In and Out of the Closet

I desperately want to take y'all on a tour of my closet. Why? I'm not sure, but it struck me today that someone probably wonders what a frum (observant, Orthodox, etc.) person's closet looks like. Is that weird? But, alas, my camera is off at the shop. Sigh. Maybe I'll see how using my cellphone to video goes. Only, of course, if y'all are interested. I thought it might be a nice capstone to The Tzniut Project, which for all intents and purposes has ended. 

Until then, check out this picture I took today with my phone -- I like to call it "Melted Phonebook." I took it in the Trader Joe's parking lot this afternoon while Shabbos shopping. (Note: Trader Joe's now sells gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats for $3.99! That's three dollars cheaper than Bob's Red Mill! Ohmygosh!)

Shabbat Shalom!

Styling for the Kosher Food & Wine Experience

(Clockwise, top left) Pomegranates from Pomegranate, my best pick for dessert ~ Mousse & Cookies from Basil, Treats from My Most Favorite, and the awesome face behind got cholent? 

Tonight, Tuvia and I hit up the 2011 Kosher Food & Wine Experience at Chelsea Pier 60, and wow was I blown away. It was like Kosher Fest with the pushing, shoving, and mass quantities of food, except that the people were dressed more nicely, the ambiance was more classy, and the food and alcohol was amazing and unforgettable. There were gobs of Twitter folk there, including @hsabomilner, @dovidlobl, @yeahthatskosher, @mottel, @wifeofmottel, @ohnuts, @koshertopia and ... man alive, I can't remember who else. A lot. We all gathered in front of the Shalom Bombay booth and schmoozed and kvelled about the goodies and the crowd. Yes, people were crazy rude and pushy, but for some reason, it wasn't nearly as offensive as folks were at Kosher Fest. Thank heavens for that.

My pick for best food? Subsantional. Yes, I know, it isn't a steakhouse or high-class restaurant, but the food was amazing and it was gluten-free. Chili, some delicious Latino pulled something or other, and, wow. It was amazing. *Edit: I have to mention the glorious Jack's Gourmet. I was so happy to finally meet the faces behind Jack's, and there was always a huge crowd around their table. Bravo!*

My pick for best dessert? Basil, without a doubt. They had a delicious, rich chocolate mousse and a meringue cookie that had this amazing hint of ... yes, you guessed it, basil! It was so delicious, that I think I've finally got a reason to force Tuvia to go to Brooklyn!

My pick for best alcohol (wine or otherwise)? Binyamina Sour Apple Liqueur! Oh my gosh it tasted like a Jolly Rancher.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a ton of gluten-free food there. Tuvia had to do a lot of the eating. Maybe next year? Luckily, the chefs there knew what I was talking about when I asked if the food had gluten in it. Phew. Except that one Indian restaurant I've never heard of that said, "So you can't have white flour or whole wheat flour?" Oy.

And, of course, the real reason for this post: fashion!

I was perplexed as to what to wear to this event. The photos up on their website made the event appear to be a classy, dressy event, but from what I heard from other attendees, it wasn't as dressy as I was expecting. I couldn't choose between two outfits, so I asked the lovely Hadassah, and she and I agreed on the best outfit: Dressy Tzniut Librarian!

I was struggling with the outfit at first, but then the hair thing hit me up. I wanted to wear my sheitel, but it wasn't jazzing me. It's super straight right now and needs to be styled, so on a whim I decided to pull it back with a hairband and, well, I really love the way it looked.

I paired the 'do with ...

• School Marm Shoes from Kohl's with some Target "sweater" tights
• Looped earrings from Target
• Cardigan a la Marshall's (no clue when I bought it or for how much)
• Ruffled collar shirt from Van Heusen (Tuvia calls it my Pirate Shirt; think Seinfeld)
• Skirt from Dress Barn
• Headband from the Icing (yes, that cheesy jewelry store in the mall)

Let me know what you think of the look -- I'm still trying to decide how I feel about the hair and the ruffles. And, of course, I include Tuvia because he bent to my will and wore a pair of nice black slacks, a white button-down, and a black/white/gray checkered tie that I got for him from either Conway or Marshall's. I forget. Either way, he looks great, right?

Here's to delicious, classy kosher food from all over the New York area -- may next year's Kosher Food & Wine Experience be more amazing, more delicious, and bigger than ever!

Slouchy, Jeweled, and, Yes, Modest

It's been quite a while since I posted a tzniut (modest) fashion post, unless you count my vlog about modest fitness fashion, in which case it hasn't been long at all. At any rate, this is a simple outfit that I wore today, just to go out to my "office," which actually is simply the local Starbucks. I wanted to look good, so I could feel good, and that's what this outfit did for me.

