Don't call it a comeback!

For the first time in MONTHS, I'm back home for an extended enough period of time that I can catch my breath and return to doing the little things that make me happy and calm. Writing is a part of my job, but getting back into the habit of writing for myself as an exercise is important to me. The practice of writing as an extension of myself brings me in touch with my own voice, without it being filtered through a template or chugging out corporate missives. I have plenty to share, always new gear to gush over, delicious food from around the country, new cleaning products that quell my compulsive neuroses, and people and ideas that have inspired me. I will try to compartmentalize and space things out over the coming weeks, so just hang on with me here.

September brought me to Denver, from there drove to Texas, from there drove to Woodside, California, from there flew me to Columbus, OH for the month of October. November found me in Massachusetts, December put me in Virginia and then NYC. The meatier part of January was spent in Denver, from where I drove back to Pennsylvania, and days later flew to Las Vegas. From there I flew back to Long Island and then drove to Charleston, SC for a week, with a one-day reprieve at Mr. Waistcoat's mother's farm in Aiken, SC on the way back to good old Lancaster PA. Last Tuesday I returned home, not for good, but for better, and I'm still reeling. Time zone swaps, adjusting the severity of my accent to be more approachable to the varying levels of cowboy accent, educated old-money Southern, not educated backwoods Southern, South African, midwestern, you name it and I've struggled to interpret and respond to it. 

Funny enough, my favorite encounter with another person happened while waiting for my red eye flight from Vegas to NYC. A woman sat down next to me at the gate and, unprovoked, started chatting me up and trash talking other people walking through the terminal. She was a woman probably in her early 60s, a Westchester, NY transplant with a home in Vegas who made a point of telling me that she was Italian (in an anecdote about how she didn't enjoy visiting France and that they can shove the Louvre up their a***** because they stole all the art from "our people" [Italians]). A certifiable fact about Italian women from New York is that they will never let it go unspoken that they are indeed Italian and from New York. I don't know how she knew I was too, I guess it's a WOP version of "gaydar," but regardless, she was beyond amusing. In my starved, sleep deprived haze I imagined her to be a sassy version of myself in 40 years, and this thought carried me through my surprisingly short flight back to the East Coast. 

As for new cool things... I have plenty to share, but I think I should start with these bad boys that landed on my doorstop in December - custom silver spurs from the brilliant Eddie Harris of Harris Leather and Silverworks.

Harris Leather & Silverworks is 100% a family business, where each member contributes their own artistry and expertise. I've had the pleasure of getting to know the Harris family through the trade show circuit, and aside from the absolutely beautiful work they do, they're truly top notch people. I don't know whether to use these spurs or to put them up on a pedestal! 

Most of my adventures have been catalogued on the 'gram as well >> @aezeum

How I Managed to Pack the Perfect Suitcase!

Packing for any kind of trip has always been a source of anxiety for me. I always forget something, some crucially important thing. In the past it's been my eyeglasses, my phone charger, pyjamas, socks, deodorant... you get the idea. The day after Christmas I was slated to go on a voyage across the Atlantic to visit London, Paris, and some of the English countryside, over the course of 10 days. It's a challenge for anybody to fit ten days' worth of clothing in a carry-on sized roller bag, and I was traveling during a particularly variable season, as far as the weather was concerned. By some strange stroke of genius though, I managed to pack the perfect suitcase. I utilized everything I had in there (as in, nothing was extra or unneeded), I never lacked appropriate outerwear or shoes, and I still had a bit of room to bring inevitable purchases back with me. 

Here's how I did it!

My suitcase is a standard carry-on size American Tourister bag that I got in Aqua blue because a) I hate how everyone has black suitcases and b) I knew it would be easier to pick out at baggage claim. For the rest of my junk I use my trusty, giant camo canvas tote from the defunct RL Rugby brand (RIP). It's large enough that I can fit my small purse in there, alongside all the other necessities that I won't be able to live without if my luggage gets lost. Awesome brimmed "Manon" hat from Anthropologie ($58), and giant fluffy infinity scarf that I can wrap over my face incase I pass out on the plane and enter fly-catching mode, tops on priority list. I got my neon X-ray yellow luggage tag from the folks at Flight 001, along with a matching Passport cover and 1-qt size bag for carry-on fluids. Very sadly, the subzero temps when I was flying out of NY during the Polar Vortex (or whatever they called it) must have weakened the plastic and my luggage tag came back to me snapped off, so I'm torn between replacing it or opting for a less weather-sensitive option.

