Making the Most of It

To be honest, I've never really cared for fall. Here's why.

1) I love, love, love summer and fall simply doesn't measure up. How could it?

2)I've also never been able to shake the feeling that fall is a kind of last gasp, a dying breath of beauty before winter comes and kicks my ass. Which it really, really does.

3) When you're from a rural part of Massachusetts, people from other parts of the country always tell you how beautiful it is, how wonderful autumn is, and how lucky you are to live there. They're right, but it still makes me cranky.

This year, though, I've decided to make the most out of this season. After all, The Boy was born in fall, so it can't be all bad. So, we went pumpkin picking. And got apple cider, and apple cider donuts. And made a fort. It was brilliant.

Pumpkins.

Pumpkins!

Also, I got to wear my new equestrian rain boots. Those are one of those things that might not seem important, but once I got them I saw the light.

Cider. With whiskey. We're from New England- we don't fuck around with rum.

I really, really love forts.

In making the most of fall, we also seem to be discovering a lot about where we live. It's really quite lovely and has things like an old general store that gradually turned into an antique store as the years passed, and a spooky old cemetery that's a great place to be at dusk on Halloween.

There was some really, really old grape soda.

This weekend, I'm thinking a hike and s'mores on our hibachi. Maybe I like fall in New England?

Drinks with Umbrellas Are Best

In an effort to combat the side effects of the antibiotics I'm taking for a terrible stomach bug, I've been on a wicked health kick lately. As in; greek yogurt with blueberries, wheat grass shots, brown rice salads.
I feel great. Energetic, healthy, etc. etc. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to sip on a drink with a different type of shot in it, and feel just smashing.

Shirt: Gap, Dress: Guess, Purse: Vintage, Tights: Topshop

I am a huge fan drink accessories being used as hair accessories, even if it is a little bit party girl silly. I figure, if Audrey Tatou does it (Lord, lord. I love that woman) in Hors de Prix then it must be lovely, and trashy in the good way.

Image courtesy of Moodboard.com

Travel Essentials

I can't remember if I've already posted this, but here are a few things that make getting around easier for me.

Travelling lightly. Wear the biggest and heaviest things you're bringing while in transit, so you only have to carry the lighter stuff. And stuff your shoes with underwear and socks. Pare everything down to essentials, and let your accessories make the outfits. Accessories like aviators and straw fedoras, for example.

Note: this is taken on the way home, and I

am sick and sleep deprived.

Good travelling shoes. That, for me, usually means easy to slip off heels. I can walk in heels. Hell, I can run in heels. But I'm not sure I can hike and ride an ATV (both of which were on the agenda for this trip) so I didn't bring a single pair this time around. Yes, it was embarrassingly difficult and I felt naked the whole time. But I stuck with these boots, which I kind of love.

No real tip here, just wanted to show off my passport case and manicure.

A bit of champagne at the airport. I know, I know, you're supposed to drink only water and vitamins before flying. But airport bars always seemed so exciting to me- you could meet anyone from anywhere. And it makes getting to the airport early so worth it. And the time differences make it socially acceptable to drink any time of day. Maybe I looked a little puffy at landing, but I learned a lot about French boarding schools from a very interesting woman so it was worth it.

Not pictured: a good dark eye mask, ear plugs and Emergen-C.

Being a bad blogger again, it's true. So here's what's been going on with me:

I've been working like a fiend. It's been fantastic, and resulted in pictures like this, which I'm so proud of I could spit.

I really, really like this photographer. And this park.

I've also just gotten back, stomach virus in tow, from a quick press trip to Mexico. It was fantastic (despite the stomach virus) and here's a litte taste:

A relic from an abandoned mission

Bernal, at sunset. Bernal is known as a magical town.

They don't use the word lightly.

A little boy at a camp we stayed at.

The view from the camp.

The ceiling in our hotel in Queretaro.

I'll be writing a full article, and posting a bigger gallery soon but I just wanted to show off how exciting the past few days have been.

Of course, now it's lovely to be back with The Boy and Rue and the bottle of delicious Mexican wine (who knew?) I brought back with me.

Fresh Starts

Had a terrible weekend which included but was not limited to visiting a loved one in the hospital, lots of sleep deprivation and a mini-domestic cat-related disaster (not sure The Boy has forgiven Rue who is temporarily known as The Shithead).

That said, today was a beautiful, productive day.

Late night thoughts..

I have two friends who live a lovely life in Brooklyn. They eat all organic, gluten free food, wear locally made clothes, always use reusable bottles and don't use an air conditioner. Bear with me for this tangent, I think it will all come together in the end.

Every time I floss my teeth I think about that study that concluded that plaque buildup can lead to heart disease and stroke. I did not see that coming. As though I need more guilt about only flossing every week. That, in addition to the guilt over not eating all organic food, or refined carbs and occasionally buying bottled water on long car trips when I forget the aluminum one.

Every week there's a new report that reveals a whole new activity we should be avoiding or a supplement we should be taking. We look in shock at our parents, still smoking, who look aghast as their parents have cocktail after cocktail every night. The Romans had their lead pipes, the Chinese had Opium dens. I don't know what my generation's cigarettes will be, but I know that we'll use the same excuse the generations before us used: "we didn't know. We tried our best."

