Last Minute Bride

My favorite wedding dress of the season from La Garconne, Opening Ceremony is now on sale for only $333! Any last minute summer or fall brides looking for the perfect dress? Check it out here. Rings by Iosselliani, available at Una in Portland.

Current Style Muse: The Women of Maxfield Parrish

Century Poster, 1897

I am visiting the small town where I grew up in Western Massachusetts and today there is a powerful thunderstorm. From my parent's front porch I can see dark, natural silhouettes of tall oak tress, and above the outline of a thickly grown canopy. The scene is backlit by a bright grey sky; misty mountains define the horizon. This almost fantastical woodland scene, mixed with the humidity that only and east coast summer can bring, summons the work of Maxfield Parrish to mind.

Scribner's, 1897

The frizz in my hair makes me long for the moistureless air of the Pacific Northwest, but also reveals new style inspiration. Looking to the women of Maxfield Parrish I can find natural, beautiful, curly (sometimes frizzy!) hairstyles.

Stars, 1926

Contentment, 1927

What do you think? Could you imagine creating a natural style like one of these? I'd love to see! P.S. all of this thinking about curly hair reminds me of my favorite New Yorker, circa 1998:

Dinner

I'm tryyyyyinngggg to eat gluten free and found this gf pizza crust at Portland's New Cascadia Traditional bakery. Honestly, it's not the same as real pizza crust, but I can with all confidence highly recommend their cupcakes! One of the best I've ever had and it was so pretty. They really have a lot to offer and I'm so glad to have them here in Portland.



Photo 1. by me
Photo 2. from New Cascadia Traditional's website

Check out my latest About Town article!

Some of you might not know that I recently started writing a monthly q+a series for a Portland website called Neighborhood Notes. Check out the latest article where I chat with artist and PSU professor, Jen Delos Reyes. Here are some of the photos we shoot for the article in the mean time:

P.S. We like to call that first photo, Animal Parade ;)

Killer GF Peanut Butter Cookies

I just made these and they are soooo good! You have to try them, especially if you are flour or gluten-free. If you can afford it, sub the granulated sugar for maple, date or coconut sugar (or even reduce sugar to 1/2 cup). To make them more healthy you could also use dark chocolate chips and even use almond butter instead of peanut. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo from Whole Foods
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

This gluten-free version of a classic does not require a special flour blend; it can be assembled with basic pantry staples.

Ingredients

1 large egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat together egg, sugar, baking soda and vanilla in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held mixer. Beat in the peanut butter. Stir in chocolate chips if using.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet (parchment paper works), pressing lightly with the back of a fork and a little sugar sprinkled on top. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly set. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Nutrition

Per serving (3 cookies/42g-wt.): 200 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 6g protein, 19g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 16g sugar), 20mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium

Best of JCrew Summer Sale

Hierloom shift dress $209.30 (originally $495), Cosabella for JCrew set $39.00 total (originally $80). Sale ends tomorrow. Also, Madewell is offering free shipping with code YESPLEASE

About Town: Krystal South

Krystal South, Photo: Jillian Punska

About Town is a monthly Q+A column about the styles and philosophies of those Portlanders that catch your eye.

KRYSTAL SOUTH lives in KENTON, likes to MAKE FILES and KEEP IT NERDY.

NN: How would you define your personal style?
KS: Comfortable yet somewhat ill-fitted.

NN: What is your style philosophy?
KS: If it makes you nervous, it probably works.

NN: Who in your life has influenced your personal style?
KS: Diana Kim, owner of Stand Up Comedy on E Burnside, has taught me much about fashion during our photo shoots together.

NN: Have you ever received or given any great style advice? Or, do you have a style mantra?
KS: If it hurts, don’t wear it.

NN: My style doppelganger is:
KS: I am sick of being told I look like Natalie Portman!!!!!!!!!

NN: Where do you find inspiration?
KS: I find inspiration in my ongoing life research and endless conversations with my boyfriend, Derek Bourcier. See also: physorg.com, computersclub.org, meltronx.com, rhizome.org

NN: My favorite book as a child was:
KS: A very small book about the Lourve, which I still have.

NN: The one thing I couldn’t live without as a teenager was:
KS: BBQ chips (still)

NN: I am currently very passionate about:
KS: Mirrors and the eye. (Together and separately.)

NN: What is something that you do really well that you don’t do for work?
KS: My current employers have yet to utilize my connoisseurship for candy in a professional capacity.

NN: I think that my style tells people that I am:
KS: Maybe a librarian but definitely a nerd.

NN: What is a memory you have that made a very distinct impression on you?
KS: My mother giving me her free-gifts-with-purchase from makeup counters when I was little, which I taxonomically categorized and inventoried but rarely ever put on my face.

NN: My favorite style trend from a past era is:
KS: Let’s just say I really love rayon.

NN: My favorite place in Portland is:
KS: The Crumpacker Family Library at the Portland Art Museum
NN: Because:
KS: Classy, quiet, full of art books, free… heaven.

NN: Do you have any style icons? Favorite designers?
KS: I love Issey Miyake, Hussein Chalayan, Giles Deacon, but I probably wouldn’t wear that stuff in real life… Clarissa Explains It All meets Are You Afraid of the Dark??

NN: What is the most important quality that you look for when buying a new piece?
KS: Fit is most important and hardest to find.

NN: What is your favorite piece that you own?
KS: Black jeans that fit well.

NN: What is the single most worn thing in your closet?
KS: My black lace-up boots. They make me feel prepared.

NN: What is one of your personal style or beauty secrets?
KS: Eat lots of candy to keep your face toned. The more freckles you have, the younger you look. Fragrance-free everything.

NN: Where is your favorite place to shop in Portland?
KS: The block of rad ladies’ shops on 7th and E Burnside: Stand Up Comedy, Nationale and Haunt. And every thrift store in the greater Portland/Vancouver area.

NN: Do you have any tips for looking good without spending a lot?
KS: I have been going to The Goodwill Bins for 10 years, and I always find something.

Orignal Article Seen at Neighborhood Notes