Cocoon in Pastel Pink

Oversized cocoon coat is white hot this season. You just can't avoid it in fashion blogs or mainstream stores. This simple boyfriend cut gives you a polished yet laid back look that makes winter layering piece of cake.

Being petite, I don't want to indulge on a cocoon coat as I look way better in a more slim cut silhouette. So I searched up and down to find a bargain piece, until I saw this Express cocoon coat in pastel pink. This coat is so light that I don't think I can survive the brutal Northeast winter in it. But this light texture and soft color do make it a refreshing alternative to my dark sober winter wardrobe on those relatively warm days. When I walked into the subway station at rush hour, this coat stood out so beautifully among the famous New York black.

In summary, it's not the warmest wool coat you'd expect, but it feels soft to the touch and on the body. It feels more like a trench coat in terms of warmth. If you live in an area with mild winter, you may find more mileage in it.

Coat: Express Textured Cocoon coat  in light pink (more colors, thicker version from JCrew)

Sweater: JCrew (also seen in this post)

Pants: Club Monaco

Boots: Cole Haan

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Treadmill or Outdoor?

最近纽约太冷了，实在不想拍照，就码点字吧。今天详细讨论一下跑步入门问题之一：跑步机和路跑，哪个更累/更减肥？

对这个问题最简单的回答是：在其他条件相同的情况下，这两者的运动消耗差不多，减肥效果也差不多。

1996年英国University of Brighton的研究人员发现：当跑步的配速(pace)在不超过每英里8:03的情况下，跑步机跟路跑得消耗相当；当配速增加到7:07或更高的情况下，跑步机会略为轻松，因为风阻更小，只要你把跑步机的坡度提高到1%，这个差异也就消失了。

很多人可能不同意了：“我在跑步机上跑得不费力，可是一上路就累趴了，这两者怎么可能一样？”

我想问的是：你路跑的时候有没有用带GPS的心率表？有没有精确控制速度？能不能保证路跑的速度跟跑步机是一致的？如果没有的话，这两者根本就不是一回事，没有可以比较的前提，谁都知道100米冲刺的速度通常不能维持400米。

在没有速度控制的情况下，人对速度的感知通常来自身边事物的参照。路跑的时候，人往往会不知不觉地提高速度，因为在较为广阔的环境中，人会感觉自己的位移更小速度更慢。这跟在游泳池里觉得自己游得很快，可是在平静的湖面感到对岸怎么也游不到是一个道理。既然路跑的速度快了，人自然也疲劳得快。

又有人会说：“我正好相反，在路上怎么也跑不累，跑步机上十几分钟就要完蛋了。”

在路跑和机跑速度一致的前提下，这种现象是心理疲劳造成的。路跑有不断变化的风景，而机跑则相对乏味，于是便容易厌烦，这是个mental challenge。

长期严格控制速度进行跑步训练的人，往往能克服这种心理疲劳，也能精确控制速度，他们会告诉你这两者的消耗其实区别不大。

当然，路跑的情况还是要复杂得多。大家都知道，匀速跑比变速跑更省力，平地跑比上下坡更省力。所以，如果你路跑的线路路况复杂，上下坡较多，或者红绿灯较多，路跑都会比跑步机更有挑战性。天气也是影响心率和消耗的重要因素，尤其是酷暑季节，路跑消耗会比在空调房里更大。不过，这些都属于“其他条件”，超过了“在其他条件相同的情况下”这么一个讨论的前提。

Red Leopard

It felt like winter this weekend in NYC, and I decided to pull out my down coat. To brighten things up, I wore a red leopard sweater dress, a new purchase from Express, under it. I didn't even remember how many years have passed since I stepped in an Express store last time. That said, I am pretty happy with my purchase. It was soft and cute, although a little too short even for business casual. After all we do need a little bit color and fun occasionally, right?

