Clipping, Pinning, and Daydreaming OR How a Style Blogger Passes Time While Waiting for Others to Meet Their Dealines

I have a demanding day job. At times, this day job requires long hours. Sometimes, I edit. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I'm triaging questions and issues for resolution, trying desperately to keep an unmanageable schedule on schedule (thankyouverymuchfederalgovernment).

And sometimes I'm waiting.

We have division of labor, which means I don't touch the documents I manage at times. On purpose. We also have experts who need to answer things.

So sometimes I'm waiting.

The Grown Up in me should read ahead on future opportunities, hone my skills, take online classes. The human in me needs some mental and physical downtime.

So I clip. And I pin. And I blog.

In no particular order, for no particular reason - other than they caught my eye - here are some things I've seen lately.

I hope they inspire you.

Clockwise, from top left, Zero Maria Cornejo long half foil dress (hu's Online), Vector Formations Dress (ModCloth), Fall 1935 Elsa Schiaparelli Evening dress (The Museum at FIT Online Collections), 3.1 Phillip Lim Pre-Fall 2011 dress (Voguepedia), Robert Clererie lace up patent heel (hu's Online), Chanel dress from Daphne Guiness' collection (The Museum at FIT Daphne Guinness Exhibition)

Want more inspiration? I'm on Pinterest and on Polyvore. Pin and clip away!

#BeanintheBigApple Preview

As I hinted at on twitter this morning, I can't wait to work on the #BeanintheBigApple posts (it'll probably a few of them!). I did, however, promise The Bean that she could help me work on the pictures for "my website." She was, you know, the official photographer. As you'll see, she's a picture-snapping-fiend, complete with photog stance.

If you followed our adventures this weekend, we had an absolute blast, from running to the Metro in DC Friday morning (we just made our 8am Amtrak in time) to the Daphne Guinness and The Great Designers exhibits at the Museum at FIT Friday to ice skating in Central Park and 5th Avenue window "shopping" on Saturday to the Pier 6 playground Sunday morning. If you missed the tweetpics over the weekend, there's a little preview on the DC Celine facebook page.

As for whether The Bean liked New York or not? The pics tell the story.

[I was going to put an adorable teaser pic in here, but either Chrome or Blogger is unhappy with my pictures at the moment, so you'll just have to go to facebook until we do the posts.]

And we've picked out a nice brownstone for sale in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. We'll send you our change of address soon.

The Bean Takes New York: The Plan

I couldn't be more excited. And I might or might not be using my coffee and lunch breaks to plot - ahem - plan our weekend.

I'm taking The Bean to New York City Friday.

She's excited, too. She's asked me every night, "Mama, are we going to New York tonight?" and "Are we going to stay in a hotel?"

Not yet, darling, and nope, with a friend in Brooklyn. She's an artist, like you.

It's hard to plan a trip for a 4-year-old. She is, in her own way, incredibly sophisticated. But she's also 4. And 4-year-olds only have so much capacity and patience for anything, even things they love and about which they're incredibly excited. So with the help of H and my friend TheArtist (our hostess), we've devised a Fashiony-Christmasy-Pizza-Filled-Take-on-New-York.

Here's our plan. We obviously reserve the right to amend it based on whim and whining.

Friday morning train, on which we'll study a map of the city and maybe pictures of the things we'll see. We will also have sketchbooks and colored pencils, cameras, and a lunchbox full of lunch.



After a subway ride over to Brooklyn to say a long-overdue hello to TheArtist and her family and deposit our things, we'll hop back on the subway to Chelsea for Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT. We will sketch and take notes and drool and ooh and ahh.

Then I think we'll wander the neighborhood a bit, stopping where we like, and absolutely finding a place for a treat or an early dinner - or both. The Doughnut Plant, though fairly far down, is a tempting option. If I hear back from my hometown friend, who happens to be the Godfather of Hipsters (so says the Times), we may try the original Somer outpost, Freemans. Or pizza. She loves pizza.

After our night in Brooklyn (yes, I've already started playing the Beastie Boys' anthem for her) during which I expect lots of Catching Up After 15 Years Gabbing and much wine, we'll hop back on the subway and do Midtown. We'll go to Rockefeller Center for the tree, and skate, if we can. We'll see the Saks and Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's Christmas windows. We'll lunch at one of the Fancy Restaurants in the Fancy Stores. We'll go to The Met to see their Christmas tree and creche, and maybe another exhibit, if we can manage it.

Subway back to Brooklyn.

TheArtist promises a top secret pizza place in her hood for dinner. Which we will gleefully do, and have the lovely warm craziness that comes from 2 little ones at a restaurant. We parents will have wine.

Sunday, TheArtist suggested a lovely, lovely plan. Brunch or lunch in their 'hood, then Brooklyn Bridge Park. Views (for my budding photographer and her very own camera) and running around in easy Sunday morning fashion. We may sneak in a trip to TheArtist's studio for The Bean, if there's time.

And from there, we'll have to subway back to Penn Station to come home. And we will be sad. But we will have pictures - lots and lots of pictures. And we will go again. Soon. Grandmom and I are already plotting our trip to The Met's Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada exhibit in 2012.

If you follow DC Celine on twitter, I will be tweeting throughout the weekend, hashtag #BeanintheBigApple

Museum Style: Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT

H and I have both been itching to take The Bean on her First Trip to The Big Apple. Mama-wise, it's a dilemma. The PrudentMama says, "She's only 4, there's plenty of time for that." The HipProgressiveMama says, "Expose early and often." The mama who knows her Bean the best says, "Who're you kidding? Do it. She's a City Girl, capital 'C,' capital 'G.' She was born for this.

Until this morning, PrudentMama was winning.

Then The Museum at FIT email arrived in my inbox this morning, taunting HipProgressiveMama and MamaWhoKnowsHerBean with Daphne Guinness.

By way of backstory, The Bean seems naturally inclined towards design. Sure, I encourage her in All Things Stylish, but it does seem to be her thing. From the time she could hold a writing implement, she's been content to draw or write for literally hours. Since we transitioned her to a big girl bed (and she figured out months later that she could get up in the morning without us coming in to get her), she gets up most mornings, comes in to us for a very quick snuggle, then asks, "Can I go draw?," then dashes off to her easel by the big picture window in the dining room.

We've taken her to the National Gallery, colored pencils and itty bitty Moleskin in tow, where we picked out a painting to copy. Bedtime reading ranges from Dr. Suess and The Runaway Bunny to Andrew and N.C. Wyeth tomes (and Jamie & Betsy's The Stray) and the Met's Anglomania exhibit book. [Here comes the BraggingMama part] Another mama, who has an art background and helped out in her preschool class, commented that she "gets" art, following suggestions on using different crayon strokes and adding her own imagination when capturing a basic "still life" they were doing in class.

Then there's Fancy Nancy. Her favorite book of all time.

So I'm thinking that taking her to see the Daphne Guinnness exhibit is a no-brainer. She'll love the fashion and, dare I say it, appreciate the design. I can't wait to hear which piece will be her favorite.

NYC, here comes The Bean. You'd better watch out!

What: Daphne Guinness
Where: The Museum at FIT, 7th Avenue at 27 Street, NYC
When: September 16, 2011 - January 7, 2012
Why: Quite simply, there is no other fashion collection like this. Ever.

UPDATE: I'm pretty much convinced we have to go. Just have to find a date. I can take her out of school for this, right? She can write a report to share with her friends. I'm sure it'll fit into the DCPS curriculum. And I think The Bean and I should have been invited to the opening party, which Italian Vogue captured oh, so glamorously.