Inspired by: East Houston Pointe Shoes

Yesterday, I stumbled upon these hot pink pointe shoes. Abandoned on a street sign, they looked a bit defeated, but inspiring none-the-less.

The ballet trend comes and goes in fashion, with the latest resurgence stemming from Natalie Portman's Oscar-winning performance in Black Swan. As a former dancer, I've always been drawn to flowy skirts and corset tops, ballet flats and intense stage makeup, even when they're not en vogue.

If you've been searching for an outfit worthy of a dance on your tiptoes, look no further. 

1.) Bow City Flat (Gap, $40)

2.) Coquette Rouge Allure (Chanel, $32)

3.) Million Pleats Midi (Anthropologie, $158)

4.) Eyelet Bustier Top (Urban Outfitters, $59)

5.) Ferragamo Ballet Flat Scarf (Bluefly, $147)

Taste Test Tuesday: Friend of a Farmer

Last week, a new friend from SPI and I set off to explore our new, New York neighborhood in search of a good meal. Well, we walked and walked, and then it started raining, but we finally found what we were looking for in the rustic-chic Friend of a Farmer.

An upscale cozy cafe with vintage-inspired decor, Friend of a Farmer brings down-home comfort food to the big city. It's a bit pricey, with most entrees upwards of $15, but it was absolutely worth it after our hour-long trek. After a quick survey of the menu, my friend and I both ordered the fried chicken.

When my meal arrived I was almost overwhelmed by how much food was on my plate. I'd been expecting one piece of meat and was presented with three golden-brown pieces atop a plateful of fries with ketchup and honey dipping sauces.

The chicken was crispy and juicy if ever-so-slightly under seasoned, and the leftovers made a wonderful lunch the next day. Overall, I definitely recommend Friend of a Farmer for dinner--apparently their brunch is quite well-known as well!

Does anyone have any good (cheap) suggestions for restaurants in the Gramercy area? I'm trying to cram as much as I can in the next few weeks!

A Movie Star in the Making

Y'all. I am a movie star.

Ok, that's a gross exaggeration, but this weekend, as my friends and I strolled through Central Park, we were asked to be in a commercial for Oxfam America!

Oxfam is an international non-profit fighting poverty and injustice through partnerships in 98 countries worldwide. An incredible organization, Oxfam promotes education and gender equality, supports local groups working to prevent HIV and AIDS in Africa and administers emergency support to victims of political and natural disasters among many other worthwhile efforts. Click over to their website to learn more about the organization and how you can help.

Obviously, we couldn't turn down the opportunity to help out a great cause and get our 15 minutes of fame in the process. I'm not sure if you can see our faces in the video because we were holding umbrellas and they were shooting from above, but either way, it was a great experience.

They didn't know when the video would be ready, but as soon as I see it, I'll be sure to post it here on Style of a 20 Something. The coordinator mentioned the commercial was for a campaign to gain more fans on Facebook so go "Like" the Oxfam fan page! Click here for a link!

New York City Runway Inspirations: Sheer Genius

(Fashion Image Credits: NY Mag)

Is it just me, or was the scaffolding on this New York building inspired by the sheer fashions found all over the Spring and Fall 2011 runways?

Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day Dad!

Inspired by: City Hall Park

  

 1.) Wayuu Taya Foundation Susu Bag (Shopbop, $175)

   2.) Rumba Time Big Apple Slap Watch (Shopbop, $25)

3.) Cartier Scarf (Bluefly, $154)

4.) Paisleys Spoon Rest (Anthropologie, $10)

Every morning on my commute to SPI, I pass through New York's City Hall Park. Full of public art like this "Splotch 15" sculpture, the park is a huge source of style inspiration. With a wardrobe full of black and gray, I'm not normally one to dress like a rainbow, but I think I could incorporate some brights into my accessories like the ones pictured above.

Readers what are your style inspirations? Are there any other public art pieces in New York I should seek out?

PS Click here for a link to the Wayuu foundation's website--It's a really cool nonprofit working with the indigenous people of northern Colombia and Venezuela.

New York University-Summer Publishing Institute

Well readers, I think it's time for a life update. I'm officially living in New York City, attending New York University's Summer Publishing Program. I've been here less than a week, but this program is so intense, it feels much longer.

We're actually not allowed to blog, tweet or post about what the industry specialists that come to speak have to say, but  to give you a general idea, we've already heard from Cindi Leive (Editor in Chief of Glamour), Kristin van Ogtrop (Editor in Chief of Real Simple), Larry Burstein (Publisher of New York Magazine) and James Bennet (Editor in Chief of The Atlantic) among other incredibly informative members of the media industry from companies like Rodale, Zinnio and the Precision Media Group.Yesterday I even got to tour the office of Marie Claire!

I'm learning so much, but it's all very overwhelming, and I haven't gotten to explore the city much at all. Hopefully there will be time for that this weekend! If anyone has suggestions for fun restaurants or low key tourist attractions, I'd love to hear them!

new york, new york

(Image: The Sartorialist via Couture Me)

If only I looked that fabulous hailing a cab.

I made it. I'm actually in the Big Apple. So far, I've navigated the subway, hailed a cab and started my summer publishing program at NYU. Everything is overwhelming and oh so hard to believe. I'm crazy busy with work for class, but keep checking back to style of a 20 something. I'll be posting as often as I can about my adventures in New York.

Happy (belated) Birthday Marilyn

(Photo Credit: Time Magazine)

Isn't she lovely? In our overly-airbrushed world, this photo is a nice reminder that the glamorous Marilyn Monroe didn't have washboard abs.

She would have been 85 this past Wednesday

Obsession of the Moment: Baggu Bags

Y'all--I'm obsessed with Baggu bags. Perfect for groceries, wet swimsuits or a picnic lunch, these brightly colored, eco-friendly totes cost a mere $8. Not to mention they were featured in this month's Matchbook Magazine. 

If you're a Nashville reader, head over to The Cosmetic Market in the Hill Center. They have the great selection of Baggus pictured above!

Readers what's your obsession of the moment?