Dress: Express Red Leopard Print Sweater Dress (also available in gray)
Down Coat: Burberry Brit (current season, similar available in Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Saks)
Boots: Cole Haan
Purse: Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry Wave Embossed Leather Satchel in burgundy
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Burgundy and Green

This is just an experiment of paring burgundy with green. Unlike the risky red and green combo, these two dark muted colors seem to go easily with each other. The warmth of burgundy adds more fun to the cool sober green shade, and together they form an elegant polished look. What do you think?

Shirt: Rugby (discontinued)
Skirt: Banana Republic
Coat: The Row (similar in black, also like this)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Booties: VC Signature by Vince Camuto
Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Burgundy

Rich dark burgundy / wine is a fashion staple that consistently remains a truly classic color, especially in fall/winter. The deep tone works well with a range of other hues, and instantly adds a degree of sophistication to your outfit.

Burgundy goes easily with black and white. When worn together, these three colors lead to a refined and effortlessly chic look. Black forms the neutral basis of your ideal outfit. Burgundy serves as an understated dose of color, and white offers a needed bright contrast to the two darker hues.

Various shades of brown plays up burgundy's classic appeal. Darker brown shades blend well with burgundy, while lighter browns and tan tones serve as complementary contrast.

Burgundy also looks great with a range of blue shades. Burgundy and navy is a timeless color combo: let navy serve as the base of your outfit and add burgundy accents. Because navy and burgundy are both deep, rich tones, keep accessories neutral so they don't compete with your clothes. Another color in the blue family that goes well with burgundy is turquoise. Burgundy base with a pop of turquoise makes a pleasant eye-catching contrast.

Metallics makes burgundy modern chic. Gold brings out burgundy’s warmth, while silver gives you a perfect, cool contrast to the deep red. When wearing burgundy with gold or silver, stay classic by keeping accessories simple.

BTW this Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry Satchel is my new love. Perry bag is a marriage between the classic Givenchy Antigona and the cool 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli, at a fraction of their price. This mini Perry is big enough to hold my everyday nonsense plus winter accessories such as a scarf and a pair of gloves. I can see myself carrying it a lot this season. :)

Trench coat: Burberry London
Silk scarf: Hermes
Purse: Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry Wave Embossed Leather Satchel in burgundy (here, here, here, here)
Leather armwarmers: Vince Camuto

Last Day of Sephora's VIB Event

Just a reminder that today is the last day of Sephora's VIB event that offers 20% off store wide.

This year's VIB event turned out to be pretty nasty. Sephora's server crashed for a long time on the first day, some VIBs' accounts got blocked out, some products were removed from the invoice by Sephora, some products got sold out within hours online, and if you had the guts to buy in store, you would be waiting in the checkout line much longer than you'd like to.

Despite all these, I managed to restock some of my favorite items as well as try a couple of new items during the event. And here is my list:

NARS lipsticks. Well, I confess that I've been hooked by those lipsticks for years. They are not the most moisturizing lipsticks, to be honest. But I like how weightless it feels on my lips. For everyday use, I like Love Devotion (not available on Sephora) and Niagara. Both have just a tad peach/coral/pink on top of the nude base. Dolce Vita is the most popular nude color of NARS, but I look a little washed out in pure nude. Love Devotion and Niagara brightens up my complexion without appearing artificial. For winter/fall everyday use, however, I stick to Autumn Leaves. In most of my pictures, I wear this warm brandy color that look both natural and polished. Of course, I have a bunch of dressier colors from NARS too for other occasions... This time I got Jungle Red, the most popular red lipstick in NARS family that is considered true red with no orange or blue undertone. It looks younger and brighter than Red Lizard and Future Red (last year's limited edition). Finally I got NARS Hardwired Lipstick in Femme Fleur to test out this golden/brandy new color.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine lipsticks. YSL lipsticks are quite popular on some Chinese makeup forums. They are moisturizing, but feels heavy on my lips. So I usually do not get them. This time I decided to try the orange coral shade of #14 Corail in Touch. Let's see how it goes.

Thierry Mugler Alien Eau de Parfum. If you are looking for a refreshing jasmine perfume, look no further. This is THE perfume that you need to stock up. Sexy, mysterious, sultry yet clean, this feminine scent will win you tons of compliments from young and old. Give it a try.

