Winter Turquoise and Sombre Negra

The Super Bowl? Let's just blog about clothes. I pulled this outfit on last Sunday when I spent the afternoon lounging at the coffee shop.

The silk tunic, belted, is from Edun. I've been wearing more silk in winter ever since I figured out that it keeps you warm. The material drapes beautifully and has a fine matte finish, facts my poor webcam cannot do justice to.

Tunic: Edun. Jeans: AG Stevie. Boots: Belstaff. Belt: J. Crew.

I have a penchant for mixing brown boots with black clothes. I scored the last pair of these Belstaff boots from Net-a-Porter, and they were marvelous out of the box.

These are thoughtfully crafted boots. They've been given an antique and weathered patina that is darker in person than shown here. The shaft is actually made up of two flaps of leather, one folded over the other, so that the three buckles and one ankle strap are completely functional. Doing these boots up is a ritual in itself; at the end, my lower legs feel encased in the most substantial sense of the word. These are true traveler's boots, the sort you spend years tramping around in without a second thought precisely because they are so imperviously cool.

For a shot of color, I put on my turquoise ring from Sundance. The hue is so vibrant it almost looks fake. That's the best kind of turquoise. I also like the imperfect brown streak and the unexpected rectangular frame.

For a couple of hours, I sipped green tea and browsed Luckyscent on my iPhone. I could read descriptions of perfumes all day. It's my form of porn. In the end, I went with Sombre Negra by YOSH.

"The fragrance is at once omnipresent but ghostly, casting doubt and arousing intrigue. The emotional intensity of patchouli, vetiver and choya loban unearth deep mushroom notes, revealing sweet but unsentimental undertones of opoponax and tobacco. The diffused smokiness of pink and black pepper mingles with dry teak and cypress leaving an ephemeral illusion." Oh, crazy perfume text. You sound like the perfect thing to put on in the depths of winter. I can't wait to get you in the mail, then wear you with lots of black and brown.

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Favorite Neighbors and Other Things

Today it happens to be snowing again, and since school is closed, I've spent the day bunked down at home as usual, chugging tea and inhaling off myself Comme des Garcons Avignon. This time I have on one of my favorite sweaters, a gigantic brown knit cowlneck from Vince, paired with cigarette jeans in dark wash from Vintage Revolution. Yes, this ensemble goes with Avignon much better. After I put up the last post, I went out that afternoon and snapped some pictures of the things I wrote about. It was so cold, my hands were completely numb after five minutes. Here is the amateur montage.

Graves among church courtyard wall. Robert Frost's "Mending Fences," anyone?

The view from my window.

The playground really is right smack dab next to the wall of graves. It's the most poetic juxtaposition.

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Impression/Scent: Snow, Whites, and Avignon

One of the perks of being a teacher is snow days. The night dropped a white blanket on us and I got to sleep in this morning, burrowed under duvet and throw. When I finally dug myself out, I changed into my favorite winter stay-at-home ensemble, by now as familiar and worn as a pair of old slippers: faded vintage straight-leg jeans, oversized white sweater, dark hardwood ring band, and Comme des Garcons Incense Avignon. Bare feet.

Book: Aurorarama by Jean-Christophe Valtat.
Website: Style Bubble.

One of the first things I like to do on such a day is brew a strong cup of English breakfast tea in a gigantic round white mug, and sit down at my desk. Handed down from my great-grandmother, it's made of carved dark cherry topped with a slab of veined white marble. From here, I can look out the window and see our small walled courtyard, which has been transformed into drifts of white snow with stubs of olive and russet vegetation peeking through. In the corner directly across is an evergreen tree with red berries. It contrasts charmingly against the opposing row house with its whitewashed brick exterior and black slatted shutters.

A bit further beyond is a wrought iron gate leading to a larger courtyard, this one belonging to the imposing Lutheran church with spires and art deco stained glass windows. It has a tiny children's playground next to a single row of ancient gravestones. Perhaps later this afternoon I'll bundle up and pop over there for a bracing stroll.

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I'm crazy about my Avignon, which is the very first bottle I acquired (along with Tam Dao from Diptyque) when I got into perfume not a month ago. The frankincense and myrrh are somber yet comforting. There is a spiciness that my novice nose can't name. I keep ducking my head to inhale what feels like the infinite depths of this immensely warm and refined odor. Cold vaulting cathedrals, yes, but being a religion major I have always felt at home in their immense pews. Avignon is really meant to be worn with dark, heavy clothing, but having it waft out of a white expanse of thick soft wool is a delight, too.

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