Blue + White + Yellow = Summer {also, Verameat jewelry}
08/06/2011 § 4 Comments
I’ve always found the pairing of navy blue, yellow and crisp white extremely summery and more than a little nautical (even if not done on purpose). With it getting hotter than all get out in the city, I’ve had to relinquish my hope that we would have a long, pleasant spring. Summer has definitely arrived, and I’ve lightened up accordingly.
You may have also noticed I am a good bit tanner than the last time you saw me. This is actually the remnants of a sunburn received from laying in Central Park for too many hours with not enough sunscreen. Kids, don’t forget your SPF…
Wearing: navy jacket by Club Monaco // multistripe oxford by Black Fleece
chino shorts by Lands’ End Canvas // Dad’s belt/watch, bracelets from the flea
Similar: jacket, shirt, shorts
Hard to see, but around my neck is a tiny ship’s helm by Verameat:
Was very pleased to pick this up at Verameat’s East Village boutique on its opening day. Designer Vera Balyura was a pleasure to meet, as well as Fred the Affenpinscher, the official mascot of Verameat. (And FYI, Fred is a girl.) Drop by Verameat to view a pleasingly odd collection of handcrafted curiosities for neck, wrist, finger and ear. If you’d like the ship’s helm, it’s available here in a variety of materials. But perhaps you might prefer a hatchet loving centaur pirate, a hippo-shark eating a woman or some lion/octopus love?
Verameat
315 E. 9th Street
Between 1st and 2nd Aves.
New York, NY 10003
LIFE Archives: Kathy “Gidget” Kohner, Malibu 1957
07/06/2011 § 2 Comments
The rising temperatures have me thinking about the beach constantly. I adore the beaches in New York, but they will never replace the love I have for the ones I grew up on in Southern California: Malibu, Zuma, Mother’s Beach, Venice. To that end, I went for a wander through the LIFE Archives to see if I couldn’t find some images of California surfers and surf culture for my Tumblr.
I was so pleased to find images taken by Allan Grant in Malibu, for an article that appeared in the October 28, 1957 issue of LIFE Magazine on the real-life inspiration for the fictional character Gidget — Kathy Kohner. When you hear “Gidget” you might think of the Sandra Dee or Sally Field incarnation, a boycrazy girl who took up surfing to get close to Moondoggie, but from what I can tell about Kohner, her learning to surf had nothing to do with boys and everything to do with surfing.
The original novel, “Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas,” was written by Kathy’s father, screenwriter Frederick Kohner, in 1957 and was based on Kathy’s experiences breaking into the “boys only” Malibu surf culture at the age of 15. Frederick was intrigued by the surf slang he heard his daughter using and ended up pulling quite a bit of material for his novel from Kathy’s own diary. Spawning multiple movies, two television series and further novels, Kohner was a bit more counter-culture than Hollywood was ready for and so her story was watered down. Luckily, a glimpse of the real Gidget shines through in Grant’s pictures.
Gidget retrieving her longboard
Ritz crackers and cigarettes. Badass.
From the LIFE article: Among the surfers themselves, the novel made hardly a ripple. “If I had a couple of bucks to buy a book,” said one, “I wouldn’t. I’d buy some beer.” In Kathy’s own opinion, “The book’s all right, but there isn’t enough surfing in it to suit me.”
Kathy on the phone at home…
…while her father listens in to learn “surf slang.”
These pictures warmed my California girl heart right up. Even made me pine a little for Malibu, just a little. Read the full LIFE article here.
Quite Continental 