Best of August
Best of August
what's in your red canopy mini crossbody cos bag?
Fallen Leaves (2023) by Aki Kaurismäki - a Finnish movie i heard great things about but didn’t manage to see in theatres when it came out. And i’m really glad i finally got around to watching it! It’s basically the story of two sad and lonely people living in a very soviet-looking modern-day1 Helsinki, who meet and try to date, but life keeps getting in the way. It might not sound like it from my description, but it’s actually quite funny (in a very dry matter of fact nordic way) and very sweet. I liked how little the two protagonists talk to each other without it being an issue, neither for them nor for us viewers. They know they like each other and that’s all that really matters. At least that’s how i interpreted it, and it’s such a refreshing departure from the rom-com misunderstanding trope, which i find extremely irritating
beautiful still life tapestry made from scrap fabric by artist Andrew Pierce Scott:
solid perfume, specifically Philosykos by Diptyque - a lovely balm in an even lovelier case, recommended by the shop attendant (nose?) because i loved the smell, but was afraid it might be too straightforward (it smells like you’re surrounded by fig trees). He explained that in solid form the smell is less invasive because it doesn’t project outward and suggested it could be a way for me to test it out, which already sounded like a good idea and then i saw the gorgeous little case it came in and couldn’t resist. I feel so chic just knowing it’s in my bag, and it’s great for traveling too. I’ve been wearing it every day and i don’t know why i was so hesitant, i guess i wanted a more “unusual” or “complex” smell? But the heart wants what it wants and i think i’ll have to get the liquid version as well, and the lotion, and the body wash. Apparently i can use the solid perfume as a base and either enhance the smell by spraying the same fragrance on top of it or create a whole new scent by combining it with another perfume, but that sounds a little too complicated for a novice such as myself
isn’t she cute? the Jardin d’Essai in Algiers - a huge and very impressive park created as a botanical experiment, something the french did in their colonies to provide different crops and study plants. I asked our guide how so many tropical plants can survive in Algiers’ temperate climate and he explained that it’s because the species were carefully selected so that they would grow to create a self-sustaining ecosystem - this reminded of how forests are these complex living interconnected machines, a thought i come back to from time to time and always connect to The Overstory by Richard Powers, which really blew my mind when i read it
this impressive tree was featured in the 1932 Tarzan movie Villa Farnesina - another thing i was reminded was that Rome is just brimming with gorgeous palazzos. Not all of them are open to the public, but those that are tend to be relatively tourist-free. Villa Farnesina was almost completely empty, though that may in part have been because the city is virtually deserted at the moment
this Pleats Please menu dress posted by Katie Merchant on her fabulous instagram page and newsletter
i found a top with a variation of that print here (but it’s too expensive for me so feel free to steal it)
a delicious traditional Algerian dinner served on the roof of an old historic house, after an extremely thorough, instructive and frankly quite strenuous tour of the Casbah in Algiers. The owners decided to start serving gorgeous homemade meals in their house to raise funds for its upkeep, an issue a lot of people in the neighborhood are facing since they are not receiving support from the city, despite the Casbah being a UNESCO cultural heritage site. Instead, they are being encouraged to move away from the city center. This operation seems to be going pretty well though, and the hosts mentioned possibly opening a second location in Italy, still with the same domestic format (i very selfishly suggested they do it in Milan, but also genuinely think it would work there)
gorgeous view 
gorgeous appetizers Fashion Now (2005) & Fashion Now 2 (2008) - contemporary fashion anthologies compiled by i-D magazine and edited by Terry Jones and Avril Mair for Taschen. The formatting is not exceptional, but i found these at a used bookstore and just had to get them. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy these, no doubt there are better anthologies out there, but they’re still quite useful as a starting point for researching a designer or brand. Also very interesting to see who the hottest designers were in 2005
my red canopy mini crossbody COS bag - bought it on a whim just before traveling and i’m obsessed: it’s cute, comfortable, capacious (they call it “mini” but i managed to fit so much inside, including my laptop, sweatshirt, book, beauty case, and more)
here she is resting by the pool this cover shoot for Vogue Czechoslovakia
this fun piece by Liana Satenstein about a 2000 book documenting the contents of NYC women’s bags
“If the bag itself is a projection of how we want to be seen, its contents are a mirror of who we really are.”
this hilarious (and terrifying) tiktok
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it’s actually hard to tell when the movie is set exactly because while we hear news of the invasion of Ukraine in the background throughout the film, the characters listen to said news on radios (does anyone still own a radio?), the overall aesthetic is very retro, and cellphones barely make an appearance. I guess the story takes place in a sort of parallel universe, in its own little world.