Style Inspiration: Rainy Day Blues

I love a rainy night.

And I love a rainy day.

I happen to be wallowing in a funk at the moment, so turned to the Interwebs to wallow further. I firmly believe that a good wallow, savoring the depth of whatever form The Blues take for you, is the best way to cope with The Blues. For me,

I need armor. I need the structure of a Comme des Garcons design or the slouchy menswear-inspired trouser from Jenny Kaye.

I need to lose myself in a gaze, get lost far away in Billie's voice.

I need to acknowledge that The Bean is turning 5 this week, but remember that she'll always be my babygirl.

I need color saturation like only the 1960s can give.

I need a good storm - and a good book in which I can escape. It doesn't hurt when it was not only a childhood favorite, but was also "born" in my hometown. Returning home takes lots of forms.

I need romanticism, like the misleading glamor of an exiled princess.

I need ethereal mist - losing myself again.

Maybe some of this hits home for you. If it does, jump on over to my The Blues board on Pinterest.

Museum Style: Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT

H and I have both been itching to take The Bean on her First Trip to The Big Apple. Mama-wise, it's a dilemma. The PrudentMama says, "She's only 4, there's plenty of time for that." The HipProgressiveMama says, "Expose early and often." The mama who knows her Bean the best says, "Who're you kidding? Do it. She's a City Girl, capital 'C,' capital 'G.' She was born for this.

Until this morning, PrudentMama was winning.

Then The Museum at FIT email arrived in my inbox this morning, taunting HipProgressiveMama and MamaWhoKnowsHerBean with Daphne Guinness.

By way of backstory, The Bean seems naturally inclined towards design. Sure, I encourage her in All Things Stylish, but it does seem to be her thing. From the time she could hold a writing implement, she's been content to draw or write for literally hours. Since we transitioned her to a big girl bed (and she figured out months later that she could get up in the morning without us coming in to get her), she gets up most mornings, comes in to us for a very quick snuggle, then asks, "Can I go draw?," then dashes off to her easel by the big picture window in the dining room.

We've taken her to the National Gallery, colored pencils and itty bitty Moleskin in tow, where we picked out a painting to copy. Bedtime reading ranges from Dr. Suess and The Runaway Bunny to Andrew and N.C. Wyeth tomes (and Jamie & Betsy's The Stray) and the Met's Anglomania exhibit book. [Here comes the BraggingMama part] Another mama, who has an art background and helped out in her preschool class, commented that she "gets" art, following suggestions on using different crayon strokes and adding her own imagination when capturing a basic "still life" they were doing in class.

Then there's Fancy Nancy. Her favorite book of all time.

So I'm thinking that taking her to see the Daphne Guinnness exhibit is a no-brainer. She'll love the fashion and, dare I say it, appreciate the design. I can't wait to hear which piece will be her favorite.

NYC, here comes The Bean. You'd better watch out!

What: Daphne Guinness
Where: The Museum at FIT, 7th Avenue at 27 Street, NYC
When: September 16, 2011 - January 7, 2012
Why: Quite simply, there is no other fashion collection like this. Ever.

UPDATE: I'm pretty much convinced we have to go. Just have to find a date. I can take her out of school for this, right? She can write a report to share with her friends. I'm sure it'll fit into the DCPS curriculum. And I think The Bean and I should have been invited to the opening party, which Italian Vogue captured oh, so glamorously.