shame on Target for not being better prepared.  I mean you'd think they'd've realized when the pre-opening pop-up Missoni for Target store sold out in a night last week.  And when the preview for fashion editors last fall left the shelves in a "mild ravage."

Admittedly, all this rave and rage makes things more difficult for me.  Of course, I haven't had a chance to make it to Target yet, and now at best, I'll be there on the weekend with the masses.  Can't wait to see it in person!

OMG. MIssoni for Target! Can't wait!

Missoni - the Italian design house of richly textured geometric patterns, fabulous stripes, earthy (but punchy!) colors, elaborately-woven knits, all with a 60's vibe, - has designed a limited edition line for high brow/low price, accessibly hip/mass market store Target.  Finally, some Missoni I can afford.  I've spent so many years window licking at the boutique and drooling all over the pages of Italian Vogue.

The line of 400 items includes fabulous sweater dresses, funky tights, awesome ballet flats, cool kids' style, luxe bedding, bold dishes, and even a rad bike (perfect for a very gutsy someone).  Some nice men's stuff - socks, scarves, a refined sweater - for a handsome guy.  The full lookbook is here.  It will only be on sale from September 13 to October 22 or "while supplies last" - and given the buzz within the fashionista underground which is just fueling the mass media hype, I think that last phrase is key.  I'm already staking out Target in unhip areas  - as in not Columbia Heights - to have a fighting chance.

I'm imagining an awesome holiday outfit for G, those flats for me, and maybe a cool brown-striped cardigan, a couple of pairs of tights, a hat/scarf set, a quilted coverlet, and some cool serving pieces.  I'll have to hold back a bit though.  Head-to-toe, wall-to-wall, floor to ceiling Missoni might make me dizzy.

The Red and the Black (The blog post in which La Nouvelle Observatrice lets on to the whole wide world just how soccer-ignorant she is)

Ok, maybe soccer-ignorant isn't the word, but soccer-shallow (sadly) for sure. Tonight I went with M to the DC United vs LA Galaxy match over at RFK Stadium. The stadium is just a few minutes walk from my house, about 5 blocks, and yet in my eight years living here, I've never, ever been to a game. Tonight, I finally made it, and I'm sure it will not be another 8 before the next time. We had a blast. Still, my commentary is limited. Here are some of my observations:

RFK is a dump. Seriously, it is a shabby, dilapidated building, with weird stains and strange molds hanging from the structure. There is broken concrete and open, messy wiring. Seats are not well-marked. No one gives a damn. Maybe one day, they'll get a dedicated soccer stadium - too bad the whole country is broke.

The vending in our section sucked. No real fridges, just coolers full of ice and blue Gatorade with the labels slipping off.  It was cash-only, which always pisses me off. M and I got beer - lukewarm and pissy.

The hooligans...er...supporters' clubs... are pretty cool.  Barra Brava is hardcore. Their huge red and black flags, chants and drums are larger than life, and thumpin'. That, my dears, is fandom. They roar and jump and their whole section bounces. The whole stadium vibrates, in fact. A little scary. Is this place structurally sound? Anyway, they're fun to watch, but I'm too old for that.

The regular old fans are an interesting mix. The suburban families, the college (once-college) players, the Euro-urban sports fan elite, the entire Central American population of the greater DC Metro area. The guys in our section were pretty much from the latter group. If I heard "mierda...puta" one more time...

David Beckham (LA Galaxy), like me, is also getting old, but he was there and he played well. At one point there was a big smash-up where two players seemed to smack right into each others' faces. I remember thinking 'Ouch!'.... That, and that would never happen to Beckham. He's a good, hard player and all, but can't really afford to mess up his handsome, chiseled face. Landon Donavan (also LA Galaxy) didn't play. Apparently, he's busy, tired and his knee hurts, and he didn't travel out with the team. I don't recall the name of a single DCUnited player.

Oh yes, I do...Charlie Davies, who scored DCUnited's only goal with a penalty kick which tied the game's final score  of 1-1. That was good. M told me he was in some horrific car accident sometime last year, and is just playing again now.

I bought a DC United fan scarf. It's red and black with DC United and  Addidas logos knitted in.  It's reversible - black side with red or red side with black. I've always wanted one of those scarves.

Really, I should do this sports reporting more often...

The Sartorialist. Like.

I'm a big fan of The Sartorialist blog by Scot Schuman.  This photographic blog is focused almost entirely on street style - pictures of people on the streets of New York, Paris, Milan, London, Seoul - who just look good.  Sometimes it's about the fashion, but more often it's their straight-up personal style.  The people are regular people - ok, beautiful regular people - just walking around the city minding their own business without a hair stylist, a make-up artist, or a studio, and The Sartorialist just captures their individual essence expressed just so in what they wear.

