The Wolf Pack

For the almost 12 years we’ve been together, Dan and my relationship with travel has changed quite a bit. But nothing so in your face as the current metamorphosis our family has undergone with we to three. When Dan and I were dating and newly married, we had a bit of disposable income and traveled whenever the whim suited. It was a time in our lives we had friends sprinkled throughout the country, we’d visit when the urge or reason struck us. It was that stage in our life we refer to as the wedding years, with at least two a year for a pretty good stretch, so a lot of our travel was to fun cities to shake it like a Polaroid picture.

Nothing could’ve prepared me for traveling with a small child. Not even helping my older sister, Susan, with her daughter on several business trips when she was still nursing some years ago. Let me tell you, there’s a very big difference with that second set of hands within the tight quarters of an airplane. Plus, it helps so very much when you know the person seated next to you when you’re trying to feed your baby. It’s about as up close and personal as you can get and getting a wee one fed trumps modesty.

Back in March, when I visited my mother, I was that person on a two-hour flight with the baby that screamed her head off the entire time, only to pass out from shear exhaustion moments before landing. It reminds me of the hilarious Bill Cosby little Jeffrey bit. My usually happy, content, grinning baby was swapped out for an absolute maniac that I couldn’t calm down. It got me thinking about things I wish I would’ve known. With that in mind, here are a few tips that can make traveling solo bearable.

1. Plan on traveling with some sort of carrier system. Ergo’s seem to be the trendy one of the moment, I’m doing just dandy with my older sister’s hand-me-down Björn. The more hands-free you can be, the better.

2. I cannot emphasize this enough – remember to pack extra clothes (everything from a onesie to a romper, sweater, hat and socks) in your diaper or carryon bag. Your child will need it when they (as if on cue) explode in the aforementioned carrier minutes before boarding your flight. Bonus points if you remember to pack a plastic resealable bag to put soiled clothes.

3. Before dressing (and redressing) your child, be sure to dress yourself accordingly (layers!). I made the mistake of wearing a very cute cream turtleneck sweater over a white tank top on a flight and proceeded to sweat buckets from shear exhaustion and couldn’t take my sweater off because I’d look like I was competing in a wet t-shirt contest.

4. Roll with it. Yes, their ears will hurt. Yes, they will most likely cry. Honestly do whatever you can to minimize their pain and just hunker down. Have multiple pacifiers (or whatever you use to soothe) at the ready. And remember make nice with the flight attendant because you’re going to need him/her to disinfect several of those suckers in boiling water after your kid throws them on the floor in protest.

The Pop Five

It’s been week of change at our house. Margaret recently started on solids, so I’ve been experimenting with making baby food, which has been fun, but a little intimidating. I’m trying to just jump right in with it all, since this phase of Margaret’s development was one of the ones I was looking forward to the most. As the mother of a daughter, I truly feel that if I do nothing else for her, if I can give her a foundation for a healthy relationship with wonderful, well-balanced, nutritious foods, I’ll have done a decent job.

Here’s to a weekend of good eating, no matter your age.

I cannot wait to see this documentary.

For creatives (like myself) that set their own schedule, this Fast Company article is very interesting.

Image: Fickr user Rodrigo Soldon via Fast Company

Speaking of creative-types, The New Yorker recently published this incredible piece on parenting.

Image: Courtesy of The New Yorker

How cool is this couch?

Image: Courtesy of ZO_loft

This Washington Post article asks the question, Are foodies quietly killing rock-and-roll? Super interesting and the above photo I took of Crif Dogs hotdogs at Bonnaroo further proves the point.

Retire Already

I might be getting snarky in my old age, but one of my favorite sections in Sunday’s NYT Magazine is the Meh List. Those items that are just so-so. Not loathsome or great, but just meh.

Ever since I had Margaret my time is very limited, which in a lot of ways is a good thing because it weeds out the mundane, and mostly only the best things are left. In my spare time I want to be reading only the best blogs and articles, but there are several things that keep popping up in my daily reading on lifestyle sites. Here are five trends I’d love to see slip off today’s pop-culture radar that qualify as meh.

Mustache anything. On bartenders, on baby bodysuits, it’s not cute anymore. If I see one more kid birthday party on Pinterest with a ‘stache theme I might punch the computer. My nephew did that two years ago (had the party, not punched the computer, but he could’ve done that too).

Image: Via Bottle Your Brand / Pinterest

Barcarts. I get it you like to drink. Store it in your kitchen cupboard like every other normal person off the wagon and welcome to the year 2013. Don Draper, it’s no longer 1963. Also seen often as a sidebar to barcart stories is the use of “ista” on the end of anything. Remodelista and fashionista particularly are the most annoying.

