jouet-du-vent-blog - Tumblr blog

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This short captures exactly how it feels for me when I slip into my own running shoes.

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10x10 Presents Girl Rising (Official Trailer)

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click, clack, click, clack

Bonjour! I did not want a soul to think, for a second, that I had lost my way, SO I have been working night & day (or as much as possible) on a brand new website. For now, I leave you with these Missoni/Converse gems. What have I been saying? Sporty. Chic.

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As I approach my quarter century mark, I reminisce on the days that I would jot down birthday wishlist after wishlist. Being late March, meaning April is only just around the corner, warmer days are hovering on the cusp of our inevitable winter blues here in the Northeast. This means, shoes are on the mind. Shoes. Shoes. And more shoes. I am already craving open toed wedges or at the very least, flats into which I can slip sock-free. 

1- Grace by Shoemint - I need a hit of metallic in my shoe collection and these delicate sandals-meet-flats do it just right with textured snakeskin & a wrap-around ankle detail.

2- The Tri-Buckle Wedge by Madewell - Buckled over socks in the Spring or barefeet in the summer, these wedges are a MUST for me.

3- Gabby Suede Sandles by J. Crew - I saw this shoe modeled in their latest motley lookbook. A sandal, but not so casual. A heel, perfectly fit for day time fun. (Note the cobalt blue.)

(I'm a 7 1/2, in case you are wondering.)

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Anthropologie Home Design goes to NYC for a day-trip complete with tassels & trims, the MAD Museum and a fanciful few at abc!

If you are in design or pd as your line of work, or if you just love playing with felted pom-poms and ric-racs, tiny and exaggerated, you must visit Tinsel Trading. Check out the metallic tassels in the bottom left photo -- these are vintage French tassels from the 1930s and they actually make your heart skip a beat.

If you find yourself venturing uptown a bit, stop yourself at Columbus Circle to peruse the Against the Grain exhibit. Featuring woodworkers that woo you start-to-finish, the current collection focuses on the juxtaposition of form and function -- at times with an a la Alice (in wonderland) twist.

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I think it takes some time to truly understand what it is you like about a space, to recognize the similarities both in aesthetic and also feeling. As of late, all I crave is natural light. I love my apartment, don't get me a wrong, but it's a mostly dark space lined with neighboring brownstones and topped with 2 additional apartments.  I want tiles and hardwood floors, clean white cabinets, lamps that hang low and natural light that saturates the space. The room pictured on the left starts with a white canvas, layering in iron, raw wood and a stunning display of tile work. The room pictured on the right, again takes advantage of the mostly white space, detailing with straight black lines, pops of color and a tile  floor resembling a Parisian brasserie. I love the look that these 2 images share--utilitarian without abandoning all femininity, clean and luminous without feeling sterile. Someday, my home will look like this (fingers crossed). 

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Have you ever noticed that when black and white are paired together, we refer to the color combo as "black & white." Black & white stripes, black & white polka dots, or just plain black & white. Lately, I have been contemplating the white & black look, especially as the temparature begins rising and the seasons shift. I have an afflication for noir; my wardrobe, despite my half-assed attempts to interject color, consists mostly of greys, blues & blacks. I am, however, quite drawn to Emerson Fry's Spring Collection; it adds just enough edge to a typically palm tree - sunshine kind of style. With soft wovens and just a touch of black, an effortlessly chic look is born. 

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LEE FRIEDLANDER - MANNEQUIN

I was revisiting some classics today when this exhibit at the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco caught my eye. In this more recent collection from Friedlander, he focuses his lens on the femme mannequins, the window displays in which they inhabit and the inevitable reflections of cityscapes east and west. One of my favorite elements of his work is always how he captures simple, seemingly straightforward moments, but warps them into feeling surreal, even borderline uncomfortable. This exhibit has since ended, but I suggest you daze away investigating the depths of each photograph featured online.

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If you love fashion, you love trends. So then, what is the difference between the purely "trendy" ones and the ones who get it? I had this conversation with a good friend over a beer at the Standard Tap just the other day. You can spend all day & night placing looks into pretty little boxes and slapping names on them (ie "hipster" "prep" "boho"). The ones born into this world who can't be placed into said boxes, who perhaps dip a toe in one, maybe two at the same time, all the while maintaining a comfortable distance, they are the ones who know fashion in their souls and bones alike. Today, take a trend and make it yours.

The 2 photos on the left are of model & blogger Rumi Neely of fashiontoast. I think she is a perfect example of someone who studies trends and twists them just enough.

The 4 photo collage on the right is pulled from The Sartorialist "If You're Thinking About Hoodies" post. I love the way in which these 4 photos represent 4 separate interpretations of the sporty-chic look running rampant lately.

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I am currently enjoying last night's meal for lunch and just had to share this simple & satisfying pairing. The soup was largely inspired by, of course, a Smitten Kitchen recipe. The salad consisted of left-over veg taking up space in our refrigerator, dressed lightly in my homemade dijon vinaigrette.

Ingredients You Will Need:

3 15 1/2 oz cans of black beans, rinsed & drained

1 cup drained canned tomatoes, diced

15 1/2 oz can of pumpkin puree

4 pieces of bacon, carmelized slightly w/ brown sugar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 shallot

1/2 yellow onion

4 garlic cloves

1/2 jalapeno

1/4 stick unsalted butter (+ splash of olive oil)

4 cups mushroom stock

  First saute the following:

Shallot, yellow onion, garlic, jalapeno, butter, olive oil

*I used my cast iron pot; if you don't have one, I suggest using a bigger vessel for this soup.

