Sweater Weather

Ryan Roche sweater, Fall 2014 collection

San Francisco's mild weather requires a different eye for choosing winter clothing, and knitwear is a category I am always looking to fill. With Christmas coming, I'd love to add a lightweight cashmere sweater to my collection. One idea has been to seek out sweaters from companies based in California, who focus on design and style rather than a heavy, ultra-warm fabric.

My skin is sensitive to wool - often traditional wool sweaters feel very itchy, and I can't wear any fabric that includes mohair or angora. Since I don't spend a lot of time shopping in stores, internet research helps to narrow my choices.  I'm particular about the texture, and searches for waffle weave, thermal or honeycomb styles have yielded interesting results.

So far my research project has been around styles of sweaters, and I'm not looking for a particular color. As my search continues, it would be great to find a textured crewneck navy sweater. 

Some of my favorites:
 
This Raquel Allegra sweater stands out for its unique, handmade design. 

available at Steven Alan

This Vince cashmere sweater has a ribbed texture, but doesn't have the casual baseball jersey style of many thermal sweaters.

Available at TheLine.com

I don't wear a lot of turtlenecks because I don't like them hugging my neck. I think they can look great, and the military-inspired style of this navy NLST sweater is almost 40% cotton - hopefully soft and comfortable. 

Available at shopbop.com

The Fashion Fund TV series has introduced me to the talented sweater designer Ryan Roche. The sweaters are a bit avant garde for me, but I love seeing her business evolve on the show. I'll be keeping a close eye on her future collections.

from Ryan Roche Fall 2014 collection

Hard to find words

by Banksy

I watched coverage of the grand jury decision not to indict the police officer accused of killing unarmed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and am struggling with the news. 

A friend posted this #anonymous tweet of a Martin Luther King quote. Then I remembered seeing the Banksy painting. Together they sum up how I feel right now.

Read: A Rape on Campus

A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA by Sabrina Rubin Erdely was published in Rolling Stone magazine last week. It documents an 18-year old University of Virginia student's gang rape at a fraternity house in 2012. 

I feel sick after reading the article. I am sad and angry; for the victim, for the many other victims of rape who are afraid to speak publicly, and because of the University's lack of support for its female students. These are young women, college students only 18 to 21 years old. Being raped is a traumatic event with long-lasting effects, even if victims are supported by their friends, family and community - which in the story documented and far too many others, they are not. The University's actions have been self serving and created a culture that turns a blind eye to serious crime. 

Please consider signing this online petition calling on the University of Virginia administration to End the Rape Culture at UVA.  You can add your name and support by signing the petition. 

Advocacy groups like RAINN are an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn more about how to support victims of rape and sexual assault. 

60+ minutes of sound: Pandora

My version of a Pandora's Box. Clutch by Edie Parker

I love making monthly playlists but during busy times, my fallback is Pandora. I have a yearly subscription, which is inexpensive and keeps the listening experience commercial-free. I highly recommend taking the time to rate songs so the stations are customized to your preferences. 

Some of my favorite stations: 

Jazz  
Bebop
Thelonious Monk
Menahan Street Band

Electronic
Kraftwerk

Soul
Baby Huey
Sam Cooke
Stevie Wonder

Classical
Lalo Schifrin
Philip Glass

Surf Rock
Dick Dale

World
Fela Kuti
Tinariwen
Buena Vista Social Club 

My Skincare Lineup

Lauren Hutton, 1980. Age 37.

Getting older has many benefits, but I have to confess that navigating skincare in my 30s has had a long and steep learning curve. First, a big project has been researching and trying new products that help with wrinkles, fine lines, sun damage and hormonal changes. Then learning about toxic chemicals in skincare led me to try to clean up my products, especially those I use every day. 

Patti Hansen, 1993. Age 37.

What is the new reality of my 37-year old face? Some basic questions come up. Can the effects of aging actually be helped by skincare products? What amount of wrinkles am I willing to learn to love? 

