rolling

Because her new school is quite a distance from our apartment and not very convenient for the commute to our studio, I spent a ridiculous amount of time this fall mulling over our commuting options and concluded that biking would be our best choice.

Much as Tsia might like to ride in a creative solution like this

or this

we don't exactly have storage space for these clever modes. A similar front-basket Dutch style is manufactured here in the States. We also tried and considered the Burley and Chariot trailers, but they weren't practical for our purposes.

A more typical solution (for our purposes) is a back-of-the-bike carrier like this one:

Unfortunately, Tsia is too big (tall, that is) for these seats, which are intended for smaller children. And I was a little nervous about whether I could control a bike with her on it--she's weighs more than a quarter of my own weight, after all:

Then I read and enjoyed this post about the Dutch and their bikes. I love biking in the Netherlands, but I must admit I never noticed all this about their bikes. I'm especially impressed at all the things they carry (another adult? two kids?) and do (talk on cell phones?) on their bikes. So we agreed that, as long as we're careful, I can handle riding her on a back seat.

A knowledgeable biking parent called these seats to our attention. The seats are appropriate for children aged five to ten. They aren't widely available in the U.S. but proved to be the perfect solution for our needs.

Then came the bike part of the equation. I was dreaming of a bike this this one. But they're a bit pricey. And VERY heavy. Especially for getting over the Williamsburg Bridge every day, which is how we get to Brooklyn every day after dropping S at school. I needed a lighter bike with plenty of gears, since the seat adds quite a bit of weight to the bike and the bridge has a decent incline over which to haul all that weight.

New York has also been working to make the city more bike-friendly, with the addition of special bike lanes and accomodations that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. I think we've still got a long way to go before biking will be as widely accepted and easy to maneuver as it is in the Netherlands, but we're making good progress in the right direction.

I still need to take a photo to show you just what we ended up getting. But our new commute has been working out really well, and we're all enjoying it.

checking in

If you're wondering what's become of me, so am I. I walked into a meeting at S's new school (kindergarten, already) last week and was shocked to hear the Principal mention that it was the sixth week of school. Already? It felt like the third week to me. We're still adjusting to the schedule, our new commute, and a lot of projects and deadlines that keep popping up.

Just to get caught up and back into the swing of things, here's a list of random items:

Visiting: We took our bikes out to Governor's Island on the ferry a week or two ago and had a great time riding around. It's so odd to explore an island full of vacant buildings, so close to the city. Eerily beautiful, especially when it's threatening a storm.





Watching: I've been on a little kick, watching documentary and feature films about fashion designers: Valentino, Coco Before Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent. Loved The September Issue. Have you seen it? Have I missed any? I'm anxiously awaiting Bill Cunningham New York, too.

Reading: I think I'll move on to something different than fashion once I've finished reading Coco Chanel. But in truth I'm just awaiting the final book in the Lytton family trilogy by Penny Vincenzi to arrive from the library. Good stuff.

Listening: Have you heard the most recent Radiolab yet? And here I thought we were being so environmental, living in New York. Turns out that's only part of the story.

Looking: The Abstract Expressionist New York show at MoMA is well worth a trip if you get a chance. The show draws from the museum's permanent collection, and it's both educational and fascinating.

Ok, back soon. I promise.

(Oh, and we're doing a giveaway at the Oliver + S blog to celebrate the release of our fabrics, fyi...)

inspiration: other designers

I always love to see other people's sources for creative inspiration. It's interesting how each of us finds inspiration from different places and things.


New York magazine asked 100 fashion designers to share their inspiration for their spring 2010 collections. You'll find a huge variety of sources, from abstract concepts and ideas to very concrete objects and things. I love the beetle above, and this little dress detail.



I talked about my inspiration for City Weekend, our first fabric collection, over on the Oliver + S blog today. The fabrics are now shipping and will be available for purchase soon.

click

We dropped off some materials at the studio last weekend, and when we arrived the afternoon light was ideal for a photo shoot. So shoot we did. Just some odds and ends that needed to be photographed, but Tsia watched the process closely as she kept herself busy on the sidelines.

Once we were finished, she asked if she could try taking a few photos, herself. She started with some still lifes, then moved on to some portraits and self-portraits. It was loads of fun to watch, since she knew exactly what she wanted. All these photos are un-cropped. We stayed out of the way for this one:

But the best shots came at the very end, just before we packed up to go home. She wanted to do a series she said would be called "Best Buddies." She set up these three shots and took only one frame of each:

I think they're perfect. They're being printed and sent off to grandparents as we speak.