Will there be enough water, when my ship comes in? *

photos by Tom b.


dress: 40s cotton day dress
shoes: 80s flats
purse: vintage John Romain
hat: vintage wool beret
*listening to: The Dead Weather - Horehound

Bright star, would I were stedfast

I suppose if you asked me what my favorite stores are, Anthropologie would land squarely at the top of the list. It's been a rare occasion when I walked into one of their stores and didn't want to walk out with an armload of clothes, shoes, housewares, you name it. So it's really no surprise that I'm equally taken with their new inspiration themed site, the Anthropologist. According to the site it is "an online space for inspiring works and inspiring individuals... a testament to the idea that revealing the passions of one person can result in the progress of many."

One of the first installations on the site is the work of Jane Campion, director of the John Keats movie, Bright Star. I've always been fascinated by all of the minute details that go into the making of a period movie. This collection from Campion shows just how much thought goes into each and every tiny thing; from something as small as recreating period handwriting to something as large as decorating street scenes.


But my favorite part of the collection has to be the collection of locations photographs from the Director of Photography. He would wander into the woods then photograph the light as it changed throughout the day in order to get to know the light. Amazing. The photos look like they could have been ripped from the pages of an editorial. I wasn't familiar with the movie before coming across this collection but now I'm determined to see it.



Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art---
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors---
No---yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillowed upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever---or else swoon in death.

- John Keats, 1819

Four Ways: 60s Suit

I ran across this Irish wool 60s suit at one of my favorite vintage spots a couple of weeks ago and couldn't resist the amazing fall colors. When I got home, I put it on and looked in the mirror. Much to my disappointment, I looked too much like I was wearing a 60s costume - nothing modern about it. The colors that were so beautiful hanging on the rack were now completely overwhelming. Dismayed, I hung it in my closet where it's been teasing me ever since. So here's a little look at what I did to break up the pieces.

• First I paired the skirt with my go-to combination: a belted cardigan and boots (with a beret, of course). T-shirt: James Perse, cardigan: thrifted Abercrombie, boots, belt & beret: vintage, purse: vintage John Romain
• For a casual everyday sort of outfit, I paired the jacket with jeans and boots. Sweater: H&M, jeans: Superfine, scarf: H&M, boots & beret: vintage, purse: vintage Coach

• Next I paired the jacket with a simple black mini dress, a slouchy cardigan, tights and boots. This is my version of comfortable. Dress: H&M, boots, cardigan & beret: vintage, purse: vintage Coach
• Last I paired the skirt with a short sleeved sweater and big scarf. Sweater: vintage cashmere, scarf: H&M, beret: vintage, shoes: Seychelles, purse: vintage

Random Thoughts (or, I didn't really have time for a blog post today)

photos credits coming soon...

I spent all day today finally getting my office space organized. It's been weeks of clutter and piles of clothes and not knowing where anything was! Now everything is hanging in its place, filed in drawers or folded neatly in boxes. Whew! Of course the organizing binge means I didn't have time for a shop update or a proper blog post but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. So instead, here's a bit of what's been occupying my (very little) spare time.

• Loved this interview with the prop master from Mad Men.
• I am completely and utterly addicted to Pandora radio. Remember when Miranda fell in love with her TiVo? Pandora is my new boyfriend.
• Finding new abandoned places to explore. I want to go to each of these!
• Hair: to grow or not to grow, that is the question. I just hacked off about three inches and I'm tempted to do more!
• My new TV indulgence is Dexter. I didn't think I'd like it, but... I do! The best parts are the thoughts he never says out loud.
• Rooting for the Phillies! Chase Utley is my other new boyfriend.
• Tomorrow I'm doing a 4-Way Post with a 60s suit that I found at the thrift store - my newest favorite thing.
  

Modcloth & Me

photos by Tom b.

outfit courtesy of Modcloth - check out other outfits here!

Modcloth is one of those sites where I can spend waayyy too much time fantasy shopping. They always seem to have something that ends up on my wish list. So when they contacted me to try out some of their new fall wares I was understandably excited.

