One of my pet peeves is people who take social media or blogging breaks and then go on social media to talk about how wonderful the break was, and how much better life is without the social media they're currently using to share this information. I mean, the hypocrisy! However, I also do understand that being intentional with your time and disconnecting is a very good and necessary thing. And it's far more realistic that we will take "breaks" but still engage in social media; it's such a part of normal life for many people these days that it's not realistic to quit completely. As people grow more and more spread apart these virtual communities and devices keep us connected--I use my computer to Skype my family, I'm on Facebook to see what friends from high school are up to, WhatsApp lets me talk to both groups halfway across the world without hefty cell phone charges. But as I mentioned in another post recently, it is the time away from those devices that gives us something to talk about when we do connect; a story worth sharing over Skype or Whatsapp. If I sit at my computer all day typing away and editing pictures, the conversation is brief. "How'd your day go?" "Good, I stared at a screen for 10 hours." I suppose all this is on my mind because I recently went to an art museum and a few days later to a piano recital and both were just such lovely engaging experiences that filled me with more creative energy than a dozen mind-numbing hours scrolling through Pinterest ever could (although I still love my Pinterest...). At the piano recital listening to pieces composed by Bach and Brahms in an otherwise still room, you could just feel your mind opening up and filling with thoughts. There were no distractions and the rhythm of the songs swept over and through you. It wasn't the stuffy classical music you might hear on the radio and feel bored; it was the emotional, powerful music as if sent through a time machine sweeping you back to an era. It reminded me of the Archers (a film production company from the 1940s) and how Pressburger would go to Scotland between projects "for a walk in the hills" to clear his head. After these trips he could come back with a new creative idea and ready to pursue the next film project. When was the last time we let ourselves fully disconnect and wandered through some hills to clear our heads? Or conversely, fully connect. To focus in on one thing with no distractions and let that sweep you away. The way one painting in a museum can stop you in your tracks if you just let yourself focus on it, or the way a piano concerto in a dusky room can open your mind in a thousand directions...

My blog and social media channels often read like a nature-based fairytale (or at least that is my goal). My sister said someone looking at my photographs would assume I live in the forest like a woodland creature. But like one page of a book doesn't capture the whole story, the photographs I share are only one page in my own story. And as peaceful and idyllic as things seem in photographs, in reality the past few months have been pretty stressful for me. I don't want to use my blog as a space to whine about my problems, but suffice to say: life is always full of flux. We all have periods when things are easier and times when things are harder. Additionally, my point today isn't really that I had a few troublesome months, but rather that in the past week or so I finally gave myself some grace. It's funny how we can see a friend or loved one go through a difficult period and our instinct is to comfort and try to make things easier for them, but when we are the ones with the problem we aren't so kind to ourselves. We are tend to mentally berate ourselves for mistakes or demand that we try harder and push-push-push. But this past week instead of continuing to push myself to my limits, I let some things go. I took a break from a project that was making me crazy even though it means I won't meet my deadline on it. I set aside a bit of time to do necessary work, but otherwise I unplugged and I didn't let myself worry about filling every minute with something useful to "make the situation better." It's good to challenge yourself, to set goals and strive to be better and better. But equally it's ok to take a step back or take a break. Give yourself the same grace you'd give to a friend struggling through a difficult time. Sometimes we feel we have to be our best all the time when you really just need to let yourself "be." I've written before about choosing slow, but it's a good reminder that with everything in life it's not a one time decision and done. You don't decide to change your diet or shopping habits one morning and magically are never faced with temptation again. You have to actively choose to continue on the path you set; say no to that unhealthy snack or high street buy, etc. I have to actively choose slow, week by week. I have to choose to give grace. It's so easy to get caught up in the hamster wheel of life and stop making active decisions but just react to stimuli. I feel that's where I've been lately--reacting; not taking time to observe or process or choose a response. We get so focused on this problem or that issue, and we can miss the bigger picture. There's a really lovely Terrence Malik quote about the path of nature and the path of grace; one part of that quote I love is, "[Nature] finds reasons to be unhappy when all the world is shining around it." Let's try to actively find reasons to be happy. So, here's some soothing photographs from a pretty greenhouse; a simple invitation to take a moment to appreciate the way the world is shining today. And if you can, choose to give grace to yourself and others.   