Liv Tyler, 2014. Age 37.

Needless to say, I have been trying a lot of new products with varying degrees of success. Over the past month I have started to feel like I finally have some clear recommendations. 

Diane Kruger, 2014. Age 37.

Cleansers
I have read many articles about the benefits of using multiple cleansers to keep skin vibrant. On the advice of several skincare professionals, I have switched to cream cleansers. I also use my Clarisonic several times each week, rather than twice a day. 
In the morning, I use The Organic Pharmacy’s Glamour Food Facial Milk Wash, which is a very gentle cleanser. Since I have removed all my makeup the night before, this cleanser works well as a morning refresher. I follow the cleanser with a gentle and hydrating scrub, Luzern Laboratories Micro-Exfoliant. In the evening, I use Sowd Skincare's Fortifying Cleanser. I love that it includes a makeup remover, saving me an additional evening step.

Toner
I gave up toner for a while, but I think my skin looks better when I use it. I have a bottle of Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist that I am finishing. I spray a bit into my hands and blot it gently on my face after cleansing.

Serum
The anti-aging benefits of Vitamin C serum have convinced me to make it my first step after cleansing, and right now my favorite is Medik8 CE Tetra.
 
After a complimentary facial at Ayla Beauty in San Francisco, I bought two of Luzern Laboratories serums. I was a bit skeptical because I don't believe great skincare has to be expensive, but since I started using the products my skin looks noticeably smoother and brighter. I start with Serum ReHydrate, wait a few minutes and then add Serum Absolut WE3. 

Eye Cream
For eye cream, the best product I've found to combat puffiness and dark circles is Yonka Phyto Contour. I have tried so many different eye creams, and I really notice a difference with this one. It takes a few weeks, but it is worth the wait. It smells like rosemary and can be a bit tingly around the eyes at first. 

Oil - in place of moisturizer
Skin oils are getting a lot of press lately as a replacement for standard facial moisturizers. I like them and there are a lot of non-toxic options. It can be a tricky process to see what works best with your skin type, and oils really vary in their strength and quality. For daily use, my favorite is a few drops of MyHavtorn Organic Facial Oil. If my skin feels extra dry, especially in the evening, I use Earth tu Face Blue Chamomile and Carrot Seed serum. 

Sunscreen
I like to wear sunscreen every day and have recently switched to Luzern Laboratories La Defense SPF 30 sunscreen. It has nearly 20% zinc but manages to be totally transparent, and as a bonus it is filled with a great mix of beneficial ingredients. I shied away from buying it at first because it smells like a Jolly Rancher candy, but the smell fades very quickly. I hardly notice the scent now, even when I first put it on.

Spot treatment
An amazing secret weapon against bad skin, Medik8 Betagel spot treatment works wonders and can be put on several times a day without drying skin out.

Read: Influence

 

Influence, the 2008 book by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, had been collecting dust near the bottom of one of my bookshelves. As a coffee table book addict, I'm not even sure I looked through it when I originally bought the book. Their classically beautiful designs for the CFDA Award winning fashion brand The Row caught my interest, and recently I dug into my own library to learn more about what drives their aesthetic.

The book is super interesting. They clearly thought long and hard about who to include, and I have taken the time to slowly read through each interview. It shows two talented young women authentically seeking knowledge from a variety of artists, designers and creative people that they admire. 

I share a birthday with the twins, June 13, and I love to see where the curiosity trait takes fellow Geminis. My longstanding favorite show on television is the Charlie Rose Show on PBS, and Influence feels like their version of his famous round table.   

The Row t-shirt. Salina, Italy, September 2014

My favorite white t-shirt is an early design by The Row. I recently bought a long sleeved version to wear as the temperature cools down. They are simple, luxurious and perfect.

Beautiful clothes designed by two impressive women. I look forward to their next book - and will surely not let it sit unread on a shelf for six years!