As for the contents of my suitcase... here's where the real genius kicked in.

SHOES: 2 pairs
1 pair of waterproof leather boots, comfortable enough for walking all day and dope enough to wear with anything.
--> Dubarry of Ireland "Wicklow" boot in Walnut, $299
1 pair of black flats, not very comfortable but perfect enough for any circumstance that's a bit dressier (or where brown boots wouldn't work).
--> studded loafers from Call It Spring, $15 (on sale)
OUTERWEAR: 2 coats
1 warm, mid-thigh length down coat for chillier temps/venturing out at night.
--> Dubarry of Ireland "Salthill" coat in Black, $299.

1 lightweight, waterproof jacket for wet weather and layering.
--> Dubarry of Ireland "Behan" jacket in Raisin, $479.

Lucky for me, I work for a brand that makes phenomenal outerwear (take a stab at which that is...). Add in a scarf that you can do a lot with... I picked up my rust-colored one at Uniqlo for $12! A pair of beauteous handwarmers from Houndworthy also came in handy for all the mugs I ended up holding (see evidence below).
PANTS: 3 pairs
1 pair dark denim jeans that look good with ankle boots.
--> AG Jeans "Stevie" Straight from Anthropologie, ~$168.
1 pair black motorcycle jeans that still look cool with brown boots.
--> Free People moto jeans circa 3 years ago, ~$199.
1 pair black vegan leather leggings that can be used for a dressy dinner date, or just as easily dressed down.
--> Sanctuary Clothing Mixed Vegan Leather Leggings, $98 (but found on sale at Zappos for $65).

TOPS: the 2 most important things to bring anywhere...
1 chambray shirt. It will be your best friend. Goes over tank tops/tshirts, under sweaters, by itself, etc. I take one everywhere as part of my uniform.
--> JCrew is where I got mine a few years back, but they have new choices every spring for around $78.
1 black merino wool cardigan, on the longer side.
--> Brooks Brothers -- a bit pricier than I'm used to, but it's a wardrobe staple so you should be more willing to splurge. Warm but not bulky, and sharp enough to wear with dressy outfits if necessary.
Aside from that, throw in one warm sweater, a few t-shirts, a couple of tanks, a tunic-length dressier top (for use with black leather leggings), and a few more assorted tops for good measure.

DRESS:
1 black vegan leather bodycon dress, to wear with aforementioned flats and cardigan. Slick enough to go out to a club but elegant enough to wear to a fancy Parisian restaurant on New Years Eve (what I did). Also, folds very easily and doesn't take up much suitcase space. Procured mine from Free People a couple of years back but Sanctuary Clothing had some killer options this season as well.

Sanctuary Clothing Vegan Suede dress, $168.

The best choice I made was undoubtably with footwear. I wore those Wicklow boots every single day for ten days. We walked EVERYWHERE. Not once did I get blisters or tired feet, and on the days where it poured rain (there were quite a few), I didn't get held back. The weather in Europe is tricky to predict during the winter months, and I spent equal amounts of time in my down coat as I did in my rain shell. The waterproof jacket also came in extraordinarily handy, particularly the day we walked around Brighton, England in sopping wet conditions. I was never cold, or wet, or over dressed, or under dressed. In general, everything I own can be mixed and matched... I guess I'm stylistically pretty consistent, but in this situation it worked out for me really well.

great shopping in Brighton

chilly night on Waterloo Bridge

paid a visit to the new Dubarry flagship store in London!

fun fact: anywhere outside of New York, people think I'm Latina.

On a side note... Google is giving me a nightmare of a time regarding my blog domain. dappledwaistcoat.com is no longer working because they would never allow me to sign into Google Admin to renew it, and now that it's expired it seems I can't get it back. So for the time being, we'll be here at DAPPLEDWAISTCOAT.BLOGSPOT.COM until I can sort this out! Any advice on the matter would be appreciated!  xx A