Obsessed with this graphic print! #PhillipLimForTarget
Not surprisingly, ever since bubs
arrived, we’ve been doing much of our shopping on-line. For the most
part, this comprised of lots of baby stuff (Diaper.com much?). However,
this fashionista’s definitely got her eyes on the latest 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target
collection (officially launching September 15!). Just in time for Fall Fashion Week!
A yin and yang of clean simplicity and
sleek lines – practically every piece is drool-worthy and pegged at an
affordable price range. I know I need to contain myself… but below are
just a few of my favorite pieces! Plus, given my last love affair with Target’s
collaboration with Prabal Gurung – chances are high that I’ll have a hard time exercising restraint.
“Sleep when your baby sleeps and everything will fall into place, especially when it’s your first.”
– Wise words from Loretta Schneider, founder of Larrivo – Chic Nursing Attire for the Bedroom and Beyond
I must admit, ever since welcoming our little bundle last week, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck (which apparently is not uncommon when you have a C-section). That said, it’s still important for me, to the extent possible, to look, and more importantly feel my best (a girl’s got to try right?). It can definitely be challenging, particularly under the unwelcoming hospital settingl, but a little something fresh and luxurious – like my Larrivo Lisa Robe (perfect for nursing!!) does the trick! I started wearing the Lisa Robe on Day 2, nursing the little nuke around the clock (every 2-3 hours; counting from when bubs starts to suck), saw some dear friends who came to visit me at the hospital, and even did a spontaneous photo-shoot with Bella Baby!
The best part (apart from my bunny's voracious appetite)? My Larrivo Lisa designs also comes with a matching baby boy set for Nukie! Now both mummy and munchkin can rock out in style!!
I love that my 2 day old munchkin is already rocking out in his Larrivo gear! That face!! Is he not the cutest.
At last! Late last week (just a little over 41 weeks), our beautiful baby boy was born. As
anticipated, it was an incredibly emotional journey for hubby and I, and
we couldn’t be more thrilled with our beautiful Nukie.
I hope to share my birth story at some point… which in truth, was not
what I had hoped for. A friend of mine
(who also recently delivered at NYU Langone) had told
me earlier last week, over drinks at the Wren, to get ready for “the most intense ride of your life.”
She was not wrong.
Though I will say this, whenever I see my newborn son’s
face, I see nothing but sheer love and perfection. All I can recall was the distinct moment
when they gave him to me in the delivery room.
With that very moment, all of the pains and frustrations instantly
dissipates, and what remains is this overwhelming sense of fulfillment, love
and joy. We worked extremely hard to get
here, and we feel so incredibly lucky to be first-time parents!
The Umami truffle burger, with roasted garlic aioli, house truffle cheese, and a truffle glaze! #decadent
Love me some fried pickles! (With jalapeno ranch dressing)
It’s hard to deny the merits of a good, tasty burger (Shake
Shack anyone?). Some of my personal
favorites, off the top of my head, include: a good lamb burger at L’Express, a
fantastic chow-down at the Burger Joint inside the Parker Meridien, the bone
marrow burger at the Marrow, the black label burger at Minetta Tavern, a nice
juicy cheeseburger at the Burger Joint, and even an occasional indulgence at the
ever-ubiquitous Five Guy (which can be a bit rich, even for me!). Plus, let’s not forget the inevitable
In-and-Out burger when I’m in the west coast (protein style a must!).
Now – to add to the mix – the Umami Burger! An LA-based favorite by Adam Fleischman that
recently found itself in Greenwich Village (with open arms of course), this new
branch of artisanal burgers is definitely a strong contender in the burger
world, and, in my view – here to stay.
Believe it or not, it first landed on my radar by way of Foursquare (where,
surprisingly, I can access some fantastic & timely info by simply tracking my friends' movements). From there, I
read a couple of press pieces, and my curiosity was thoroughly piqued!
