Fashion Book–The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

I’m in the middle of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter , Carson McCullers’ first novel, and her most well known. I read The Member of the Wedding a few months ago and was struck by the quiet desperation of Frankie Addams, the book’s adolescent heroine. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter focuses on a similarly lonely and aching adolescent girl, Mick Kelly. Allegedly, Mick is loosely based on McCullers herself. She’s a stubborn tomboy, wearing shorts and getting dirty on her solitary walks, telling her sisters that she dresses like a boy because she doesn’t want to dress like them.

Though Mick is rough and tumble, she is also thoughtful and sensitive. She is searching for the beauty in the world, a beauty she finds in music. She loves music intensely, only feeling sad when she hears a beautiful piece because there “isn’t enough of her” to listen to everything. How many times have we all felt that way, about anything beautiful in the world?

Mick’s outfit is simple–a pair of shorts, a plaid shirt, some sneakers, and a straw hat to keep out the Southern sun–but I would love to kick around in this all summer long.

Aeropostale yellow plaid shirt ($24.99)

American Eagle skinny bermuda shorts ($34.95)

Keds Champion canvas sneaker ($40)

Styles for Less ombre straw fedora ($10)

Fashion Book–Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

As I mentioned last week, I was reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for book club, and I was confused by the success of the trilogy. I confess–I’m still baffled and didn’t finish the book because I really didn’t like it at all. It’s dark and violent and I found the “action” and “suspense” completely boring. But this is from the girl who falls asleep during action movies and refuses to watch Law & Order: SVU, so perhaps I should have realized this book was not for me.

All of that being said, that doesn’t mean I am going to skip my fashion book. For this one, I obviously chose Lisbeth Salander, the eponymous title character. I found Lisbeth’s character extremely difficult to relate to and unrealistic, and I wanted to add some dimension to her monochrome wardrobe of black leather jacket and jeans, so I added a few tough pieces of bold jewelry.

Street Level cross-body bag {Piperlime}

Vionnet asymmetric cashmere sweater

McQ by Alexander McQueen quilted leather jacket

Karen Millen denim and jersey jeans

Alexander McQueen Faithful skull ankle boot

Kara by Kara Ross Evil Eye gold-plated cuff

Bottega Veneta sterling silver scarab wrap ring

Alex and Chloe Crown of Thorns ring

Daisy Knights Kim gold skull earrings

Betsey Johnson multi-chain bow necklace

Have you read the book? What did you think?

Fashion Book: A Walk in the Woods

After the emotional rollercoaster of A Farewell to Arms, I felt like I needed something a little more lighthearted. I borrowed A Walk in the Woods from my roommate because I haven’t read any of Bill Bryson’s books before and because the short essays or excerpts of his I have read have been pleasant and funny–just what I needed.  The book details the consequences of Bryson’s somewhat rash decision to hike the over 2100 mile long Appalachian Trail–describing everything from buying the gear or fear of bear attacks to trudging through snow to dealing with his erstwhile hiking companion, his old high school buddy, Katz. It’s both funny and informative, shedding new light on the natural landscape of our country, something I know very little about.

For this week’s Fashion Book, I thought I would put together a look inspired by an actual walk in the woods, NOT a five-month hike requiring MANY more provisions than the ones pictured. I thought a few layers, a hat and sunglasses to keep out the sun, some good hiking boots, and a cute, functional backpack to keep snacks and other sundries would be ideal for a summer weekend stroll through the forest.

Aubin & Wills striped tank ($70)

Alexander Wang asymmetrical cropped pullover ($375)

Old Navy perfect khaki shorts ($23)

Urban Outfitters mustache socks ($8)

Thorogood women’s hiking boots ($116)

L. L. Bean waxed cotton continental rucksack ($99)

Calypso Katie scarf ($69)

Helen Kaminski Nadice in pale yellow hat ($59.50)

Ray-Ban large metal aviator sunglasses ($139)

Blue Q Let’s Drink the Drops stainless steel water bottle ($16.20)

Fashion Book–A Farewell to Arms

I’m finally reading my first official Hemingway novel, A Farewell to Arms. Though I read A Movable Feast just a few weeks ago, I felt as though I needed to read one of his novels to really consider him crossed off “the list” if you will.

So,  it’s a good book, but I don’t love it. I just don’t think his style is for me–the sentences are too simple, it seems stilted, almost uncomfortable.  The love story between Hemingway’s semi-autobiographical hero, Frederic Henry, an American officer in the Italian army during WWI, and Catherine Barkley, a Scottish nurse, is intensely emotional, but there’s somehow something missing, for me. Nonetheless, I put together an outfit for Catherine that’s a modern take on a Euro-military-early 20th century look. Incidentally, it also happens to be the 49th anniversary of Hemingway’s death.

