QC Prêt-à-Porter || Spring (Fever) Kit
29/04/2013 § Leave a Comment
Étoile Isabel Marant Kiliann cotton-blend cardigan
T by Alexander Wang Classic jersey racer-back tank
Isabel Marant Bady scarf
Equipment Signature washed-silk shirt in white
K. Jacques Barigoule sandal
J.Crew Perfect Shirt in suckered gingham
Current/Elliott The High Waist distressed denim shorts
Levi’s Made & Crafted Flecked cotton-jersey sweatshirt
T by Alexander Wang Classic Muscle jersey T-shirt
Mrs. P. Hicks Honey Chukka Moccasin
Ray-Ban Clubmasters
Clare Vivier La Tropezienne 5″ tote
Billykirk No. 205 Double Wrap Cuff in tan
What a busy few days I’ve had! Between moving apartments, my computer deciding to go on strike and…well, just life, I’ve been a little quiet as of late. My sincerest apologies! I’ve got a terrifically full week this week, but I will be doing my best to keep up with you. I’m most excited about settling into my new place (!!) and a road trip to Nashville (!!!), but we can talk more about all that later.
In the meantime, I’ve been overtaken with a restless spirit that seems to have been brought on by the slow procession of spring and my recent trip to Los Angeles. I’m dreaming of wide open spaces and the wind in my hair, which is reflected in my spring kit that you see above, as well as my Tumblr (which you can see below).
While I’ve been in the wind (and at times without a computer and/or internet — imagine that!), I’ve found that I can at least keep up with Tumblr with my phone, so if ever you wonder where I’ve gotten off to, it’s a good place to check in with me.
Hope all is well with you!
xoxo. M.
Featured: Curb Appeal Style Dossier
16/04/2013 § 6 Comments
Just a quick note to let you know that I was featured by Curb Appeal as part of their “Style Dossier” series. Please head here to check it out. Many thanks to photographer Shanita Sims for a lovely day!
New Additions: Los Angeles Stowaways
16/04/2013 § Leave a Comment
Officially back on the east coast after my trip to Los Angeles! If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have already seen my bajillion and three beach and car and Mexican food pictures, so I will spare you. But you’d like to see my recap of Northern Grade, the American-made men’s pop-up shop, you can find it on the BKLYN Dry Goods blog here. I’ve also still got plenty of other stuff to share from my trip, so please be on the lookout for future posts.
Of course, no trip home is complete without a few stowaways. In fact, because it is one of my personal rules to never ever EVER check a bag, it’s become something of a ritual to leave behind an item or two that won’t fit in my carry-on, with instructions to ship it to me (sorry, Mom). This time around was no exception.
Shown above, from top left:
Vintage Guam t-shirt* from BKLYN Dry Goods
T-shirt* from Deus Ex Machina
T-shirt* from General Quarters (call to order)
Personalized postcards from Black Sheep Postal Service
Veg tan belt from Cause and Effect (that I helped make at Northern Grade!)
Juniper Ridge incense from General Store
*I’m designating summer 2013 “The Summer of the T-shirt,” evidently
Shown below, my magnificent vintage Ralph Lauren blanket coat from BKLYN Dry Goods. If you want one of your own, they’ve still got a beautiful aztec-y pink and greenish one — but act fast and contact them directly, as it isn’t on the site just yet.
I do hope all is well with you. Yesterday’s devastating events at the Boston Marathon left me more than a little shell-shocked and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected. For more information on how you can help, please visit the American Red Cross.
Be safe. xo.
Afield: Northern Grade Los Angeles
04/04/2013 § Leave a Comment
Hello from 10,000 feet somewhere above Pennsylvania! Skyblogging! As I mentioned earlier, I’m heading out to visit my hometown of Los Angeles this weekend for a pretty awesome two-fer. My twin nieces just turned ten (oof! double digits!) and Northern Grade, the travelling men’s pop-up, is in town. I’m actually willing to consider this a three-fer, if the weather manages to stay in the 70s, as expected.
