Ringo, have a banana!

THREE FOR THE END OF JANUARY

2012-01-27T00:40:00.004-05:00

1) January/polyvore 2) Meghan Collison by Michael Donovan for Vision China 3) "Early wake ups. My parent’s home. Disposable camera. Sometime, December, 2011" by Francesca Zmetra

Warm colors and soft fabrics to help me shake off all these wintery feelings. This week I am busy getting ready for a shoot that is just about the antithesis of all this--but that's cool, too.

IN THE COLD, COLD NIGHT

2012-01-22T21:53:00.003-05:00

My pal Frankie has been blogging on the regs again over on her site Lawrence, and I couldn't be happier! Recently, she asked me to contribute to a roundup of little things that help get us safely and sanely through the winter months--and I'm in mighty good company! If you're feeling blue, or if that's just the color your toes have been turning lately, click over for a sneak peek at a few well-loved pick-me-ups.

CRYSTALINE ENTITY

2012-01-12T04:08:00.002-05:00

Home in the islands for a while, hunkered down, ploughing my way through Jane Eyre, wooing shy felines and baking big chocolate cakes. Hope your 2012 thus far has been as magical, and then some, as this torso-sized amethyst I saw on the top of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina in 2011. Strange, strange magics indeed!

¡VIVA TULUM!

2011-12-28T14:24:00.002-05:00

Initially inspired by Nidhi's photos, and subsequently encouraged by countless friends and friends-of-friends with stories to tell, tips to offer, and nothing but the glowing-est of recommendations, Alex and I took a trip to Tulum, Mexico back in the beginning of November.

For us, it was a vacation in the purest sense, a rare and precious thing these days: no internet, no phone, no museums or shopping destinations or itineraries, few preconceived notions. Only sand, water, sun, rain, bicycles, hammocks, books, food and piña coladas 'til next Tuesday. An hour and a half distant from the rack and ruin of Cancun, when we stepped from our shuttle onto the powdery roadside sand the air smelled like flowers and sea and coconut, and there were conch shells in place of faucets in our hotel bathrooms. Other highlights of our five days of cabana life in the state of Quintana Roo included: going to bed at 8pm and waking (gladly) with the sun, forgetting what pants even feel like, having a different form of shrimp for every meal of the day, and buying strange, beautiful citrus by the sackful from the side of the road. It's true what everyone told us: you won't visit Tulum only once. You'll be back.

...ARE YOU LISTENIN'?

2011-12-24T02:30:00.003-05:00

A very Merry Christmas from Phil Spector, Ol' Blue Eyes, and me!

STYLING: FORT TILDEN FALL

2011-12-12T10:58:00.007-05:00

Photography: Charlie Rubin
Styling: Siri Thorson
Hair/Make-up: Hannah Metz
Model: Jana @ Fenton Moon

I'm incredibly excited to finally--finally--be sharing with you these photos taken by Charlie Rubin and styled by myself back in October. This series was shot in and around Fort Tilden and Rockaway and features gorgeous pieces from both Shabd and Caycee Black, as well as a lot of beautiful vintage from The Loved One. My endless thanks go to Hannah Metz for providing hair and makeup and a cool attitude, and to the beautiful Jana at Fenton Moon for tramping through brush dabbling in some light trespassing with us.

I know it's technically winter and all now, but freakishly enough up until a few days ago one could easily have rocked any of these outfits in NYC and hardly felt a shiver...anyways, I'm awfully proud of what our little team produced, flying by the seat of our silk tie-dyed pants! I hope you like :n)

(Please feel free to reblog these images with proper credit, thanks!)

GIVEAWAY: PUPPY LOVE

2011-12-07T03:17:00.012-05:00

It's gotta be tough out there for a puppy these days, what with kittehs getting all the glory on teh internets. "Are we not fluffy enough?" they might ask. "Do we not yip and yap loud enough, or fall down on hardwood floors hard enough? What's a baby dog gotta do to get a break around here??"

North Brooklyn Dry Goods would like to help rekindle your puppy love affair by offering the chance for one lucky guy or gal to win this cozy vintage sweater. Made by L.L.Bean (purveyors of some of the best sweaters in the world, I might add), this 100% wool pullover is marked a medium, but could easily fit a range of sizes (see the Etsy listing for details, and check out their shop announcement to find out how to receive 20% off any order while you're at it!) To enter, we ask only that you:

a) follow North Brooklyn Dry Good on twitter for shop updates, sneak previews, promos and more.
b) leave a comment on this entry.

That's it! A winner will be chosen at random and notified on Monday, December 12th. This giveaway is open worldwide. Best of luck, and Happy Howlidays, bwaha!

EDIT: If you haven't got a twitter account, I forgive you, JUST THIS ONE TIME OK? You can enter by instead checking out NBDG's shop and leaving a comment as to which item is your second favorite (because duh, this sweater is the best!)

CONTEST NOW CLOSED. Congrats CeeLee!! And congrats to your sister as well...maybe ;n )

LUCKY GIRL

2011-12-03T21:32:00.006-05:00

No matter how lean the times or how low the available balance, certain things remain constant: I am unable to stay clear of resale shops, I love a good bargain, and I live with one of the sweetest boys on the Eastern Seaboard.

As a direct result of these circumstances, a few awfully nice things have made their way into my life over the last couple of months: Wilder Quarterly (a surprise gift from Alex after a particularly rotten afternoon), a striped top that is the exact inverse of my all-time favorite shirt, a well-loved but still well lovely silk and rhinestone Phillip Lim tee, soft dove grey leather and cashmere gloves that will be destroyed immediately after their first trip outside in a proper snowstorm (but hey, nobody's perfect right??), a little pearl-covered glasses case that is shedding fake pearl dust everywhere I go, a bottle of Lincoln Park After Dark for my toenails, and two pair of gently used shoes. Material reminders of what a damn lucky girl I am, even as the unpaid invoices pile up and the hole in my best pair of boots grows ever larger.

TOURIST

2011-12-01T14:05:00.003-05:00

I'm honored and excited that a selection of images from a shoot I styled with Charlie back in May have been featured on Tourist Magazine today. Some of the shots have been posted here, but there's a few outtakes mixed in as well. Many thanks to EIC Sanna, whose work I've followed since she ran Manchester Looks (which probably makes me ancient in internet years!)

FLYING CIRCUS

2011-11-30T01:28:00.004-05:00

Terry Gilliam is a creative genius. He also pulls off head-to-toe denim like no other Python.

DANSK

2011-11-21T10:46:00.004-05:00

At long last, the final set of photos from Europe this summer. We began our stay in Denmark with a club show somewhere in Copenhagen, but had to make a dash the next morning to Jutland and Thisted for a festival. I wish we could have stayed there longer, as it seemed like a truly beautiful, wild stretch of country, but again it was up with the sun (and the most breathtaking sunrise) and another mad drive back to the Copenhagen airport, where everyone said their goodbyes.

Alex and I had decided to stay in Copenhagen at tour's end on our own for an extra three days. Instead of trying to book a budget hotel or stay in a hostel to save money, we found an amazing little studio apartment to rent on visitcopenhagen.com. For the price of a barebones hotel room with a shared bathroom, we had our own little kitchen and bedroom with private bath, and the keys to a beautiful old apartment complex on Sankt Peders Straede, in the Latin Quarter on the edge of the old town Indre By.

For three days we walked and walked, down winding streets, over bridges and through alleyways, in and out of impeccably curated boutiques filled with Acne and Henrik Vibskov, across cobblestone squares and always, always with an ear and an eye out for swiftly approaching bicyclists. We visitied COS where I made a single purchase in the form of a perfect white cotton t-shirt. We took a cheesy canal boat ride and huffed and puffed our way to the top of the Church of Our Saviour, we ate smørrebrød and walked home in the evening past the University to the sound of churchbells. Copenhagen is a beautiful city filled with beautiful people, but it's also mighty expensive for an underemployed American. Three days was just about all our wallets could withstand, but I would happily have stayed three months in our little Danish hideaway on St. Peter's Street.

GILDA

2011-11-13T19:50:00.007-05:00

I'm crazy for everything involved in this vintage Rolling Stone cover: the colors, the clothes, the smile, the Gilda. (Come to think of it, the whole issue looks pretty rad!) And now I'm seriously considering adding it to my already c̶l̶u̶t̶t̶e̶r̶e̶d̶ eclectic walls.

OBSESSION: SANDRO

2011-11-02T23:09:00.010-04:00

I want to love winter, honest I do. I want to love winter clothes, too. Cashmere, cable knits, angora--these are all things which, in theory, I very much enjoy. So what's wrong with winter clothes? I'll tell you what's wrong: they are too goddamn expensive. I could buy a lifetime supply of denim cutoffs for the price of a single, solitary, well made overcoat.

Take, for example, my newest obsession: Sandro. Everything they make is beautiful and soft and simple with just the right amount of detail (leather piping, sheer lace, a slouchy fit, a bold stripe, and all so mercilessly tasteful.) I've fallen particularly hard for their coats, all of which I would liken to the wardrobe equivalent of a SAD lamp, and not one of which clocks in below the $400 mark. I had to forcibly remove myself from the second floor of Barney's the other night before someone had me committed, hands full of shearling and letting out strange choking sobs of wonderment.

IS THAT ALL THE FALL THERE IS?

2011-10-29T19:27:00.007-04:00

It snowed here in NYC today. And not just a bit of fluff or the occasional frozen droplet floating by. Hefty, hearty, driving flakes. Big ass flakes. Flakes to write home about, or at least all over your facebook wall. And while the forecast is somewhat more optimistic, I fear today may mark the end of that sweet, fleeting season between tank tops and Gore-Tex. Ah fall, I hardly knew ye!

