Look for Less: Neon Sandals

I've seen these gorgeous Rebecca Minkoff sandals all over the place, and have had them in various shopping carts for a while now. But for some reason I have a mental block when it comes to buying sandals. Not when it comes to buying other shoes, just sandals. I realize that I will need sandals in the upcoming weeks because it's a balmy 65 in New Haven this morning and getting warmer but mental block. $125 just seems like too much for sandals, so I was delighted to see that both Zara and Topshop had jumped on the neon sandal train with two much more affordable options! 

$125, from rebecca minkoff

$49.90, from zara

$56, from topshop

Hair barrettes

I'm growing out my bangs and they're in a weird heavy stage where they just kind of hang on the side of my face, bugging me and looking bad. I've been pinning them back with these (grossly overpriced) bobby pins from the infamous missoni for target collaboration.

They're cute and get the job done but I've been lusting after some more interesting options, particularly inspired by the gorgeous barrettes Rodarte sent down the runway this year.

I think they're very DIYable but as I'm currently finishing up my senior thesis that will have to wait for another day. For now I'm liking these vintage options, all from etsy. 

from BurgundyBluVintage

from The Hidden Chamber

from Rosebud Cottage, which has tons of amazing options

from MrsPiggleWiggle

Repettos: New and Old

My friend Kelly and I are taking an amazing class this semester called Treasures of Yale. Every week we get to go to a new amazing collection, this week we were in the Furniture Study of Yale University Art Gallery. 

Last week we were at my beloved Lewis Walpole Library. It's really be an amazing experience to see all these hidden treasure before leaving Yale. When we were walking around the Furniture Study I looked down (just for a minute I swear) and noticed that Kelly's shoes bore a striking resemblance to my own. They're both Repettos, though Kelly's are brand new and mine are going on 5 years old. They've broken in beautifully, but it might be time for a new pair.

Gold = Me + Silver = Kelly

I'm loving this pretty periwinkle option for spring, via farfetch

Looking for... graduation dresses

My friends were over last night and we spent some time searching (online) for graduation dresses. We've heard rumors that the hideous blue graduation gowns we have to wear bleed and can stain, especially if it rains. Perhaps we should all wear ponchos under them. 

Some of my requirements: comfortable, lightweight, and re-wearable. I'm thinking loose, silky and brightly colored is the way to go. 

Vintage 1920's dress from etsy shop, reinvintage

Backstage Carrie dress, singer22

Mara Hoffman combo dress, couturecandy

Diane Von Furstenberg Lou combo dress, cusp

Things I've Bought Files: iphone case

I loved my old iphone case, but it had a run-in with a bottle of champagne. I've been lusting after the ban.do iphone case after seeing it on a bunch of blogs, but I'm pretty sure I would turn a white case to a gross shade of grey/brown in a few days.


Image via ban.do

Since I really liked my custom case from uncommon I decided to give another custom case a try. This time I chose luxeplates who also have an amazing range of already designed cases, as well as a design-your-own option. I went the DIY route and, inspired by my friend Anna, used the falcon of the Elizabethan club. (Fun fact: a white falcon with red and white roses was Anne Boleyn's personal heraldic symbol, and Elizabeth I often used an image of a falcon as a way to honor her mother.)



Here's the finished product:



Pretty packaging


I love the new case, but it doesn't do all that much protecting and I'm pretty hard on my technology so I think I'm going to buy a clear case to go over it and offer some more protection against my clumsy self.

New Haven City Guide: 24 hours in the Elm City

I have loved going to school in New Haven. Over the years I've organized a list of some of my favorite things to eat/do/see around here, which I share with people when they ask for suggestions. I'm not sure how many posts this will eventually take, but I thought I'd start with my perfect day in New Haven, with all the suggestions included in walking distance from Yale's campus. I'm starting late, at 10:00am, because I'm a college kid, and therefore inevitably sleep in late. (All of the suggestions are hyperlinks, so just click through for opening times, menus, reservation information, etc)

10:00am - Breakfast at Heirloom at The Study
There are several great breakfast/brunch options around New Haven, but the Study has the edge in that it's both centrally located and has delicious food. I love the Huevos Estudiados and the Heirloom Smoke Pastrami Hash. If sweet breakfast is your thing, the Bananas Foster French Toast is pretty great too.


