dirty snow & silk

This winter is so overly aged now, I think it is even tired of its own wrinkly face. The snow is finally melting, in all its dirty glory. However, in the meanwhile, I have ferociously entered an area of apparel that is made to protect oneself from the extremest elements, should one be abandoned at the summit of the Himalayas. I purchased two main lifesaver articles of outerwear: Sorel boots (mine are Sorel 1964) and a thick, hand-knit, half wool scarf. I looked everywhere online for a long, over-sized, fringless, and chunky wool scarf to no avail. Then, a wonderful lady on Etsy knitted it for me. It is beyond cozy and lovely. As for the boots, I saw a pair like them on a girl in New York and thought to myself, "those are so ugly, they're cute, I want them". They are a heavy duty boot company from Canada and (of course, those snow-hoarders). I now purposely walk through snow pile-ups like a boss.

I have too much amour for this wool, silk, and mohair Zara coat with lapels and belt, which is now out of stock, but can be found on Ebay.

Last week was Philly Fashion Week. There were different runway shows and event all week for all genres of fashion. I have a somewhat odd infatuation for menswear (Hey, my future man, please be quite ready to not entirely choose your own wardrobe, shukran) but my friend and I decided that a ladies Muslimah fashion show was probably more relevant, and it would be nice to support my sisters in their small businesses of promoting modest clothing, hijabs, and formal accessories for weddings, Eids, etc. Therefore, we happily attended the International Modesty Runway Show. There is so much talent among my sisters. I am fairly certain I could not sew entire collections of dresses so superbly. My friend bought a very pretty black dress from Nyala of www.nylii.com. She sells modest, modern, American pieces. We really enjoyed ourselves. I am so excited to attend the International Muslimah Fashion show in Hershey on March 20-23!

                                               

Our favorite part of the event was just to see the diversity of our Ummah. There were so many beautiful Muslim sisters from all backgrounds, let us always support each other, protect each other, serve our fellow human beings together, and actually become a unified Ummah. Ameen.

-A

flat white & dusty pink

Autumn has arrived. It is getting cold, and it is just not my probable anemic state. The only gleam of light in this seasonal situation (besides it being a gift from God, thanks God, for real, I'm sure there is a very wise point to colder months) is that it results in a few coats, boots, and some semi-closed heels here and there. I have a few coats that I will share here this season. The one I have been wearing the most so far is the "Lofty" wool coat by Tildon. I love the oversized look, whether it be in the shape of the swinger style, cocoon, or A-line. I prefer collarless, though giant masculine collars are everywhere right now. As far as colors go, dusty pink and camel are my favorite colors in coats. Camel is fiendishly popular on runway, but I am finding it slow to appear in the average American store, especially at reasonable prices.

Coat: "Lofty" by Tildon

Heels: "Karlie" by Michael Kors in genuine leather (sold out)

Suede version here (personally, not a fan of suede)

Dusty pink leather version here

Wiser alternative here, here, and here

Lipstick: Dior Addict 545, it is a lovely, sheer, and feminine orange (discovered it two years ago in the department stores of London, that shade still has not made its way to the USA yet...but you can hunt it down online)

On our way to NYC, my gas ran out in the middle of nowhere. It sucks to be a procrastinator sometimes.

A delicious Flat White from Culture Espresso Bar, midtown NYC. (so smooth, even my little sisters LOVED it)

 Downtown B-more 

(Checkout Dooby's Coffee shop's new location on N. Charles street...GREAT cappuccinos, I know I seem to say that a lot, but really, very good)

And last but not least, this past weekend Sheerin and I met up in DC with a couple of other girls. I packed light because I am lazy, but I did not forget to throw these heels in the bag. These are called  Majisty by Steve Madden and come in different colors (I love it in "Blush Leather"). I switched into these in the evening, but a passerby was sure to inform me to wear sneakers to save my feet. Ma'am, I wear sneakers 43 hours of the week at work, so I do think I will take any opportunity to not wear them in any other setting ever in my life, thank you.

We of course stopped at Baked & Wired in Georgetown. They have really very spectacular cupcakes. There is always a line lately, for good reason.



Here are Sheerin's weekend outfits:

Denim on denim, love.

Watch: Tangerine boutique in Adams Morgan neighborhood, DC

It is FotoWeek in DC. We stopped at FotoNoma for the opening.


