re: that Indiana Jones hat thing...

I was lucky enough to have my parents finally come visit me out here this past weekend. It was a trip almost two years coming - and I can't express how excited I was to show them around my New York and see them for the first time since Christmas.

We had a great weekend - a perfect balance of their uptown, upscale Manhattan of past visits, and my downtown day-to-day life. All the things we did piece together like a pretty great guide to wining and dining with a dash of culture and shopping from Soho to the Upper East Side:


{We dined.}

• Gotham Grill: White table clothes, amazing seafood and a very 90s New York vibe, like Gramercy Tavern and totally delicious (the seafood salad is unreal)
• The Modern: minimalist, fancy and contemporary - just like the museum (amazing duck confit)
• db Bistro Moderne: fancy and delicious
  
• The Standard Grill: great spot for an early breakfast al fresco
  
• Public: trendy, brunch-y, delicious lentil salad and great drinks
• La Piscine: on the roof of Hotel Americano; lots of delicious fried seafood with a side of DJ
  
• Brasserie Julienne: cute little french joint on 2nd Ave in the 80s, live jazz with your moules frites
  
• Morandi: loud, busy and seriously great Italian fare on Waverly and 7th Ave
  

{We drank.}

• La Piscine: Before dinner every night we had cocktails on the roof with an amazing view of the city
  
• Kingswood: After dinner at db, I brought my parents to meet up with friends and see one of my favorite West Village bars
  
• Public: a dirty martini for Mom, a bourbon iced tea for me and the Bloody Maria for Dad
  

{We saw.}

• The MoMA:the Cindy Sherman exhibit was cool and creepy, but the permanent exhibits are always refreshing and unmissable
  
• The East River Ferry: A fun and unique way to get between Manhattan and Brooklyn - especially on a warm day; we took it to and from 34th street to the flea market 
• Brooklyn Flea (Williamsburg): people watching, antique-ing and artisianal everything - of course
  
• The Met: My favorite museum in Manhattan, and the Steins Collection and Shiaparelli and Prada exhibit were crowded but truly wonderful (unfortunately the Cloud City exhibit on the roof was closed for weather)

{We shopped.}

• Uniqlo @ 53rd & 5th: picked up 4 shirts for my dad, but the crazy atmosphere and sheer amount of clothes is a little too much
  
• Treasure & Bond: cool, well-curated jewelry, gifts and apparel on lower West Broadway in Soho
  
• MoMA Design Store: so many unique and useful knick-knacks, and perfectly sized art prints for $10

{outfit post} fashion 140...

I feel so overwhelmed with love this week! I got a wonderful shout out (and huge traffic boost) from my menswear-blogging/tumblr-ing friend L.A.S. and about 30 new Twitter followers during the Fashion 140 conference yesterday. I'm so glad people had such a positive response to my Always & Never list. I mean, what can I do next to keep you guys so interested and excited? (Seriously. Suggestions welcome and encouraged.)

I'll post more later about everything amazing that went on at the conference, but for now I figured I could at least give you a little bit of an outfit post. Wednesday started out pretty rainy, and coupled with the fact that I'd be sitting in an auditorium for hours and hours, I aimed for a comfortable-yet-chic look that would hold up all day.

Schott NYC Perfecto lambskin jacket; vintage Missoni for Nordstrom tunic; BP black tank; BDG jeggings; Jessica Simpson ballet flats; c/o Amanda Pearl Gobstopper pearl earrings.

This is that amazing Missoni tunic I wore to NYFW earlier this year but was totally hidden by my fur coat. It's incredibly fragile and a treasured piece inherited from my mom. It has those distinctive Missoni stripes - and in perfect-for-spring colors. I have no idea what year it's from, and I'm sure if she could figure out how, Mrs. Davies would leave a comment letting us all know. (The 90's, Mom?) Anyway, after a Tweet-spiration from my friends at Schott, I knew my Perfecto had to come out for the conference as well. 

The rest of my look just sort of fell into place. My Amanda Pearl earrings have become a staple with my top-knot, though I'll be the first to admit that after looking at these pictures I'm really peeved that it was so smooshed on one side. Ugh, #whitegirlproblems. Additionally, I'm hyper-aware that jeggings are on their way out, but they are so incredibly comfortable I may never give them up. (Breaking my own rules, 'cause that's how I roll.) As for the ballet flats, did you expect anything else?

 Oh, and in case you were worried - don't be. I wore seven bracelets.

Various baubles from Marc by Marc Jacobs; J. Crew; Tiffany & Co.; Kenneth Jay Lane; vintage; that Michael Kors watch and F21 owl ring.

It's like I pulled up my sleeve and surprised even myself at how many of them I was wearing!

loving Blake Lively in Burberry...

As much as her character often makes me want to throw my television out our 5th story window, I must admit, I am positively wild for Blake Lively as Serena in this Burberry trench...

(Thank you @Burberry via Twitter for this picture)

Also, I don't think it needs to be said, but I would do evil, shameful, crazy things to have that hair, even if it's 65 percent extensions.

{from Inslee's blog} People Watching... (it's me!)

Does she look familiar to you? I hope so. The lovely Inslee, who I'm sure you're now all quite familiar with, whipped this up yesterday, inspired by one very serious pair of shoes and one very spastic Twitter exchange:

@Inslee: for me???? size eight graz-a-mileeee http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/94558

@Shutupilovethat: @Inslee sketch them! sketch ME in them! sketch me in them in paris! sitting on top of the eiffel tower! eating a croissant! No? Too much?

@Inslee: @shutupilovethat pain au chocolat ou regulier?... now i want those shoes AND a croissant

@Shutupilovethat: @Inslee au chocolat ma cherie! #Louboutinsandpastriesfordays

@Inslee: Paris is the best place to wear stud covered Louboutins, no?... http://fb.me/PchS8J81

Et voila! C'est moi! I'm obsessed, to say the least. Her illustration is how I see myself in my mind's eye: In Paris always; perfectly chocolate brown mane, not a hair out of place, all black everything, gracefully thin despite my love for buttery pastries, and expertly miss-matched in my accessory selection. Oh, and the shoes. In my mind I'm eternally in the fanciness of Louboutin with ease of flats.

Read the full post here, please, she has quite the wit, this one.

Oh and I'll be ordering a print of this immediately, ma cherie Inslee!