I'm especially drawn to the way he captures street style on the fly like this beautiful woman with her bike in Milan or this smiling woman with her checked coat walking across a square in Florence.  I'm completely enamored with these funky, casual threads in the NY winter chill.  And the shades of blue with Dansko clogs and warm woolen socks in Soho.  I love this older man whose individualistic style just seeps from his pores  - or is it eccentricity?  Either way, he totally owns it.  I also like this young scruffy handsome with his portrait collar.

What I'm Wearing Today

Charcoal gray sweater dress (Eileen Fisher); mocha brown shawl (vintage); chocolate brown opaque tights (Target); bark brown leather heels with criss-cross leather straps (indigo by Clarks); Art Deco-design bronze dangly earrings (airport store)

7:45am, Dear Daughter: Mama, you look pretty.

8:00am, au pair: Are you going out tonight?

8:30am, Dear Daughter's teacher: I love those shoes.  Where are they from?

8:35am, mom friend at school: Those earrings are sweet.

9:25am, office colleague 1: You look nice.  I like what you're wearing.

9:30am, office colleague 2: Oooo, I like your shoes. 

10:00am, office colleague 3: Do you have a date tonight?

12:15pm, dental hygienist:  I like your shawl.  It's so beautiful.

4:45pm, my boss:  That dress looks great on you.  Who makes it?

10:00pm, random stranger on subway:  Oooo, I love your earrings.

Thank you very much each and all!  I got two takeaways - 1.  Women really dress for each other.  2.  I'll be wearing this again!

Michelle Obama: Re-Fashionista

The last 24-hours have been nothing, if not intense.  You know - board meetings & merger deals, and trying not to look, care or get upset while watching my ex's life implode or freak out about how that might ultimately affect me and Dear Daughter.   Sigh. It all seems heavier now than it will with some perspective, some sleep, and a good swim....But in the meantime, I'll distract myself with some fluff and stuff.

Stuff like Michelle Obama's wardrobe - and some good re-use of basic pieces and accessories.  Black jacket, green pumps, wide black belt, yellow cardigan, white bow blouse provide great inspiration for her multi-purpose, but singular, style....check it out for yourself here at the Yahoo! slideshow.  It takes a time and some initial investment to build a stable of go-to wardrobe basics and stylish accents that can be cleverly and creatively re-purposed  to express one's personal style (particularly as a public figure with constant media documentation).  Michelle Obama has a great eye and fabulous fashion sense that will serve as some inspirational, diversionary tactic to me, far away from my other cares.

Street Style: H Street NE

Kickin' on H Street NE!  Some fab street style sense (for all ages and stages).

Skate Park, Southbank (at Festival Hall)

Parisian Women

Beautiful and stylish on the outside.
Black lung on the inside.

La Nouvelle Observatrice à Paris

Dude, your snowboarding pants are like too tight...

Tight snowboarding pants are *so* uncool, let's maintain the "integrity" of the sport!  ;-)

Nate Holland (USA) said the Canadian team is pushing the limits of a long-standing gentlemen's agreement to keep boardercrossers in loose-fitting pants.

;-)

Cycle Chic

Cycle Chic is a blog I found about cycling and style in Copenhagen. I've mentioned my love of industrial design, I also love great urban planning and infrastructure that builds community. Here is a great film clip from that blog on cycling infrastructure in Copenhagen.  I really must visit Helle.

State Dinner @ Obama White House

I'm somewhat obsessed with the Obama's first State Dinner this evening for the Prime Minister of India. Completely gaga about the menu - mostly vegetarian - with arugula (from the White House vegetable garden), eggplant and potato salad; red lentil soup; prawns with green curry; poached pears with (White House beehive) honey. The deep purple flowers, the apple green tablecloths - colors reminiscent of the India state bird, the peacock. And Michelle Obama's gorgeous dress designed by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan worn with glitterati bangles and amazing chandelier earrings. She's so f-in' classy (and with my use of crude language, I'm clearly not).

All this on the heels of my most recent trip to India (my 4th, I think) - a country I'm so fascinated by. And so many Indians/Indian-Americans for whom I have such high regard. A place on the move....

AND a guest list with people I think are super cool (or actually know!*), with many men accompanying their power women (just sayin')

Jhumpa Lahiri - kickass writer
Kavita Ramdas* - President of The Global Fund for Women
Jim and Paula Crown* - Global Fund for Children donors/supporters
Geeta Rao Gupta* - President, International Center for Research on Women
Marland Buckner* - husband to Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Senior Advisor, and ex-husband of dear friend and neighbor, Aileen
Mona Suphen - Deputy Chief of Staff, MHC grad
Gov. Ed Rendel (PA- D)
Marian Robinson - Barack Obama MIL, Michelle Obama's mom, Sasha and Malia's g-ma
Sonal Shah*- Director of Office of Social Innovation, Maya's friend
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton - (D - DC)- yay for recognizing DC
Mayor Adrian Fenty and Ms Michelle Fenty (D) - DC mayor- yay, DC again!