To Wellesley

Outside of her "dorm"

Before I stopped by Jada's in Cambridge, I went to Wellesley to celebrate my BFF from high school's birthday. At first I was a little reluctant in going because I was exhausted by last week's midterm rush before Thanksgiving but I am so utterly glad that I went. Not only did I manage to hang out with Jada afterwards, I was also able to truly catch up with my boarding school pal. As chummy as I can get with my new friends at college, there is something still quite different in talking with someone that you've known for the past five years now. She feels like family in how comfortable it is to be completely frank to her about anything, and feels reassuring that she would not judge me and only listen to me in what I have to say. Since she had to write about the history of Wellesley for class, she was able to give a comprehensive mini tour of the campus, which was both interesting and informative. Too bad she's camera shy or she would have been in some photos below. And did I mention Wellesley looks glorious in the autumn weather?

Notes from November

Jacket, Vintage. Top, stolen from Mum. Scarf, gift from friend. Pants, UO. Shoes, Doc Martens.

There isn't actually too many opportunities to wear the tweed jacket to class all that often as I'd liked. I look overdressed and stick out too much like a sore thumb in the sea of hoodies and leggings that I have given up trying to make it look more relaxed. Thankfully there was an event at the school art museum and I was able to let the jacket out to see the light of the day. I have done/seen/eaten a lot this past weekend so I thought I would just share some of my favourite things as of late in a brief recap:

• the weekend well spent with Jada in Boston/Cambridge
• the luggages from The Darjeeling Limited 
• the Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation that I finally got my hands on
• this editorial, which I find so beautiful and appropriate for the season
• the F/W '11 issue of Self Service, which I just bought and is OMFG amazing. review in the works for this :)
• surprisingly liking some pieces from the H&M x Versace collab
• this editorial, though the guy seriously needs some pants
• the soundtracks of Drive and The Hedgehog
• the new mixtape by Diana from Miss Moss, which I know she made with summer in mind, but I don't see why you cannot chill along to playlist while lying on the beds of fallen leaves, especially when the weather is unbelievably beautiful for the past few days
• the trailer to the documentary of Tom Ford and his work (it'll be amazing, don't deny it)
• Martha Marcy May Marlene (aka the Lizzy Olsen movie), which I fully intend to see over thanksgiving
• Zara's new Fall lookbook/campaign and it's made all the more awesome because it features Saskia de Brauw with whom I have fallen in love with ever since that Vogue Paris cover
• Lindsay K's awesome giveaway
• looking forward to spending thanksgiving with my roommate and having a huge bake fest–ehh not THAT kind of baking no worries ;)

Did I miss something amazing I should know about + check out? Let me know in you know where :)

The Kids Are All (Dressed) Right

 Mademoiselle Paloma - Gabriel Yared

Last week while I was watching The Hedgehog or by its original French title,  Le Herisson (2009) I couldn't help but notice, aside from the beautiful soundtrack (ugh you folks must know that was coming) and warm charming characters, the way Paloma dressed. She wears a uniform of lose denim overalls over a variation of Breton shirts à la St James. The look is classically French French, which is kind of precisely the point when much of the film is about how Madame Michel and Paloma's quiet rebellion against French social norms and expectations. Everything she wears is simple and adorable while also thoroughly age appropriate. What makes me swoon even more is how much I want to wear everything she wears in this film. Function is not sacrificed over form as Paloma looks comfortable but chic en même temps.  I highly suggest both reading the book (The Elegance of a Hedgehog) and watching the film.

Briony - Dario Marianelli

While thinking about the way children preadolescents dressed, I also suddenly remembered Briony from Atonement (2007) and what she wore in the film. Though the film was set in a wholly different time period, they share similar qualities in being rather bare with the devil in the details. She manages to look sophisticated enough to denote the upper class status of the character, yet isn't too much that she loses all innocent childish appeal. The silhouette is particularly beautiful and also suitable to the time period, and small touches like the little necklaces and the pair of Mary Janes don't go unnoticed. Although it is the green dress Keira Knightley wore that became most iconic, the basic, enchantingly sweet wardrobe of young Briony Tallis is still most memorable to me. Again both the book and the film is much recommended.