Dec 24

2012

I experienced my first English hard frost last week. I have rarely, if ever, seen this in America. I was on my way to pick up my mom at the airport, so I was crossing my fingers for good weather. On the morning of her arrival, I had woken up to thick fog that morning and figured it would clear by lunchtime. Instead of clearing, the fog only got soupier throughout the day. It was kind of amazing as we went out for a walk in the afternoon, but I was actually scared to drive to pick the kids up from school in the fading light. It was the slowest I have ever driven. Slightly bummed that the weather had not cooperated, I went to bed hoping for a better day that followed. The next morning, the sky was clear, the sun was just rising and, at first it looked like it had snowed. Everything was white. I went outside in my pyjamas to take a picture of the garden and then wandered down the bridle path to the horse field and then all the way back up the hill to the view from the pillars at the old entrance to the farm. The difference between the frost and a snowfall is that snow just dumps down leaving a heavy blanket over the land, whereas the frost gently and delicately just lines everything in white. Every blade of grass and leaf on every tree is visible, yet frozen and shimmering. It turns out that the humidity in the air from the fog had settled into the landscape and then frozen over night. Mom and I agreed it was one of the most beautiful things we have ever seen.


Dec 21

2012

I ♥ Your American Style: Nancy Reagan

I’ve been wanting to do a post on Nancy Reagan for some time, and as we are now in the season for wearing red, it seems like a good moment to do so. I love Nancy Reagan’s style. To me it’s very Marc Jacobs – happy, American, not overtly sexy, decorative, sweet and chic. And don’t let her dated hairstyle put you off – it’s not about the hair. It’s about a pussycat bow, a floral print, a covered chest, a ruffle, a Chanel-inspired Adolfo jacket, and of course, the color red...


Dec 12

2012

Snapshot: Jean Shrimpton in Dr Scholl’s

While I’m sitting here in fur-lined boots, clutching hot tea to keep my hands warm, I’m fantasizing about when the weather will be warm enough again to get some Dr. Scholl’s and wear them like Jean Shrimpton (below). I prefer them with the natural wood sole, and I think I’ll get two pairs – one with red leather (gives me happy memories of my childhood) and one in black leather (makes them look a bit more modern)...


Dec 10

2012

Often as I am driving along the country roads in England, I throw on the brakes, screech up onto the curb, and whip out my phone to take a picture of a house that has caught my eye. There are great houses everywhere here! My taste ranges from sheds to thatch huts to stately homes, and I seem to prefer Georgian architecture over gothic or Victorian – not that I would be able to tell you that without my husband’s input. He can look at any house and tell you what century, decade, and style of architecture it belongs to. I envy this knowledge, but I do not possess it. Despite being a History of Art major in college, I focused the bulk of my architectural history classes on the 20th century. It also doesn’t help that I am American, where there isn’t the same exposure to historical architecture that you would have coming from Europe. I hope some of it will rub off on me while I’m here.


Nov 28

2012

Life on the Farm: The Fog

In England, the fog is one of the the first signs that autumn is coming. This year it started in the beginning of September, so early in the morning that you could easily miss it if you slept in. The first time I saw it, while looking out my bedroom window at the crack of dawn, it took my eyes a minute to adjust to the fact that it wasn’t water flooding the valley below us. Now that I’ve seen the fog on quite a few mornings, I have noticed that it starts as a thick, flat blanket deep in the valley with the hills rising up through it like the humps of a sea monster...


Nov 26

2012

Snapshot: My Mantra

This quote hangs in my office. I read it every day. For me it expresses the very definition and value of inspiration. I guess I could argue that nothing inspires me more than inspiration. Sometimes I gather so much inspiration – images, photos, tear sheets, books, notes – that it overwhelms me, making me feel disorganised, unfocused and like I’ll never have enough time in my life to put it all to use. But I can’t resist it – if I see something that moves me I want to remember it, archive it, file it away for when I need it...


Nov 22

2012

I ♥ Your American Style: Lauren Bacall

You may feel that you never have to see another picture of Lauren Bacall in your life, but I for one never get tired of looking at her. Most actresses of her generation were dressed by costume designers and film studios in a glamorous yet cliché “movie star” kind of way, and her on set and promotional photographs convey that. But I am most interested in her more candid, personal photos, especially the ones with her children...


Nov 20

2012

My Style: Coming Full Circle

As Oprah would say, and I do love her (still), I recently had a “full circle moment.”

When I was working for Patrick Demarchelier in my late teens and early 20’s, I was never not completely in awe of the people we photographed. There were the obvious ones – like Madonna, Janet Jackson, Warren Beatty and every single supermodel under the sun, but even the lesser known ones – whether it be a 90-year-old sculptor, a newly crowned basketball star, or an aboriginal child – captured my interest...


Nov 19

2012

On the Road: Roman Holiday

Apart from a manic work trip here and there, I haven’t been to Rome as a tourist since I was 22 years old. Back then, I went with my friend Alex, and it was so hot that our cassette tapes melted on our windshield and our budget was so tight that we could only afford a youth hostel with shared bathrooms and no air conditioning. We literally ran through all the cultural destinations so we could spend time drooling in the more climatically desirable Prada shop and licking gelato near the Trevi fountain...


Nov 13

2012

Gaia Repossi’s classic minimalist style is a personal favorite of mine. It might be the fact that she owns all the Celine pieces I covet, or that she knows how to wear it in a way that is down to earth, yet just fashion-forward enough. There is also her timeless and natural feline-like beauty and the contrasting tomboy-like way she puts herself together. And then there is the jewelry she designs for her family’s jewelry company Repossi, which has become the fashion world’s favorite. I would buy every piece of her Berbere collection if I could. Keep on eye on her – she’s going to be around for a while.