Sleepy Hollow Country

 

My cousin visited me in NYC for a couple of days but we managed to pack in a lot of adventures into a short amount of time. We both love Halloween and it is the season of ghosts and goblins, so we visited some places perfectly suited to this spirited time of year: The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, Sleepy Hollow/Washington Irving's grave, and the Jekyll and Hyde Restaurant. The train ride out along the Hudson Valley is an event in itself.  Coming home into the city at night after the Blaze I kept looking out the window of the train, catching glimpses of half shadows and reflections on the water and could almost picture the headless horseman galloping through the marshy landscape. Of course, the drunk party-goers in the car behind ours sort of marred my imagining of what this area must have been like during Washington Irving's time. After the last couple of days, I'm definitely now in the mood for more Halloween fun! I love this time of year!

Outfit Details:

Dress (old): Anthropologie

Long sleeve top (very old): ?

Scarf (old): Anthropologie

Trench coat (old): Betsy Johnson

Skeleton pumpkin head earrings: Philipsburg Manor, Tarrytown

Necklace: random beads on chain

Hat (old): Anthropologie

Boots (old): John Fluevog

Bag (old): H&M

Turn the Channel

This weekend flew by but there are a lot of things I'm looking forward to this week so I have no complaints. It was sort of dreary out today but I liked it. I'm finding myself longing for a true autumn day.  Uncharacteristically, I ended up wearing black and white from head to toe today (and to add to the uncharacteristic ensemble, I wore pants!). 

If you look closely you'll notice polka dots (on the pants), bunnies (on the shirt), and a bow (on the jacket) so not really as dark or as urban as this outfit might first appear.  It's funny but lately I've been drawn to some clothing items that are definitely out of comfort zone, like plaid skinny denim pants and a black lace blouse. I'm still a sucker for bright colors and twirly dresses, but it's good to mix things up. 

It's interesting how when you wear something different from what you usually do it can have such an impact on your outlook. I definitely feel like I'm in disguise or something when I put on clothes that fall outside my usual style. In all things I think it's important to find ways to extend beyond one's comfort zone and to see things from different perspectives.  While pushing styling limits may seem insignificant compared with other aspects of life, I still think it's a good test. Tapping into new styles stretches creativity and really makes one reflect on personal style preferences.  Clothes are more than things we wear, they are messages and reflections of ourselves.  And while we all may have a message we choose to project more often, it's nice to switch the channel every now and then.

Outfit Details:

Pants (old): AG Stevie Polka Dot (I actually purchased these from Lord and Taylor but their link is now longer active; you can find a lot of AG Stevie polka dot denim on Ebay right now)

Shirt (old): Banter Tee, Anthropologie

Jacket: Nanette Lepore via Ebay

A Dress for All Seasons

With the weather 80F plus the last few days, it's hard to believe it's October. The cooler mornings along with stacks of pumpkins and autumnal mums throughout the city, however, signal that autumn is really here. Once again I've been pretty terrible at snapping any outfit photos or writing any posts this week. This was the only outfit photo I managed during the work week.  

I usually try to hold off on the long sleeve layers under dresses until later in the season but it has been chilly in the office so I've been dressing extra warm; I actually popped on a long sleeve ruffled beige sweater shortly after I got to work.   I thought the addition of my turquoise Fluevog shoes was a fun touch. It never fails that every time I wear a pair of Fluevog's I get approached by some fellow Canadians - love it!

The dress I wore yesterday is one which I consider to be a four seasons dress.  The browns and golds are very autumnal but the pops of turquoise and purple remind me of spring or summer. It's one of the easier dresses to layer and mix and match with. A lace short sleeve blouse under the dress in the summer or a pastel cardigan in the spring and you're all set. In the fall and winter I like to add neutrals to the mix with the pops of color appearing in the accessories I choose, and I love playing with textures. Metallics go very well with this dress and warm the look up even more in the winter months.  Gotta love a dress that holds its own all year long.

Outfit Details:

Dress (old): Anthropologie

Long sleeve black shirt (old): from dance store

Shoes (old): John Fluevog

Necklace (old): from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons

Earrings (old): ?

Going Medieval

(close up of skirt)

I've always been drawn to Medieval and/or Renaissance Festivals; in fact any chance to "travel back in time" or become lost in another time/place is alright with me.  When I found out about the Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park last year I was pretty excited to check it out. Fort Tryon Park, setting for The Cloisters, feels pretty timeless to begin with but pepper it was tents full of fanciful items, costumed characters, and the sounds and smells of another time, and it takes on a life of its own. The Medieval Festival only takes place for one day so I'm happy that I was able to make it back for a second year. The weather was perfect, unlike last year when I ended up getting completely drenched.  Rain or shine, it's always fun to leave the modern world behind for a little while and get swept up in an idealized version of the age of chivalry. I have to say that one of the highlights for me is the train ride to The Cloisters....hilarious seeing the cars packed with knights, princesses, magicians, and all sorts of nobility, mythical creatures and medieval townsfolk. 

