Print Perfect

(All via Steven Alan)

Steven Alan has a remarkable ability to make the most covetable spring dresses. They are the right shape, cut and most importantly in the most pitch-perfect prints. These are the dresses that define effortless. They exist to be worn on a perfect sunny day (which this lovely city has been having a fair few of recently), to frolic barefoot through the park or to wander through one of London's food markets, carrying home a sac of fresh ingredients to end the day on the balcony with a big glass of lemonade and a barbecue. Yep, the perfect spring day in a perfect printed spring dress. Mr. Alan, you make me dream the impossible dream. Now if you could only lower your prices a tad, the impossible would be much more possible...

Not Quite There

Though I've been hearing reports of glorious weather on the other side of the ocean, it's still not-quite-spring here...It's that annoying transitional weather, where one false move, one layer too many, could lead to uncomfortable sweatiness but layer removed and the chill sets in. Very annoying. Doesn't make too much of a difference to me anyhow as I am holed up inside writing. Supposedly academically, though clearly currently not the case ... rather been playing, dreaming up an imaginary world where I could afford everything from Weekday. It's a world of simple transitional outfits for awkward weather: lighter sweaters, shorter skirts, pastel pants or scrunched up socks while risking the bare leg...simplicity for studying. (Apparently in this imaginary world, I still study).

Though to be honest, my fantasy world would actually involve no studying and no need for transition: summer would be Now. Straight to minimal dressing: throw on dresses, shorts and slinky blouses, and the same shoes and an iced coffee every damn day. Ah summer, you are so far away. Come back soon.

Keep on Wading

(Allure 1998 scans thanks to ms. disneyrollergirl)

I don't know what is with me and my current yearning for rusticity and all things rural - perhaps it is because I associate the country with my house, where most woes fall by the wayside in favour of laziness and familial comfort. A little bit of idealization while absent? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, these shots by Tim Walker (from way back when) certainly fuel my longing to go play outside in the sunshine.

Peering In

(more!)

Soft, muted colours, slouchy, diaphanous clothing and a little flash of nip... Yep, it may be chilly outside, but Spring is in full swing in the magazine world.

David Bellemére always does a fantastic job creating hazy, dreamy editorials for Italian Marie Claire and this one is just another example of what he does best.

Notes on New York

(Rachel Comey SS10)
(Clockwise from top left: Karen Walker, DvF, Chris Benz, Julian Louie)
(Clockwise from top left: Rodarte, Erin Wasson x RVCA, Proenza Schouler, Ralph Lauren)

I've had so many random thoughts about New York Fashion week floating about my head for the past week, but never worked up the effort to get them out on paper/screen. I blame it on having to wake up at 5:45 everyday for five days and then having to go to work on Saturday as well. Makes me a deadbeat.

Anyway, here are my scribbles on what I loved from the past week...

• The colours, the layering, belted dresses and of course, the shoes by Rachel Comey. Oh, and her backpacks...my shoulders are still in dire need of one.
• Rodarte's burned, post-apocalyptic tribal woman -- while the aesthetic did not veer greatly from what they've done in the past, my god, they still are such artists with fabric and design.
• All the little details at Diane Von Furstenburg: clash of prints, belts and leaves in the hair.
  
• The boots at Erin Wasson v RVCA - don't know if they are actually part of the collection, but they were certainly the thing I coveted.
• The peach palette at Julian Louie.
• The twee, dainty dresses juxtaposed with the 3-piece suits at Ralph Lauren.
  
• Proenza Schouler's amazing tie-dyed dresses derived from scuba gear.
  
• The psychedelic/nautical mix that was Karen Walker's show.
• The fun, flirty rainbow at Chris Benz.

Overall, I was just happy to see less of the bad-ass and more fun injected into fashion week. There were more things that I want to try and translate into my own wardrobe for spring. Though I feel weird thinking about spring when fall has barely begun. Very confusing.

(All photos from style.com; click to enlarge)

State of Maine

My weekend in Maine was a tad chilly and cloudy with a little bit of rain but still a jolly ol' time. While whale watching, kayaking and sailing were all on the 'to-do' list, my ever disorganized family didn't get around to any of it and spent most of the time exploring the Acadia National Park, eating tons of blueberry-filled foods and enjoying the sea air. The salty smell of the ocean is perhaps one of my favorite smells in the whole wide world. Although the water was too cold to go in to, and the sun refused to shine, it was still a lovely family getaway, with only a little bit of bickering, lots of seafood and gorgeous surroundings.

yikes...

...has it really been 10 days since I last posted? Well, during my internet absence I finished my last two exams thus finishing my second year of law school whilst gorging on red velvet cake to get me through, cleaned my apartment, went to see Oliver! the musical as a belated gift, then hopped on a plane to Massachusetts, where I am currently lolling about in the shade trying to stay cool. 94 degree weather, cloudless skies, scorching sun, how I have missed you...mosquitos not so much.

Anyway, yesterday, while searching for maple syrup that was not in the kitchen pantry, I went into the basement where we have an extra pantry for all that good stuff that never expires, and while I did not find any maple syrup and so was left with very depressing Eggos (which I have to eat while home since London appears to be frozen waffle-less), I did find some clothes in the pantry (why, I don't know, my mother is slightly insane)...including something that's been on my spring wish list for forever, a chambray shirt.

