…get these to me quick!
I desperately need some nice flat sandals. The only summer shoes I have now are wedges, that are a few years old and cheap to begin with, and flip flops. I didn’t want something plain and boring though. These Ranunculus sandals won me over because of their polished whimsy. They look like they will go with pretty much any color and the footbed looks a little softer than your typical sandal. I also like that they have a tiny bit of a heel. Completely flat shoes kill me.
The Clinging Blossom cardigan has been on my wishlist forever. I have a winter weight grey cardigan that I wear to death, so I have been looking for a grey spring cardigan. I was a bit hesitant on this sweater because it looks a little boring but sometimes the boring pieces are the ones you wear again and again. I haven’t tried this one but Kim from Anthroholic was kind enough to advice me on sizing, thanks Kim!
I have been reading like mad lately. In the last couple months I’ve bought or checked out from the library:
London: The Biography
Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe
Art: Paintings, Sculpture, Artists, Styles, Schools
How to Read a Painting: Lessons from the Old Masters
How to Read a Modern Painting: Lessons from the Modern Masters
Symbols and Allegories in Art (Guide to Imagery Series)
A Yank Back to England: The Prodigal Tourist Returns
Notes from a Small Island
London and Barbarians are on hold because they are a little slow honestly. All the art book were good, I haven’t read Symbols and Allegories yet. I started Yank to England last night and Bryson’s Notes from a small island was quite good and funny. I decided I wanted to revisit some classic literature. I have several books by Dickens and Austen boxed up under my house but I’ve always wanted a nice hardcover collection. These canvas covers are sold at Anthropologie, Roxy posted about them ages ago and I remember envying her lovely little books all lined up. I rediscovered them on Amazon last week. The set has some great titles and at only $13 each it seemed like a great place to start my collection. I order Great Expectations
and Sense and Sensibility
It’s been a long time since I’ve read the classics and last time I don’t think I got the full depth of them. I ordered How to Read Literature Like a Professor
I was pretty much done shopping for the next couple weeks. I was contemplating hitting the MAC counter soon but that’s it, honest! Then Gilt decided to have a Seychelles sample sale. I’ve been eyeing the Vaudeville Pump
I love that Vaudeville pump! And I feel very bittersweet that they don’t make Sychelles in my size. $45 is a steal, lucky you! It’s nice to know that someone is rocking those.
Just a FYI, I posted this in your earlier MU post, but Mac has free overnight shipping today only (6/7) with the code MACMONDAY. You prob. already know that, but wanted to post it just in case!
Those special edition covers are just beautiful, it’d be nice to have a set. I remember being forced to read some of those “classics” in high school, but now that I’m older realize that a lot of these books’ meanings were probably lost on the young me.
The art books sound interesting – part of me is sad that art is sometimes so inaccessible that you must read a book or take a class to give it more meaning, but another part of me is okay with that. I love going to museums and learning about the modern movements, which a lot of the time aren’t as solidly represented or explained as older movements IMHO. Out of curiosity, what does that Modern Masters book say about Edward Hopper (whose painting is on the cover)?
Hi Diana- The MAC free ship is very tempting! I have a counter just 30 minutes from me though, so I think I’ll hold out until I am in town next.
I know what you mean, it’s sad that I feel the need to read a book to appreciate art more. Having been to the Louvre and a couple other amazing Euro museums I feel a total void back home. I can’t just go out and see these works of art and contemplate them. We have a museum in the city of course but it is so small. So I am revisiting some of the things I saw on our vacaction through books. There are so many allegories in the older paintings and I was not too familiar with biblical and greek myth characters that are represented again and again. I wish I had read these books prior to our vaca. Oh well we will revisit some day.
I do agree that modern art is not represented as well in books. I think the older art is easier to study because it always pictured things and people that represented something specific. Seems like modern art really needs to be experienced. It’s so much about color and sometimes space. Of course seeing any art irl is enormously different that seeing a pic of it in a book.
Anyway! The Modern masters books talks about specific paintings, usually 2 pages per piece, and includes a little background on the artist. It says that Hopper was advised by his teacher to look at theatre for ways of framing a painting. That theatricality is obvious in Hoppers work but it is not clear how much he was influenced by cinema or if it’s that film makers like Hitchcock where influenced by him. Let me now if you liked to know what the book says about Hotel Room or Nighthawks
You’re welcome hon!!! I’m so glad you got the Clinging Blossoms cardi and glad I could help you out! You will love it!
Interesting reads! Now that I’ve been to the Louvre I am looking at an art history course which takes an in-depth look at the collections housed there. I’m inspired! I took some Art History during my undergrad years, but it was definitely wasted on me then.
I read the Classics over and over again, and I too would love that darling hardcover collection. I usually get my books from the library as I despise having too much stuff around me! I’ll have to check out Amazon.
Love your shoe picks, and that cardi is gorgeous. Bet you’ll wear it lots!
Hitchcock? Really? I love Hitchcock, and I like Hopper paintings, but never equated the two! Even though Hopper’s paintings are often of people together in what could be relaxing settings, there’s always this eerie feeling of anticipation and sadness about them, something dark and lonely (like a noir novel). Now that you say Hitchcock and/or theater – wow, why wasn’t this apparent to me before, lol? I’d love to hear about Nighthawks or Hotel Room, if it’s not too much trouble; never really read up on Hopper’s background, so it’s all news. Also – any new surprises (artists) in there that are noteworthy that you haven’t heard of before?
Dani- That course sounds like fun!
Diana- I don’t know if they’re surprises but Alberto Giacometti’s sketch type paintings are interesting and Rene Magritte’s Pipe painting The treachery of images made me laugh. I’m more of an impressionist and post -impressionist fan than the more modern art.
For the Hotel Room it says the image is very common place but there is a tension about it. The cropping of her feet in the bottom of the image is photography like and gives a claustrophobic feeling to the picture.
Of the Nighthawks the books says it is hard to know why it is one of the most reproduced images in history. Perhaps we recognize something of it’s truthfulness in our own lives. The cafe looks thin and insubstantial, almost like a model. It barely keeps the threatening darkness at bay. The plight of the Nighthawks is in their vulnerability to the dark and alienating city outside
I can never understand how some people can spend the whole summer in flip-flops. Hello! $5 at Old Navy doesn’t work for all of us! I love these sandals! Also, your reading list is right up my alley. So interesting! Have you been going to museums to test your knowledge? By the way, Sweden is gorgeous.