Hello 2014!

 
photo (with thanks) by Andy Romanoff
  designed by Jordan Romanoff
  

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a wonderful 2014!

Acne Rue Mohair Sweater and Anine Bing Bohemian Linen Skirt

Top : Acne // Skirt : Anine Bing // Shoes : Sandro //

For Christmas the main thing that I wanted was a new sweater from Acne. I chose their Rue mohair sweater in 'Dove White'. It is similar to their Wham sweater in grey melange, which I got last Christmas but I love their sweaters so much that I don't mind. They are the epitome of cozy and I love the way they are cut. The only downside is that moths find them just as appealing and if you forget to put them in a storage bag (or apparently the freezer, thank you Leith Clark for that tip) over the summer you might find holes in them...lesson learned.

Either way, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas or whatever you did yesterday!

Anine Bing Light Pink Linen Top

Top : Anine Bing // Coat : Gap // Shoes : Steve Madden //

Light pink linen top from Anine Bing and black leather pants for a beautiful sunny December day spent Christmas shopping in Beverly Hills with J.

Gap Moto Coat

Sweater and Coat : Gap // Shoes : Converse // Bag and Scarf : Hermes // Leopard Print Scarf : H&M //

Despite what most people assume, Los Angeles does get chilly during the winter and I find that a sweater and a jacket are usually necessary. With this in mind, I picked up this grey, wool moto style, cocoon shaped coat with leather detailing from Gap before I left for LA and I am quite happy with it. It is minimal and even though it is cocoon shaped it still tailored enough to pull an outfit together in just the right way.

Christmas in Los Angeles

Christmas Swim by Slim Aarons

This year I will be celebrating Christmas here in Los Angeles with J. For me this has been a little difficult, as Christmas is my favorite holiday and this will be my first time celebrating it away from my family (not being with my family is truly the hardest part). What makes this all the more difficult is that J's family does not actually celebrate Christmas so I am kind of alone with the whole Christmas spirit thing.

Still, I have a feeling that Christmas in LA is going to be a little like this photograph by Slim Aarons, which is pretty lovely looking if you ask me!

Instagram November

stilby_m
 
November through my instagram.

Byredo perfume, candles (lots of candles), my favorite Scandinavian candy, magazines and books, leather pants, outfit details, more candles... I feel like candles and magazines are what helped me through November's darkness.

Really, all of the cozy days and nights at home with my family in Vermont (even that night where I had to help my mother put furniture from Ikea together), coming to Los Angeles, getting to spend time with my best (and all of the magazines and books he gave me) got me through November.

That being said,
Happy December!

Gluten Free Maple Sugar Cookies

One thing that people usually do not know about me is that despite the fact that I do not eat gluten, dairy (eggs not included), and hardly any sugar (especially cane sugar), I love baking, especially cookies. I find the process of baking to be extremely calming and it is something I am actually quite good at, which makes it all the more enjoyable. I also like figuring out how I can modify recipes to fit my dietary restrictions (it makes me feel like a scientist or something...I am lame, I know). That being said, I have never done a recipe post before or even photographed food so I am a little nervous!

I do know that these Gluten Free Maple Sugar Cookies are extremely delicious (I had multiple people test them just to be sure) and that they are also extremely easy to make!

Here is the recipe :

Gluten Free Maple Sugar Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

• 1/4 cup Butter/dairy free alternative (these were made using Earth Balance's Vegan Buttery Sticks)
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 1/2 cup Maple Sugar (plus extra for dusting/icing)
• 1/2 cup MapleSyrup (plus extra if adding icing)
• 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1-3/4 cups GF All Purpose Baking Flour
• 3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 large Egg White

Directions :

1. In a Vitamix or a food processor blend butter (at room temperature, not melted), honey, maple sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
2. Add flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and egg white, blending until mixture is well combined. 
   *If using electric mixer, blend ingredients, then add water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Shape dough into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F.
5. Using a cookie scoop, shape the dough into 24 one-inch balls and roll in sifted maple sugar.

6. Place 2” apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or a greased cookie sheet).

7. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are set. Rotate the position of the pan halfway through baking for even heat distribution.
8. Remove from oven; wait two minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.

Four of the cookies I flattened with the back of a spoon

Icing (optional) :

• After the cookies have cooled completely, sift a few table spoons of maple sugar into a small bowl and add a small amount of maple syrup. Combine with a spoon. Quantities of both maple sugar and maple syrup depend on how thick you want the icing to be and how much you want to make (if you want the icing to be thicker, add less maple syrup/if you want the icing to be more of a glaze, add more maple syrup).

After the icing has hardened, store cookies in an airtight container.

Done!

This is a modified version of Bob's Red Mill's recipe for Gluten Free Sugar Cookies, which you can find here!

Leather Pants

Top : Gap // Shoes : Converse //

I recently picked up this pair of leather pants and I am kind of obsessed...

