Life – Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle.

September 9, 2021September 9, 2021

SEPTEMBER, A FRESH START

To me, September always feels like a fresh start. No matter how old I get, it still reminds me of the unnerving promise of a new school year. Brand new shoes to break in and pencils to sharpen. The first crisp chill in the air that finally allows for sleeping with the windows open. Anything seems possible again in New York in the Fall.

This year has not been short on challenges for me. Largely at work but personally too and, quite obviously, for the world at large. In a lot of ways I found it just as hard as 2020. And I don’t think I’m alone in having spent much of the year sort of stagnant (or languishing as the New York Times so aptly coined it). And on top of that, last Fall was extremely stressful so I don’t really feel like I got to savor it. So more than ever I feel gripped by the desire to use this next season to the fullest. To slow down in the little moments while simultaneously adding fuel to my bigger pursuits. To feel like my best self. Or, at the very least, some some slightly improved, slightly more sane version of myself.

I want to get back to being creative, just for creativity’s sake. Taking photos, writing, playing the piano. I want to get back to exploring the city. Back to date nights and dressing up on a Tuesday just because. Dust off the shoes that have been similarly languishing in the back of my closet for a year and a half. I want to go on long walks in the cool morning air, treat myself to fresh flowers and get a regular manicure. I want to be better about creating a balanced work/life schedule and at the same time – allow for spontaneity.

September is always a fresh start. What will you do with it?

December 31, 2017

2017: A YEAR IN REVIEW

2017 – you were quite a year. To be honest, this year was one of the most trying for me personally – and when I think about the tragedies and upheaval our country faced I don’t think I was alone in this. I felt chronically stressed at my full time job, had a few health struggles (from a night in the ER after a deadly-feeling stomach bug to ongoing knee pain that took its toll on my running routine – something I love dearly) and turned 30 which threw quite a few of my life choices into question. In general it was a year that I felt a little bit stuck. Like I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be and the progress I’d planned wasn’t quite as fast as I’d hoped.

Although when I look back on my year in photos none of that shows. Instagram/blogs are funny that way, aren’t they? And despite the above, I feel grateful for this year. Not just because I think that struggling a bit makes me stronger in the end and spurs me to work even harder for what I really want in life – but also because I had a million happy memories too – from little things like Sunday breakfasts with Adam at our favorite neighborhood cafe to incredible travel that took us to new places and back to old favorite places – and feel thankful for the opportunities that the year brought. Below, I’m sharing my favorite moments.

And a heartfelt thank you to all of you for coming along for the ride. Whether you just found my blog or have been following for years – one of the things that has always brought me joy (even when the rest of my life may have felt out of balance) has been this blog and sharing my adventures with all of you. I’m really looking forward to some of the things I have in the queue for 2018 so I hope you all stick around. xx, Jess

Photo above from our trip back to LA in April and our stay at the swoon-worthy Carlyle Inn Beverly Hills. // Full post here.

Wandering the West Village on an early Saturday morning in March, in one of the prettiest dresses I’ve ever worn and an armful of hydrangeas felt a little bit like a movie scene. // Full post here.

This simple striped overall look was one of my most liked on Instagram. It seems easy, casual looks are your favorites so I’m going to try to show more of that in the coming year. // Full post here.

We visited Palm Springs for the first time in April (for the wedding of a dear friend) and fell in love with the colorful desert oasis. Adam and I joked that we’re going to start spending winters switching between Miami and Palm Springs – not a bad retirement plan, right? // Full post here and travel guide to Palm Springs here.

We spent a few days back in LA and had the most relaxing afternoon on Manhattan Beach (our favorite spot when we used to live in LA). These bathing suit pictures were outside my comfort zone, but when I look at them now I’m so glad we took them because it makes me remember how happy we were that day. // Full post here.

We headed back to Charleston (it was our 2nd time there) to celebrate my 30th birthday and had the absolute best time – sealing the deal as one of our favorite cities in the US to visit. I got eaten alive by mosquitos on this particular night but felt like a Southern Belle in that dress wandering the pretty back alleys with Adam. // Full post here and travel guide to Charleston here.

The basket bag was was one of my favorite trends of 2017 and this look was one of my most popular. Sometimes re-thinking old closet favorites (knotting a graphic tee and wrapping a handkerchief around a bag handle) makes things feel completely new again. // Full post here.

