Chicago Summer Birthday Tour!

I made an epic photo collage of my summer vacation! My friends are just so darn photogenic, it had to be done. I will include annotations/explanations at the end of all your scrolling.

1. Debie and I flew to Chicago for a girls' weekend with Lani so we could properly celebrate Debie's birthday! This involved an appropriate amount of sweets. Now I want the Hoosier Mama pie book so badly, the passionfruit meringue pie was out of this world.

2. Hanging out with DJ Lani Love means lots of comped champagne, I found out. She's just that cool. And also many people recognize her solely based on her asymmetrical haircut.

3. I crashed while riding Chicago's bikeshare. Totally wiped out after skidding out on sand (which I hadn't encountered on D.C.'s bikeshare). So ironic because I was trying to help newbie bike rider Debie and then I was the one who crashed. Ha. I just jumped off though, no injuries. 

4. I haven't been to a proper "club" in a while, and it cracked me up to see all the people crowded outside Underground when we got out. They looked so needy, pressed up against the fence. And the line was at least a hundred people deep! And everyone in line was beautiful. I told Joe, "It was like a zoo for beautiful people." So funny.

 5. We were lucky enough to go to a fab Neiman Marcus "Wake Up Your Makeup" event, which involved getting a swag bag with soo many samples (there we are evaluating the loot). I also won something, which never happens. They called my name, "Adele Chopin," and I continued surfing the Internet until Debie and Lani said, "Adele, that's you!" Also, unfortunately, the lady at the airport called me "Mr" — that's a first with the new haircut — so my new alias is Mr. Chopin. I won a three-step Clinque system. I am digging it so far! The Dramatically Different lotion is really nice. I had to check my bag because of my prize, which is why I had to deal with that lady at the airport at all.

We also got Tom Ford makeup and I got sold. The makeup artist and I talked relationships and she gave me strong brows. "I got the eyebrow pencil," I told Lani and Debie. "...And the eye pencil."  [Long pause] "And a lip gloss."

Don't worry, I wasn't wearing all this makeup when I got mistaken for a dude. Also, in case you are wondering, the event involved models showing off the latest makeup, except for one model who had to wear a scary face mask (as pictured). I bet that was a disappointment for her. It was terrifying. 

Hope you had a fab birthday, Debie! Thanks so much for hosting us, Lani, I had a blast! And thanks for taking these photos, a few of which I swiped for this post.

My Coachella Playlist

Finally, a post about the music we heard at Coachella Week 2! We managed to see about 40 bands in three days. OK, some of those were for like 10 minutes, but still I add it to the tally. Emily did the calculations, and she says it works out to about $8 a band. Ha, a bargain! But really, nearly everyone who is touring this summer hits Coachella so it is a worthwhile investment.

This is mainly for my own edification, but here is a list of everyone we heard. In the grid, you'll see a few pictures I took from the shows.

Friday: You Me & Us, IO Echo, Lord Huron, Youth Lagoon, The Shouting Matches, Stars, Divine Fits, Of Monsters and Men, Local Natives, Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Band of Horses, Jurassic 5, Tegan and Sara.

Saturday: Kids These Days, Wombats, Guards, Shovels & Ropes, Wild Nothing, Savages, 2 Chainz, Bat for Lashes, Major Lazer, Grizzly Bear, The Postal Service, The XX, Janelle Monae, Sigur Ros, Phoenix

Sunday: Smith Westerns, DIIV, Jessie Ware, Thee Oh Sees, Grimes, The Lumineers, Tame Impala, La Roux, Father John Misty, Red Hot Chili Peppers.​

​We basically had our schedules out constantly, always on the move to the next show. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the stages were close enough together that you could check out half of one set and half of another. 

​Just a few obvious observations:

• ​You realize just how talented these folks are, in that they can not only write a fantastic song, but play it in the desert in front of thousands of people in 90 degree heat. That isn't easy. 
• It was interesting to see 2 Chainz on 4/20, that's for sure.
• Smith Westerns are soo young. They looked like they were in 8th grade, tops. ​
• ​Karen O is a force of nature, especially when she's wearing a gaudy yellow suit.
• The Red Hot Chili Peppers really should have a special guest or brought something surprising to the table. I guess that's the problem with week 2: we found their set list online and followed along and they played the exact same songs.​
• Lord Huron and Wild Nothing's albums will be my new chill summer soundtrack.​
• ​La Roux has a new album coming out!
• Jenelle Monae, why are you not more famous? She is an electrifying performer, and she can really crowdsurf!​
• After seeing Father John Misty, we immediately bought tickets to see him again. He's going places. In fact, today's DC show sold out. I hope his stage banter is just as funny and charming as was in Coachella. He had a great riff about girls wearing floral crowns needing to have a more hippy attitude.

​And I made a Spotify playlist with my favorite songs from some of the bands I saw at Coachella. I'm excited about this, I hope you check it out if you are in need of some tunes today! And click here for all of my Coachella 2013 Week 2 posts. 

