cracker jackin' son of a fruit tart

I'm not sure how this all came about. . . actually, that's a lie. I know exactly how. I was talking to Lisa on gchat for longer than 3 minutes which is enough time to lead to bizarre conversations on the brink of genius and insanity thus, bringing me to my smartest (or stupidest) decision of 2009.

From this moment on, I hereby declare to replace all swear words with confectionery items.

Need more expanation?

Here are some examples:


"Oh, snickerdoodle! I just spilled coffee all over my new blouse. Cupcake my life."


"Hey dude, see that hot chick over there standing by the bar? Totally sconed her."
"Bro, that girl wouldn't scone you if you were the last scone at Starbucks. You are so full of butterscotch it's not even funny."


"Who the funnel cake do you think you're talking to, you red velvet profiterol?"


"I wouldn't touch that marble loaf with a ten foot fork."


"Holy cracker jacks! I just won a new car! My life is the licorice!"


"I hate him! Why did I ever date such a piece of salt water taffy?"
"Joan, he's not worth your calories. He's nothing but a two-timing petit four."


"Did you see Don totally eat chocolate trying to hit that rail?"
"Yeah, he is going to feel like hot fudge tomorrow."


"You're such a piece of toffee. But I still think you're delicious, and I love you."


"Someone better tell me what the marzipan is going on here or I'm gonna lose my oreos!"


"Can you believe how caramelized Betty was last night at the party?"
"That girl made a complete doughnut of herself."


"Peanut Brittle! I just got another parking ticket. Chocolate covered parking police, always trying to ruin my day."

"That girl is such a lemon bar. I mean, can we talk about that powdered sugar for one second? Who the cotton candy does she think she is?"





I think everyone should try and hop on this train. The next stop will be to replace all cars and planes with ponies and unicorns, then replace all guns with candy canes, and ultimately, live in a world where everyone has the ability to break out in choreographed song and dance, living out everyday situations in the form of a delightful Broadway musical. Now, who the gumdrops wouldn't want to live in a world like that?

C is for Couture and that's Good Enough for Me

Oscar de la Renta and Oscar the Grouch. Grunge at its finest.


Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet. 
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to… 7th Avenue?

Because if Sesame Street is where everything’s A-OK for us kids, then surely New York’s fashion capital is where we should come and play as grown-ups.

And what friendlier neighbors will we meet there than Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Francisco Costa, and Diane Von Fürstenburg?

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic television program, Harper’s Bazaar orchestrated a playful fashion spread bringing together some of the biggest names in haute couture with some of the biggest names in childhood: the muppets of Sesame Street.

The spread fuses fashion with the pop culture institution, shedding light on each notion in an unconventional way. It illustrates that high-end fashion doesn’t always have to be serious. It can be fun, lighthearted and joyous. And it shows there is much more to Sesame Street than a beloved children’s program. The characters of Sesame Street possess an intangible quality that can only be described as precious. They are imaginative and wonderful, and a reminder of the kid who lives in all of us - even the most conspicuous fashion designer.

Both concepts communicate a universal message that is timeless and relevant. Years pass, but children keep coming back to Sesame Street. And everything from reoccurring trends over the decades to the term 'vintage' proves that great style, no matter how much time elapsed, will always find a way back into our wardrobe.

Check out some of the photos from the shoot below.

Photo credit: Jason Schmidt






Carolina Herrera and Elmo. Fashion's Song.



Diane Von Fürstenburg and Big Bird. Feathers: soon to make a major comeback.



Kate and Laura Mulleavy and Cookie Monster. Mmmm...Rodarte. Nom nom nom nom nom.




Francisco Costa and Grover. Two men: style for eternity.



The complete spread is featured in this month’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

See more photos (plus exclusive interviews with the Sesame Street characters) at www.harpersbazaar.com


It goes to show that some things will never go out of fashion.

Bienvenido a nourishment

When I was a sophomore in college, a guest motivational lecturer named Kevin Carroll came to speak to my Principles of Advertising class. I remember at one point he asked the class, “Raise your hand if you’re an artist.” Out of a lecture hall of nearly 260 people, maybe 3 hands went up, mine not included. Then he said, “Now, if you were in kindergarten and your teacher asked you to raise your hand if you were an artist, who would raise their hand?” The entire classroom’s hands shot up without question, mine included. So what’s up with that? Why is it that when we’re 5, and barely have the motor skills to stay inside the lines of a coloring book we believe with all sincerity we are the next Renoir, but when we grow up, unless we have a degree from Parsons and a featured exhibit at the Met, we question whether we can even determine the difference between a pencil and a pastel?

Is it that when we are children the taste of sweet sweet ignorance is injected into our bloodstream at such a high concentration, we live on a continuous high believing we are not only capable of anything we set our sights to, but can do it at an expert level? Or, did we really just have it right all along? That if you truly love something, with all your heart, and you’ve got the passion and determination to stick to it, you can have it. You can be the famous singer or the brilliant doctor or the next president or... the talented artist. I’ll take the latter approach; not because I have concrete evidence that it is the truth (because I don't), but because I believe it is the way we should think, like we did when we were five, and we didn’t second guess what else we were competing with in that big ol' world out there.

That being said, welcome to my blog. I’ve decided to call it nourishment, because sometimes we all need a little something to get our blood going, wake us up, just something to hold us over... at least for a few hours. Think of this as a healthy snack. And it is my hope that at least a tiny bite of this content will refresh the way you think, help you discover something new, or change the way you look at something that was there all along. Or hell, at least something to pass the time while you're at work.

And yes, I would not fancy myself a blogger persae. There are certainly more qualified bloggers out there, that's for sure. But I’m gonna try it on, have some fun with it, and see what happens. Because that is what the 5 year old Shana would do, and I think we could all take a tip from the 5 year old versions of ourselves every once in a while.