Oh, these times are hard...

... and they're making us crazy, don't give up on me, baby...

The simplest things in life are often, I think, the very best things. They’re the things we rely on for hope and comfort in times of trepidation and sorrow.

Though many things have changed for me this year – new job, new apartment, new opportunities – and will continue to change, and I’m excited to see a new horizon, there are still plenty of things I’m going to miss.

Sometimes you gain one thing only to lose another. I suppose this is the universe’s little balancing act. One minute we smile; the next, we dissolve into tears. We may not understand what’s happening at the time, until one day it all falls magically into place and makes perfect sense. At least, we hope it will.

Reasons to rejoice on a cold, rainy winter evening: comfort food (vegan chick’n stew with “clouds,” featuring a "gravy" base made from scratch, seasonal root vegetables, and dumplings made with almond milk), Christmas lights, the company of a loved one, the companionship of a furry friend.

We may not ever know what the future holds. And while there’s fear in the unknown, there’s joy to be found in surprises.

Happy early Christmas to you and yours…

-E

Bringing back the blogging!

Hi all!

I've missed my friends in the fashion world! Even though I no longer work in the field (I'm a full-time news reporter now!), I would like to dive back in, pick up where I left off, and immerse myself in the fashion blogging universe... if, of course, you'll have me! My hiatus was much-needed. The break wasn't for too long, thank goodness! I saw many of you over at my tumblr, This Gal Friday, so I don't feel as though I missed too much! :)

Blogging has always been a great outlet for me. As a professional writer, I tend to get bogged down with work, and miss the creative side (though I do have plenty of freedom at the newspaper where I work, and pretty much set my own schedule and chase my own story ideas each day). My intentions in bringing back Ip & Audrey are twofold: 1) to break back into the fashion industry, to perhaps transition to magazine editorial work and 2) to serve as a portfolio for my photography, fashion writing, and perhaps even my music. I am pursuing my music career on the side more and more; recently, I landed a paid gig that will see me performing at a large venue in Boston this spring, recording some tracks and touring India a year from now! I am an "indie" singer-songwriter-musician, however, and do not have a recording contract (but if that ever changes, hey, I won't complain!). Somehow, I'd like to continue climbing up the ladder as a reporter, whether I wind up at a fashion magazine, working for a fashion website again, reporting from red carpets and fashion shows or landing some TV work, I'm open to it all! The future, as always, is wide open, and I'm excited to embrace it all.

So, this blog is back and will see some changes, and I hope you'll be here to take this journey with me! Stay tuned. And if I don't see you soon, Happy Christmas!

Love love love,
Erin

P.S. Yes, the photo I posted is from last year; I cheated! New stuff coming SOON!

Ip & Audrey has moved!

Greetings, fashion bloggers and friends!

My apologies for the lack of updates. I was hoping to keep my fashion blog up and running but, alas, real life has gotten in the way. After landing my dream gig as a full-time news reporter, I no longer have time to cover runway shows or pull together outfits and photo shoots. Maybe, one day, I will again. But for now, it's all local government and school committees and tropical storms from here on out!

But if you miss me and my blogging (I miss you, too!) feel free to follow my adventures and musings in a new space. I will be chronicling my day-to-day reporter adventures, joining the ranks of tumblrs worldwide with This Gal Friday. I hope to see you there!

Peace and love,

Erin (aka "Audrey")

Water, water

On Saturday I took a trek to the tip of Cape Cod at Provincetown to gaze at the sea. It is the coldest, deepest part of the ocean I have seen on this coast. The waves crashed violently as the wind howled, icy, still, for March. I scanned the horizon for an end in sight; silly me, there is none.

So easily and so often, I am struck by the powerful force of nature. Cold, unrelenting, unstoppable. As beautiful as it is frightening. I am humbled by its vastness and awed by its majesty. It makes me feel so small, and well aware that everything around me could be struck, shaken, crumbled, vanished in an instant.

My mind and heart is with the people of Japan. I may be far away, distance-wise, from their tragedy, but I am keeping their pain and sorrow close. As I gaze at my calmer coast, I can only imagine what they have been through and pray for their stamina and safety. I have yet to go over there but I will soon and, when I do, I want to help.

Here, you can view the Boston Globe's coverage of last Friday's earthquake and tsunami. Or watch the chilling footage, below.



And if you feel compelled, please offer Japan your help, here.



There is always hope.

Best of the Web Award!

I'm excited and honored to announce that Ip & Audrey is the recipient of a new award: Careers in Fashion is bestowing its Best of the Web award for Ip & Audrey's green fashion coverage.

Yay!

This is an amazing honor and I couldn't be more thrilled for my little fashion blog! Thanks to all of your for your continued support. Let's party!

Chasing Unicorns

See, I used to play with unicorns... and feed them coffee. And yes, I am a dork.*

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post! I am happy to report that, yes, unicorns do exist... because I got the job! Ok, well, it's not the job, it's a job, but it's a journalist one, and that's what I'm most excited about. It's only taken me, oh, three and a half years to get here, but I'm here now! And everyone has to start somewhere!

I am still working at my current job, and will be for the next few weeks, but pitched my new editor three stories today. He picked one of them, and then assigned me nine more. Nine?!? I freaked, which included tears and hysterical laughter (I was by myself staring at my laptop in bewilderment, so no one knew, thank goodness!). I mean, I'm excited and all, but it's been a few years since I've written anything besides a blog post! My last published paper article was in 2007! A little freaking out is definitely in order. But, hey, this is what I wanted! So I'm going to calm the crap down and just go for it.

My first front-pager, back when I was 21. I was a baby!*

And because I have a tendency to blather on about things that have very little to do with my, oh yeah, fashion blog, I am creating a space to blog just about work/writing stuff... because wouldn't reading the witticisms and woes of an aspiring reporter be fun? Or something? I'd like to think so! And if you think so, you can check out This Gal Friday. Yup. Super original, I know. ;)

Thanks, again, for all of your kind words and support! And do check back soon for a few new giveaways, plus a super-cool all new blog layout... I've been dying to unveil the new designs for a while, and everything is finally coming together!

Have a wonderful weekend... I'll be in New York, and hope to throw a little Oscars viewing party! While we're on the subject, who are your favorite nominees? I am firmly entrenched in Camp Franco. I'm also on Team Portman, simply because I like her... and haven't seen all the other nominees' performances. And hey, it'd be cool if all the big winners this year were twenty- and thirty-somethings, no?


*Please note that these horribly embarrassing images are from my college days, when I was horribly embarrassing and unabashedly dorky on a daily basis. Well, ok... Some things never change... ;)