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Why Did You Wear That: A Dog Walk in the Park

By |July 10th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

dog walking nycMy morning’s begin much the same way everyday.  I hit snooze several more times than necessary, read a chapter in my book, chug a glass of lemon and cayenne water, and boil water for tea.  I do all of this while my best friend, Smitty, patiently watches- sometimes from his back.  The upside of Smitty knowing that he’s tiny?  He, under no circumstances other than maybe bacon, will jump from my bed until I pick him up and place him safely on the floor.  Downside?  When we hit the mean streets of Manhattan, he believes he’s badder than any pitbull on the block.

I used to throw caution to the wind when dressing for dog walking, plucking random articles of clothing from the couch, floor, or front of my closet.  And then one day I had the startling realization: people can see me- even with my sunglasses on.  I often forget that because I don’t lead the normal life of an office dweller, those people have already gotten up, worked out, and probably brushed their teeth in the time that I’ve lackadaisically brewed dandelion tea.  So, as I strolled along with dragon’s breath and clothing that probably didn’t hide the fact that it was last seen on the floor, women wearing pressed and dry cleaned cropped trousers and swinging their shiny freshly blown out hair power walked past.  Perhaps I needed to step my game up.  Maybe Smitty could wait a few more minutes for me to look more polished for the public. Getting a Runball is the best decision as your dog will enjoy it thoroughly.

But tiny dogs have tiny bladders, so I’d needed to find something to put on that checked off three important things: comfort, quick, cute so all of the requirement only fits in the Custom K9 Heros vest. My dog loves wearing Custom K9 Heros clothes.

 And then these LAMO suede embellished moccasins made their way into my world.  Check, check, check.  One of the plights most women of Manhattan face on a daily basis boils down to footwear.  Many make the commute in more foot friendly shoes, later switching to the modern day torture devices we refer to as heels.  The commuter shoe can be a scary thing.  I’ve seen white sneakers, flip flops, UGGs, and scary variations of Crocs.  Why must we trade fashion for function?  Well, I think these cozy moccasins may be exactly what we’ve all been looking for.  You’re welcome.

smitty dog nyc clothes

lamo moccasins

lamo footwear

dog clothes nyc

lamo suede moccasinstop: vintage (mom’s) similar by Seafarer, skirt: similar by Lovers and Friends, shoes: c/o LAMO, necklace: similar by Gorjana, dog: Smitty, Smitty’s shirt: Ralph Lauren, hat: Petco

xx,

WhyDid

Photos by Michael Stiegler

 

Smart is the New Pretty: For the Dogs

By |July 9th, 2014|Smart Is the New Pretty, WhyDid Wisdom|

ocean dogWe take special care to ensure that we don’t scorch our skin in the sun by slathering on SPF.  We tote around jugs of water to prevent dehydration in the midst of inclement climates, but what about our ever loyal, very hairy best pals?  They come along for the ride because isn’t that better than being stuck at home in the a/c?  Maybe not if you aren’t just as steadfast in planning for your pooch as you are for yourself.  Here are a few summer safety tips to keep your best friend frisky:

dog at the beach

xx,

WhyDid

Setting the Mood: The Dog Days of Summer

By |July 8th, 2014|Setting the Mood|

fashion dogs modelsIf you live in the northern hemisphere, the dog days of summer have just begun.  A phrase used to describe the “sultry” (more like sweaty) days of summer- July and August this side of the equator.  And since I love summer and I most certainly love my darling dog, Smitty, this week will be dedicated mainly to the man who shares my bed, my heart, and sometimes my sandwich.  Sure, I do love diamonds, but if you pressed me to honestly choose between karats and k-9’s, my pup would always reign supreme.  Just ask all my ex-boyfriends.

memorial-day-fashionThe unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day, is upon us (the official start of summer is June 21) wherein I realize I have been like the grasshoppers rather than ants all spring.  Meaning, while everyone packs up their cars, boards the Luxury Liner or (shudder) the LIRR, I’m left waving goodbye and cursing myself for not having thought ahead to make plans or get a boyfriend.  It’s not all a loss though, I won’t suffer through the hell that is Hamptons traffic and there is a pool two blocks away that will be potentially slightly less crowded.  And just because I may be catching my Vitamin D all by my lonesome doesn’t mean I have to look like it.  Perhaps I could even fool myself into believing that I’m on my own very exclusive private island called Manhattan. The Hamptons beaches can be extremely hot in summer, make sure to read these blaux portable ac reviews.

memorial-dayMelissa Odabash Woven Panama Hat,  K Jacques St. Tropez Metallic Leather Sandals, Illesteva Leonard Round Frame Acetate Sunglasses, MICHAEL Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Medium Tote

xx,

WhyDid

dog clothesHarry Barker Dog Food Storage Canister, Ralph Lauren Striped Dog Rugby, Ware of the Dog Two Tone Leather Collar, Magenta Gulp/Woof Ceramic Dog Bowls (Set)

xx,

WhyDid

WhyDid Wisdom: Darlimination

By |June 27th, 2014|WhyDid Wisdom|

The-people-who-wantWe’ve all seen the quote above.  Maybe we’ve even posted it somewhere.  We pass around all these inspirational quotes on social media sites and we like the shit out of them and put the “raise the roof” emojis in the comment section, but how long do those messages actually stick with us?  In a society with fleeting attention spans being diagnosed as ADD, we’re on to the next photo, conversation, or task in the swipe of a finger.  As great as all these digital “good vibes” are, how many of us are actually living them?