Two of the (many!) highlights of the season: last minute, impromptu visits to the Met. Always at or near 3pm on a weekday, grab a friend, rush to the train, guiltily slide whatever cash you may have in pocket towards the demure looking young lady in gold rimmed glasses behind the entrance desk, and proceed to the roof. Point out the Plaza Hotel in the distance and rest your elbows on the dense shrubbery. Spend what time you have left wandering through the 2nd Floor galleries and come face to face with what may be your favorite painting of all time. Good Goya.

Also: flowers! And how. I had the extreme pleasure of working with a certain Ms. Amy Merrick on two weddings in the last few weeks. One a small Manhattan affair, and the other an over night, upstate, semi-wilderness adventure. Both involved early mornings, cold fingers, heavy lifting and long hours. As well as an immense sense of satisfaction, several different types of cats, enormous cornbread muffins, slumber parties in converted sawmills, takeout Chinese and FUN. Lotta that. I may be a fool, but I'm hungry for more.

FINLAND-->GERMANY-->DIE SCHWEIZ

2011-10-16T21:29:00.007-04:00

The last two and a half weeks or so are a blur. Been sick, been on set, been upstate, been hustlin' or as close as I'll ever get. I can't complain about being busy doing things I may actually get paid for, but it has meant that I usually fall asleep, sitting up, in bed, with the lights on, well before I can devote any attention to this particular space. And I still have photos I want to post from August! So let's do the time warp for a moment...

After spending less than 24 hours in beautiful Oslo, we were off to Finland for a festival the next day. Having slept maybe six hours out of 48 at that point, my memories of Helsinki are hazy. But I can recall beautiful old buildings, a harbor, enormous cruise ships like pale amphibious skyscrapers in the distance, and a basket of ripe, red strawberries sparkling in the sun. Then later I passed out at a picnic table with my sunglasses on and my face smooshed into Alex's knee.

Another early morning saw us flying on to Hamburg, which was nothing but mud. The drive to Switzerland the next day was long and green, and Lucerne greeted us with the most amazing venue with a full apartment just upstairs and a caboose depot next door. Our last stop before Copenhagen was Basel, where the chilly Rhine is dotted with bathers riding the strong current downstream, laughing, waving, tossing beach balls and somehow not being run over by passenger ferries. I pet the prettiest little Swiss lady cat in the warm sunshine and we made sandwiches on the bank while someone blasted C+C Music Factory from a boombox in the distance. The Swiss you guys, they have it figured out.

THE CLEMENT GREENBERG COLLECTION

2011-10-09T21:11:00.004-04:00

wenvrsleep Fall 2012 Collection Lookbook: Clement Greenberg Collection
Photographer: Dustin Fenstermacher
Stylist: Siri Thorson
Jewelry: wenvrsleep/Sarah Beaver
Model: Laura O. @ Commence Quest
Clothing: Ermie, Ilana Kohn, vintage, stylist's own

Hard to believe that it's already been a week since I had the pleasure of helping out Sarah with the lookbook for her fall 2012 jewelry line. It was a long, roller-coaster ride of a day, but in the end we got the model on the phone, tracked down the space (thanks Frankie!), caught the last of the day's light and pulled it all together. And then we ordered pizza.

If, like me, you fell pretty hard for Sarah's first collection, be forewarned: you are about to have your socks blown clear into next week. The craftmanship, the attention to detail and color and proportion, are all stunning. Combining sheet metal, hand water-colored paper, glass, heavy cord, and meticulously sourced findings, I can honestly say that the Clement Greenberg Collection is quite unlike any jewelry line I have ever seen. "Special" might be a worn-out cliché of a word these days, but there is truly no more fitting a way to describe every last one of the pieces I handled that day.

The line is set to drop imminently, so be sure to keep an eye on Sarah's shop. You can also follow her tumblr for a peek at what influences her designs. Big things are in store for Sarah, I can feel it, and I wish her every success!

I WOULD DYE 4 U

2011-10-04T12:04:00.006-04:00

Talking about Upstate reminded me that I still had photos of a few of our own shibori projects from this summer lying around on my computer. Having experimented with the Arashi and Kumo techniques, which are both pretty closely akin to traditional tie-dyeing, Dag and I decided to try and tackle the more complicated Itajime, which involves folding the fabric before dyeing and securing it tightly between two boards. Since we were working with vintage shirts and not full pieces of fabric, figuring out how best to pleat and manipulate our folds was kind of a headache--but our bumbling efforts were, amazingly, rewarded. Dag's first attempt, top, was a miraculous triumph.

Anyone looking for a quick, basic Shibori tutorial should look here. Books can be helpful as well. Really though, the best way to learn is to just buy some dye, find some old silk t-shirts at a thrift store, and start mucking around. And I'm definitely happy to offer what little advice that I can, so don't hesitate to ask!

LATE SEPTEMBER FAVORITES

2011-09-27T02:14:00.006-04:00

Exhibit A: Gorgeous shibori dyed crop-top by Upstate x Of A Kind. Yup, it's still hot enough in NYC to wear crop tops, and cutoffs, and for bangs to be drenched in sweat (which is why you can't see them in this photo...) The upside is that I still have time to get some wear out of this beauty. Thank you Kalen!

Exhibit B: I found this framed print by Gladys Emerson Cook in Junk a few weeks ago now, but managed to put on a brave face and valiantly fight off temptation. It only took six days for me to realize that I needed it, immediately. Three stops on the L and a panicked ransacking of the store later, and I was sheepishly peeling off its price-tags before bringing it home.

Gone to Earth by Mary Webb, Seventh impression March 1937. I finally finished this book last night after several years worth of false starts and honestly, it deserves a post all its own. It's been a long, long while since a piece of writing spoke to me so completely, so heart-breakingly and heart-achingly. I don't even know where to begin.

THE BRUEGHELS

2011-09-23T20:36:00.003-04:00

Honestly, I still can't keep them all straight but the flowers, the flowers...

AN AFTERNOON WITH...

2011-09-22T12:31:00.003-04:00

How is it possible that I only discovered this incredible trove a few days ago?? For someone who covets a subscription to World of Interiors as intently as I do, An Afternoon With... is like sweet, sweet candy. The obvious comparison would be the Selby, the difference being that just about everyone featured on the site so far lives in the NYC area. The pleasure of feeling like I'm peeping into my neighbors windows is endlessly, perversely delightful.

(All images by Michael Mundy for An Afternoon With... Please provide credit if reposting!)

CITY OF ROSES

2011-09-19T10:39:00.006-04:00

(I've gotten a bit derailed from sharing photos from my travels this summer, but I still have so many left that it's time I got back on track!)

Waking from fitful plane slumber to find myself peering out through bleary eyes over the fjords of Norway is something I will never, ever forget. Blue water extended like endless fingers into green forests and yellow fields, dotted with tiny islands and disturbed only by the wakes of scattered cruise ships and ferry boats. On the ride from the airport to our hotel in Oslo I couldn't take my eyes off the countryside, as I counted red-roofed barns and tried to catalog flora and fauna (fireweed, just like at home!)

Knowing I had less than 24 hours, not just in Oslo but in Norway as a whole, I fought off jet lag and spent the next few hours wandering around solo. What I found were roses. Roses piled several feet deep all around Oslo Cathedral and in the adjacent park, clogging public fountains and even sprouting from salty piers. Beautiful, but also heavy.

That night after the festival we made the wise decision to skip sleep and instead found our way to an afterparty where I met Fleurette and her amazing friends. One thing I learned on this trip: Scandinavians know how to party. I wish we could have stayed and danced until sunrise, but our 3am lobby call time loomed and soon enough we were on our way to Sandefjord airport--next stop Helsinki.

SWEET SWEATER

2011-09-17T13:24:00.008-04:00

Eddie Bauer hat
L.L.Bean Kid's sweater
Revlon Matte lipstick in Wine Not

I could barely believe mine eyes when a late night eBay search turned up the very sweater I had hemmed and hawed over and eventually missed out on scoring last November. LLBean kids, size Large, 50% wool 50% acrylic 100% dreamy. I'm still clinging to the hope that they'll stock it again this year, since if memory serves it comes in navy and grey as well. Bean, baby, Bean!

P.S. I wrote a sweater joke:
Q: What did the traffic cop say to the old lady he saw knitting a sweater while driving?
A: Pullover!

I CAN FEEL IT

2011-09-16T00:49:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, my new favorite sweater arrived in the mail, and tonight there's a chill in the air as it creeps in past my curtains. No more denying it, fall is happening, despite my complex feelings on the matter. Lena Scheynius and stylist Felipe Mendes did the season justice in the October issue of Numéro Tokyo, and it's the best thing I've seen in ages.

THE LONGEST WEEK

2011-09-15T18:30:00.006-04:00

The past week has been equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. Being booked to work all day every day during Fashion Week (on a non-fashion week related project) meant long days followed by long (for me, anyways!) nights and a weekend spent meeting many new yet familiar faces for the first time.

I also attended my very first proper fashion show, having only worked presentations before, and had a taste of that particular magic that exists only for a few minutes, when the lights come up and the music swells and the girls come marching one by one (hurrah, hurrah.) A Détacher S/S 2012 was a thing of beauty, and I can't thank Caitlin enough for inviting me!

(Photos borrowed from Domahoka and Zimbio)

FNO=GTO

2011-09-09T18:57:00.007-04:00

I was a bit of a humbug about Fashion's Night Out this year, since it's always felt to me like a mix of all the worst parts of Halloween and New Years combined with, uh, shopping that I can't afford to do. But this year I made the wise decision to stay in Brooklyn and meet up with some extra fancy friends, new and old. It felt pretty frickin' fantastic (and surreal) to be strutting around town in a pack with none other than Ashley, Emily, Hannah and Frankie, even if some dude did refer to us disparagingly as a "five person lookbook". Oh Billyburg, don't ever change.

(photo swiped from Fancy Fine!)

I LOVE THE FLOWER GIRL

2011-09-05T18:24:00.007-04:00

Watch/Listen!

