OLD HAT

The newest addition to my old hat collection.

THINGS I LOVE: MARCH

For me, the best part about Fashion Week in NYC is that it tends to lure all sorts of exciting, stylish visitors from far away corners of the world. This past February, I finally had the chance to meet up with one of my favorite bloggers from the other side of the globe, Ms. Hannah-Rose of Capture the Castle. We spent a giddy afternoon wandering around Williamsburg on various goose-chases (some wilder than others) and eventually settled down to conduct a little interview over coffee and Tim Tams at Toby's Estate.

Hannah also asked me to put together a Top Ten list for Benah, one of my favorite Australian lines that also happens to run a really excellent blog. True to form, I decided to make everything ten times more complicated by only shooting the photos I wanted to use on film--but I'm so glad I did! I'm really happy with the results, and I hope you are too. Have a look, and leave a little love :n )

THREE FOR THE END OF FEBRUARY

A leather, cotton cord, silk and amethyst necklace with vintage brass components by Kathryn of The Vamoose, who is always making such beautiful things // Chrysanthemums by Henri Fantin-Latour, 1871 found on Kathryn's tumblr // My favorite bedazzled hat in a patch of pale afternoon sun

February is just about my least favorite month (second only to March, ha!), but this one wasn't all bad, not by a long shot. Still, I'm thinking I may need to harness some crystal energy ala William Eadon to get me through the next several rainy, frustrating weeks as we battle our way towards Spring. Maybe I'll start here.

FLYING CIRCUS

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

GILDA

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.

LATE SEPTEMBER FAVORITES

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.

I CAN FEEL IT

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.

SO RIGHT, RIGHT NOW

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 )

UPSTATE + OF A KIND

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.

BASICS

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.

HEAVEN by KAILA C. NILES

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.

MARINA MUÑOZ

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)

GIVENCHY HAUTE COUTURE ON THE RED CARPET

Five words: Cate Blanchett, I love you.

(photo via tFS)

SUCH SHOES AS DREAMS ARE MADE OF

(click photo for deets)
Forget Miu Miu heels, Giuseppe Zanotti wedges, even Isabel Marant's brilliant boots: If I could choose just one pair of fancy, schmancy, embarrassingly expensive shoes to own, it would be a pair of two-tone, beige and black, cap toed Chanel flats. They are, quite simply, the dreamiest of dream shoes. Today, a wet and grey but surprisingly temperate day, this is what I'd choose to wear with them. Dream baby, dream.

Pomegranate Season

It's always a sorry day when the last of the fresh berries disappear from the Farmer's Market. As a life-long devotee to both oatmeal and yogurt as year-round breakfast foods of choice, the winter time tends to leave my cereals and live cultures a bit less than, er, lively--and granola only gets you so far!

Thankfully, it's around this time of year that pomegranates descend onto supermarket shelves. I've been in love with the wondrous fruit since I was a kid (I always got one in my stocking, though sometimes it was a challenge to shake it out of there!) They are a bit time consuming to take apart, but I find it kinda meditative, standing barefoot in the kitchen in my boyfriend's sweater, slowly separating fruit from pith. Once removed, the ruby red seeds last several days in the fridge. I like to sprinkle a handful over hot six grain porridge, slice up some banana, and add a splash of oat milk and orange blossom honey. Such a perfect, simple winter breakfast.

Lina + AnOther

I have so much respect for Lina Scheynius and her approach to photography. Her images represent the poplar opposite of the spectrum from the sickly-slick, over processed kind of editorial and commercial work that leaves me cold. Her photographs are warm and alive and, yes, sometimes flawed--but all the more gorgeous for it. Says Schenynius of her collaboration with AnOther Magazine on the campaign images for their first fragrance AnOther 13:

"We didn't want to make a traditional perfume image, but something more real and raw. I have done loads of self-portraits in the past – it's very much part of my work and how I started out. AnOther asked if I would be interested in doing a self-portrait for the scent and I loved that idea. So I found a nice five star hotel, checked in there on my own with only my cameras and a load of film and a couple of Chloé outfits, and spent the evening playing around."

Scheynius, Chloé, and a few precious packs of Polaroid film. What more could you possibly ask for??

do this now: world's best pancakes

Friends, today I am issuing you a plea. As I am a simple girl, I make only a simple request: in the name of all that's delicious, find a reason to make pancakes this weekend (or tomorrow...or RIGHT NOW.) Why? Because I truly believe that I've found what can only be described as the world's greatest pancake recipe--and I'm here to spread the gospel.

Let me preface by saying that these are no ordinary pancakes: they are Pumpkin Spice pancakes. So if you don't like pumpkin and you don't like spice...I suggest you get the hell outta my kitchen! I found this recipe, of all places, on the Opening Ceremony blog a little over a week ago, and have made them twice since then (and that is a serious show of self-control.) Both times they cooked up like fluffy little piles of warm, soft, moist clouds from heaven--and in the perfect quantity for two hungry people who REALLY like pancakes.


Assembling the troops.


Mmmmm, spice pile.


Go whole or go home!



A couple of tips:

• I've been adding a good spoonful (or around a tablespoon) of molasses to my wet ingredients, which gives the finished product an amazing gingerbread flavor.

• Seeing as it's fall and all, I really gotta urge you to make the pumpkin puree from scratch. Pumpkins are cheap and in season, and those things practically cook themselves. Here's a quick how-to. (And while we're at it: here's how to make buttermilk from scratch.)

• I haven't gotten around to making the Vanilla Bean Syrup they recommend (though I can only imagine the wonder) but I cannot impress upon you enough how crucial the Cinnamon Butter is. Seriously, it takes all of five minutes to whip up, and it will increase the yum-factor twenty-fold.



Aaagh looking at these photos is literally like torture right now. Maybe we can make these a new Halloween breakfast tradition? Or like...a Tuesday breakfast tradition?? Whatever it takes guys, I'm telling you: do this now!!

into it

Judith Bedard is hands down my favorite red-head (well ok, besides this one) and possibly one of my very fave models (I've kinda had a mad crush ever since seeing this photo...)

I feel like she's been a bit MIA lately, so I was excited to see her pop up in this shoot by Adrian Nina for the October issue of SOMA Magazine. Plus I love that sweater in the second photo. I really need to find more cozy sweaters (and boots...and pants...and tops!) stat. It's getting awfully nippy, and our landlord has neglected to turn on the radiators just yet. Right, off to Beacon's it is then!

(See the rest of the editorial on Fashion Gone Rogue)

me + minkette volume II

This week, my guest post over on Minkette is all about my favorite fall-time inspiration film...which, by the by, happens to be on Netflix watch it now (although, if you ever have the opportunity to view this film on the big screen, in some "midnight movie" sorta scenario or whatnot, ohdeargod PLEASE DO SO.) Anyways, I rounded up some damn fine stills, if I do say so myself. Click through to check it out!