Off we went, on a lazy Sunday afternoon – where thankfully,
there were no lines to speak of (friends of ours were told that the wait was two
hours the last time they tried!). I had
the truffle burger and hubby went with the manly burger (I’m convinced he only
did it because of the name). Of course,
you can hardly go wrong selecting just about anything off the menu. Might I also suggest getting a couple of
starters (just check your calorie count at the door!). My favorite was the fried pickles and the cheesy
tater tots (which, bizarrely, was a “secret menu” item).
True testament – a European couple sitting next to us
actually had two servings of Umami goodness. I literally thought it was déjà vu when I saw them order yet another
round of burgers plus the tempura
onion rings (hubby, of course, advised me not to stare!). Yes, I suppose it is that good!
Next time I go, I’ll have to try the signature Umami burger
(topped with parmesan crisp, shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomato, caramelized
onions, and house-made Umami ketchup!).
Nommy.
With my official due date technically past (I’m now at 40 weeks + 4!),
you would think that hubby and I have our whole baby-name thing squared
away.
Not true.
In all fairness, we had begun the process, much like many
other couples, ages ago – right when we first found out that little Nukie was
going to be a boy.
Yet somehow it never seemed to me like we've devoted enough
time and thought into the whole naming effort.
Were we being too flippant? Is it
meant to be this easy? Are we not taking the whole process as seriously as we
should? It always seems so much easier,
from the outside looking in, the way other
parents name their children. It makes me wonder, do those people ever agonize over names, or does it just come
fluidly for them?
Some folks figure out their kid’s name right away, perhaps
even go so far as to refer to the baby by name throughout their entire pregnancy.
Others take the age-old traditional course
of naming them “Jr,” or after a member of the family lineage.
I suppose in a way, names are identity-defining and quite
possibly one of the more noteworthy decisions you will make as a parent (hello
Freakonomics!). But then again, even
that argument is highly contestable in my book.
For instance, I named myself when I came to this country at the age of
nine, and actually found the entire process to be quite smooth and surprisingly
empowering. Some people also change
their names as they get older. A
colleague of mine once told me that her brother had changed his surname to “Crisis,”
which, one could argue, is an extreme case of name-changing and re-identification.
What you name your child may also pop up later in life under
the most unlikeliest of contexts. Eight years ago, hubby and I were at a party where we met a guy whose name was “Ysiad.” How exotic! We thought… was he from
Israel? “It’s actually my mom’s name ‘Daisy,’
spelled backwards.” He responded
casually.
That encounter did, in fact, stay with me forever. We jokingly said that if we had kids, we’d name our child “Nipsirc.” Thankfully, for all parties involved, we
never took this particular approach seriously (unlike my “Lion King” nostalgia decorations).
So how, exactly, do you arrive at the perfect name? (And when do you know that you’ve done enough to find that name?) This question has plagued me for many months
(though it appears that time is on my side!).
I could literally feel my cortisone level rising whenever a
well-meaning acquaintance would ask, “so have you guys thought of a name?” Often, I'd feel super guilty for procrastiating on the name-front, and would then badger hubby by saying, “we’re not doing enough on names!”
For what it’s worth, here are some general tips and takeaways I can offer
from my own name-seeking adventure over the past months:
1. To begin with, there are certainly plenty of online resources, for instance, I found
the “modern names for boys” link particularly inspiring, and it prompted me to
generate my own spreadsheet of names back in June. That might have marked our first breakthrough
– unless you count the time in late February when hubby and I sat inside of Asia Dog, munching on kimchi sliders while googling “awesome Gaelic/Scottish names.” Why, there are even apps for names that could help
you along the way!
2. For me, the good-old fashioned books approach is always handy. Our second major "naming breakthrough" took place one Sunday afternoon in early July, when I insisted that we head to McNally Jackson, our local book store on 52 Prince, and properly go through ALL of the baby-naming resources they had in stock. We sifted through dozens of books and came
home with three. (1) The Baby Name Bible;
(2) 100,000 Baby Names; and (3) Bring Back Beatrice. In all fairness, I’m not sure how much the
books actually helped, as we kept
arriving at the same names over and over again… though I will say that, hands
down, I found 100,000 Baby Names to be the most helpful out of the lot.
