Summer for me means fieldwork, and while that often equates to 10-14 hour days sweating it out in the summer heat, it does mean I’m outside and getting to see some really beautiful places, plants, and creatures. The past four weeks have centered around vegetation and wetland monitoring. We’ve had a really wet year so the vegetation is plentiful as are fungi, and all sorts of insects (including nasty biting gnats and mosquitoes). I keep a little record of interesting things I see while working, and yes, I’ve an instagram account (*cough*manufactured nostalgia app*cough*) where all of this goes! So here is a small collection of some of the stuff I’ve seen/done over the past month.

You’d have to pretty much be living under the proverbial rock if you aren’t aware of the sudden revival in interest in ‘classic’ style. It’s a bit ironic that it’s become a trend. I won’t dissect the why, there are plenty of other places to read about that, but I do want to talk about my personal experience with it.

My paternal grandmother always wore straight leg denim, an oxford shirt with the top buttons undone, her gold charm bracelets, and brown penny loafers. I can’t really remember her wearing anything else, but we didn’t visit her that much and I only remember her as an older woman. (I got one of her blue striped oxford shirts as a hand-me-down and was most disappointed when the elbows finally wore out.) You can’t really go wrong with that combination, and I’ve been thinking quite a bit more about streamlining my daily wear to mimic that look, and saving the more daring things for more special occasions. And of course, I’ve only posted the basics below -they can and should be livened up with interesting accessories

Thom Brown for Supreme oxford: No longer available;   Trousers: Carven; $440;  Blouse: Theory; $190;  Fleece trousers: L’Agence; $255; Vintage button-up: Lambs Ear Shoes; $28;  Grey trousers: Vanessa Bruno; $174;  Gingham top: Current/Elliott; $189;  White trousers: J Crew; $118;  Tan button-up: Top Shop; $55

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past few months about winnowing down everything stuffed in my closet. I’m starting to feel a little silly wearing some of my clothees. What I wear and my current conception of my identity is beginning to diverge.

So this has led to a lot of introspection on how to bring my changing perception of my identity back in line with what I see every morning when I push the closet door back. Really, I keep returning to the desire to dress in a manner that in five or ten years time will still feel and look congruous. I want a closet and a dresser full of interchangeable but sharp pieces with a few more adventurous things, because I don’t want boring! Well, this has of course resulted in me thinking generally and specifically about who and what has/had style I admire.

I’ve posted about the inspiring influence of Andrei Tarkovsky’s work on here previously, but haven’t discussed the appeal of the costuming in every one of his films. It’s all a bit more romantic than how I myself would dress, but what I find most attractive is how right it all still manages to look almost 30 years later. I wanted to share some screenshots from his 1983 film, Nostalghia because it’s a favourite and the costuming in this film I think is some of the best . Anyways, I’ll be posting more about styles and pieces I think are deservedly influential and classic later this week

The birthday is just around the corner and being a practical person I made a little wishlist of practical items. I need a new pair of glasses since my current pair I got in 1997 (not kidding!), I apparently drove off with my make-up bag on my car (don’t ask me how I managed that), and I don’t own a simple black belt that goes with everything (criminal). All of the above from jcrew, who seriously have the best glasses right now