On Sunday....

....I was reminded of why I live in Maine.  About an hour north of Portland is Wiscasset, a town that refers to itself as "the prettiest village in Maine".  Saccharine though that sounds, it really does live up to the moniker.   And while I have several favorite spots I could recommend,  the day's magic turned out to be non-commercial and truly serendipitous.  While driving slowly through the neighborhoods, marvelling at the nineteenth century manses (and even a replica of a villa!), I found on a quiet side street, a house that must surely belong to New England's answer to Miss Havisham.  Decaying grandeur at its best---overgrown bushes, wild flowers everywhere, sagging draperies, aging paint---and just beyond the house, this is what I saw.

 

Miss Havisham has a swan.  Wiscasset is not only pretty, it's enchanted.

Friday in the window...

 

I love this beautiful coat from Fog Linen Work.  The linen has the most incredible hand, and it cinches the waist and ties in the back---so chic.  I also love how it looks with my 1920's pony skin director's chair!

On the other side, another beautiful Fog piece and the most adorable children's early Fall outfit by Le Bouton.  Crisp linen shorts and a luxurious cashmere/merino pullover---that's the way to keep your stylish little person cozy!  Walks on the beach in Maine can be chilly!  Having pieces for children in the shop just makes everything seem friendlier.

I love this clip from the extraordinary French documentary "Etre et Avoir".  If you've not seen this film, you should.  The story of a gifted teacher and the students he nutures with respect and infinite patience.  Truly moving.

And this gorgeous shop in Paris whose profits are devoted to operating a cooperative for young women in Madagascar.

Fall's coming....

Knit a sweater...    Cook wonderful food...    Go back to school...

 


 

An original...

 

Our own designs will be available @ chelliswilson. this Fall!  

Stay tuned......

Incredible integrity, no production...

This fascinating, iconoclastic creature is Lika Volkova, and she holds the opinion that there is no such thing as an "eco-friendly" clothing line; simply by virtue of the fact that more "stuff" is being created and, as a result, more waste.  Not to mention the fact that any company producing fashion, no matter how well-intentioned, is part of a massive, carbon-fueled production chain.  There's also the sad reality that most "eco" clothing is poorly designed and not particularly compelling.  Volkova's solution to this dilemma is to merely design and not produce a single item.  Her line, SANS, is available from her website as downloadable patterns, so that each customer, by creating the actual design themselves, ends up with a garment that is truly "local". Her ethos and execution are thoroughly refreshing....even to a retailer.  This honest assessment of the realities of the fashion business makes me even more committed to supporting small designers whose work is in no way connected to industrial production.

Slow design at its best.

It's fixed!

Well, it would seem that switching from Safari to Firefox was the solution to the link problem (let's hope so!). Go look at that last link now!  Sooo inspiring!


More later.... 

And the pursuit of happiness.....

Now this is my kind of American history! From marvelous Maira Kalman , an illustrated column about American democracy in the NYTimes. Portraits of Jefferson and Franklin and others---full of insight and humor. Quirky though she is, her perceptions about the human condition have such depth. If you're having one of those days where you keep asking yourself, "What's the point?" (or even if you aren't), watch  this.