French Connection Tempest Spring Military jacket

CHLOE skirt

Rachel Comey oxford brogues

Bows & Bandits vintage leather shoulder bag

Tobi boyfriend Italian linen scarf

Possy Rap reversible beret

How about you all? What are your thoughts on “Papa” Hemingway? Love him, hate him, completely indifferent?

Fashion Book–Proust Was a Neuroscientist

This month’s book club book is Proust Was a Neuroscientist, a book that blends art and science with 8 thought-provoking essays, each about a different innovator in literature, art, food, and music. The first essay, about Walt Whitman, asserts that the poet’s Leaves of Grass was groundbreaking in its central theory that our mind and our bodies are completely intertwined. Previously, it was accepted that the brain was the origin of not just our rational thoughts but our feelings as well–the body was simply a vessel. Whitman negated that completely with his assertion that our bodies are our souls. In the ensuing years, countless experiments have proven that our feelings come from our flesh.

I’ve only read a few of the essays so far, but I learn something new with every page. I chose to spotlight George Eliot in this week’s fashion book because even though I don’t really know how she dressed, I know that she was independent and strong and talented and wrote Middlemarch. In fact, legend has it that Eliot was famously ugly–and the fact that that didn’t stop her from achieving her goals in a man’s world is awe-inspiring.

Yoox Jo No Fui suspenders

Adam heart-print silk blouse

Topshop chain floppy hat

Kara Ross gold-plated pocket watch necklace

Miu Miu St. Cocco Lux continental wallet

Seychelles Veronica heel

Fashion Book–Day for Night

A good friend bought me Day for Night for my birthday this year, along with a copy for herself, which she’s also reading so we can have a discussion when we finish (nerd alert!).  The book is the third novel by Frederick Reiken, one of my first instructors in grad school. Though his class was a basic seminar in short fiction, it was clear from the way he taught the class that he was SERIOUS about writing and reading, but I had never read any of his writing, until now. And I don’t know why, but I was blown away by how much I loved this book. The story is not just one story, but rather a dense web of linked perspectives, shooting off from swimming with manatees on a 1984 Florida vacation to tracking a wanted felon to the intricate inner workings of our neurology to puppets to the Holocaust to a fraught Israel and back again.

What begins as a fairly typical telling of a woman named Beverly’s encounter with a tour guide in Florida shifts point of view just when you’re becoming comfortable with Beverly’s voice–and the novel never stops, turning faster than the Tilt-a-Whirl at a carnival, constantly challenging what you thought you understood about the characters as their relationships to each other draw ever closer.

There are many vibrant, interesting characters to choose from, but I chose Dee, nee Gwendine Morley, as the subject of this week’s Fashion Book. We meet Dee in the first chapter, watching as she leads her band, oozing sex appeal and that charisma common in lead singers. We’re tempted to discount her as just another sexy chick singer, but as the story picks up and we come along as she visits her comatose younger brother, we learn she has many dark secrets in her past.

Here’s what I think Dee might wear on stage:

Topshop polka-dot one-shoulder ruffle dress by Rare ($84)

Velvet Angels open toe bootie ($206)

Hype hibiscus studded “Cindy” suede chain clutch ($90)

Max & Chloe Yochi hematite and gun metal ring ($45)

Gemma Redux Kimberly earrings ($245)

Urban Outfitters vintage octagon sunglasses ($10)

French Connection black leather chain cuff ($48)

Fashion Book–A Moveable Feast

A Moveable Feast tells of Ernest Hemingway’s early years in Paris–of the writers he knew (James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Scott Fitzgerald), the writing he did, and the trips he took. It’s a portrait of a bygone era, an era that spawned the image of a starving writer as a beautifully romantic notion. It’s also the story of a young couple in love, idealistic and “very poor and very happy.” Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, is a peripheral but strong presence throughout the essays. Though her personality wasn’t as strong as  Zelda Fitzgerald’s,  it’s clear Hemingway loved her dearly and respected her (well, up until the end…but I don’t want to give anything away).

It’s an interesting and quick read, though you can’t necessarily trust Hemingway as a narrator (much of the book reads like a 1920s literary edition of In Touch with nasty character sketches of Stein, Fitzgerald, Ford Madox Ford, and others). It makes you yearn to spend a year in Paris, writing and living on bread and wine, hobknobbing with other starving writers until you all make it as legends. Maybe that’s just me. This outfit was inspired by Hadley, who was clearly a fashionista in her time (check out the belted cardigan and gaucho pants!). It’s a classic look with a modern edge, and an outfit she could have worn during a cold Austrian winter, skiing with Papa Hemingway and caring for their son, Mr. Bumby (yes, that was what they called him…they also left him alone as a toddler with a cat as a “babysitter” but again, I’m giving too much away).