I'm a huge fan of jewel tones, and I love living in my jean skirt. So that's what this outfit is: simple, casual, comfortable.

The Jessica Simpson slouchy gray hat I purchased at Century 21 (where the clothes are expensive and the accessories are perfect), and the necklace I got at Old Navy of all places (they have an amazing jewelry selection these days). The necklace has a beautiful pair of matching earrings, but in the spirit of my Let's Bring Back series and book, I opted for this philosophy today:

The "Take One Thing Off" Rule | There can be too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to accessories. Interior decorator and social powerhouse Elsie de Wolfe always used to make herself take on item off before she left the house: a bracelet, a necklace, whatever; it could have been a headband with a huge tulle bow in her case. This sage practice remains a good rule of thumb today; unless, of course, you are only wearing one thing to begin with.

The jewel-tone blue shirt is long-sleeve, soft and comfy as can be, and it's from Lands End. It's honestly my most favorite shirt on the planet (and I have it in every color to prove it). The dark gray cardigan I purchased at Nordstrom Rack, and the jean skirt, well, you can't see it, but it's floor-length and I got it in Israel. The brand is "pink," and, unfortunately, I can't seem to find it anywhere online, which bums me out.  You also can't see my boots, but they're straight from Payless Shoes and are sort of slouchy ankle boots. Oh! And the belt? It's from Target, super "on the cheap."

So get your fashion on. Be casual, be modest, and, most importantly, be beautiful!

Walk a Mile in My Vest

Oh no! Blurry ... let's clear that up.

I decided to get my fashionista on today for an outing to the city that started far too early for my liking. My understanding was that class began at 8 a.m. down by Washington Square, so I got up at 6 a.m., grabbed a nearly-7 a.m. bus, and ended up at the door of my building (after nabbing a coffee) around 7:47 a.m. The door? Locked. Another classmate walked up, the security guard opened the building, we found the room, two other students joined us, and half an hour later ... we were sitting. Turns out the class was bumped to 9 a.m. and no one told us! Ugh. What a way to start the day, eh? After an intensive Hebrew-only course and reading a Hebrew article, I ventured to the campus Starbucks to do some e-work. After a few hours there, I decided to trek up to midtown, walk around a bit (stupid), find a place to sit and work, etc. It turned out I spent too much time walking (my feet are covered in blisters and raw skin), my computer ran out of juice and the Starbucks I was at had closed off all their wall-plate plugs (jerks), and by the time my awesomely awesome friend met up with me at around 4:30, I was pooped.

But? I looked good. And I was comfy.

We schlepped over to Cafe K on 48th, ate an amazing meal and schmoozed, and then got turned around heading to the subway on our way down to NYU for a 7 p.m. reading by Jonathan Safran Foer (author of "Everything is Illuminated"). By the time we got there, the auditorium was packed, we were exhausted, and we called it a day. But throughout the day, and even though when I got home I could no longer walk, I felt put together. I felt like I had a fluid look that I was comfortable in. So let's talk about it.

The outfit is:

Hat ~ Burlington Coat Factory

Jean Skirt ~ Land's End

Vest ~ Van Heusen

Ruffle shirt ~ Van Heusen

White tank (under) ~ Lane Bryant

Black Leggings (not pictured) ~ Old Navy

I wore my Skechers with these, and usually they're crazy comfortable, but no dice this time around. Sigh. My feet seriously hurt. My knees probably do, too, but I can't feel them. Anyhow, this outfit was an easy  throw together, and I was so, so, so excited to actually buy a vest and be able to pull it off. It's a really cozy material, and the ruffle shirt is really light weight, which makes it good for layering. The jean skirt, of course, is my constant-wear item. And the hat? Love it. The zipper detail is super cute, and the color scheme really comes together (CoverYourHair.com actually has headbands with this design now). If I'd of had some cushion in my shoes, this would have been the best fashion day EVER. There's always next time.

And, for those of you who haven't been to Cafe K, here are some photos of the amazing food. I had the most delicious fish ever, with the most creative potatoes ever -- baked potatoes that are then grilled! I felt so healthy-licious eating this. Oh, and the awesome friend wanted me to make sure her cappucino got some play. It, too, was delicious (or so she said). I highly recommend Cafe K, by the way. It's dairy, delicious, and aside from the bones in my fish, I had zero complaints. There will be a Yelp review, but believe me, it will all be good, so you can just take my word for it.

