Civilizations Progress From Stuff to Things

It is officially springtime trenchcoat season, but why not go a little non-traditional this year?  The first trenchcoats were invented by Thomas Burberry, who submitted the design for an army officer's raincoat to the United Kingdom War Office in 1901.  In WWI, the shoulder straps were added to attach rank insignia, as well as larger pockets for holding maps.  The coat was continually worn by the military into WWII, while shorter, more practical versions known as "field jackets" became more popular.  Many veterans brought the jackets and coats home with them when returning from the war, and the style became popular for men and women and has stayed that way into the current day.  The versions below are definitely not military-grade, but they stick to that same basic silhouette.

(photos collected from instintodevestir, musingsinfemininity, and popsugar)

The Modern Science of Eliminating Distance

I found a great new personal style blog a few days ago called Instinto de Vestir, written by Alana Ruas of Brazil.  One of the coolest things about blogging is that finding things like this is possible.  I mean, I'm a Missourian living in Tennessee and get to see the style of a girl my age living in Brazil.  Even though we wouldn't be able to communicate (her blog is written in Portuguese), I have something in common with this person.  The world is indeed getting smaller and smaller.  Anyway, she has a colorful, funky style, frequently sports a bold lip, and has absolutely amazing hair.  You all remember my unfortunate short haircut?  Well, this is what I wanted it to look like.

(photos collected from instintodevestir)

She Hoped to Find It Someplace in the Air

A little springtime personal style up against a beautiful flowering tree backdrop.  I stayed there for a little while with the sun shining through the elegant petals that were moving gracefully in the peaceful breeze, looking down the hill and generally being in awe of nature's complexity, which is especially apparent right now at the beginning of spring.

(photos by e.hunt)

The Complicated Art of Solar War

The high is 62 tomorrow; too early for something like this?

(photo collected from fashionwindo)

A Trick of Whimsical Fate

I'm really liking the monochrome look right now.  Pieces paired together that aren't exactly the same color, but almost.  It seems like it would take a certain degree of control.  One of the parts should stand out, while the other should be a neutral in the same color family.  This would keep it toned down enough, and keep you from looking like you're trying too hard.

(photos collected from sannatranlov.freshnet, anthropologie, and tumblr)

Live in the Sun and Drink the Wild Air

Home for the weekend, and what a delightful weekend it's been so far.  I left straight from work on Friday, and listed to my new, specially-made playlist.  It was a mix of high-school throw-backs, classics, and some recent radio favorites (check out Arctic Monkey's Do I Wanna Know?, it's amazing).  And thanks to Daylight Savings last weekend, it was still light for a good percentage of the trip, making for some pretty majestic views.

On Saturday, Taylor, who's home from school for spring break, and I joined Mom and Dad up at Kaldis for a morning wake-up cup of coffee.  I ordered a small, not realizing that it would come in the size of a dixie cup.  It didn't make it any less delicious though!

Later that day, Taylor and I worked on my piano bench coffee table.  Dad had sanded down the top for a fresh coat of stain, and happened to have a stain that matched the rest of it almost perfectly.  Taylor taped up the sides and I stained away.

Today I met up with my old friend Allison for a catch-up lunch at a place called Crushed Red, a bright and crisply clean fast-ish food place.  This pizza hit the spot on this snowy day.  Yes, it was 65 degrees out yesterday, and today it is snowing.  So it goes here in the stl.

You know what the best part is though?  I still have another day before heading back to Nashville.

(photos by e.hunt, and t.hunt)

Tasked With the Finding and Protecting Over Five Million Pieces of Stolen Artwork

Speaking of art history, go see The Monuments Men.  It told a story rarely told in history books about a group of art historians, curators, and restorers who went into war zones to find and take back priceless pieces of art that the Germans had taken and hid.  It is really respectful of the war subjects as well as the art, throwing in a good amount of comedy as well.  I mean, Bill Murray is one of the leads, how could there not be some great lighthearted moments?  Joining him is an all-star cast including George Clooney (who wrote and directed as well), Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, an excellent newcomer Dimitri Leonidas, and the always delightful Cate Blanchett as a feisty French bookkeeper.  It also provided an interesting, less portrayed side of Hitler, and how his madness went beyond just power and killing.  He was an exacting genius who respected and understood the importance of art, which added to the terrifying potential of his ultimate dream.  Good old George says it best: "You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they'll still find their way back.  But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements then it's as if they never existed."  Oh, and stick around for the credits to see photographs of the real-life Monuments Men.

