33 Things I've Learned in 33 Years
This is not meant as advice. It’s really just a list of things I’ve learned, some of which I wish I learned sooner, some of which I’ve invested a lot of time and money in therapy trying to figure out, and some of which has been passed down to me as advice from other, much, much smarter people. So on the occasion of my 33rd birthday (which was this Monday), I’m going to use this space to reflect a bit on some of those lessons. Literally none of this is groundbreaking, and much of it is totaaaally obvious (especially in retrospect), but maybe it will be helpful, and maybe not. In any case, here we are:
Return of Saturn
If you're well versed in astrology, feel free to skip this paragraph, but if not: I want to start this post by explaining a little bit about the Saturn return, a totally cosmic, transformative period in one's life where Saturn returns to the sign it was in when you were born.
Introducing #NMxVEDAx11H
I'm so excited to share my newest collaboration: a capsule designed by Veda, exclusively available at 11 Honoré in sizes 10-20!
Best. Sleep. Ever
This is not an exaggeration: I’ve been having the best sleep of my life on my new Big Fig Mattress! I had one big vision for my new bedroom when I started planning my move and interior design scheme, and that was to create a bedroom suite that felt like a luxurious hotel experience. I wanted the space to feel calm and zen, for the room to have incredible energy, and to have that feeling of getting into a big, comfortable bed that feels like a cloud and that you wish you bed at home felt like. My mission was to create that feeling in my actual home, and strive to get that vacation level of relaxation and good sleep every night -- not just on vacation! This goal influenced every decision -- from our furniture choices, to linens, to the mattress, and for that part, we turned to Big Fig.
Living With (and Treating) Chronic Migraine
Looking back on the last two decades since I first started experiencing migraines, I’m honestly in a bit of disbelief over how much of an impact Chronic Migraine has had on my daily life. And if that sounds a bit dramatic, I promise that, if anything, it’s a bit of an understatement when I look back and reflect on both the headache/migraine pain I was experiencing with my Chronic Migraine as well as the psychological anguish and anxiety that I had.
Bringing Fashion Home with Lowe's
We're all nesting more these days, right? Ever since stay-at-home orders went into effect in March, the extra time inside has shifted a lot of my energy towards big and small home improvements -- from finally tackling the organization projects that I'd been putting off for ages, to upgrading or refreshing some of my furnishing and decor to have my space suit the many new needs that have come up in this era.
The Great Closet Edit ft. The Container Store
The four-plus years I spent bouncing from one coast to the other, see-sawing between New York and Los Angeles, were some of the most fun, growthful, and genuinely exhausting years of my life. There were also extremely challenging. I don't want to sound ungrateful here -- I feel beyond privileged to have had the opportunity to live in my hometown and NYC simultaneously, but the experience also nearly broke me in ways I'm still not completely able to process. But -- I won't get too deep yet, because, as you'll soon see: this post is actually about my closets.
Seeing Green
A little bit of personal, professional history: did you know that Modcloth was one of the first brands I ever collaborated with in a big way? I had been a fan of the brand for years because of their commitment to womens empowerment and body positivity (they were one of the first brands to embrace the idea of inclusivity in fashion and include diverse casting across the board). And in 2014, I collaborated with the brand on my first collection, working closely with their design team to create pieces together that spoke to my personal style and to my personal ethos that fashion can, and should, be a source of empowerment regardless of what a person's body looks like.
What I Learned Through DNA Testing
Since childhood, I was raised with a really strong sense of my heritage: my mother immigrated to the US from Iran (via the UK, where she attended university), and my dad immigrated from England, with a ton of pride in his English and Irish ancestry.