Weekend Reads: Links to the Strange and the Beautiful

What's on your agenda this weekend? My plan is to not have a plan, natch! The past few weekends have ended up being a bit stressful for various reasons. I hope this weekend will be low-key...

• I 'plan' to: eat a nice, healthy meal at The Local Table, and do some *light* reading [I've been obsessively pouring over all of Alexandra Stoddard's books].

• I hope to: be able to spend several hours lounging around with my boyfriend and relaxing...maybe by the pool.

• I need to: decide whether or not I can make a trip to NYC in August -- my birthday and my sister's birthday [she lives in Brooklyn] are both in August and we usually try to be together...

• I wish: I had cable, so I could watch "True Blood" -- everyone is talking about it, and I feel so out-of-the-loop!

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Here are some links I've loved this week -- hope you love them, too:

♥ Wonderful, albeit slightly creepy animated videos of poets "reciting" their works at Poetic Oneirism.

♥ Another fabulous book list, this time from Paul Pincus [a man of exquisite taste]

♥ Lovely illustrations of American women authors by Alicia Traveria

♥ A stunning selection of vintage shoes at 1860-1960


♥ Gender reversals of famous literary works by artists Daniela Comani

♥ Top 2009 perfume picks so far on 1000 Fragrances


♥ Telling Tales is an incredible design exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum

♥ Two gorgeous men, bringing their own Street Etiquette to the world of fashion.

“We go to a book as Narcissus went to the fountain, see ourselves therein, and are enamored”

It's been ages since I've done a full-on book wish list, and my birthday is creeping up, so I figured it was time! As Belle and Sebastian say, "Our aspirations are wrapped up in books..." Or, at least mine are at the moment. Here are some beauties I'm dying to add to my already-crowded coffee table:

The Sartorialist [#1 on my list right now!] by Scott Schuman

Sharp Suits by Eric Musgrave

Victorian Design from the Crystal Palace Exhibition edited by Carol Belanger Grafton

Japanese Fashion by Toby Slade

The Swimsuit by Sarah Kennedy

The History of Compacts and Cosmetics by Madeleine Marsh

Symbolism by Norbert Wolf

20th Century Fashion Ads by Heimann and Nieder

Things You Never Knew You Needed Until Now...

Original portrait by Paola Zakimi

School Girl Dress-Up doll by Mimi Kirchner

Primitive Pantry Boxes by The Broken House

Wood iPhone docking station by Woodtec

Old-fashioned bicycle light box by Munstre

Taxidermy accessories from Reid Peppard

French notebooks from Urban Outfitters


Deco brass skeleton key necklace by Urban Heirlooms

Melissa Joy Manning Ring

Pearl River Cotton/Gauze printed jacket

Confessions of an [Imperfect] Fashionista

This was a fun tag that Airam at Lost in a Spotless Mind challenged me [and you] to do. So I'm passing it on and challenging you to write eight fashionable confessions of your own, put them in a post and dare to be imperfect -- I tag every single person who’s read this post! Let me know if ye be cowards or heroes!

♥ I will often buy cheap accessories and undergarments just so I can spend more money on clothes and shoes. Forever 21, here I come...
♥ I am not high-maintenance when it comes to my hair! I often procrastinate when it comes to cutting and coloring it.

♥ I get so tired of my clothes, so quickly! Even if I splurge on a designer piece...I still get tired of it!

♥ The recession has definitely made me more cautious about spending money...so, I've become a little addicted to shopping on auction sites for good deals.


♥ I rarely use sunscreen on a day-to-day basis...I know it is bad, because I have pale skin, but I just can't get over the smell and greasy feel.


♥ For some reason I really hate it when people wear running shoes [unless they are getting ready to run or just back from a run]. Ok, I WILL admit that these vintage Nike's are kinda-sorta cute...


♥ I love over-the-top, glamorous, fanciful, eccentric fashion...but most of the time, I just stick with the basics. Though I wouldn't mind sporting this Christian Dior to the next party I attend...


♥ I tend to use a lot of perfume. I guess I'm not very sensitive to other people's noses -- I figure if it smells good to me, everyone must want to smell it!

Merci, Paris

As if I needed yet another reason to return to Paris, the recent opening of Merci, a charming new large-scale department store in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement, has me ready to throw caution to the wind and hop a plane ASAP. Merci's expansive warehouse space mingles dining, shopping, and lounging areas: it houses a flower shop, an Annick goutal perfumerie [my favorite!], a health-food restaurant, a second-hand book shop, and clothing showrooms featuring designer pieces [by designers such as Stella McCartney and YSL] sold at -- get this -- manufacturer's cost! All of this is punctuated by original art, sculpture, and furniture made specifically for the store. The most impressive thing about the whole endeavor, however, is that after paying overhead, all of the proceeds from Merci go to run a co-op for women in Madagascar. The owners, Marie-France and Bernard Cohen [the founders of the French label Bonpoint], aim to build a workshop for the women, “to give them style and patterns, materials and colors, to help them make items to sell in the markets and then maybe internationally.” Beautiful and ethical? This is an idea I can only hope we will see continue to grow. Merci, Paris!