See the subject line ( Read more... )

It is a day of rain and work here (with perhaps time to clean as well). That means, of course, that I am suddenly yearning for distraction from the many things I need to accomplish. ANYWAY, 8 Things:

1) I have a sudden mighty need to see Francois Truffaut's last film Confidentially Yours, a Hitchcockian homage starring Fanny Ardant ( Read more... )

As part of the More Joy Week(s)... I had not planned to make this particular post. But lo, as visual delight from the internet came without warning, I need to link to this.

Okay, so. The Sartorialist shoots the Prada Fall/Winter 2012 menswear collection, otherwise known as Men. In. Coats ( Read more... )

Friday, sleepy, but I'm preparing for a productive (fingers crossed, anyway!) weekend. Because I am seeking inspiration, a list of Things to Assist Productivity:

* this shot from a Peter-Lindbergh-shot July 2010 editorial fashion thing. In this shot, I suddenly understand in a deep and visceral way the appeal of Ewan McGregor. (I blame the white ( Read more... )

Two things on this Sunday:

First, a link -- a fascinating review by Deborah Jowitt in The Village Voice of an evening of contemporary dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov. (Also, a picture of Mr Baryshnikov in a white shirt ( Read more... )

Five minutes thinking about the Vibe...

The Sartorialist recently posted a gorgeous pic of a man in Florence. He reclines, louche and smiling, in all-white, and my heart zings. ;-)

There's something irretrievably louche indeed, a kinda dissipated 70s summer vibe... no, dissipated 70s on the Riviera vibe about the image. I've always liked that ( Read more... )

I'm feeling like a list-and-link today to lift me out of my slough of despond....

* White shirt + Beloved Senior Playwright = Coolness.

*The Sartorialist has been running a wicked cool vintage-photo series at his blog. Two of my favorites: inspirational women, and Russian man, American jeans*a Route 44 Diet Coke with Lime from Sonic. Best Ice Ever ( Read more... )

It is a very lowering thing to be brushing one's teeth of a morning, pondering a six-month-stalled novel-project, and realize that one's worries about (the lack of) a narrative drive can be fixed with the addition of one key element from the source of your inspiration -- not easily fixed, perhaps, but fixed. Because one is an idiot not to have seen ( Read more... )

Ten minutes, ten Things of Joy in the past couple of days:

*Diana Rigg Q&A in The Observer.
*a Knockout rose bush, now in my back garden.
*Sarra Manning's novel Unsticky (I've linked to the forthcoming paperback, although I read the hardback): loads of London and fashion and quirks and coolness.
*this youtube video of Bryan Ferry singing "Avalon ( Read more... )

"Sprezzatura. n. studied carelessness, especially in art or literature." -- Concise Oxford Dictionary

At the moment, or indeed ever, I can't manage sprezzatura -- hard to have it on a sneezy, headachy, cleaned-up-the-Dog-of-the-House's-vomit-at-6-am day, even without my natural handicaps of face-pulling and gawkiness -- but I so admire it in others ( Read more... )