What They Wore to Coachella

Part of the Coachella mystique is the fashion blog coverage of what the beautiful people wore to party in the desert. There's an entire genre of clothes that now exists, thanks to Coachella and Glastonbury et al: Festival Style. Perhaps it's because we went the second weekend, and all the glam people go the first weekend, but I observed that most people wore as little clothes as possible. We're talking just walking around in bikinis and sports bras. Not particularly fashionable. I get it. It is so hot there. I envied the bikini chicks. Also, this is not a place you want to take a Chanel bag, which I saw in some of the blog slideshows. It's dusty and vomit-y. Fashion people be trippin.

​Here are the main trends I observed: high-waisted booty jhorts, crop tops, floral crowns, disgustingly dirty Toms, crop tops, baby doll dresses, crop tops. Did I say crop tops? I'd like the record to show that I predicted this trend's revival back in 2009. Maybe Coachella is the only place it's really taken off.

​Anyway, before the trip I evaluated my wardrobe for Festival Style and found it lacking, which resulted in a mini-shopping spree. I bought four new things to wear and assembled three Festival Outfits. But then disaster struck, when my flight was delayed and I missed my connecting flight, which caused my suitcase to go missing. Wouldn't that be rich, I thought, if I lost my luggage and had to wear the same t-shirt and pair of jeans every single day. That would serve me right. But thank God, because somehow, against all odds, my little suitcase turned up behind the desk at the Yuma United Airlines counter. 

New for Coachella: Bag from Levi's (similar), Sam Edelman Louie boots (on sale here!)

Here's what I packed for Coachella. Nothing too groundbreaking but I tried. My issue was that I wanted to keep cool but avoid strappy or strapless tops in an effort to avoid getting a sunburn. ​The maxi dress with the cutouts was probably the best choice, in terms of being breezy but covered up. The second day I wore an ultra-light see-through shirt with a swim top underneath, and the last day I wore my boots and a pair of bright blue shorts I bought from the vintage/resell shop Meeps in D.C. I thought, "Yeah, I'm going to get some cool high-waisted vintage shorts to wear to Coachella, look at me." But then I took them home and looked more closely at the label. It read "The Gap." Vintage shopping fail. Bah.

The shorts did come with a neat fabric belt with geometric shapes, and judging by the whip-stitching, it looks like someone may have made it. I also thought that these shorts were ​scandalously short, but damn, compared to the other girls at Coachella, they were practically Mom jhorts. I saw so many butt cheeks hanging out of high-waisted jean shorts. That was standard issue.

And I bit the bullet and bought the fringed boots I was debating in an earlier post. No, I didn't go with white. ​These were comfortable enough to make it through most of the last day, although I was happy to have brought along flip flops too. And the suede survived the dusty, muddy field. Phew! My poor friend Emily was leading the way through the crowd and she stepped in a pile of vomit. That is a very Coachella story, I feel. And that would've been game over for the fringe boots. As luck would have it, Emily had on sneakers so it wasn't as horrible as it could've been.

I tried to look for fashion inspiration from my fellow concertgoers, and don't get me wrong, there were a ton of beautiful people there. They looked good. But it wasn't anything I couldn't see in D.C. on an Urban Outfitters mannequin. Except for one outfit I spotted, which I will try to replicate below:

​PacSun Eyelet Bustier Tank, Minkpink Bustier, Nasty Gal Oversize Denim Vest via R29, N_8 Draped Knee-length Skirt, Steve Madden Troopa Boot, Young Frankk Peak Brass Ring

One girl wore a bustier top with a knee-length mustard yellow circle skirt and a tough pair of boots, and she looked so fresh.  I thought it would look good with a black or white top, and maybe you could throw an oversize denim vest on top of it for some D.C. modesty, and add a streamlined, bold ring to finish the look.

I would love to try to rock this, just need to find a cheaper skirt... Thanks for reading my Coachella fashion post!

What to Expect at Coachella

It seems like every year there are more music festivals than the last, and I've been to Lollapalooza, but Coachella has always been on my dream list. It's got a bazillion bands each year, and that intangible California cool. Regardless of who was on the lineup, my middle school/high school bestie Emily and I decided this would be the one year of our lives we'd check it out, since Emily is currently living in Yuma, Arizona, just a few hour drive away. We managed to purchase tickets and I couldn't believe this was actually happening.

I had a few worries though: 1) that I would get horribly sunburned and get heatstroke in the desert, and 2) that the scene would be too Burning Man-esque. But neither ended up bothering me! Here are our tips for music nerds who want to get the most music for their buck at Coachella. We were totally prepared — and that was all on Emily, I tip my hat to her. In fact, the first day we were so jazzed about the festival that I think we may have been the first ones out of 80,000 people to arrive at the parking lot. "It's not open yet," the parking lot attendent told us. "Can we wait?" Emily asked. "No," he said. "Go get a cup of coffee."

So here are a few tips to surving Coachella from hyper-organized East Coasters.

1. Don't get discouraged if the website times out when you're attempting to buy tickets. It took us a zillion tries to get through, with both of us trying different browsers.

