spring mood: palette cleanser

i. didion tee + easy jeans

ii. emerson slides all day

iii. peonies via

mood snapshot as we get into March: currently craving the sartorial equivalent of a palette cleanser. maybe it has something to do with my Marie Kondo reading, maybe it's the hint of spring balminess this week. also rediscovering the clean cropped line of my old everlane box tees after forgetting about them in the bottom of my dresser drawer for a while. does that ever happen to you? 

what are you in the mood for lately?

inspiration: the Château de Gudanes

the restoration of the Château de Gudanes, in progress 

(image source: Vogue)

i don't quite know how i stumbled upon this story, but it's too intriguing and awe-inspiring not to share.

inspiration: b&w f/w 2015

Patti Smith + Johnny Cash forever

does it get any better than these two?

no, no it doesn't. some icons never get old, and all i want to wear lately is black and white.

inspiration: July

July always seems to be the slowest month. it's summer in full swing, vacation season, and, to be honest, not super sartorially inspiring.

however, i've always found July to be a good time to reflect. perhaps because half the year is officially over, and the brief summer slowdown also quickens the reminder that fall is on the horizon.

inspiration + favorites: May

as fleeting as peony season

as usual, spring has been fleeting and fickle, and Memorial Day is already upon us. in the mood for a relaxed silhouette and prints galore.

the packing list | Joan Didion

via

note to self: before packing for a trip, ask the all-important question: "what would Joan do?"

TGIF // 3.6

via the NYTimes

"Sometimes, people think aesthetics are superficial. But I think they can be deep. I love the atmosphere and the visuals. So, I do what I love. Some people connect with it, and others don’t. It reminds me of something Anjelica told me in my 20s: 'Not everyone is going to like you.' It saved me years of disappointment."

–Sofia Coppola, in conversation with Anjelica Huston and Philip Galanes

(read the rest of the interview here)

inspiration: Vera on Vera

via

"Getting dressed is a whole thing for me. My closet is organized by tops, pants, and outerwear, but not a lot of dresses. Like most designers, I have a uniform, and mine is a legging. And if it's not a legging, it's a pant that's like a legging. They could be from Balenciaga or Givenchy, or from Danskin or my Kohl's line. Then I throw on a T-shirt. After that I'm a complete outerwear freak. I work very hard to look casual. It's deliberate to look like you didn't try too hard, as my old boss Ralph Lauren would say."

–Vera Wang on her style uniform

currently // November

current mood // loungey in the pre-holiday calm.

current favorites // my EF cobra slides – took about a week to break them in, and are now super comfy, i sized down to a 36 (i'm usually 6.5/37). my newbark slip-ons scored on major sale. 

currently wishlisting // these amazing midi boots just marked down.

currently reading // Laurie Colwin everything (how did it take me so long to discover her writing??)

currently listening // Serial. so. addictively. good. 

currently making // preparing to brine and roast my first turkey. combining the wisdom of Alton Brown and Ina Garten, wish me luck!

what's current for you?

Q+A: Kareen // designer | Kostome

silk textures and prints | Kostome fall 2014

one of the best things about running les anti-modernes* is the opportunity to meet and interview brilliant and creative women from all over the world. recently, a mutual friend and former professor of mine invited me to the trunk show and launch of Kostome. i was intrigued and excited to meet Kareen Smith, the creative force and one-woman atelier behind the designs. 

read on for the interview!

inspiration: Kate Young

photo credit: Jed Root

"The most important thing to me is that people feel really good. And there are definitely times where I say, 'I think you need to push your comfort zone here. I know this doesn’t feel right, but I feel very strongly about it, and I think you’ll be happy with how you look and with the picture.' But I really want their clothes to be representative of who they are. My clients don’t look alike, for the most part. I don’t come in and make them look a certain way. That doesn’t really interest me. I really want it to be the best, most flattering, most clean and chic version of them."

–Kate Young, interviewed by The Cut

in this age of cookie cutter Celebrity Fashion, i really love her considered, rigorous approach to style and styling. and yes to Hillary Clinton rocking a jumpsuit. read the rest of the interview here.

what's inspiring you lately?

Q+A: Grace // copywriter

i've always been fascinated by the evolution of media and how we communicate. naturally, when i connected with the lovely Grace earlier this year, i was super curious about her take on writing in the digital age, and her globe-trotting path to working in advertising. 

read on for the interview!

Q+A: Patrice // marketing manager

photo credit: The Everygirl

i've always been fascinated by the stories behind women and their style, so when i met the gorgeous and accomplished Patrice for coffee, i knew i wanted to share our conversation. here's to celebrating smart and stylish women, and beauty on our own terms.

read on for the interview!

inspiration: an afternoon at the Argosy

the analog nook // the Argosy Bookshop

"Bookshops have an almost universal appeal. What constitutes this appeal is hard to pin down. When you enter an art gallery or an antique shop, you see what you hope will surprise and delight you, but a bookstore does not show what it is selling. The books are like closed clamshells. It is from the collective impression, from the sight of many books wedged together on many shelves, that the mysterious good feeling comes."

–"The Book Refuge", by Janet Malcolm

recently, i read Janet Malcolm's fascinating New Yorker piece on the history and family behind the famed Argosy Bookshop, and it's too good not to share. a wonderful bookstore is like a secret door to a Dickensian world. it's a reminder of the importance of switching gears, slowing down, rediscovering one's senses, and the joys of real tactility.

is there a special place/space where you go for inspiration? what are you currently reading?

cinematic style: Thelma and Louise

the original badass babes.

inspiration: June

wear // a breezy striped tee, breton dress, and flat sandals all summer long.

inspiration: May

style + chemistry: Roman Holiday // still one of my favorite films.

in the mood for collared shirts and skirts.

travelogue // April in Japan: Tokyo

my city bag and a view of the Tokyo skyline from Shibuya

style notes: on feminism and fashion

via the epitome of quiet

"I had learned a lesson about Western culture: Women who wanted to be taken seriously were supposed to substantiate their seriousness with a studied indifference to appearance."

–Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 
"Why Can't a Smart Woman Love Fashion?"

travelogue: spring in Japan

via 

i'm so excited to go to Japan next month (hopefully in time to catch the cherry blossoms!). my bf and i will be mostly splitting our time between Tokyo and Kyoto. dear readers, please share your recommendations for favorite places / good eats / shopping!

P.S.: i'll be doing a post or two on packing for Japan soon. please chime in if you've any travel/sartorial tips as well :)