{simple pleasures} perdu + trouvé: lost + found

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“I suppose if I thought of a metaphysical element, ‘the Good’ to me is what people mean by God: the existence of, the idea of, good. I think of these philosophies as an enormous lake feeding into this thing called The Good. Literature is also a tributary, a smaller one, in this lake. To participate in it is to be close to God.”
— Zadie Smith

perdu + trouvé: getting lost means stumbling upon the unexpected, even while visiting + exploring my hometown of chicago. i happened upon the baha'i temple, a domed structure standing 191 feet tall; from afar, its simple poetry moved me. its milky exterior, made of concrete + quartz, is surrounded by immaculately manicured gardens + blue sparkling fountains. this edifice brings to life a lovely place to meditate, to contemplate + to take in the spellbinding details of an architectural marvel, the oldest surviving temple of the baha'i faith.

{simple pleasures} arbres: réflexions et poèmes

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“In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; 

but they do not lose themselves there, 

they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only:

to fulfill themselves according to their own laws, 

to build up their own form, to represent themselves.

Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree.”
— Hermann Hesse

réflexions et poèmes: pondering the great work of swiss poet, painter, novelist + 1946 nobel prize laureate hermann hess who so beautifully articulates my own respect + awe of the noble tree:

for me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. i revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. and even more i revere them when they stand alone. they are like lonely persons. not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like beethoven and nietzsche. in their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. 

trees are sanctuaries. whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. they do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.

a tree says: a kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, i am life from eternal life. the attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. i was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.

a tree says: my strength is trust. i know nothing about my fathers, i know nothing about the thousand children that every year spring out of me. i live out the secret of my seed to the very end, and i care for nothing else. i trust that God is in me. i trust that my labor is holy. out of this trust i live.

when we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: be still! be still! look at me! life is not easy, life is not difficult. those are childish thoughts. let god speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. you are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. but every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. home is neither here nor there. home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.

a longing to wander tears my heart when i hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. if one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. it is not so much a matter of escaping from one's suffering, though it may seem to be so. it is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. it leads home. every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.

so the tree rustles in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts:  trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. they are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. but when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. he wants to be nothing except what he is. that is home. that is happiness.

{simple pleasures} flotteurs de l'espoir: hope floats

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“I don’t care to wake up in the morning without hope. Hope is a survival mechanism, along with living in the moment.”
— Norman Lear

lever + coucher soleil: sunrise + sunset; on my recent journey to marseille, a centuries-old port town in the south of france, i had the pleasure of rising each morning with this view in my eyes, and at night, the landscape bathed in soft sunlight was equally intoxicating to take in. i woke up with hope + happiness overflowing from within.

during my travels, i deliberately took time to be present in the moment and away from social media as i voyaged from one great city to the next. and now, i'm going to invite you into my little time machine called finny+dill where i'll take you back with me and share lots of new op shops + vintage boutiques in paris, disclose why my heart went pitter-patter when i learned whom i would spend valentine's day with, and unfurl some fantastic vegan cafes in the city of light. stay tuned!

{eco travel} a cool capsule wardrobe for the eco traveler

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“reduction is the least observed of the three r’s of environmentalism {reduce, reuse, recycle} but it’s probably the most important. reuse and recycling are sensible measures in an over-productive society, but why not neutralise the problem of overproduction at the source? instead of choosing to act efficiently at the end of a product’s life cycle by reusing or recycling it, we should stop said product from being made in the first place by eliminating consumer demand for it." robert wringham

what exactly is a capsule wardrobe? really, it's the idea of a minimalist closet: it means subscribing to the idea of less purchases + investing in pieces that withstand seasonal trends. it means purchasing slow fashion items in colors + styles that play nice {aka can be worn together}, with the end goal of keeping + caring for those items for years to come {and wearing + re-wearing those items}, as was done once upon a time.

essentially, it's like having a monogamous relationship with your wardrobe. but if dating + meeting new people thrills you more than settling down with a s/o, and the idea of committing to a capsule wardrobe sounds less than exciting {yawn, snore, snooooze}, well, stay with me here {head up off the keyboard!}. a capsule wardrobe is the ryan gosling of wardrobes. instead of buying a new frock each time a celebration or special event pops up {new dress = new date}, you take ryan {committed relationship = capsule wardrobe}. that is, you wear what you have, and what you have you really, really like}.

a capsule wardrobe is adopting the notion of quality over quantity. in the end, it means investing in a set number of wardrobe pieces* {many pieces you will already own} and spending less time in department stores, which equals more time with family + friends and yes, more money for travel adventures if your heart so desires {because when it's time to shop, you're going to pop into your very own closet + select a playful piece from your own wardrobe instead of heading to the mall to purchase another bargain bin item}.

traveling challenges me to whittle down my choices even further. i own a total of 48 pieces of apparel {that's my entire wardrobe}, and like russian stacking dolls, there's an even tinier version of my wardrobe lying in wait!

