Tune Tuesday.

DeVotchKa. Interestingly enough, my friend just put this on a list for me to listen to out of 11 other artists. Then today, I was listening to the wonders of the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, which somehow I haven't gotten around to do since I watched the film years ago, and lo and behold, DeVotchKa did basically the whole thing! So without further ado, I shall introduce you to this magnificent ensemble. The name "devotchka" comes from the book A Clockwork Orange whose characters infused the Russian language with English, which they called Nadsat. DeVotchKa in this language simply means "girl". The group sites Greek, Romani, and Slavic music as their influences, which is very apparent in tunes like Head Honcho and Stizzalo. They also dabble in more folksy sounding pieces like You Love Me and some beautifully arranged piano music with Dearly Departed. So дать им послушать. (that means "give them a listen" in Russian).

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Bikes and Books.

Recently I have been thoroughly inspired by books, bikes, and the fantastic combination of the two. Here are some images, places, and reading materials that you might enjoy if you like these as well.

This book store is named after the blue bike that always sits outside of the front door.

A book that explores the technicalities and history of this beloved mode of transportation.

A band called The Books that would probably be fun to listen to while riding a bike.

two dream bikes, so great!

Also, two books that are just interesting looking.

Silhouette: The Art of the Shadow

Men of Letters and People of Substance

Generation Why.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love my generation.

I love that...

We are quick to question the norms and refine old concepts to make them new, like the invention of the shoe wheel.

Brands are being renovated and aren't as busy looking as they used to be, like the modern looking metromint water.

Movies are artistic and clear in every shot, like Bright Star.

Music sounds fresh and light instead of extremely heavy, like with the Little Ones.

Clothes are generally very muted and will hopefully be wearable in the years to come, like the label Céline.

There is a movement back to folk, like with Will Stratton.

Reading classic literature is overriding trashy television.

These are just a few reasons why I love this time period and I can't wait to see how the next one will compare.

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Quail, Vogue, and DVF.

This has been by far one of the best weekends of my life. It all happened by chance really.I happened to have a conference with my school newspaper on the weekend after my birthday and it just happened to be in Athens where my sister Elaina goes to school. So, I came down to see her on Friday and we had the most fun filled adventures. She was busy at her internship that afternoon so I got the privilege of getting to explore downtown in the blustery rain. Despite the bad weather, I enjoyed the wonders of Toula's, which houses beautiful pieces from all around the world, like their Moroccan chandelier and their 19th century French dress form. This is probably the best decorating shop destination in all of Athens and it's right in the heart of downtown.

Toula's Home, Garden, and Gift

So I scurried in the cold in my bright red trench coat and brown galoshes to a few other stops like McColly's and then met up with the sis for our dreamy 4 star dinner at the National. To die for. I had my first encounter with quail in a light butter sauce with cranberries and arugula. I felt like I should have been listening to the No Reservations soundtrack while eating to thoroughly appreciate it.

The National

Next was birthday present time! And what was my gift from my sister but the Vogue tome called "In Vogue". A splendid book, the most elaborate and special I have ever received. I am looking at it this very moment and am still giddy about it.

From there we got to explore Athens historic home district while listening to the tunes of the Kate Spade CD (you must listen to it). We got to see a really cool friend's house and all of her beautiful oil paintings. It was breathtaking! The house is lovely and Victorian with wooden beam ceilings and Bible verses taped all over the walls. It was the most life filled home I've even been in! This event was followed by an inspiring trip to the bookstore and a quick trip to the local market Krögure.

The center picture is called "Intercessor" by my friend who

is a senior at the University of Georgia.

The next morning, after my newspaper conference, Elaina took me to this lovely place for brunch called Mamma's Boy. I got the warm peach french toast which is my official favorite and Elaina got the omelet with smoked grits.

Last fall at Mamma's Boy receiving pointe shoes from the American Ballet Company (hence the face)

Then she quickly showed me her art building and all of the cool artwork in it. Very modern and sleek, needless to say, a well designed building is a happy building.

Univeristy of Georgia's Lamar

Dodd School of Art

Our last stop before we were forced to part ways was a little store called Blonde which was having a big sale. Here I found the icing on top of the cake of my already wonderful birthday weekend. A cheetah print Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dress perfect for a winterview and was a shocking 75% off. Unheard of. So as a kind birthday gesture to my already spoiled self, I splurged. That in a nutshell was my inspiring weekend. Now I am back at my small school typing in a slightly drab dorm room dreaming of all my happy thoughts.

Sources 1, 2, 3

Barrie and the Fairy.

J.M. with his dog Porthos

J.M. Barrie is by far my very favorite author not to mention one of my top 10 favorite men. He wrote "Peter Pan" not really for children, but more as a testament to how he felt like a child himself. He also wrote it for the Llewelyn Davies family, who he met in the park and who he eventually spent all of his time with. Barrie thought the Llewelyn Davies boys stood out among the other children because of their red velvet tam o shanters. J.M. was also completely infatuated with their mother Sylvia, who was his Wendy. Barrie's life story was very interesting as were the books that he wrote. So, I entreat you to read Peter Pan, the story will take you to another world of pirates and Indians and mermaids.

