juicecore

I went on a juice fast this week and it was so easy and good that after a day off I'm going back to it. These juices are light and refreshing but still feel nourishing. I had always avoided juice fasts due to the overly L.A./trend vibe of them (they seemed like a crash diet dressed up in pretty colors) but fasting is actually really interesting, like an enforced focus on self/body that strangely raises your consciousness and energy in all kinds of ways.

#nursecore

Found these Italian comfort sandals on sale at some discount shop in San Francisco, really into them.

sighted: designer Birkenstocks at Barneys

So... designer Birkenstocks are a thing this season. Can't tell how I feel about this-- on the one hand, I've been a fan of the flagrantly "comfy" sandal for a long time (I had this pair of Roman sandals made by Earth Shoes that were kind of hideous but also cool in a gladiator sort of way-- if paired with cute shorts or dresses, sandals can be cute), on the other hand Birkenstocks are kind of fug no matter how you slice/decorate them. But maybe the fugness is part of the #normcore appeal.

I just found this and it's lovely. It smells of wood, smoke, cinnamon, and citrus and yet it somehow doesn't smell like Pinesol or some other cleaning fluid. It makes a kind of piney, mysterious haven around you.

Return of the Hotel Atrium

So one of my aesthetic preoccupations at the moment is large-scale 80s/90s hotel architecture and its reclamation after years of log-cabin/rustic design stylings. I was really pleased to see this renovation of the Mirage casino atrium in Las Vegas, which now has a well-designed restaurant in it that feels fresh and open-air due to the slatted roof and atrium glass. The restaurant replaced a super norm-core 90s tropical bar called Kokomo's, which is slightly a shame (miss u basic party bar), but the new one is a much better use of the space and light. The tropical plants on the floor of the atrium lend it a high-end Rainforest Cafe vibe, like Rainforest Cafe for grownups.

shades are the new headphones

2013 was the year I learned to stop being embarrassed and start wearing sunglasses indoors on occasion. Why? Fluorescent light is gross, and strangers can sometimes be intrusive when you're not in the mood to chat, and polarized sunglasses like these ones from Oliver Peoples are the perfect solution to both problems. The polarization means that indoor light is still crisp; and the glasses magically and silently make the point to strangers that you're otherwise preoccupied.

stinging nettles

I'm getting back into stinging nettles now that I'm back in the vegetable basket of America: Northern California. If you cook them they stop stinging, and they are so very green.

ode to old lanvin flats

I think I just killed another pair of these due to frequent wear.... I love/cry when they get to this stage, so worn and perfectly molded to the foot, like an old pair of ballet shoes that has done long duty on the stage. I need to start hanging up my old Lanvins the way that ballerinas hang up their old shoes or water polo players hang up their old caps.