Yes, that's a fish in a cup on the cup!

This is the salmon with "baked" potato ... best grilled fish I've ever had, hands down.

And, again, in case you missed it the first time.

The Japanese salad. Yes, there's seaweed.

Stay tuned for a Yom Kippur post, and, on Sunday, the next installment of Haveil Havalim!

Casual Clothes, Chavi Style

I know I said I didn't want to make this a regular thing, but, well, how I dress and cover my hair -- and, inevitably how I carry myself in speech and action -- are part of who I am as a Jewish woman, so it only makes sense that I'd talk about my clothes, right? I pride myself on my spend-thrift behavior, even if Tuvia thinks I pick up too many garments (hello, he still has more clothes than me!). So here's an outfit from last week, Thursday I believe, and the details therein.

This is a pretty casual, everyday outfit. If I remember correctly, I wore it running some errands. I really liked the twist detail on the tanktop, and throwing a white shirt under it was perfect and it was a definite airy wear. The skirt is super cozy, as well, a cotton/linen type of fabric with an awesome detail at the bottom of eyelets. Throw a scarf with it and bam, an outfit to run errands in or grab a burger in (which I just now remember I did, with my husband!).



Top: Conway (NYC, awesome, $9.99)
Undershirt: Kiki Riki (Susan Abrams, local, $14.00)
Skirt: Lane Bryant Outlet (The fun-time adventure in North Carolina, $20.00)
Scarf: CoverYourHair.com ($6.00, I think ...)
Shoes: Crocs sandals ($25.00-ish)


Overall, this is an outfit that costs less than $75, and a third of that comes from the shoes, which I wear pretty much every day. I really need to learn to accessorize, however. Necklaces, earrings, etc. I wear the same stuff everyday, which is, well, it's fine, but come on. I can rock a mean pair of dangly earrings, so why shouldn't I?

Also: There is a CoverYourHair.com promotion going on RIGHT NOW! The kind folks at CYH are giving away a $200 giftcard to one of the following retailers: Macys, Target, Toys R Us, Banana Republic, GAP, and Children's Place. All you have to do is head over to CYH and enter to win. And, while you're at it, buy some head coverings, mmk?

Note: I'd wanted to post a video blog of how I tie my tichel, but, unfortunately, YouTube was disagreeing with me (my 3 minute video is TOO long? what?) and Vimeo appears to think that my voice and the video shouldn't match up (grrr). So stay tuned, that's coming, too. 


Second Note (of importance): Stay tuned for a big, mind-blowing post about ... hair. Covering it. New ways I'm choosing to cover it, and more. I think I might get flamed by some of my faithful blog readers, and patted on the back by others. Coming tonight. Are you prepared to let your MIND be blown?

Fashion's Modest Cousin.

Inspired by one of my new, awesome friends who recently started a blog ("Modestly Fashioned," that is), I've decided to do a fashion piece. It won't be regular, and it may never happen again, but I think it's nice to know that, well, being modest (tzniut) and fashionable are not opposing forces.

Today, in honor of the Jewish Social Media Schmooze event in New York City, I decided to go a little vintage with my outfit, homing the power of the glorious Joan of Mad Men! I positively adore her curvaceous, yet mostly modest (circa the 1960s, after all) digs. The way they style her is proof that you can be a primo fashionista even when you have some curves. Sometimes, I just want to look good, and today was one of those days where I felt positively excellent in my clothes and in my skin.

The best thing about this outfit is that it didn't cost much to put together. (Also borrowing this item-by-item breakdown from the "Modestly Fashioned" blog -- the name that I coined!)

Polka-dotted scarf ~ CoverYourHair.com 

Red Rose Earrings ~ Urban Outfitters 

Pencil Jean Skirt ~ Land's End

Black Kiki-Riki 3/4-length crop shirt ~ Local store 

Black tanktop ~ Lane Bryant

Polka-Dotted Ruffle Shirt ~ Marshall's 

Peep-toe flats ~ Croc's 

Most of the components of this outfit I've had for quite some time (the skirt and tank top, for example, are items I've owned for 2+ years and are serving an awesome purpose). The Polka-Dotted Ruffle Shirt cost a mere $14.00 at Marshall's, and the rest of the items (save the earrings) were purchased on sale, too. I'm a sale shopper, what can I say?

All together, I'd say this outfit made me feel vintage-modest, which is a look I can be happy about. 

The point of this post? Enjoy the clothes you wear. Being modest doesn't mean selling your soul to the muumuu and baseball cap. Be comfortable, be fashionable, be modest. But most importantly, be YOU!