Shiseido Bio-Performance Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream. This is what I bring to the gym on warmer days when my typical La Mer seems a little heavy on my warm post-workout skin. It's a little lighter than La Mer. It's sold out online, but I was able to find it in store.

Shiseido Extra Smooth Sun Protection Lotion SPF 38 PA++. My favorite sun lotion. Enough said.

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. I like how gentle it feels on my skin. I've been using it for years.

bareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Light. I have oily skin and do not usually use foundation. On rare occasions that I do, I use this powder foundation that is light, transparent and oil-absorbent. It feels weightless, but has the ability to build up.

OK. That's my shopping list. What did you get?

Casual Friday Basics

Chunky oversized sweater, wool skirt, and knee high boots are my fall/winter staples. Fashion comes and goes, but these basic pieces stay. Stock them up when they go on sale, and save money and headache in many seasons ahead of you!

Have a good weekend, everyone! Stay warm~

Sweater: JCrew (similar)

Skirt: St. John

Brooch: Chanel

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Boots: Cole Haan

Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Winter Accessories

We had a couple of cold days here, reminding you that winter is not that far away. New York is a city of black, especially in winter. That doesn't mean that we do not use colors to spice up our outfit. Warm cozy accessories with a pop of color are our favorites on a chilly day.

This outfit features some of my favorite cold weather accessories.

Missoni scarves explore your imagination of color combos. My red/green scarf has gone quite a bit mileage since I got it in 2007. A couple of my friends also got Missoni scarves after they saw how many times I'd used mine.

This Vince Camuto arm warmer is a recent purchase and I love it! It comes handy when you wear a short-sleeve or sleeveless dress under neath your coat. Apparently it magically makes even the most classic simplistic outfit look edgy and chic.

And of course, don't forget to throw in a purse that you are in the mood for. I have to confess that I'm totally in love with blue bags this season. Blue is such a rich and sophisticated color for cold days that brightens an black outfit without appearing over-the-board. I've got three blue bags this year, and you-know-whom would roll his eyes whenever I pulled out one of them. What can I say? Men are color blind. They think all blues look the same... *_^

Wool coat: Marni
Scarf: Missoni (similar, similar, similar, similar, similar, also like this infinity scarf)
Purse: Loeffler Randall Rider Bag in cobalt leather (also seen in this post, similar, similar, similar)
Leather armwarmers: Vince Camuto
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Boots: Cole Haan

Foodie Chat (12): The Mermaid Inn

Hey, New Yorkers! Make sure you squeeze a dinner at the Mermaid Inn in your busy schedule before it gets too cold, if you haven't done so in the summer. This New England fish shack style restaurant frequents the list of NYC's best oyster bars year after year, and the price is unbeatable.

Don't get confused with the word "Inn" in its name. This is a sophisticated yet casual spot with a Cape Cod vibe known for its fresh unfussy seafood. If $10 for half dozen oysters is not a good enough deal for you, go for its happy hour (all night Monday and 5-7 pm otherwise) when you can have $1/each oysters. Those oysters are juicy and super fresh. The blackened catfish will melt in your mouth and the lobster sandwich is just perfect. At the end of the meal, you will get a complimentary mini chocolate pudding and a fish fortuneteller that literally tells everyone that he/she is in passion -- now you understand why it's one of the most popular dating places in NYC?

BTW, the service is incredibly fast and attentive.

Address: 96 Second Ave, NY, NY 10003
Telephone: 212 674 5870

Bir...Bir...Birkin!

