alchemy!

So, I caved and called Anthropologie in Toronto and had the Licorice Lanes skirt and Patches and Petals top shipped to me!

The top is amazing. I was drawn to it when I saw that the cotton print on the back is the same print as the silk at the front- it satisfies this weird alchemical twitch I get when similar but different things are paired. In seventeenth-century collections, early 'Cabinets of curiosities', they were still figuring out a sort of scientific method for understanding the world (in a beautiful mingling of science and magic- I mean, real things like magnets are pretty magical...).  So they would group things that seemed to belong to the same families of objects,  corals and rocks and  polished gemstones and ornate carved horn would be jumbled together in the same cabinet.  The act of transforming materials into art was akin to understanding the source elements of nature, playing God if you will...  

er..well anyway, I just get a kick out of such fusions!  

Well, it's finally damned hot in these parts, so this top is going to get some more airing this week.  I've already worn it a few times, mainly tucked in, since I find it a bit too long otherwise.  It works well with this ikat skirt from urban outfitters, though a little rumpled aftera super hot day.  It's fun to match the patterns with other things.  And despite the heat, a cardigan is necessary for the air-conditioned workplace!

I like the disjunction of matching it with the licorice lanes skirt as in the catalogue, though I feel like the fabric of the skirt should be a bit heavier.  It's super light cotton, but perfectly sized and hangs nicely.  It looks great with a simple grey t-shirt too (to better bring out the licorice aspect).