modern renaissance

Right before I left for Ireland I finished an order of custom hats for a family going to the Olympics. They were rooting for the Canadian hockey team, but I suppose I can’t hold it against them too much, since the hats came out wicked awesome (yes, I’m from upstate, we say “wicked” and “awesome” and occasionally we say them together). They were nice enough to send me some photos of the hats in play.

My favorite look is the double hat. Seriously, I think that kid may have stumbled on to an epic new look. Maybe I need to give my bomber hat a little makeover.

So…when I turned 21 my college roommate said “jessica, we need to have a talk” and proceeded to drag me off to the mall for a makeover at Clinique. It was at that point that she created a monster – I went on to become Queen of the MAC Counter and even ended up working there for several years, not to mention I owned every beauty product ever made. It was kind of a similar experience with fashion. I went through most of middle school wearing my father’s old “No Fear” shirts, which have clever sayings like “does not play well with others” – a factual statement, but perhaps one best not worn on a t-shirt, especially when that shirt about 6 times too large.

But I digress. What I mean to say is, much as that makeover was a turning point for me, this 2007 Vogue fashion shoot with Keira Knightley had a very similar effect. Sure, it’s come under a decent amount of criticism, and sure, I study neocolonialism and should probably be agreeing with said criticism (ok, I do). But I cannot deny the pretty pictures! I ended up getting the boots (Frye engineers, which my mother refers to as my ’shit kickers’) and love them dearly. They’re my go to boots for tramping around in the winter and in the summer I rock them with a light dress (my mother mocked me endlessly for this until the day she came home, absolutely shocked that she had seen someone wearing a similar style, and, well *surprise*, I just might be in fashion!).

I totally dig this style – pretty on top, and totally practical on the bottom. Puddles be damned! Mud will not stop me! These boots were made for walking wherever the hell I feel like it.

You can read the first part of this feature here – although I think that they cut out the part where Keira talks about how absurd it was to watch 50 people chase a baby elephant around in order to put an LV blanket on its back. I love that girl.

I remember coming across a kanzashi a few years ago and thought them very pretty, but a little impractical for my style…since at the time I had no hair and thus nothing to attach them to. However, not that I do, in fact, have hair, and quite a lot of it, I’ve decided that I must start a kanzashi collection. My bird’s nest requires appropriate decoration, after all. Here are a few pieces off Etsy that I have my eye on…

Top to bottom by Etsy sellers gochemoche; mizusugi; theastarr; and gochemoche yet again. Oh, and if those aren’t awesome enough, check out this peacock and swan by Atelier Kanawa.

My love for this woman knows no bounds – I love her usual rats nest explosion of hair and totally bizarre neo-Victorian outfits. Not to mention she is totally rockin’ in this shoot. Photos by Gustavo Papaleo. Check out the full article in The Guardian.

Hey you! Check out my first guest post EVER over at The Glamorous Grad Student, it’s your on the go guide for visiting Saratoga Springs, turning point of the revolutionary war (yes, this is probably the only question I got right on the AP History exam). It’s a pretty abbreviated guide, but should definitely fill up a weekend. If you’re staying any longer let me know, because Saratoga is only a hop skip and a jump away from one of my favorite places, the Adirondacks.

photo by dorothykorea

For someone in my position (read: below the poverty line) I do a lot of traveling. I’m thinking this is mainly because I don’t go out drinking, which is not really the norm for my age group…or grad students in general.

Consequently I am always trying to master TSA and airline regulations for luggage and carry ons. Sometimes I am extremely successful  and even impress myself – for instance, I packed for 2 weeks in Costa Ricca in one 25lb carry on. Other times not so much – I figured my epic 30 hour flight to New Zealand meant that I needed to bring loads of entertainment in my carry on. Not true. By my second layover I was really regretting hauling around multiple purses, backpacks, etc.

However, I think I have finally manage to pare a carry on down to the basic essentials. No more carrying around 3 books I never get to or a million useless knick knacks I MIGHT get to. Here’s the list:

• An iPod (or some other music listening device) to help block out annoying seat mates. The most important accessory might be my own headphones, because I have yet to meet a comfortable pair provided by the airline.
• Thick socks, I like to kick my shoes off and thick wool socks take up less room than a pair of slippers
• A big ass scarf, which can double as a blanket or pillow
• 1 book. If I actually get through it (which I hardly ever do) I can pick another one up on a layover.
• Various medications
• Baby wipes + deodorant + a few cosmetics – this is especially true if I am landing and immediately off
• A change of shirt + underwear – again, more true if I am taking off right after landing + don’t feel like starting my day smelly
• SNACKS. omg so so so important. Unless you’re going trans-Atlantic (or Pacific if you prefer) they pretty much give you no food and you have to beg for a second bag of peanuts. Not only that, but a lot of the times the only food available is not very vegetarian friendly. That is why I cannot stress enough that you should bring your own snacks. Nothing sucks more than being on a 7 hour flight with no access to munchies. Things may start to get kind of violent.

And that is ALL YOU REALLY NEED. If you’re going on an extra long flight you might want to pick up one of those neck pillows. I think I have found them effective approximately once, but hey, that one time I did get a good long sleep. People often recommend you bring a whole change of clothes, but I stand by my statement of a shirt and underwear, especially if you are wearing jeans. No one cares about pants. And if you’re going to a warm climate I wouldn’t even bother with the clothing change – I’d just throw in my bikini and consider myself good to go.

While I was in Ireland I discovered that my phone, which had previously worked in other countries, no longer had service. Not having people able to reach me at all times of the day (and night) wasn’t so bad. Unfortunately, however, my phone is also the only time piece I carry…and being as I had no service that pretty much meant I had no idea what the hell time it was…ever. On top of that, none of the hotels in Ireland have alarm clocks (wtf?) or clocks at all, further compounding the problem. Thus, I determined I absolutely need a watch. The problem is deciding which one of these beauties to get – there are loads more to choose from at Le Mer’s site, and they’re pretty reasonable priced – all under $110.

Here’s a collection of outfits from my trip to Ireland. Most important lesson learned? Good, flat, water proof shoes are a must! Even if you’re not climbing around mountains and 3,000 year old forts, many of the roads are cobblestone…and fat chance of making any efficient progress walking down those in stilettos. Various scarfs & hats worked great for giving the same coat a different look.

I wore my waterproof boots (as opposed to my Fame 2 boots) and moccasins the most. Of course I had a pair of flats, a pair of gym shoes and my Fame 2 boots in my suitcase, all of which got minimal ware but added extra pounds. I would have happily swapped all three of those shoes for 1 pair of cute sneakers.

Vintage Etienne Aigner boots; Generic black tights; Coat by Leifsdotter via Anthropologie; Generic orange pashmina from a street corner in NYC; Hat by me

Vintage Etienne Aigner boots; Les Halles jeans; Tank from Target; Zip Up wool hoodie from Glowing Sky; Missoni Sunglasses

Les Halles jeans; Coat by Leifsdotter via Anthropologie; Scarf from Express

Old Boy moccasins; Les Halles jeans; Coat by Leifsdotter via Anthropologie; Scarf from Express; Bomber hat from Mad Bomber

I swear I wore more than just my Les Halles jeans while I was there.