3. It’s helpful to talk with others about your names (preferably your partner!). For a while there, I think I was driving
hubby insane by repeating names to him every night as we got into bed (at one
stage he threatened to throw my Kindle out the window because he hated the
sources so much). “Just because you say
it over and over again, does not mean that I will like it any better,” would be
his customary response. Little did he
know that I was doing this as much for his benefit as I was for my own. Sometimes, you just need to articulate something
out loud (preferably in front of another person) before you can make a
decision. I’m also not immune to vetting
names among friends and colleagues. Some
people prefer to keep their baby’s names shrouded in secrecy, with more restricted access than an impending IPO. For us, it was a bit more casual – we wanted
people’s opinions… that is, until we didn’t.
4. Have a short-list if you can, and bring it with you to the hospital (seriously!). You have until they disbatch you to fill out
the baby’s birth certificate, so theoretically you could change your mind after
you meet your baby. (What if she just doesn’t
look like a “Daniella?”). My haunch is
that nine times out of ten, you’ll go with your first choice – but hey,
you never know.
5. One last thing that a colleague of mine noted,
which certainly stuck, was to make sure that you (or more likely your partner) fill out those registration forms neatly! Evidently, her husband had botched handwriting and as a result, they had
to readjust their son’s birth certificate.
What a pain!
6. Better still, make sure your kid's initials don't spell out something funky ('lest there be some unintended consequences!). I was told by a friend recently that some poor child's initials accidentally came out as A.S.S. When in doubt, always proof-read first! In our case, we have a family middle name planned that begins with "X," so luckily I believe we're safe.
The lesson drawn, at the end of the day, is that you have to
do what’s best for you when it comes to naming your own kid. For me, it was a case of off-and-on wavering,
interspersed with moments of intense clarity.
Though eventually, I came to the realization that whatever I did, I would
arrive at the exact same shortlist of “names I liked.” Tonight culminated in one of those “aha”
moments when hubby and I each put our respective top 5’s in Excel, only to
realize that about three of them actually overlapped. Wouldn’t you know it, we both had the same number
one choice for Nukie.
So there you have
it! There is no perfect science to
finding the ideal name, as much as I’d like there to be one.
Our baby-names collection at home (baby's nursery). I highly recommend 100,000 Baby Names, by far the most informative, intuitive, and best bang for your buck as far as naming resources go!
“Not that you can't get better in London/Europe, but Dominique
Ansel (formerly of Daniel) recently opened his eponymous bakery in Soho, and it
has some of the better viennoiserie in NY right now.”
November 10th, 2011
It’s funny what triggers your memory, not to mention what
you can find when you dig through your own inbox! Nearly two years ago, I
received this message from a friend who’s clearly well-immersed in the NYC food
world. At the time, I didn’t think much of
it apart from a mere “oh that’s nice.”
By sheer happenstance, I ended up going to the bakery that
very weekend... after a lazy Sunday brunch with another girlfriend of mine. She was pregnant at the time, but I didn’t know
it. I remember listlessly watching her
order an inordinate amount of goodies from the store while I half-heartedly bought a latte (a latte!!). We then parted ways
and she wished me well for my safari trip to South Africa.
My, my – how times have changed!
It’s as if the world has awakened to the biggest Dominque
Ansel shake since… well, since the bakery’s opening back in November of 2011
(and even that parallel is contestable).
Ever since I’ve learned about cronuts, I’ve been positively
obsessed. My sleep-deprived girlfriend
told me that she had invested two separate weekends to wait in line for these
puppies, and had even attempted to coerce my hubby to procure some for my
baby shower (to which he flat out refused, of course).
Still, I knew I had to have these half croissant/ half
doughnut confections. It’s not a matter
of if – it’s a matter of when.
Then, the perfect opportunity arose last Friday. We had decided to host a BBQ for some friends
(an initiative my trainer deemed “insane”), and I thought – what better way than
to treat everyone with some Dominique Ansel desserts? Off I went and pre-ordered some DKA’s (Dominque’s
Kouign Amann) and Paris-NY. I then
strategically timed my pick-up, and was lucky enough to get my grubby little preggy hands on some last minute cronuts (or croconuts, as they call them, since
this month’s flavor is coconut!
