Wednesdays for Women: Cleopatra and Elizabeth Taylor

I want to bring back Wednesdays for Women! I miss getting to research and learn about great historical women each week. This one, admittedly, is less research based, but I was on an antiquities kick after reading Claudius the God (Robert Graves is one of my favorites), and stumbled over the old three hour Cleopatra movie with Elizabeth Taylor. I was surprised to see Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar (not necessarily the first 60’s star the mind jumps to at the thought of masculine strength and nation founders), but sexy Rexy didn’t disappoint. Equally interesting was Elizabeth Taylor’s wardrobe throughout the movies. The ’60s take on Egyptian hats is kind of ridiculous (even more ridiculous than most 60s hats in general), but seeing all of them is kind of like watching a fire–they’re so strange you can’t really stop looking. Without further ado: the style of Cleopatra!

Belated July 4th

Hats off to America! And where better to celebrate its birthday than the nation’s oldest city? Spoiler alert, though– if you want to watch the fireworks in St. Augustine from the Villano Bridge, they don’t actually start until it’s dark! Either way, we had a wonderful time together waiting for the fireworks, with undoubtedly the best spots on the bridge (3 hours early will do it for you). We even got a little appetizer to the display when a ratchet family decided it would be prudent and wise to burn firecrackers beside us. The picture looks more magical than it was. Afterwards we came back and celebrated the Georgia way with some good ol’ peach shortcake. As a brief aside- if your peach does not have fuzz on it, it is not a real peach. Full stop. You are eating a second-rate, castoff plum mutation (steps off soapbox).

How did you celebrate your Fourth?

Outfit Details:
Hat: Vintage
Dress: French Connection
Belt: Gap
Shoes: Bally
Purse: Kate Spade

Ay Jax

Today, I thought I would share two of my favorite places to eat in Jacksonville, Florida with you. I spent all last summer working there, so I’m getting kind of nostalgic, and had to visit my favorites when I went back to St. Augustine last week.

Chamblin’s Uptown

The socialite cousin of Chamblin’s Bookmine, this bookstore-cum-coffee shop-makeshift lunch destination is simultaneously one of the most bustling and calm in the city. Located at 215 N. Laura street right on the city square, smack in the middle of downtown Jacksonville, it’s an oasis of art, literature, and oversize cookies at your fingertips. Best of all, if you forget your book, they have plenty to choose from, and a liberal coffee selection on the cafe side.

2. Bistro Aix

The closest Jacksonville gets to France, Bistro Aix has the smell and warmth of a boulangerie and the wine menu of fine Parisian dining. Complete with a wood fired oven and salmon smoked in-house, pizzas the likes of the one below come topped with caviar at the most affordable price this side of San Marco. Adjoined is Bar X, where you can soak in fashionably low Deco lighting with a Death in the Afternoon even Hemingway would approve of. Afterwards? It’s off to the nearby shops and boutiques lining San Marco’s beautiful neighborhood as the sea’s waves peak at you, just a block away.

Outfit Details:
Blazer: Zara
Pants: Givenchy
Shoes: H&M
Bag: Kate Spade

Do you Believe in Magic?

Greetings from Harry Potter World! In anticipation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I’ve incorporated a bit of a 1920’s flare. The costumes in the trailer are perfection, don’t you think?

This picture isn’t mine.

After a few roller coasters, I took the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade over to Diagon Alley for lunch. Shortly following was a delicious steak pie and too much butterbeer! For those cream soda lovers out there- butterbeer is heaven.

Pro-tip: If you know you are going to spend a certain amount of money in the park, you can go to the Gringott’s Money Exchange for real Gringott’s bank notes (or a money voucher you can use anytime in the park). If you use the note for less than it’s value, you get muggle change. But you have to watch out for this guy:

Outfit Details:
Shirt: Marni
Skirt: New Look
Kimono: Boutique Find
Shoes: Primark
Bag: Kate Spade
Glasses: Isaac Mizrahi

Roaring Prohibitions

Today in bar prep, I have been “furiously” reviewing Criminal Procedure. All the terminology stirs the imagination towards gangster movies. “Terry” frisks? Search and Seizures? Warrant based off an anonymous tip? You gotta be kiddin me… I got my rights!

You know the Hollywood schmaltz.

