♥ baby got back.

breakfast at tiffany's image found here.

sjp + chris noth from vogue.

it all started the day i was born.

the doctor held me up and the first thing my father saw

was my broad baby back.

he clasped his hands in joy

"alright, we got a little quarterback," he said.

then the doctor turned me around

and {tada!}

–all of his hopes of a mini football player were dashed–

i was a girl!

needless to say,

i have always had reservations about my back.

it is not bony or delicate like audrey hepburn or sjp's.

it is built for hard labor or gymnastics.

but you know what?

it can also be beautiful.

with the unpredictability and uncertainty of everything 

from gas prices, to job security, to the weather, these days,

the one thing people can still control is the way that their bodies look.

so as fitness style flourishes and magazines print their latest issues

 dedicated solely to "the body,"

designers like zac posen, donna karan and john galliano

are celebrating the body (back and all!) and

sending gorgeous cutaway dresses +backless gowns down the runway.

oscar de la renta image here.

in plum sykes' article, "the flip side" 

from the latest issue of vogue, 

she claims that the dresses are so breathtaking 

this season, that she would 

"honestly walk into a room backward wearing one."

she also goes on to state,

"wearing a backless dress is demanding, it requires the right back–

neither too fleshy nor too bony, since it is skin that one doesn't see on a daily basis,

extra vigilance is required to ensure it is worth baring.

 'the look of the skin on your back depends on the total health of your body'

 says dermatologist, lisa airan, m.d."

so, from now on,

 embrace the things that make you different–

the quirks that set you apart from everyone else.

whether it is a broad back, a gap tooth, a birth mark, fuller lips, etc. 

celebrate them and love them

and as ralph waldo emerson says, 

"make the most of yourself,

 for that is all there is of you."

♥ may i please remind you that it does not say r.s.v.p on the statue of liberty!

this year, i have decided to take a page

out of lady liberty's book,

and wear green on this 4th of july

in lieu of the ubiquitous red, white, and blue ensembles

that will undoubtedly be exploding like

fireworks all over the place this weekend.

a gift from france to celebrate america's centennial in 1886,

the statue of liberty is one of our country's most identifiable icons.

and much like the peppermint colored patina which covers the 

entire surface of this enlightened lady−

it seems like everyone is going green this year.

valentino's fall collection 

makes me want to put on a pair of glass slippers

and take a trip to the emerald city.

images from bazaar.

and i am green with envy over this gorgeous jade nailpolish 

and funky geometric accessories

that sprouted up all over this season's runway at chanel.

images found on style.com

can someone please have a 4th of july fête

that involves ball gowns and intrigue...

so that i can perhaps wear a dress like the one

kiera knightley wore in atonement (2007)?

i promise,

there will be fireworks.

♥ while you're selling your coats, you're sewing your own.

two weeks ago, on a drizzly friday night at dusk

my boyfriend and i had the pleasure of seeing andrew bird 

perform at the bank of america pavillion.

with songs that reflect the masterful mind of a lyrical genius and the 

inner workings of a mad scientist–

andrew bird whistled while he worked 

with a variety of musical instruments

ranging from a violin, to a guitar, to a mandolin 

to one of those new-fandangled loop machines

that records small snippets of sound and 

plays them back with just a tap of the foot.

as someone who has to "see it to believe it," 

in terms of which instrument makes what noise,

i was very impressed by the way that one man,

 alone on a simple stage,

with just a few instruments

could produce such interesting sounds.

if you have not heard the music of andrew bird, 

listen to this. 

your ears will thank you.

now on to the more important reasoning behind this post:

i am in love with the romantic photography used as the cover art for his latest album,

  noble beast.

a solitary figure standing in a vast landscape 

of early morning dew,

andrew bird appears to be just another molecule

 in this grand universe, as many of his lyrics espouse.

if it weren't for his ralph lauren-esque style

 of weather–beaten blazers on top of tight fitting vests 

on top of plaid shirts, with rain 

boots tucked timidly over blue jeans, 

he would easily blend into 

the brilliant background.

to me, andrew bird's look is pure americana and reminds me

of the man whose very name is a symbol of 

american fashion itself:

 ralph lauren.

i would like to put on one of these gorgeous 

equestrian–inspired gowns +

 fitted blazers,

from ralph lauren's fall 2009 collection

and go frolic in the fields

like nicole kidman and tom cruise

 in far and away (1992)

images via style.com