Friday, January 31, 2014

Swarms


The study of swarm intelligence continues to fascinate scientific groups fascinated with the way independent elements behaving as groups. This area of study has also caught the attention of artists, such as photographer Thomas Jackson. In his series Emergent Behavior, Jackson turns every day objects into swarms that mimic natural formations. Even more fascinating is his dedication to re-creating his personal swarms in life and photographing the objects in unlikely environments--meaning these pictures are painstakingly created in person rather than digital manipulations. Working with natural winds and locations is shaping his work as you see varied shapes and entirely different impressions from wooded setting to mountain-top expanses. My favorites are his very organic swarms of leaves that you can observe on a blustery autumn day and his glow-sticks exploding like some bomb in a cartoon.
Also check out his robot series which depicts a lonely robot in a series of domestic scenes that definitely brings humanity to machines.

Style Crush: Niotillfem


A number of style blogs that I was reading before I started blogging (back in 2007) are now gone--many of my favorites left the web for one reason or another and frankly, none of them have been replaced. One blogger who has faithfully posted before me and still continues to update is Sandra of Niotillfem. She changes platforms every once in awhile and moves it seems almost constantly, shifting between her homeland of Sweden for the dreamy city of Paris and even a year or two in New York in between and her occupation has changed from copywriter to author, but her style and her posts are constant through all the changes. My favorite looks were her more 50s vintage-inspired pieces which she wore around 2008, I remember in an interview she stated her ideal style was to look like a character from a 60s french musical like Umbrellas of Cherbourg; today her style is more 90s influenced, but I'm still hooked on her blunt blonde bob, penchant for stripes and cool layers.

Where The Snow Stayed

Went on a walk through some very muddy woods and found where the snow piled up alongside the river--if not for the dirt the white mounds might resemble clouds or heaps of foam. The snow is still lingering around the city right now too, but not quite to this magnitude...

Outfit details:
vintage fur collar 
socks ℅ Modcloth (also here)
Shop Ruche boots (same)

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Big Sur In Purple


It's sort of strange to me that I've been abroad multiple times but I've still never visited California. For all of my family moves across country, we never made it to that state. Big Sur looks especially interesting and even more fascinating when shot in Purple film as it was recently by Kate Miss of For Me, For You; it's like a Willy Wonka wonderland in real life. Her stunning prints are available for sale here.

Maps


book of maps 
I like maps and globes because they remind me of adventures and make extensive travel seem possible. I've shared a number of map-themed posts in the past, but there are always new cartography-themed items to covet. 

surface of the globe
gold scratch off map
Landmarks That I Love Backpack
vintage handpainted globe by Wild and Free

Frittered Away By Details


I've been looking at the archives and dead websites of vintage bloggers I followed when I first started blogging and it's been inspiring me to dress more ladylike. For accurate 50s vintage channeling it's all about the details: an outfit is co-ordinated from head-to-toe, accessorizing should be focused on brooches and satchel purses rather than an "arm party" or loads of rings, and skirt hems should rarely rise above the knee. Just look at Dita Von Teese--as provocative as she or her outfits usually seem to be, her skirt lengths are downright modest. I usually get a little lost in the details and my brooch collection is woefully limited, but I'm trying to focus on the details when I can.

Outfit details:
thrifted belt
dress ℅ Modcloth (worn as skirt)
Seychelles oxfords (old)
mittens, gift

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

There Is Fashion, There Is Fad


A few of the pieces from Ulyana Sergeenko's Spring 2014 collection reminded me of one of Leslie Caron's costumes in Gigi--rather the look she wears when she transforms from adolescent to adult in the film. I love finding similarities between vintage photographs/illustrations/films and modern pieces. See Sergeenko's full collection here

I don't know if the costuming of Gigi was a style inspiration or not for Ulyana Sergeenko this season, but a less deniable imitation are these eerily similar photographs of Jean Seberg and Carey Mullgian. The original famous pixie cut posed with a mouse while Mulligan chose a chipmunk, but one question remains: which movie star is cuter?

Designing A Dream Purse With Wink & Winn


I recently received an invitation from Wink & Winn to design my own handbag, like many women this was a rather dream invitation and I definitely couldn't pass it up. To start off they sent me an introduction box with samples of their fabrics and even an example purse. The purse is a triple pouched beauty in three different fabrics; they work as one purse but can be snapped apart, which strikes me as a perfect for traveling.
So, now I'm taking the first steps; figuring out how Wink & Winn works:
-you start by choosing your purse shape from nearly a dozen options
-then you choose fabrics and hardware--you can mix in match nearly every panel, have different colored straps, etc
-your final personalized options are to add custom luggage tags or emboss your name
-once everything is decided they offer free shipping
It's actually a bit overwhelming to be able to decide everything from scratch--I often think when I'm shopping for a new purse "I wish this was a little bigger" or "I'd like it more in another color," but I've never spent that much time deciding what my dream purse would look like…it's going to be fun to find out! I'll keep you posted when I've settled on a design and have it in my hands, right now I'm leaning towards the "mini duffle," but completely indecisive about color: do I go practical or creative? Do you know what your dream purse would look like?

Books Are The Quietest And Most Constant Friends


Cold days are for libraries. Or cafes or used book stores or movie theatres--basically they're for any activity that keeps you indoors. There's been a lot of cold days lately and although most of my time seems to be spent between the post office, grocery store, or on some other errand I have succeeded in getting a little book store visiting and even a movie outing. While I am very dedicated to getting pictures outside, many days the only nature I need to see can be viewed through my car window as I drive by. The countryside looks like a Charles Wysocki painting and I like it most from a distance.