A Fresh Dille

time to get lost

Posted in Uncategorized by clairedille on October 22, 2009

time to get lostNo, I am not off on some ideal romantic getaway. Instead, I am busy working away in a few cities and in a few industries. Here are some images of love that I love. It never hurts to have a little escapism…

mags and markets.

Posted in FAMILY, FOOD, MAGAZINES by clairedille on August 16, 2009

When this blog first came to light, I often wrote about my undying love of farmer’s markets and seasonal produce. Like all foodie bloggers, I always find myself so impressed by the abundance of colors and flavors around me at the market. Although many markets are overly crowded, there is something exhilarating about the enthusiasm others around me share for fresh food. Yesterday was the first time my father, mother, and sister have been together the entire summer and in true family form, we headed over to the biggest market nearby to satisfy our fruit and vegetable cravings for the week. The end of the summer always reminds me of blueberries and I was in dire need of them once I hit the bustling market. The other fruit I wanted was the sun gold variety of tomatoes, they are the sweet counterpart to the usual cherry tomato and oh, so tasty.

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I snack on these tomatoes plain but they are also wonderful roasted on a flatbread like the one I made last year on Martha’s Vineyard for my family.

Two magazines that I am loving today are the September issue of Vegetarian Times with two articles I am particularly pleased with, “go greek!” and “DIY Doughnuts” and The New York Times Style Magazine. My sister will be graduating next year from college (with a degree in fashion design) and to celebrate her graduation we are planning on heading over to Greece, the one place I haven’t been in Europe. It will be the perfect warm weather spot and I can not wait to photograph the beauty of Greece. The other reason I am so fond of the article on greek food is because I love the simple mediterranean flavors. If you ever want to taste authentic greek food, head over to Snack in Soho (right next to INA-best designer consignment store) on Thompson Street. The quaint feel of the restaurant is ever-so-charming and I always find myself seated between people speaking French or Italian and for some reason, I trust their judgment.

I feel a great amount of nostalgia for doughnuts in the summer months because it was the only time growing up that we made our way to Humphrey’s in West Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard. My father always ordered a Jelly doughnut and half of the jelly most likely ended up on his shirt, my sister and I favored a warm paper bag full of doughnut holes, and we would take a crueller home for my mother waiting for us at the Dille camp. This was a yearly tradition until it closed down in my early teen years and created a great upset.

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I have been waiting all week for the T Fall Fashion issue and two articles that drew me in were “Past Perfect” about the vintage clothing store in LA called Decades and “Who’s That Girl?” about the film costume designer, Arianne Phillips. I will go into more detail in the near future about why I am more intrigued about these topics than I may have been in the past, but  If you do not get the NY Times, I definitely recommend heading out to pick up the Sunday issue. The style issues only come out a few times a year and never disappoint.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Anyone else completely ecstatic about the Mad Men premier tonight!

repetitive mornings

Posted in FAMILY, FOOD by clairedille on August 14, 2009

As I said in the last post, it is hard for me to come up with creative meals for one in the summer months. I tend to go with what I know will satisfy me quickly. The usual breakfast these days is yogurt with kashi, flax, berries and another fruit such as a half a banana or peach. Sometimes I will go with delicious oat bran but when the days reach over 90 degrees, I am just not interested in something so warm and cozy. Another breakfast I occasionally have is the green monster that many bloggers mention with spinach, banana, almond milk, amazing grass or protein powder, and berries. Here are two similar eats I have had the last two mornings.

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Tonight I am excited to be eating a vegetarian meal with my entire family who usually aren’t so interested in my eats. I am sure many of you can relate to this, but it does get lonely sometimes eating at a different time because of cooking times or even just having a totally different meal in front of you. Of course I am not always at home with my family but when I am, it is nice to all eat together like when younger.

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working with what works

Posted in FOOD, VEGAN by clairedille on August 13, 2009

Sometimes it seems like I can become quite redundant with my grocery lists and usual eats. This is probably true with most but I am eager to become more inspired again. Last summer, when I became an official vegan for the first time, I was always interested in new recipes and ways of creating exciting meals each day. This is a staple salad for me: romaine or spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, avocado, and tempeh bacon with a simple balsamic vinaigrette or if I am truly lazy, I will use a Trader Joe’s or Amy’s tasty dressing (goddess or tuscan italian). Although more often than not, I will add some more exciting ingredients such as raw corn or jicama. Obviously I am a big fan of the crunch factor and the more flavors the better these days. I am also a very loyal beet and grated zucchini fan. Here is a simple salad that I ate for lunch today. I was itching for more groceries and ran over to Whole Foods with my younger sister, who is visiting,  for some much anticipated ingredients for the week.

