Friday, January 25, 2013

Moda Friday




i'm heading into Stylemax this weekend so i'm pretty much breathing, sleeping and eating fashion right now. i don't know what it is about this industry but i just can't get enough of it. right now i'm swimming in hundreds of new samples coming in daily. it's kind of like experiencing christmas morning an extra 5 times a year. for me personally; it's pretty cool that i get to see what is going to be in stores before it's there. kind of like a little inside scoop.
now this little scoop isn't exactly wallet friendly but hey…you only live once right?

"You live but once; you might as well be amusing."
-Coco Chanel 



speaking of inside scoop
i thought that this week for moda friday i would pick Simal's fashionista brain.
you know…ask all those questions that anyone who cares even a little bit about what they are wearing would ask. aka: things that i have been meaning to ask her but always forget. 

p.s….don't be intimidated by my hard hitting journalist questions

kizchicago.com



Part 1:

1. What are your fashion pet peeves?

-My fashion pet peeves.. hmm... I'd have to say a poorly accessorized outfit or fear of going up a size.  Your accessories can totally make or break your outfit. I don't feel like people understand this! If you are not big into jewelry, scarves or belts then get the basic pieces. Everyone needs: a set of bangles, a long necklace, short simple necklace, a cute pair of earrings and maybe a cocktail ring if you're feeling snazzy.
What do I mean when I say, "fear of going up a size?" Nothing is worse than stuffing yourself into something that does not fit! Nobody knows what size you're wearing! Who cares if the Medium doesn't fit and you need a Large. Does it look better? I'm sure it does! 
So... who cares! I always tell my customers, do not worry about the size worry about what looks good. If you look like you can't breathe... go up a size!



2. What are your top 3  "bargain" online shopping sites?

-This one is easy!!! LOVE, love, LOVE ideeli.com
They always have top designers for half the price, if not less. You can find just about anything on their site and I've never found it for less than what they are offering anywhere else! 
Gilt.com has just recently come back into my life. I stopped checking out their site once I found out about ideeli but, Gilt always has Rachel Zoe.. and if you remember I am obsessed with her and her clothes. 
Hautelook.com is the last site I check before I really start my day. They aren't 100% on their game. The sales on their site are really a hit or miss. 
A great thing about ideeli.com and gilt.com...they let you know the "estimated shipping date" before confirming your order. Here's the best part....they don't charge you until they are ready to ship! Love it!


3. What items should a person splurge on?

-As much as we all would like to not splurge on anything...jeans, shoes, handbags, wallets, and sunglasses are where I tend to splurge on, but, everyone is different and tend to take care of their belongings in different ways. 
Sunglasses are the one thing a lot of people would rather not spend money on because they will lose them or sit on them. 
So, if that's you...stick to one of the others. 
A nice handbag or wallet are expensive at one lump time but think... you are using this item everyday! Why would you not want something that will last you! In the end, you will end up spending just as much, if not more, after re-buying that same crappy purse or wallet a few months later. 
Shoes... oooooh how I love shoes! lol! I know we've all been there and bought the faux leather cheap shoe and mid day they break! I know I'm not the only one that has had this happen to them! Spend the extra money to get the real thing! They look better, they feel better and you can walk down the street in confidence, and with them in one piece!!

4. How do u feel about wedge sneakers?

-Got to love a sneaker! Especially one that gives you a little height and is comfortable, right? Why would you not love them!? They have soooo many out nowadays it's so hard to pick just one that I'm crazy about, but, if I had to chose one... I'd say the Nike "Dunk Sky Hi" is my favorite. They don't look like you are trying too hard. They are simple, fun, and classy. A lot of the wedge gym shoes look too trendy and we all know that within a few months everyone will be going crazy over some other style. Sometimes when something is too trendy, I try and stay away.