Burberry Prorsum Double-Breasted Military Wool Coat

Delia’s Caitlyn chambray shirt

NW3 by Hobbs silk skirt @ John Lewis

Burberry cardigan

FRYE Melissa riding boots

American Apparel over the knee socks

Mulberry Lily leather shoulder bag

Fashion Book: Raise High the Roof Beam,
Carpenters

I’m revisiting J.D. Salinger this week, reading Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction. It’s probably the least well-known of Salinger’s ouvre, but focuses on the familiar Glass family (whom we’ve seen before  in Franny and Zooey and Nine Stories).  The book is two short stories, each of which first appeared in The New Yorker in the late 1950s. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters tells the story of Buddy Glass at his older brother Seymour’s ill-fated wedding in 1942. Though we don’t see much of the bride, Muriel, and Seymour doesn’t appear at all, I chose to imagine what Muriel may have worn on her wedding day.

First, a beautiful gown that’s simple, but struck me as something elegant and vintage-inspired:

Vivienne Westwood Opuntia corseted gown

Next, a lovely, simple engagement ring:

Conroy & Wilcox .35 Carat Round Rose Cut Diamond Ring {via Black, White, Denim, Grey}

And then, the accessories:

Bella Bridal Veils blusher birdcage veil with beading

Lanvin Pouchette Oulala Mariage satin clutch

And finally, the shoes:

Christian Louboutin Bigorno 100 satin pumps

Perhaps the “real” Muriel would never have been able to afford these extravagantly elegant wedding items (especially in wartime New York), but I like to dream big and think beautiful.

Fashion Book–The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This week, I am reading Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog. The book is lovely, philosophical, and funny. It centers on a 54-year-old concierge named Renee, who is more intelligent, kind, and logical than most of the wealthy residents of the fancy French apartment building she works in. She hides behind her post in life, believing that if she reveals her intelligence, she will be even more reviled than she is when she’s simply ignored by her employers. Paloma, a precocious 12-year-old resident of the building, sees something more in Renee, and seeks to find out why she’s hiding.

Paloma holds everyone in great contempt–most of all her own family. She disdains their material wealth and academic posturing, all the while scribbling in her notebook, desperately searching for something worth believing in so she won’t have to carry through with her plan to commit suicide on her 13th birthday. It sounds heavy, but Paloma’s commentary (integrated into the book through her journal entries) is sharp,  funny, and often surprisingly poignant.

To create a look for Paloma, I thought about what a 12-year-old might wear. However, Paloma is far from your average 12-year-old. I really love this outfit–I tried to make it casual and fresh, keeping in mind that she’s from a wealthy French family, where her Maman definitely still has a strong say in what she wears (hence the Louboutin ballet flats and Tiffany pen). I would love to wear this outfit myself and I’m in LOVE with the convertible satchel.

Topshop striped tunic

Old Navy roll-sleeve boyfriend cardigan

AB Studio embellished leggings

Christian Louboutin Rosella Panama ballerina flats

The Sak Silverlake convertible satchel

Calypso Orchid scarf

Moleskine pocket notebook

Tiffany Blue purse pen

What’s your favorite part of this look?

Fashion Book: St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

This month’s book club selection was St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, a book of short stories by Karen Russell. The stories are lyrically written and full of strangely haunting characters. It’s a study in magic realism, the gritty quotidian woven in with the ethereally strange–in the title story, nuns operate a type of finishing school for “wolf-girls,” the offspring of werewolf parents. In another, “Haunting Olivia,” two boys search for their sister’s ghost underwater, meeting other types of ghostly sea creatures along the way. Sometimes the effect works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Overall, I liked the book–the stories were unique and evocative and beautifully written.

In the first story in the collection, “Ava Wrestles the Alligator,” Ava and her older sister Ossie are left to fend for themselves at their family’s alligator theme park, Swamplandia! Ava watches as Ossie descends deeper into her possession by demon boyfriend Luscious. In a pivotal scene in the story, Ossie invites Ava to the “Swamp Prom” where she wears live lizards in her hair and sways to Patsy Cline songs in the corner.

I thought it would be fun to create an outfit Ossie might have worn to the dance–a light-weight dress for the tropical heat, an alligator skin bag (faux), comfortable sandals, and lizard accessories, of course.

Julia Smith Hepburn sundress

Sam Edelman gladiator sandal

La Regale faux alligator clutch

Silver studded lizard bracelet

Chrysoprase Cabochon Lizard Ring