One of the best parts of going home to the island in summertime is that it means I get to work with flowers again. Above are a couple of my favorite bouquets that I made for sale at the Farmer's Market in Friday Harbor. I was inspired by sunsets, long walks on the beach, and Dag's sweet Hawaiian shirt ;n )

I grew up helping my mother plant, weed, harvest and arrange the cut flowers on our farm, and it's had a lasting effect on my brain and my life. I doodle flowers, I dream about flowers, I obsessively save and dry flowers and stick them in jars and vases and hang them on my walls. There's a special corner of my mind--way in the back where I keep secret, special, important things--reserved for the imaginary corner florist shop I will own someday, somewhere, somehow.

WEEKEND

2011-09-04T02:34:00.006-04:00

(Click photo for item info)

In a perfect world, this would be my uniform for the long weekend. But seeing as it's too muggy for mohair (the thought alone makes me sweat), I think I'll go to the beach instead. Hello, Rockaway Taco.

CANELES ET LES MÛRES

2011-09-04T00:37:00.005-04:00

Two of my most favorite things to eat while at home: canelés from Café Demeter at the Friday Harbor farmer's market and fresh picked wild blackberries. Preferably while wearing stripes.

CAMPING IN THE ISLANDS

2011-09-01T10:22:00.008-04:00

The first few days I was in Washington, we went on a camping trip up into the Gulf Islands in B.C. Our boat is an Albin, originally meant for nosing into fjords with families of lithe, blonde Swedes at the helm (it also came with the original 1970's-era manual), but she does a fair job tackling the Salish Sea as well.

The price of an incredible sunset from our campsite that evening was a steady downpour starting at about 3am, but the next morning the clouds slowly broke as we ate our fried potatoes. That day I finally set foot on Saturna Island, a hulk of land that I had spent 26 years gazing at from North Bay, off in the Canadian distance. We slept aboard the Tern that night, Dag and I bedded down in the aft cabin with our National Geographics. When I crept out a few hours later for a midnight bathroom break there were shimmering phosphorescence in the cold salt water all around us.

HAT TRICK

2011-08-28T22:47:00.008-04:00

The good news: I found this secondhand Eddie Bauer beauty a few days before escaping the city back in July. Constructed from chocolatey brown felt and sporting a rugged braided leather band, it's a true rarity in that it fits perfectly atop my delicate noggin'. Only took me a couple years to track this marvel down.

The bad news: I "misplaced" my digital camera while home in Washington. (I refuse to say "lost" because I still cling to the hope that it will emerge from the floorboards of Dag's car or the bottom of some bag of detritus. Fingers crossed.) Preparing to embrace Photobooth with gentle resignation once more.

The other good news: Fortunately, I've finished off almost four 36 exposure rolls of film in the last month, the first of which I'll post up soon!

ABOARD THE TERN II

2011-08-27T10:12:00.005-04:00

Back in the City, more than a little begrudgingly, and preparing to be greeted by a hurricane.

My best friend, pictured above in sunnier, sea-going, island summer times, is coming to visit in October. I'm excited to take her to dinner for her birthday, to feed her a bahn mi sandwich, to spend Halloween together for the first time in five years and, selfishly, to have something to look forward to before my next escape West in January.

SO RIGHT, RIGHT NOW

2011-08-22T17:53:00.005-04:00

After pounding the pavement all day from Indre By to Christianshavn with a canal boat in between, up to the tippy top of the Our Saviour's Church, through the seedy twists and turns of Christiania and back again in time for dinner--I wasted some hard earned time tonight catching up on internet biz. Through the sea of utter crap lining the pages of Fashion Gone Rogue and all together too many fussy DIY chevron-chellaced armoirs came this enormous breath of fresh air courtesy of Vanessa Jackman. Her photos from behind the scenes at an MiH Jeans lookbook shoot are everything that is good, casual but crisp, relaxed but smart, and just plain right, right now.

At the moment it's looking like my only clothing purchase from Copenhagen may end up being an awfully nice white tee shirt that I picked up at COS today. And I'm pretty ok with that.

All photos by Vanessa Jackman, please provide credit if reposting :n )

HEJ FRA KØBENHAVN

2011-08-21T11:29:00.005-04:00

After the Alive Festival last night in Thisted, we left Jutland at 5:30am this morning and arrived in Copenhagen four bleary hours later, closing out a balls to the wall ten days on the road. We've rented our own little studio apartment on Sankt Peders Straede through Visit Copenhagen, which was not only the best deal in town but is such a warm relief after too many nights in sterile hotels. Tonight we have groceries and zinnias and the next two days all to ourselves in this beautiful city. Danmark er et fantastisk land! (My newest and most useful phrase.)

WHAT IS UP

2011-08-14T14:49:00.003-04:00

Norway --> Finland --> Germany --> Switzerland --> Belgium --> Denmark. On tour, runnin' down the dream, never comin' back (I wish.)

INTO THE WOODS

2011-08-07T19:55:00.003-04:00

Trying, with heavy heart, to make the most of my last few days here. Two weeks couldn't have been enough if it tried, and it did try! I spent some time in the sun with a cat and two sleepy chickens this morning, making my way through short stories by Beryl Markham and exploring the Nebraska grasslands as they were circa 1975 thanks to my personal time machine aka National Geographic. Dagmar's woods are full of surprises.

GOOD MORNINGS, GOOD EVENINGS

2011-08-02T13:33:00.007-04:00

Went camping this weekend up in the Gulf Islands, Canada's Riviera. Got rained on Saturday night out in the open, but the payoff was this sunset the evening prior (nabbed this photo from my Mom.) This morning back on the farm I went and made my breakfast look pretty, but then remembered that eating flowers has always kinda felt like eating butterflies to me...so wrong, but so right?? Next orders of business: take a bath on the back porch and climb a tree and try to find some cell reception. Hope all's well out there in the world!

HOW I KNOW I'M HOME

2011-07-28T23:07:00.005-04:00

Exhibit A: Snowy Mt. Rainier out the window of a jet plane. At one point I could see Rainier, St. Helens, Adams and even a tiny speck I'm sure was Mt. Hood off in the distance, all at once. Sound the trumpets in my heart!

Exhibit B: The first little bouquet from my parent's garden up in my attic room: Buff Beauty, honeysuckle, lavender, oregano flowers. Grandma's silver teapot. Many more to follow.

READY TO GO

2011-07-27T02:00:00.006-04:00

In just a few short hours, I'll be boarding a big hunk of steel and going up into the air and, eventually, winding up on the other side of the country. Here is my travel outfit, carefully selected this afternoon. The only bummer about wearing sandals to the airport is having to walk barefoot through the security gate (gross I know, but I buy and wear second hand shoes on a regular basis so really, how much worse could it be??) but, even at 2:03am, it is is still TOO HOT to wear anything else. Although it will probably be raining when we touch down in the PNW and I'll have to change into boots. With pleasure.

Thankfully I am NOT bringing my computer, but I will be keeping in touch and probably even posting now and then. See you all on the flip side (of the continent!) Stay cool!
♥
s

UPSTATE + OF A KIND

2011-07-26T13:52:00.004-04:00

One of the (many) things I'm most looking forward to this time back home is getting down to some serious arts & crafts with my best friend (or as Alan Shemper used to call it, arts and farts and crafts!) I started doing a bit of experimenting with very basic shibori techniques last summer, and I'm definitely looking forward to learning more this year. So I was excited when Kalen, one of the designers behind Upstate, got in touch to let me know about this little collaboration with Of A Kind. The beautifully dyed crop top, pictured above, is limited to a run of only 30 pieces will be available starting tomorrow morning.

Read more about Upstate here and watch a great little video right here.

NORGE

2011-07-24T17:33:00.010-04:00

It's been hard for me over the last 48 hours to process what's happened in Norway. On the one hand, I have to admit to being frustrated by the lack of acknowledgment of the tragedy in the non-Scandinavian blogosphere--BUT that said, I also understand that not everyone feels like a blog is the ideal platform for expressing these kinds of sentiments. I guess I just feel weird not talking about it here when it's affected every other part of my life.

I've never been to Norway, but I have strong Swedish and Norwegian ties on my father's side (the marriage of a Thorson and an Almqvist.) I'm also supposed to be in Oslo for a day during the upcoming Øya festival. I'm still incredibly excited to finally be visiting one of the places I've wanted to travel to for as long as I can remember, but now my mind is also heavy thinking of the shock and sadness that this country, this city, and these people have undergone. My ♥ for all of you.

(photo found via Vanilla Scented)

DIP ME IN THE WATER

2011-07-22T20:43:00.004-04:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I never understood how anyone could profess to "hate summer" until I moved to New York. Brooklyn is baking. There's no other word for it. I'm lucky in that I've been primarily in either an air conditioned office building or a cool, cave-like basement apartment for the last few days, but the train trips in between, walking the dog I'm looking after, going to the corner to restock on watermelon and down the street for groceries? Hellish. Hell-esque.

All I can think about right now is water. Cool, crisp, sparkling water from the sea. Looking at the top photo, I can actually feel the shock of dipping my feet in that icy northwest current, the numbness as it slowly sets in, and finally my toes like little ice cubes when I pull them back out and rest them on the hot rock beneath me. I crave it, I need it. I've dreamed about it for the last week, at night and in the day. GET ME OUTTA HERE.

(All photos taken by me on a Canon AE-1 Program)

FADE TO PINK

2011-07-20T23:42:00.007-04:00

How long has it been now since we first set eyes on Dree here and her cotton-candy ombré mane? I left New York for the West Coast last summer determined to return with pink tips. Bought the Manic Panic and everything. But somewhere along the way I lazied out and slunk back east still not having lived my thirteen-year-old dream. A year later and first Kate Foley, now Lauren Conrad (ha!) are in on it again and I've got rainbows on the brain...

It's no coincidence that I've also had this ombré dyed sweater by Tara Lynn on my mind since she launched her beautiful new shop, Goodnight, Day. It's so chunky and tactile that I'm literally aching to touch it. Come to think of it--the last time I went home this past winter, I also vowed to learn how to knit beyond the confines of the ubiquitous, endless scarf. Ha!

