Autumn Reads: Wuthering Heights

It is autumn my friends, and high time we had a book review.  This time I thought we'd do a book that suited the spooky season, and a story of haunted love set on the bleak windswept moors seemed a fitting choice.

Every time Rifle Paper Co. releases a series of classics in hardback, I buy them and throw out my now crumbling paperbacks.  So it was with Wuthering Heights, a book I haven't read since high-school and admittedly got lost with all the names.  But the new movie came out (haven't seen it and probably won't since it was panned as being unfaithful to the story and completely awful on the costuming) at the same time as this lovely hardback edition.   So, I bought it and spent the summer reading it, among others.

Hot take on Wuthering Heights:  this story is not nearly as dirty as it's often portrayed in film.  A lot of the passion is felt or implied, but never acted upon in the book.  Cathy loves Heathcliff and says that he is so much a part of her that she is Heathcliff.  She scrawls Mrs. Catherine Heathcliff on her windowsill and bedposts, and even marries a man she loves far less in order to rescue Heathcliff from her brother's tyranny,  but there are no rolls in the hay, and certainly no corset grabbing as in the most recent film adaptation.   

I get that it's easier to show sex scenes than to portray true love and passion, but I'm afraid that's where the films often fall short.  (I did enjoy the Tom Hardy adaptation, but it wasn't perfect) Because this story is about broken people having a genuine human experience, causing more brokenness along the way,  and then their chances at life are spent.  I enjoyed the reread far more than I expected to and can finally see why this book has stood the test of time.   It is at its core a sweeping generational tragedy, not a romance and definitely not a bit of cheap smut like some of the films.  My advice on this story is stick to the book, and skip the movies.

Since we're doing a book review in this post, thought it best to bring out my book print Bernie Dexter for the occasion.

Outfit info:  Bernie Dexter Florence dress in Bookshelf print, YeMak sweater, Bait heels, vintage bag.

Hepburn Whimsical

Today's post refers not to my all-time favorite fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn.  No, this post is dedicated to Katherine Hepburn, another pioneer of style.  No, she wasn't quite couture like Audrey Hepburn; her style was tom-boyish, timeless, and absolutely darling in its own way.  The lady could wear trousers and a blouse like no other.  I was searching for some new trousers for work, I unfortunately decided to invest in several pairs of linen trousers nearly two years ago and they haven't held up well, when I came across the fall line from Banned Apparel at Modern Millie.  With a Cool Cat crop blouse and a cable knit sweater vest to top these trousers, and some burgundy T-straps below, this outfit has lots of visual interest while keeping that classic Kate silhouette.

Outfit Info:  Top, Trousers, and Vest by Banned Apparel from Modern Millie, Heels are old from ModCloth, Doll ring from Unlogical Poem

Chasing Chelsea

I bounce back and forth between wanting a small fully utilized wardrobe and absolutely adoring all my many, many clothes and the endless options they create.  In the past year I've learned something about my brain and how it works that truly has been a lightbulb, making everything make sense.  

Oddly enough this epiphany came from a podcast on home design, not fashion or neuroscience.  The guest spoke about the psychology of our homes and how the "farmhouse/ greige minimalist/hyper awareness of the resale value movement appeals to people who are overstimulated and seeking relief.  They see the bareness, simplicity as a sanctuary from the world, exactly as our homes should be.  When presented in that light, I felt rather guilty for being such a harsh critic.  

The reverse then is true for me.  Generally speaking, I find the world very understimulating.  Every spralling Midwest town looks the same, everyone in athleisure, cars all some easy to resell shade of neutral, and all my days spent in greige cement buildings under florescent lights.  So boring.   

My brain craves new, interesting, beautiful, intricate, unusual, challenging, detailed, different.  It's why I shop so much, read four books at a time, and worked three jobs at once. Even the challenge of decluttering and living on a small capsule wardrobe is tied in to that cycle of something new, the next challenge. Then I get bored. My home and my wardrobe are naturally an extension of this.  I crave the hunt of a hard to find dress, the challenge of alterations, the creative burst of styling it.  And then my brain wants to move on to the next hunt, the next challenge.   It's killer on my bank account if I'm not careful, but I've been this way my whole life; this is just how my brain works and it's unlikely to change.  However, it can be managed and knowing this about myself brings me a great deal of peace.

All of this has been a very circuitous way of saying, I've found another Bernie Dexter beauty from my ISO list.  This Chelsea dress in book print is one I almost never see pop up for resale.  I had to scour the BST groups, found a months old post, and had it shipped from another country to finally bring it home, but here she is and just in time for autumn styling.  No regrets.

Outfit Info:  Bernie Dexter Chelsea Dress in Books Print, B.A.I.T. heels, Vintage bag, Collectif Shrug

The Mother of All Unicorns!

The year was... a long time ago and an absolutely stunning Eva Franco dress released on ModCloth and while I was desperately trying to figure out how I could afford it at $325 in 20-teens dollars, this same Russian Doll dress turned up in an episode of New Girl and then sold out immediately. 

A restock came along but I still couldn't swing the price.  I found matching fabric and made an apron dress version.

 I found similar fabric and learned to sew so I could make my own version.  

And, over the years, I have kept an eye on the resale sites but each time this dress turned up the price was the same.  The dresses kept aging and getting wear, but that brand new price would. NOT. budge.

Finally.   FINALLY!  I have found the dress.  In good condition.  At a reasonable, age appropriate price.  Finally, after 10 long years of waiting in suspense, I have found the dress.  The wait is finally over; let's do this!!

Do I love the dress?  Yes, yes I do.  I had to do a little tailoring and as you can see, it's very low cut.  I've layered it with a navy blue lace cami for work and I may just find a pretty bra that goes well with it for everyday wear since it's sure to show.

But, I need to note that this fabric is the Exact. Same. Stuff. I bought in Japan.  Had I known that it was the same canvas fabric, I would probably have just made a dress from it back then. Alas, my sewing knowledge and skills were just forming and I was unsure of myself.  Ultimately, it doesn't matter, I've had fun sewing and searching for this dress, and now it's mine.  

Outfit Info:  Qupid heels are old, Matryoshka bag is old, necklace is vintage, Eva Franco Russian Doll dress is thrifted

One Skirt: Four Outfits.

In the early days of my blog, I loved to take one item, usually a dress, and style it lots of ways in a single post.  It was just as much for my benefit as it was for my readers.  I loved the creativity of digging through my closet to find things that would pair nicely and for my own curiosity to see just how many ways I could wear a single piece.  Those were the days.  I still do that with my clothes, but now it occurs more spontaneously.  I'll pull a skirt or top out and feel like mixing it up with a different cardi or shoes,etc. and a new outfit is created, but I rarely have time to stop and photograph it anymore.

Getting back to my roots, I decided to sit down and pull together a few outfits for this lovely skirt since it has so much potential and here are the results.  Frankly, I love them all, but I did feel that the cute goose cardi needed an extra photo for a close-up.

Outfit Info: Florence skirt in Navy Vegetables & Strawberry Cardigan from Palava, Goose Cardigan from Urban Outfitters, Navy Tee from Walmart, Qupid heels are old, YeMak burgundy cardigan