We finished the weekend with Sunday morning brunch. We ended up randomly selecting the absolute cutest French restaurant, Petits Plats. Two of the waiters were French and the other two were randomly Spanish-speaking (charming nonetheless). To be honest, we are highly uneducated in the beautiful French language, despite me having visited France and being somewhat preoccupied with the desire to marry one (I'm sorry, but who can resist a man with impeccable shoes and facial hair?). Our waiter had such a heavy accent on his English that it almost seemed fake, however, upon further examination we found that it was, in fact, not an act. Well, personally, I cannot deny that my accent is always genuine at any given point, but hey.


Mmm, poached eggs with smoked salmon.

Leather pants: H&M (love these because they are paneled and not entirely leather)

Sweater (pure wool): vintage

Thanks for visiting :)

Peace,

-A

mosaic

We met up in Philadelphia recently and decided to check out Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. It is a mosaic art environment in the South Street neighborhood by an artist named Isaiah Zagar. He includes glass bottles, mirrors, and many other colorful and unique objects in his work. It took fourteen years to complete.

Shrug: Zara

Long jean jacket: vintage (gift from cousin, taaanks)

Sandals: Lennon by Report (in nude)

Here are some more recent looks. I am obsessed with these sandals by Report. Can you tell?

Sweater: Forever 21

Loose pants: H&M

Chiffon kimono cardigan: Forever 21

(Philadelphia, outside an adorable coffee shop, "Chapterhouse". It has GAMES! Do you know how much we enjoy playing cards and drinking anything with espresso in it? Much more than most children.)

Faux fur: BB Dakota via 6pm.com (This stands out, wear at your own risk, it was complimented uncomfortably frequently)

Boots: Paris Hilton's Grey Martina

Oversize blouse: Express (old)

We are being incredible slackers/are unhealthily busy. A huge food post is to come soon, along with a shamefully neglected Acacia Label review of a beautiful dress from Spring. Yes, Spring. I shall return.

-A

that familiar conviction

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” 

― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Lunch at Café L'Aube, Philadelphia (great coffee, fresh, delicious food)

Sheerin- pants: NY&Co flats: Express jacket: H&M

Me- clutch: MMS via Marshalls shoes: Michael Antonio via 6pm.com, shirt dress/jewelry: Forever 21

mamool & papaya

A few times a year, I try to visit some of my friends and family in Philadelphia. To be honest, the weekend usually consists of beautiful people eating beautiful cuisine, as the main activity. Six of us went from a south Philly Cambodian restaurant, Khmer Kitchen, to a west Philly Lebanese bakery called, Manakeesh, where we spent a solid four hours. Having stayed predominantly in west Philadelphia the last few years during visits, I am not sure how I entirely ignored the existence of this pretty largely noticeable bakery. My company has all been before so, apparently, I was always excluded.

If you have not tried Cambodian food, it is now obligatory. Our waiter's grandmother cooked the food. My favorite was a poached fish dish with lemon grass in coconut milk, called Ah' Mok on the menu. Half of us disagreed, but I love fish. We also ordered a chicken dish, a beef dish (strips of steak that you wrap in lettuce, squeeze lime on top, with cucumber, along with a sour sauce), and a salad called Bok La-Hong. This salad completely baffles me. Apparently, it is papaya, cut noodle-thin, and spiced with tomatoes, basil leaves, and cabbage leaves, which were used to wrap the papaya. Now I know how people who have never eaten other cultural cuisine feel. All you who have ooh'ed and ah'ed over the "exotic-ness" of the standard kabob, I feel you. I have never felt more culturally unaware. I should probably make some East Asian friends.

For the most part, everything on the menu was low carbohydrate and high-protein with plenty of vegetables.

At Manakeesh, we bought mamool, which are stuffed cookies. I had pistachio and date stuffed ones. The others ordered plates of kenafe, a pastry made from filo dough and cheese, with pistachios on top. We also had the standard zatar with pita, but they cooked it all at once and added cheese inside, which is different than what I am used to, but very nice. The place is big, and it also has a juice and ice cream bar, which I ignored because being cold is one of my least favorite qualities of life. The mamool was very subtly sweet, which I liked. With it, I ordered a pot of tea. You get a refill, so it basically gives you 7-8 cups. The tea was similar to the tea I had in Morocco; loose leaf green tea with spearmint leaves. Still waiting for the day that that I see a proper overgrown bushel of spearmint in my pot, that's how it's done friends, if I do say so myself.

My outfit was not very carefully planned. I kept it simple and comfortable for the cold and the potential walking. A sheer burgundy button-up blouse, jeans, chocolate colored MIA boots via 6pm.com, a silky beige scarf from Morocco, and a fur hooded puffer jacket from H&M. My jewelry was even simpler, an off-white bubble necklace, and some knuckle rings.

I will return!

-A