Rain

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Horse Show

My mom and aunt had their own horses when they were young, and some of my favorite pictures are of them with their horses in the backyard. I rode when I was younger, and something about the precision and rigidness of English riding spells instant glamour to me. Whether it's Betty Draper lighting up after a quick ride, or my aunt in cutoffs on her horse, I've always been fascinated with riding.

Underrated

Fashionable men are seriously underrated. The Satorialist always finds beautiful men on the streets of foreign cities, but people forget about what men used to dress like on a regular basis.

Goodbye summer, hello fall. These are coming out of my closet permanently for the next few months, or until the snow starts.

Welcome Home

Burberry hasn't shown at London Fashion Week in ages. With short trenches, sherbet colours, and lots of tight draping, Burberry didn't disappoint it's home town. Emma Watson, Liv Tyler, and Gwenneth Paltrow were all on hand to celebrate, and with Alexa Chung and Agyness Deyn on hand to spin some records Burberry came back with quite a bang.

Although the weather was 30+ today, fall is in full swing with fashion weeks (albeit spring 2010), the Oscar movie race, and fall fashion magazines. I got a quick preview of what Harper's Bazaar has in store with these incredible Tim Burton/Tim Walker photographs my cousin found on the website

For the past two septembers, I've spent a week in New York City, enjoying the sweltering heat and getting a new fall wardrobe. Sadly, I'm stuck at home this year, and while I purposely picked summering in Italy over fall in NYC, I miss the tradition. I miss the MoMA and Central Park; I miss SoHo shopping and Greenwich Village people watching. Most of all, I miss the food in Hell's Kitchen, but that could be because I haven't eaten dinner yet. The last time I went, the noise really got to me and I was annoyed and overwhelmed with the city by the end of the trip, prompting me to decide that Europe was a better option next year. But, here I am, wishing I was finishing up shopping at Oak and Opening Ceremony and getting ready to have Mexican food in Alphabet City. LCD Soundsystem summed up my feelings well with "New York I Love You".

One of my favorite things about Italy was the lavender bushes at the bottom the steps up to the house. The smell was overwhelming in the best way possible. So, when I came across Terrain's terrarium section on the online shop, I immediately decided that I had to have a lavender garden of my own. Every kind of lavender please. We'll see how it goes. But the lovely images of lavender fields on flickr are fantastic motivations.

All That Glitter Is Gold

With the shows in NYC still raging, sequins seem to be a rather interesting trend, and not in a tacky way either (whew!)

(Proenza Schouler)

(Marchesa)

(3.1 Philip Lim)

(Friday in the park)

(Bonnie and Clyde Birthday)

(Last of the summer flowers)

(Italian hankies)

When In Rome

Everyone, at some point, has to try Italy in the summer. Luckily for me, my best friend has a family house just outside of Rome (and Florence, and Sienna). I was her guest this summer, along with another friend, for a blissful and busy 10 days. Think night-time races up the Spanish Steps in Rome, feverish ogling of diamonds along Florence's Pointe Vecchio, and impromptu ocean swimming along the Amolfi Coast. The whole trip was like a dream, and I most definitely will be back, even if only for the food. I tried my first fresh fig outside of the ruins in Pompeii and ate homemade pizza by candlelight on the family's new stone patio. A fresh bouquet of lavender-picked from the vast, centuries-old lavender bushes out front- was laid out on my pillow when I arrived, and one night I can back from getting a glass of water to hear twenty odd wild boars rustling in the field outside my window. And later, I tasted wild boar pasta for the first time at a local restaurant.

Before walking down the street to see the famed parliament building in Rome, we stopped in at the Bulgari exhibit to exclaim over the crystal clear diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires bigger than anyone could imagine. I didn't spend quite as much as I had budgeted for, but the cashmere scarves from the market in Florence and delicate hankies from one of many amazing linen stores made up for the lack of shoes I came home with. My most prized possession? A turquoise and gold ring from a little shop outside Vatican City. While the La Perla nightgown didn't come home in my suitcase, the lavender did, along with a new found love for the palm trees in Sorento and the sunflower fields of Tuscany and Umbria. The little medieval towns of Montepulchiano and Chuisi will always have the best gelato. For anyone contemplating a European trip, I can't recommend Italy enough. Until next summer, I'll try and convince everyone here to use olive oil in everything and eat as many tomatoes as possible.

With A Little Help From My Friends

(Marni)

A had by far the best "Ladies' Night" ever at a friends darling little apartment last night. Homemade caesar salad and gnocchi, with chocolate lava cakes and raspberry sherbert for desert. What I really came away with is a motivation to wear more colour. A fan of gray, black, and white, I rarely wear colours beyond tights or scarves, maybe the odd pink or red lipstick. So, my new resolution starting this fall is to embrace colour and go all out! To start off, I will wear my red dress for more than special occasions. Today, I dug out a blue gingham blouse, and carried a pink tote bag. Tomorrow? Well, we'll have to see. Here are my favorite picks for colour, a little shared inspiration.

(Jenni Kayne)

(Filippa K)

(Bruno Frisson)

(APC)