While the saute sits simmering, puree the black beans & drained tomatoes until smooth. We used an emergen blender. A food processor could also be used here.

Slowly fold black bean / tomato blend, broth & pumpkin puree into sautee & let simmer on low heat for approximately 25 minutes.

At this point, you are ready to toast your sunflower seeds and sizzle up your bacon bits.

I sprinkled raw sunflower seeds (unshelled) with just a splash of olive oil & pinch of salt, lightly coating them using my own 2 hands. I then popped my tray into the toaster oven & toasted for approximately 1 minute. You will hear some popping; just keep an eye on the toaster so that they don't burn to a crisp! (Max was occupied with the bacon at this juncture.)

After 25 simmering minutes, pour a 1/4 cup red wine vinegar into your soup. At this point you can also chop up your bacon and throw it into the pot. Let cook for just another 5 minutes, top with toasty sunflower seeds and serve up healthy portions for all!

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My darling friend (& collaborator for an upcoming project), Meaghan Murray, introduced me to Aussi fashion illustrator Kat Macleod. I find her collage-inspired, whispy watercolors perfectly mesmerizing. These hand-drawn doodles are delightfully light in mood, capturing simple fashion moments with artful intention. 

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I am disappointed not to have coined this concept, but I have to give credit where credit is due. On my lazy Sunday morning, sipping coffee too slowly and flipping pancakes for my mother & best friend, I was introduced to the subverted classic via NYTimes Style Magazine. As the pages turned from Jacque O's stunning sister to fashion flashbacks & finds, my mother happened upon this specific feature. "Well," she said, "this term very much describes your look." (But of course she knows me better than anyone.) I am a classic girl with a revolutionary spirit and it shows in my ever-evolving sense of style. Testing boundaries within the confines of a classic look is a challenge from which I never shy away. Fashion, today, perpetually evokes trends from the past; more specifically, we refresh retro, vintage silhouettes with new colors, prints & materials. Take some time today to think on the many years of fashion's legacy & how you might subvert your look to cater to the here & now.

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I went to the Anna Sui fashion show last Wednesday for NYFW. That happened. Aside from being star struck by fashion icons like The Sartorialist (who may have snapped a shot of my partner-in-crime, jojotastic & I), Grace Coddington & Oh Land!, I loved the colors, textures & prints galavanting down the runway (not to mention the quirky French tunes). What a prime location for trend-spotting! 

1 - Quilted metallics 

2- Orange / turq ditsy print & a bold red shoe

3- Hot pink, magenta, neon turq; textural complexity with oversized eyelet, fur details & patent leather

4- Navy & noir, a personal favorite of mine, with rich, red details -- YES! 

In case you were wondering, I wore Anna Sui to Anna Sui, and yes my dress + shoes were black, and yes, my tights were navy blue.

Et voila!

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This idea struck over the weekend when I was snowed in by 3 feet of snowfall in Concord, MA. Lately I have been contemplating the differences between the Mid-Atlantic area of the North East and the New England area of the North East, and in a more general sense, nature vs. metro. I am almost constantly changing my mind about what I love more. In my perfect world, I have both at my finger tips, at any given moment. 

I am so grateful for Instagram, truly. There was a time that I took photos for pleasure or for school, but I veered away in my college days when everyone was constantly snapping drunken candids (not to say there was never a drunken gem). Instagram has reinvigorated a certain sense of the beautiful, all around me, sometimes obvious, other times obscure. I wanted to share with you a diptique of my insta-collection. 1-4 include  man-made urban landscapes. 5-8 reflect my childlike urge to dive into piles of rosy leaves or climb a mountain just because.

1. Circa first blog post, a tiny side street I stumbled upon as I roamed the streets of my neighborhood here in Phila.

2. This is a photo I snapped on New Years Eve day of Papa crossing the street onto Ile St Louis in Paris.

3. Cotton candy colors & industrial structures clash in this Philadelphia Navy Yard skyscape. 

4. City of Light (Paris, France).

5. A view upon a mid-summer mountaintop in Vermont.

6. Art spattering the beaches of Lake Champlain.

7. A view from a window of the Tubman Residence, before the snow drifts filled the vertical space (and our snow rave commenced).

8. A Japanese cherry tree, perched colorfully in my parents backyard.

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Instapix of Anna Sui invitations. Yes, Anthropologie was invited to NYFW & yes, I will be there representing our home design team next Wednesday!

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Over the weekend, I happened upon the "Double Portrait" exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (I sometimes overlook what inspiration lies only at my finger tips.)

This collection of work by legendary graphic designers Seymour Chwast and Paula Scher really hit home for me. I have always toyed with the idea of going down the graphic design road myself, but the thought of staring endlessly at my computer screen has been a constant, resurfacing deterrent. This exhibit, however, may have me reconsidering.

These 2 designers played an incredibly crucial role in paving the way for what graphic design and typography was to become today, in this world and for my generation; this is revealed both through their individual perspectives and also their work. I especially respond to Seymour Chwast's interpretation of empty space and his distinct illustrations. I think that Paula Scher's work represents an even more modern view of typography, focusing on the meaning of words & the art of depicting them. I would like to think we are like-minded in our fascination with maps.