MDS Stripes

Mark D. Sikes has done an impeccable job building his brand - from interiors, blogging and more recently, MDS Stripes, a lovely collection of American-made sportswear for women. The collection reflects his adoration for stripes and a love affair for blue and white - pieces you can play in by day and cocktail in by eve. I'm currently eyeing the flounce sleeve top and peasant dress. Be sure to watch Mark's video here.  You can also find his Resort 2016 collection on M'oda 'Operandi. Get your stripes on!

'This Happy Isle'

In my loo sits a perfectly tattered book my Grandfather Jack gifted my Grandmother, Gertrude "Trudy" written about a place close to their hearts, Sea Island Georgia. The book's title is a nod to poet Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulyssess" published in 1833 (excerpt below) and is perhaps a perfect tribute to an island that so many adore. Sea Island was a special place for my Grandparents and for my family when they were alive as described in this archived post.

"...The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:

The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep

Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,

'T is not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, until I die.

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

- Tennyson's "Ulysses"

'Making A Museum Out of a Mountain'

Cool piece in the NY Times that I recently discovered which dates back to November of 2015. The magnificent mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who calls South Tyrol, Italy his home and became a world-wide sensation when he climbed Mount Everest without using bottled oxygen, has cleverly created six high-altitude museums known as the Messner Mountain Museum. Each museum is its own architectural gem and respectfully devoted to a certain theme Messner identifies with. The Corones Museum (pictured above) is devoted to alpine history and "the supreme discipline of mountaineering" for example. Messner is truly one of a kind and highly decorated with a whole slew of accolades and accomplishments in the outdoors. (To physically show for it, he only has three remaining toes from frostbite). The piece is absolutely a worthwhile read.

Vert

I love touches of green and also have a mild obsession with ferns - they remind me of Cedarside, my Grandparents' old camp in the Adirondacks. As such, I've loved this capture by Elle Decor that has seemed to float around for some time. I just wish I knew who is responsible for the space.