First outfit of the new year! Hello! This is me, standing in a space between some buildings in the East Village. I am also braving sub-zero temperatures! For YOU! Never let anyone tell you I don’t love you! Brrrrrrr!

This is a pretty simple outfit — I wore it to the coffee shop, where I attempted to do some work before deciding home was just more cozy.

I am wearing…

Knit hat by Visage (NZ)
Black & white striped boatneck from Forever 21
Pink tulle skirt from Forever 21
Black blazer by Silence + Noise
Black stockings
Heels by Balenciaga
Frames from Urban Outfitters

I am not wearing enough layers for the temperature. I’m just glad I made it home alive. Anyway, it is all a bit Tim Burton goes to the ballet, isn’t it?

Isn’t this a great little area for photos? I love it. There are rusty bits, perilous hanging wires, wobbly staircases & strange stripes on the ground. There are blackened windows, odd holes in the concrete & spraypaint blotches.

But the best thing? While I was teetering around, exploring, I happened across this. It’s a dreamcatcher — not so weird. Kind of eerie that is hanging up between two buildings in the East Village, but not the end of the world. But then I looked closer & realised… someone strung a dead bird into the middle of it.

I took a photo of myself in front of it. My expression quite eloquently captures how I felt about the whole thing.

(In case my expression isn’t as eloquent as I think, here is what I was thinking: WHAT THE $%^&?! See also, CREEPED OUT! What does it all mean?!)

I have finally managed to get back into heels again, after days of snow & practically living in an old Pendleton men’s shirt paired with a black slip, ripped wool stockings & a pair of motorcycle boots. It was not super-glamorous or photogenic, but it sure was comfortable! My current obsessions are stripes & this hat, which I think I have worn every day since I got it (Christmas). Do you have a uniform which is helping you survive the icy tundra — or sweltering antipodes (lucky!) — at the moment?