Byredo Parfums' Gypsy Water

November is a dark and cold month and surrounding yourself with things that make you happy (and that are useful) is important. Byredo's Gypsy Water makes me happy (Byredo's branding and package design makes me happy too)!

Nice for November

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee."
–FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks

Here are a few presents that I would give to myself...

Shiseido eye cream

Deborah Lippmann 'Stormy Weather' nail polish

Diptyque Oranger candle

Acne Studios Velocite shearling jacket

Kevyn Aucoin The Essential Mascara

LPD NEW YORK Team Slimane sweatshirt

J Brand 901 low-rise leggings-style jeans

Wendy Nichol Bullet studded leather bucket bag

Converse sneakers

Vintage Children's Halloween Costume + Hermès

Dress : Vintage // Thigh highs : Agent Provocateur // Shoes : H&M // Bag and scarf : Hermès //

I recently found this dress while I was out helping my mother shop for antique furniture. It was hanging on the front of a rack of children's halloween costumes in a vintage clothing store. ...I am sure that any normal person would probably be put off by the children's halloween costume section at a vintage store but I am not that normal and I absolutely adore this dress.

The dress is cotton and velvet and on its own looks a little bit like something you would wear if you were visiting a prairie or taking part in a civil war reenactment; however, if you add a structured bag and a scarf (the scarf will prevent the look from feeling too structured) everything will come together quite nicely.

Instagram October

stilby_m
 
October through my instagram.

The days are getting shorter and the air is getting colder. With each passing day you can notice the beauty of fall disappearing into the quiet, bleakness of winter.

I try to surround myself with things that are beautiful, practical, and simple... knit socks, lovely blankets, good books and magazines that are well designed, beauty products with lovely packaging, nice candles (candles are so important this time of year), cashmere sweaters...you know, those types of things.

Either way,
Happy November!

October in Vermont

Photo : Dillon

Dillon took this photo of me by the lake the other day (I stole it from his instagram). It was one of 
those intensely beautiful, cold fall days where it is hard to tell if you are dreaming or you are awake.

October in Vermont is whimsical like that. The sunlight is flat and bright, somewhere in between sunny and grey.
 There isn't any summer left here. The leaves are a deep orange and they are so lifeless. It is almost as if they are in pain, like they want to die and fall to the ground but the tree branches are holding on so tightly.

Perhaps I am a bit the same...

Nike on Nike

source //

I love this outfit for some reason...? I am still trying to figure out why exactly.

Tuesday

I ended up taking a picture of my bed yesterday evening and then another picture of it this morning before I made it.
I am in the process of hanging up some pictures that I like. I like the idea of using that space on the wall behind the headboard as a sort of moodboard. I was thinking about hanging two framed pictures in that space
but that seems too formal for me.

Currently, my bedroom is the only place that is safe from construction workers so making it a peaceful space is important to me. I am not used to having so many strangers coming in and out of my house and I am starting to notice that it is seriously affecting me. I have been having terrifying dreams, I am not able to work as well, and I am terribly anxious. Does this happen to a lot of people during renovations or is it just me?

Either way, I hope you are all doing well!

Happy October!

Out West it is all about denim, leather, and linen

Top, Denim Shirt, Shoes : Sandro // Shorts : Anine Bing //

Acne's Wham Mohair Sweater

In the North East, having warm, cozy knitwear during the colder months is essential for staying warm and having a variety of sweaters/cardigans/etc. is essential for preventing total wardrobe boredom. That being said, if you are not careful, you will end up buying sweaters that you do not actually like or that are not actually that warm. In my opinion, Acne makes some of the best knits. They are of high quality, warm, and they work season after season.

This is Acne's Wham mohair sweater in grey melange, which is kind of my favorite shade of grey. I like the way it looks with my new coral headphones from Urbanears, the aquamarine of my bracelet, and the black leather from my Gucci wallet. Honestly, I like the way it looks with mostly every color...

Happy Sunday!

Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2014 Schedule

 
Click on the picture to make it bigger!

Also, the names written in blue are the shows I am most looking forward to.

Renovations are not calming

Today I woke up to a quintessential fall morning in Vermont. The kind of morning that makes you feel happy, inspired, and at peace. The sun is shining, the leaves are starting to change, and the cold air feels fresh and crisp.

There is something so lovely about that Autumn chill. It is cold enough that you start thinking about sweaters, boots, flannel and corduroys (serious Vermont staples) but not so cold that you dread going outside. It kind of feels like everyone is pretending that there is no such thing as winter even though you can feel it lingering in the air.

Unfortunately, this morning I was awoken by the sound of workers screaming to each other from the bathroom down the hall. Even though the world around me is seemingly tranquil, my house is currently undergoing a serious renovation and is anything but serene.

All of my clothing, beauty products, office supplies…possessions (etc.) are now in piles on my bedroom floor. Everything feels chaotic and going through it all feels a little hopeless. I have so many things to give away, put into storage, or just get rid of. I am excited to get organized but I do not know where to start...