Image: Courtesy of Brunch at Saks

I’m so over fashion bloggers talking about avocado toast like they cracked the ratio to the 11 herbs and spices in KFC’s chicken recipe. Seriously, get over yourself; it’s mashed up avocado on toast. (However, it is my everyday lunch of late; I just don’t need a recipe telling me how to make it.)

Image: Courtesy of Lauren Conrad via Sacramento Street

Can we stop naming children after presidents? Lincoln, Jackson, Monroe, Clinton, Harrison, Wilson, Truman, Taylor—you get the idea. Today’s Kennedy is yesterday’s Jennifer.

Image: Courtesy of Leah Rocketto via the bump

The Kimye and Royal baby arrivals. Baby bump, orca whale comparisons, nursery themes, shower registries … frankly, I couldn’t care less.

Image: Courtesy GMA

The Pop Five

This Sunday is my first Mother’s Day, which seems like it should be a big deal, but like most days of this nature (Valentine’s, Father’s, etc.) I always think of the underdog. I feel for those singletons on Valentine’s Day that are ready for love and still searching for their partner in life, just as I do the fatherless daughters on Father’s Day, or all women hoping for a baby and each month passing without two blue lines on a pregnancy test. My heart aches for each of them. Two years ago I was trying to get pregnant and wasn’t (and at that time we didn’t know why) and when Mother’s Day rolled around I couldn’t even look at social networking sites flooded with endearing images of handmade, glued on macaroni greeting cards and vases of weeds, picked special, for Mom. And now here we are.

It’s taken me six months, but I do feel like I’m settling into my groove a bit more with the work/life/motherhood balance. On the work front, I had reshoots several days last week for a book project that publishes in November and I started working with a new client recently on a very fun writing gig. While my work has been a very different pace than it was before Margaret, it is manageable and I’m consciously changing directions with my business. My writing is going from much more editorial driven pieces to a copywriting role (which is a bit easier with a wee one for multiple reasons), a welcome shift.

Here are the five things that topped my week.

With graduation season upon us, this is such an awesome message.

Margaret turned six months on Wednesday. I feel like I hit the kid jackpot with a very happy, content, giggly, silly, wonderful little girl and I couldn’t love being her mom more.

My cousin hosted us for dinner a couple of weeks back and served whipped feta with crudités … this recipe is so easy and good!

Image: Courtesy of How Sweet It Is

As someone who is team pacifier I find this both absolutely disgusting and interesting.

I’m fascinated by this photography project about Tamms supermax prison called, Photo Requests from Solitary.

Image: Courtesy of Laurie Jo Reynolds and Stephen Eisenman, via Creative Time Reports. Photo by Chris Murphy, 2012

Formal Fête

I’m not great at throwing parties. I get nervous about attendees (I’m always afraid no one will show up), have grandiose plans and tend to leave too many details to the last minute. Plus, if anyone else is throwing a party for me (bridal and baby showers) it’s almost worse because I even try to micromanage that. Yikes.

Ever since I had Margaret, I’m very in tune to seasonal changes. I found myself this winter, relishing in the pureness of the colder weather months. I looked at things like the quiet snow at my parents’ house in such a different way than before. And now, spring – there’s green everywhere. Buds are on the cusp of bursting with flowers, birds are flirting with each other; it feels so alive in our backyard right now (though, we’ve had a bit of a cold spell, like much of the country, the past couple of days).

It’s always this time of year, late spring into early summer where I start to feel really social. I’ve been daydreaming about throwing a party, a summertime fete—like a real, grown-up party. My friend, Heather, throws an annual Great Gatsby affair in September and I love the idea of that (you can read all about it here). If I were to throw a party, it would be one of two themes, either a daytime, The Secret Garden, or nighttime, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The former, a casually elegant afternoon bash laced with the freshness of the season, the later, a nighttime fete full of glamour and heaps of champagne. PS – Aren’t you so excited for The Great Gatsby to open this week?