I was even more excited when I opened the box and saw just how perfect everything was. I feel like I could wander off into the woods in this dress and no one would be able to find me! It's the perfect camoflauge for hiding among the fall foliage. There was also a pair of perfectly pink high heels that were much too high for walking in cornfields (what a girl won't do for a photo!). Oohhh... and a cute slouchy beret - you know I feel a bit incomplete without something sitting on my head. But I saved the best for last; a Dear Creatures pea coat! I've absolutely been living in it ever since I put it on. And speaking of Dear Creatures, I noticed that Modcloth is carrying my favorite dress from their fall line so I should be heading over that way right about now to make sure I get my hands on it.

November Wishlist

My wish list right now is pretty short as far as clothes go. My real wish list consists of things like bathroom rugs, a new comforter and an upright steamer. But there are still a few things that have caught me eye recently...

• Mini dresses: Every time the temperature drops outside, my hemlines seem to rise. I know if seem counter intuitive but something about the cold weather makes me want to wear shorter skirts and dresses. We'll blame in on being able to wear tights.
• Speaking of tights, do they get any cuter than these? They remind me of a professor's corduroy blazer with the patches on the elbows. I really need me some knee patches!
• Ankle boots: I have a vintage pair with flat soles that I love, but I'd also like a lace up pair with heels for those days when I need a few extra inches.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Have a wonderful holiday weekend! :)

Dennisons Bogie Book

"In Victorian times and throughout the first three decades of the 20th century, Halloween parties were immensely popular. Because these parties were targeted specifically toward adults, many of the earliest Halloween decorations employed frightening and highly complex imagery of devils, witches, skeletons and ghosts. In later years, as the holiday became increasingly geared toward children, Halloween imagery was toned down by manufacturers to appeal to a broader market and "cute" decorations gradually replaced the scary themes. The heyday of Halloween parties in the early 1900s gave birth to a commercial market for Halloween memorabilia. Dazzlingly designed candy containers, noisemakers and decorations were imported from Germany and eagerly purchased by American hostesses planning their annual parties.

Beginning in 1909 and continuing through 1934, Dennison Manufacturing Company of Framingham, Massachusetts entered the Halloween party niche with their colorful party supply catalogs, appropriately named Bogie Books. The 1909 Dennison's Bogie Book is the first and rarest issue, with only a handful of copies extant. The profusely illustrated pages introduced the hostess to party menus, game suggestions and innovative decorating ideas all made possible with paper products manufactured and sold by Dennison."

- from bookthink.com

I used to be a lot like you but now I'm only me I'm only me...*

photos by Tom b.

top: 30s sweater
skirt: vintage (shortened by me)
shoes: UO
hat: vintage wool beret
* listening to: Boy Sets Fire - After the Eulogy "Rookie"

Swedish Hasbeens

Right now a pair of Swedish Hasbeens jodhpurs is on the top of my never-going-to-be-able-to-afford wishlist. They're running about $375 a pair (ouch!) on the UO site. But they're sooo lovely. All simple and utilitarian and stylish all at the same time. And the other boots are nothing to sniff at!

Come summer I'm sure I'll be just as smitten with their line of simple 70s inspired sandals. And their website is a charming as the shoes, doling out pieces of advise like "the shoes will last longer if you don't use them everyday, all of the time."

I've been wandering around, making up movies in my head...*

sweater: thrifted men's
skirt: vintage
coat: vintage girl's duffle coat
shoes: vintage ankle boots
purse: vintage Coach bag
hat: vintage wool beret
* listening to: Circa Survive - Juturna "Meet Me In Montauk"

Looking back at the beginnings of this blog, I can't believe I stopped to take an outfit photo every single day. But, then again, that's when I was living in LA and going to a "real job" everyday so it was easier to stop along the way and snap a few photos. Now it seems I'm lucky to squeeze in only one or two outfits a week - something I'm going to try to get better about going forward.

Here's an example of a "casual day" outfit that I normally wouldn't stop to take photos in. I was inspired by the APC collections and wanted to do something sort of classic all-American (which, I know is a bit ironic since APC is French). The duffle coat was in a pile of to-be-sold items but I think I'll be selfishly hanging onto it for myself for now.