a gift of lemons

London is all kinds of cold and rainy and windy and gross today, keeping us inside and out of fashion.

We ate at this restaurant a few weeks back, and I couldn't resist taking a picture of this bowl of ill-attended lemons that were clearly meant to be decorative, not decayed.  I might not have noticed if I hadn't been sitting right beneath them, but as it happens I have an aesthetic fascination with mold and rot which made this very much my kind of thing.  A little bit along the lines of a 16th-17th century veritas still life, but by accident rather than design, and just the sort of thing I would love to recreate (as design!) in my home, but for P's penicillin allergy.  Alas.

ps~now you can follow us with bloglovin!

I find ostentatious, posed shots on fashion blogs annoying. Nothing will make me click an escape faster than a pastel-clad "model" that is casually leaping into the air. This doesn't happen in my neighborhood. This isn't the Mary Tyler Moore show. None of us would have been fodder for Herb Ritz's lens and I don't want to give the impression that these pictures are anything more than what they appear to be. This is a simple shot of me snapped in transit to the British Library. I am not about to do a soft-shoe routine. London is a great place to experiment with different looks because no matter how you choose to dress, you won't draw disparaging looks from passers-by. Today I am wearing a dark-wash pair of seven jeans, a cool tie that I found at the paul smith sample sale and my well-traveled onitsuka tiger sneakers and wayfarers. It's a very simple style. The tie jazzes up the oufit, and if you look at the detail shots you will see why. Not bad for a piece that was less than $20.

Zoom on this picture and check out the detailing. Notice the phases of the moon in the pink ring surrounding the moon and stars in night sky.

If you haven't been to London, one of the nice things about this city is the ubiquity of public parks. They make the grime and air pollution almost bearable.

(Banana Republic shirt, Seven Floyd jeans, Paul Smith British Collection tie, Gap belt, Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 sneakers, RayBan Wayfarers)

the elusive mr. p

(Prada Sport jacket)

ain't no sunshine

The weather today was not so nice as it has been, but the cooler temperature gave me an excuse to layer up plaid and stripes so I can't complain.

This jacket is another piece from the Paul Smith sample sale that I am really excited about.  I loved the style so much (tails! epaulets! a mandarin collar!) that I snagged a heavier one in navy~they were the only two in the whole place and so well cut that I couldn't resist.  This blast of cold weather has only served to confirm that decision. 

P and I keep trying to figure out if we think it's a hybrid military-equestrian cut or what, but so far none of my google searches has turned up any promising cavalry uniforms.  We'll keep looking though (we're both pretty nerdy like that).

These shoes were a bit of a trip as I haven't worn heels since maybe October.  It definitely took a little while for me to adjust to being tall.  Also walking in wet grass.  Hopefully I'll do better next time.  

(Paul Smith jacket, Vince cardigan, Target tee, Current/Elliott jeans, Sam Edelman shoes & Coach bag, heirloom jewelry)

the great outdoors

The park looked so pretty this morning that after I finished photographing P's outfit I decided to wander around a bit and snap some pictures of whatever caught my eye.  I'm a little embarrassed to confess that we've been London since October but have only recently begun taking pictures of this gorgeous city.  Obviously beautiful photos of London abound so it's not like ours are needed, per se, but lately I'm really drawn to the idea of commemorating the city as we experience it every day.  Plus there was a man mowing the lawn as I was walking through and the scent of fresh cut grass is so intoxicating.  How could I resist?

   

I secretly love dead (or dying) flowers as much as fresh ones.  The way these preserve their color whilst be walked on really appeals to me.

(I may or may not have lost my balance and trampled some flowers stalking this bee.)

I am not the most discreet person (see above re: clumsy) so I was really hard pressed to get a good picture of this man relaxing on the bench.  This was the best I could do before he saw me.

the grey lady

Even though the sun has finally come out here in London, I'm still down below in the dungeon working on my dissertation for a couple more months.  The concrete wall outside my window isn't particularly inspiring, but these pretty cement-colored nail polishes certainly are.    

Rimmel London 60 Seconds Polish #805 - Grey Matter; Miss Sporty Lasting Colour Polish #420 - New Black

a new look

I made an actual effort to get dressed the other day, helped along by this pinstriped trench I picked up at the Paul Smith sample sale. 

I wasn't very familiar with Paul Smith before we came to London, but his corporate headquarters is on my walk to school, and there's no ignoring an hour-long line along the sidewalk when it's 35°F outside at 7.00 am.  After two rounds, I'm a little obsessed.

The clothes have beautiful, classic tailoring and wonderful attention to detail ~ check out the purple piping and the floral print upper lining!  It's a bit cheeky and irreverent too: water-resistant pinstripes?  Menswear-inspired, but it makes me want to dress in a very lady-like manner.

I also found this V&A edition of The Little Dictionary of Fashion by Christian Dior in the secondhand section of the bookstore.  His advice is timeless and very good:

"Simplicity, good taste and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing and these do not cost money.  First you must study yourself.  Learn to know what suits you and what does not.  And study your own needs.  Find the colours that flatter you and emphasise your looks."  (from the Introduction)

(Paul Smith Black trench, Target scarf, Cole Haan flats, Coach wristlet, vintage pearl and chain necklaces)

exam week

Sometimes an encouraging shirt and sentimental jewelry can make all the difference.

(Gap for Whitney Biennial shirt designed by Kerry James Marshall, Seven for All Mankind straight leg stretch jeans, heirloom jewelry)