French New Wave

I adore channeling the piled high hair and 60's cat eye makeup of French New Wave star, Anna Karina, along with the playfulness of modern French actress, Audrey Tautou.  Friday evening brought gorgeous weather to my corner of the world, so I couldn't wait to play in the park and pretend to traipse through a Godard film or Amelie.  There's something effortlessly carefree and chic about certain French film screen icons.  These women don't seem to be weighed down with glossed perfection--they're too busy embracing their best assets and having fun! I completely agree with the post about American versus French style on the HIP Paris blog here.  There's more to life than perfect curls and matching accessories!

Top: Anthropologie.  Jeans: Madewell.

Do you have favorite screen icons you love to channel?  Tell me your inspirations!

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A Modern Fairytale

Evening walks along this wooded bridge toward my favorite library always make me think of enchanted forests and sword fights.  I wouldn't even be surprised if I heard someone yelling "As you wish!" (if you have no idea what I'm referencing, I suggest you drop everything and watch this film). I definitely felt whimsically inclined when I put together my look.  My hair was inspired by Princess Buttercup herself, but the goal for my outfit was comfort.  The Princess Bride might have been lovely traipsing through the forest in her billowy red dress, but there are days when I long for the simplicity of skinny jeans.

Tanks, jeans, and ballet flats are my staple basics, lately.  They're a blank canvas full of possibilities.  I normally wear this shrug with a dress, but today I decided to toss it on over my plain black tank.  Like fairytale magic, I was instantly transformed.  The sheer sleeves have just the right amount of billow to infuse elegance into modern life.  And what's not to love about the sewn beaded details and silky bow closure?

A perfect outfit for an enchanting summer evening.

Shrug: Vintage
Tank: American Apparel
Jeans: 7 For All Mankind
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Urban Farmer's Daughter

There's nothing like slipping into a gingham dress to make a girl feel like a 1930's farmer's daughter. Whenever I wear this, I want to pour a cold glass of buttermilk and wait on the front porch for the menfolk to come in from the fields.

I'm sure growing up on a farm in the 1930's wasn't nearly as romantic as I imagine it, but these are the sorts of stories I tell myself when I fall in love with an outfit.  Although it isn't from the 1930's, this dress does have a slightly interesting true fact attached to it. My mother once twirled through life in this dress when she purchased it new in the 1970's. I feel incredibly lucky to have such a lovely and stylish mother who kept all of her favorite outfits to pass along to her future daughter.  I'll be featuring many more of her gems in upcoming posts. 

I haven't seen much gingham in stores lately, but I suggest we all keep an eye out and help it make a comeback.  As much as I love the city (and urban life in general), I also swoon over the idea of picnics with sweet farmer boys and homemade pies and all the other pretty little country staples of another time and place.  We might never experience that dreamy imagined life, but with a dress like this, a girl can almost pretend the city sirens are cowbells tinkling in the distance. 

Dress: Vintage
Shoes: Nine West

So tell me what you think, my loves.  Should we start a gingham revolution?