Anthropologie

Silk Romper, Anyone?

As some of you may know who have been following me, I have recently aquired a very strong taste for the indomintable Australian myestery series, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, which I also mentioned as the inspiration for this post, and have been shamelessly sharing screenshots on tumblr here. Well, needless to say, I am intriuged by the series, but it’s a toss up as to whether I am more bewitched by the costuming or the story lines. That is to say, the costumes are that good. Seriously, her be-turbaned, dropwaist, fur lined, silk embroidered flapper chic is everything I want all the time.

Well, in one of the first episodes of the first season, she popped out of her boudoir wearing only a silk slip romper. The screen shot opportunity was limited (as you can tell), but since then I’ve been intent on finding something similar. It seems like the perfect garment: cool and loose against the skin, while still elegantly sensual and effortless. The only problem is that it is requiring a lot of effort. Namely, I can’t find any.

So far, I’ve only been able to find the one below (now on sale at Anthropologie) as a close second. I’ve perused etsy and found two or three vintage options on etsy, but as could be expected, anything silky and vintage from the 1940s or before is pricing in the 200 dollar range.

Salua Chloe Silk Romper from Anthropologie.

I thought I’d now extend my search to reach out to you. Have any of you seen anything like this under 100? Or is that just an unrealistic dream? Are there any brands (small or large) who do this sort of thing? Please help!

Ode to Katharine

I have never gone golfing. I feel like it is something I really need to do. One of my best friends golfed in college (and I’m waiting for her to take me out on the green *hint hint*) , but I have never been invited or had a chance to go golfing. Now I could say it was for the learning experience or my future networking endeavors, but I would be lying. The beginning and end of why I want to go golfing has everything to do with Katharine Hepburn and almost nothing to do with my physical prowess. No one does casual athletic elegance like Katharine Hepburn.

Honestly, I see myself jaunting around in a pair of breezy pants, oxfords, and leather kid gloves, making very witty comments with a knowing grin. Basically, I would probably be terribly obnoxious and think I was a lot smarter than I actually sound. But it would be all so terribly marvelous, and who knows… I could meet the next Howard Hughes.

Sunlight to Grow

“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
―A. A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

I love straw hats on sunny days. Whether worn with overalls or pencil skirts, they always fit. Straw hats and lemonade. When I travel, I miss lemonade like we have here in the South, or really America in genera. But I think when it comes down to it, there’s something about the climate mixed with Southern lemonade that make it taste better here than when I drink it in Indiana. Sitting outside (or should I say being stifled) in clothes that can’t be cool or loose enough, gulping down lemonade. Isn’t it funny we always miss what we hate? Half the year I go on and on about how cold it is and how I wish I was back in Southern weather, but as soon as I’m here, I’m dying in the heat, gulping down lemonade. I never remember that discomfort. Later, in my mind when I think of home, I sip my lemonade outside, savoring it unconsciously through conversations. Is it that I never have what I want? Or is it there all along, winking in the sunlight?

Je Ne Sais Quoi

When I think of one word I’d like to describe my style, I would be happy if anyone described my look as “anthropologie.” I don’t know what exactly that encompasses (a dab of granola, a handful of adventure, a pinch of cute, a wink to implied quality, maybe?). This outfit is my interpretation. An acquaintance I knew was asked the same question when she applied for a job at anthropologie, and her answer was to describe to handful of situations: “someone who goes to Morocco and leaves all her clothes, only shipping back a rug,” “spends the summer teaching at boys camp in New England,” “goes to Ireland with only the goal to see the giant’s causeway.” Feel free to add what you think contributes to the Anthro joie de vivre below…

As for all the inspiration behind the answers I listed, they come from the fabulous adventures of my favorite photographer Evey Wilson, and if you’re in the DC area looking for photos, this girl can take a photo story, befitting of Anthropologie adventures (or any other sort you need documenting).