In six days and counting I'll be home once more, and this time the tips are HAPPENING. If I end up feeling more like a six year old who got crazy with the Kool Aid than a rebel without a cause, I'll just lop 'em off and start fresh. I might have to wait until winter to figure out the whole knitting thing, but in the meantime, Tara-Lynn is providing me with wishlist-worthy inspiration.

(Photos of Dree Hemingway by Craig Arend for Altamira)

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

2011-07-13T02:05:00.013-04:00

Photography: Charlie Rubin
Styling: Siri Thorson
Model: Lydia Carron (NEXT)

Long story short: a few weeks ago, my friend Charlie and I were asked to put together a photo shoot for an online magazine that, ahem, shall remain nameless. After an enthusiastic initial review, they proceeded to sit on our images for several weeks, only to drop us last minute due to unclear and, frankly, lame reasons. We were both looking forward to having our work "published", albeit in a looser sense of the term, but finally we decided: screw it. This blog is as good a place as any to publish them, and I think you guys will appreciate them more anyways, gall darn it.

I think I can speak for both Charlie and I when I say how proud we are of the way the story turned out. Lydia was an exceptionally adventurous and patient model, crashing around my corner of Brooklyn and braving allergy-inducing dandelions all for the sake of her art. A big thanks is also due to Hannah for letting me raid her hat stash. I'm really, truly happy with the work we all put in, and I hope you feel the same way!

If you're feelin' it like we're feelin' it, both Charlie and I would love to encourage you to reblog and spread 'em around--we only ask that you provide credit and link back to our sites and/or this post. ♥♥♥

THE BODY

2011-07-09T04:54:00.007-04:00

The band is STILL on tour. Which is ridiculous, I know. I KNOW. But just when I was starting to forget what Alex's face looks like (there's some brownish bits...and a mouth, yeah I think there's a mouth...), the powers that be dropped this painfully adorable new video in my lap. Considering that they had all of one afternoon with the band to shoot this thing, I'm really impressed with how pro it came out. And also: the children. I'm generally not so jazzed when it comes to the small people, but man, if I could have beautiful children that only came out at magic hour and only moved in slow motion...The worst part? Little Alex was EVEN CUTER in real life. I'd show you a photo but you might just spew all over your monitor.

So anyways, I hope you guys are having a great weekend, and I hope you too get a chance to go out and run around and bash things with sticks. Why should all these professionally-good-looking kids have all the fun right? Just promise me you wont wear your glasses in the water--those things don't grow on trees mister!

THESE GUYS

2011-07-08T01:59:00.012-04:00

I have no idea who they are (do you??), but I ♥ them very, very much. All photos by HB Nam for STREETFSN.

Edit: Aha! Mystery somewhat solved! According to a comment on this post by Nik of Onions and Garlic:

Regarding the duo... They're from London (I like to think they're my big brothers.) The shorter one is associated with saville row designer ozwald boateng his name is Sam Lambert. The taller is Shaka Maidoh and an IT guy, sometimes model and maybe biz partner with Sam Lambert.

See her post on the duo here, and another amazing photo of Sam here. (Thanks Andrea!)

GARNETT JEWELRY GIVEAWAY

2011-07-06T09:26:00.008-04:00

It's been a while since I hosted a good ol' fashioned giveaway, so today I'm very excited to offer up the chance for one of you to win this beautiful necklace from Garnett Jewelry. Designer Aimee Munford's line of earrings, necklaces and bracelets is a gorgeously eclectic mix of vintage and new, charms and pendants, glass beads and semi-precious stones. And while every piece is handmade with care by Aimee herself in her Richmond, VA studio, she still manages to keep her price points gratifyingly reasonable, which I both appreciate and respect.

All you need do to win this double-pointed crystal necklace, strung on sterling silver chain, is "Like" Garnett Jewelry on Facebook, then leave a little comment here letting me know you've entered. This giveaway is open worldwide, and the winner will be notified on Monday, July 11th. Very best of luck to all!

EDIT: And the winner is...Kallie of Happy, Honey and Lark! Congrats Kallie, your necklace will be on its way in no time. And thank you SO MUCH to all who entered and checked out Aimee's gorgeous jewelry.

BOWS & BANDITS SUMMER LOOKBOOK

2011-07-02T12:16:00.004-04:00

Back in May, I got to spend yet another beautiful day with my friend Eva from Bows & Bandits Vintage shooting another little look book for her site. Little did we know when we set out to the Brooklyn Botanic gardens that no less than 40,000 bluebells in full bloom were waiting for us. Bluebells almost as far as they eye could see! It was pretty incredible, and played right into my pastoral English countryside dreams. You can visit Bows & Bandits on facebook to see the rest of the photos, taken on a Fuji Instax camera (jealousss) by Mr. George Denison.

I really feel like I earned this weekend, and I plan on spending it lounging, reading, buying flowers and avoiding anything that even so much as resembles a garment bag. Hope you have a ~~good~~ great one!

All photos by George Denison for Bows& Bandits, feel free to repost as long as you provide proper credit :n )

BIRTHDAZE

2011-06-27T01:51:00.006-04:00

Last Wednesday was my birthday, and this Wednesday is Alex's. Honestly, I didn't really feel like making much of a big deal over it this year. Too often I fall into that endlessly lame trap of using a birthday as an excuse to feel extra pathetic and sorry for myself, which is a repugnant but persistent habit. So instead I just tried to have a good day, and leave it at that.

Since Alex has been gone on tour for four weeks and still wont be back for almost three more, we spent an afternoon before he left hanging out, buying flowers, exchanging gifts and drinking drinks to celebrate in advance. Alex shared his J.Crew giftcard (I got these) and bought me roses and lilacs. I gave him this shirt and this book. He's going to be in Munich on his actual birthday, and if any of you happen to be headed to the show that night please cheer extra hard during his bass solo in "Young Adult Friction" for me, wontcha??

SWITCHEROO

2011-06-24T02:09:00.008-04:00

I feel like this awesome set of images by photographer Hana Pesut probably begs some sort of proper socio-political commentary. But it's late, and the last time I queered anything I was a bright-eyed college sophomore watching hardcore cyborg porn in a Star Trek themed gender studies class (UCSC, bless), so I'll just be honest: I like it when dudes wear lady clothes! Be sure to check out the rest of the project, titled Swithcheroo, on Hana's site.

BASICS

2011-06-21T02:15:00.009-04:00

Recently, a reader asked me to share some of my wardrobe staples for both summer and winter. I definitely have an awful lot of riff-raff hanging out in my closet, but there are a few basic things that I rely on and that are pretty integral to my wardrobe. That said, it should be noted that I'm still on the hunt, as I have been for ages now, for a few of these things. The perfect (or even acceptable) camel coat still eludes me, as do a quality pair of black leather flats. And those Acne boots will continue to haunt me for many moons to come, I guarantee it...

Summer: striped top // sisal tote (similar) // silk button-up // simple leather sandals (similar) // jean shorts // watch (similar) // sunglasses
As much as I love a little floral sundress, when it comes to warm weather dressing I invariably fall back on my shorts. Quite simply, they're the best thing for adventuring: for crouching on rooftops or lolling around at backyard BBQs, for running and jumping and climbing. Stripes and cream silk tops, sloppily tucked, and flat sandals that I can walk long and hard in are also in heavy rotation.

Winter: grey sweater // scarf // camel coat // black flats // trousers (similar) // boots
It's not exactly a secret how I feel about Winter. I hate it. Winter is great for about two weeks around Christmas, and otherwise it can go screw itself. I also have a hard time finding winter clothes that I like, seeing as a) they're always too expensive and b) I'm one of about twenty five people who is not REMOTELY excited by the idea of layering, heh. But all pissing and moaning aside, I like to try and keep things relatively simple when the weather allows. Since I have a real aversion to tights, I spend most of winter in trousers and jeans with boots or flats, and a colored scarf breaks up the sea of black and grey that the city becomes in the cold months.

Beauty: lotion // cleanser // mascara // ointment // bright pink polish
I thought I'd throw in a bit about beauty as well just for fun. I don't wear a lot of make-up, but mascara (and blush, though I'm not particular) are absolute necessities. I've used Full 'n Soft since high school and I can attest that it lives up to its name. Aquaphor Healing Ointment is a lifesaver for chapped hands and lips (uuuurrrgh winter!!!) and Cetaphil is gentle but thorough year-round. I'm a bit crazy for bright pink accents at the moment, and I've been wearing Revlon in Sweet Tart on my toes for weeks (though NARS would do nicely too.) Finally, the scent of this lotion always takes me back to a time when I lived in a place where lemons grew on trees. It's sunshine through leaves and grass between your toes--and it makes my skin soft too.

MAINE PART III: PORTLAND

2011-06-12T16:54:00.025-04:00

After finding defeat in Bar Harbor, Alex and I left determined to get our fill of lobster before crossing state lines. Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster Co., a short, sweet drive from Portland, happens to open May 1st (the earliest we found), and it was everything we hoped and more. Obviously, we could have sat down at a lot of restaurants in Bar Harbor or Portland and most places in between, and ordered a nice big lobster dinner. But the beauty of the lobster pound lies one part in the freshness of the lobster (from the tank to your table in fifteen minutes flat) and the friendly, unfussy atmosphere. Sides are simple and delicious, like fluffy stacks of cornbread, corn on the cob, little boiled red potatoes, and strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. The fact that everything was doused in little cups of golden butter didn't hurt going down either. It was GLORY. I've saved you the carnage shot here, heh, give thanks!