I’m really looking forward to catching up with some familiar faces and meeting a few new ones. I’ll probably be rambling around in my sweet rental car everywhere from Simi Valley to Manhattan Beach, so do let me know if there’s anything you think I shouldn’t miss. Over the weekend I’ll be on hand with BKLYN Dry Goods at Northern Grade, which you should definitely check out. It’s a pretty rare opportunity in Los Angeles to find such an excellent assortment of quality, American-made menswear, accessories and collectibles all in one place and the folks at Pierrepont Hicks always put together an awesome event. If you see me, please say hello!
QC Prêt-à-Porter || Sailing Into Spring
03/04/2013 § 1 Comment
A weekend for west coasting…
Boy. by Band of Outsiders sailboat printed silk crepe de chine shirt
Mih Jeans Paris cropped mid-rise straight-leg jeans
La Perla Donna Eleonora molded underwire bra
J.Crew wool twill schoolboy blazer
The Hill-side selvedge ticking stripe twill pocket square
Clare Vivier Besace embossed bag
Charles Philip Sheila chambray flats
Nothing like a pair of white jeans to get you in the mood for warmer climates. With my upcoming trip to Los Angeles this weekend (a bit more on that later), I’m definitely breaking that old “no white pants before Memorial Day” rule. Just you wait and see.
On the docket:
Trying to remember why I booked a 7am flight. Seriously?
Finishing up Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Quite Continental Breakfast:
bits and bobs for your weekend wander
- My article this week for the BKLYN Dry Goods blog: visiting the largest vintage poster collection in the world at Philip Williams Posters
- A discussion of the evolution and masters of the “lifestyle brand” — namely Ralph, Sir Paul, and Jeremy (as in Lauren, Smith and Hackett) — in light of the upcoming release of Charles Vallance’s and David Hopper’s The Branded Gentry: How a New Era of Entrepreneurs Made Their Names (Elliott & Thompson), via the FT.
- A profile of Dame Margaret Barbour and a look at her remarkably successful guidance of the iconic brand that bears her last name, via Telegraph.
- An entirely new school of etiquette has sprung forth to help you deal with those novel situations that Emily Post didn’t ponder, such as how to conduct yourself at a nude beach or if emoticons are appropriate in business emails, via The New York Times.
- Evidently the real reason I listen to Ke$ha when I’m working out is because she maintains an optimal number of beats per minute, or so the Wall Street Journal tells me. (Please note: this is a workout jams judgement free zone)
Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo. M.
Keep in touch! You can also follow Quite Continental via:
Facebook || Twitter || Tumblr || Pinterest
Instagram: @quitecontinental
Featured: BKLYN Dry Goods Blog
27/03/2013 § 2 Comments
Just a quick note to let you know that I’m featured on the BKLYN Dry Goods blog today, with a bit of a Q&A and the magical picture you see above that was taken by Jahn “Miracle Worker” Hall. The guys at BKDG are good friends and I’m also really excited to let you know they’ve brought me onboard their amazing team as Editor of the BKLYN Dry Goods blog, which we are in the process of rebooting and revitalizing! Be sure to check us out. We’ve got a ton of great stuff in the hopper!*
*No, not that hopper. But I do enjoy that one too.
Thanks, Ralph.
27/03/2013 § 2 Comments
Double RL & Co. for women has finally arrived, and I am a very happy girl. Amazingly, this beaut of a lookbook manages to serve merely as icing on the cake that is the S/S 2013 collection, full of western shirts, 40s-era day dresses, and a boyfriend jean that I desperately need in my life.
Thanks, Ralph. This almost makes up for killing off Rugby and some rather lackluster Collections since F/W 2012. Almost. I mean, you are trying to sell me this as an actual accessory.
QC Loves: Gryphon Fall 2013
16/03/2013 § 2 Comments
Have you already seen this? Am I late to the party? In any event, this is too gorgeous not to share! The New York-based brand Gryphon, by designer Aimee Cho, has definitely emerged as one of my favorites for Fall 2013. The brand, formerly a full line, recently rebooted and is returning for Fall 2013 as an outerwear-only collection. As Gryphon was initially launched around her reinterpretation of the classic trench coat, this refocus gives Cho the opportunity to really refine what she arguably does best (and I love best!), her “…trench coats, puffer coats, overcoats, pea coats, parkas, blazers, anoraks, baseball jackets, and more.”