In the fervor of the period, here’s today’s selection from my very own rotating crap game. Don’t ask questions. After all, you know the score, kid.

Now scram (if you know what’s good for ya).

Summer of Discovery

After about a year hiatus, I’ve come back! Some of the pictures that I will be sharing are old, but I think these in particular capture how I feel about this summer. Three weeks ago, I graduated from law school. With that accomplished, I feel like the world is mine again. Even with everyday bar prep, I cannot summon the anxiety or stress to feel worried. The sun is radiant right now in South Bend, and I feel like everyday is a new opportunity to explore what’s out there. For instance, the Lightner Museum.

Charles Lighter acquired the front half of the Alcazar Hotel (described with other St. Augustine history here) as a showroom for his personal collection in the 1940s. Reading between the lines, it looks like Lightener was rich during the Depression and bought up the old money possessions of hapless Northerners before carpetbagging down to St. Augustine and buying the closed Alcazar. He also managed to amass a beautiful group of Tiffany glass windows (Louis Tiffany actually started his company with the help of Flagler in order to outfit the windows of the Ponce de Leon, now Flagler University). Even though fashion blogs usually fixate around showing clothes, I couldn’t help but choose darkness of the light seeping through the panes over a clear shot of the fabric of my jeans. There’s a “light at the end of the tunnel,” and sometimes it’s just breathtaking.

Outfit: Hat: Ralph Lauren | Scarf in hair (questionable decision in hindsight): Liberty London | Tunic: Elizabeth and James | Jacket: Rag & Bone | Purse: Rebecca Minkoff (laptop case)

The Collection

Here are a few bits of the actual collection that I thought were worth note: This is the most extensive toaster collection

School Day Blues

School has been overwhelming lately, and it’s made me a bit nostalgic to write about something other than law. I’ve had this post on queue for a while — Jack and I actually shot it last year during our first Breakfast at Tiffany’s attempt (failed but fun nonetheless — here was the better result). And he’s been such a dear helping me learn LaTeX, I thought I’d come out of my nest to post it as a sort of thank you for all the work he’s done (and a reminder it shouldn’t go to waste). For the vibe, think sort of Carey Mulligan in An Education…

P.S. I don’t encourage smoking, and — Isn’t he just the cutest?

Une Pomme de ma Tête

Isn’t it funny the things that we become attached to? When I look through my room, I have so many things: books, hats, clothes—the list goes on and on. And yet, when you ask me to point out the things that I would take with me if I had to leave it all behind, it’s the funny, nearly valueless things that mean so much to me. Now I’m not saying I would leave me rings and jewelry PUH-lease. It’s just some of my favorite things are quite unexpected. Take for instance this picture:

I randomally picked it up one day in a cute shop in Oxford called Arcadia (really a haven for vintage papers of all kinds). I think I probably got it because it was the only old magazine reproduction that was under 10 pounds, and yet, it has brought me so many smiles. One of my friends even referred to it as the “naked girl” picture. But that little French adventurer is more than a sometimes naked girl to me. She’s sort of my spirit animal. Well, the other day I looked at it and found myself caught looking at the white outfit. I couldn’t think if I had any hat that would be anything like hers and more or less gave the idea up. Literally, less than 5 days later, I was browsing an antique warehouse and came upon the on I’m wearing in pictures for 5 dollars. It was fate! I hope you like my interpretation.

Outfit Details: Hat: Thrifted | Shirt: French Connection | Capris: J.M. Collection | Heels: Loft

Eccentric Glamour Link-Up: Carousel of Color

Hopelessly delayed, I bring you this month’s Eccentric Glamour link-up. In the back of my closet I found this cashmere light pink V-neck, and really went beserk pairing it up. In St. Augustine, there is a carousel at the intersection before you turn towards old town or take the bridge to Villano Beach. The carousel runs almost all day every day and is only a dollar per ride. I think it’s kind of a fixture of the city, and was happy I could pay homage to it with this rather carnival-esque outfit.

Due to the state of my wifi (and the relatively small feedback anyway), please share a link to your link up in the comments below- and I’ll try to get an in-linkz in the next day or so.

Happy Fourth!

MGM actress Lillian Bond with an armload of fireworks for a Fourth of July celebration, Hollywood, California, late 1920s or early 1930s. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

The Clothesline

Style for people blowing in the wind