On a hot summer weekend in June, Adam and I headed uptown and had a staycation at the Omni Berkshire Hotel. We had a balcony overlooking skyscrapers and they set up a private outdoor movie screening for us, then we got dressed up and raced a few blocks over to catch the ballet at Lincoln Center. This city never stops feeling magical to me. // Full post here.

These photos remind me of everything that’s perfect about summer in the city. I loved this outfit but I also remember having a really great day for no particular reason. No agenda, that humidity getting to my hair, and the fact that we got soft serve cones from the ice cream truck right after we finished shooting. // Full post here.

We spent plenty of days at the lake house this summer, and this corner of the dock continues to be one of my happiest places in the world. // Full post here.

I convinced Adam to come out from behind the camera a few times this year and these were my favorites – because they feel most like us. On a casual day, driving back from the lake house, when we pulled over the car just because the street looked good. // Full post here.

Another NYFW on the books – this 70s disco inspired look was my favorite. And as always, Adam will do whatever it takes to get that shoe shot for me. // Full post here.

On a last minute whim, we booked an AirBnB for a September weekend in Rhode Island and explored Newport and the town of Bristol. It ended up being one of my favorite weekends of the whole year. // Full post here and travel guide to Newport here.

This was a big one. 10 years after studying abroad in London I finally made it back and this time had the joy of showing Adam around. We lucked out with the best weather and had such an incredible time. // Full post here and travel guide to London here.

While we were in London we drove out to the countryside to visit the string of tiny villages known as the Cotswolds. We stayed at the dreamiest cottage inn and I felt like I was living out a Jane Austen novel. Still working on my full travel guide to this area coming in the new year! // Full post here.

We also made it to Scotland for the first time and spent a couple of nights in Edinburgh. The whole city felt like a medieval dream – another travel guide I’ve got planned for you soon! // Full post here.

I teamed up with my hair wizard Sarah Rappolt to shoot 3 holiday hairstyles and loved this simple, romantic updo the most. I’m hoping to bring you more of my easy approach to hair and beauty in 2018. // Full post here.

Adam and I headed back to the Omni for a special holiday shoot. Midway through dancing on their rooftop and popping champagne in a private room we looked at each other laughing and said.. ‘not a bad day’s work, huh?’. None of this would be half as fun if I didn’t have him to do it with. // Full post here.

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May 13, 2017May 12, 2017

AT 30 – A LETTER TO MY 20 YEAR OLD SELF

Today, I turn 30. So it felt only right that I take a moment to reflect on the past 10 years and offer some words of advice to my younger self. Here – an open, honest and heartfelt letter to my 20 year old self. To note: it’s a long one, and one that felt scary to hit publish on, so if you stay with me through this full letter – thanks. And also thanks in general because this space and all of you reading has been a true highlight of my twenties.

On Expectations:

That life you picture having in 10 years? With the big city and the big career and the marriage and the kids? Some of it you’ll get. And some of it you won’t. You’ll be lucky that way.

On New York:

You’ll move to New York just like you always wanted to and spend the better part of a decade falling even more in love with it. Sometimes it will momentarily knock you to your knees but this city will teach you how to quickly get back up and dust yourself off. You can be anyone you want to here, but keep being yourself. And don’t take a second of your life here for granted.

On Friends & Family:

Those girls you count as your best friends? Claire, Val, Jo… they’ll be the same best friends you have 10 years from now. Some of them will move away or get married, but they’ll still be the ones you can call on when you need them.

You’ll begin to realize on a much deeper level how lucky you are to have the family you do. The sister that has always been your biggest cheerleader. The Mom that taught you what it means to love unconditionally. The Dad that understands you in a way no one else does. They’ll be there through every high and low for the next decade.

But then – you’ll have to say goodbye to your Nanny. Even years later you’ll find yourself missing her voice, her hands, her distinct mixture of strength and softness. Try to be the kind of woman that lives on long after you go.. and remember to visit your other 3 incredible grandparents any chance you get.

On Career:

That unpaid internship you kill yourself commuting to New York for right now? That company will go out of business by the time you graduate. But despite a terrible recession and a degree in Fashion Design that some called ‘frivolous’ you’ll never once be out of a job. You’re parents taught you to work hard and you picked a career path you loved. A decade later you’ll be an Art Director with an intern just like yourself. Eagerly dreaming of the big city and the big career.