2. Bring your water bottle with a carabiner clip (as seen above). There are a few faucets scattered throughout the grounds.

3. A handkerchief ​is crucial for those who are prissy about sitting in the grass and dust. And it folds up to fit in your purse.

4. Tons of sunscreen is a must, but to my relief, a lot of the stages have metal roofs for some shelter from the sun.

5. The last day I rented a locker for $15 for the day, and it was a luxury to stash my jacket and a few other supplies so I wouldn't have to lug them around all day.​

6. I loved following along on Twitter with @SPINfestivals — whoever is behind that is terrific.

At the end of three long days outdoors, I didn't get even a hint of sunburn. That's a major miracle for someone as pale as me. And my other fear was my fellow concertgoers, but everyone was pretty docile. There was one moment where two guys near me exchanged words, and the first day at 11 a.m., a man staggered toward us then passed out cold, bloodying his face in the process.  Poor guy. Other than that, all was well. They had two layers of security to get into the festival and they checked thoroughly. In fact, the woman administering the security check on Friday was disturbingly committed to her job. There was some cupping that I think went above and beyond the call of duty. Shudder.

Above you can see the grounds and the shaded stages. This alien looking landscape behind Emily is all the art installations at Coachella. Let's see it!

The Do Lab is that Dr. Seuss-looking thing. I  really hope there was air conditioning for those guys in the hippo costumes.

​This giant snail thing looks innocent enough, right? It motored around the festival grounds, and I thought it was swell.

​Until it pushed its way to the front during the Divine Fits and Of Monsters and Men sets, relentlessly moving forward and practically trampling people to do so. We got so squished together in the crowd because of that stupid snail that Emily and I could've lifted our feet off the ground and still remained standing. You can plot the snail's progress in this photo series. After that, we didn't attempt to get close to the stage again. Thanks, snail.

​Picturef above: iconic ferris wheel, merch and screenprinting, water bar (people will wait in line to try different kinds of water, apparently), and fancy recycling bins that were uniformly ignored. They tried!

​I don't know anyone in the photo, but it captures the scene. I believe 40% of the men at Coachella had a variation of the Hitler Youth haircut.

Pretty pictures of Coachella at night. That house on the left in the photo above was my favorite. It was all white during the day, and then projections at night made it look like there was a house party happening inside.

Come back next time, and I'll talk about, oh yeah, the music!​

Roy Lichtenstein Nail Art

When I went to visit my friend Lani in Chicago this past fall, she asked me if I wanted to get a CND Shellac manicure from her favorite nail artist, AstroWifey. I'd seen Lani's amazing AstroWifey-designed nails in photos before, so I jumped at the chance to try it out for myself. We made a day of our manicure sessions (literally, it took four hours for both of us to get our nails did). AstroWifey had an iPad with hundreds of designs to choose from, but I already knew what I wanted before I set foot in the door. In honor of this fall's National Gallery of Art's Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, I wanted to get a Lichtenstein-esque pop art manicure.

That's all I told AstroWifey, and this is what she came up with:

Isn't this mind blowing? She painted all of by hand! Talk about painstaking work, and some serious talent. Look at the thumbs! That face!  My middle fingers said "Whaam" and "Boom," in case you can't tell.

This manicure is downright amazing. I will admit I was nervous when she started by painting every nail a different color. But the result was cooler than I could ever imagine. She used regular craft paint on top of the nail polish for the designs, using a teeny tiny brush. 

So when I got home to Washington, I had to take my Lichtenstein nails to the exhibit for a comparison.

Pretty spot on, huh? Did you get to visit the exhibit? I've always loved Roy Lichtenstein's work for its boldness and humor, but I didn't realize how many genres of art he tackled with his trademark style — everything from sculpture to landscapes in Chinese style.

As you could've guessed I spent about two weeks staring at my nails. And everyone around me noticed too. Maybe because I couldn't shut up about them. This was my first time getting a Shellac manicure. It held up really well, except for some reason after about a week and a half, one entire nail peeled off without me realizing it. Nooo! Perhaps because there were so many layers of paint. I liked Shellac a lot, overall. While I had the manicure, I used CND Solar Cuticle oil everyday and my nails felt so healthy by the end of two weeks.

Anyway, I can't wait to visit AstroWifey again next time I'm in Chicago with two spare hours. Is there anyone in D.C. who can paint nails like this? If so, drop me a line in the comments, I'm dying to know! And PS: Who What Wear Beauty linked to some gorgeous Vogue pop-art inspired manicures here.

Chicago Architecture Tour

This was my third visit to Chicago, and every time I've wanted to go on an architecture tour. And this is the trip when I finally achieved my goal. I went on the boat tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and the guide talked about nearly every building on along the river. It's all a marvel of achievement, and what I was struck by is the fact that these skyscrapers are still being built even today. Like Studio Gang Architects' Aqua, completed in 2010. Interestingly, it's the largest project ever awarded to an American firm headed by a woman and the tallest building in the world from a female lead architect. Although the recession is obvious too, thanks to a giant hole in the ground where Santiago Calatrava's Chicago Spire should be.