I've been on the hunt for a good'un for a while with no avail, and normally I don't turn to my mother for clothing since she is the exact opposite of a pack-rat, but there amongst the ramen noodles and pasta sauces was my perfect shirt with just the right amount of fading to be that perfect chambray colour. With a little bit of begging, (and pointing out that it has a bleach stain, a no-no for her, more charm for me) it is now mine! As is this polka-dot number, that was also hidden in the pantry. So it just goes to show my two favorite things in this very big world, food and clothing, should always mix.




I am off to Maine for the long weekend, so I'm afraid the rate of posting won't be improving much but hopefully I'll have pretty pictures to share when I return. The weather reports right now seems to be confused between sunny and rainy, so please please, for the love of god, pray for sun everyone!

"i'm twenty-three now but will i live to see twenty-four, the way things is going, i dunno"

This is what 23 looks like:

Yesterday was my birthday. The big 2-3. I spent it studying, woot. So it wasn't a very exciting day, but I did get surprised with the best cake ever:

Red Velvet!!! I died a little bit inside with every bite. And that's a good thing.

And now back to studying. Boo.

Death in a pretty dress

So I ventured outside today for a change of scenery. Of course, change of scenery requires change of clothes. And though my life currently consists of wearing a rotating wardrobe of pajama pants and is horribly consumed by reading, when going outside I choose to be horribly consumed by reading in a pretty dress. Ignore the glasses.




It's okay, I'll be alright....just four more finals to go, and then homeward bound to Massachusetts for a couple weeks, followed by a jaunt to the south of France at the beginning of June. Just 12 more days. 12, 12, 12. Shoot me, please.

Funny Face

Blech, I may be the most awkward photo poser ever. I actually am pretty terrible at forced photos, which I suppose is ironic since I submit myself to it on a fairly regular basis. But whenever there are those pictures with a whole bunch of people standing and smiling together, I am always the one with the too-wide-how-long-do-i-have-to-grin grin. Woe is me.

This is that skirt, based on an APC skirt, that my mom made me a while back. I wear it too often, but I love it so much. I have more projects for her when I get home...maybe I should just learn how to sew? Nah, having things mom-made is so much better plus I am a disaster at all things crafty.

My life revolves around you

I know that I talk about the weather a lot, but that's because it pretty much dictates my life: when I go outside, what I wear, my mood...Weather.com should be my homepage. It's not. But it should be. Today's forecast was rainy and warm, while I wanted to avoid the rain, I had to leave the house for errands and so with that mixed bag I threw on my first bare legged outfit of the season, but with boots and jacket to protect from the rain. And sunglasses in case the sun peaks out. I was well prepared as it both rained and was sunny, simultaneously windy and chilly in the morning and warm and sunny in the afternoon. Living in London, I just have to accept that my purse is my mini-closet and layers come on and off throughout the day. But hey, no tights!

Cousin It in Knee socks

My bangs are out of control. But I am absolutely terrible at trimming them, and so I let them grow until my vision is almost obscured...then I take my scissors to them haphazardly, but only enough so I can see (for fear too short, too crooked will be the result of any further cutting). Which means that in a week, I will be visually-impaired again.

Oh, and by the by, I finally made it outside of my apartment this week, only to be greeted with gray, cold and rain. I refused to wear tights though, not in mid-April! So knee socks, which I've owned for quite some time, but never wear, were my only option. One small step towards bare legs...

Permanent Vacation: le shop

A couple of things that I require and desire from the newly opened Permanent Vacation e-shop. Drat the pound for essentially being on par with the euro. I most certainly cannot shell out for any of these prettly little items at the moment, but they do add to my spring fever: stripes! flowers! robin's egg blue! okay, that excitement was exhausting, but fleeting. back to the law books, friends.

ps. sorry if my posting has been erratic... i've been trying to post things lately, and for some reason pictures will go from working to not working...hopefully this one is working, and i don't seem like a blithering idiot without illustrative photos.

wish list (no. 6): if Spring has indeed Sprung

As the layers come off, I've been thinking about my spring wardrobe. Not that I invest in a new wardrobe every season, but I imagine recycling things in my closet this season that rotate around keeping it simple & fresh, with a hint of daintyness and that slightly askew-ness that seems to follow me.

I present stripes and flowers (nothing new but nautical stripes will follow me my entire life I hope), bellbottom jeans, loose camisoles tucked into shorts, contrasted with men's shirts, sleeves rolled and continuing with the 70s flavor of stacked wooden heels.

Flowers & Pineapple

This was sitting on my kitchen table today and I had the urge to snap it. I bought a pineapple recently in celebration of the sunny weather we've been having. Now time to chop it.

Spring at Le Petit Trianon

It was Spring today. It must have been! I felt it in my bones. I felt it in the slight breeze and shining light of the normally shy English sun. Ok, well, it may still be a little too nippy for Spring, but it's a sign, right? It's just around the corner, waiting to be asked to come out and play...

Yesterday, however, I was feeling very un-spring like as I had my first real migraine and thus spent the day cooped up with the blinds shutting away the wretched [for my head] sun, watching & napping through some of my favorite films. I watched Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and was particularly enamored this time around with the scenes depicting Marie Anoinette's idyllic time at Le Petit Trianon. The soundtrack: tweeting of birds and the rustle of leaves, the costumes: white dresses and rosy cheeks and the background: sun, flowers, Spring pure and simple. It made me, despite my couch-ridden state, dream of days to come that I imagine will be spent frolicking in white dresses.

Psst. You can click to enlarge.