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

1. Macaroons, The Glitter Guide  2. Iris Chiffon Maxi Dress, Oasis  3. Floral Arrangement, Flower Wild  4. Brilliant Bare Vivid Shine Lipstick, Estée Lauder  5. Lace Table Overlays, Burnett’s Boards  6. Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad, Bon Appétit  7. DIY Paper Pom Poms, Mokkasin

1. Midnight Vineyard Party Invitations, Minted  2. Floor-length silk and lace gown, Valentino  3. Wellfleet Oysters, Island Creek Oysters  4. Cocktails on Silver, Jose Villa  5. Bobby Dazzler Nail Lacquer, Butter London  6. Navy Stripe Tablescape, Style Me Pretty, Image: Jessica’s Photography

The Pop Five

This week was kind of bonkers. Truly, last weekend really was the definition of the word. Dan came home late Friday evening from his work retreat and I was relieved to see him after three days of doing the solo mama thing (which went surprisingly well, by the way, but I was a teeny bit jealous imagining him at work dinners and sleeping eight hours straight) only to have him pass a kidney stone around 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. Always an adventure! He’s on the mend, but honestly they should be a bit more specific during the sickness and health part during marriage vows. Talk about up close and personal. Here’s to a weekend with zero E.R. visits! Make it a good one.

Isn’t this photography project amazing?

Image: Courtesy of 22 Words

I make pizza dough weekly, but never attempted breadmaking (despite it being very similar ingredients) until now. This one is very simple to make (it just requires time for rising) and so good! Plus, is there anything better than freshly baked bread, hot out of the oven?

Mix up a mint julep, the Kentucky Derby is this weekend! This 60 Minutes piece on Rosie Napravnik is fantastic and will get you in the mood for the race. Go Mylute (and Rosie)!

I’m daydreaming of somewhere to wear this number and a reason to buy it. Obsessed.

Who says hostels have to blah? Check out these chic rooms that look more boutique hotel than hostel.

Image: Joao Pedro Marnoto for The New York Times

 

Megan Huntz

Years ago on Project Runway, they had a designer named Uli and I adored her amazingly simple, gorgeous beachy cocktail dresses. Then, I met Megan Huntz and fell instantly in love with her collection for the same reason I was drawn to the similar aesthetic of Uli’s—effortless elegance all wrapped up in beautiful dresses, tunics, tanks, and stylish pants.

The Atlanta-based designer and I met while I was editor at DailyCandy and I profiled one of my favorite collections in a short piece. Ever since, her style stuck has with me. She recently launched a line of dapper ties for men under Huntz & White, so it was the perfect excuse to see what else she has up her gorgeous sleeve.

danapop: Silk is a notoriously difficult fabric to work with – why did you choose it for almost all of your pieces?

Megan Huntz: When I started my dress line, I had been working in the Italian denim industry for about 5 years, specifically working a lot on the development of washings and distress treatments for jeans. After working on jeans for such a long time, I felt the need for dresses – the dress being the quintessential piece of a woman’s wardrobe. I chose silk because it’s delicate but also very resistant. I began experimenting with dye and washing to distress it, and loved the results. The destruction of something luxurious to render it completely unique fascinated me.

dp: When I met you back in 2010, you were dying fabrics in the ocean which I found so interesting both in terms of the amount of time it took, but also in the effect it had on the garment – does water still play into your work?

MH: In my latest collection, I have experimented with stone washing silk in nature. I had these huge pieces of fabric rolling around in puddles on a mountain. I photographed them, catching the reflection of the sky and the trees in the surface of the water, and developed a series of digital prints on silk from them. So, I continue to work on the textile enrichment in a physical way, but I’ve also taken it a step further making it into something conceptual as well.

I also did a fashion-art show in a multi media installation presentation last November called Souvenir. It was base around a piece of pink shantung silk that I took on an Italian journey; it joined me on my adventures and has the scars to prove it. It was documented then made into a 10 piece collection and was presented in a multimedia installation, featuring a special guest appearance by performance artist, Kiki Blood, at Space 2 in Atlanta, GA.

My next show will be on June 8th during Modern Atlanta. Keep in touch for more details about this upcoming show.

dp: You lived in Europe for a while … how did living in Spain and Italy influence your creative process? How does your hometown of Atlanta play into things today?

MH: My formation as a fashion designer happened completely in Italy, from studying and working there, and as a result I focus on the fit, quality of fabrics and try to make wearable yet unique pieces with a strong concept backing it all up. Italian style is all about elegance with ease, and personal style coming through in subtle ways. One of the strongest ideas that I took away from living in Italy is using local resources, perfecting craft and harnessing local genius; so it’s a dream of mine to work more with luxurious cottons and cotton-silk blends. We have some amazing cotton here but unfortunately the textile industry has been whittled down mostly to jersey for mens undershirts … and I’d love to see more higher end textiles and apparel manufacturing developed here. All of the skeletons of these old factories are around us, and hopefully as the demand for local and US manufacturing grows, we will see a renaissance in the apparel industry here in the Southeast.