Don’t let yourself get comfortable. Don’t let fear dictate your career path. Take big risks, put in the work and see where it takes you.

On Body Image:

That figure you live with now and quietly find fault in? Those ribs you think stick out too far, hips you think are too curvy and calves you think are too big? Stop wasting your time. It will take you years but you’ll stop wanting to look skinny and your only desire will be to feel strong. Right now you can barely run one mile but you’ll learn to love running with a devotion usually reserved for religion. It will save you. You’ll run a half marathon.. and then three more. You’ll learn balance and that you feel best when you’re working out nearly every day of the week. Don’t worry – you’ll still love pizza. 10 years from now you’ll be way more at ease with your body and looks than you are now.

On Love:

That boy you’re with right now? He’s cheating on you with a girl that pretends to be nice to you. I wish it wasn’t going to take you another 2 years to find that out. I wish I could whisper the word ‘run’ to you right now but I can’t. Sometimes life is a slow burn before it finally ignites into a wildfire.

When that day comes it’s going to feel like you can’t possibly sustain the heat of that heartbreak. He’ll spend a year calling you in the middle of the night crying and begging for you back. But he underestimated you and he’ll be pleading with a girl that’s already long gone. Finally, one day he’ll stop calling. He’ll find someone else to hang the weight of his insecurities on. Someone who would carry them better or could love him better or… really it doesn’t matter. He’ll marry her.

But you? Baby, you’ll learn to run. You’ll learn to be the kind of woman that takes what she needs and doesn’t apologize for it. You’ll keep running until one day someone stops you dead in your tracks. Looking into his eyes will feel like home. But they’ll warn you that he’s too young, too careless. And they’ll warn him that you’ve got dreams too big for him. Don’t listen. He’s going to challenge you in ways that you never imagined. You’ll be better for it. Years later you’ll still wake up every morning just happy at the sight of him next to you. Keep doing that.

On the things you don’t have.. and the things you have instead:

You won’t walk down the aisle or spend sleepless nights rocking a baby to sleep. Instead you’ll walk through ancient tea gardens in Shanghai, stroll the alleys of Paris at midnight, dance through the empty Californian desert. You’ll spend late nights among the winding canals of Amsterdam and the neon-lit streets of Nashville. You’ll watch the sun rise over the Manhattan skyline after blurry nights that now feel crystal clear. You’ll drive cross country twice. You’ll run across finish lines. You’ll stack your fingers with rings you got for yourself. And you won’t find yourself wishing there was a diamond there instead.

10 years from now – you’ll be enough for yourself. You’ll be proud of what you’ve got but still hungry for more. Trust me, it’s going to be a good ride.

August 9, 2016

IN THE MEANTIME

As I write this from an ill-suited iPad, my lifeline (aka 7-year old MacBook) sits in a repair shop downtown waiting for a diagnosis. One that I hope is not fatal. I don’t have a deep attachment to many material things (sure I love my shoes but if I lost them all tomorrow I’d still count myself as very #blessed) but my laptop is different. As I sat staring/crying at it all last night when it wouldn’t boot past the home screen I started to wonder just why it was that I felt such a loss. Most of my pictures are backed up on an external hard drive.. although some pictures and graphic design work from my portfolio will undoubtably be lost. But it’s more than that.

That laptop was the first grown-up purchase I made when I graduated college. I searched for my first New York apartment on it. It contains the first email chain that Adam and I ever wrote to each other 5+ years ago. The running schedule I mapped out to complete my first half marathon. It’s what I packed (along with little else) when we packed the car and drove cross country to live in LA. And what was most crucial for the trip back to New York. And perhaps closest to my heart, where a little blog idea grew into what The Steele Maiden is today. I realized that losing it would feel like losing a piece of myself, however silly that may seem.

So send your good vibes, well wishes and happiest thoughts my way that we’re back up and running in no time. That little laptop and I still have quite a bit to share with you.

March 7, 2015March 8, 2015

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The site you’re looking at (a new and improved The Steele Maiden) has been a long time coming. In fact, it’s the site I set out to make when I began blogging all the way back in 2012.

Continue reading “A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR”