Back and Forth

I often dream of a seafaring life:


Obviously firmly back in the dressing for summer camp.


Photo via

In Session

I still think of September as the real start to the year. Over four years out of school, one would think that this would no longer be the case, but that feeling has lingered. Though in college I often hoped that my summers would magically extend, in elementary, middle and early high school, I wanted them over as soon as possible. I wished and prayed for August to rush by with all of its stickiness and be replaced by September and textbooks. I'm not the only one who shares this sentiment.

I find myself, when looking at clothes for fall, drawn year after year to those items that remind me of school. Or the school self that I wish had existed at the time. All corduroys and blazers and pleated skirts. Decidedly New England prep school. When I did wear school uniforms during Catholic school, I hated them. I thought tights were the devil. The very itchy devil. Wool sweaters were the devil's equally itchy cousin. But now as September approaches yet again, that's all that I want, as was very evident to me when I wandered through the mall last week on the way to pick up a birthday present for a friend.

In the blur of going through pictures from the various Fashion Weeks, I, of course, miss things. But when I run into items in person, I wonder how I could have overlooked them in the first place. This was the feeling I had as I fingered the Moschino Fall collection with all of its deep navies and ruffles and knit detailing seen here.


And here.


I found the non-bank account killing version of this blazer when I wandered into J.Crew during the latter part of my jaunt.


Along with these.


And a little sparkle.


The Gap and I are back on speaking terms again after I tried on a pair of jeans that are the perfect fit for me.


Though the $10 tights that I have littering my wardrobe are lovely, I can't help but take a peak into Wolford when I am near it and fantasize about a pair like these. And about all of the wonderful pleated skirts they would complement.


And though I did not come across these boots during my trip, I feel like including them in a post will become a yearly tradition until the price falls into a range I can afford. That should occur about 17 minutes before hell freezes over.


I doubt I'll ever grow out of this. September will always be the start of the New Year. And I'll always need the school items that come with it.

Even the new pens.


Photos via, via, via, via

Time Travel

Yesterday, while looking for something else, I came across an old pair of flats. That's the thing about living at home again. I'm always finding things. Like that copy of A Confederacy of Dunces that I never got around to reading and now takes it rightful place in my purse.


The flats have a rounded point that resembles the tip of an elf's shoes. The fabric reminds one of an old tapestry that one would find hiding in a castle. Or in the manor house from The Secret Garden.

I remember exactly when I bought them. I spent the spring semester of my junior year of college studying abroad in London. On the night of my first full day, I wandered around the Kensington area where our hotel was located (we were soon to leave for a quick family stay before moving into our dormitories). I made my way to Whiteleys but did not purchase anything there. On the way back, a small shop caught my eye, and I left with the flats. They were the first of many purchases I made especially after I discovered the wonder that is Topshop.

They were also the item that I wore the most out of things both purchased and packed. They visited museums and parks. They were stuffed in a suitcase for a quick trip with one of my flatmates to visit Prague. I ran into another girl wearing the same shoes while out at a club, and we spent 12 minutes drunkenly complimenting each other on our impeccable fashion sense.

All of these outings and encounters and memories of once precious items flooded back when I put them on yesterday. The early morning I spent eating a bacon sandwich after an epic evening out. The red purse from H&M that I carried everywhere and still holds my Oyster card over five years later. The blunt bangs I got before our trip to a rather windy Stonehenge.

I racked my brain for why I hadn't worn the flats in so long. The heels were a little uneven, but that could be easily fixed. A trip to the cobbler would be had. And then they could claim their rightful place in my shoe rotation, if only for the memories that come bubbling to the surface when they are worn.

But I Love To Watch You Leave

I’ve recently become obsessed with the back of things.

Last week, while drinking a Miller (I know) in a local bar, I sat at an elevated table on an elevated stool. Adjacent to me sat a boy/girl couple quietly playing Scrabble and enjoying a simple Wednesday night date. The girl half had her back to me. She wore a black sleeveless dress. The back dipped low as if she had put on a wrap dress the wrong way. A large, asymmetrical swath of her back was left bare.

The backs of all of my garments are unassuming. Simple. No flash. Everything of interest is kept to the front half. I stopped wearing halters and strapless dresses years ago, tired of fighting with strapless bras that never really worked. My back stayed covered up. But I've come to realize recently that it's not necessarily about flesh versus no flesh. Things are, as always, more complex and nuanced than that.

For a look that says sex without screaming it, all you need is a window of skin and the exposed zipper of this dress by Preen.


The simplicity of the front of this piece by Alexander Wang is complimented by the soft knotting and over-sized keyhole of its back.


This top from Urban Outfitters hides a surprise only revealed when longer hair is swept away.


The geometric shape seen in the back of this dress by Jen Kao draws your eye to the shoulders.


This dress by Sari Gueron is perfection in my eyes.


All legs.

And a little gift as you leave the room.


Photos via, via, via, via

Gray Skies

It's been cold and rainy again for the past few days. And instead of going stir crazy, my mind has turned to fall.


At times, I surprise myself with my flightiness. It feels like only last week I was thinking of balmy vacations.

A real post with words is forthcoming.


Photo via

Triangles

I'm going to pretend that this skirt isn't only available in an extra small:



Photo via

In Between

When I began exploring my interest in clothing, I was confused by many things. The most significant of these being the existence of only two seasons: Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. There were many months of the year when one could enter a store and see skirts and dresses and suits that had never made their way down a runway. I spent a fair amount of time in those days wondering where all of these magical clothes had come from.

There have always been transitional seasons. Pre-Fall. Pre-Spring. Holiday. But during the middle portion of this decade, more and more designers began having presentations and shows for these smaller but just as significant collections. And it was while browsing through those pictures on Style.com that I was finally able to answer my question and fill that gap in my education.

Resort is probably the hardest of these smaller seasons to grasp when one considers its name and the time period in which it is supposed to be worn. There was a time when those with extreme wealth spent large swaths of the traditionally winter months traveling to far steamier climes. And, of course, a new set of clothes would be needed for these jaunts. For some these times still exist. But for most the winter is spent traversing frozen streets and watching ice melter ruin the leather of her pretty equestrian boots. (I might have personal experience with this.)

You can see Resort's origins littered throughout the collections for 2010. Some designers rely more on that past than others. But for many it has become a way to continue thoughts first seen in the Fall/Winter shows. Or to test out ideas that will become fully realized in the Spring/Summer shows in September. Some designers have managed to do all of these things at once, deftly navigating the many possibilities of an ever changing season. Mixing the more traditional and the less traditional.

And using those endpoints is the easiest way to organize my favorites.

The Less

Christopher Kane

Alexander Wang

Burberry Prorsum

Elise Øverland

Helmut Lang

Preen

Rachel Roy

Rag & Bone

Jenni Kayne

Richard Chai

Giorgio Armani

Stella McCartney

Viktor & Rolf

Zero + Maria Cornejo

Basso & Brooke

The More

Basso & Brooke again

Giorgio Armani again

Chris Benz

Matthew Williamson

3.1 Phillip Lim

Lanvin

Issa

Cynthia Rowley

Oscar de la Renta

Roberto Cavalli

Yigal Azrouël

Some pieces I love for me. Others simply for their creativity.


Photos via