Agyness Deyn is James Dean all the time.

Agyness Deyn might be the patron saint of androgynous style and I love her for it.

Here, as James Dean in this month’s Elle (images 1, 2, 5) and in W four years ago (images 3, 4, 6).

An afternoon in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

In an unexpected turn of events, I didn’t take that many pictures during my time in New York. I did whip out the cam for an afternoon in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Aren’t they so beautiful? I’m not educated enough to speak to the multifarious ways in which a garden can be aesthetically pleasing, so instead I’ll direct your attention to my previous posts about the Boboli Gardens in Florence and the Tuileries in Paris. They’re strikingly different and the contrast is a wonderfully romantic thing to sit and reflect on – mayhap in your own garden?

A snapshot from a different vacation.

This picture is…ten years old? Sacre bleu! I took it the last time I was in the U.S.V.I., staying with family on St. Thomas. I was hoping to get back to there this year, but budget-consciousness has confined me to the contiguous United States for the summer. And so I’m headed up to NYC for the next few days, where I’m not sure if I’ll find the time to blog! But afterwards there will be mondo updates of righteous proportions. Have a great 4th of July and if you start missing me too much, leave a comment – I can reply by email from my phone, y’all!

Toasting totes at Pippin Hill.

If I’m ever feeling a need for attention, I’ll pick up my Steve Mono tote. It’s by far my most complimented accessory. Whether I’m at the bank or casually strolling down the street, this baby is an attention magnet – although it hasn’t gotten me a date yet, so a small dog is still probably your best bet for wooing passersby. It’s the perfect size, handmade in Spain and is so subtly preppy you can pair it with almost any outfit that isn’t this. Unfortunately, I got it at a Japanese department store in Hong Kong and the only place I’ve seen it in the U.S. is in NYC. But fret not! I stumbled upon a solid unisex alternative for those of you in the market for a summer tote.

Will Leather Goods is an American-made line of accessories that’s available at Eloise. I caught a glimpse of one of the brand’s bags in the store window and popped in to touch it (both colors), inundate the staff with questions and then leave without buying anything. They love me! Eloise only carries the first model pictured here, which I think is the perfect size for stocking up on produce at the Farmer’s Market. The second bag pictured is quite nice as well, and similar to my Mono bag, if that’s what you’re looking for. Eloise will special order a particular model for eager customers (as long as the company ships in small quantities – if they don’t, rally your friends!) They also carry the brand’s silver cufflets in case you’re just like, so over bags.

This post was photographed at the newly opened Pippin Hill vineyard and event venue (pictures forthcoming on the Tumblr.) If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend stopping by. It’s got an interior to die for and a lot of furniture you’ll want to steal (but won’t!) The pictures are courtesy of my friend Fareine, whose Tumblr you can find here. I love them and am going to try to coerce her into shooting for me in all of her free time. Who needs productive hobbies like volunteering?

Cream & sugar & good design.

The Crozet Mudhouse is the café of my dreams…be sure to vote for them in the C-ville Best Of contest and follow them on Twitter here.

It’s officially summer and all I wanna wear is black.

As the seasons have progressed, so has my look. For whatever reason, I find myself leaving the “traditional” roots that informed the foundation of my winter wardrobe behind and am turning instead to the bad guys from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for inspiration. I’m loving denim cut offs, black leather, eerie statement jewelry and oversized tops.

This shoot took place in a graveyard off Maple Street. I suppose I was thinking it might be a fun neo-gothic spin to put on a first-day-of-summer shoot, but really the place was just too beautiful to be macabre. If you can get over the simple fact that it’s a graveyard I think it’s a wonderful place to while away an afternoon…maybe have a picnic – although that’s a bit Addams Family, isn’t it?

Theoretically this outfit is pulling inspiration from London’s punk scene in the ’80’s…but really, it’s more like what I imagine that to be like, if the punks are actually 15-year-old art students who can’t make art and listen to Kylie Minogue more than The Ramones. The main point of contention here, it must be said, is the deep-V. Apparently it’s appearance in my last outfit post caused a quiet stir with at least one reader/friend, who declared it incontrovertibly “cheesy.” Sacre bleu! What do we think? Does my new favorite thing ever (said deep-V) cross a line?

The happiness project, or, a five-point plan for the perfect weekend morning.

1) Stop by the Farmer’s Market first thing Saturday morning and pick up fresh blueberries and raspberries, because they are delicious and beautiful.

2) Because you are spiritually a petite Frenchman and inherently disdain “exercise,” skip this crazy thing called jogging and meander over to the Albemarle Baking Company to inhale the aromas and pick up a loaf of bread – carrying it home will be your strength training for the day.

3) On your way back swing by Mudhouse for a cappuccino. Take an Instagram of it and Tweet the picture to your followers.

4) Mix granola, two heaping scoops of Greek yogurt and berries in a bowl. Drizzle with honey. Eat without purpose, solely for pleasure, while poring over the shiny, glossy pages of a magazine (read backwards for a Japanese twist.)

5) Repeat every Saturday for the entire summer.

Feliz día de los padres.

When I called my father this morning and asked what the family’s plans were for the day he declared, “Nothing. Just the kind of celebration I like.” As I’ve grown older the vocabularies my father and I use to express ourselves have diverged almost violently, to the point that communication feels at times as if it hinges on interpreting body language or worse, minute changes in karmic energy. This is not to say that we don’t get along, or that we have nothing  in common. On the contrary, I find that as I come to better understand my father outside the narrow confines of Parenthood, certain fundamental similarities unexpectedly emerge. He recently took up pottery, a hobby he apparently had years ago that’s been resuscitated thanks to the ennui of retirement. Seeing him at work in his studio is seeing him so many odd years ago, before he became a computer scientist and before I knew him almost solely in the context of He Who Provides An Alternative To Pasta On Weekends (my mother, bless her, is not the cook of the family). My father may not be able to correctly pronounce our last name or know the importance of color-coordinated linens, but he knows a thing or two beyond what I imagined he may have picked up in his lifetime. And now, I see that.

Bleached blonde and beach bound.

Lately I’ve been telling people that I want to move to Sydney and surf all summer long…even though I’m afraid of sharks, physical activity and sunburns. But where there’s a will!

images via the interwebs and magazines…

Gorgeous little things.

 This past Saturday unexpectedly became a day for ceramics shopping. I happened upon a sale at O’Suzannah and picked up the adorable little vessel you see holding my rings. I don’t know what to call it – it’s sort of an oblong miniature decorative plate? The crown stamp won me over…but of course, so did the price tag ($7.) The olive jar holding my pens/pencils came from Artifacts, where I also picked up some twine to use in lieu of a leather strap that broke on one of my vintage bags (a little project the results of which will be featured in the near future, for sure!) as well as a Le Cahier notebook that’s comparable in size to Field Notes notebooks, but isn’t as conspicuous.
The little dish you see here serving as a candle base is from Oasis spa, of all places! They have a solid selection of inexpensive and absolutely gorgeous Japanese pottery…little cups and bowls and dishes you can set keys and rings and rogue diamonds sitting in, just to be glamorous. The wave pattern is so charming and this was only four dollars! The abstract floral pattern on my new makeshift toothbrush holder (see below) is wonderfully retro yet modern and the blue pottery contrasts beautifully with my bamboo toothbrush and soap dish. Now if only I could keep my sink so clean all the time…