Spice Up Your Life

After the repeated navys, khakis, and whites of nautical week (and it’s spill over), I thought I’d switch it up with something a bit more bold. Like yesterday’s romper outfit. This ensemble requires little work for the resulting polish. A strapless dress, espadrilles, and a big hat seem old hollywood in a way that will make you look like Grace Kelly even when you’ve just rolled out of bed. I’ll be doing a similar look later this week on the blog, so for now, I’ll just leave it at that. Make sure to turn in tomorrow (ok really almost today… later) for this Wednesday’s woman!

Outfit Details: Hat: vintage | Dress: Anthropologie | Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters | Shoes: Coach | Wallet: Fossil

Getting Jazzed for the Tonys

Get excited theatre lovers! Today is none other than the Tony Awards!! To celebrate the occasion, I had to don something sufficiently zany, but (if I do say so myself) wholeheartedly FABULOUS. Can’t you just see Gloria Swanson walking down a boardwalk adorned as such, tipping her sunglasses and crooking those ominous eyebrows? Or maybe I could belatedly join Anything Goes? I think the closest aesthetic I could fit to anything currently playing would be the King and I, up for a best revival nomination, but it’s quite a stretch (and I’d need to trade in the trousers for a hoop skirt). Ah well, I will have to content myself to watching. For those of you who don’t know, competing for Best Musical are:

An American in Paris: two (coincidentally very good dancers) fall in love in Paris after WW2- think old Gene Kelly
Fun Home- a woman realizes she’s a lesbian at the same time her father struggles with the fact he is gay- based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel)
Something Rotten- two aspiring playwrights try to outdo Shakespeare in the 1590s by writing the first musical- the makers of Avenue Q and Book of Mormon collaborate on this for nothing short of comic hilarity
The Visit- the richest woman in the world returns to her poverty-stricken hometown. What will happen?- based on a Swiss 1956 play of the same name (but in Swiss)

For Best Original score, switch out An American in Paris and add The Last Ship, or Sting’s (you heard me right) new musical currently on Broadway. The musical focuses on a man who returns to the shipyards of his hometown after his father’s death and tries to woo an old flame…

I am very conflicted as to what to vote for. Fun Home is probably the most controversial, and though it addresses issues not covered before of the Great White Way, to me the modern musical scores are kind of hokey. Ring of keys (the song that will be preformed from it tonight) centers around the word “swagger,” which ends up annoying me so much that I can’t listen to it. Telephone Wire is catchier, but uses what seems to me an obvious metaphor that feels stale when it becomes more of a symbol than an object.

I haven’t heard how they’ve redone an American in Paris or anything from The Visit. Something Rotten is very funny but has frequent language (making it, I think, less applicable to universal audiences, even if it is truer to Shakespeare’s usage). Further, as the title promises, a lot of the jokes are “rotten” as in more base toilet humor, which I find boring after a few times, personally. So! I guess I’ll just have to see who wins.

Real talk: Today’s outfit was shamelessly inspired by the wardrobe of the heroine in my new favorite Murder Mysteries Mini-series (scoot over Angela Landsbury). Meet Miss Phryne Fisher of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. There will be more to come on this topic in future posts.

Lombard Street

Given the nature of the street, this post is going to make a few winding digressions that reflected my morning walk through the area towards Lombard Street and eventually Fisherman’s Wharf:

1. The chocolate motherland. This was both so exciting and totally jarring. Downtown Disney has a matching structure, which I did not realize paid homage to this megalith. Thus, it was like going home getting a sea salt caramel hot chocolate 1,000 miles away, but realizing that Disney and Ghiradelli’s love child was no more than just that, a child, of Ghirardelli Square was a big surprise.

2. With the on-going housing crisis in San Francisco, now is probably not the time to get choosy, but when I saw this place, shadowed by a noble birch (haha I have no idea what kind of tree it is), a modern cousin (and I would argue first cousin) of the tree house tucked at the top of hill. In it I could not help but see my future castle, a dominion unmatched! Too bad I have student loans and an unpaid internship…

3. An outfit reflection: beret in, socks out. Berets have been on the Vogue radar for a bit (trumping beanies). What aren’t on the radar are orthopedic shoes, so I would seriously suggest not wearing off-white socks with off-white platform shoes (what was I thinking). Also, I have never really done a scarf with strapless before, but when tied like a girl scout kerchief, it kind of looks like straps and it can make for a cool silhouette.