We spent that night at The Elms, one of the most beautiful B&B's I've ever seen and a short drive outside of Portland proper. Although it was bordered on one side by a rather busy stretch of road, once you stepped inside the doors of the 130-year-old building it felt like you were miles away from everything. It was so quiet in there it was almost eerie, but it was also incredibly well-kept by its owners, who have filled it with lovingly selected antiques. Every detail was just so, down to the gilded wallpaper in the foyer. We stayed in the Cottage Room, so named according to our host because it had a certain faded charm particular to many seaside cottages in Maine. He finished by telling us that he very much intended to keep it that way, which made me wish that there were more people on this planet capable, like him, of understanding the beauty in leaving something old and worn just the way it is.

One of the highlights of the trip came the next morning, our last in Maine, when we visited the Portland Architectural Salvage. Imagine the most fantastic old attic you always wished your Grandparents had, filled with strange, amazing fantastic old junk and furniture and dusty trunks and cloudy glass bottles. Now, multiply that by four entire floors, and you're most of the way there. It was a dream, although on the pricey side. I wanted to take everything home with me, from ship's wheels to wash basins and bags of milkglass doorknobs. If you ever have the chance, it's definitely worth a wander--thanks to all who recommended it!

Our last night we spent in Cambridge outside Boston. I had never been before, and I loved all the pretty houses and apartment buildings painted greens and creams, and the lilacs bowing their heavy heads in the rain. Now, holed up here on my lonesome, inching my way through an NYC summer, all I can think about is going back. I know that other adventures await, but they still feel impossibly far off at the moment.

MAINE, PART II: BAR HARBOR

2011-06-08T00:21:00.007-04:00

The two nights we had in Bar Harbor we spent at Canterbury Cottage, a small, sweet, four room B&B on a quiet street populated by three more B&B's (if it ain't broke...) I'd be lying if I said I didn't choose the place, and our room, for the wallpaper. I mean, it got really great reviews on Tripadvisor too, but holy hell that wallpaper...

There are definitely advantages to visiting a town like Bar Harbor just before the season starts: lodging costs significantly less, restaurants range from peaceful to deserted, and there are few crowds to contend with. The downside is that many of the places we hoped to visit, in particular a couple of renowned lobster pounds and the antique stores in nearby Bernard, weren't open for at least another week yet. We did have enormously delicious wild blueberry pancakes at Café This Way, where the walls next to our table were lined with beautiful old books. I was sad that I had missed my chance to snap the requisite buoy shot, not having the guts to make Alex pull over when we passed the Maine-ly Maine Gift Shop, until we spied this fence-ful next door to an antique shop along Route 1 on our way out of town. Buuuuuoy oh buoy (had to.)

MAINE, PART I: ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

2011-06-05T13:43:00.007-04:00

Maine! My camera battery was on its last legs this day, so I'm surprised any of these came out at all. We spent most of it driving around exploring Acadia National Park. Took it pretty easy on our citified-selves, hiking the trail (and off-trailing it a bit for some rock clambering) from Newport Cove to the Thunder Hole (not especially thunderous that day.) Then we drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard, and peered down across all the little islands like jelly beans in the bay. Everything reminded me so much of home, including the little woolybear caterpillar we befriended in the parking lot.

It had been so long since I had been in a real, proper National Park, the kind that overwhelms me and allows no room in my mind for politics or cynicism, leaving me in quiet awe of the continent I happen to have been born on. I hadn't yet experienced that feeling on this side of the country. It was familiar and foreign, all at once.

DREAM DESTINATIONS

2011-06-02T23:04:00.001-04:00

I took part in a really fun feature in the latest issue of N.E.E.T. Magazine that just came out a couple days ago. It's all about my ideal vacation spot, which right now is Santorini, the Greek Island where Summer Lovers was filmed (I wont rest until every last one of you has seen that movie, for serious!) Man, I really wish I could wear that imaginary outfit tomorrow...

I also have a piece in the latest issue of BUST about Rachel Becker and the badass guitar straps she makes for her label Heavy Leather NYC. I'll try and get a decent scan soon!

FLORA

2011-05-30T14:10:00.010-04:00

I've been lucky enough to visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden three times in the last month and a half, and each time I've found something new to fill me with awe. In the photos above, it was cherry blossoms and magnolias, gardenias in the Tropical Room, and an enormous patch of vibrant blue grape hyacinths. Last week, it was a swath of bluebells under a cool canopy of trees, the most bluebells I have ever seen in my life. It was incredible, like something out of my pastoral British countryside dreams! I forgot my camera like a fool, but fortunately I was there with Eva from Bows & Bandits for another little project that I'm excited to share with you soon :n )

PICK YOUR POSEY

2011-05-28T00:12:00.011-04:00

Somehow in the last few months, we ended up with two bottles of St. Germain in the house. Which is fantastic, because St. Germain tastes and smells like delicious flowers, which is exactly what it's made of. I've been known to drink it with nothing but soda, but ever since a bartender flat out refused to serve it to me that way (Too sweet?? Maybe for you, sir...) I've been trying to come up with something extra creative to do with it. After having a lychee mojito the other night, and finding fresh lychee at my local Over-Priced Fruit Store, I came up with this little doozy. Might make a nice addition to your weekend? If you can find time between Dark & Stormies that is...

Pick Your Posey
Juice of half a lime (which is enough for two drinks)
Fresh mint leaves
1 lychee fruit
1 Part St. Germain
1 Part Vodka
Seltzer/sparkling water

Juice the lime half and split the liquid equally between two smallish tumblers. Muddle a couple mint leaves and one pitted lychee fruit in the bottom of each. Add one part vodka and one part St. Germain (size of the "parts" depends on taste, the glass is usually about 1/3 full when I'm done with this step.) Top it off with seltzer. Add ice cubes and garnish with a lime slice.

I don't have any "fancy" tools like a real muddler or a cocktail shaker, but if you do you can probably find a way to incorporate them to positive effect. Enjoy responsibly, preferable in a reclined/semi-nude position.

A VERY MERRY UN-BIRTHDAY

2011-05-25T22:27:00.003-04:00

Mociun Turquoise Triangle Necklace from Domahoka

Lost in Translation Soundtrack on vinyl picture disk by toykohanna on flickr

Vintage Earthen Display Orb from Nest & Forage on Etsy

Fungi Crop Top by Leah Goren

Patti Smith 1969-1976 by Judy Linn

My birthday isn't actually for another solid month. But since Alex leaves soon and will be away when it finally rolls around (and will miss his as well a week later) we're going to celebrate a little on Friday instead. He's already pitched in to give me what I wanted the very most (plane tickets home for two weeks this summer) so I'm refusing to let him get me anything else...except flowers, maybe. But if there had been any change leftover from those (INSANELY effing expensive) tickets, I certainly wouldn't have said no to any one of these pretty things.

WOLVERINE PRIDE

2011-05-21T11:13:00.007-04:00

I wish I had photo from my trip to share already...but in the meantime, these are some shots from a roll I got back just before we left. Purple and gold might just be one of my least favorite color combinations (they were also the official colors of my highschool, coincidence?), but this day it felt like they were following me: curtains on 6th St., flowers in the cooler at Sunny's Busy Florist, and my reading material on my lap in a little park somewhere in Alphabet City. Do you ever have days like those, when certain colors seem to pop out at you non-stop?

HEAVEN by KAILA C. NILES

2011-05-18T22:51:00.006-04:00

Though I've yet to have the privilege of meeting her in person, Kaila C. Niles (the C stands for Chanel, ya heard) is someone whose taste and style I've admired from afar through the magic of the internet for a good long while now. Kaila is an amazing, Oakland, CA-based artist whose interest in textile dying and design clicks completely with my love of tie dye and shibori. A few of her gorgeous pieces, all created from reused vintage and second-hand garments, have just become available on Mother's Daughter (one of the best curated and styled online vintage shops I know of!) Pretty, soft, abstract, and perfect for summer--I honestly want EVERY LAST THING.

BACK

2011-05-16T14:08:00.005-04:00

Back home and well on my way into the post-vacation-doldrums. It feels so strange not to have to get up and get on the road again, planning the next route, where to stop for lunch, pulling off to admire the vistas and huddle back into the car once more. It felt good to see the City loom up on the skyline yesterday evening...but now I just want to keep going. As usual.

MAINE LAND

2011-05-07T15:17:00.004-04:00

This week, Alex and I will be driving up to Maine for a looong awaited mini-vacation. We'll be staying in Bar Harbor for two nights and Portland for one. Since my only real experience with the area up until this point has been through cats, Lobster rolls, and books about blueberry picking, I would love to hear if you guys have any suggestions as to what we should see/where we should shop/what we should eat (!!) We'll be hiking around Acadia National Park and hopefully be hitting up at least one lobster pound--but are there any great secondhand stores, cozy cafes, or historic light houses we can't miss? And that goes for anywhere along the route up north too, we'll be passing through Boston and a bit of New Hampshire as well. Thanks in advance for any advice! And yep, I'll be taking photos like crazy :n D

(photo found via the LIFE Archives)

CORNELL EDWARDS, 1932-2011

2011-05-05T20:58:00.016-04:00

I took this photo back in March, on the first truly warm day of the year. This little place, The Flower Stall, has been my favorite shop in the City since I discovered it a handful of months ago. Directly to the left of the frame, the owner Mr. Cornell Edwards was leaning in the doorway, watching me with warm curiosity as I snapped this shot and went on my way.

Today, I wish more than anything that I had shifted my view the few centimeters it would have taken to capture the man himself. As I was passing by on my way from the post office, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr. Edward's sweet old cat, I noticed that the doors were shut tight. A cluster of dried flowers and a memorial sign in the window confirmed my fears: barely three weeks after I took this photo, Cornell Edwards passed away.

I wish I had taken the time to speak properly with this kind old gentleman, whom people describe as a true bastion of the neighborhood. Mr. Edwards opened his shop in 1967 and had been there ever since, in the beautiful old tenement building shared with Stock Vintage. My heart aches with regret that I didn't unearth this treasure years ago, but I know I will take the greatest care of the little cactus I bought there. It is my very favorite. Thank you Mr. Edwards! I'll never forget you or your "world green with plant life right on 13th Street." And while we're remembering Mr. Edwards, take a moment to read his memory of a long ago Mother's Day, and understand why he'll be missed.