Now – I must admit, coconut crème is not my favorite flavor
of all time (though the cronut was still delicious). Personally, I found the DKA (more like a
caramelized croissant) to be the star of the show… along with the frozen s’mores,
which was simply too rich for words. The
trouble with these type of experiences, of course, is that my eyes are clearly
too big for my stomach. Though I would
also argue that when it comes to enjoying food, I celebrate with my eyes just
as much as my stomach. To quote a recent
piece written by Guy Trebay in Travel + Leisure, “I prefer to eat with my eyes.”
Unfortunately for my dinner guests, neither the cronuts (of which
you’re only limited to two per person) nor the s’mores made it past noon. However, there were plenty of DKAs and Paris
to spare. Judging by their ravenous
reactions, I would say that both were a huge hit! Not a bad effort from someone who's 39 weeks
pregnant! As Amy from Dominique Ansel
noted, “that is some pastry dedication!
Our first course: foie gras with spiced strawberry gelee, pickled strawberry and ginger
A while ago (August 18, 2011 to be exact), a discerning
girlfriend of mine made us a “couples” reservation at Corton. I love couples dinners, particularly when the
right dynamic and chemistry are in place!
That marked my first introduction to the remarkable world of
Paul Liebrandt, whose creativity and talent as a chef is undeniable. “Have you guys seen ‘A Matter of Taste,’ the
documentary about the chef here?” asked the same friend during dinner. I shook my head no – never even heard of it,
though hubby and I did find it on-demand after our dining experience and thoroughly
enjoyed it. From thereon, my intrigue
with Mr. Liebrandt continued – where I even had a run-in with the chef during
the Morimoto Food and Wine festival. There
was a sort of intensity that I associated with Paul Liebrandt (akin to Wylie
Dufresne in certain respects), that made him at once a force to be reckoned
with, while also demonstrative of a tortured artist at work. (Also, both men like to hover nervously over
their staff in the kitchen… which I find amusing to watch!).
Fast forward nearly two years later from our Corton dinner,
and hubby & I enjoyed a lovely date night (quite possibly our last for a
while!) at the Elm, Liebrandt’s new restaurant in Williamsburg. Sadly, Corton and Paul Liebrandt have parted
ways, leaving space for a brand new chapter in the eatery world.
Verdict – did the Liebrandt machine deliver at the Elm? I would say yes. Both the menu and fanfare were far less
ostentatious than at Tribeca’s Corton (in comparison, I’d even venture to argue
that there was no fanfare, this being Williamsburg and all). The menu was concisely divided into four
categories (Raw, Sea, Land, and Share) with overlapping components – though perhaps
it was purposeful irony at play. Without
going too overboard, we sampled the Foie Gras (you can’t go wrong there!), the
Kanpachi with watermelon, the Bouillabaisee, and the Kiev Style Chicken (arguably
the dish du jour for the brand new restaurant).
There was an element of quiet reserve and elegance to all of the dishes
which I appreciated, and even though the presentation lacked the fanciful
conception of Corton (an aspect which hubby appreciated), the tastes and
flavors were still very much present and ever-sophisticated. I suppose this was Corton for the people, as evidenced by hubby’s reception of the
bill, which he deemed to be “not at all like Corton.” Enough said!
The open and airy space of the restaurant, which I found to be both elegant and welcoming
Kanpachi "Jamon" with watermelon, heirloom tomato, and vadouvan spice
"Flavors of Bouillabaisse" with amadai, mussel, and orange confit
The chicken, "Kiev Style" – cooked to perfection!
Chicken Kiev goodness
Our grand finale: the summer red fruit tart to share (w/lemon confit meringue & lemongrass marshmallow)
I had ordered this Olian Maternity dress way back in April (when I was 22 weeks along), but have only recently began to appreciate it! It all goes to show that you don't need to rush to maternity wear too early. Lesson learned!
Well, it is just slightly past midnight, so technically I am already in my 40th week – which means that I am officially due! Eek!!!
To quote “The Pregnant Husband” (whose blog I find hysterical btw)… this is what it feels like when the big day arrives and nothing happens.