My April Eccentric Glamour link-up is open through the 4th here, please drop by and add your link!

Eccentric Glamour Link-up #2: Southern Aristocrat

Welcome to the second link-up of Eccentric Glamour, a forum specially designed to get together and showcase forgotten, yet fabulous articles in our closets! This month’s post strikes me as a curious cross between Desperate Housewives of Atlanta and Blanche Dubois. While both of those comparisons make for dubious company, it was fun to dig out my fur (generally so superfluous in Georgia) and try to tweak it to represent a Southern staple. And what could be more Southern than getting all dolled up to sip almost-lemonade on the front porch? I hope you had just as much fun making your posts as I did in mine!

If you’d like to regularly contribute, please take a moment to follow my blog (links can be found on the sidebar).
Please confine posts to those which showcase some spectacular article of clothing. It doesn’t have to be crazy, but just a bit in line with our theme of “Eccentric Glamour” (although choosing one half or the other of that mantra will also suffice). However, if you choose to post, please provide a link back to the Eccentric Glamour link-up somewhere in your post.
Try to check out a few other bloggers posts to build inspiration and community!

Souk Central

When I arrived in Marrakech, I was so overwhelmed by the souks, language difference, and sleep deprivation after our 6 AM Ryanair flight and my recent exams, I spent the majority of the day wandering aimlessly through the souks, attempting to haggle and marvelling at the low costs. One of the grandest sights in Marrakech is the Koutoubia Mosque, which dominates the skyline in several directions thanks to its height. Next to it is the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa. During the day the place is covered with orange juice salesmen (who will sell you fresh-squeezed orange juice for a standard 4 Moroccan dirham= roughly 40 cents.. unless you flirt a little). At night, the square stays open very late, dinner spots open up, storytellers attract crowds with their stories, and someone is bound to try to (if you look like a tourist) get you to take a picture with a snake. This square backs up into a spiderweb of souks (or markets), selling everything from brass to baby clothes. Among my purchases I counted: a small kettle (to make mint tea, of course), placemats, a fez (you know me), a 2 sets of Berber earrings and a ring (authenticity lacking), and Ras El Hanout (a blend of spices only to be found in Morocco). I saved the sites for the following day

Babouches! The neon yellow pointy ones are the traditional Moroccan wear.

Did someone say dinner?

Venice (A Vision in Three Parts)

When you are in Venice, there is nowhere else on earth you could be– the mysterious passages, romantically gloomy water around every corner, picturesque bridges, burly, striped gondoliers, and creepy masque shops (coupled with the overall abundance of leather goods). It’s not the destination for the claustrophobic or the penny pincher, but to the dreamer of unrealized visions? Venice is bliss. Venice is the nearest scratch with reality.

No visit to Venice is complete without a trip to the fabulous Rialto market. While it’s not a prime location for the vintage-seeker, there may be no better place for fresh fruits and vegetables. I was particularly pleased to get three large bags of sun dried tomatoes for 5 euro. In the US, you always pay the same amount for a small jar! Also, if you’re in need of an eel for dinner, this is the place to come (namely because they sell them). While generally I try to err on the side of adventure, on this occasion, I must report a timely abstention.

In the afternoon, we went over to the Jewish area. A little known and sad fact: in 1516, Venice was the first place to ever instate a Jewish “ghetto” (the English appropriation of the word stemming from the Venetian “ghèto”). Today the area remains Jewish, though less than 500 Jews live there. However, as of 2009, the population of Venice dipped under 60,000, meaning that it may be a higher percentage of Jews in the city than you would expect at first blush.

Where in the world is Rebecca Santiago?

What I Wore:

Stay tuned for more soon, although I may be a bit delinquent over the next few days as the reality of exams sets in– wish me luck!

Shared to Hat Attack and Trend Spin

The Clothesline

Style for people blowing in the wind