Edited to add: this amazing photo of Mr. Edwards by John Galayda, found via One Horse Town.

THE SHRIMP

2011-05-05T02:48:00.004-04:00

Another gorgeous set of photos found on Youthquakers, this time from a spread in Vogue UK (October 15th, 1972) by David Bailey featuring Jean Shrimpton. I love all the pea soup green going on here, those walls are amazing! And I'll admit, though I've always been a bit more of a Twiggy/Penelope Tree girl myself, the Shrimp really had it going on...

MAUDE LOVES HAROLD

2011-05-03T00:40:00.007-04:00

In an effort to raise a bit of dough towards a little trip Alex and I are planning soon, I finally got around to updating my Etsy shop, Maude Loves Harold Vintage! I hope to list a few more things this coming week as well, so if you don't see anything that strikes your fancy, be sure to check back :n )

P.S. A big thanks to Hannah and Francesca who already snapped up a couple things!

CHANCE

2011-04-30T21:36:00.006-04:00

I hope it's as nice out this weekend wherever you are as it is here! Even if it isn't, these short, blissful little films from Chance will definitely put you in a summery state of mind (even if it only lasts until you look out the window...) I watched them all one after another in bed this morning after finding them via M Dash, just as the sun began to poke out of some scattered little clouds. My favorite is probably "Book" but dang, they're all pretty much perfect. Take a few minutes and kick your day-dreaming into overdrive.

(all photos via Chance, please provide credit if you repost)

RINGO X THE LOVED ONE

2011-04-28T15:55:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon doing a bit of modeling for The Loved One. Hanging out with Hannah is always a treat, plus I got a sorely needed dose of kitten love! As an added bonus, I think this might finally have kicked my ass in to gear to list a few things in my own neglected etsy shop. In fact, I just picked up a couple very Spring-y things today that I hope to list this weekend (hint: fans of ducks and flowers, rejoice!)

LOBBY CARDS: MY BRILLIANT CAREER

2011-04-27T00:14:00.012-04:00

Hands down my favorite class I took in college was a film studies course on the cinema of Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to my amazing teacher, Mrs. Paula Massood, I was exposed to a collection of incredible pictures that I probably would never have seen, or perhaps even heard of, without her guiding hand (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert not withstanding...) Still, for every movie we screened, there were at least two or three more that we read about but were unable to watch, either due to time constraints, availability in the US/on the correct DVD region (stupidest, stupidest system EVER), or both. I'm still dying to track down Vincent Ward's Vigil!

Such obstacles aside, I've been trying to play a little catch up with my Australian cinema, starting with the seminal coming-of-age-in-the-outback effort The Year My Voice Broke, and ending up most recently on Gillian Armstrong's My Brilliant Career. In class, much of our discussion of the film centered upon the fact that the story was more than a bit of a fantasy, since painfully few women of the time living in the bush had any such possibility of escape as the main character eventually finds--but nevermind, it's an awfully nice idea! Judy Davis is, to quote Hannah, an Australian Anne of Green Gables--all straw boaters and haughty glares and that shocking mane of hair. And can we just talk about Sam Neil, in period dress, in all his 25-year-old glory??

Last week while looking around for images to go with my Brie et Char interview I came across this set of original lobby cards for the film being sold on bidStart. Would that I had the cool $89.95 it takes to make these babies my own!

MARINA MUÑOZ

2011-04-25T02:43:00.015-04:00

I'm always incredibly eager to see Marina Muñoz pop up on the blogs around Fashion Week. Her style never fails to knock me flat, with her consistently elegant mix of tough, slouchy menswear and soft feminine details. She has the most amazing collection of hats, many of the kind you might expect to see on weather-beaten old gauchos riding the pampas--but on her, chestnut hair in her favored low side-braid, a swipe of lipstick here or a crinkle of pale silk there, she appears as the impossibly winsome love child of Katherine Hepburn and Indiana Jones. Basically, everything I've always hoped and wished to be someday.

Hearing her speak with such intensity about the dedication she applies to her work only makes me admire her that much more. It's far too easy to let the fashion game get you bitter and worn out, especially when working in an assistant's position. It can be a LOT of long hours on little sleep and schlepping and sweating and making frantic phone calls and taking the blame. But the way she describes it reminds me of what it is that makes that work worth something, even if it's only worth it to you. It's obvious that no matter what Ms. Muñoz sets her sights on in the future, the outcome will be no less than amazing, and I cannot wait to see just what's in store.

To learn a bit more about Marina, check out her Q&A on Tomboy Style.

(video by Style Like U)

BRIE ET CHAR

2011-04-22T17:15:00.009-04:00

Thank you all SO MUCH for the kind comments on my last entry!! You made me :n )

I've just been invited last minute on a weekend adventure out of town, so it'll be a quiet one around here. Fortunately, in case you're jonesing for more ME (you are, admit it), I did a really fun little interview with the sweet girls from Brie et Char, so if you've always wondered what my favorite iTunes radio stations are (so croosh!) or just what the hell the name of my blog means anyways (hahaha it's kinda dumb!) have a look-see (and don't forget to check out the rest of their wonderful blog as well!) And duh, have a great weekend!

<3
s

BOWS & BANDITS S/S11

2011-04-20T22:10:00.005-04:00

I'm super duper excited to share a really fun project I had the good fortune to take part in recently. I've been a fan of Bows & Bandits Vintage for a good while now, so when Eva (one half of the B&B team) asked me to model for their Spring/Summer lookbook, I didn't even have to think twice. I'm definitely more comfortable behind the camera than in front, especially when someone else is in charge of snapping the shutter, but I knew as soon as I stepped in the door of Eva's beautiful apartment and was immediately plied with delicious pastries and a heap of the prettiest vintage dresses and skirts that I was in good hands.

Turns out my faith was rewarded many times over. Eva's friend Kathi Reckendorfer took all the photos using not one, not two, but three different film cameras (a girl after my own heart if ever there was one!) I'll be the first to admit that I'm my own harshest critic, but Kathi has such an amazing eye and the girls made me feel so comfortable that the results, more of which you can see on Kathi's website, made me feel really, unabashedly great. Kathi, if you're ever looking for work as a personal photographer, you've got my email ;n )

Visit Bows & Bandits to see the full lookbook, as well as they're brilliantly curated selection of vintage clothes, accessories and now home items as well. Thanks again Eva and Kathi (and Sophie too!), I had so much fun and I hope we can do it all again sooner than later.

All photos by Katharina Reckendorfer, please provide full credit if you repost.

GREAT WINDOWSILLS I HAVE KNOWN

2011-04-16T14:33:00.008-04:00

I really, really love me a good windowsill. Probably because I love staring out windows so much. The view from moving vehicles is by far the best--I'm always desperate for the window seat when booking travel on trains or planes or buses. Back when I lived in Santa Cruz, I used to take the Greyhound up to Mt. Vernon, WA on my way home to visit. It's a good 20-22 hour trip, and I definitely met my share of freaks, recently released felons, and pervy old men with Popov vodka on their breath. But as soon as that big hunk of metal would lumber out of a station and start barreling down the road, between green rice paddies or through endless stretches of nondescript highway nothingness, I'd be in absolute heaven.

Someday, obviously, I will live in a home with enormous windowseats that will allow me to sit, read, ponder life, and take cat naps all while breaking frequently to peer out onto the world in comfort. Dagmar's Pa pretty much had it figured out when he included a huge wrap-around sofa bench all along the windows in the livingroom of the house he built. For Julia and I, our modest sills are only able accommodate plants and candles and various flotsam, below which lurks the requisite ancient radiator--tragically, only wide enough to accommodate approximately 5/8 of the average human posterior.

DOWN BY THE SEA

2011-04-13T23:14:00.011-04:00

These photos by Todd Selby from Gidon Bing's Auckland studio have me jonesing something fierce for a stroll by the sea. Every time I'm home in the islands, I make a point of taking a nice, long, solitary walk along the shore, stooping to pick up the odd piece of beach glass or puzzling detritus from the deeps. The beaches at home are as beautiful in winter hail and gentle rain as they are at sunset in the summertime: the salty smells, the stacks of a cargo ship far across the channel towards Canada, the cries of the gulls or the sudden screech of a Great Blue Heron, interrupted.

I always return from these walks with a shell or two rattling in my pockets, but I never seem to know just what to do with them when I get home. Eventually they are lost in the yard, underfoot, in some dusty corner, or perhaps sent to a watery grave in the washing machine. Seeing these drawers upon drawers of carefully sorted specimens gives me all sorts of dangerous ideas. As if I needed something new to hoard!

(All photos by Todd Selby found on theselby.com, please give credit if you repost)

SPRING AHEAD

2011-04-12T01:32:00.019-04:00

Three pieces I look forward with much anticipation to wearing once the weather is steadily above the 60 degree mark: a worn-in, semi-sheer cotton blouse in the most obnoxiously pastel poppy print, my Leah Goren Kitty Cat Tee, and the American Apparel mid length pocket top I have wanted since I tried it on last August (and now need in every color, I'm afraid.)

Other things I am looking forward to: getting paid tomorrow (fingers crossed) and immediately buying the biggest bunch of tulips I can lay hands on; trying, and perhaps succeeding, to track down a copy of this book; dying pysanky eggs and finding some flowering branches to hang them from; four words: Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes.

And you? Tell me something you're excited for.

ON THE TABLE

2011-04-10T02:46:00.008-04:00

I love buying dishes. Given free reign and a sturdy wallet, I would buy more dishes than I would ever know what to do with. Foolish, but it's true. Even though our cupboards are filled to the brim with glasses, mugs, plates, two tea pots, and enough cups and saucers to water an army, it's all I can do to stop myself poking around in junk stores and the back room at Fish's Eddy looking for more--I mean the problem is just that we need bigger cupboards, right??