here for you today, 14 ethically-produced items including shoes {and not including my hefty books} for day to night outings so you can travel unfettered + free.

from chicago to new york to paris, and then to sunny marseille, i've been a busy girl. there are many things i profess to love about traveling: the planning + packing, the humming airports + the teeming terminals {meeting riveting humans like the two sexagenarian missionaries + their three-legged dog named trinity: where else could i encounter such a diverse + dynamic set?}; i even love the in-flight magazines. 

and i love to travel light.

no check-ins, no hassle, just me + the weight of my over-sized poetry books or novels {which i can't seem to live without} and a few clothing items to stay cozy + comfortable while looking contemporary + cool.

so here's an easy guide for creating a simple, capsule wardrobe; 14 modern basics in a monochromatic palette + simple silhouettes for mixing and matching galore {all fair trade, organic, animal-friendly + ready to roll}:

1  s k i r t

the midi skirt. i love this little number. i own a vintage, pleated diaphanous skirt that gets along swimmingly with everything in my wardrobe. depending on your style + body type, you might prefer a pencil skirt or an a-line skirt. search the racks at your fave charity shop or vintage retailer. if you're stateside, check out my absolute fave collective of vintage dealers at beehive chicago + if you're in paris, check out vintage system, 3e.

1  s c a r f

the knit scarf. mine is a thrifted version from vintage boutique chine machine in paris, 10e + 18e. if you're in america, try crossroads trading co. kaight shop in new york carries this handsome, handmade windowpane check scarf as well as this singular kantha knit scarf woven from 100% khadi cotton, by indigo handloom {crafted by hand using zero elecricity!}.

2  j a c k e t s

the trusty denim jacket. a goes-with-everything deep indigo version from patagonia. i wear mine solo on warmer days + layered under my moto jacket on crisp days. check your local thrift shop for a fine vintage model with lots of character: pop into buffalo exchange in the usa, or mad vintage in paris, 4e for the best selections. 

the moto jacket. you know how i feel about the moto jacket: simplify your life by choosing your perfect mate here. wear it independently or over the denim jacket on cooler days.

2  j e a n s

the long-lasting pair. a woman's best friends are not diamonds, it's denim. the most durable jeans i own are by nudie. and i wear them frequently. by frequently, i mean i depend on these jeans weekly.

the enduring pair. i also own + wear big star jeans. they move, they stretch, they retain their shape. eternally youthful, these jeans don't fray + won't age. i'm a mover + shaker, and boy can they keep up.

3  t o p s

the perfect layering tank from miakoda. or the fitted tank from groceries apparel. 

the cool graphic tank from beetxbeet. or a striped version from threads for thought.

the multitasking chambray top from loomstate. wear it over tanks or under jumpers.

3  p u l l o v e r s

the cropped pullover from theo the label. or the cropped sweater from know the origin.

the oversized boyfriend sweatshirt from baserange. or the deep v jumper from bon label.

the long-sleeved, funnel-neck top from signe. or the cropped turtleneck from reformation.

2  p a i r s  o f  s h o e s

perfect for the happy nomad + the fearless wanderer: the white trainer by wills  + black oxfords from bourgeois boheme. both are equally comfy. 

to see how my boy-meets-girl looks come together, follow along on instagram, where you'll see the mixing + matching magic happening. 

let us not forget books, glorious books. i like to choose my travel partners carefully; sometimes i select j.d. salinger, other times i pick f. scott fitzgerald. for my most recent travels i chose  literary iconoclast e.e. cummings as my companion; his complete book of poetry enthralls me. now, i didn't include socks on the list above, but i've long considered myself an eco sock connoisseur, and have a list of ethically produced + animal friendly options here. and of course, there's the perfect little weekender bag to pack your life into and head out for the next adventure.

{don't forget the tip}*capsule wardrobes can include 35-45 items of clothing, but there's no set rule. a helpful tip for creating a flexible + fluid capsule wardrobe is to choose a color palette from the start: colors that work well together. i love monochromatic hues, so my closet is a sea of black, gray and white. i'll add a splash of red wine {a deep, dark red hue intermingles nicely} or olive green. if you lean towards pastels, choose light tones: items that can be integrated into your closet easily. try to lean away from trends; if you like patterns, stay close to classic, enduring patterns like stripes + checks. really, it's deeply satisfying + quite fun to see how many different ensembles can come together from your capsule wardrobe. and all that time + extra funds on your hands, well the world is at your fingertips, my friends!

while i was packing light for cooler weather, my friend + fellow sustainable living blogger, holly at leotie lovely, has been showing us how to put together a warm-weather vacation capsule wardrobe for those traveling to tropical climes. see how she does it from head {headphones} to toe {fuzzy socks, that is} right over here.

until next time, stay green dear hearts!

{eco mode: wearing vintage denim jacket under thrifted faux leather moto jacket + jeans by big star denim; gloves by krochet kids}