inspiration

  

giving thanks

Thanksgiving was, per usual, full of family, warmth, wine, and good food. I've come a long way since last year, and as such, can safely say that this thanksgiving the food was much more enjoyable than last year's. There is something really comforting about the fact that while everyone in my family grows older, the recipes and tastes stay the same... oh, and the fact that no matter how old the younger cousins get,our table is still called the kids table.

Everyone has the same expectations, and the same anticipation, which always makes a really wonderful meal. I always look forward to Aunt Lori's brined turkey breast, mom's stuffing, the sweet potato casserole , and most importantly, the french rolls from Wheatley Bake Shop .

We celebrated my sister's 21st birthday over carrot cake. Another landmark in the Gherardi/Farrell family.

I was thankful for a lot of things this year, particularly for the ability for myself and certain family members to endure and survive the past five years. And the quest to find my voice and to open my heart. And the entrance of new faces in my life-- people who I know and want to be good friends for life.  Thankful for the mistakes I made with certain people this past year, and knowing I have the ability to continue having hope in my heart and letting go at the same time.

 Then there are always the smaller things that make these big things possible, like good songs , and hobbies, living in this crazy city, my cozy apartment, living as comfortably as I can, and knowing that a new dream or adventure is right around the corner...

Back to the city it was, and it only gets crazier from here. Black Friday was insane but I scored these shoes by Toga, which oh yeah, I'm thankful for too...

evidence: crawling tubs and iced porches

   

moonchild

years, and years, and years gained

November 12th 2009 was my little sister's twenty first birthday. It is so remarkable how quickly time goes by; for I feel that only yesterday she was but eight years old, with two blonde pigtails and hyper hyper hyper. My parents and I took a drive from New York all the way to Boston, where we spent the weekend with the now legal C.F..

Any sort of movement is good, and change was necessary for me last week. To get away from the city was a long fresh breath, a well-needed step back...

If it is one thing I realized, it is that little has changed over the past ten, even twenty years when it comes to the way I see things from the inside out. Meaning: Do we ever truly feel like we have grown up?

Part of me thinks that the things we gain in knowledge leads to maturity-- and maturity is nothing but, as the years go by, layers which shield our innocent internal, so very alive child from the harsh and cold world.

On another front, we of course spent an hour or so shopping, where I found a few goodies for bargained prices (naturally):

 ann demeulemeester

d&g

unknown japanese brand

november's favorite things

1. the family jewels- 130 w 23rd street, nyc ny, 10011 - When I'm up in the chelsea area, I always make a point to sift through the extensive collection of vintage at The Family Jewels. You'll find some designer, but it's mostly pretty unique and fun pieces from the late 50's through early 80's which I love to incorporate into my wardrobe. Definitely worth the trip above 14th street.

 

2. Brahms - I have always been partial to Brahms' Intermezzo in A Op 118 No. 2, and perhaps to love it as much as I do is a bit cliche for those who are fans of Brahms. I don't care much about that. There is just something about the song's progression, movements, and chords that resonates in me. It reminds me of age, about the passing of time, about the changing of seasons. I've taken the time to try to learn it... and have been able to learn the first movement, somewhat successfully, at least. The thing is, I could listen to his intermezzos all day... and I do whenever I have the chance.

3. Mackenzie Childs - Building and decorating a home for myself has meant searching high and low for "the perfect" and "most fitting" items to decorate with, and the most appropriate pictures to be inspired by.  Being that my home while growing up was filled with Mackenzie Childs items, I tried to steer clear of this sort of look. I guess you could say that I couldn't help myself.  It's your farmhouse decor gone crazy, and I love it! Where else can you get a taffeta, grosgrain, and satin striped tuffet with multicolor tassels?

4. Sea of Shoes - I only wish the best for this one. Jane Aldridge certainly has a sure grasp on her personal style. This, combined with impeccable taste (particularly when it comes to her choice of shoes) and a cool photographic presentation makes a powerhouse of a blog.  I love looking at her posts, and I am always intrigued to watch the steps she takes in the fashion industry.