Sure, there's a real charm to that mix 'n match, jumble sale aesthetic, but lately it's been wearing thin. In a perfect world, or really just a world in which I have one of those job things everyone with nice stuff is always talking about, I would chuck 95% of what's in those cupboards and start fresh. I swear! When I saw these Akiko Graham Slabe plates on Anaïse, I fell hard. They're just about perfect--softly uneven spheres finished with a whitewash of glaze, sturdy, natural but still delicate. Mix in creamy cups, bowls, and a stout little teapot by Höganäs Keramik, and I think I could finally throw in that shabby chic towel and never look back...

BLUE AND GOLD

2011-04-07T01:56:00.012-04:00

(Which, unsurprisingly, were my school colors while at UCSC. Could any combination be more Californian, I ask you??)

With a singular exception, posted above are the last of my photos from Washington in January. 'Bout damn time, right?? Also in the mix: some bits of the amazing façade at BAM, my friend Julia's beautiful bathroom (subway tile in the actual subway = pretty jank; subway tile in the kitchen/bathroom? Swoon.), and a Nolita skyline on the waning edge of Valentine's Day.

Tonight I'm listening to Die Zauberflöte, eating Chestnut chocolate and green tea mochi from the Japanese convenience store I just discovered exists in Williamsburg (!!!), trying fruitlessly to pretend that I don't have a cold, and ~~wishing that my pet-sit this weekend didn't end Sunday morning so I could watch Mildred Pierce on some sweet, free HBO~~ turns out I'm staying til Monday, but no HBO wah waaah.

MISS HOWELL

2011-04-06T00:06:00.008-04:00

Margaret Howell's collections, not to mention her ad campaigns, are always a favorite of mine. The clothing Ms. Howell designs combines many of the elements I hold dearest: simple, classic cuts, quality natural fabrics and materials, and more than a bit of gamine charm to top it all off. Wearable and unfussy, it is a fashion that, much like A.P.C., is anti-"fashion" in the best possible way.

That said, I hadn't realized just how little I actually knew about the woman herself until I saw her New York Times Profile in Style by Sandra Ballentine (thanks Sarah!) Taking a peek inside her East Anglia home and its surroundings only reaffirmed my love and admiration for Howell--not to mention her impeccable taste in ceramics. I can only hope to age with such grace. That sounds so cheesy! But yeah, it's true.

LATELY

2011-04-04T01:06:00.008-04:00

Good things, as of late:
•My No.6 clogs from La Garçonne. They are much darker than I expected, but I love them, even though I am terrified to stretch them out or scuff them or...basically wear them haha.
•Cicciolina the Cat and Herbs, sweet zines by Jung Eun Park. Much thanks to Katie for these!
•Sunlight on the new/old afghan. I found this on etsy and it is so obnoxiously floral and I LOVE it.
•The cover of the new German Measles record. I want that painting to hang above my sofa. I believe it was painted by a chimp?? (The music ain't half bad neither!)

Other things, lacking photographic evidence:
Fresh muscat grapes (over priced but deadly addictive)
Making my first maki sushi roll ever and not totally fucking it up!
Looking forward to this movie and this one too.
Crushing on this one-piece by Minnow Bathers.
Spring sunshine, even though it's weak and makes everything look a bit off color--"A" fort effort sun!

What else is good lately?

HEART IN YOUR HEARTBREAK

2011-03-31T02:54:00.007-04:00

On the one hand, I'm posting this video in honor of the Pains embarking today on a five week US tour to celebrate their brand-spankin'-newest, sophomore album which just came out on Tuesday. On the other hand, I'm posting it because I fucking love it! The first time Alex showed me the rough cut I immediately made him play it for me at least five more times in a row. Everything about it just makes me so happy! And every time I watch it, something else makes me laugh--Alex's pot leaf necklace, Kip's ponytail toss, Christoph's emo stance, Peggy's glasses and, ok, Kurt's face pretty much always. The posi-vibes are practically melting my brain!

P.S. If you happen to spot some awkward looking blondish girl up front at the Philly or D.C. shows who you think might be me...well, it might just actually be me. Maybe. Possibly. Come say hi if you like, I'll try not to embarrass us both but I make no promises.

GOOD COUNTRY THINGS

2011-03-29T13:16:00.005-04:00

Another amazing editorial from an old British Vogue found via Youthquakers, this time from September 1973 and shot by Barry Lategan. Like "Into the Algarve Sun" I love these photos as much for their setting as I do for the outfits--not to mention the title! "Good Country Things"...methinks I could use a few of those things myself right about now.

SHADES OF GREY

2011-03-27T17:49:00.009-04:00

It was a brilliantly sunny (albeit brilliantly cold) Sunday afternoon here--so what better time to spend staring at photos of the frigid, steely-skied North, right?? I'm still playing catch up from my visit home in January, and this roll ended up running the gamut from snowy fir tops at dusk to sunny New York sidewalks. I'll get to all the in-between stuff next.

(All photos taken by me on a Canon AE-1 Program using 400 speed Fuji film)

AI FOR AI

2011-03-24T22:06:00.010-04:00

The April/May edition of BUST just landed in my mailbox, and hot damn if it isn't a doozy. For one thing, I had the immense pleasure of interviewing the Ai sisters for a feature on their line Ai for Ai. Elizabeth and Carol were incredibly sweet, even after I made them sit in their sunny LA studio and listen to all my bitching about the snow in NYC (this was back in February) via Skype. Thanks ladies! I also have another little piece a few pages later all about affordable online shopping, including a shout out to Spotted Moth.

The best part of opening this issue, however, was stumbling across none other than Ashley of Fancy Fine all up in the main editorial, looking, dare I say it, both fancy and fine in a shoot that also features Hannah's gorgeous underthings. Phew, where to even start! A big congrats to both of them--and props to BUST for keeping me in such good company :n )

JUST A TINY TASTE

2011-03-19T03:38:00.014-04:00

Polaroid taken in the Haight many years go//Charles Anastase S/S 2011//Tear from Lucky Magazine, I'm obsessed with those Marc Jacobs bloomers!//Charles Anastase S/S 2011 (I'm so tempted to try and DIY myself a shirt or tank version of this dress, kinda afraid I'm gonna end up looking like a total psycho)//Anemones in pen, ink, and colored pencil//french tulips on polyvore

Ahhh, Friday was such a wicked tease!! Sunny and in the 70's (yeah, you read that right!) here in NYC. Before you get your knickers in a knot though, you should know that's it's supposed to SNOW here on Wednesday. Uh huh, ok. Anyways, it felt so wonderful to go outside with bare legs for the first time in so many months--though I have to admit, I was feeling rather sorry for myself not having anyone to share such a glorious freak of a day with. I ended up wandering around the East Village for hours, snapping film photos and trying not to spend money. Eventually, as usual, I caved and bought three perfect French tulips from Sunny's Florist. Such a sweet little shop, seriously, that woman is living my dream...

Even though it feels like Spring just dangled the dream and then took it away, it's got my mind churning away in pinks, whites, blues and straw yellows. I finally spent the giftcard I won to LaGarconne thanks to Erin last year and ordered those No.6 clogs pictured above. I'm so excited! Brand spankin' new shoes are something that make their way to me once in a blue moon, and I've wanted something from No.6 for ages and ages. I always go into their store in Nolita and touch everything like a creeper and then leave, haha. At least now when I do that, I can wear their shoes and clomp clomp clomp around on the wooden floors just like all the cute shop girls do!

CAT PEOPLE

2011-03-17T01:34:00.004-04:00

These are just a few of my favorite photos from an incredible little book called Cat People by Bill Hayward. I read about it somewhere on the internet last year, and immediately knew I had to track it down. Happily, used copies started (and still do!) at one measly cent on Amazon. I'm telling you, this book is a total masterpiece. Every picture is incredible, and the stories that go along range from hilarious to bizarre to downright insightful. Worth every...penny!

Not having a regular job to go to or a real life to keep me busy has meant that I've basically been glued to the BBC live update pag e concerning the Japanese earthquake since early Friday morning when, insomniac that I am, I saw the very first images of the tsunami coming out of the country. It's rotten to feel so helpless in the face of so much misery. One thing I have done is donated what I could to the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (check out their Facebook page for regular updates). It's frighteningly easy to overlook how much suffering will have been imposed on animals of all kinds during this disaster, and if I can afford to chip in $10 I promise you can too! Should you need any further convincing (in the form of a punch on the heart), look no further than this photo that popped up in my tumblr feed yesterday. I can't even express to you what that photo does to me. Part of me wishes I had never seen it, as I know it will haunt me indefinitely. And while I'm sorry to share such sadness...it's a wake up call, and if it convinces just one of you to chip in even a little bit, well then consider my apology retracted ;n )

JAPAN

2011-03-11T14:59:00.002-05:00

My heart is here today.

LAURA ASHLEY FELT HAT

2011-03-10T18:57:00.005-05:00

It is SO DAMNED HARD for me to find hats that fit. They are almost always too big or too, I don't know...deep? Or something, something that causes me to look like a child playing dress up in them. Or causes my vision to be fully obstructed while wearing them. Or both.

So when I tried on this Laura Ashley(!) felt number while I was staying at my best friend's place back home in January, well, what could I do but beg, whine and cajole her into giving it to me? (For the record, I didn't have to try that hard.) I couldn't carry it back to NYC with me, so she shipped it some weeks later. To be honest, I haven't had the guts, or the occasion, to wear it out yet. But I do love it! Also, I feel like I don't show my face so much around here anymore--which I am quite fine with! But just in case you were wondering, hi, hello, this is my face right now. In my awesome new hat.