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a late return

Posted in Uncategorized by clairedille on August 12, 2009

I have decided that I would like to return to A Fresh Dille after a few months hiatus. Never expecting to leave in the first place, I feel an apology is in order. I know how sad I am when blogs I regularly read come to a close. So please come back and read if you wish and I will try and keep things festive. I will resume posts about some of my favorites…food, fashion, and fitness. Of course travel and other areas of interest will probably make an appearance as well. Thanks for listenening lovelies. Hope all is well out there in the blogosphere.

quand il me prend dans les bras …

Posted in Uncategorized by clairedille on March 29, 2009

when he takes me in his arms…

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currently watching louis garrel in one of my favorites, dans paris.

images from hedi.

fashion words tonight.

the day i was born…

Posted in MAGAZINES by clairedille on March 18, 2009

is today! I have been quite the frequent blogger due to major changes that have occurred in my life these last few months. Still looking for the “perfect” or right job during this recession is no longer possible. Telling yourself that you will have to settle for something below what you imagined for yourself is hard to grasp. I am currently at this place and each day I search for the most positive traits within myself. Maybe returning to the blog world will be a good outlet for my thoughts right now. The economy is suffering and magazines are folding by the day. After studying print journalism and loving the physical act of holding a heavy spring issue of Harper’s Bazaar or Vogue since childhood, I am frightened that one day I will not have that option. Is it strange that I am returning to online media when I am so scared print media might be taken away from me?

On a more positive note, my best friend from college is coming from Los Angeles on Friday to celebrate another birthday. She is truly one of my soul mates and accepts me for all that I am. Sometimes we call each other to simply tell say how we miss sitting in our twin beds across from one another talking about all the silly boy drama that surrounded us. She is a true California girl and it was no surprise that the first thing she did upon graduation was transport to LA where she could write television drama. Here we are after I convinced her to go out in the first snow fall in Boston to get goods for baking Christmas cookies.

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me and my lil laura.

We will be reunited after much too long. I will honestly admit that she is often the one I get in the most trouble with. Most of the time I am pretty in line, however, this little one can get me to take the occasional tequila shot among other rambunctious things. On the other hand, I am the one who may or may not have gotten her addicting to manicures, as I already received notice or her needing one via text. I cannot wait to celebrate with a few of my best friends on Friday at one of my favorite New York restaurants (more on that later).

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me hugging laura

Well, it is way past my regular bedtime but I guess I had to stay up late to see the clock strike midnight on my birthday! I will be returning tomorrow…I’ll leave you a with a photo laura took of me the last time she came to stay with me in Manhattan. Uh oh…

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Tomorrow, I’ll share a few Fall Fashion Week looks I loved from New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Goodnight loves.

bag & bliss.

Posted in Uncategorized by clairedille on February 16, 2009

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sweet potato fries, A Magazine # 1 (curated by Maison Martin Margiela) spread with Jane Birkin.

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I was “bag tagged” by the lovely Brooke, and here is the bag that I have been carrying. The size of my Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo is perfect for my day to day needs and a few magazines, which is one of my qualifications when choosing the right day bag. This bag is from the spring collection and I find the blue to add a little more excitement to my outfit than the basic black bag. Inside, I carry all sorts of goodies and here they are…

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old tortoise ray bans from my mom, black cashmere beret/ beanie, oscar blandi dry shampoo , top coat nail polish, bond no. 9 perfume samples, burt’s bees pomegranate chapstick and cuticle cream, one nail polish remover pad, one green tea, an elephant necklace, random red ring (with a game in it?) from new years popper, my passport (always have with me), mints, neue gallerie and metropolitan museum pins, coco red chanel lipstick, smashbox cream liners and brush, vintage red wallet, moleskin journal, two pens, my blackberry, and bobby pins.

There it all is! Sometimes I try to consolidate more but I do carry a lot with me.

ciao.

More Fall/Winter ready-to-wear talk tonight…

doing what they do best

Posted in FASHION by clairedille on February 15, 2009

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Rag and Bone consistently turns out great tailoring. David Neville and Marcus Wainwright played with many different shapes for jackets, deterring away from the overly structured Fall 2008 collection. I can see myself wearing one of the off center closure jackets and the assymetrical mini dress. The simple black dress is basic but still sexy, keeping with the current body conscious trend we’ve seen all over the runways as of late. Even the short flouncy printed skirt is downtown edgy. Style.com has called the Rag and Bone girl a “latter-day urban warrior.”

Later today…

Alexander Wang

Vena Cava

Charlotte Ronson

Yigal Azrouël

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I will warn you now. Lots more black, leather, motorcycle/aviator, body-con looks to come. Recession much?
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my new go-to dessert

Posted in FOOD, VEGAN by clairedille on February 14, 2009

This post is going to be photos for the majority, due to the fact that I am trying to catch up on all things fashion-week related. For now, I leave you with the fabulous Candle Cafe Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie.

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Both of my parents agree that this is one decadent dessert. The mousse is only sweetened with maple syrup and in the crust, spelt flour is used. Although the recipe is for 6-8 servings, I believe it will take three of us four days to finish it, or 12 servings. Delicious.

Some other eats…

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The always delicious ezekiel sprouted english muffins with raw almond butter and pumpkin butter topped off with banana and flax. on the side, I finished off the banana with some raspberries.

After a pretty extensive run, I came back completely famished and the only thing that I could think of eating quickly was a Tasty Bite Indian Dish, specifically the Spinach with soy beans. It wasn’t fabulous but fulfilled my hunger with a side of raw veggies and roasted red pepper hummus.

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My dinner was not too exciting, but my all time favorite green was involved (Kale!), as well as wheatberries. Snack usually involves fresh organic fruit or a larabar.

Tomorrow I will show you some of my favorite fall/winter 2009 garments.

night.