guy bourdin

this is punk

beatrix kiddo/the bride from Kill Bill, image via collider.com

amelie poulain from Amelie

lola from run lola run, image via ricardo cohen

margot tenenbaum from the royal tenebaums, image via style alchemy

thelma and louise, from thelma & louise, image via sara fryd

mathilda lando from leon: the professional, image from autumn in my veins

being punk isn't about the safety pins, or the mowaks or the ripped jackets and the dr. martens, it's about recognizing the weaknesses in the rules that were written for you and deciding to rebel against that...(grossly paraphrased from Susannah Martin, theater director)
i find this idea provocative in its simplicity... i think we have gotten so caught up in what things look like that we sometimes overlook what is quietly or not-so-quietly going on beneath the visual representation. and the thing is that people take on trends and shrug them off, and just because someone is wearing all the "gear" to fit a specific archetype, it doesn't mean that their values and choices line up in agreement with that model... all of the film characters above are "punk", not in a visual sense, but in a philosophical sense... they all are choosing to make up the rules to their own lives, to forge ahead with what they believe, with what seems personally relevant and powerful, without letting the world around them dictate what is right or wrong or appropriate. being punk comes down to something completely bare-bones and essential— the right to individual freedom, the right to not conform to an established order. i have such great admiration for people who live like that, whether it be in sustained periods of time or in quick white hot flashes... and though fictional, i'm greatly moved by and very much value the integrity of these characters and their self-determining, singular identities.

a floral anthology

ranunculus, image via oh for heaven cakes

dahlias, image via hawkfire

peony, image via mooseyscountrygarden

rhododendrons, image via mooseyscountrygarden

i have loved the dahlia and the rhododendron for a long while now, since i was a child— they covered the hills and gardens of the misty mountain town i spent a good deal of my youth in. my love for the peony and the ranunculus came later, just in the last few years— i see them cut, trimmed of most their leaves, and standing in water in flower shop windows as i walk by, on my way to work or running errands, and they always catch me a bit off guard. i don't love them as i do dahlias and rhododendrons, i can't— they're not imbued with that special savagery and freedom of my childhood, all those rambling and raucous hours that would drift into the twilight...so i love them differently, with less nostalgia, but still somehow with the same spirit.

girls girls girls

image via retro stitches

image via isledegrande

image via ccity77

image via hear it snap

a catalog of crowds

image via sfist

did you know that a group of raccoons is called a gaze?

and...
a group of unicorns is called a blessing
a group of ravens is called a murder
a group of mice is called a mischief
a group of owls is called a parliament
... i mean really, how fuckin' ridiculous and awesome are these terms?!!

the dearest doyenne

image via nubblytwiglet

image via eyesing

iris apfel: a real iconoclast if there ever was one. she's got the irreverent look of a magpie and a renegade— she gives of tones of openheartedness and sincerity, but also she booms with fun and mischief and defiance. she really is the embodiment of what true personal style is all about...because she just doesn't seem to give a damn what other people might think of her.

general utility

photo by garance dore, found at accidental chic

photo of garance dore via a fashionable life

alessandra colombo via the sartorialist

i guess because it's winter, and it's been raining on and off for days now and yesterday i heard the crack of thunder and saw flashes of lightening, all i can think about is being warm and cozy and comfy. i think all of these looks exhibit what i'm after: perfect layering, neutral color palette, functionality, simplicity combined with individuality, and a bit of androgyny thrown in for good measure. i think all of these girls look practical and self-reliant, but still spirited and free-wheeling. i like that.