Bananas foster french toast via lovetwoeat

11:30am - Wander around the Yale Center for British Art
Just down Chapel Street you'll find the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art. I'd start with the YCBA, but these next two can be done in whatever order you see fit. The YCBA is truly one of Yale's treasures. The Tudor portrait collection is fantastic, and the exhibitions are consistently some of the best I've seen. The Center was designed by Louis Kahn, and it's a truly beautiful building for a truly beautiful collection. I'd also recommend checking out the gift shop.

1:00pm - Next up is the Yale University Art Gallery, also designed by Kahn. The collection ranges from early American photographs to japanese prints, and each floor is worth a quick walk around. I especially love the colonial American section, which includes silver pieces made by Paul Revere.

2:30pm - Make like the college kids do and skip lunch in favor of a snack at Blue State Coffee. There are two locations on Yale's campus affectionately referred to as Wall and York, due to their addresses. This chain was started by a now Yale graduate who had the simple idea to start a coffee shop where some of the proceeds would be donated to local non-profits. I love their nutella panini on cranberry walnut bread, and their hot chocolate is especially good.

3:30pm - Both Blue States are close to my favorite library on campus, the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library. While the reading room is closed to the public you can walk around the first and second floors and enjoy both the wonderful exhibitions which showcase some of the most unique pieces the Beinecke has, as well as get a chance to see the famous Gutenberg Bible and the Audubon elephant folio.


Inside of Beinecke via book-worship

4:30pm - Chill time! My sister complains that my family does not do enough of this on vacation so just for her I built in a few hours for reading, catching up on email, and changing before the nights activities. If you're looking for a hotel in New Haven the aforementioned Study is very nice but my personal favorite is Hotel Duncan, right next door and creepy as all get out.

6:00pm - Before dinner at Caseus (up next) I like poking through the racks at favorite vintage store, Fashionista. They have an amazing selection of vintage fur and jewelry as well as some really great vintage dresses. I use this place all the time when I'm costuming. The owners are worth chatting up.

7:30pm - Dinner at Caseus. There are tons of great restaurants in New Haven but Caseus is by far my favorite and the most likely to please everyone in a crowd including picky eaters, children, and foodies. Their cheese selection is, of course, unbelievable, but it's the poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese curds) that get me every time. Reservations are a must, several days in advance if possible.

9:30pm - My current favorite bar on campus is Rudy's. If you've been to New Haven in years past you might have gone to old Rudy's to sample the famous frites. New Rudy's is...well...different. The frites are still the same (and amazing) but the decor has gone upscale and there's lots more room. Diehard Rudy's fans hate the new place, I happen to love it.

11:00pm - If you can get tickets I'd catch a show at the Yale Cabaret. The shows are often (of course not always) inventive and interesting and plus you get to see Yale Drama Students/directors/and designers doing their thing.

1:00am - If you're still awake the last stop should be Louis' Lunch. The hours are erratic, the crowd is colorful, but the burgers are amazing. I'd recommend ordering rare, with onions, a potato salad, and foxon park orange soda.


Classic hamburger via a hamburger today

New Blog Header (again)

Since I've started blogging again I've been toying with the layout and various elements of the blog. I failed out of computer programming but with the help of google changing fonts, colors, sizes, etc is so easy I can't help but tweak.

My first blog header used a gorgeous William Morris design aptly named Tudor Roses.


Image via moma

When I started blogging again I had a header all ready to go. During my summer at the Walpole I bookmarked tons of little drawings that friends of Horace had done, including a watercolor design for a frame by Mr. Bentley.


shown here in the folio in which it resides
Image via the walpole

Leah, my delightful sister and sometimes co-blogger, rejected my new header. So it was back to the drawing board, or rather the many amazing collections Yale houses. I was researching at the Yale Center for British Art for my thesis (the thesis I'm supposed to be working on right now) when I came across the paintings of Jacques-Laurent Agasse (1767-1849). Most famous for his paintings of animals, Jacques-Laurent Agasse was a Swiss painter who spent most of his adult life in England painting pictures of dogs for wealthy patrons. He also painted exotic animals like zebras and clouded leopards.


Image via the YCBA

Given the many hours I have spent researching the symbolism of flowers in early modern England, I was particularly taken with Agasse's studies of flowers. And so, with some help from picnik, a new blog header was born.


Image via the YCBA, editing by me