The "one minute it's warm and the next it's cool" weather this time of year always makes getting dressed a little complicated in my opinion as I mentioned yesterday's post so again I found myself wearing a bunch of light layers. I may not have wore a medieval costume but I felt like my outfit fit the setting, and I was probably a lot more comfortable than anyone who was in full costume.  Speaking of costumes, I was very tempted by some of the lovely costumes, headdresses and jewelry at the festival; Medieval and Renaissance Festivals always have the best artisans but from past experiences a Merlin necklace, flower chain hairpiece or a long flowing cloak doesn't seem so practical the next day.

Outfit Details:

Pants (old): Dex

Blouse (old): thrifted/vintage

Grey T-shirt: Perfect Fit Tee, J Crew

Skirt (old):  thrifted/vintage

Jacket: Nanette Lepore via Ebay

Bag (old): Betsy Johnson

Summer/Fall Outfit Mashup

I've been a terrible blogger this past week...I mean you kind of need to blog to be a good blogger. The last post I wrote was a week ago today. The week just got away from me I guess. I'm also finding the extra layer of clothing (necessary for cooler mornings) makes stopping for outfit photos a little challenging since taking a coat/sweater off (and then putting it back on again) is a bit of production on NYC's busy sidewalks. Summer's leisurely pace has also been replaced with 'full speed ahead' fervor. Excuses, excuses...I'll try to do better this week.

Yesterday I went over to Dumbo to check out the Dumbo Arts Festival. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny and warm day. Visiting Dumbo is always fun but even better when everywhere you look there's some art either installed or being performed.  I loved all the colorful balloon people roaming the streets, and the different vistas all the mobile art presented.  It's funny how an inflatable pink pony completely changes the way you view a graffiti lined street or an empty parking lot.

After Dumbo, I stopped in at Bryant Park to check out the Taste of France Festival that was happening.  My favorite part was seeing all the adorable French Bulldogs! So cute and such great personalities!

As far as outfits go, yesterday's was a complete mash-up. This time of year getting dressed is always a bit complicated because you can be cold one minute and hot the next.  Saturday morning I put most of my 'only for summer' dresses away but I left out some of my lighter dresses that I consider almost seasonless if layered properly. The blue swissdot sundress I'm wearing in these photos will probably be packed away in a couple more weeks but with the weather still on the warm side I'm keeping it in circulation for now. This dress is a little subdued/can be a little boring so accessories are key. I added a pair of  patterned tights and a fun scarf to give this dress a more urban vibe, and I think the combination of colors worked out well. By the sounds of it, we are in for several more warm days so there'll be plenty more opportunities to experiment with combining lighter summer layers with some fall accessories. 

Outfit Details:

Dress (old): Esmee Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, Anthropologie

Tights (old): Blue and Green Space Dye Tights, Anthropologie

Scarf: Runway We Go Scarf, Modcloth

Always Tea Time

Since moving to NYC almost two years ago I've tried to get a table at Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side about four times but every time the wait was over an hour and for one reason or another I didn't end up waiting. (They only take reservations for groups of six or more).  Last time a friend and I attempted to stop in we decided to go some place else for lunch because it was too cold outside to be wandering around aimlessly while we waited for a table and there's not really enough room inside to wait. So I was pretty excited when a couple of friends and I made plans to finally go check this place out today.  We still had to wait but the weather is pretty perfect right now so passing the time was pleasant.

Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland has long been a favorite book of mine and I do love a good theme (I know, such a dork...) so I didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity to wear my teacup dress and don a few other Alice inspired items for this occasion. One of the newest additions to my Alice in Wonderland assemblage is a gorgeous book clutch I purchased from Novel Creations. I absolutely love it!  Even the way it came packaged was delightful, complete with a red seal heart and a lovely thank you note from the creator. Karen, the owner/creator of Novel Creations, is very responsive if you have any questions about ordering a book purse and when I asked about the antiqued handles she assured me that it would be the perfect choice....and they were! Going to Alice's Tea Cup was the perfect inaugural excursion for this little book purse.  

And tea at Alice's Tea Cup was worth the wait! Such a fun place and I had great company to share the experience with.  Also, I forgot how calming a cup of tea can be. I used to drink tea pretty regularly but only have it on rare occasions now, but I might start making it a part of my daily routine from now on or at least making time on the weekends to enjoy a leisurely cup. Now if only I could find a tea that was as tasty and as pink as what I enjoyed today :)

Outfit Details:

Dress (old): Sugar and Cream Dress, Anthropologie

Cardigan (old): Seashell Cardigan, Anthropologie

Tights (old): Hue Sheer Dot Tights (metal)

Boots (old): John Fluevog Adriana Nuni Boots

Purse: Novel Creations, Etsy

Hair Band: from Hefter Collection Luxe Hair Accessories, Hazelton Lanes, Toronto

Teacup Charm Necklace (old): Purchased from Etsy awhile ago and can't remember the exact store, but similar version here