Back to fall.

I love summer as much as the next person—it will be hard to say goodbye to beach days, lazy park Sunday mornings, and outdoor drinking—but I cannot wait for crisp, cool, fall days, however short-lived they may be. I even bought a pair of socks to celebrate the upcoming season (apparently this is weird?) and have been planning my back-to-fall outfits so that when the first day requiring a light sweater appears, I'm prepared. 

I'm not one who officially keeps up on fashion trends, but I do a lot of boutique (and online) window shopping and what has caught my eye this season are the bright pops of color on otherwise classic staples. These are just a few of the items I am currently loving. 

ONE: Kindah Khalidy Ice Pop Striped Cotton Scarf TWO: Charlie Sweater found on Of A Kind THREE: Blue Bird Lab Geometric Necklace FOUR: Tibi Multicolored Transit Skirt FIVE: LaBelle Press Letterpress Notebook SIX: Kate Spade Saturday Half Circle Skimmers SEVEN: Delfonics Wood Mechanical Pencils EIGHT: Fleabag Emerald Ballet Tote NINE: Pamplemouss Pencil Pouch

I he(art): Ian Teh.

Our office recently relocated to the financial district, which is basically the worst (for so many reasons). The one silver lining, however, is that I can take the ferry in as part of my commute. And even though it is about twice as expensive as the subway, it is exponentially more civilized (note: I am including the oblivious moms with their enormous baby strollers and the clueless tourists in this very-mathematical calculation), making it all worth it. And because it's New York there is a floating art exhibit aboard (photographs inspired by water reproduced on really terrifying stretched fabric hangy-things, if we are being technical). This has apparently been up all summer, but I only noticed it last week when it featured the work of Ian Teh.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the exact images that are in this exhibition online (if one can call something organized by the East River Ferry an "exhibition") but all of his work holds the same quiet, yet bold, beauty. They remind me of the photography of Youngsuk Suh, due to their similar styles of ethereal documentation of forgotten places.

Sunday reading.

I first read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green a few weeks ago. I downloaded it (my very first e-book!) for the train ride back to NYC along with Gone Girl so that if it made me cry* I'd have something less sob-worthy to switch to. (And I'm glad I did, because I don't think I even made it halfway through before I was so fully invested in the (improbable?) love story between two teenagers with cancer I knew I'd have to put it down for a while, because there is no way it would be any sort of happy ending. (Sorry, spoiler alert.)

Although I suppose it is both a "teen romance" and a "cancer story," it goes far beyond that by also dealing with the nature of friendships and the concept of who we are and what our place is in the world. Green wrote the entire story in first person, through the perspective of Hazel, who within the first pages we discover is terminal. By writing in her voice, with frankness and humor, he allows the characters to develop as people instead of "victims" or "survivors", which, for me, is what makes it truly special. I loved this book. And if you don't, well then, you might be a little bit dead inside. I highly recommend it.


*I like to have a buffer book on hand, in case things get awkward, i.e me bursting into tears when Prim's name gets called in the reaping in the Hunger Games, or when Carmen feels like her family doesn't love her during the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (both true stories of bus time reading adventures). This is my life.

(found here) I just really love this quote, don't you?

Pockets filled with posies.

Have you figured out I am having a little bit of a theme week here? I'm dying for it to be spring again so I can bust out the florals. That said, I don't think they are so out of place in the winter. Any one of the flowered accents below could provide me with that much-needed pop to cure me of the winter blues. And even though normally I am one hundred percent against shoes that require laces, those floral oxfords could add a spring to my step (pun intended) as I walk the slushy, gray streets of the city.

ONE: Floral Bandeau by Amourouse on Etsy TWO: Oxfords found on Dorothy Perkins THREE: Floral print fabrics found on Pinterest FOUR: Tiny Floral Earrings by Dondalees on Etsy FIVE: White Floral Wall Decor by Lilly Queen Vintage on Etsy SIX: Conservatory Chair from Anthropologie SEVEN: Fabric iPhone case by Hello Professor on Etsy EIGHT: Piped rose cupcakes by Martha Stewart