5. Since you own your own store...What trends are u predicting for spring?

-White and Black! 
Boy am I excited! Love black, and who doesn't love a pop of white to add some contrast? Spring colors, like pastels, will continue to be popular, but aqua and lavender are really showing those pastel colors who's boss. What's great about those colors are the fact that you can still mix them with black and turn them some-what edgy. I'm not a super girly girl so anything in the pastel family I stay away from. But I'm kind of excited to add these two colors to my color pallet for the Spring. 




to be cont…
and there you have it. 
thanks Simal


if you would like to know more about Simal or Kiz Chicago


you can catch up with her on instragram
go here or like Kiz on facebook




Have a great weekend!! 

xo,
T











Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Girls Who Eat 1.6




i've been persuaded. i like deep dish. 

welcome to 


so i'm not sure if any of you remember a few Girls Who Eat posts back…i mentioned that i wasn't a fan of "Chicago Style" pizza. aka: deep dish. ugh…all that bread. who needs it?
well i stand corrected. 

last weekend (you know the one that i needed recovery from) my friends and i were deciding where to have dinner on saturday night. the majority vote was pizza. shock!  
i of course was a little bummed because i was already preparing myself for the collective gasps that would happen the moment i started to fork off all my toppings and leave the bread. 
the blessed chicago deep dish bread. 
FORBIDDEN APPARENTLY. 

and it went like this...
get in cab and my friend had the genius idea to order ahead since deep dish takes so long 
(if you don't want a crazy wait..i suggest you do this)
the place was packed but we were seated instantly 
considering that the Ravens, Broncos, Packers and 49ers were all playing that night. i was shocked
ordered a caesar salad and i'm pretty sure the dressing was made in house. HELLO. YUM
pizza arrived. pepperoni & onions on one and pretty much everything but the kitchen sink on the other
instead of being my insane stubborn self… i decided to give deep dish one more shot

cue foodgasm music.
the sauce…
the cheesy buttery crust…
the toppings...
insane. 
(i'm having a flashback. give me a minute) 




and i'm back

there really isn't much more to say. it really is one of those things you just have to try. 
Pequod's… you officially have a fan
one question. how do you keep the bottom crust so crisp? hmm another wonder of the world



and to you guys…
you know what i'm going to say


GO NOW!!!!
(or at your earliest convenience) 







Monday, January 21, 2013

The Friend Zone


sorry mom. had too…




What does this mean?


A nice way of saying it…

According to Wikipedia…
in popular culture, the "friend zone" refers to a platonic relationship where one person wishes to enter into a romantic relationship, while the other does not. it is generally considered to be an undesirable situation by the lovelorn person. once the friend zone is established, it is said to be difficult to move beyond that point in a relationship. the idea of a "friend zone" is often criticized as simply being a platonic relationship in which one party never informs the other of their affection, then resents the other party for not sensing it, or feels entitled to the other party's affections despite the wishes of the other party. 


The reality of it…

According to UrbanDictionary.com
(who apparently only thinks this happens to men!)

When a girl decides that you're her friend, you're no longer a dating option. You become this complete non-sexual entity in her eyes, like her brother, or a lamp. 

Friend 1: Are you still with that girl? 
You: We're just friends
Friend 2: A moment of silence for our brother in the friend zone. 


yep. this has happened to me. not once. not twice…but a few times. i won't bore you with an exact number because that will just make it seem sad. and sad i am not. i actually think it's quite comical. the only reason i bring this up now is because it recently just happened to me. a friend kindly/obnoxiously felt the need to point it out to me. so naturally i had to write about it. 

and write about it i shall…


so the friend zone…
i guess i have always known what this meant but never knew i suffered from chronic friend zoning. yes everyone...my wise friend has diagnosed me. she says the cure is to stop being so available and to have a little more mystery. 
mystery…who needs more mystery? what is this….CLUE? 
after this little chat with my friend; i started doing a little research…via the inter nets. i mean duh…if it's on the internet then it must be true right? apparently this topic is quite popular and a lot of people have gone to the nets to discuss. 
did you know that some believe there are different degrees to the "friend zone?"  
(warning…if you are offended by the word wiener…don't click to read. otherwise…read on…you know you want to)

my recent zoning happened with Mr. Cosmo who i met right after i moved here. i barely remember our first meeting only due to the fact that i was a bit of a mess…considering i was practically a squatter sleeping on my friend's air mattress, living out of a suitcase and trying to act cool while being completely lost most of the time. however, what i do remember was thinking he was super dreamy and funny. 
now ladies…let me give you a quick description of  Mr. Cosmo. you know how in Cosmo magazine there are always the "meet this guy" type articles. the ones that show a very attractive "down home" guy doing something completely normal like cooking, reading or building a bird feeder. then casually there will be a list of "likes and dislikes" and they all usually have something to do with the guy loving a girl with a sense of humor, who's honest and has a good heart. when you are done reading the article you say to yourself…"aww good guys really do exist!" and you feel just a tinge of hope. 
well Mr. Cosmo is that guy. 

