Timeless and Classic...

I've been thinking about the differences between fashion and style, lately. As Scott Schuman recently said, fashion moves quickly, but style is forever. My personal style has been in a bit of flux, of late... but then so has what I want people to know about me based on first impressions, I suppose. To wit, I'm really feeling the looks below.

Via The Sartorialist

Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'm a little bit obsessed with Italy at the moment.
But I love the way they're wearing these shirts - it goes a long way towards solving the issues women typically have with getting shirts to close in the front.

Challenge Accepted...

Courtesy SoulPancake

On Thinking Out Loud...

Courtesy I Lady Jay

To breaking silence and speaking our truth...

New Music. New Art. In Real Life...

So. Freaking. Excited!

Okay... Really, San Francisco? I mean, I was already in love. And then you bring this to the table? Swoon!

Mic Drop on Hollywood...

Dumbfoundead... Support the artist!

A few years ago, as I was settling back into life in the States, I had an epiphany of sorts that I'm sure struck most people long ago.... The internet felt really white to me. 

This is because much of what I because much of what I use the internet for is to keep tabs on art, music, fashion, and other manifestations of 'culture'. So I guess what I was finally noticing is how white pop-culture is. 

I love the way that Jonathan Park, aka Dumbfoundead, has turned the insidious whitewashing of Hollywood around. In an interview with NBC News, he shared "I wanted to flip the script on the conversation everybody was having about the whitewashing of Hollywood and 'yellow-wash' some of the most iconic films starring white male leads." Genius.

Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective

I hope that these are as fun for you as they were for me...!

Backstage at Oscar de la Renta

(But Nicki Minaj looks a thousand times better than the mannequin, just saying)

Punk Rock Princess

Jem and the Holograms vs. The Misfits

An avid gardener, Oscar de la Renta often drew inspiration from nature. 

Oscar de la Renta often looked to other cultures for creative inspiration...

East Asia

Russia

The Oscar de la Renta Retrospective at the de Young Museum was beautifully curated. I did my best to capture the essence of his work, his passion. These are just a few of the pictures I took today; for simplicity's sake, I present them in the rough order of their presentation...

 (okay, seriously? I love everything about this)

Mr. de la Renta was born in the Dominican Republic and trained under Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo in Spain as a young designer. These pieces highlight the influence Spain and her culture had on his aesthetic.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective exhibit at the de Young.... and I'm going! I love the art of fashion, and this feels like a real treat - I hope to be able to share some pictures, but at least some delightful anecdotes, soon!

The Song That Has Me Dancing Around the House...

O-Ophelia... The Lumineers

It's come to my attention that there's a little concert in Napa this weekend... these gems are playing it. I, alas, will not be in attendance. Mostly because I found out about it too late, but also because it turns out that I'm also allergic to festival concerts. Or so my experiences in Coachella would have me believe. 

But if (when?) you find me dancing a merry jig around the streets of San Francisco, you'll know that this sweet song is on loop in my head.

On Keeping It 100....

The first blog I ever wrote (A Day In The Life...) started as a way for me to quickly and easily (lazily?) let my family know what kinds of adventures I was getting up to once I moved abroad. It became part of me in ways I may never even fully understand.
When I moved back to the United States, I entered a period of depression that I still struggle with sometimes - even nearly five years later. My writers block has been a major frustration to me, and even though I've dabbled in starting other blogs, nothing felt right. I have started this blog for myself. A place where I can curate the Internet in ways that make me smile, and hopefully strike conversations that help positively shape the discourse of society.
I will think of this as my late night, drowsily formed mission statement. As my creative courage comes back, it may change. But for now, I'm happy.

Exquisite Storytelling...

Kirsty Mitchell
Wonderland

There is something really special about this project - it calls to mind some of the work that Alexander McQueen would do... I have the feeling that he and Ms. Mitchell's sweet mum are as enamored of this project as I am. ...wherever they are.

Where Magic Happens...

Taken in downtown Wilmington, NC

Once upon a time, my kindergarten teacher asked me to draw a picture of my favorite animal... I drew a unicorn. Obviously.

On Compassion as Freedom...

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe"... He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature... Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but striving for such achievement is, in itself, a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." - Albert Einstein

Five weeks in San Francisco, and I'm already in love...

Courtesy Trader Joe's 

City Hall ...no big

Connect Four

Disco at Uniqlo