I must say, he’s not too far off the money! It was hilarious looking at these vignettes nearly three months ago… less so now, once it becomes an actual depiction of your reality (although this particular clip still makes me smile).
We went for our weekly check-up today with the doc, who basically said – well, if nothing happens by tomorrow (due date), then come in the day after, and we’ll see how we go. At this point, I suppose the primary objective is to keep a closer watch, which doesn’t necessarily make matters any less anxious for me.
That said, I figured I might as well share a (final?) maternity look taken over the weekend. Hubby and I decided to trek over to Williamsburg (quite an easy trip given where we live). What originated as a dinner date at the Elm (Paul Liebrandt’s follow-up to Corton in Tribeca, more on that later!) eventually morphed into a whole-day expedition of exploring baby boutiques in the heart of hipster-land. Naturally, I’ve got nesting on my mind, so I savor kiddy shopping inspirations with the same fervor & vengeance that I ordinarily reserve for sample sales! I’ll eventually draw up a list of the Williamsburg babes stores we hit up and share it on the blog.
These days, I’m definitely carrying a lot more weight – and feeling heavier & sluggish. Though overall, I try not to let that weigh me down (quite literally) when I’m prepping to go out. It doesn’t help to dress like a schlump when you feel like one! Plus, I wanted to bring a little bit of that street and gamine element to my style. It was Williamsburg after all!
Who knows – perhaps my next outfit post will be focused on post-partum & nursing style! Stay tuned.
Black top: BCBG (last seen here) | Skirt: Helmut Lang (last featured here) | Blazer: Theory | Sunglasses: Cole Haan | Shoes: Aerosoles | Earrings: ODD clothing store (164 Ludlow Street) | Bag: Skunkfunk (last seen here) |
Asymmetrical Bra Top: Helmut Lang
Last weekend, hubs and I attended the bridal
shower/engagement party of my friend, the Hsu Closet. I'm glad that I’m still active and mobile
enough to attend major social events (though that will likely change very
soon!). Plus, you know that I’ve been
very much interested in all things bridal these days.
For the occasion, I wanted to go with something monochromatic
and chic (recall my last style post on complementing the ideal black ensemble
with a white blazer that pops).
In truth, I had actually envisioned something all black
(very New York!), but decided last minute to opt for some contrast instead. So glad I did – as the white jacket paired much better with
my friend’s contemporary & cool garden-themed shower, wouldn’t you say?
How cool are these earrings from ODD (164 Ludlow Street)? A recent find in my hood!
The garden-themed party was held on the outdoor terrace of Bobo in the West Village, and the weather couldn't have been more accommodating!
White button-down shirt: Helmut Lang | Black, paint-splattered tee: Alexander McQueen | Denim Leggings: Top Shop Maternity | Bag: Timi & Leslie Charlie Bag in mustard c/o (last seen here) | Necklace: Zara | Sunglasses: Michael Kors | Flats: Aldo
We’re getting very close! “It could be any day now,” said my doctor in his usual, monotone voice during our weekly check-up this Wednesday. Why, I’ve even started texting my doula on a regular basis, something I certainly haven’t done up until now.
That said, I feel like there’s still so much to do. Life certainly doesn’t stop! As long as I’m mobile and not going into labor… I figured, why not make the most of the next few days?
These photos were taken late last week en route to the office. This is a pretty simple look but still sleek and fitting for work. Again, I’m rocking my Timi & Leslie bag (full feature here), which did wonders for transporting tons of my files and docs home (a working mommy needs to stay versatile, right?).
I’m also holding my go-to morning brew (a pregnancy staple: tall decaf cinnamon dolce latte w/no foam and no whip). Although lately I’ve been sneaking in more caffeine here and there for that extra boost of energy – a little bit certainly can’t hurt at this stage!
Based in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Rock Shic is an excerpt taken from my personal lookbook of real people around the world. It is a combination of aesthetics, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. I also offer personalized Lookbook Consulting and Styling upon request. Please contact me at rockshic (at) gmail (dot) com. Services include: Wardrobe Analysis, Closet Organization, and Personal Shopping.