(photos collected from imdb, redappleworld, wegotthiscovered, and online.wsj)

We Lose Ourselves in the Things We Love; We Find Ourselves There Too

About a week ago, Andrew and I went to a little used comic book/record/cd/video game/movie store called The Great Escape.  Excellent name, no?  Not surprisingly, I was the only female in the establishment, and overheard a perfectly stereotypical nerd convo between two patrons at the video game wall behind me about which system had the greatest James Bond games.  Anyway, Andrew headed straight for the records and I wandered over to the dvds.  Both of us ended up being pretty successful: Andrew found a few fairly rare records and I found two movies I've been looking for for a while.  First, Star Wars Episode III, to complete the saga, and second, The Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring Four-Disc Extended Special Edition.  Yes, this one.

So far, I have watched the actor commentary and disc one of The Making Of.  It is absolutely fascinating.  About a year before shooting began, Peter Jackson brought two renowned LOTR concept artists, Alan Lee and John Howe, onboard to visualize the look of the film.  It is incredible the amount of detail went into creating every item you see on the screen.  Everything was designed specifically for each culture.  For example, the Dwarves architecture, weaponry, and clothing is very angular and geometric, while the Elves have much more rounded, softer designs.  Here are some of Alan Lee's works (keep in mind, these were created before the artists even knew there was going to be a movie):

And John Howe's:

Both artists said that the hardest thing was establishing a sense of history in Middle Earth.  Each species had been around for thousands of years and had a strong sense of cultural pride.  How do you portray that in other ways than just making things look old and used?  I think this is why the movie turned out so well: because they took the time to think of these things and put in enough time and effort to make everything look as authentic as possible, so you could really believe you were there.  That, and the fact that Peter Jackson gathered all the biggest LOTR nerds in the world to help make it happen.

(photos collected from thedigitalbits, tolkiengateway, and john-howe)

To Be Light and Frolicsome, Improbable and Beautiful, and Afraid of Nothing

It's interesting how these two outfits are so similar and yet are so different, and so representative of opposing seasons.  We have the heavier, more textured winter version, and the flowy, lacy summer representation.  It just shows that the typically fall-associated deep red can work at any time of the year.

(photos collected from pinterest, and stalker-in-style)

Either You Run the Day, Or the Day Runs You

I have had the busiest week!  Monday - making chili with Andrew, which was absolutely delicious.  Tuesday - drinks with Katherine celebrating her being off work early enough to go get drinks.  Wednesday - pizza and Star Wars night with Andrew.  Thursday - two-hour phone call with my college roommate, Kaitlin.  Friday - house party with Katherine and her work people.  Whew!  I definitely slept for eleven hours last night to catch up.

(photo by e.hunt)

When the Ocean Met the Sky

My car gave me a sign this morning... a sign that even winter is tired of this cold weather and is ready for some sun and waves.

(photo by e.hunt)

And the Oscar Goes To

It's Oscar Day!  I haven't seen many of the movies up for the awards, but since I have TV now I might as well watch them, right?  And who doesn't love some good Academy Awards fashion?  Take a look at this neat graphic of all of the best actress winners dresses over the years.

The artist used several pictures of each dress from different angles, and had to research references in articles for the older ones, as the photos were in black and white.  The article (read it here) also states the difficulty they had finding designers of the older dresses, which is why many of them are marked unknown.  I really like how they didn't include the actresses themselves, and just the dress.  It enables you to use your imagination a little bit.  So many of these dresses are iconic to the point that when you think of the actress, you think of her in that dress.  Very neat idea for a poster.

(photo collected from mediarundigital)

I Suggest a New Strategy, R2: Let the Wookie Win

I thought this wallpaper was C-3PO at first glance.  How awesome would that be?

(photo collected from apartmenttherapy)

Lightning In the Morning

Wearing my new Indiana Jones hat on this rainy day, courtesy of helping Andrew move a van load to storage.

(photo by e.hunt)