Thinking about sustainability always brings me back to my classic "remix" roots and sharing all the ways I've worn a piece. Clothes are meant to be worn and reworn! So in that vein, here's a few pieces I remixed recently, starting with my favorite red dress that I've had since 2011 and I'm still wearing today! It's simply a Zara dress (so not the most sustainable shop!), but it has stood the test of time in my wardrobe. I'm a sucker for a classic red dress and it doesn't get better than this one for me; crazy to think that 8 years after I first got it I'm still wearing it!   I bought this white dress last autumn with spring and summer in mind. I'm always looking for romantic white dresses to suit the type of nature photography I aspire to. This one looked like the perfect style, so even though it was the wrong season to wear it, I snapped it up and waited for the right weather and season to shoot! I actually got the first chance to wear it in November for an Outlander themed post. It was a dream to wear and shoot, so I'm considering getting it in other colors now. I'm excited to wear it on summer holidays and lazy weekends around the park, as well as for all of my pastoral inspired photoshoots. This dress comes in a few other colors than white and is still in stock (not something I can say with most remixed pieces!).  Every book lover needs her own book print dress! I picked this one up a few years ago and it's a favorite. I love this style of dress fitted on top with a full skirt and the fact it's sleeveless--it makes for a perfect layering piece. You can wear it alone in spring and summer, or layer blouses underneath for a more pulled together look. All the different colors in the print also allows you to mix up how you style it; I've worn it with warmer yellow layers, cooler greens, and even gone more neutral with tan and black accessories. For me this style dress is a wardrobe staple; I have several dresses (both printed and plain) in this exact silhouette and style that I wear all year round in a variety of ways. I got this suspender skirt a few years ago and wore it so much that I actually got a bit tired of it! I didn't wear it much last year as a result, but took it back out this year and have been enjoying it all over again. This is part of the reason I like to store some of my wardrobe out of the way in the attic for a few months or even a year with certain pieces. It makes things feel brand new when you pull them out after not having seen them or worn them for awhile. This skirt itself also lends to many wears since it pairs well with so many tops, but also the skirt can be converted to different styles as well since the straps are completely removable. It's another thing I try to look for when shopping for new pieces--how many ways can I wear this?   
Here's another dress I bought in the autumn with spring in mind. It snuck it's way out of my closet a few times over autumn, but now that it's spring expect to see it a lot more! It's a bit of a dream dress for me; I'm in love with the full sleeves, romantic lace details, and the skirt is so light and swishy it's a dream to move around in. Like my longer white dress above, this one also comes in multiple colors and I'm so in love with this style I'm tempted to buy a another versions of it. When something works I'm always tempted to snap up multiples before it's gone from the stores forever.

The Mummy is a loose remake of the film by the same moniker from 1932, so this film also takes its inspiration from that era in terms of style and costuming. However, it’s not about silken 1930s glamour; Evie’s outfits are practical and smart. Most notably though, Evie’s wardrobe features a number of masculine inspired elements—in fact in the first few scenes her outfits mirror her brother's almost perfectly. Matching striped tops, khaki bottoms, dark tie, and spectator shoes? Check. Just look at how identical they are! Given the fact that Evie is one of the only female characters in the movie (she is the only woman in the film who speaks) and perhaps the "world" of archaeology she is trying to edge into, her masculine-inspired wardrobe is no surprise. She is a woman in a man’s world. Indeed other characters even note “They are led by a woman. What does a woman know?” Fortunately, while Evie might be used to this nonsense, she isn’t overly affected by it. Evie knows her worth and knows she just how much more she knows about history and Egyptology than the rest of them combined. She might want to be taken seriously by the boys and blend in, but she's still very a strong, opinionated lady ready to march into a prison and save a man!


When we start the film Evie is a decidedly uptight librarian. Her brother quips that he’s a missionary and Evie isn’t far from looking the part (think Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen), but as the film progresses and Evie embraces the adventure and her feelings for a certain uncouth American, her style loosens up as well. It also gets darker, literally. In the first half of the film all of her outfits are composed of white and tan layers, even down to her feminine nightgown she is wearing when unceremoniously thrown into the river in the middle of the night. All of her clothes are literally lost as the ship burns and sinks, so Evie buys or borrows a dress from Bedouin women. As she first emerges from their tents in a little sheer veil and dark dress the transformation is startling. In a sea of sandy beige, she's a sudden explanation point of black. As Evie embraces this outfit though we find her more assertive than ever. She's not trying to be part of the boy's club anymore, she's a woman and she's in charge of this expedition. In a moment we'll see how even after she comes back home, she brings some of this style back with her...
When they return to the city and O’Connell is trying to convince her to run away, Evie has access to her own closet again, but her style has changed. Before her clothes were always fully buttoned and layered with multiple elements—a masculine tie, a belted jacket, etc. In the Giza port scene she and her brother’s outfits are nearly interchangeable, but now she’s wearing a new dark coat on top of her neutrals (before the trip she never wore anything so boldly dark or declarative). Now her blouse is barely buttoned and her layers are minimal (side note: I'm also convinced she is literally wearing one of O'Connell's shirts in the scene where he's trying to make her pack). She’s let down her shields and is a changed woman. Even her nightgown has gone from innocent and white to darkly sultry while mirroring the first nightgown. Both are gently v-necked with pleated detailing on the bodice and trimmed in lace; she's embraced her "dark" side but unlike the borrowed Bedouin clothes, this is Evie. What’s so great is we see she has returned to the elements she wore in the beginning, men’s shirts, khaki skirts, lace-trimmed nightgowns, but she has relaxed (no mistaking her for a missionary now) and embraced her femininity and isn't afraid of getting attention. In this style evolution we can see her growth, but also the fact that she’s never going to stop being that librarian-weirdo-historian that we fell in love with at the start. She’s more outgoing and confident, but all those bookish elements that made her so charming and unique, aren’t going anywhere. And there's no mistaking her as her brother now!
I'd add that when channeling Evie's style, we don't need to get caught up in cosplay. Instead, I would take elements of her style and interpret it in my own way. My inspiration would come more from her penchant for white blouses with tan separates, round glasses, retro heels, and a stylish hat!