Jack Llewelyn Davies

Sylvia with the oldest three, George, Jack, and Peter

Jack, George, and Peter as "the Boy Castaways"

The 5 boys with their father Arthur Llewelyn Davies

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(500)

Oh where to begin on this one. I was reading the obituary today for J.D. Salinger in the NY Times and it got me thinking about the references (500) Days of Summer made to the writer and other cultural references in general.

-For one, Tom is explaining to his younger sister how perfect he and Summer are for each other. "We talked about Bananafish for like 20 minutes. We're so compatible it's insane." This refers to The Salinger book 9 Stories* where one of the stories is called "A Perfect Day with Bananafish".

-Zooey Deschanel was actually named after the Salinger character from "Franny and Zooey".

-The character Summer spoke of reading "Dorian Gray" which was an Oscar Wilde novel.

-The character Tom is loosely based off of Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther" who was described as "the first unrequited love protagonist" by the movie's director Mark Webb.

-Summer's apartment was packed full of pop culture references like a print of the painting Blue Vase by Cezanne.

-It was mentioned briefly that Summer liked the painters René Magritte and Edward Hopper. Her love of the former is shown later in her apartment when she has a derby hat with a green apple on top of it, alluding to the painting "Son of Man".

-The silent films shown with JG Levitt playing chess with a little boy is definitely in reference to Ingmar Bergman's classic film the Seventh Seal.

There are so many other aspects of the film, but I think you get the idea. So many layers and textures with these pieces, it makes the film that much richer and more special.

*Another note, for any Capote fans out there, the writer Paul Varjak in Breakfast at Tiffany's wrote a book called "Nine Lives". They seem to be similarly set up as Salinger's book so I wonder if it was intentional on Capote's part to make that reference.

*Addendum. The photo above I believe is also a reference to François Truffaut's short film Les Mistons.

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Young at Heart.

I love anything made with children in mind, especially books devoted to raising well-mannered, stylish children who love the City and beautiful living. This is probably why I am so drawn to Eloise at the Plaza. The 3 books I have shown here encompass a great wealth of knowledge for adults and children alike. The first, This Little Piggy Went to Prada, is a great learning tool for any label lover and her daughter to go through at bedtime. The illustrations are beautiful and the references I assure you could not be found in any other children's book. The second, a new favorite of mine, was written by a young man who "wanted to get some things straight before he was old and uncool". So, he started a blog aiming to remember all the things he wanted to teach his future son. The blog was then discovered by publishers and was converted into the book Rules For My Unborn Son. His advice ranges from "Enough already. Learn the rules of cricket," to quotes from Noel Coward like “Wit ought to be a glorious treat like caviar; never spread it about like marmalade." And lastly, number 3, or should i say sixx. The creators of Sixx Design, Bob and Cortney Novogratz moved their family to Manhattan several years back to pursue their love of interior design. Since then, they have had not six but seven children and have several homes that they live in throughout the year. Each house is extremely modern and kid friendly, reinventing what it means to make a home homey and how settling down doesn't mean losing your style.* Listen to the kid in you and read through these books and think of a few rules of your own that you want to instill in your children.

This lovely book spins nursery rhymes like Row Row into

"Front row for the show

With the Harpers Team.

Head to toe in Moschino,

Mummy looks a dream."

Witty words of wisdom from one gentleman to his son

The Novogratz display how to design with kids in mind

in their book "Downtown Chic"

*The Novogratz are scheduled to have a reality television show premiere on Bravo called 9 by Design coming April 13, keep a look out!

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4

Fare Thee Well.

What a fun, witty lady Ms. Dorothy Parker was! She was the queen of the Algonquin Round Table, wrote stories for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, and was among the best of the best at playing with the written word. Once when asked to use the word "horticulture" in a sentence, she immediately replied, "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think." I also admire her format for writing short stories. Most all of her characters would begin acting a certain way, which was either repulsive or irritating, and by the end of the story they haven't changed one single bit. She felt that the racists will always be blinded (Arrangement in Black and White) , the sentimentalists will always be in a dream world (the Lovely Leave), and the cheaters will always remain scummy (Mr. Durant). How interesting that one woman had such faith in the general stagnation of the human race. Her words inspire me to mull over everything I say, be brutally honest in my opinions, and never get into the "vicious circle" of being a torpid character.

*If you didn't understand the title of this article, you must listen to this.

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Lauren and Gatz.

No book has more panache and character than the vibrant "Great Gatsby". Concerning the decadent 1920s Long Island society and the lavish lifestyle that they led, F. Scott Fitzgerald highlighted on his personal experiences of trying to keep hold of his "silver girl" Zelda, who was the inspiration for Daisy in the story. Although the book is wonderful, the movie just seems to add to the vibrancy, with the intoxicating jazz and the jaw dropping parties it makes the story that much better. Another bonus of the film was the designer of the menswear costumes, none other than the fine gent, Ralph Lauren. Mr. Lauren understood Jay Gatsby and the caliber of his standard of living and dressed him and all of his fellow cast members accordingly. I love a period film, but this one soars above the rest. Make sure to watch it, but don't forget to drive off in your motorcar and play on the polo fields afterward.

Robert Redford as "The Great Gatsby" outside of his lovely estate

The Respectable Ralph

Sources 1, 2, 3