beach buys

Next weekend we are taking a much needed vacation to Charleston for four days of nothing but sand and sea.  The trip has been the only thing keeping me going through several difficult months. I'm already on the lookout for what the next "thing to look forward to" will be, but in the meantime I've been stocking up on a few summer essentials, and eyeing some summer not-so-essentials...

A simple suit that seems perfect for sunbathing or a seaside game of boules. From J Crew - bonus, it's on sale...

The original, giant, lasts-through-anything, heavy-weight, stands-up-on-its-own perfect tote. Seagrass bags are lovely and there are always an endless array of soft colorful printed totes for hauling your goods to the beach, but in my mind, nothing beats this LL Bean classic, with or without zipper for lugging around everything you need for trips to the beach, market or picnics in the park. If you're feeling preppy, there's always the classic monogram option, or you could opt for something a little different; MIA, AWOL or D.'s suggestion, WTF

Light-weight loose cotton shorts that are easy-going and comfortable. They look sweet and effortless rolled up and far less fussy than 3" cut offs. From Lands End Canvas.

I completely adore these wrap hook bracelets from Miansai by Michael Saiger. They come in a variety of leathers with silver, gold, rose gold or enamel hooks.  For girls or guys, I find them to be the perfect beach accessory - also love his anchors.

A real book - because the beach is no place for iPads. I'm looking forward to digging into this Pulitzer nominated piece by Karen Russell about a family that runs a gator theme park. Swamplandia, on Amazon. 

The perfect peasant blouse; light and breezy for layering over a bikini or dressing up with dangly earrings and a top knot for a night out. From Anthropologie.

Bensimon sneakers - either elastiques or lacets. Because they're what a French girl would wear to the beach. Right, Joanna?

A stack of Turkish towels in sea-inspired shades.  They're more absorbent and much more beach bag-friendly than a bulky terry cloth towel. These are from Grandinroad, but BathStyle and All Organic Textiles on Etsy carry a huge variety of beautiful options.

Vinyl pouches keeps essentials dry, sand-free and easy to find at the bottom of the beach bag. I like these streamlined clear bags from the Container Store -but my first choice would always be one of the Mexican floral variety.

Although I am nothing short of obsessed with this giant cowboy/sun hat mash up, something like this packable, crushable version makes more sense. I have this one, and it does the trick.

The most delicious smelling sunscreen that makes tanned legs look shimmery and sleek. Bain de Soleil - available on Amazon.

Plenty of back issues to peruse on the beach. This cover from a few months before I was married happens to be my very favorite. The New Yorker.

My favorite ever lip balm in a new sun-kissed summery coral shade. Sugar, by fresh available at Sephora.

Finally, classic sandals made for the sea. Incredibly inexpensive saltwater sandals look just like the pair you had when you were five and promise to hold up to a whole summer's worth of wearing. 

Are there beach plans in your summer travels? 

Couples

A few months ago in New York, D and I saw the Cindy Sherman retrospective at MoMA with my fam. It is the new version of an earlier show I saw and loved while studying abroad in Paris what feels like so many years ago. The show was great and her powers of transformation, especially in her most recent socialite series, staggering. Was thinking about her when I came across this series by photographer Nacho Rojo and His girlfriend called "couples."

In addition to the more extreme changes of costumes, hair and makeup, I love the subtle pursing of the lips or tilt of the chin that creates a whole new character.

Civil War Sub

Did you know that there were submarines in the Civil War? In fact this submarine, the Hunley was the first submarine to ever sink an enemy ship ship? In this case, it was the Housatonic, which the Hunley sank off the coast of Charleston in 1864 before sinking itself.

The wreckage was discovered in 1995 and raised shortly after with a steel truss that was just removed. These pics are from National Geographic - can you believe how small it was? I can't imagine squeezing into the four foot diameter hull and turning the crankshaft that powered the vessel with seven other crewmen.

k-i-s-s-i-n-g

Another love-themed post! What do you think of these pictures by photographer, Marta Soul? I had bookmarked these a while ago and just stumbled on them again and love them more then ever. The series is called "Idilios" which Marta says is the Spanish word for romances, and in them a red-headed protagonist (at least I feel she's the protagonist) smooches a wide-variety of men in settings and costumes that perfectly capture the moment. They're sort of like peering into a movie still at the "happily-ever-after" moment, or at least that's what you might think if you only saw one!

In her analysis of the series, Marta says: 

The kiss is the main act and the only one, a symbol of the stereotyped romantic situation. Immediate satisfaction is found in the kiss. It begins and ends the entire narrative scene and is the iconographic element of the image. What the red-headed star of the series does is consume that moment as fully as possible 

Yes, it is all about consuming. The man appears as the woman’s partenaire: he is just one more element, not a co-star, and therefore he changes with the setting. The action is dehumanised to some extent by this reiteration of instants that give priority to light, luxury and form over emotions. Constant renewal seems to be the only path to reach our ideal, which is perhaps more in line with an advertising slogan than with any other belief. 

The reflection in this work originates in trying to understand how we integrate our emotions into a consumer lifestyle in which everything has to be attractive yet has an expiry date because there is a constant search to change for something better. 

Not perhaps the "happily-ever-after" we first imagined - but a series of perfectly styled surroundings that overtake the human connection at the center of the frame. The fact that these perfectly styled surroundings also happen to be the best sort of mid-century only adds to their appeal in my book (and reminds me that Mad Men is coming back soond!)

If you're liking this - check out more of Marta's work on her site - or read her interview with My Modern Met about this series.

wall dressing

These origami dresses made from reproductions of vintage maps are pretty cool - and surprisingly big! I imagine them framed in large shadow boxes - a definite statement piece! By Annex who also has tons of cool accessories and homegoods from photo scarfs to brightly colored ceramics.

Map of a woman's heart

With Valentine's day not such a distant memory- I wanted to share this crazy illustration "The Open Country of A Woman's Heart," dating from 1833-1842  by "A Lady" or more likely, a man.

You can click on the image or here for a larger version... and in a random turn of events, a print is available on my favorite print site ever, 20 x 200 - but I'm not so sure this is what your lady friend would like as a valentine...

Note the Satin Plains in the large Love of Dress region split by the Jewelry Inlet.... Also fond of the rivers of Willful Waste, Novel Reading and Pensive Musings. I guess we should be glad it's not a map of the brain?