Met Gala: to punk or not to punk

Was JLo's look very punk? Whether she hit the night's theme or not, she rocked the 
Met Gala's Red Carpet in this animal-print Michael Kors gown. And love that pompadour! 
(Though it feels more 50s rock a la Elvis, no?)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Costume Institute Gala is the perfect opportunity for Hollywood's biggest stars to take risks and be fashion-forward. No need to hold back at this event. Anything goes! Especially with this year's theme, "PUNK: Chaos to Couture."

The ten best looks from Monday night's affair (including JLo's, above):

Sarah Jessica Parker paid attention to the night's theme and nailed it, as seen in this awesome
Giles Deacon gown and Philip Treacy mohawk headdress. You can't see it in this photo, but her
thigh-high boots are flannel/plaid, a nod to punk rock. Nice work, SJP!

Cameron Diaz's Stella McCartney cobalt number might hurt you. Look at that spiked belt! Beware.

Anne Hathaway (in Valentino) opted for a bleached blonde bob,
"ripped-up" sheer and this season's Red Carpet favorite: the sideboob.

Channeling her inner-punk is not very hard for Rooney Mara
(in Givenchy Haute Couture). Although this look is more 
couture than chaos. 

The always fashion-forward Kate Bosworth didn't disappoint
in this gorgeous beaded hot-pink Balmain dress.

Loving this black-and-white striped J. Mendel gown worn by model Chanel Iman. 
Would have been cool though, if she wore some punk-inspired make-up.

Only the Queen of Cool (aka Gwen Stefani) can pull off this Maison Martin Margiela 
dress. A faux hawk would have completed the look.

Christina Ricci rocks the taffeta and asymmetrical hemline
in this Vivienne Westwood punky plaid gown. 

Stacy Keibler looks kinda futuristic punk in this Rachel Roy studded mini.

And the night's ten worst looks...

If Anna Wintour (L) is the most powerful woman in fashion,
then certainly she could have snapped her Vogue fingers and
whipped up something better than this ugly, boring, floral Chanel
dress. As for Kim Kardashian (R), her Red Carpet choices are
pretty hit or miss. This Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci floral gown is
definitely a miss. There's the weird turtleneck thing going on.
Especially bewildering are the matching gloves and heels.   

Yes this is punk, but it's awful, I thought when I saw Madonna's Givenchy Haute Couture 
get-up. I hate to say this, Madge, because I love you and have been a devoted fan 
since childhood. But I'm afraid you're gonna have to start dressing your age. 
At lease put on some pants!

Zooey Deschanel is practically unrecognizable without those trademark bangs! The toothy, squinty smile is throwing me off, too. And unfortunately there's nothing punk about this Tommy Hilfiger gown.
(Has Tommy Hilfiger ever made anything remotely punk?) 

Beyonce's Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci gown with paisley print and matching knee-high
boots = tacky not punky.

Elle Fanning's (L) tie-dye Rodarte dress feels more 60s hippie than 70s punk.
I find Nicole Richie's (R) gray updo a bit eery. In fact, the frosted hair paired
with the matronly Topshop gown makes her look like a geriatric punk rocker.
Perhaps it's exactly the look she was going for? If so, it's genius. 

Fashion risk-taker Chloe Sevigny (L), who looks very unhappy in this photo 
(I would be, too if I was wearing this), is one person I thought would nail the 
punk theme. Not sure what she was thinking when she chose this Proenza 
Schouler dress with matching head wrap. Katy Perry (R) looks beautiful 
in this Dolce & Gabbana Virgin Mary-inspired dress and gold crown. 
But it's not very punk rock.

The usually over-the-top Nicki Minaj played it safe in this rather plain navy blue
Tommy Hilfiger gown. Totally underwhelming and a total #punkfail.
 

Wednesday selfie

Today's look: I got my cobalt blues.

The outfit: Mirror/Dash striped blazer; C&C California tank; BDG cobalt blue skinny jeans; Mossimo wedge heels w/ thick criss-cross straps; City Buddha beaded spherical drop earrings; DIY top knot bun.

The occasion: Work work work.

Why I like this look: I often feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. Like millions of women on the planet, I've got two full-time jobs (motherhood + career) which doesn't leave me much time for sleep. Take last night for example. Lights went out around 11:30 p.m. but I couldn't for the life of me turn off my brain. After tossing and turning for half an hour, I slithered out of bed and decided to work. Fast forward three hours and two articles later and I finally hit the sack. Needless to say, a strong cup of coffee was in order this morning. And staying in my pajamas was not an option (cleaning up + looking good = confidence + motivation). So I managed to cobble this outfit together. Not bad, huh?

   

This week's obsession: shoes with cute kitty faces

Style blogger Jessica Quirk's DIY fox slippers. Hey Jess, can you embroider a pair for me?
(Photo: What I Wore)

I can't get enough of these cute kitty cat faces! And on a pair of heels, flats or slippers? It's the purr-fect combination. Looks like I'm gonna have to start saving for the Charlotte Olympia Kitty-Cat Embroidered Velvet Pumps. In the meantime, I'll try fashion blogger Jessica Quirk's DIY fox slippers.

Charlotte Olympia Kitty-Cat Embroidered Velvet Pumps (L) and Slipper (R).

At $695 (each pair), totally unaffordable. But a girl can dream, right?

You can find these darling things at Harushop.

