Wild child...

circa 2014

circa 2013

I received this amazing dress by Montreal design label Les Enfants Sauvages for Christmas last year.  I came across Marie-Christine's work at a craft fair and fell in love with the mix of demure 1960s cuts and bold African textile mixes. Above, you see me today, and in almost the same look from last January!  I guess I changed up my necklace at least. Oh, and I need to cut my hair short again- it's ridiculously long and unmanageable!  (plus I could totally use the lovely massage that my salon offers...)

Check out Les Enfants Sauvages on Etsy here.

Speaking of mixing prints and vintage clothing styles, I have to talk about the incredible textile installations of artist Yinka Shonibare.  Growing up between London and Nigeria, his work explores the complexities of colonialism and globalization through the Dutch wax printed cottons we associate with African prints but which have much more complicated global and colonial history (inspired by Indonesian batik and now primarily manufactured in Manchester for a Dutch company!) I love his sense of humour and audacious creations (some of the prettier, safer ones shown here), hearkening back to fraught historical moments and classic art-historical imagery.

Fake Death Picture (The Death of Chatterton - Henry Wallis), 2011

Voila his take on Fragonard's titillating Swing from 1767, with the aristocratic lady's head already helpfully lopped off, post-revolution I guess.

This one, below, felt rather familiar to me... (from a hilarious experience `cycling'  a tightrope last Easter...which apparently I never shared.  nuts. bad blogger!)

Of course, those kindred spirits at Anthropologie have discovered him as well. I noticed in their instagram feed the other day that they are sponsoring his latest exhibition at the Barnes Foundation. Bravo!

Oh, and here's a fascinating story from Slate looking at the history of these fabrics.