i met him through a friend and there was cabernet involved so it wasn't hard for us to strike up a conversation. we of course hit it off and i naturally developed a crush pretty fast. i guess i was convincing myself i needed a bird feeder! so i was telling my friend about this guy a few months ago and she automatically says, "seriously tanyel. what's the deal with this guy? are you just friends?" at the time i honestly didn't know the answer to that question. what is it about being in the middle of a crush that makes you completely dumb and blind? you end up dissecting every little thingfrom his leg accidentally bumping yours to him taking two extra minutes to explain the reasoning behind the wine flight lineup you just ordered. When in reality it all just means that he may suffer from restless leg syndrome and a passion for wine.

just recently that same friend asked me again what was going on and while asking she decided to run through a series of questions that would define his and my relationship. 
1. does he call you outside of when you guys hang out? 
2. have you ever hung out with him one on one?  
3. does he talk about other girls to you? 

after answering every question with a strong "NO!" took a large gulp from my bowl of wine and said "ugh. when you put it that way!" 
reality hit me…i was acting like one of "those" girls. 
blinded by the crush. 
my friend then continued to take it one more step and really set her words to flame…"didn't you buy that Steve Harvey book? Why on earth didn't his advice stick?" 


good question.


here's to a new day…and making it stick. 



Friday, January 18, 2013

Moda Friday



hello hello… 

i don't know about you but this week has flown by. or could it just be the fact that i've been slacking a bit in the world of blogging because it's already Moda Friday again. yay!  

so with that being said i'm going to stop talking because i know you are all waiting for the wise fashion words of miss simal. and here she is…

…...


Every morning... I wake up, check my e-mails, shower and then stand in front of my closet for 15 mins. Well standing there, I pick something up, put something down...I do this until I figure out what kind of "mood" I'm in for the day? Do I feel like being a little more "Urban"? "Edgy?" "Girly?" You get the point! Once I determine my "mood" I then look for whatever it is I need to fulfill that urge. 

Today... I felt like being in leather! 



Lately I have been going crazy over leather! 
Who doesn't love leather (besides PETA)? Leather is that "it" piece for the season! Now, I'm not telling you to go run out the door and go to the nearest store and spend $300-$800 on leather pants. There are plenty of places that have really cool faux leather pants for no more than $50. examples here and here
What's great about leather is that you can dress them up or dress them down. But, then again, "I" feel like you can do that with just about anything. Once you learn how to put things together and accessorize properly you can turn a white Hanes v-neck and a pair of skinny jeans into an outfit to hit the town in! 
Stick with me and I'll teach you just how to take an everyday outfit into an outfit that makes girls say..."Did you see her outfit?

so here's my take on leather two days

to the left: 
Jacket: Steve Madden
Pants: Kiz
Shoes: Belle by Sigerson Morrison

to the right: 
Top: Kiz 
VestAdrienne Landau
Pants: Halston Heritage
Shoes: Jordans
Watch: Michele
Bracelets: Kiz, David Yurman
Necklaces: Turkey, custom made






until next time…Happy Moda Friday
-Simal 



if you would like to know more about Simal or Kiz Chicago
you can catch up with her on instragram or like Kiz on facebook





