“Why A Man Should Be Well-Dressed”

I’m back from the working holiday in south of Europe, where I was wearing t-shirts untill 2 weeks ago due to the 30 C weather. Then suddenly it became winter and just as the first snow arrived, I hopped the plane that took me back home.

One of the books I read in my time away from home was Adolf Loos’ Why A Man Should Be Well-Dressed. Adolf Loos was an architect and a strong opposer of the ornamental Art Deco movement at the time. This small book was written around the turn of the century Vienna, and it’s very telling of those times in history. Nonetheless, his view of the uniform dressing as opposed to ornamental dressing is very much relevant today and worth reading if you’re interested in such matters.

things that happened

          

A small Instagram recap of the past month in which I sadly didn’t get the job, but did start a new project and finished another one. In which I ate well, discovered nice things and spent some time by the sea. (It’s almost september, how did we get here so fast?)

June

Clockwise from top left:
– One of my all-time favourite movies which I can watch over and over again.
– If there is one movie that should be accompanied by a box of fresh macarons, it’s this one.
– A lovely gradient painting by the artist Marian Breedveld.
– Candle light and subtle fragrance make rainy days so much better.

From left:
– Vintage Kate on the cover of Vogue UK 1998. I was going through my archives and came across this one. 90s fashion magazine covers look so good today.
– Dailies.

From left:
– My current favourite dish is a simple wholegrain pasta with baked pumpkin, goat cheese and walnuts, seasoned with fresh italian herbs such as sage and thyme.
– Photoshoot props.

Indulgence

image via: minty-stripes

Comfort and good living is an important aspect of good life, even more so than impeccable wardrobe. While pairing down your closet and possessions in general down to essentials and trying to avoid over-consumption is an admirable goal, it’s a good thing to balance it out with occasional indulgences. After all, key to good health and probably happiness is balance. Indulging however doesn’t necessarily means (over)spending or buying things, as some of the best pleasures in life don’t have to cost much, if anything.

One of my favourite things indulgences is spending the morning or afternoon at a local coffeehouse with a big cup of caramel cappuccino reading a good book or a magazine. While there, I’m not thinking about what’s still on my to-do list, just enjoying the company of strangers and the stories. It’s like going on a little holiday inside your own head! Afterwards I almost always feel reenergized and ready to face work.

My other favourite way to spend a day (or in this case, more likely an evening) is to make a big pot of tea and watch movies. Just two weeks ago I spent the evening watching Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, followed by 2 Days in Paris. I still have my Godard movie box that I have to finish watching, as well as Le Herrison from 2009 and Designing Woman from 1957.

Beside stories, my other indulgences include good food. While winter for me is all about comfort food and warm chocolate, the first sign of spring triggers cravings for delicious fresh salads such as caprese and homemade humus. One of my favourite websites in this regard is Smitten Kitchen. It’s my go-to resource for times when I’m craving something new, from baked goods to beautiful salads. And I hear the woman behind the website and all those incredible looking dishes is currently putting finishing touches on her cookbook, which I hope will be available in my country as well. Last time I tried something, was this Russian apple cake called Sharlotka back in december. It’s chock full of tart apple flavour and dusted with powder sugar, looks very festive -perfectly december-appropriate! =)

image from: smitten kitchen