All I need is a beach and I'm a happy person. I can't think of a better day than reading on the beach, swimming for hours in the waves, and having a coconutty drink in the late afternoon. I escaped the winter cold over Christmas & New Year's to head down to the Dominican Republic.

I spend this time of year doing a few things. One of them is snuggling under my covers drinking hot tea (anyone's invited to hang-- I take house calls). I also spend my time dreaming of being somewhere warm, somewhere where I can walk around the corner without having to bundle up in ten-thousand layers. As I'm dreaming of summer [and vacation] clothing, I am dreaming of lace.

Red has always been a color I gravitate towards when shopping, whether it be a dress or a bag or the stripes on converse. In college psych class, we learned that red is the color of energy and passion. Who doesn't want more of either in their life? I know oxblood is the color of the moment-- that burnt, almost brown, burgundy hue-- but give me some bright red and I'm feeling good.

Bombshell magic. There's something about black and white photos that makes the subjects seem more mysterious and magnetic, and some photographers have an eye to catch them. I was walking through Nolita and ended up at a gallery called Clic.