Until next year...

Snow's coming down again, these shoes are officially impractical for the evening, but it's the last night of 2008 and impracticality is a must. Happy New Year's y'all!

The Penniless Loafer

So all the snow has melted, and it kind of looks like late fall outside...but turns out, outside is freezing - as I learned when I took a little walk down my street with very little on. I was taking my new (old) penny loafers out for their first jaunt, but didn't make it very far. Though, I do live in a cul-de-sac, so really I wouldn't have gone that far anyway.

I got my shoes off of etsy -- a lucky find, since most online vintage shoe purchases end in tears and depression , but these are practically perfect in every way...all they need is some pennies, which I am strangely bereft of. Penniless, in shoe and in life, is how it will have to be for now.

silver lines in the snow

A bevy of winterness has been thrown at me this past week. Ice Storm - check. Powerless - check. Power returns then pipe burst, causing leak that causes ceiling in living room to cave in slightly and take down the christmas tree - check. Snow storm - check. Snow storm part deux - check. SIGH. After a while, I gave up even trying to venture outside the house and settled for fun things to do indoors. Such as redecorating the christmas tree, making graham cracker houses/village, drinking hot cocoa and decapitating snowmen cookies. Winter's a cold-hearted bitch. But at least the chocolate's warm and the snow's purty.

(EDIT: I finally figured out how to enlarge images in blogger, so I fixed that up and the pictures are as big as my skinny borders will allow. Not much bigger, but good enough. Hurrah.)

The Ice Storm Cameth

So, back at home. Arrived post-ice storm...to a house with no electricity, water, heat, any semblance of comfort. Except the fam, of course. So no internet, no posts, but I do get to make fires and walk around the house with candles-a-glow. Ah, the simple life. So simple...and so goddamn cold.

Tra-la-la...

Flying home today. By sun down, I'll be on the other side of the Atlantic.
Yippee-kay-yay.

Jack Frost Nipping

I love Christmas. I really truly do. Decorating the tree, listening to cheesy music and watching the classics on TBS. And baking. Must not forget all the wonderful food that I gorge on at Christmas time. I cannot believe there are only 11 days left, but an advent calendar does not lie. So far this holiday season, I've...

Decorated a 3ft plastic tree aka my English Christmas tree. (A real pine one awaits me, 3000 miles from this one).

Baked shortbread cookies (with toblerone in the middle!)
And (already!) received the best gift ever. My fellow got me (and I opened early since I won't be seeing him) a 1920 edition of Alice in Wonderland, complete with amazing illustrations and that perfect used book smell.

Now if only it would snow...though from what I hear, I'll be getting plenty of that when I get home.

Scissorhands

Tonight's the night. So very excited!

The Little Princess

When I was younger I thought this movie was magical. I wanted to be Sara, orphaned as she was. It may be time to watch it again.

Moral Dilemmas

I am possibly the worst decider ever. Apart from my boy who cannot make a decision to save his life...you should see what it's like when we try to decide where to go out to eat. Sometimes, we just starve instead.

ANYWAY, the Christmas season is in full-swing, I've bought most of my gifts without leaving the comfort of my couch and am now being a little selfish. Christmas parties and such require lovely shoes, and none that I have will do. Buy I must! I've narrowed down the many choices to two, both of which are polar opposites and represent my somewhat schizophrenic sartorial sensibilities (alliteration, anyone?).

In the left corner, we have the Dolce Vita Madison shoe, a classic platform pump with an extra bit of sheen for some holiday glamour. Plus, with their 4 1/2' heel, they will make me 5'7 1/4" -- practically an Amazon! (yes, that makes me a mere 5'2 3/4"). This is the sex pot heel...that I often admire, but don't really wear because a) i'm not about out-loud-sex-appeal and b) they are slightly intimidating in all their glamour. But I love them still.

In the right corner, we have the Seychelles Theme Song pewter heel. Lovely in its retro appeal. They tug at my girly-retro side, are definitely more walkable and add the perfect sterling shine to a black&white outfit (which I shall be wearing at one point ... sad that I know that already? I know.)


I only have the funds for one. WHAT TO DO?

A Book & Its Shelf

I just spent all day yesterday laying on my couch and reading this from start to finish:
And the best part was, for the first time, I actually correctly guessed who the murderer was! Normally I'm kind of stupid about those types of things, and Agatha Christie, the sly little minx, always gets the better of me. Not today though!

Other than clothes, the thing I have to generally control my spending on is books, both new and secondhand, but especially secondhand. Any time I go into a used bookstore (one of my favorite past times, especially in London where they are so perfectly disorganized) I leave with at least 3 novels, normally one of them being a Christie... what can I say I've been reading her since I was 11!

When on the oh-so popular, the selby, I love to look at peoples' bookshelves, to see what the books they have, how they arrange them, etc. Maybe, it's cause I like to think a person's bookshelf/bookself (ha!) can provide pseudo-psychological insight into their personality, just like their clothes.

So, here are a few of my favorite bookshelves, and some of my own thrown into the mix at the end...

My two favorites:
Lesley Arfin: books in the kitchen = perfection! If I didn't have a gas stove and no fan, this would be my ideal arrangement.
Ingrid Schram- a bookwindow!And some others....





And some of my own various nooks of books:

Those were the days

Oh, to frolic on the beach, blazer and all. Only 6 more months...tick tock.

ps. Amazing sunglasses, eh?

L'ouverture du Theatre

I quite enjoyed this photo shoot from Deuxieme Classe F/W 2008 issue. I don't know if it is the top hats, flapper-esque dresses or Prague, but I'm a fan. I find it inspirational because of the attainability of the (refreshingly simple) styling. Now, it's doubtful that I'll ever be able to purchase most of the clothing in this spread but...thick knit sweaters over dainty dresses? Definitely can do. Top hat and red tights? Very Affordable. Now for that ticket to Prague...














(click to enlarge; photos from foto_decadent)