Enchanted Modernism

I Do

Marry Me Mug by designers Ann-Louise Tingelof & Alicia Ongay-Perez (via DesignSpotter)

Cheburashka

Found Fabric Scallions

Soft fluffy scallions from Brooklyn designer Sian Keegan, via Design Is Mine

L.L. Bean Tote Dress

The brilliance of my favorite fashion designer, Wendy Mullin, never ceases to amaze me.

The Code of Life

User Flossbox on Craftster's elegant DNA embroidery.  Craft via BoingBoing

Dr. Who?

A while ago my partner Christopher and I started watching (old and new) episodes of the incomparable British sci-fi TV show Dr. Who (so brilliant, and I'm not sure why it took me until 2007 to catch on).  Then I thought it might be fun to knit Christopher a replica of the 4th Doctor Tom Baker's signature superlong, multi-striped scarf, and at some point I googled "Dr. Who scarf" to find some reference images to devise a pattern.  To my surprise, I found a site devoted entirely to said scarf, complete with patterns by season (it changed slightly), yarn recommendations and photos galore.  I was sold.  A few weeks later, a huge box of Brown Sheep yarn from Paradise Fibers arrived and I was off.  I started shortly after Christmas and I have about two feet done.   I anticipate it being about twelve feet long, and I stupidly promised Christopher that I'd finish it by Valentine's Day.  I am experiencing a bit of stockinette-induced malaise, and my thoughts keep wandering to lace work, socks –– anything to break up the monotony.  A visit to Knitty uncovered this ridiculously gorgeous project, which is now high on my to-knit-next list.

Or Modern Enchantment?

The May 2007 issue of one of my favorite glossies, Domino, featured an article by "The Adventuress" columnist Cynthia Kling ("Phone Date with (Style) Destiny") in which she contracts Vancouver-based image consultants Carrie and Danielle to craft a two-word personal "style statement."  It's a wholly thought-provoking and aesthetic-refining experience for those that can afford it: Carrie and Danielle charge $500 for a phone conversation in which they ask a client a series of questions about their preferences –– then they consult offline to create a two-word branding phrase that neatly distills the client's personal style. 

I am utterly fascinated by C&D.  What a cool (if somewhat esoteric) job!  How does one break into the image-consulting biz, anyway?  If I had five Benjamins burning a hole in my pocket, what phrase would they create for me?

And so, in the spirit of DIY, I endeavored to create one for myself.

Kling's reporting helped.  The consultants asked her a series of fashion fantasy questions that offer clues to one's genuine aesthetic.  "What would you wear to the Oscars?" Danielle asks Kling–– and I mentally proffer my own answer, instinctive and certain: "Vintage Chanel."

"What's top on your list of places to travel?"  Venice.  And Reykjavik.  What is your favorite flower?  Irises.

It's like an irresistible meme.  I read on:  "What piece of art has moved you the most in your life?" 

This is a bit more difficult.  I have a degree in art history and a mental list a mile long, but several things come to mind: Vermeer's Young Woman With a Water Pitcher.  Tadao Ando's meditation room at the Art Institute of Chicago.  A huge Joan Mitchell at the Detroit Institute of Arts.  Man Ray's photo of the Marchesa di Casati.  A small Pieta by Michaelangelo I saw in Brugge, Belgium.  The Cocteau Twins song "Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires."  Jeanette Winterson's novel The Passion.  Seeing the Eiffel Tower –– and stepping inside Crown Hall –– for the first time.

As I review my choices with as much objectivity as I can muster, I see a pattern.  I'm drawn to elegance and simplicity with a touch of magic, mystery, eccentricity, whimsy.  I wrote my master's thesis on Coco Chanel and her place in the design world of the early 20th century, and have always felt a strong affinity with the aesthetic of early Modernism.  The phrase came to me in a flash: Enchanted Modernism.

Evidently Carrie and Danielle espouse an 80/20 rule, with the first word carrying most of the weight.  Kling's phrase is "Cultivated Wonder," and she notes that "I need to keep my 'wonder' side in check or I cross into 'wacky.' I agree: my eccentric 'enchanted' side has led me to some style mistakes. So perhaps my phrase should be Modern Enchantment, but I  like the way Enchanted Modernism rolls off the tongue better.

It's a perhaps a little (okay, a lot) hokey, but it feels like me.

I believe that personal style is innate, democratic, and life-enhancing.  I wholeheartedly agree with Carrie & Danielle's brilliant "Manifesto of Style," which claims that "Every aesthetic and material                 choice sends a message to the world about who                 you are, and the world responds accordingly" and "It's always a good time to be yourself. And it's never too late. Possibility exists all of               the time, everywhere. You haven't missed your               moment to be your most beautiful."

It is in this spirit that I begin this blog.  Kling describes how her style statement made her notice the things in her life that didn't match her aesthetic, putting her at odds with her authentic self.  And I often struggle with making choices –– from food to clothes to decorating and even in my career –– that are genuine, informed and deliberate when the easier route is cheap, trendy and quick.

I'm hoping this site will be like an ongoing collage of images, recipes, projects, people and thoughts  that helps me refine my own style, as well as a place to share the things I find inspiring. 

What's your style statement?