爱收藏包包的女人不可能不知道birkin。要说birkin贵，其实也不尽然，现在一只小香包也差不多是birkin三分之一的价格了，而且birkin比小香要结实耐用许多。如果根养房子养孩子比，就更不算什么了，曼哈顿几个月的daycare（还不包括饮食）就够一个birkin。在很多人看来，birkin的地位主要在于它的难买，而我研究的结论则是，birkin的购买本身就有很多窍门。因为价格不菲货源难求，买一只称心如意的birkin是需要花一番心思的。

我今天来分享一下自己购买birkin的一些体会。

颜色。有些人买包的时候只要是有现货就买，不太看重自己的喜好，可是我觉得这是很个人的问题，需要好好考虑，毕竟买一只包很不容易。很多人喜欢鲜艳的颜色，尤其是喜欢爱马仕的标志性的橘红色。其实，根据爱马仕店员的信息，黑色是最难买到的。为什么呢？因为birkin皮质优异制作精良，其实是很好的上班包（我在金融区工作，经常看到拿birkin穿pant suit的女人排队买午饭），这跟大部分小香包的主要用途是不一样的。既然是everyday bag，就不能太招摇。黑色 灰色 棕色 金色（他家管米粽色叫gold），这些低调中性的颜色一来不那么耀眼，二来容易搭配上班的衣服，都是很好的选择。如果是第一只birkin，我个人倾向于买这类低调耐脏的颜色。金属件要么金色要么银色，就没有那么多讲究了。

大小。常见的birkin有30, 35, 40这三个尺寸。像我这样的小个子，拿着30和35都很好看，但是40就太大了。170以上的姑娘，可以在35和40间选择。难怪35是最流行的大小，在二手市场上，35也是最好卖的。不过，30和40更容易在店里买到，因为需求量相对较小。

皮质。这是个很复杂的问题，birkin的皮质选择比小香要多得多，我来多说几句。

我有十来只小香，但是没有一个是用来上班的，一个是因为经典好看的小香普遍偏小，装不了我的那许多宝贝，一个则是因为小香皮质普遍比较娇气。我日常主要背的是Louis Vuitton或者Coach的布包 -- 大妈我年纪大了，不在乎别人看我背logo包有什么想法，就图它们个大轻巧防水耐磨，那个shi黄shi黄的颜色，买来也没多新，用几年也没多旧。但是birkin是著名的workhorse，又能装又耐用，如果你选对了皮质的话，用上10年20年也依旧挺括好看，跟新的差不多（除了边角稍有磨损以外）。大家看过“花儿与少年”吧？如果小香包是许晴，那么birkin包就是刘涛，前者是用来看的，后者是拿来用的。

除开死贵的exotic skin（比如鳄鱼皮），birkin用的主要是牛皮和山羊皮。我见过很多赞美chevre（山羊皮）的，据说比牛皮更轻，但是我个人没有见过实物，应该比较少见。更常见的是用山羊皮做内胆，用牛皮做外层。-- birkin都是里外全皮，所以比较重。

牛皮又分为两大类，一种是textured leather，也就是有纹路的，一种是smooth leather，也就是光面的。如果你跟我一样，希望物尽其用，尽量多用这只包，那么，我建议把选择缩小到texutred leather里面，因为光面皮更容易有划痕，用用就显得旧了。最常见的光面皮是box，建议避免。

Textured leather里面，有的是天然纹路，有的是人工纹路，品种又有许多。最常见的是togo, clemence, epsom 和 fjord。这几个皮里面，epsom比较轻和挺，不容易软塌塌，但是手感不如另外几个厚软可爱。fjord不怕水，也有很多人喜欢，但是似乎是这几个里面最重的一种。Clemence这种皮非常软，手感巨可爱，但是用了几年以后包就渐渐塌了，空包站不住，尤其是大包，我觉得更适合爱马仕别的款型，比如Lindy就更适合用软皮做。Togo呢，比epson手感好，比fjord轻，比clemence挺，也比较容易排到，但是togo容易有vein，是皮子的天然纹理，找到一个没有vein的togo皮包也是很不容易的。

总之选皮子，是比选颜色大小要伤脑筋的事情。有兴趣研究的话，可以看看网上的信息，比如这篇和这篇。

Dress: DVF (also like this, this, this)

Wool coat: Marni

Brooch: Swarovski (also seen in this outfit)

Handbag: Hermes Birkin 35

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Booties: VC Signature by Vince Camuto