Thursday, January 17, 2013

Manifesto




welcome to my week. 
the only wine i could find on the first floor of my grocery store and hbo girls season 1 on dvd  
i'm freaking obsessed with this show. (i forgot what it's like to be 2 years out of college and your biggest problems are trying to figure out whether a boy likes you or not and if it's normal to change jobs every year and a half.)
exciting right? well i have to say… i'm pretty darn okay with the way this week is shaping up. the sad part about this is that i feel like i'm still recovering from my weekend. i'm sure you are thinking…why do you have to "recover" from a weekend? you are 29. that's a great question…and my answer is…i have no freaking clue. 
about a week ago…i asked my friend what her new years resolutions were and she proceeded to tell me that she wasn't calling them resolutions but instead they were grouped into what would be her manifesto. deep right? she's "that" friend. (the one that unintentionally makes you feel like a slacker just because she does more between the hours of 6 and 9am on a saturday than i do in a whole day) after she explained this to me she immediately turned the question back on me. Well of course my "better me" list just didn't feel like it was going to cut it after hearing the deep detailed list she just spouted off.
so i decided to change it up a bit and say "meet more people and get out more!" well heck. at the time... i didn't realize that that would require so much "recovery" time and dedication. grrr

now i'm paying the price. 

wait. why am i already feeling guilty about the fact that i kind of want to sit at home this weekend watching this dvd set and indulge in my newest kale chip obsession. i mean come on…who doesn't want to know what newest dramatic event has happened to Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna.  
i do. i do. i do. 


dang manifesto. 


here's to more recovery time…


happy almost friday 



Friday, January 11, 2013

Moda Friday




the backstory


 sorry simal. these are the only throwback pictures i had. 
clearly this second picture doesn't reflect the story i'm about to tell.
i'm not sure why but we seem to be in a cemetery. don't ask. 





the first time i met simal was my sophomore year at good old indiana state university. 
(yep. we were sycamores. go trees.) 
we weren't instant friends; mostly due to the fact that we had a teacher that was pretty intense and didn't exactly allow chit chat and expected us to keep our eyes on our own sewing machine. 
so yea. there wasn't a lot of "hey, let's socialize and be friends" time. 
simal was "that" girl. and by that i mean..she was the girl who walked into a room and every single person would turn around to see what she was wearing. we are talking designer clothing here people. IN COLLEGE.   
no joke. the boys and girls were staring. i mean come on. we went to school for fashion…for "some" of us…getting ready for class was like getting ready for our own personal Mercedes Fashion Week. We didn't just roll out of bed and go to class in a sweatshirt and jeans. nope. we went in full makeup, full accessories and even heels from time to time. (less heels for me. considering i fall a lot and isu seems to have an obsession with cobblestone sidewalks. that combined with heels and no sense of balance = me face planting a few times.) so naturally we were all jealous. and just like typical girls…we all figured a "designer" attitude came with those designer clothes. 

boy was i wrong. 

so after 6 months of having practically every class together; simal and i were paired together for a class project. and the rest is pretty much history. we ended up bonding over our hatred for ten-gore dresses, 8am sewing classes and me being fascinated over the fact she had never had sushi before. turns out simal may be one of the most laid back, non superficial people i have ever met. u know the kind of person who looks shy and meek but when they open their mouth they kind of remind you of a randy trucker? yep. that's simal. 


so naturally…when i moved to chicago; simal was one of the few lucky friends that got to put up with my non-stop "where should i go and how do i get there" text.
a few months ago we were out for dinner and got to talking about style, fashion and all that…and she told me she had a fashion blog. of course i was super intrigued and looked it up immediately. after a few weeks went by i noticed my blog was coming up on 3000 views and i wanted do a little something special to represent this. i decided to ask simal if she would like to do a guest fashion post. after saying yes…she thought of an even better idea and suggested we start doing a weekly fashion post series. 
of course i said yes.
and here it is……


WELCOME TO MODA FRIDAY. 
from here on out. every friday…
simal & i will be here…sharing our love for fashion and all things style


i hope you enjoy!


TAKE IT AWAY SIMAL! 






Hey everyone!!! My name is Simal (Shamall) and T has asked me to add a little fashion touch to her fabulous blog. I know some of you are thinking... why should we trust what you say is trending? Well, good question! I've worked in the retail industry ever since I was 18 and now...I own my own clothing store called Kiz. Kiz has been open for 2 years and we are still going strong! We've been featured on a few shows; Chicagolicious and Mob Wives. Kind of cool huh? Have I gained your trust yet? Well, hopefully after reading a few of my post I'll turn you into a believer. 

