The Beautiful Voyage

I've always found myself drawn to the adventures of Odysseus, his loyal wife Penelope, the various machinations played out in the Trojan War, and of course, fair divisive Helen (see Of Menelaus and Helen).


And then there's Ithaca, the famed island home of Odysseus, which he endeavors for ten long years to get back to. He is captured and spends seven years on Calypso's island. After escaping, he is waylaid by the witch Circe, a cyclops, a whirlpool, the legendary Sirens... and the list goes on and on.


Oh, but Ithaca, beautiful Ithaca, and fair Penelope, his loyal wife, beckon him homeward. My coworker Bob emailed me the following poem which I really enjoyed. It echoes that old adage about life being about the journey and not the destination.


                               Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.


Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.


Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.


Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.


And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

 ~ Constantine P. Cavafy (1911) 

Wanted: Turn-of-the-Century looks

Last year while watching the film Heaven Can Wait, which stars the divine Gene Tierney, I took a few screen captures of her look in one of the scenes.

As the movie is set in the early twentieth century many of the looks are too costume-y to wear today, but this one, I thought, could still be pulled off (of course in an appropriate setting. I'd love to wear a look like this when I play in my orchestra concert next month.)

My mom got in the mail the other day a catalog from a company called The Pyramid Collection. The clothing in the catalog was definitely a bit quirky-- an odd combination of new-age skirts, steampunk- style jackets, and goth trinkets. And, even though I don't usually wear that sort of stuff, some of the pieces turned out to be quite cute. The velvet skirt below immediately made me think of Gene's outfit from the film.

Next up, finding a blouse. These pictures had me googling "heirloom sewing."  I'm definitely crushing on Gibson-girl blouses.

Au Revoir Summertime

It's the last day of summer today.  Time to say goodbye to warm weather and welcome fall and then winter.  But, before I say goodbye, here's a last tribute to the glorious summer.

I actually watched this film last summer and took a bunch of screenshots but never got around to posting them.  The film is called Summertime and it was filmed in 1955 and starred Katherine Hepburn.


I really liked the film when I watched it.  It's about an aging woman who has never been married.  She takes her dream vacation to Venice, Italy alone, and although she's quite independent, she realizes along the way that some experiences are meant to be shared.  She ends up falling for an Italian man, but the film has a bittersweet ending.


At the time, the film really resonated with me.  I was single, and feeling like I would never meet someone.  I pictured that it would one day be me vacationing alone in Italy, meeting a man I was drawn to, and then having to go back to my mundane life.


I recommend watching this film.  The feelings portrayed in this film ring so true-- it's none of that saccharine tripe that characterizes so many romantic comedies.  And the fashion!  I love her wardrobe.  She is so cute--in one scene she buys the cutest pair of red shoes and then gets all gussied up for her hot date with the Italian man.

I love the salmon color of this dress.  And the matching bow.  I remember loving the other girl's outfit-- her little wasp-waist and the off-the-shoulder blouse.

The white shirtmaker dress is pretty cute, too.  Notice she's wearing the same salmon bow in her hair.  She falls into the canal at one point, and I loved seeing her undergarments hanging out to dry.

And of course there's the not-to-be-missed scenes of everyday Italian life:










At one point they take a day-trip to a nearby island (Burano, the so-called Rainbow Island).  I love her cute outing dress.


And then there's her jumper that she wears in the last scene on the movie.  Did I mention that I want a jumper to wear over a turtleneck?



Goodbye Summer!  I'll miss you and can't wait for your return.
In the meanwhile, be sure to check out this movie.  I highly recommend it!

Mad about Missoni

A silence hung heavily in the air.  The shelves, once stocked full, were bare as a post-menopausal woman's womb.  What remained behind were odds and ends strewn across the floor and hung sloppily on racks.

Empty shelves at Target

Apocalyptic vision?  Nope, I'm talking about the aftermath that followed the Missoni for Target launch.

Years ago, when I lived in New York, I worked for Missoni.  Twice a year for a week at a time, I was booked to model in the showroom in their store on Madison Avenue.  What that meant for me was that I got to try on every sample in each season's collection-- from shoes and stockings to scarves, accessories, dresses and more.  Those crazy stripes really worked their way into my subconscious, but I was never able to afford anything.

Enter the Missoni for Target line.  I thought my dream of owning Missoni was about to come true, but alas, it was not to be.  By the time I got there yesterday evening after work, the only Missoni items left were children's clothes, and a lone pair of heels (in my size!).  The good news (I'm trying to look on the bright side) is that I did not go crazy spending tons of money on everything Missoni.  And, I wasn't put in a position where I had to choose what to take home with me and what to leave in the store.  It's okay.  Really.  Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

If only I were a 7-year-old girl, this skirt would fit me.

But wait... what's this?  Is that more Missoni I spy?  At Forever 21?  Huh?  Is there a Missoni for Forever 21 collection?  Hmmm... this is curious...

Missoni for Forever 21?

Don't be fooled, ladies!  Yes, that looks like Missoni, but it's not the real deal.  Tricky, tricky Forever 21!


In related news, do think that's a Missoni for Target shirt that Charlie is wearing?  Lucky fellow... I wonder what time he had to get in line in order to get that shirt?

Oktoberfest Sneak Preview

The Oktoberfest Dress

This is a sneak preview of something I'm whipping up for this weekend's Oktoberfest festivities.  I used a vintage pattern (from my great aunt's collection) and turned it into a dirndl dress.  The yellow flower-print fabric comes from my mother's stash of fabric and is probably at least twenty years old.  I'm almost finished sewing the dress-- I need to adjust the hem and add a back zipper and then this dress will be ready for a spin on the town.

On another note, I'm sorry that I disappeared from the blog for a bit.  I was in Vermont for most of the summer taking German language classes at Middlebury College.  I had intended to keep the blog updated (although all of my entries would have had to be in German-- that's one of the conditions of the "Middlebury Pledge"), but I ended up being so busy going to classes and studying that I hardly had time for anything else.  With any luck, I'll be able to get some of my summer photos posted.  Vermont is seriously gorgeous!  Anyway, I've missed you guys.  I'm going to ease back into this blogging stuff, but I do hope to be more committed!