Necklace: JCPenney | Sweater: JCPenney | Skirt: Talbots | Tights: Target | Heels: Urban Outfitters
I have a tendency to stockpile best friends. I know some really amazing, incredible women (and men!), and I can't pick just one. I mean, if I had to pick a maid of honor, I'd do it, but the rest of them would be bridesmaids. They're all important to me for very different reasons, and it's like comparing apples to oranges to peaches to broccoli to radishes. All amazing, all revered, all different.
Two of my best friends, Q. and A., are from my hometown. We spent a vast majority of our formative years together, and to this day we talk and text and send pictures and whatever all the time, though we're very far apart. Today, however, they're within miles of each other and they're both dealing with a very difficult situation that may change the places where they live--and the place where I grew up--permanently. Although Q. was able to evacuate inland, A. and her parents chose to ride out Sandy in their house. Thanks to strategic planning when her parents designed their house, they are situated atop a manmade hill that has thus far protected them as the bay swelled to nine feet above normal levels. Q. is just hoping their flat roof doesn't collapse.
I don't believe in god and I don't pray, but tonight I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed for two of the greatest people I know. Seeing photos of your hometown decimated by a natural disaster is never fun, but it's worse when you know the people on the other side of those pictures. It's no longer an article on Buzzfeed or a slideshow on the Weather Channel's website. It's the people and places I love. So cross your fingers for them too, okay? They can't see you do it since they've both lost power, and you live all over the world, but they'll still appreciate it. and so will I.
Jeune Fille en Vert by Tamara de Ĺempicka
1927-1930, oil on canvas
Here's this week's inspiration for Style Imitating Art! Lovely lady, isn't she? (Click for a closer view.) Vivienne selected this one, so send her your photos and any related links by the evening of November 5th!
Above: the bold, brave, beautiful ocean.
I spent most of today elbow deep in a stack of reader's advisory reference materials (exciting!), and despite my best wishes, spent most of my afternoon at the library where I work, working on homework. Too much work, not enough not work. At least I played frisbee last night. Anyway, while I annotate, here are a few pictures from my trip to the one and only New Haven, Connecticut. More forthcoming!
Above: Yale has some pretty great art.
Above: and New Haven has some pretty great food.
Above: yes, Virginia, there is a Pez factory and museum.
Above: I like to think of this picture as a kindred spirit to the last picture in this post.
Below: the Gutenberg Bible. And now I can die happy.
Shirt: J.Crew Outlet | Camisole: JCPenney | Belt: off a skirt from Kohl's | Skirt: Old Navy | Heels: Urban Outfitters
Every other month, I run the book discussion group at work. It is legitimately one of my absolute favourite things about my job. The members of the group are very smart and very good at discussing--no sitting around staring at each other for them, they dive right in. So when there are crickets, I know there's a problem. The very first discussion I lead was on a book I hadn't picked called The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. And I totally recommend it! It's a great read. HOWEVER. It is what I like to call undiscussable. It's all plot and very little character development, and it's one of those books that everyone just enjoys because it's a fun read, not because of the philosophical nature of the topic or the complexity of the characters. So when my coworker, who sat in for moral support, asked forty minutes in what everyone else was reading, I knew I was dead in the water.
Last night, we discussed The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach, and when I had to reel everyone in after going 20 minutes over our discussion time, I knew I had selected a winner. And we still hadn't talked about everything I wanted to cover! Now that is true success. And one of the reasons why I get paid so much.
Necklace: handmade | Cardigan: J.Crew Outlet | Dress: Loft Outlet | Tights: Target | Boots: Off Broadway
Real talk: I'm actually an unflattering combination of introverted and bitchy in real life. This developed after my long battle with depression, because I went from having the vaguest shadow of personality to having too much, I guess. As such, I've made life a lot more difficult on myself. I don't blame anyone else for this, I just have to deal with my own consequences for opening my mouth in the wrong way at the wrong time, for lack of a better way to go about things. I have a hard time making friends, a harder time keeping them, and the hardest time of all letting them go. I'm an awful person to people I actively like because I have no idea how else to respond. I can't take a compliment and I don't know when, where or how to enter a conversation. The same with leaving one. I overthink my responses to every question, and then I'm left dumbstruck when the questions are actually asked.
Fortunately, with this blog, I have all the answers. In the deep recesses of my heart, I'm a nice person, but I don't know how to make that shine in person. I come off snarky and moody instead of witty and spry, but I can edit my words and my pictures and my style (writing, fashion, photographic) to come off as I want to. So thanks for seeing the best of me and appreciating what I have to offer, even if it's only in a digital medium.
Anyway, I'll be on vacation for the rest of the week. I'm not taking my computer with me, so I won't be posting outfit pictures, but expect a lot of them when I get back!
South Wind, Clear Sky by Katsushika Hokusai
Wood block print, c. 1830
Here is this week's Style Imitating Art pick! Forward all your submissions to Salazar by the afternoon of Monday, October 22. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!
Scarf: gift from parents | Top: J.Crew Outlet | Skirt: JCPenney | Heels: Urban Outfitters
Fall silently and weightlessly draped itself over Cardiganland over the weekend, and the cooler air has brought with it the rapid return of tights and scarves, extra blankets and slippers, bowls of soup and cups of tea. The leaves are changing and the skies are gray--not in a dour, depressing way, but in a silvery almost shimmery relief that casts a slight sheen over everything. The hefty winter reading is being pulled from the corners of the library while the beach reads return to their shelves, quietly waiting for the return of the heat and the beach towels. Yes, guys and dolls, fall is about us, and it's here to stay.
The hell with all that, it's going to be 76 tomorrow.
It's Style Imitating Art time, you guys! We have some new people this week, which is super exciting!
First up is Rebekah of From the Mixed Up Files. I don't do ruffles myself but I absolutely love the look on her!
Jen of Librarian for Life Style (another librarian, you guys!) looks a) comfy and b) stylish. I love the colour of her scarf.
Next is Pao of Project Minima, who kills me every time by Photoshopping herself into whatever artwork we choose. I LOVE IT.
Kezzie of KezzieAG is a new face this week, and I'm excited to have her! Super creative with the broom, right? It's adorable.
(I also love the colour of her bag.)
Noelle of Tilly's Notions is also a newcomer, and she did a great job too.
The necklace is perfect.
Lastly, my awesome cohosts for SIA. first, Vivienne of Thrifted Shift, who submitted two excellent complementary outfits for the painting. (Sorry Vivienne, I thought two of you looked better next to each other!)
And Salazar, of 14 Shades of Grey, whose photo is just stunning. She always nails it.
And last, here's me! (I'll put up a full outfit post for this outfit tomorrow.)
Thank you all so, so much for participating! I love SIA and I'm glad you all do too :)
