Edwardian Lawn Dresses

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin." --Coco Chanel, April 29, 1939


I have been obsessed with these dressed for a long time now. They epitomize femininity. There really is nothing so delicate and serene as Edwardian lawn (or tea) dresses. And I love that they're called that! The name completes the picture. I want to be walking across a green summer lawn to a shaded table sweetly laid with tea and scones, and a gaggle of dear friends while our men (equally in white) play tennis nearby. I would have a name like Lucy Honeychurch or Anne Shirley and we'd whisper together about risqué topics while our prudish mothers looked on from the wrap-around porch.

Hudson's Bay Point Blanket

So I spent two years in Canada while I was getting my masters and to me there is nothing more iconically Canadian (except perhaps the maple leaf) than the Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket. I never did own one but it is a life goal (they are three-hundred some dollars).

I love icons, or things that I can buy that symbolize an experience. In my opinions these are the best kinds of souvenirs--like another favorite Canadian (or rather Québécois) icon of mine, the ceinture fléchée or arrow sash. It kind of just screams Quebec.

Apparently textiles are sort of my thing.

I recently bought a scarf from HBC in the style of their woolen Point Blanket (they have loads of stuff with the same design) and I completely adore it! These aren't even my colors and there's loads of cream, which I typically loathe. But you can't mess with something that has been popular since 1780 (when they were used in the fur trade).

Just looking at this thing makes me want snow, a cabin, a fire, a hot guy, and this blanket.

Pie

Growing up, pie was my least favorite desert. Probably because my dad, who suffers from adult picky eater disorder, always liked my genius of a baker mother to just make pies with store bought filling (the horror!). But then a few years ago someone gave her a pie recipe book and I flipped through it over Christmas. For some reason I thought it would be cool to make a different pie every week for a year. So I did. Yeah, I'm that cool. Thankfully at the time I had five roommates (half of which were boys) so I didn't gain any extra weight that year. But it was super fun experimenting with weird ingredients and learning about thickening agents and perfect crusts. I have so many lovely memories of pie making now--like collecting salmonberries in an old growth forest in Vancouver with good friend, experimenting with pineapple pie filling on a date, or surprising a loved one with a cup pie to take for lunch.

During that times pies suddenly became super popular. Not unlike cupcakes and woopie pies (totally overrated in my opinion). One of my all-time favorite shows was on the air--Pushing Daisies was about a really hot pie-maker. And then the charming movie, Waitress, came out. And I was even more inspired. 

Here are some of my favorites:

• Salmonberry Pie
• Pear, Cranberry Camembert Pie
• Butternut Squash Pie
• Rosewater/Coconut Mousse Pie
• Peaches & Cream Pie
• Popover Apple Cranberry Pie

"Hero Piece"

So lately, after much goading, I've been watching that 2009-2010 television series, Dollhouse. I'm really enjoying it! Even if it is kind of the poor man's Alias. There is an episode where they do the back-story of one of the dolls, Sierra, played by the ethereal Dichen Lachman. Without going into too much detail, Sierra (or rather, Priya--her real name) is an artist who sells her paintings on Venice Beach. She is commissioned by the douche-bag who played Billy in Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion to do a large piece for him as his way of trying to get into her pants. 

Anyway, none of this really has anything to do with this beautiful painting other than that it was the medium through which I discovered it. The true artist is a woman called Brooke Reidt and I wish to God that she had prints available for less than $180! Because I am totally in love with her work. The painting featured on Dollhouse is called "Hero Piece" and I just love the lines, and the colors, and the depth. It's a bit bittersweet to me. Like rebirth.

Can I get a dress in this print?

(*Update: I totally bought it)

Abstract Print Clothing

Okay, I know that this look is getting a bit old, (by fashion industry standards) but I am still in love! If I remember correctly abstract prints first started hitting mall stores in early 2010. Or at least that is when I started noticing them. For the longest time I hated contemporary art. HATED IT! But for some reason art museums have really grown on me, and while I'll always love classic portraits and landscapes, I finally opened myself up to abstract works (especially watercolors!). Richard Diebenkorn, Pol Ledent, and Mark Rothko are a few favorites--and I would gleefully wear their art on a silky dress. To have a color print option that is not floral is what I love most. Abstract prints are fun, cosmopolitan, and there's usually so many colors in them that they will match almost anything. Florals kind of make me feel like a little girl or a home-school mom*.

*I feel really guilty for hating** on that seamstress.
**Did I just use "hate" as a verb? Ugh.