I'm usually the opposite of prescriptive when people ask for fashion advice. I think it can actually be rather irritating when someone asks "what style staples do you recommend investing in" and instead of telling them a direct answer I mumble something vague about how staples can be different things to different people. Sorry, but I do feel that way. After all, I'm not convinced my staples of pinafore dresses, retro cardigans, and hair bows are going to work for everyone! However, there is one piece in my closet that has got so much wear over the years that I can't honestly recommend it enough and that is a simple layering blouse. For me the perfect layering blouse is this cream lace one from Miss Patina; I've had it for years so it's not in shops anymore but Miss Patina released a very similar style this year that I think is just as good. It's lightweight and a perfect layer with literally everything--peeking out from cozy knits, a simple neutral for a pinafore, a perfect polish for a circle skirt, etc etc. I've lost count of how many times I've worn it over the years, but I promise if you get one you'll find yourself wearing it loads too!

I read (and briefly shared) How To See Fairies by Charles van Sandwyck in the spring, sitting under a blooming hawthorn tree. You could hardly imagine a more perfect setting for his work than the legendary fairy tree itself, full of pink-tinged white blossoms that showered down delicate petals at the slightest breeze. I shared the cover and a few pictures of pages inside the book in a blog post, but I think the book mention went largely unnoticed. When I shared a quote from it on Instagram recently I felt people’s interest renewed; who had woven such a lovely string of words together? Then I shared a few pictures on my stories and after the response they received I felt the book truly deserved it’s own post. Like the book on Tasha Tudor, it isn’t a wordy novel you read, but rather a book of illustrations and short stories and poems that you immerse yourself into. It's by Folio Society and is the first time Charles van Sandwyck's tales have been collected into one binding. Folio Society is a guilty pleasure for me; I feel as if they make future heirlooms--books that feel classic with the details and quality you find in antique tomes. In How to See Fairies, Sandwyck's illustrations are beautifully whimsical and detailed; bees carry golden keys, mice don mushroom bonnets, and everywhere is a wreath of autumn treasures in the form of acorn caps, shiny blackberries, and spiky thistles. The book has the power to transport you into a magical realm and then bring you back to this imperfect world to admire it again with the ashes washed clean from your eyes. As Sandwyck himself said, “When you come to realize Fairies exist, you appreciate life so much better.” And isn’t that what it is really all about? Appreciating this life and all the magic that is happening constantly around us. After all is it not nature’s alchemy that transmutes what was green to golden leaf? "The gnome king sings a treasure song, To him the earth and sky belong. He sits in bowers gold and green, Such happy moments he has seen. The parting summer wind has sighed, Now autumn's chest is open wide." "The leaves are heaped in tidy mounds, The branches whisper happy sounds. The waves of grass move to and fro...In amber tones the light caressed a place within my heart to rest. The lamps are lit, but turned down low. You'll find me in the afterglow."

Photography has made me a detail-orientated person. Some people find that the pressure of taking pictures often (especially for social media) removes them from the moment and distracts them from what's actually unfolding in front of them. And while I can still be guilty of staring at my phone for too long some days, ultimately I feel that photography overall (on my camera predominantly, but my phone too) has made me better appreciate the world around me. I identified several new-to-m-e species of butterflies in my region this summer merely because I love to film slow motion videos of butterflies on my phone. (And I don't know if you can truly appreciate the fairy-like quality of a brimstone butterfly unless you watch a video of it wafting around in slow motion.) This autumn I have discovered so many different mushrooms and admired countless dappled leaves; tiny details and moments I probably would have walked by in the past without a second glance. I've always loved autumn color, but I wouldn't spend so much time noticing and appreciating the details without the initial impetus to become a photographer. These days I'm often looking at the world through my figurative viewfinder even if my camera is at home. It's no wonder that this appreciation for details has spilled over into my style. I'm not likely to pack my wardrobe with statement pieces, but rather pull together outfits that feature many quiet pieces with lovely details; a beautifully knit fair isle cardigan, a skirt with tiny embroidered pockets, and delicate jewelry that perfectly echoes the natural world. The latest detail I'm fawning over is the last on that list; petite baby pine cones rendered in recycled gold or silver by Lee Renee. They mimic real pine cones so marvelously and I do love wearing delicate jewelry that reminds me of those lovely details in nature I so admire. It's the sum of these little details that adds up to a complete and lovely picture.