Field Trip: Brooklyn Botanic Garden!

In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, -- no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part and parcel of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintences, master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.
-- Emerson,  Nature 

PREFACE: Life and style are interchangeable; your personal style is influenced by and is a reflection of the life you lead. My preference for rugged goods and timeless design is very much connected to the fact that I'm an active person who's happiest doing things outdoors. Being mindful about what you buy and how you dress goes hand in hand with being conscious and aware of the world around you.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is one of my favorite places in New York the world. This year I was fortunate enough to go when the cherry blossoms were just about in full effect. It felt great to get out and walk around and take in all the beauty.

HIS Vans Classics, HERS Minnetonka from TROVE GENERAL.

AG Jeans, Free People tank, JCrew cardigan

What are some of your favorite Spring spots to explore?

Proudly Introducing: the DUBARRY Longford Boot!

As a longtime friend of the Dubarry team, I am honored and privileged to help give their newest boot a proper US debut. The Longford boot has all of the classic Dubarry elements as the Galway boot, but with a sleeker silhouette and some beautiful new detailing. A double buckle adorns the top, with the signature Dubarry script logo subtly embossed into the smooth leather. The boots, in true Dubarry form, are made in Europe of Dubarry's DryFast-DrySoft™leather and fully lined with GORE-TEX® from bottom to top, making them completely waterproof but also lightweight and breathable. The Black and Walnut color options (shown below) will initially be offered in European sizes 37 to 43 (up to USW 11.5, USM 10) and will retail at $529. Apart from the obvious practical appeal, the boots are simply beautiful.

Dubarry LONGFORD boot in Black.

Dubarry LONGFORD boot in Walnut.

Nothing better embodies the spirit of the Dappled Waistcoat more than Dubarry boots: they are hard wearing, well crafted, but still effortlessly stylish and timeless. I've been steadily wearing Dubarry Galway boots since 2005, and from October through March you really won't see me in anything else. This year they kept me dry through Hurricane Sandy and helped me shovel my driveway out of snow three feet deep during the crazy blizzard in February. Oh, and a little trade secret.... my boots have lasted so long because I take proper care of them! I hose them down if they get muddy or dirty and let them air dry, and I regularly apply Dubarry Leather Cream to the foot part so they don't dry out.

A rainy Galway day in February, paired with black motorcycle jeans and a North Face parka.

For those of you lucky folks who will be attending Rolex Kentucky this year, a limited number of Longford boots will be available for sale at the show, so absolutely stop by the booth and slip a pair on. By the looks of them, you won't want to take them off......... ever. If you're an Instagram user, tag any Dubarry related photos #dubarry #dubarryboots #rk3de #roadtorolex2013 @dubarryofireland @rolexkentucky, and if you want to make me envious you can tag me @aezeum!

As for the rest of us, Dubarry is running an exciting social media contest through the Rolex Event in which one US resident can WIN a pair of Longfords and thereby increase their quality of life a hundredfold. Click here or on the image below for details on the competition!

I may have to wait until the Hampton Classic Horse Show this year to get my hands on a pair, but please believe I will -- in Black -- and I'll spam photos of them on Instagram to make you all insanely jealous until you can't help but get a pair of your own. I dare you to beat me to the punch!

Field Trip: the Great Pennsylvania Adventure!

The Great Pennsylvania Adventure, (or GPA, if you wish), was pretty phenomenal and exciting. As a result, this post is pretty long. There are lots of pictures though, so look at those and scan through my rambling as you please!

After living in Pennsylvania for two and a half years during the time I attended Villanova for my Masters, I haven't once returned back to visit. When I moved home to Long Island in October of 2011, I was very frustrated with Pennsylvania. I hadn't been able to find a job there that I could support myself on, I was far away from my family, and it was perplexing to me to live somewhere that's so hot over the summer without any beaches to go to. It sort of seemed like a lonely, landlocked hell. A year and a half later, I find myself waxing poetic about my time in PA. I miss living down the block from Milkboy Coffee and being able to walk up the street, get a cup of coffee and some food, and sit, people watching in an artsy Laptopistan. I was lucky enough at the time that my other half was willing to move his life down to Pennsylvania and have that adventure with me. He too, had become disenchanted with Pennsylvania and the struggles of starting over somewhere new, without the comfort of family and old friends. We made new friends, though, and we've only realized how important they are to us after so much time being away from them. Last week, we decided it was time to take a mini-vacation and revisit our old haunts along the Main Line and spend some quality time with good friends further south, in Oxford.

yours truly, in heaven.

Our first stop was Villanova, where I fulfilled my Alumni duty of spending money I didn't have in the bookstore. The campus looks wonderful with the many changes they've made to further "beautify" it since I graduated. Check that off the list. Next up we headed to our former home of Ardmore and had lunch at Milkboy Coffee. I was disappointed to not see any of the baristas I remember from when I was a regular there... but alas, times do change. 

PHASE TWO after the jump....