When I was young, I had a kind of mentor in a very wise woman who practically led the Free Love movement of the 60s. Her life was full of accolades and accomplishments on a nation-wide scale. But still, she felt there was still so much to learn and to do. She wanted her headstone to read, "She Tried Her Best."

This woman was generations ahead of her time: she believed everyone had to right to love and marry anyone, that the best food came out of the ground pure and unfettered and the best way to get it was from small farms run by good people. Whenever I am tempted to pass judgement or make a life decision, I try to think of her, and I think of my grandchildren. Is what I am saying and doing inspired by principles that will stand up to the test of time? But here's the rub: I try to always think this way.
I try to always take my vitamins.
I try to remember my aluminum bottle and reusable coffee mug.
I try to wear sunscreen.
I try to frigging floss.

But at the end of the day I have to tell myself, 'hell, at least it's not opium.'

"She Tried Her Best"

Had a lovely weekend full of food, friends and fall. Saw one of my very first fashion inspirations: a girl I went to school with who has the most courageous fashion sense. She wears whatever feels beautiful to her and always looks great. She looked like a gypsy and it looked so fitting with the flaming orange and yellow around her I had to copy it.

Headband: American Apparel, sweater: Wooden ships,
belt: vintage, skirt: H&M, bag: Bass, tights: Ralph Lauren
Boots: Payless

There is something very comforting about swathing yourself in layers and layers of clothes, scarves, jewellry. As though your outfit could carry you for days, could carry you anywhere. Like when I was little and I put on every single one of my mother's scarves and bracelets and danced around to this song.




It's very last year, fashion-wise, but I tend to retain. For me, it's about personal trends. I absorb what feels pertinent and hold on to the rest for later.

Louis Vuitton, Spring 2008

Alberta Ferretti, Spring 2008
(Images courtesy of style.com)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go put on all of my scarves and dance around to a certain song.

Cravings

Here are a few things I've really been craving lately.

Simple, nude pumps like this:

Image courtesy of Zappos.com

A cloche hat to wear with my trench like this or this:

Image courtesy of etsy.com

Anything from here:

Image courtesy of globetrotters.com

Donations or presents can be sent to: You are my favorite Lane, I Love Youville, 12345.

I seem to be feeling very 1920s of late, and I think it might be the sudden influx of antique furniture that's cluttering up my house all of a sudden. I can't wait to put it all where it belongs, and I've been diligently searching for inspiration for my study.

Images courtest of: This Is Glamorous

Really, though, my main goal should be to stop it from looking like an insane arts & crafts teacher is squatting there. First step, of course, is kicking out the insane arts & crafts teacher. Wish me luck.

Home is.

Home is:

roadside farm stands, woodsmoke, Tibetan peace flags, colonial houses, abandoned tobacco barns, too much patchouli, and good people living in beautiful little towns. I was there for a sad occasion, but there was a lot of joy.

The Boy's family has a farm. Yum.

I went for a run in a thunderstorm and came across this field of sunflowers.

At the time it seemed very meaningful, although it's a little lost on me now.

I didn't know this kind of thing was unique until I left.

Please excuse the pictures, as they were taken from a U-Haul I was schlepping around. Also, it was raining most of the weekend. It was one of my favorite kinds of weather: warm, rainy and prone to storms.

Back to Basics. Or not.

The excess of Fashion Week sent me on a tailspin through my closet, purging and getting rid of anything I wouldn't buy again if I saw it in a store. I had thoughts of only wearing the bare essentials: grey dresses, blank pants, simple T-shirts.

But if I'm honest, the only thing that makes fall and winter fun for me is clothes that are a little shinier, sluttier, and more extravagant than the simple dresses of summer. I love fur (faux), sequins, luscious colours, lace and form fitting bodices. Stuff like this.

These shoes are a perfect example. I can't wait to wear them under purple tights, short skirts and lots of bracelets.

Six inch heel, pink sole= oh yes.

I went into Payless to get some cheap flats and I came out with these.

Close, no? Another great find was this gorgeous Christian Dior skirt. I got it for a steal and had it tailored to a better length.

Unfortunately, photographs don't do justice to this wool.

Damn, they don't make them like this anymore.

I was also gifted a top hat as a gag gift. What the givers didn't know is that I think it is awesome and plan on wearing it on days that aren't Halloween (and also probably on Halloween. I want to be Oscar Wilde).


I think it looks great with this simple Ann Taylor dress that can be worn a million ways. If I was feeling really touch-and-go, I'd wear that hat with this ever so slightly tacky outfit I've rediscovered for winter.

And by slightly I mean rather.
Coat: vintage, Dress: Calvin Klein, Belt: Vintage
Shoes: Payless

This outfit has already proved excellent for barely lit rooms, champagne and dancing.

Of course, there's a more elegant side to luxurious clothes. Demure, even. Like these vintage Diane Von Furstenburg satin heels.

They're pristine, so it's hard to know how old they are but I love, love, love them.

Lord.

I also finally found a good winter trench, so I can stop wearing my thin fall ones and freezing when I want a little Holly Golightly in the dead of winter.

I might not be the kind of girl who can live off of the basics. I just need a little something extra to get me through those long winter months. More fun for me.

Bracelet: vintage. Pin: family heirloon, Necklace: Century 21.