We've moved!

The day's come, lovelies!  Vivian's got a big girl website.  Switch your dials to vivwfan.com from now until infinity!

Jet Set... No Go?

What do you do when you're stranded 2 hours away from the greatest city in the world for a month in the dead winter?  That's the question I'm asking myself right now.  I have a genetic condition that leads to recurring spontaneous pneumothoraxes, which translates to random lung collapses due to bubbles on the surface of my lung.  Not exactly the greatest condition to have as a business traveler, is it?

Unfortunately, last Tuesday I had my first lung collapse in 3 years (the 3rd one in total), but, on the bright side, it was an incredibly minor collapse -- seriously, don't worry about it -- leaving me with my energy and sense of humor in tact.  To prevent this from happening again, I elected to go ahead and get surgery in Long Island, NY.  This means I can't travel home to Atlanta for at least a month.

This brings to mind many questions.  Where am I going to stay?  How am I going to work?  How will I make 5 days worth of clothing last an entire month?  How am I going to survive seemingly nonstop snow pummeling?  In the grand scheme of things, the last two are the least of my concerns... To say the least, this should be interesting.  Wish me luck.

Of Photoshoots and Coffee Shops

I'm having fun this week playing cold, little hipster at a number of different coffee joints around Atlanta for the last two weeks, while I wait for my next work assignment to start.  While waking up to 6 degree temperatures is not desirable, there really is no better time to work from home (or in my case within a 1 mile radius from home) than now.  The taste of hot lattes from a ceramic mug while watching people in their knits and flannels hunched over the glow of computers in the middle of the day -- it's the closest I'm ever going to get to being a part of millennial intelligentsia.  I feel like Lena Dunham but with a corporate email address.

Three weeks ago, my amazing and talented friend-slash-freelance photographer Cassie helped my sister and I with our parents' Christmas present.  For sisters, we don't have many nice pictures of us together.  Most of the time, it's just us making dumb faces.  With the holidays and time off from work, we took the chance to go to a loft complex in Inman Park, a local neighborhood in Atlanta for a photo shoot. For my sister's sake, I'll refrain from posting any pictures of her, but you can see some more pictures on Cassie's blog.

Coat:  J. Crew, Skirt:  Madewell; Shoes:  Rack Room Shoes; Scarf:  Marshalls

Jeans:  Paige Jeans; Shirt: Madewell; Blazer:  Banana Republic; Bracelet:  Alex + Ani

What about you all?  Have any sure-fire way to keep warm (other than the current warm front) or cute ideas for presents for your parents now that you're an adult?  Until then, I'm going to try to pull myself out of bed before my next meeting.  

New Year, New View

This year, I resolve to make no promises.  Clearly, I'm terrible at the whole writing-at-a-regular-frequency thing, but damn it if I don't try.  There you go, world, no promises and low expectations.

Now that I've made that perfectly clear... The last few months have been a whirlwind, what with the move to the new apartment and finishing up my work in Rhode Island.  While I wait anxiously for my next assignment, I'm very much happy for the "opportunity" to actually "live" in my apartment.  It's a concept, I know.  Not to mention, I finally have had time to decorate my usual bare bones of a bedroom after 2 years of living in the adult world.  Everything finally feels like home.

Any new years resolutions or goals friends?  Until next time!

Downtown Denim & Graffiti

There's grit as much as glamour when it comes to New York City.  In my heart, my neighborhood is the East Village.  Whenever I come to town, the same thoughts float through my mind.  When you're not there that often, the terrible things can even evoke a feeling of nostalgia.  The acrid smell of piss on the streets below mix in with the sweet smells of marijuana from the windows above.  There's a dirty sense of home about it all.

Dress:  Yumi Kim Jayne Dress, Jacket:  True Religion Denim Jacket,  Necklace:  J. Crew (old), Purse:  Rebecca Minkoff Eggshell Watersnake Clutch, Shoes:  J. Crew (old)

I raided my sister's closet, as she played stylist to my climate-limiting clothing.  October in the Northeast is sort of bipolar in regards to weather.  It's been about 3 months since I've been to New York City last.  It amazes me how fast the city can change while remaining the same.  Down in my sister's neighborhood are buildings covered in graffiti at every which way -- from Banksy (which at this very moment, I realize I completely forgot to photograph in a somewhat inebriated state) to paper collage installations.  

In the spirit of the first afternoon in a while where neither of us have any work to do, Isabel and I soaked up the neighborhood sights, doing a graffiti walk from Clinton St. over to Prince St.  Some sights of note had to be the walls on Clinton and Houston and at Houston and Bowery.  Scattered in between were small community parks, boutiques, coffee shops and book stores to give the hipster in you shivers.  We managed to snap some less fashion oriented photos along the way, with a spontaneous meeting with a New York Times best selling author.  Being the tease that I am, you'll have to read about it a little later this week when I post.

Until then, sound off below if your heart should so desire!