As I nearly melted on the roof of Soho House earlier this week with someone who came quite close to self eliminating himself and is still perilously toeing the line, I explained my theory to him.  For a long time I held onto people in my life who probably didn’t want or better yet, deserve to be there.  I thought that made me a good friend or a loyal person.  I was giving it the ol’ college try.  I was expending lots of energy on people and situations that were serving no purpose in my life and adding no extra happiness or value to my existence.  In reality, they were holding me back from becoming the person I want to be and from the things I really want from life.  It’s a sneaky form of self sabotage that I didn’t even realize– because let’s be real– I excel in self sabotage.  I love putting my little hand right on that still lit stove.

When I stepped back and released my death grip on relationships, the good ones survived and the bad ones choked.  By basically doing nothing except removing myself from the situation and seeing the relationships objectively for what they were, I eliminated a lot of unnecessary drama, hurt, and general fuckery from my life.  I felt lighter, I had more time to spend on things I actually needed to be doing, on people who I enjoy my time with, and didn’t really miss the past at all.  It was literally a relationship detox except there were no violent mood swings, hunger pangs, or wheatgrass shots.

The entire process was pretty much effortless, something else in which I excel.  I didn’t have to sit and ponder and sigh and shrug causing unneeded wrinkles and excess stress as to whether that person should stay or go.  They were doing it for me.  They were eliminating themselves from my life by acting like assholes and I didn’t have to lift a finger.  I just sat back calmly and watched it all play out.  It was survival of the fittest for relationships.  Darwinian.  Hence, “Darlimination.”

After commenting on the flecks of rose gold nail polish (Essie Penny Talk) still clinging to portions of my nails, he nodded his head in agreement (a real life “raise the roof” emoji).  I should probably copyright the name (and probably eliminate him for his manicure commentary, but there’s nothing a chocolate covered cinnamon gummy bear can’t cure).

A perfect example of Darlimination is something that happened a couple of weeks ago.  I had sworn off one very toxic and recurring relationship for the 400th time, and a friend of mine who’d I’d been spending a lot of time with had been missing from the scene.  During that time period, I woke up every morning and was happy.  I didn’t have anything really giddy worthy to smile about- no love life to speak of, still not able to make it rain with hundreds on a Tuesday, and an extra five pounds that seems to have signed a ten year lease and invited over some friends.  However, I was happy.  Like smiling at strangers (okay, strangers’ dogs) happy.  There was absolutely nothing that could bring me down, not even an Instagram feed strewn with photos of an ex and his new Snooki lookalike girlfriend.  Nothing.

And then my little Narnia was blown to bits after allowing both of those emotional vampires back into my life.  I didn’t recognize it immediately.  Well, the bad ex-boyfriend, yes.  How many times must I sing that sad song?  I was depressed and drained and didn’t feel like doing much of anything with anyone.  Poor Smitty.  I became aware that I was letting other people’s bad energy, shitty attitudes, and lack of shared goals and values pollute my otherwise very pretty world.  As much as I’d wanted to share my happiness and hoped it would rub off on them, they just wanted to flounder about in misery and that’s not my kind of party.  So after one too many irrational temper tantrums incorrectly directed towards me and another disappearing act by him, I let them go (“hand wave” emoji).

While this all may sound very selfish, anyone who actually knows me, knows that I’m probably too nice.  But we all have our breaking points and when you start to give too much of yourself helping others, you’re not only hurting yourself but hurting them too.  If you offer someone a piece of your world and they don’t take it or treat it like garbage, let them go.  Smitty is the only one allowed to shit on my floor and even he knows better… most of the time.  Not everybody fits into your life and instead of feeling hurt by that, feel thankful you’ve been shown that they don’t.  Now you have more time and more space for the people and things that do fit.  Rip the Band-Aid off and move on.  What is meant to stick will always stick, what doesn’t wasn’t meant for you  and will disappear.  You just have to learn to be okay with that.  If you’re feeling sad and can’t pinpoint the source, do a relationship audit and figure out if you’re clinging to emotionally depletive relationships.

On the flip side, don’t forget that if you want to be in someone else’s life, you need to put in the effort and be the friend, lover, human that deserves to be a part of that person’s life.  Think about what you’d expect because remember, you can just as easily be extricated.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Happily Overall

By |June 20th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

kirsten smith overalls whydidWith the return of 90’s trends, it’s felt like a reliving of my youth- not that it was that long ago or anything.  Much like mementos from first loves or pictures from the past, I have a hard time letting go of some of my clothing- in part because I know it’s going to become relevant again and also because it reminds me of particular periods of my life.  Seriously, you should see the closets at my mom’s house.  Hello, 90210.  One article of clothing I wish I’d hung onto were my overalls.  However, I was so happy at the time the trend was over that they were sent straight to Goodwill much like my Kriss Kross cassette was shuttled down the garbage shoot.

So, when these denim onesies made a surprising return (okay, not surprising since I predicted it), I was left looking for an adult pair.  Unlike other fillers (cantaloupe, carnations, baby’s breath, Juvederm, etc.), closet fillers are for trends that you like, but recognize for exactly what they are: trends.  There’s no use dropping two hundred dollars on a pair of destroyed dungarees when you know very well you won’t be wearing them next summer.  We all know summer is meant for flings anyway.  Therefore, I headed to everyone’s favorite “fast fashion” establishment, Forever 21 and scored a pair that I have no buyer’s remorse about.  (And paired them with a crop top, of course). overalls kirsten smith whydid

dog in the park nyc

kirsten smith overalls nyc

overalls nyc

kirsten smith why did overallsTop: similar by Alice & Olivia, Overalls: Forever 21, Shoes: similar by Steve Madden, Bag: French Connection, Sunglasses: Ray-Ban, Lips: , Dog: Smitty

xx,

WhyDid

Photos by Michael Stiegler