5. Whole Foods' Mom's Chicken Soup!

26B Chronicles

meghan farrell

 

the dark crystal and dolly dearest

Rodarte has been a name on the tip of my tongue lately. Since sisters Kate and Laura Mullaevy's line won the 2009 CFDA award for Womenswear Designer of the Year,  interest and demand for the line has most certainly escalated.  To own a Rodarte piece is like owning a piece of art: for the time, skill, hand craftsmanship, and heart that goes into each garment is evident by a single glance. Each piece is magical.

The girls always seem to do it right. Details like the sharpie-drawn body art in their most recent Spring 2010 collection was an amazing innovative complementary touch. The color palettes and mixture of colors within their pieces always seem to resonate a really edgy and beautiful feel. The materials of choice used to weave their signature knits provides a depth and individuality that makes each piece so special. Their introduction of dolls outfitted in garments inspired by prior collections (see above - available at Colette Paris) was genius.

Most recently, their jewelry collaboration with Mark Walsh and Leslie Chin sparked my interest. We received the pieces at Opening Ceremony just a few weeks ago. The settings are all made in Walsh's and Chin's studio in Paris, and the glass used in the pieces is in fact glass from the 1930's. The cuff bracelet reminds me of a terrarium... there is definitely a raw earthy feel to these pieces.

available at Opening Ceremony

Upon research, I found Mark Walsh and Leslie Chin's own line to be extremely solid. Being that my own interest in the industry lies mainly in jewelry design and fabrication, I am intrigued by designers that find new methods to make or present their work. This duo's innovation is wonderful. 

available at Colette Paris

glowing fingertips and parted hair 

woven to the threads of the keeper of youth

who so delicately presses the palm onto scalp

firing words of miracles 

chanting repetitions of truth

it's finally here

                        

"A wind has blown the rain away...

      ... and blown the sky away 

... and all the leaves away, 

and the trees stand. 

                         

                          

     I think, I too, have known Autumn too long."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                       

e.e. cummings

getting lost, picking up the pieces

Writing, I guess, has always been a part of my life. Journals have always been something I have kept, in one form or another, but somehow all sense of this was lost in the past year. So has my sense of person. Words have been lost, and opportunities to expel them from my being are now seem like sorry causes-- however, I wish to regain them, reclaim them, engulf them...
My good intentions seem to constantly get lost in the city's sounds and cold people. Dreams seem... now clouded instead of vibrant and at hand. Perhaps that is why I have been at a loss for words for so long. The soul quite literally must rip the desire, the passion, out of the body-- for it appears that with age and time, new perspectives are abound. As our age changes, progresses upwards and forwards, a newly rendered mind emerges. An adult mind, a skeptical mind. A mind on the defense, which quite skillfully and subconsciously defends the person from physical and most importantly emotional pain. A mind that rejects, refuses, and is quite stubborn; sometimes more so than a child. A mind that meets nearly everything with fear and trepidation, which combined makes resistance. As time ticks onwards, so do our priorities. For the longer we wait, new opportunities emerge. Opportunities that we must take, opportunities that better ourselves and our lives. Opportunities that may be wonderful, however, not necessarily passions.
The heart and ones passions suddenly seem secondary.

In the past year I have watched the people I love not follow their hearts but rather act and make decisions based solely on survival. I still have dreams, and I still have ideals. To give oneself the allowance to dream, the allowance to chase a dream suddenly seems to mean that we must defy the laws of physics. This means we must fight a battle. A long, hard battle to defy the odds and rebel from comfort.

A well trusted true blue friend told me last night over chicken dumplings and corn soup that the price of success in many instances is loneliness. Four months ago an acquaintance bid me farewell with the simple phrase "I hope you find what you are looking for." It was quite clear to me that the statement resonated within his person as well. Searching constantly, I am, and in fear. But who isn't? It's my opening of doors and not letting people in that is the problem.

Let's dive through this MF.