The proof, as they say, is in the lookbook.
What? They don’t say that? Well, they should.
QC Prêt-à-Porter || Lo in the City
15/03/2013 § Leave a Comment
R13 contrast sleeve Concert-T
Current/Elliott Boyfriend cropped jean
J.Crew hooded parka
Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers
Ray-Ban aviators
J.Crew cashmere beanie
Mimi Holliday by Damaris Bisou Bisou Pearl lace soft-cup bra
Lolita by Nabokov, first edition (anniversary edition available here)
On the docket:
Celebrating a certain St. Patrick
Audubon’s Aviary at the New York Historical Society, details here
Club Monaco sample sale (only through Friday, details here)
Quite Continental Breakfast:
bits and bobs for your weekend wander
- Explore the cult of British designer Margaret Howell, via WSJ Magazine.
- Fernet Branca is the equivalent of a hipster bartender handshake (and did you know that San Francisco ingests more of the stuff than Buenos Aires?!?). A quick guide to Fernet, via Bon Appetit.
- Patrick Robinson, formerly of Gap, is launching Pashko, his own collection of athletically-inclined comfy clothes “to hang out in” — with your help. Using a Kickstarter campaign, Robinson plans to only make the items that people “order” via the crowd-funding mechanism, and after the initial funds are raised, turn Pashko into an e-commerce business, via NY Times.
- Yasmin Sewell looking amazing per usual, via Vanessa Jackman.
- Thom Browne is amused by what you think his outrageous show concepts mean, but he’s actually too busy building a business to pay you too much mind, via Business of Fashion.
- I am a little bit (TOTALLY) obsessed by the idea of staying in this amazing Airstream on the ocean side of Highway 1 in Big Sur. Okay, completely obsessed.
- Peruse the Windows of New York.
- Who exactly is the “average guy” when discussing what men wear (and #menswear)? Via Robert, for GoLocalProv.
- Stephanie always finds the most amazing things. For example: this portrait from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Moynat, a french trunk-maker and leather goods company founded by a woman in 1849, provides a lovely bit of illustrated inspiration for your next trip to Paris:
Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo. M.
Keep in touch! You can also follow Quite Continental via:
Facebook || Twitter || Tumblr || Pinterest
Instagram: @quitecontinental
Victorians of the Desert
13/03/2013 § 5 Comments
Photographer Jim Naughten‘s amazing portraits of the Herero people of Namibia are currently on display at Margaret Street Gallery in London, as part of an exhibit called “Conflict and Costume,” which you definitely should not miss, should you be in the area. It looks to be an exceptionally thought-provoking examination of the intersection of colonialism, culture, tradition, fashion and identity. The beautiful portraits, starkly posed against the barren Namibian desert, closely focus on the tribe’s unique costume — Victorian era dresses for the women, German paramilitary uniforms for the men. Adopted from their colonizers, and slowly personalized with ethnic textiles and the “cow horn” headdresses you see on the women (the Herero people are pastoralists and place high value on their livestock), the Herero tribe honors their warrior ancestors by continuing this sartorial tradition to present day.
Luckily, for those of us unable to make it to London,
you can purchase Naughten’s book here.
Jim Naughten: Conflict and Costume
Runs through April 13, 2013
Margaret Street Gallery
63 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SW
**UPDATE** I’ve just been alerted that there is a simultaneous NYC Naughten exhibit at the Klompching Gallery in Brooklyn, running through May 4, 2013! In fact, the opening reception is tomorrow night (Thursday, March 14, 6 to 8pm)! Considering that the price for me to view these portraits just dropped from a transatlantic flight to subway fare, there’s no chance I’ll be missing them!
Jim Naughten: Conflict and Costume
Klompching Gallery
111 Front Street, Suite 206
Brooklyn
11201
