clothing – Rae Nudson

what would glitz wear

I’m a little more than halfway through Glitz (Kindle here), my first Elmore Leonard novel. I can see why they make great movies. The dialogue is natural and entertaining, and the characters are interesting–from the off-duty detective to the casino’s lounge singer to the gangster’s bodyguard. I like how the women are equal players. Nancy Donovan is smarter than most–if not all–of the men surrounding her, including her husband. Linda is comfortable in her personality and ready to make her own way as an artist. They may have to play a man’s game, but they rewrite a few rules.

These women are sexy, but they aren’t just there for sex. But I bet no matter what they are doing, they look good doing it.

Like Gretchen Wieners, Nancy keeps secrets in her perfectly coiffed hair. She runs a casino with her husband, Tom, and at least one Atlantic City gangster. And she can run circles around them. Nancy is always put together and she is not to be trifled with.

Iris is a young, beautiful girl from Puerto Rico who dreams of being a hostess in the United States. She is spunky and fun but, man, does she have some bad luck.

Linda Moon befriends Iris in Atlantic City. Out of all these women, I’d most like to be friends with her. She has her head on straight and is following her passion for making music. But she’s practical, too, and has figured out a way to make a living by singing in Nancy and Tom’s casino. And, like the rest of the casino, she could be decked out in gold when she performs.

Ladonna is the former Miss Oklahoma. But I’m afraid she’s fallen a bit from when she took the crown. Now we never see her without a drink in her hand, and she’s terrified for her life because of the violence surrounding her. We first meet her drowning in both an oversized sweater and an oversized bloody mary.

I can’t wait to read more about these women, and the rest of the characters. More on Glitz soon!

back to work

I went back to my office last week for the first time since Hurricane Sandy. It was like the Twilight Zone. I had notes on my desk about reports we did three months ago. My calendar was open to October. I found a box of pop tarts in my drawer–they were still good.

I tend to wear more skirts than pants, but I felt good in this outfit. Pants from the Gap, shoes from Target, blazer from Penneys, top from the Loft. I like how the polka dots in the shirt pick up the same colors as the leopard print in my shoes. It gave me just enough pep in my step as I walked around the office for the first time in almost four months.

cold weather gear

As you might have heard, the Northeast got quite a blizzard last weekend. New York got some snow but definitely not as much as other places. I spent most of the weekend inside and crafting, but when I did run out, I made sure I was bundled up and waterproof. Mostly.

I’m wearing rain boots from Banana Republic, and a coat and scarf from Penneys. The rest is basic leggings, black top, black skirt from an assortment of places, none of which I can remember. I stayed warm and my feet stayed dry.

Have a great long weekend if you have one! I’m heading out of town, so I’ll see you Tuesday.

work-from-home outfit

Since Hurricane Sandy, my regular office has been out of commission. We’ve been rotating between a few of my company’s other offices and working from home. So my professional work outfits have transitioned into comfortable work-from-home outfits. Like this one:

I’m wearing a large tunic sweatshirt thing and leggings from I can’t remember where, a scarf from Penneys, and a puffy vest from the Gap a few years ago. Yes, I am wearing leggings as pants. And yes, it is awesome. This is a far cry from the professional self I like to portray at my office, but who wants to wear pantyhose if you don’t have to?

Working from home was sort tricky for me to get used to, but now I think I’ve got a pretty good thing going. Here’s my desk.

I have a few guidelines that work for me and my job, which will be different, I imagine, for everyone else.

I must get up. I can’t work from bed. I know this. I like to have a designated space to work, so when I sit there I’m ready to work, and when I leave there I can switch to playing.
Mute the TV (most of the time). I have a lot of articles coming to me at once sometimes, and I need to focus on what I’m doing. For me, that usually means silence in my apartment. Which is actually a nice change from offices that can get noisy.
Have a start and end time. Because other people rely on me to be available at certain times, it’s easier to have a very clear start and end time. Sure there are times I will need to work late, but I generally keep regular office hours. This makes it a lot easier to turn off my computer at the end of the day and focus on home-work after work-work, even though I’m in the same place.
Make sure #fatcat gets attention. Because if he doesn’t, he jumps onto my desk in the middle of the day and plays with the mouse. My computer mouse.

I think we may get to go back into our building in the next few weeks, but if I keep working from home or need to again, I’ll be prepared. Even if I look less professional than normal.

Do you guys work from home? What are your tricks?

layers on layers

#fatcat and I are under two blankets on my couch right now. Maybe you don’t read the same Twitters that I do, but in case you haven’t heard, it’s cold in New York. And as much as I wanted to stay in and keep snuggling, I had to go to the grocery store today.

So I layered up.

From the top down: I made the hat I’m wearing, and it’s the warmest one I have. I have on a tank top, my warmest sweater, a gray sweatshirt from American Apparel, a scarf from Target, and a jacket from JC Penney. Jeans are from Penney’s (I think) and under those are tights (Hue, from Macy’s). Then there are socks and boots, not pictured. On my hands are handwarmer/mitten combo, from Target.

And I was still a little cold. But not bad, really. Until my scarf started to blow off while I was holding my groceries and was one block from my house. That was a pretty long block.

How do you stay warm? I hope everyone has food in the house so they don’t have to go out tomorrow–I hear it’s going to snow. Luckily I have some hot cocoa and new books to keep me occupied!

(today I’m #thankful for shelter, and that #fatcat is safe and warm with me. I’m also #thankful for chick peas. I’ve been really into them lately.)

twin peaks

Have you seen Twin Peaks? I’m obsessed. I started watching it over the weekend, and eight episodes later I came up for air. The show follows the investigation of the death of Laura Palmer in the town of Twin Peaks, Wash. It’s super strange and super quirky and super gorgeous. The set and costume design are as distinct and lovely as the story and characters.

See?

The colors are bold, the patterns are all over the map, and the style is carried throughout every scene I’ve seen so far. It makes me want to clash Hawaiian prints and stand in a severe, wood-paneled room while I talk about pie. But I have neither a Hawaiian-print shirt nor the ability to put wood panels in my apartment. So instead, I made some Polyvore collages with Twin Peaks in mind.

I am not sure who the killer is, but I am sure Twin Peaks will push my style to be bolder and, well, a little quirkier. So what do you think of the show!?

new year, new polka dot blouse

I spent the weekend nursing a cold, so today (as part of my ongoing #thankful list) I’m thankful for cough drops and hot tea. And excellent TV. (I spent the whole weekend watching Homeland, and I don’t regret a second of it.)

But what better way to pick yourself up and feel better than to throw on some of your favorite patterns? Never heard that cold cure before? Trust me on it. Polka dot blouse from The Loft (I’m pretty sure), bag from the Brooklyn Flea, leopard shoes from Target. Skirt from my mom (I think she got it from JC Penney). Watch is also from Target, in the boys section.

For a lot of us, this is our first full week back at work, and I’m definitely still missing the holidays. But I guess it’s time to hang up my New Year’s hat, pick up my cough drops, and get to work.

patterns

I am really into patterned blouses lately. I want all the patterns in all the colors so I can wear them all the time. I got this green shirt on Black Friday and even though I’ve been working from home, I dressed up like I was in an office…for five minutes to take these pictures. Pretend with me. Pretend there are boardrooms and cubicles behind me. Pretend I’m wearing make up and not using my glasses to cover my face. Now let’s pretend it’s time for happy hour.

Throw on your jacket, grab your clutch, and pretend it’s Friday instead of Monday. Have fun!

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