happy halloween!

I don't have any be-costumed, trick-or-treat pics to share just yet, as I'm posting In Real Time. But, here are some sweet, silly shots of us dicking around our local pumpkin patch--we didn't even buy one, since felix already imported two from Ohio! Nevertheless, I'm starting to think it's both fun and important to orchestrate this kind of goofy, seasonally-themed photo-op. You know, for posterity!

Have fun out there tonight, you guys!

xo

swing dress fever

One of my favorite campaigns this season is Saint Laurent, starring Cara Delevingne in a beautiful seaside building with amazing windows.

That last image especially really speaks to me. I relate to that girl, and also, I want that dress! Coincidentally, I find myself perpetually drawn to nearly every one of these super sweet "swing" and "smock" dresses I keep seeing on Asos. So perfect for layering over tights and leggings in the winter.

 

clockwise: 
smock dress in mono plaid, button through smock dress, smock dress in gingham, smock dress in oversized dark floral, 

Unfortunately, I'm on a non-christmas-related spending freeze at the moment, or I'd take advantage of the 20% cupofjoe sale they're having this weekend. But, I'm trying to get all my holiday shopping out of the way early so it doesn't sneak up on me and drain my como-party fund. In case you didn't know, dear columbia, I do plan to party! I can't wait, already!

little women

Maybe it's because I keep seeing pics of all the partypeople having celebrated halloween over the weekend, or maybe it's because the only time I really see any young ladies these days is when they come over to watch Felix while I deliver wedding cakes to other young ladies with their bridesmaids all about them... but, lately, I'm really missing the girls! You know, just girls, any girls--sisters, girlfrenns, anyone. Chase and Felix are so so sweet, but lady time is important! I have been hanging with some cool new friends one-on-one, but there's something about being with a gaggle of girls that you just can't beat. It's easy to make friends with individual females, but I fear I may have missed the window for sister-club recruitment; you'd think mother-baby groups would be just the thing for someone like me, but the whole point is hanging out with people who don't talk about children. Ever! Or at least, not exclusively. So, I'm excited to be going to columbia this christmastime, not only to see all of my wonderful lovely sisters whom I miss, but also to see my childless ladyfriends! In the meantime, I'm captivated by this sweet, wintry editorial, starring four 'sisters' with maybe the best names of all time. Hedvig? Tuva?!

photos by Elisabeth Toll for Scandinavia SSAW, Spring/Summer 2013

wtf

"magic from the deep earth" via planet earth phenomenon

lol

christopher robin upinhere

When I went to do Felix's laundry recently, a handful of little acorns tumbled out of his pockets! Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard? Autumn is such a magical time to be a little one! 

should felix have a pet?

I'll preface this by saying that he can't have one (landlord's call, not ours) so this whole thing is a moot point. Though technically, he has a pet already: a transgender goldfish named donato (transgender because one day she's a he and the next he's a she, though these days she's a lady). But I mean a cuddly furry pet, a mammal. Something he can relate to. Personally, I've always wanted a big shaggy sheepdog, romping around a field of poppies on some sunlit cliff by the seashore. 

So british, so classic. Like having a kind-natured polar bear for a dog. Can't you imagine this one and Felix, side by side? Though really, we'd need to live out of town somewhere, in a country cottage or something (just like I always wanted). Or, on a remote island north of Seattle, like Max and Julian over here: 

What a perfect dream. It's like an old french cartoon, or a Miyazaki movie. There should be children's books about these two!  Maybe this is exactly what felix needs? I worry he's too lonely sometimes, without many other children around. I almost can't wait until he starts school, hopefully next fall--but also, I never want him to leave me!!!

sheepdog; newfoundland

where even IS montauk??

Where people have the longest, straightest, fairest hair, and all the pickup trucks are candy pink and rusting.

I love everything about this, in that way that it makes me so jealous that I don't even like it anymore. Jean Campbell looks like a pilgrim from the 1970s. And how about that arran sweater?! MK&A are obviously the best at making schlubby, oversized anything look completely amazing (second place goes to Phoebe Philo). 

what do you wear to a rustic fall wedding?

Because you can assume the vibe will be warm and rustic (why else choose a farm in October?) you won't want to look like you're going to a gala or a nightclub; you'll have to avoid the ritzier, more delicate things you might consider wearing to spring or summer nuptials. Then again, you don't want to look like you're on a farm, either--it is a wedding, after all! Color-wise, your neons and pastels are out, as they'll clash with the heartiness of the surroundings (and probably the wedding theme) as are graphic black and white, which read too 'city' in a rural setting. And don't forget about the unpredictable October weather--you'll want to be cool (but not too cool) in the day and cozy (but not too cozy) at night.

So, all that said, whatever will you choose? I don't know about you, but for me the solution is obvious: go floral! While traditionally the print of spring, recent trends (Dolce and Gabbana, a/w 2012 for example) have changed all that, and these days it's almost too easy to find a floral that's suitably autumnal. Now, I've done my share of e-shopping this week, and I can tell you that Zara is your best bet for cute, cozy floral dresses that, while technically out of my price range, won't break the bank:

 floral dress with full skirt, $79.90 special quality dress, $79.90; printed dress, $89.90

That last one is my favorite. You can wear them with boots just like in the pictures, if the wedding is truly rustic--only you will know. In fact, its the shoes that still confuse me: do heels make sense if you're walking around on the potentially muddy earth? Are flats appropriate for a formal occasion? Keeping in mind that the 'flats' I have to choose from are a five-year-old pair of Old Navy ballets, some second-hand suede loafers, and a pair of brown leather sandals... it's times exactly like this, that I think of the once relatively magnificent shoe collection I sacrificed to my dream of nomadic life, and cry and cry. But you just never know what other people will wear to anything. I wonder what I'll see?