:n )

WENVRSLEEP

2011-03-07T02:10:00.007-05:00

I first became aware of the amazing Miss Sarah Beaver many years ago now, back in our wardrobe_remix days. Since then, I've eagerly followed her career--not only as a stylist, but also as a person with extremely excellent taste in basically everything. Her latest venture is no exception: We Never Sleep is a line of beautiful jewelry hand crafted from artisan-made and deadstock materials. Her first collection draws inspiration from such seemingly disparate sources as Constantin Brancusi and the Free Masons, but in context it all makes perfect sense: rich, earthy woods and semi-precious stones combine with elegant metal findings and Czech glass beads to create pieces that are as wonderfully simple as they are substantial, all shrouded with a touch of the mystic. Not only am I crushing hard on everything in her shop at the moment, but I'm incredibly excited to see what wondrous direction Sarah's creations take next...

INTO THE ALGARVE SUN

2011-03-05T03:57:00.013-05:00

Right after my last post, I came across this spread over on Youthquakers. Taken by Norman Parkinson for UK Vogue January 1973, these photos pretty much encapsulate everything I'm aching for at the moment. While they were shot in Algarve, Portugal, which is actually bordered on two sides by the Atlantic Ocean, the colors, the sun, the sand--they all feed into my current (and ok, long-standing) obsession with visiting the Mediterranean.

The closest I've gotten was during a visit to the Cinque Terre too many years ago now (which, technically, is on the Ligurian Sea anyways! Bah!) More recently, this obsession has been fueled a) by Summer Lovers, aka the most atrocious movie you absolutely HAVE to see and b) by discovering Filicudi Island thanks to the newest issue of Apartamento. Algarve, Filicudi, Vernazza...it doesn't matter so much, as long as I can bring along my cutoffs.

EASY AS ONE TWO THREE

2011-03-04T00:04:00.010-05:00

(click photo for item details)
Today was achingly cold, the kind of day that, when coming in March, tends to quash all hopes of it ever being spring, of the breezes ever being balmy instead of biting, of your bare flesh ever seeing the light of day again. The kind of day that makes it hard to imagine, let alone believe, that some day I might live, day in and day out, in little more than what you see pictured above.

True story: sometimes when it is really frigid out (meaning that our radiators have finally kicked in and are steaming away merrily) I put on my cutoffs and wear them around the house, to do dishes or make dinner or just veg in front of the computer. I also have a painful crush on these sandals, though my Saltwaters will do just as well I suppose. And finally, I already have my sights on some new summer staple t-shirts which aren't so much cropped as just the perfect length on me (black, white, sorbet please.) Maybe if I close my eyes and wish reeeal hard...it'll be June when I wake up in the morning?

WINTER HOME

2011-03-02T00:41:00.004-05:00

Now that we've made it through February--and even the first day of March!--and now that Accuweather is showing proportionally far more 4's and 5's across the board than 2's and 3's, it finally, finally is beginning to feel as though we're on the upswing. So it occurred to me that I had better get my ass in gear and share with you more of the photos from my visit home in January, before I enter fully into denial that winter ever happened in the first place.

The first photo was taken from the window of the plane on the second leg of my flight, from LA to Seattle. Looking out over the Sierra Nevada mountains, I found myself truly overwhelmed by just how breathtaking the West is, and just how much I miss living in that special, incomparable part of the country. Back home, there is always a mountain on the horizon, and I miss my own familiar giants (Baker, Rainier) every day. Here there is city and more city, and then flatness and swamps, and when you do come across a mountain, it is all the wrong shape. Here things are round and sloped, there they are jagged and rough and conical. I actually have a real theory about the shapes of nature in the East versus the West--but that is a lengthy dissertation for another day!

(all photos taken by me, using Fuji 35mm 400 speed film on my Canon AE-1 Program)

GIVENCHY HAUTE COUTURE ON THE RED CARPET

2011-02-28T15:10:00.004-05:00

Five words: Cate Blanchett, I love you.

(photo via tFS)

PRETTY IN PINK

2011-02-27T00:02:00.007-05:00

I received several belated Christmas presents on my visit home back in January, but easily the sweetest was this beautiful little Fifi Lapin pin that my Mom surprised me with. The best part was opening up the envelope and finding a family snapshot that explained just why she had to choose that particular bunny in her little paper crown...

Alex has been gone on tour for over a week now, but fortunately we got to spend Valentine's Day together. Among the far too many things he treated me to that day was this bunch of deep pink and white tulips. There's something so wonderfully languorous and graceful about the way tulips droop and then arch themselves towards the light. They make even the messiest of kitchen table tops look fit to print.

CHARLES ANASTASE A/W11.12

2011-02-25T02:24:00.002-05:00

Each season, it's always a pleasure to see what Charles Anastase has come up with. Even if I don't fall for every piece, his collections always seem incredibly personal and special. I know he draws heavily on Art and Literature in his references, and it shows--something in his clothes, the fabrics, the lengths, the cuts, they always strike me as quite classical and romantic. This season, they put me in the mind of a Velasquez painting. And let us not forget: more awesome shoes for Jessica Simpson to knock off!

(all photos via the Fashion Spot)

A PLAN

2011-02-23T02:08:00.009-05:00

It's been quiet around here, and I'll tell you why: the last few days, each time I go to try and post about London Fashion Week, about Valentines and new clothes and pink and white tulips, I can't bring myself to press Publish. Something needs to be said first.

I don't like to delve too deeply into politics here, mostly because I don't think it's the proper forum, and also because I never feel that I am articulate enough to speak the way I would like to about the issues I care most deeply about, a condition that brings me a great deal of grief and frustration. Still, I honestly feel that I can't go on posting here without getting this off my chest.

On February 18th, the House voted to pass a bill that, among other things, would strip Planned Parenthood of all Federal funding. It is a disgrace to this country to think that, in a time when so many women, children and families need the sort of services that this organization provides more than ever, that someone, anyone, would seek to cripple and destroy their efforts. Planned Parenthood has always been somewhere that I've known even I (uninsured, unemployed, or both) could go for free health screenings and family planning options--or, should the worst occur, find support and confidentiality in a time of greatest need.

This is a subject I tend to get really emotional about (seriously, I'm tearing up a bit here just trying to get this all to come out straight!) and there really is so much more I would like to say. Instead however, I will simply urge you to add your name to this open letter to Congress and pass it along to anyone you feel might share this conviction. And, if you live in the NYC area, come join me and a few thousand other pissed off individuals at the Rally for Women's Health this Saturday. Obviously, both men and women should be encouraged to attend, but I will say this: as a female of the species, you and I owe it to ourselves, our bodies, and every other woman on this planet to let the government know we refuse to take this attack on our rights to govern and care for our own selves lying down.

MISS BELIEVER

2011-02-16T12:42:00.003-05:00

I recently did a short interview for Tamsin over at Miss Believer. It's been a freakishly busy week and a half, and it's certainly not over, but I'm glad I had a reason to take a moment and snap a few new photos, even if they're nothing ground breaking! Thanks Tamsin <3

DEYROLLE x OPENING CEREMONY

2011-02-06T21:05:00.006-05:00

A few years ago now, I arrived in NYC from Washington via California determined to stay true to my West Coast sensibilities, in all their bright, mish-mashed, paisley, crazy quilt and sixties-polyester glory. The longer I've lived here, I'll admit, the further my tastes have skewed towards a more refined, simplistic, hell even minimalistic approach to getting dressed--though I have little hope of (or interest in) ever getting over my aversion to black.

Nevertheless, the thrill of a really great print will never, ever lose its appeal. Case in point: these Deyrolle x Opening Ceremony pieces. You may have seen Miranda July prancing about Sundance in the yellow cat print top, which I was awfully excited to find out wasn't vintage after all. Foxes also happen to be a favorite animal of mine (probably because they remind me of cats), so this stuff is kind of blowing me away at the moment. Oh dang, can you imagine it as wallpaper???

(See the Deyrolle x Opening Ceremony Spring lookbook and video feature here)

CAT PEOPLE

2011-02-04T01:27:00.008-05:00

Uuugh, and just when I thought I was out of the woods--body aches, scratchy throat, here it comes, I can feel it! Being sick sucks, and it's even worse when you don't have anything furry to keep you warm (boyfriends excluded ar har!)

It's times like these I miss my two favorite dudes the most. Meet James (aka Jimbo, Jiminez, Jaimecito, Jimmy Jams, and of course, little Yimmy) and Fang (mostly just Fang...or Fangor.) Along with Chas, these guys keep an eye on my parents, hold down the fort, and occasionally leave a dead rat in the attic back on the farm. I only just convinced them this past visit (after YEARS) that I am not planning on dropping anything on them or tossing them out the window. I can only hope my hard work isn't forgotten next time we have to share the same bed.

HOPE FOR THE FLOWERS

2011-02-01T00:17:00.005-05:00

Hope for the sun, hope for the sea, hope that I might actually want to L-I-V-E live again some day (so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but still.) Thank you, Margaret Howell.

(Margaret Howell S/S 11 Campaign shot by Alasdair McLellan, via tFS)

STONE RIDGE PART II

2011-01-30T17:58:00.007-05:00

The first half of the first roll I shot while back home was all from our daytrip upstate this fall. I ate so many apples in the weeks afterward, and, well you know what they say. Oughtta make up for not having health insurance, right??

All photos taken using regular old Fuji 400 speed film on my faithful Canon AE-1 Program

BOXING KITTEN

2011-01-28T02:27:00.011-05:00

Back when Chioma was wowing us all in her amazing Boxing Kitten jumpsuit, it certainly never occurred to me that I might be meeting with its creator on a rainy November afternoon in Chinatown. But: life is frickin' weird. For the February/March 2011 issue of BUST Magazine, I had the immense pleasure of interviewing designer Maya Amina Lake, who happens to make clothes that are almost as rad as she is.

TARANTULA SISTERS

2011-01-23T22:10:00.003-05:00

Even though I'm too broke to buy, I'm totally in love with the styling of Tarantula Sisters on Etsy. So simple and cute and a little bit off, just the way I like it...plus, their model is adorable, and reminds me so much of Miss Zippora Seven, always a favorite.