I love living and working in Atlanta. I feel a kinship with many other artists, musicians, photographers and graphic designers here. There is a warmth to things here, and a lot of creative space here for me to grow, and do my businesses and my art on my own terms. I also see people craving style and culture here, ready to be introduced to new things from a global perspective and embracing the great creative things that are happening on a local level as well.

dp: Tell me about Huntz & White and how the collaboration with Trevor works.

MH: Trevor inspired me to act on this project, and his own personal style and flair have a big influence on our product. Now that I am working on a menswear accessory, I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me as a designer. Menswear is completely different from womenswear. It sounds obvious, but where womenswear is full of fantasy, the shapes and styles are limitless, menswear is much more so about nuance, detail and small twists and tweaks on basics. People had asked me to do mens ties for as long as I can remember, applying the same techniques I have been working on with the dresses. So, we took that concept and began over-dyeing linens and raw silks and hand picking special dead stock fabrics from Italy to create this limited edition of mens neckwear. It has the same nonchalance and ease (exclusive yet accessible) as my dresses do. Dresses for the ladies, ties for the gentleman. I think that creates a very nice symmetry!

dp: You hand-sew everything out of your Atlanta studio, how do you keep up with the demand, especially in today’s realm of marketing and global production?

MH: I make all of my own patterns and prototypes and do quite a bit of sewing on custom pieces myself, but I also outsource sewing for larger orders to a small factory outside of Atlanta. Production is always a challenge, especially if you’re talking about manufacturing in the US. Keeping everything close and nearby is something that I am passionate about though, for many reasons: quality control over my product, stimulating my local economy and trying to grow the fashion industry here in Atlanta, which is also a HUGE challenge. That said, I am always looking to grow my network of people working in apparel manufacturing and textiles.

dp: Who is the Megan Huntz woman and do you have a style icons?

MH: The Megan Huntz woman is someone who loves to be elegant yet unique, like the best, absolutely effortless version of themselves. True beauty comes from the inside out, and my dresses sparks a feeling in the woman who wears them.

Can I touch on one more thing? For as much as I love my country for it’s risk takers, free thinkers, our diversity and innovation that inspires the whole world – I’d like to talk for just a second about style icons in the American fashion industry and how, for the most part, it completely grosses me out. The obsession with celebrity and the flamboyance and ostentation associated with it, has skewed values (or is a reflection on our skewed values here in the States. Either/or, maybe it’s a combination of both). The focus of American fashion design is attached to a prescribed (and dated) “image” fueled by bling, a false sense of wealth and superficiality, encourages a lack of intellect and celebrates bad taste. There is very little value put into intelligence, real design, quality of craft, concept, and creative integrity in the fashion industry in the US. The anti-dote? I don’t pretend to have all of the answers to this dilemma, but turning off the reality TV shows and putting models back on the cover of American Vogue might be a good place to start.

The Pop Five

Dan’s been at an offsite work retreat here since Wednesday so I’ve been doing the solo mom thing for a few days. Whew, I don’t know how single mothers do it. Honestly, hats off to you! We plan on having a semi-relaxing weekend at home with Dan’s parents who arrive tonight. Have a lovely weekend!

I’ve been a Steve Martin fan forever, but listening to Born Standing Up one road trip years ago solidified his supreme talent for me. He’s collaborated with Edie Brickell on Love Has Come for You, which released on Tuesday.

Image: © Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

How great are these photos from BuzzFeed?

Image: Shreyans Bhansali / via: thebigdurian

I love anything Brian Stelter (can you believe he’s only 27?!) writes and was particularly impressed with last Sunday’s NYT Magazine cover story. It’s about the cut-throat realm of morning television news, which is interesting enough, but I thought the real story also lies with the discrepancy between Matt Lauer and Ann Curry’s salaries. That said, the review of Stelter’s book that the article is based, Top of the Morning is pretty scathing.

Image: © Photo illustration by Bobby Doherty for The New York Times. Digital composite by Picturehouse. Video still from NBC

I made this quinoa lasagna and it is so good! It’s loaded with veggies, pretty simple to throw together and was great to have on hand to reheat throughout the week.

I finally read Julia Reed’s take on a Dixie playlist in the latest issue of Garden & Gun. Love this piece.

Image: © Michael Witte

Steanville, Out

Ever since I moved to Atlanta (almost 13 years ago), Stacy has lived here, having moved herself just the year before. We met the first summer I arrived and have been dear friends ever since. There are so many reasons we were destined to meet (out of all the apartment complexes in the city, her older brother and I lived in the same one in neighboring buildings, we both worked for different divisions of the same company), but we met through a mutual friend, my one friend I had when I moved here that I’d known since high school, who also knew Stacy’s aunt.