These Sleepy Felt Fox Clips are genius. (Photo: Etsy) 

And for the kiddies...

You can find these totally adorable Little Fox Baby Booties on Etsy. 

Sew Heart Felt Fox Slippers = sew, sew cute!!

Parenting evolves all the time

Parenting the newborn: So in love. So f*cking tired.

Parenting evolves all the time. When children are babies, a physical kind of parenting is required. Every ounce of physical strength—-especially under the duress of sleep deprivation-—is demanded. Lifting, diapering, wiping, burping, feeding, waking up when the rest of the world is sleeping, feeding some more, diapering again, burping, cleaning spit-up, wiping poop off of your hand, cursing at dawn because now you resent that everyone else is asleep, lifting, diapering, burping, feeding and repeating this a thousand more times.

Parenting the infant: Never a dull moment.

   

As the parent of a baby, you must have stamina or it will be the end of you. Most survive the first year thanks to adrenaline and heightened feelings of love and adoration for said baby. 

   

Parenting the toddler: How can you be so cute and drive me so crazy at the same time?

When those babies grow into toddlers, parenting evolves into a mental one. Granted, there’s still a lot of physical labor to be had: lifting 26 instead of six lbs and potty training, for example. But temper tantrums and nuclear meltdowns for no good reason (a toddler’s specialty) require a parent to have steel nerves. Take for instance, my 3-year-old daughter, who dissolved into a puddle of hot tears within a span of five seconds this morning when she realized the dress she was wearing was yellow and not pink and had pink flowers on it instead of red cherries. 

Trying to reason with her was no use. She had already made up her mind that the dress was unacceptable, even though just 10 minutes earlier she seemed elated to put it on. She screamed and stiffened her body, refusing to get in the car seat. “This is bullsh*t,” I said quietly in my head. “You’re the child and I’m the parent. I gave you three dress choices this morning and you picked this one. It’s time to go to school. You’re going to be late.” I kissed her on the cheek and wiped her tears. “I love you, have a wonderful day at school,” I said to her. “You’re mean to me Mommy,” she whimpered. See what I mean? Gotta have nerves of steel.

Parenting the (little) kid: The world is his oyster.

Someone once told me that as kids get older, the load lightens. I took this to mean shedding the actual physical load—-when 15-lb boxes of diapers and strollers and baby swings and high chairs and potty seats and breastfeeding pillows and portable cribs get handed down or donated to Goodwill. Yes, there’s no longer the need for multiple sippy cups or shopping cart covers, but the load doesn’t necessarily lighten. It gets heavier on the emotions.

Parenting the (little bigger) kid: Budding talents, blossoming interests, everyday wonder.

When toddlers grow into kids, parenting becomes more emotional. At this point, you’ve had several years to get to know your child. There’s conversation. Shared laughter. Memory making. Relationship building. Parenting becomes extremely exciting as your child reveals his interests and dislikes, his passions and talents. Every day, every week, something new blossoms: a strong curiosity in geography and multiplication; a budding talent at drawing and playing basketball; an ease in finding and making friends; a soft spot for stuffed animals; a developing sensitivity for the world around him. You are constantly in awe of this adorable human being and amazed and delighted by whatever amazes and delights him. Good feelings run high and you feel so lucky to have been chosen as his parent.

Parenting the grade-schooler: Where has my baby gone?

As wonderful as those emotional highs are, sometimes the lows are quick to follow with a sucker punch to those softened steel nerves. Especially on those afternoons when dirty socks are strewn all over the house, even after you’ve asked for the millionth time to Please put your smelly socks in the hamper. Or those weekday mornings when he’s playing games on his iPad in his pajamas and un-brushed teeth when you’ve asked a gazillion times to Please make sure you’ve brushed, gotten dressed and eaten breakfast BEFORE jumping on the iPad. Or when the whining and complaining gets SO ANNOYING you feel like poking your eyes out. Or when you catch him riding his bike outside when you've asked him to finish his homework first. You're tired of sounding like a broken record and your emotions run the gamut between vexation, desperation and just plain going cuckoo.

But this other emotional thing happens. Something so gut-wrenching and panic-inducing it seizes your heart. You realize your baby-now-big-kid is growing so fast, at a lightning’s pace right before your eyes and you must face the fact that time will not be on your side forever. When your kids are small, the years are short and the days are long. But as they enter grade school, the years AND days are short. Before you know it, he’ll be in middle school, then a teenager who’d rather hang out with his friends than you. Then poof! Out of the house and flying away to fulfill his own dreams.

Parenting the two greatest treasures a woman could ask for: Priceless.

I’m getting ahead of myself here. My kids are only seven and three. But let’s just say wisdom is whispering in my ear and she’s telling me, “Soak it up even though some days you feel like you’re gonna drown. Because one day, the day you are ill-prepared, you won’t be their #1 anymore.”

Parenting evolves all the time. And I don't wanna miss anything.

Links may06

Hot and crispy homemade pizza topped with an oozing egg. Get in my belly! (Photo: thekitchn.com)

eat/eat/eat

• Breakfast for dinner. (The Kitchn)
• Can't wait to try this ratatouille. (Not Without Salt)
• Everything's better with balsamic vinegar. (Spoon Fork Bacon)
• Kimchi with a kale twist. (Week of Menus)
• Egg whites in drinks? So delicious! (Spirited Alchemy)