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Belle’s Weekly Reading: April 4, 2014

Apr 4, 2014

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1) Why don’t luxury brands like Chanel, Celine and Dior sell their clothes online?  This article answers why little black dresses and little black jackets are only available at brick-and-mortar stores.

2) A friend of mine is getting married next weekend.  She planned her entire ceremony in four days.  Her dress is Tadashi Shoji, and it’s awesome.

3) An MLB player took three days paternity leave following the birth of his newest child, but some former professional athletes and commentators didn’t approve. One even suggested that if his wife really understood what it means to be in professional sports, she would have had a c-section before the season started.  Wow, some people are stupid.

4) Zwilling J.A. Henckles twin knives are some of the best on the market.  Bloomingdale’s is having an unbelievable sale.  50-percent-off this 7-piece set, 66-percent-off this professional set.  I’m thinking about buying this 11-piece set that’s 50-percent-off and will earn me $15 cash back on Ebates.  These are knives that will last you for the rest of your life, so if you have someone who loves to cook who needs a gift, look no further.

5) This video from Laughing Squid describes how small talk changes from city to city.  If you’ve lived in D.C. for more than a minute, you can guess what question people ask most often.

6) These Maria Black drop chain earrings are ah.may.zing.  Want something similar for under-$20?  Try these Vince Camuto earrings or these BCBGeneration spike drops.

7) From Mozart to Dickens, how history’s greatest thinkers managed their time.

8)  The first place I go when I’m searching for stylish, casual attire?  Piperlime’s under-$150 page.  From a bold red maxi-dress to these sliver-wedge sandals, you can find good stuff.  My favorite piece?  This chevron striped dress from Collective Concepts.

9) Why May 1st was a nightmare in 19th century New York City. (Hint: You think you hate moving.)

10) The Reiss sale section is a great place to look for good deals.  The Hailie dress is one of my favorites.  This Arlo print clutch is bold.  I also love the way they styled this snakeskin-print, silk blouse, it’s exactly how I want to dress for work.

11) The first modern style guide was 1977’s How to Dress for Success.  Into the Gloss has snippets from this gem, like “don’t wear floral prints” but “do wear a maroon fedora with a little feather.”

12) This Orlaya top at Anthropologie is at the top of my spring must-have list.  This verdant green ponte, bell-shaped skirt is also wonderful.  It has an Oscar de la Renta-like look to it.

13) You may have seen the stories about how the government can save billions of dollars in taxpayer funds by switching to a single font.  Not exactly accurate, but it’s an interesting read.

COMMENTS

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  1. S says:

    As a fed, thought it wouldn’t hurt to switch my font over to garamond, but lo and behold – it’s not an option in my office products.

    • Do you print a lot? We rarely print anything at all over here anyway. They are shifting us little by little to telework. Which is actually just an excuse to be able to contact us at 8 pm with an “emergency.”

  2. A.L. says:

    Curious about your friend planning her wedding in four days. Dress is gorgeous–is it a formal affair or more casual?

    • Belle says:

      It’s in a backyard, but she’s requested cocktail attire. He fiancé and she have been together for six (?) years and she decided after a year engagement she was just ready to do it. I was quite impressed by how she pulled it all together.

  3. Joules says:

    Thanks for the link to Reiss. I’ve never shopped there but they have nice pieces.

    And that green Anthropologie skirt is lovely.

    Style by Joules

  4. LaReesa says:

    I have no patience for guys like those people criticizing the paternity-leave baseball player. Those loud, obnoxious people are the reason I despise almost all professional sports and their annoyingly vocal fans. I doubt that baseball player thought he was making a statement by being by his wife’s side while she gave birth, but I’m so glad he did.

    As the commenter in the article you linked said: “The man hits a baseball for a living. period. He’s not ending war or curing cancer. and hell even if he was he deserves to be there when his child is born.”

    • R says:

      I could not agree more. I don’t expect a surgeon to not take paternity leave because of his life-saving work.

  5. LS says:

    To share my perspective as someone who cooks every day, I would not recommend buying a knife set for most cooks. They usually include a bunch of knives you will never use. Instead, for yourself or as a gift, I would buy a really good chef’s knife and build a collection slowly from there. A paring, boning, or bread knife would all be a good second knife depending on what you like to cook.

    Henckles does make good knives as Belle noted above. Just make sure you buy their original line and not the “International” that’s much lower quality. I have two Wüsthof Icons and love them. There are a ton of other good options like MAC etc. I recommend going into a nice kitchen store to get a feel for any knife before you buy.

    I’d be interested if anyone who cooks frequently disagrees with the above. Several of my family members are professional chefs who purchase knives individual, so I’ve definitely been influenced by them.

    • I agree! Knife sets almost always are cheaper versions of the good stuff. Bread knives are shorter, etc.

    • Anna says:

      I cook often (but not a chef or know any well) and definitely agree. Look at this purchase the same way you’d calculate the “cost-per-wear” of clothing purchases. Yeah, you’re getting a bunch of knives for a seemingly good deal, but you’ll maybe use three of them. A good chef’s/santoku knife, a pairing knife, and a bread knife are really all you need. Just looking at this set makes me cry inside. For the same price, you can get three REALLY good knives that’ll last forever, maybe enough for a honing steel too. Plus, you can judge them individually, because let’s say the chef’s knife in this set is great, but the rest are rubbish or even just mediocre? Go into a kitchen store (I love Hill’s Kitchen for their service and selection, and the knife guys at Union Market would be helpful, though over priced), and see how different sizes/styles feel in your hands and choose something according to your needs. I have a LansomSharp Santoku that’s wonderful AND American-made.

      • LH says:

        For the kind of cooking I do, I actually prefer to have both a santoku AND a chef’s knife. I made do with a santoku for years, but received a chef’s as a gift, and it changed the way I chop. There’s more flexibility with the chef’s, and it’s amazing for things like onions and tomatoes. But yeah, a knife set should be built like a wardrobe. Get the basic, highest quality pieces at first, and add as you need. Most people don’t cook fish enough to warrant owning a fish knife.

        • Anna says:

          Yeah, my preference would’ve been a chef’s knife just because I’m more of rocking chopper than an up and down one, but it was a gift from the bf, so I’ve made do. I do want to take a knife skills class though to really get the most use out of it.

    • RNSF says:

      +1 to LS. I had read that recommendation in “How to cook everything” from Mark Bittman as well as another book from Thomas Keller. They narrowed it down to one chef’s knife, one pairing knife and one bread knife. My husband and I did the test and hid our block along with everything in it except for those 3 and we haven’t looked back.

    • Totally agree. For DC based folks suggest checking out DC Sharp in Union Market for sharpening a as well.

    • Sarah says:

      I cook all the time and I have a Wusthof knife set and absolutely love it! I really do use every single one of the knives. They are all useful for chopping different things. Of course, you could be fine with probably just have one really good knife, but it is nice to have a variety. For chopping up a butternut squash I love a big knife, a serrated knife for chopping up tomatoes, a bread knife for bagels, a small knife for grapefruit pieces and avocado, and a chef knife for potatoes, etc. For years, I just had one chef knife that wasn’t the greatest. Having a set of nice knives has been a luxury I really enjoy and appreciate. I wouldn’t automatically write off a knife set. You might find it helpful.

  6. s says:

    that tadashi shoji dress is amazing. i can’t believe your friend planned an entire wedding in less than a week!

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