Gettin' Cozy

This is one of my favourite tops to wear in colder weather. It’s a very heavy and cozy flannel material and I love the little zipper details on it. Also, when paired with a little jacket it cleans up pretty nicely for a casual day at the office.

top: Simons / jeans: J Brand/ necklace: the Met / jacket: H&M

All the Frills: The Gold Necklace

New this week in favourite pieces of jewellery, it’s this gold spikey number. This necklace has graced my neck many a time over the past two weeks…

Weekend Reading

• I love Flannery O’Connor.
  
• This warms the cockles of my heart.
  
• I love the pageantry of the English, and the Richard III Society in particular.
  
• This article about an amazing discovery of dresses is a great read!
  
• And this piece about a Parisian apartment that was untouched for 70 year until its owner passed away is fascinating – the photos are particularly gorgeous.
  
• Behold the majesty that is Kindle Cover Disasters.

Winter Style

I picked up this jacket at Winners for a super low price and was originally thinking that I’d mostly just wear as a more formal winter jacket for “fancier” occasions but I’ve discovered that it’s very warm and also very comfortable and so I’ve been getting much more wear out of it than I ever thought it would. As someone who loves winter weather and winter fashion, I own about 10 different winter jackets and this one has definitely been a welcome addition to my collection.

jacket: Winners / boots: Aldo

An Homage to Swinton

Sometimes I forget the awesomeness of this top. I’ve described it in the past as the most Swinton-esque thing that I own. And it is, it truly is.

top: Zara / boots: ASOS / pants: RW & Co / necklace: Aldo

All the Frills: Home Workout Space

A weekly constant for me is getting in at least 4 workouts. Because my work schedule can be so irregular (and because stopping my writing or research for a 30 minute workout break can be a great way to clear my head), I’ve always found it much easier to work out at home as opposed to hitting the gym. At Yale I did try to visit the actual gym at least once a week and did a few pilates and yoga classes but, in all fairness, this was the gym, and who wouldn’t want to hang out there?

In my post grad school life, I find it a lot easier to roll home from work at 5 or 6 pm and grab a quick home workout so I’m all finished up before 7 pm. With that in mind, I set up a little home workout studio for myself. It’s nothing too special but it does the trick. I’ve got my elliptical and, tucked away in the closet, a couple of yoga mats, a few different hand weights, and a small collection of workout DVDs.

What’s your workout regime?


Weekend Reading: 

• This essay on the problematic ways in which history is often taught is great!
  
  
• And here’s an entertaining piece above some grave goods recently unearthed at a Scandinavian site.
  
  
• Meth labs in Walmart? Sure, why not?
  
  
• A fascinating piece on the time machine that is the British gene pool.
  
  
• Nicolas Cage is a weird dude.

Playing Favourites

Welcome to my favourite outfit from the past few weeks. Black, faux leather, some heeled booties, a statement necklace – what more could a girl want?

jacket: H&M / dress: Simons / purse: H&M / necklace: Target / booties: Camper

Obnoxious

I snapped these photos at sunset and I love how the light made my blazer appear red when, in reality, it is a very obnoxious shade of orange. It’s probably the loudest thing I own – although it’s still pretty loud in red.

jacket: F21 / boots: Target / necklace: Target

All the Frills: Ring Edition

Today I’m highlighting one of all-time favourite rings – this little faux emerald number that was a gift from my helpmeet a few years back. Emeralds and sapphires are my favourite stones so this was a pretty great gift idea for me and I’ve been wearing a few times a week every since.

Weekend Reading:

• Well, this is bad news for Snuggie lovers. I am not ashamed to admit that I own one…it’s the perfect camping accessory.
  
  
• Yale just got a huge collection of 70s and 80s VHS tapes. My one big question is why? Also, I really miss Yale sometimes.
  
  
• Yup, these identical French twins are insanely creepy and weirdly beautiful.
  
  
• Seriously, what is wrong with people?
  
  
• I had never heard of this historical catastrophe before but it’s incredibly interesting.
  
  
• I’m fascinated by the story of the robbery of Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Not only is it one of my favourite museums (I visit it every time I’m in Boston), but it’s also one of the world’s great art heists. This interesting article from NPR retells the story from the point of view of the security guard who was duped that night into letting the robbers in after hours.

Winter's Over - Sniff, Sniff

I, for one, will be very sad to see winter go. Having a stylish and incredibly warm jacket helps.

jacket: Sears / leggings: ASOS / boots: Target

Good Moods c/o Bicycles

I am totally smitten with the bicycle print on this shirt – I seriously smile every time I put it on. My good mood usually fades an hour or two later when I get to work, but I do enjoy those few moments…

pants: RW and Co / top: Simons / necklace: Monserat de Lucca / watch: Kenneth Cole

All the Frills: Winter Wonders

Because winter is almost over (sniff, sniff) and I love it so, this week’s All the Frills is an ode to winter featuring some scenic images of my favourite season. Stay warm out there everybody!

Weekend Reading:

• I know I say this a lot, but it’s true: history is awesome! And so are archives!
  
• A charming collection of posters warning men of the dangers of women gaining rights, including suffrage.
  
• God I love Portlandia.
  
• This awesome Tumblr highlights “an invisible conversation between hip hop and art before the 16th century.”
  
• Apparently Mount Everest is covered in human feces. It’s actually a rather serious concern.

More Productivity

These are from the same series of photos as my last post, only sans jacket. I also forgot to mention in that previous post that I also got an abstract ready for the North American Conference on British History, which will be in Arkansas in 2015. Some colleagues and I are planning a panel together – I really hope our pitch gets accepted! I've got an idea for something on mistress/servant relationships - the intersections of relationships, power dynamics, etc. and some research from a few years in the archives that I think will work nicely for such a topic.

boots: Aldo / skirt: Banana Republic / shirt: thrifted, Value Village / necklace: Emitations / cardigan: Simons

All Caught Up

I know winter is winding down when it’s no longer pitch black by the time I get home from work at 6ish.

It also helps that after three months of a gruelling writing regime (for example, I’d wrap up at the office at about 5 and then then stay there until 7 or 8, writing, and then pick it up at home from 9-11…not to mention spending pretty much every minute of the weekend writing), I finally feel caught up on my monograph and my new article project to leave work at a reasonable time and make it home while it's still light. Yay me!

boots: Aldo / scarf: ASOS / coat: Winners