Mystery Road Trip

Today Dan and I went on a mystery road trip. We often do this together...just get in the car with a general direction in mind and go. Sometimes we drive to his home state, visit his mom and then pick a place to go; sometimes we go elsewhere. We always have fun together and never run out of things to talk about during our hours alone together in the car. Today we didn't even turn on the radio once or listen to music. It was enough just to be together.

This morning we headed north and ended up stopping at a state park when we saw a sign on the highway. We walked around, took photos and ran around in the fall leaves. Although I like living in New England, there are few things that I truly love about it...besides being close to Dan's family and autumn. The falling leaves fulfill all of my calendar photo dreams of what this part of the country is supposed to look like:) It feels magical.

Sometimes I feel down, everyone does, I know. Things have been hard lately with the death of my father-in-law and my dad's surgery (which was successful), but no matter what, I always remind myself of the things for which I am thankful in my life. Our relationship is at the top of the list. Days like today make me feel like one of the luckiest, happiest people in the world.

(Please click on any of the photos if you wish to enlarge them:)

(Photos of Kelley Anne by Dan, Photos of everything else by Kelley Anne)

Coat: Thrifted
Sweater: Thrifted
Skirt: Anthropologie
Heeled Oxfords: Born
Purse: VintagebyVicari (Etsy)
Tights: Target

Cozy, Warm, Fuzzy

This morning when I awoke to temperatures in the 30's and a cold, strong wind, I decided that it was definitely not a dress day for me. All I wanted on my way in to work was to be warm and cozy (with a cup of coffee in hand), while still attempting to be somewhat stylish. Inspired by the following photo from The Sartorialist, I decided to play with proportion a bit and break out my straight leg black jeans and black oxfords.




I wasn't sure if I'd achieved my two goals, but I was definitely comfortable in my thick, fuzzy J. Crew sweater. I was so excited when I came across it in a local thrift store a year ago, especially after seeing that it was only five dollars. The bell sleeves, length, collar, warmth and earthy colors definitely sold me on it that afternoon, so I stowed it away in my cedar chest for a cold day when I would need it to help me face work and the weather. And boy was I happy that I had it when leaving the house this morning.

(Please click on any of the photos if you wish to enlarge them:)

Pea Coat: Thrifted
J. Crew Sweater: Thrifted
Oleg Cassini Oxfords: Thrifted
Scarf: Italian Market
Undershirt: Target
Jeans: Gap

Inspiration: Showa Sophistication

Yesterday Dan and I had the day off together and we decided to spend it at the Museum of Fine Arts. We'd been wanting to see a new special exhibit called "The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC" so we took advantage of the good weather and drove to Boston for the day. I have to say that although the Egyptian rooms were interesting, my imagination was captured by another, smaller collection in the Asian wing called "Showa Sophistication: Japan in the 1930s."

Here's part of the description on the website:

"The Museum recently acquired seventeen Japanese paintings largely produced and exhibited in Tokyo in the 1930s—the early Shōwa era—an overlooked period in the history of the arts in Japan. In many cases the subject matter, as well as the size, gave these paintings a commanding presence: large, elegant images of skiers, of stylish tea-house attendants in an art deco tea room, of young women in the latest Parisian fashion standing on the prow of a sailboat, and of a traditional Japanese woman standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree. Painted for Japanese audiences, and exhibited at the leading Tokyo annual exhibitions, these paintings expressed a worldview held by large numbers of Japanese during the 1930s. They saw themselves as sophisticated citizens of the world."

Photo and Text Credit

I wish more of the images were included on the website. This picture was not my favorite and its diminutive size on the website doesn't do justice to the actual paintings themselves, which are quite large. Out of the handful that were on display, I found two very appealing. The first was of two young women dressed in pale 30's fashions sailing and the other depicted two girls laying in a field of clovers. I couldn't help but covet their clothing and hairstyles, right down to the shoes. In addition to the style, I was also captivated by techniques the artists employed. The people themselves look almost like cartoon figures with one dimensional features, but the many other objects around them were painted in rich colors with repetitive patterns, which when layered over one another, created a feeling of texture. I'm not sure if any of this makes sense, but I found it so very inspiring, both from a fashion point of view and from an artistic one. Unfortunately, the show ends on November 8th, so I won't be able to visit again, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to view it at least once.

There's No Place Like Home

Let me just say that I've been wanting to attend a Halloween party for some years now, but the opportunity never presented itself. Well, this year we decided to throw our own party. Here are some pictures of Dan's and my Halloween costumes. I spent almost all that morning and afternoon finishing my Dorothy outfit. It came out pretty well considering that I didn't use a pattern and it was the first time I'd installed a zipper and used a sewing machine. I was awfully proud of myself.

We didn't have a whole lot of time for cool outfit photos, but here are some pics from before the party and throughout the night. I considered posting some pics of myself singing on Rock Band (which for some reason, the Dorothy costume emboldened me to do pretty much the entire evening), but it was a little too embarrassing:)

Dan and our roommate Nick went as themselves in 50 years...but I think I laid on the blue eyeshadow under Dan's eyes a little thick. He looks more like a zombie than an elderly gentleman in quite a few of our photos! Sophie of course went as a little red Toto. It was a lot of fun and the costume provided a good excuse to break in the newly christened sewing machine Hazel Mae. I hope everyone else had a great Halloween as well!

It rained all last night and all that weather left a warm-ish, slightly dreary day in its wake. There were occasional bursts of sunshine this morning, but the atmosphere outside lent itself more to muted colors and somber feelings than anything bright. After dressing and doing my hair, I turned toward the mirror for one last inspection and was struck by the impression that I looked (if only to myself) like a Russian poet from the early to mid 20th century. Maybe I've read too much Anna Akhmatova in college literary and history classes, but that was what came to mind and today it felt just right.

I'd wanted to post pictures from our Halloween party, but my husband seems to have taken his camera with him today when he left the house. Hopefully I'll be able to put one or two pics up later. I made my costume by hand and although it wasn't terribly creative, I am awfully proud of how it came out. Breaking in my first sewing machine is turning out to be more fun than I could have imagined.

(Please click on any of the photos if you wish to enlarge them:)

Sweater: Gift
Skirt: Thrifted
Belt: Thrifted
Tights: American Apparel
Necklace: Anthropologie
Purse: Thrifted
Shoes: Clarks

...Siena...

Oh my, I'm so behind on these photos! Here are a few that we took on the day that we visited Siena. I studied there several years ago and we only spent about six hours in the city, so Dan and I spent much of the time just walking around and talking about what it was like when I lived there. We didn't take many pictures, so the ones from Venice will definitely be more interesting, but it was an important visit for me. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week...and as always, if you wish to enlarge any of the photos, please click on them:)