­

Why Did You Wear That: Don’t Rain on My Parade

By |July 21st, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

nyc whydid palazzo pantsThis summer’s weather has been just about as unpredictable as my mood.  One moment hot, one moment cold.  The sun is scorching your skin one day.  The next you can’t find an umbrella big enough to protect you from full body saturation.  If you enjoy this unpredictability, maybe we should date– or maybe you should talk to a shrink.  Anyhow, when it came time to shoot last week, the talented Michael Stiegler had only a small window of time to snap before the sun went down.  As it happened, that was the exact same time Mother Nature decided she was going to open up the flood gates and water the flowers.  The upside of my sometimes scattered moods is that I tend to adapt well to what might seem like unsavory obstacles.  Rather than postpone for a day without rain, we grabbed an umbrella, headed to the roof and proceeded to make the best of a soggy situation.  And much like many of our more impromptu photoshoots, we came up with images that were surprisingly good.  Life lesson?  When it rains, dance.

raining new york umbrella

whydid nyc kirsten smith

kirsten smith blog why did

wide leg printed pants

new york rooftop rain

nyc skyline printed pantstop: Brandy Melville, similar by Miguelina here, pants: Brandy Melville, similar by Free People here, bag: vintage Dooney & Bourke, similar here, shoes: Via Spiga, similar by Pour la Victoire here, umbrella: Dr. Kenet, similar by Marc by Marc Jacobs here, bracelets: Alex + Ani

xx,

WhyDid

Photos by Michael Stiegler

 

Why Did You Wear That: Rain, Rain

By |May 5th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

kirsten smith whydidSpring in New York tends to be more fickle than the beautiful women who inhabit it.  One minute it’s all sunshine and soft breeze.  The next it’s dark storm clouds and running for cover.  One must always stow a small umbrella in her bag and never become too attached to her blowout. When Figleaves was kind enough to send me some stellar swimwear, I could not wait to suit up.  Problem is, it’s hardly warm enough for exposed limbs and there’s definitely not enough sunshine for SPF.  So, when the second to last day of April gave us just one last monsoon to remind us who’s boss, we had to get creative.  If rooftop poolparties aren’t in Mother Nature’s forecast for me, I’ll just have to make due with my own watering hole.

Don’t despair over your summer plans, folks. You can still wear a luxury swimwear this season if you can safely access a beach, have a backyard you can lay out in, or if you just decide to dress up in one around your house. Do you! We all have to take some precautions and make changes to our travel plans with a pandemic still happening, but sometimes a little shopping can help take your mind off things, even just for a bit. Miami Swim Week happened last year, but the runways work ahead of schedule, and these are the 10 trends we saw for 2020.

 

 

_S1A1651web2

bubble bath

rubber ducky

 

_S1A1709web2

kirsten smith whydid

 

_S1A1802web2

_S1A1757web2

 

kirsten smithshirt:Lucca Couture, hat: Big Buddha, bathing suit: Huit c/o Figleaves, shorts: Joe’s Jeans, shoes: Steve Madden, sunglasses: Pucci, bag: Diane von Furstenberg, towel: Cynthia Rowley, bracelets: Alex and Ani

xx,

WhyDid

photos by Brian Schutza

Why Did You Wear That: Distressed Done Up

By |April 24th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

whydid kirsten smithWhen one thinks of shredded jeans, I  assume that most file destroyed denim under completely casual.  To be honest, I treat some of my destroyed denim like my own version of sweatpants.  A particular pair that reign as queen bee of my cluttered closet and are often the first thing I pull out for morning dog walking duty also happen to be the very same pair I pull out to wear with a tiny top and high heels for an evening out.  So, you see, distressed denim truly can go from day to night.  I’ve never worked at a job where I had to wear a “suit” (that’s the beauty of the fashion industry, kids), but when I worked in a sad grey cube at Henri Bendel, we were supposed to follow a few simple guidelines like, I don’t know: don’t look like an asshole or wear flip flops.  One of the clauses when distressed denim became one of our biggest sellers in store was that we could wear it… so long as it was one of our vendors… and most certainly not with flip flops- not even Havaianas.  So, full circle: destroyed denim can be both very downtown as well as totally dressed up.

whydid kirsten smith

whydid kirsten smith

kirsten smith whydid

kirsten destroyed denim whydid

whydid kirsten smithblazer: Dian von Furstenberg, blouse: Philosophy, jeans: DIY (learn how here), bag: Rafe, shoes: Carlos by Carlos Santana, sunglasses: Ray-Ban, bracelets: alex and ani, necklace: Maya Brenner

xx,

WhyDid

photos by Brian Schutza

Why Did You Wear That: Little in the Middle

By |September 12th, 2013|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

It is my belief that most women either love their torsos or love their legs and the alternate tends to be their trouble zone and bane of their existence- much like fitted sheets are to me.  Then I guess there are those handful of you bitches who can’t even comprehend what a “problem area” is.  I am not one of those, so read on and continue not hating me.  From the time I put on my first pair of tights for ballet class, I cursed my thighs.  I always longed for gazelle like legs, but instead was blessed with a set of sturdier stems.  A guy I was once dating nearly got clocked for calling them “healthy.”  Wrong answer, bro.

When the crop top came back in to heavy rotation this year, I really couldn’t have been more thrilled, unless someone told me there was a new way to make millions while simply drinking rosé and people watching.  You see, the chances of the crop top returning to relevance again and my being of age appropriateness overlapping are quite slim.  It’s kind of like a blue moon and I’m sure there’s some statistician out there who could calculate the odds, but I cried to my statistics professor to avoid failing, so I’m not your girl.  Point is: you give me an opportunity to wear a crop top, and I’m taking it.  Like here and here and, well, now here.

kirsten smith

kirsten smith

kirsten smithjacket: Diane von Furstenberg (similar here), top: American Apparel, pants: 7 for All Mankind, shoes: B Brian Atwood, sunglasses: Chloe, bracelets: Alex and Ani, bag: vintage (similar here)

So, if you’re sick of seeing me in crop tops, blame Jenn Seracuse… and my parents.

xx,

WhyDid

Photo credit: Michael Stiegler

Why Did You Wear That: Now and Later

By |September 4th, 2013|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

kirsten smithThe weather at the end of summer and the beginning of spring is more flippant and unpredictable than a woman two days into Aunt Flo.  One day you’re blotting sweat stains from a silk blouse and the next you’re wishing you’d stowed a cardigan in your tote.  Most of my summer was spent sunning my stems in denim cutoff shorts.  My jeans barely saw the light of day and probably now have perma-creases from staying stagnant in the depths of my closet.  Most people see Labor Day as the end of summer and Fashion Week as the beginning of fall.  This is when closet starved New Yorkers begin the purging of their closets.  Tiny tanks and strappy sandals are stowed and soft cashmere and slouchy boots take their place.  But before you pack away your denim cutoffs for good,  let’s examine how some of your favorite summer pieces can have an extended shelf life by working them into your wardrobe with winter wear.

kirsten smith

kirsten smith

kirsten smith

denim shorts kirsten smith

kirsten smithsunglasses: Ray-Ban, top: custom vintage (similar here), shorts: c/o Cult of Individuality, bracelets: Alex and Ani, bag: Malini Murjani (similar here), shoes: L.A.M.B. (similar here)

Stay tuned to see how to take your summer shorts to a winter staple.
xx,

WhyDid

Photo credit: Michael Stiegler