We met when I was single, still had a dad alive, worked at an entry-level position at CNN, lived in an awful apartment outside the perimeter; she also single, a junior-level publicist at Cartoon Network, living with a roommate, driving a Toyota Corolla. And now here we sit—me, with my own company, a house, a husband, dog, and baby. Her, with her longtime boyfriend, Sean, making it as far up the company ladder at Turner as one could ever possibly hope (it doesn’t hurt that she’s a marketing genius), living in a loft in the heart of the city.

Up until last week that had been the case for as long as I can remember, our lives existing this way. Talking over AIM almost daily, meeting up almost weekly for drinks, a walk, or dinner. Yesterday, she started a job in NYC and she and Sean moved over the weekend. My avoiding going out for that last drink didn’t change the fact that they left. My, being busy on the computer when Sean came by with a truck to collect the furniture out of our attic we’ve been storing for them didn’t stop them from getting on that plane. They still signed the lease on the apartment in Chelsea even though I am struggling to process what it fully means to live in this city without them here, and that I can’t drive by their old apartment without crying.

Honestly, Stacy is the best friend I’ve ever had in my lifetime, more like a sister than a friend. From tennis partners, to yoga buds, to pedicures, dinner parties, concerts, conversations ranging from gossiping about our hairstylist to strategic career moves, and just about anything else close girlfriends can share – you name it, we’ve discussed it (at length, often over wine).

Things seem fleeting right now with them moving. Like time has passed and various people we love have all come and gone through this city. I don’t know what that really means for us, and I don’t need to think about it right now. All I can think about is that they aren’t here, but I’m trying to be positive and accept this change, because it’s very selfish of me to think otherwise. What I haven’t said is that it is an incredible move for them. Great job, great city, all the right reasons in the world to leave. Things will change, for certain. But, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing, this change. For right now though, I can’t see that, I just know it’s really, really hard.

Stacy’s brother Scott (who himself moved from Atlanta to NYC about four years ago), Dan, and I used to joke when Stacy and Sean got together that they could be in their own little world that we all called Steanville, sort of our own little Brangelina couple of the group. Like, Oh, Steanville won’t be joining us tonight because they are watching the Wire all weekend. And now, instead of Seacrest, out (a reference we’d all get because we’ve worked in TV) it’s Steanville, out.

The Pop Five

I could do an entire post featuring photos of my twin sister, Ann with Margaret, but I’ll refrain. Ann’s visit made me think of family more than usual.

I have great memories of my mom baking on Friday afternoons. She worked part-time at a dental clinic and she’d start her weekend early, baking rustic loaves of bread, chocolate chip cookies, or fruit tarts. When I worked at MSN, I got in the habit of taking Friday afternoons off (just after a weekly conference call), making pizza crust, and letting it rise until dinner. I have an abundance of lemon pound cake leftover from a dinner party last week, so I think I’m going to try my hand at incorporating it into a trifle. Here’s to Friday rituals and starting the weekend slow.

I know this has floated around the web quicker than the Mr. Rogers’ helper quote this week, but I love the campaign Dove is doing. It’s worth a watch.

Who is my generation’s Audrey Hepburn of style? Gwyneth Paltrow? (Even though according to Star magazine, she’s the most hated celebrity)? Kate Moss? Chloë Sevigny? Vanity Fair’s recent issue looks at Hepburn’s fashionable life and the photos are stunning.

Image: From Reporters Associati, digital colorization by Lorna Clark

Forget lullabies and kid tunes … if there’s nothing I have learned in my five months of being a parent, it’s that when we need to pull out the big guns to get Margaret to sleep, we put on Sigur Rós. It works like a charm. Every. Time. I’m pretty excited for their new album, Kveikur, slated to release in June (and not just because it’ll give us more trance-tunes to get the baby to crash).

Tuesday, I received a delivery of Chuice. Is it wrong that I promptly put it in my fridge right next to the Irish cider, beer, and half empty bottle of coke (my husband’s mixer from the night before)? I sampled one of each blend Forrest (green juice) and River of Live (red) and both are really good. I’m a nursing mama, so I couldn’t all together do as a meal replacement (which I think is what most people do), mine was more like a mid-day snack (half a bottle) then a small lunch. I honestly felt a little pep in my step with all those fruits, nuts, and veggies!

Did you read this story? The CEO of the U.K department store chain, Next, donated his $3.6-million bonus to his employees. A feel-good story amidst a hard news week. I collaborated with Next on this piece back in 2010, and they couldn’t be lovelier to work with.

Image: Courtesy of Next Media