Sunday, September 21, 2008

In Today's News: I Made a Sandwich

Isn't it beautiful, sitting there in all its plastic-plated glory? Note the addition of prosciutto!

This is the result of my watching two hours of Food Network shows today, half of which was Bobby Flay throwing down lots of fried chicken. I was inspired; maybe if my countertop space was larger than a TV tray I'd have made something truly incredible. For now, I am loving the sandwich. 

In related news, there is an apple in my fridge that has been there for OVER A YEAR. It's a granny smith, and granny just turned 14 months old. It is not rotten or squishy or discolored; it is simply bionic. We are at a stalemate currently, as I'm beyond the point of eating it but too curious to throw it away.  

(Note on my fridge contents: Lu biscuits from a Fashion Week gift bag, mini vodka hiding behind the lime juice is also from FW gift bag, and check out the IKEA lingonberry jam propping up the notorious apple)

Saturday, September 20, 2008

How Do You Say "Waste of Money" in French?

I know how to say it in pictures: the Colette x Gap pop-up shop AND Swarovski's fall collection. In addition to being huge wastes of money, they are also both eyesores up on Fifth Ave and Madison Ave, respectively. 


On Colette: In the interest of full disclosure, I have never been one to have heart palpitations over new Colette collabs, and am heavily skeptical of their image as a tastemaking store. Still, I was willing to give their GAP shop a chance because of my fascination with pop-ups. 

Immediately after entering the store (around 7.30pm on a weekday), I was struck with how un-special the space looked. It didn't make you want to shop; the place was way too bright and none of the displays looked inviting. While I am fully aware of the Colette Paris shopping experience, and how it is not meant to be typical in any way, I was still terribly turned off. 

I picked up the shoelaces - egh. I sniffed at the Comme des Garcons - nothing I haven't already gotten from Barneys. I almost took a closer look at the keychains and pin until I overheard a sales associate quote the pin price to another customer: $110. If I won't pay $320 for a truly spectacular skirt at J. Crew because then I'd be paying $320 for a skirt at J. Crew, then I sure as hell am not going to find a $100+ GAP keychain to be a necessary accessory. 

Then I passed the erasers and pencils. This is the crap most people will be purchasing, just to have participated in the collab. A small, yellow foam duplo-looking block with the Colette logo was puzzling; it had no function except to cost $16. 

My overriding impression of the store came as a whispered exclamation as I glared down at the post-it notes: "It's like they ordered stuff from a promotional items catalog and just had their logo applied." Then I left.

On Swarovski: Go to any mall's Claire's store and ask to see the "prom jewelry" in the locked plexi cases. Then add two zeros onto the price of each item and voila - it's Swarovski. 

I was just wandering around Madison Ave as usual when I walked by their horrendous fall collection, whose muse could be none other than Ashley Alexandra Dupre. I mean, didn't Victoria's Secret have that weird crystal tie thing in their catalog five years ago? Anyway, I've put the images below for you to form your own opinion.