Visiting Fort Tyron and The Cloisters is the perfect escape from all the madness of Midtown Manhattan. I like all the hustle and bustle of city life but every once in awhile you need to escape it, even if only for part of a day. Kind of amazing to get on the subway in one of the busiest stations in the city and then surface in an enormous and otherworldly park less than half an hour later. Last summer I visited The Cloisters several times before now but today was my first visit this season. Where does the time go? I had wanted to see the Search for the Unicorn exhibition at The Cloisters since I first heard about it back in May and finally went to check it out today, the very last day of its installation.
Aside from all the gorgeous Medieval and Renaissance art, including statuary, tapestries, and stained glass, one of the best things about The Cloisters is all the excellent lookouts and vantage points to view the Hudson River and Fort Tyron Park. I love exploring its courtyards and terraces with their varieties of plants and flowers, many of which are labelled to explain how they were used in medieval times. Walking around, there are even moments when you almost feel you have the castle all to yourself - what a luxury to appreciate those moments! It really is such a tranquil and interesting place.
Surrounding the castle, there are countless paths to trek and discover, taking you along the River, to majestic outlooks, "secret" gardens and art installations. There are no shortage of benches to stop at or places to picnic. It really is a lovely way to spend the day and I'm so glad such a place exists within easy reach from the city.
Outfit Details:
Skirt (old) - Hortulan Pencil Skirt from Plenty by Tracy Reese, Anthropologie (similar here)
Blouse (old) - Sheer gauzy blouse with gold embroidery, thrifted/vintage (similar here)
T-shirt (old) - Pilcro, Anthropologie
Scarf (old) - Textile Museum of Canada
Shoes - Suprega in gold lame
Bag - The Stone Flower at South Street Seaport
Unicorn Necklace(old) - gold unicorn with charm, gift from my aunt (similar idea here)
Turquoise Beaded Necklace (old) - from American Eagle (similar idea here)
When I was in kindergarten and elementary school I used to get teased about having skinny legs, more often by certain relatives but occasionally other children. It annoyed me but it didn't really stop me from wearing shorts and sundresses or participating in gymnastics and dance classes. Even as a young kid I did my own thing no matter what anyone else said, and that included wearing whatever I wanted. I definitely became more hyper aware of certain remarks as I grew up and moved into adulthood which is pretty typical I think. And then of course all the noise from peers and societal preferences start pouring in, like what's on trend, is this right for my size/shape/age/coloring and all the rest of it. While I can't admit to fully being able to tune all of that out, I definitely think I managed to continue being myself and dressing how I wanted to. My point is, wear what you like because you're the one wearing it so why not like what you wear.
Today, for example, I decided to wear one of my favorite skirts. I love everything about it: the bright green, the embroidery, the shape, the material and even the length. It's also a great spring to summer to fall transitional piece. Yes, it's a little on the short side and probably according to some dumb fashion rule I shouldn't be wearing a skirt of this length at my age but honestly I could care less.
Outfit Details:
Skirt (old): Nick and Mo, purchased at Bungalow in Kensington Market (similar idea here and here)
Blouse (old): Soaring the Sea Top, Anthropologie
Testing out how different patterns look together is one of the fun things about getting dressed. This outfit actually has four different patterns playing off and complimenting one another, and that doesn't even count the bright blue tights and eyelash shoes. I've had this polka dot sundress for years and years.....since high school! I love that it still feels current and more importantly, I still enjoy wearing it. Black and white polka dots will never go out of style and what makes this dress a little unique is the smaller dots on the top with the larger dots on the bottom. The "is it a blouse and skirt or is it a dress?' effect really appeals to me. I still have the polka dot sash that goes with this dress but lately I've been adding different belts to this dress instead and using the sash with other outfits.
Yesterday I decided to pair this dress with a soft velvety tee that has a marbled or animal print type pattern. The blurred print and soft texture worked well with the more defined and bold dot print in the dress. When I got chilly, I threw on a textured white cardigan that has a softened architectural print, like a draft or blueprint, on the front and back. All of the lines in the architectural landscape contrast nicely with the other prints in this outfit. The only pops of color I added to this mostly all black and white outfit were the blue tights and the gold and red heart earrings I wore. Who ever said that black and white was boring? Not me.
Outfit Details:
Dress (old) - Guess (similar idea here and here)
T-shirt (old) - ? (similar idea here, here and here)
Cardigan (old) - Frieze Cardigan by Angel of the North, Anthropologie
Shoes - Pinch, Lash, Smidgen Flat by Loly in the Sky, Modcloth
Bow Belt - Mexx (all kinds of bow belts here)
I left for work really early this morning hoping to beat the thunder and lightening storms that were supposed to erupt but of course those never happened. I'm getting pretty tired of inaccurate weather forecasts. Oh well! I enjoyed the early morning walk though and even the steady rain. You would think the air would feel cooler with some rain but it was super humid and I was glad I decided to wear this light weight dress. To me, rainy mornings are always so much more enjoyable when I have a pair of wellies on; I especially love these cornflower blue ones by Hunter. I have to admit to twirling my umbrella a little whenever I'm walking in the rain. There's something about walking in the rain with wellies on that makes you feel like a kid again. It doesn't hurt that MoMA's Sky Umbrella has a cheery cloudscape underneath that's perfect for twirling...even on the darkest, stormiest day it's like there's a bright patch of sky right above me.
Just a quick outfit post for today. I was in crazy Monday mode so didn't bother to stop anywhere on the way to or from work to take some photos. Some days are just like that. The weather forecast keeps calling for thundershowers and I'd rather not get caught in one so that also kept me from taking a more leisurely approach. Anyways, I decided to wear Maeve's Otta dress today since I haven't worn it that much this summer. I love its bold yellow, black and white geometric pattern, the dropwaist silhouette and even the covered buttons along the side. One thing that bothers me about this dress is how much the colors have bled. I've washed it out by hand a few times and have had serious problems. I really wish designers would colorfast their garments. I still love this dress but wish I could say that it looked the same as the day I bought it.
To style it, I paired it with a simple black cardigan embellished by a white lace collar which I think shows off the geometric pattern but also plays off the vintage design. Black opaque tights help to ground the outfit and playful white flats add just enough quirky flair to keep this outfit from looking old fashioned. Yellow, black and white really is a favorite color combination of mine...there's no need to fear looking like a bumblebee if you find patterns, hues and accessories that work for you.
Photos taken in Kate Spade New York store locations: Madison Avenue Flagship (789 Madison Avenue) and SoHo (454 Broome Street)
