You might remember Siri. We interviewed her last month in New York and we love her blog, Ringo have a banana. She's the girl with the great hair and the fantastic wardrobe and the talent for taking incredible film photos. She's done all that and more for us this month by sending us a top 10 all the way from New York- filled with photos she's taken on her film camera. We love this list and love how relevant it is for the start of our grey-skied autumn - even though she's sending it from the almost-spring of the Northern Hemisphere. Sign us up for some "fancy oats" with candied ginger on a sad, cold morning please!
All photos by Siri Thorson
one. Fancy oats for breakfast
What started as a way to use up leftover bits from holiday baking has turned into a regular fixture. I chop up a couple little cubes of candied ginger and dried apricots and throw them with a small handful of golden raisins or some dried sour cherries in to a bubbling pot of Bob's Red Mill Five Grain Hot Cereal, and serve it up with berries and a splash of unsweetened almond milk.
two. Fresh tulips
The longer I've lived in the city, the more I've begun to view fresh flowers as a necessity versus a luxury. Tulips are beautiful at any time of the year, but as spring approaches I begin to crave their company more than ever. Elegant, painterly and unruly all at once, I love the way they droop and splay themselves so languorously out from a wide-mouth vase.
three. Beeswax candles
From the highest-end fragrances to dollar store votives, I have yet to find anything I like as much as the smell of a pure, simple beeswax candle. That golden warmth reminds of dipping my own candles as a kid in wintertime from a big, dark pot of wax kept molten on top of a roaring wood stove. I've also been on the lookout for nice, long-stemmed matches, and this lovely box is from Catbird.
four. Under Milk Wood
European cinema from the 70's is kind of my sweet spot--The Passenger, La Collectionneuse, The Conformist, the list goes on. I just recently discovered this film version of Dylan Thomas's classic radio drama, directed by Andrew Sinclair in 1972. It is eerie, dreamy and bucolic all at once, and filled with so many strange, wonderful characters. I just want to screen-cap it from start to finish! Added bonus: it's available in its entirely on Youtube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fvcW5VJOAI].
five. Writing letters
Call me a relic (...call me what you will heheh), but I love writing--and receiving--real honest-to-god letters in the post. This past Valentine's Day I sent cards to a handful of folks all over the world, and I hope to start keeping up regular correspondence with more people this year. My boyfriend gave me this collection of Hemingway's correspondence for Christmas, and I am relishing slowly making my way through the hefty tome.
six. A Détacher A/W 2012
I was truly lucky this past fashion week to snag a front row seat at the A Détacher A/W '12 show. Everything was ridiculously beautiful, but I was especially struck by the combination of the wooden-soled platform shoes and firey orange stockings that several of the models were wearing. Even though it was a fall show, it got me even more excited to wear lots and lots of color this Spring!
seven. Mimi Vang Olsen
When I look back at all the incredible animals I have known, I never think of them as pets--I recall each of them as truly special creatures that meant as much to me as any of the people in my life. What I love most about Mimi's portraits is that she always manages to capture her subjects as the friends, companions and confidantes they really are. If you are ever in New York, her little storefront and studio in the West Village is a must-visit.
eight. My Benah Marlin Scarf
I am head over heels with this thing. Its delicate, quilt-y print reminds me of something sweetly familar yet also entirely new and exciting. I could really use a cashmere version at the moment heheh, but I can't wait until the thermometer will let me wear this scarf, a whisper thin cotton top, cut-offs, and not much else.
nine. Wilder Quarterly
I grew up on a farm, and here in the city I constantly miss having a garden of my own. Only on their second issue, Wilder Quarterly is fast becoming a favorite of mine. A "publication for contemporary cultivators", they offer everything from plant profiles to seasonal to-do lists and recipes, and have found a balance between being accessible, informative and aesthetically pleasing that I really admire.
Ok, so the page is just a place holder right now. But all this month, my pals and I will be working away preparing to launch a very dear, very exciting project that we cannot wait to share with everyone come April 1st. Watch this space!