A lot of the clothes I wear are obviously from Kiz. When a customer comes in I can't have them loving my outfit and then sending them out the door to another store. I believe in the clothes I sell and obviously LOVE them, and want to wear them since I picked them out. No.... my post are not going to be shameless plugs for my store, I do shop outside of Kiz. Some may call me a shopaholic. The minute I wake up... I grab my phone and check all my e-mails. Not business e-mails, shopping e-mails. Who is having a sale? Who is ideeli.com and gilt.com featuring today? I'm OBSESSED! My weaknesses are, shoes and pants. I don't have a favorite shoe designer but for pants...Rachel Zoe all the way! Rag&Bone and Jbrand would come in tied for second. As you get to know me you'll understand who I am and what my style is all about. I don't have a specific style, I don't stick with a specific brand other than Kiz :) 
My motto is: wear expensive pants with inexpensive tops. Tops styles change way too much! I can't spend $200 on a top that I'll only wear once! I'm not a baller yet, and even if I was... I don't know if I would do it then.









So there you have it... Tangled in the City's Moda Friday is officially a go. 






btw...
if you would like to know more about Simal or Kiz Chicago
you can catch up with her on instragram or like Kiz on facebook
go now.  




Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The Year the World Was Suppose to End


so 2012…

this year was without a doubt…one for the books. my books anyhow. in terms of life changing events i'm pretty sure packing up and moving to this beautiful city that is chicago in 72 hours qualifies. if i look back at where i was this time last year. you could not have told me that i would be smack dab in the middle of living my dream just one year later. 
(hmm. i wonder how many times i can say "year" in this post?) now i know that i talk about moving quite a bit but like i've said in the past. i'm going to be milking this whole "new to the city!" outlook for quite awhile. sorry. 

now don't get me wrong…moving wasn't the only good thing that happened to me this past year. there are quite a few more things i'm pretty pumped i got to experience.

for example...i got introduced to the musical stylings of Imagine Dragons, Of Monsters and Men, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and The Staves6pm.com pretty much changed my negative view of buying clothes and shoes offline. i officially can tell which direction is north without looking at a map. (sad but true) i got introduced to christian grey and boy was it good.   i tried quacamole for the first time and after 28 years of saying "no avocado"...i can finally say…i like avocados. i prayed for snow and got a blizzard on my birthday. i got to witness my mom doing the "gangnam" (yes people. she was quite proud)
and last but not least...i finally am ready to admit... i'm a Taylor Swift fan. (yep. that's right. the girl just knows how to write a good song. and before those of you who might judge…i dare you to just take 20 mins and listen to all the lyrics on the album. i know you will relate to at least one song. the girl knows how to verbalize the pain of a breakup. lord knows we've all been there) 

now on to 2013

considering this past year was suppose to be our last. i'm going to look at 2013 as somewhat of a bonus.  i don't know about you guys but i'm not one to make resolutions and actually keep them. I'm not sure why but for some reason by the time st. patrick's day roles around i've usually forgotten half the things on my resolutions list. so this time i have decided to make some what of a "better me" list. just for the year. (i'm not 100% sure what makes this that much different from a new year's ressie but hey…i figure this blog is mine and i can do what i want right?) 

i want 2013 to be the year of "getting back to the basics." i'm not quite sure what that means or entails but it sounds nice right? i feel like i let a lot of things get complicated that just didn't need to be. HELLO. DATING WAS FOR SURE ONE OF THOSE THINGS. so i'm taking it back. way back… and focusing on keeping life simple and just living. no bs. 
i'm not going to be so on the "hunt" this year for the perfect guy (cause let's be real, i went on enough non-perfect dates in 2012 to hold me over for awhile). i'm not going to start a work out plan and then stop just because Talenti was on sale at the grocery. i'm not going to promise a friend i'll do something and then cancel at the last minute because i was irresponsible and stayed out too late the night before and drank my weight in cabernat. 

so there you have it. my declaration. 2013…BACK TO BASICS. 
wish me luck. 

and i hope and wish each and every one of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
here's to us! 


xo, 
T