Nov 12

2012

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Life on the Farm: Autumn Landscape

Although I have spent time in England every year for the last 16 years, the one season I have never witnessed is autumn. While the pictures may look similar to an American fall, in reality it is completely different. Nature in England makes it’s evolution slowly and individually, with each tree seemingly at it’s own pace, whereas the American version seems to hit you over the head all at once. The result of which may be more spectacular, as you get the peak of the color all at once, but I am enjoying the more gradual change here...

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Nov 05

2012

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Life on the Farm: Catching the Sun

Here’s the thing about the dreaded English weather. It’s not that bad. Really. You just have to get the hang of it, which entails dropping everything (no matter how important) to run outside when the sun is shining. As long as I get my hour or so of outdoor time each day, or even just most days, I am fine. The trouble is, you don’t know when that is going to be. Take last Friday for example. The kids were home on their half-term break so I planned to ride with them in the morning when the sun was even just hinting at coming out...

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Oct 23

2012

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Snapshot: Marisa’s Turban

There are lots of amazing pictures of Marisa Berenson wearing a turban – you know the ones of her in the matching purple bikini, eyeshadow and turban, or the similar green version with the clear plastic bikini straps? Or maybe you know the Warhol photos of her with the hibiscus stuck into her turban? They are truly over-the-top fashion fabulous. But my favorite turban shot of her is this one. I probably like it because, well, I’m not saying I would ever wear a turban myself, but if I did…..this..

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Oct 18

2012

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I ♥ Your Farm Style: The McCartney Family

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While we’re on the subject of Stella McCartney, I was in the Taschen store in Paris the other day and discovered her mother Linda McCartney’s book called “Life in Photographs.” I was SO inspired by them, especially by the ones of her family in the countryside, for obvious reasons. They are natural but stylish, in the most unpretentious way. And they transcend celebrity – they would be intriguing even if they were of a family of people we didn’t know. I’m going to attempt to recreate the family portrait with animals for our own family Christmas card. Do you think we can get all our animals to hold still for long enough? Or maybe its fine if they all wonder around us. That’s what I loved about Linda’s photos – she caught a natural moment. They are not posed, but they are perfectly composed.

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Oct 16

2012

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I ♥ Your Style: Henrietta Tiarks

With all the vintage photography out there on the internet, it’s rare for me these days to discover a new style icon. So it’s a real thrill when I do. The other day I stumbled across a picture of a very chic girl that I included in my paisley post. I hadn’t heard of her before, so I did some more research, with exciting results. Her name was Henrietta Joan Tiarks and when she married, she received two grand titles – Marchioness of Tavistock and Duchess of Bedford...

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Oct 11

2012

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I ♥ Your Style: Paisley

Maybe it’s the bohemian in me coming out now that I live in the countryside, but I have never been more into paisley. It started with an antique Indian paisley tapestry that my mother handed down to me this past summer. I found the perfect spot for it covering an upholstered ottoman in my living room, and it now pulls together all the other colors in the room and adds the perfect touch of ethnic romance to the otherwise traditional English countryside look...

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Oct 05

2012

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Farm Food: Finding My Way

Food is a really big thing for me here in England. First of all, there is no take out or delivery service nearby so you have to cook. This was a problem for me when I first started coming here age 23 because I hadn’t yet progressed much beyond college cooking. With my future husband unable to prepare anything other than eggs, baked beans and toast I had no choice but to go down to the local bookshop and get inspired. That first summer I cooked my way through The River Cafe cookbook, and then onto Nigella Lawson the second summer, Tamasin Day Lewis the third, Jamie Oliver the 4th, and so on...

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Oct 03

2012

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I ♥ Your American Style: Joan Didion

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There is that constant current of melancholy in most photographs of Joan Didion that sometimes makes me question why I am such of fan of them. At best she looks subdued, while in the most extreme she looks tortured and hopelessly sad. In her older years it’s as if that sadness within her came to express itself physically in the lines on her face and the thinness of her body. Yet because she has so honestly shared her sorrows with us, I feel protective and empathetic towards her.

And then there is her style, which is restrained and unselfconscious, but so elegant nonetheless. It looks easy to dress that simply, but it actually takes a lot of discipline to so precisely narrow down what works for you and even more discipline to stick with it. To me she represents the very best of intelligent, courageous and chic American women.

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Oct 02

2012

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Life in England: So Far

It’s been more than three months since we arrived to live in England for our “creative sabbatical” and to be honest I feel like things are just starting to get creative. The summer was filled up with house guests and travel and family time, but now that the kids are settling back into school, I have had some time to find a routine and get a sense of what “real life” will be like for me here. Even though I am really just at the beginning, I already know I am incredibly happy here...

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