A Lovely Land

I am so very fortunately to reside in this lovely little city, full of adorable cottages and such from the 1930s. Among these quaint residences are also some of the finest Victorians I have laid eyes upon. These pictures are from last Autumn when the whole region was illuminated by the glory of turning leaves. Here is just a glimpse of the best of the best of my neighbor hood:

Soldier Blues - Five Days of Being Blue

Salutations,

This weekend was magnificent. I went to my moms (Again, I know. I need to stop) and did some baking and sewing and it was all grand. As a part of my weekend I went to my cousins school for a parade they held. He goes to a military college so it's mostly boys which I find sort of amazing and awesome (to a girl who goes to an art school, this is a big deal, at least) and hotdog! did they look good in their uniforms. I mean they look REALLY good. Forgive me, for sounding shallow and petty, but I am very frank about these things. Anyway, so the whole time I was just ogling the band members. I believe my favorite (a trumpet player, no less!) spotted me trying to take sneaky from-the-hip pictures...

Hunky band boys looking sharp in their wool dress coats and pants. Poor boys, it was quite toasty out that day.

I LOVE bagpipes. My cousin is going to be in the pipe band soon enough! I also really love that they wear kilts!

Happy Days Are Here Again

"The sky above is clear again" and all that jazz.

Today has been such a very good day. It was my friend Jennifer's 20th so this morning my roommate/scad bff, Tara, and I showered her with cat-covered gifts and strolled down to the theater for a meeting.

I gave her these socks, on which I embroidered little cat faces.

and this card, I made:

Yes, I know, I totally copied this concept, bow and all and that is wrong and immoral and so on, but it was way too cute and perfect for Jennifer. Forgive me.

Euphonic Earworms: Poor You AND an Outfit Post... You Lucky Dog, You

Howdy ho!

I would like to share with you a song that Emily introduced me to a while ago. From the first listen I was hooked.
I don't really know what in particular about this song and this rendition, specifically, that I love, but I think it may be one of my favorite songs. I simply love it. So, so very much. It is one of those songs that just plays over and over in my mind and I have yet to get sick of it. I love Judy Garland (not nearly as much as Emily, though. She is like the Judy Garland aficionado of the South. Or maybe just in general... I dunno) and I love how her voice sounds in this version. And the mood of it. And the composition. Just everything.

Sorry for that terrible explanation, I just cannot express my feeling well right now.
Probably be cause I'm quite hopped up on honey. "Why?" you ask. This is why:

Modern Desires: Favorite Colors

What do I want more than anything else when I shop? Colors that I love. Not just my "season" or whatever, but colors I like to surround myself with in all aspects of my life. My absolute favorite hue has pretty much always been blue, though the particular shade/tone/tint has changed with my growth. I also am very fond of most shades of green and purple, certain yellows and pinks, & deep reds. And, of course, I love ivory, black and warm browns. Interestingly enough, other than on my hair, it's very rare that I find orange appealing (flowers don't count, cos all flowers are prettyyyy.)

 So no, "Favorite Colors" is not the name of a designer or retailer, sorry if that was confusing.

Anyway, whilst internet shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding, I got side tracked (as usual) with the desire to buy a coat, despite the fact that it is a cool 78 degrees Fahrenheit (no joke, this is cool weather) right now. After having absolutely no luck on Etsy, I decided (stupidly) to check out Anthropologie's selection. PHRWOAR. I should not have done this to myself. 

Honestly, there are not a whole lot of their clothes that I love, but every so often I manage to find something. I hate them for that.

On that note I would like to state the this coat WILL BE MINE. No matter how much my pocketbook/students loans protest.  I just think, though it is not an entirely vintage style, it is really gorgeous and potentially very nice looking on  little ol' redheaded me. And I know I do not often wear hues other than cools, neutrals and occasionally red/pink, I think this coat would go along quite well with most of my wardrobe. But I don't know... Maybe there is some obvious flaw I'm missing here, due to my infatuation. Other than the price. What do you think I should do? Do I buy it or not?

Ruched Marigold Coat

 I have one pair of oxfords and I LOVE them. I wear them a lot lately since it's awkward wearing super pretty/fancy shoes to walk all over town and get my hands (and clothes and face) dirty in class. And honestly, I do not want any other pair, but I really like the blue toe and edging on these oxfords from Anthropologie. I have a thing for blue shoes (though I only have one pair, which I never wear because the heels are about 5" tall and very uncomfortable) and this is my favorite shade of blue, so I felt obligated to share them. Plus, they're just down right cute.

Moorland Oxfords

Rain, Rain Come My Way

I love rain. I love the sound of it. I love the smell of it. I love the feeling of it. I do not, however, love the way it floods homes and enlarges my hair... Other than that it may just be my favorite type of weather. Don't get me wrong, a nice warm day with some cool breezes thrown in is always a pleasure, but that it so rare I don't even dare dream of having one of those nor calling it my favorite (because then I'll be cursed, ya'know?) Unfortunately my rain gear is limited to a pair of galoshes (pictured below) and my lovely citrus print umbrella.

 I hope to someday look as smart as the folks below do in a rainy situation, but for now I'll have to suffer, I suppose.

Rain smoochin'.
See all the good things that can happen when you look nice in rain-gear?! Okay, so Im a bit of a idealist, but hey can I be blamed?

More McCall's!

Hiya folks!

I have been woefully negligent to this little corner of the internet that I so adore (the vintage blogoverse, that is) since I got to England, but I assure you (not that you were worried) that I am not failing to share any fascinating experiences - I've just been utterly drowning in work. Reading countless books, writing papers (2 due this week) projects/presentations every day, it seems. 

But no pity party here! I'm trekking through, and I will get to leave this big house, eventually. And when I do, I will try my best to remember my camera and document this country's loveliness!

Without further adieu, here are some more pictures from my university's magazine archives! Including some season-appropriate looks (if you're in the Northern hemisphere) from the mid-late 1930s. 

Kodachrome Kids

It might be getting clear to you that forties teen fashion is occupying my mind a lot lately. I remembered today that I have several color images of the students of North High School in Worcester, Massachusetts, circa 1946 that I have been wanting to share! Now, these are not  artistic photos, but more like snapshots. I found them through this flickr account and enjoy them immensely. Mainly because a) they show a more realistic side to fashion, lifestyle, and culture of the mid forties and b) they are in glorious, vivid color, which I just love! Also, these photos are a really good resource for young men/ten boy's fashion from that year, which I appreciate very much.

I'm glad that this school had at least a bit of ethnic diversity.