I feel like it was only about two days ago I was bemoaning the start of the new semester. Like most of my colleagues (and profs in solidarity worldwide), I felt burnt out before it even began. And suddenly I blinked and found myself on the threshold to October. I guess if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that time chuggs steadily and relentlessly forward to the next station, whether we like it or not.
Given the white noise of “chugag chugga, choo choo” churning through my brain as we move right along towards the close of 2021, there could be no better novelty print for the occasion than this perfect Saul Steinberg Paddington station print I scored at Advantage in Vintage. A remarkable artist from the 1940’s-1970’s, Steinberg is best known for his many covers of The New Yorker. But, he also created some of the most collectible textile designs in the 1950’s. This one from 1952 is truly a masterpiece – a mix of line drawings and primary colors, almost looking to me like a stained glass window, with very deliberate parts refrained in black and white and others in color, as if leaving parts of it up to the viewer’s imagination.
So, I slipped my feet into these amazing sandals from Milina Footwear (that I also happen to have in black, natch)…and left the day up to my imagination.
I don’t quite belong to the art,
cartoon or magazine world,
so the art world doesn’t quite
know where to place me
Saul Steinberg
In doing some reading up on him through the Saul Steinberg Foundation, Steinberg apparently described his drawings as “a way of reasoning on paper.” He never quite knew where he fit, caught in between fine art and commercial art, almost existing as both and neither at the same time. But, he found reason in his creations. As many of you know by now, this is a concept that resonates deeply with me, were I find myself caught between art and science. But, I’ve learned we are our truest selves when we find the places where we don’t fit. Because there we force the world to move aside and make room.
Vintage is something that finds us when we need it too, almost as if it’s its own form of reasoning. Whether that reason be the itch to hop on the train car and see where it takes you, the relentless push against places where we don’t perfectly fit, or simply the need to admire someone’s art left imprinted on fabric, it sits in quiet wait. Waiting for the telltale sounds of a train coming towards the station. Ready to take you on its next adventure.
Maybe it really needs no reasoning at all.
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Top: Unique Vintage (similar)
Skirt: Advantage in Vintage (similar modern and vintage here, here & here)
Necklace: handmade for me (similar)
Handbag: Wilde Mother (similar here)
Shoes: Milina Footwear
Lip Color: Dior Rouge 634
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Any items marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review and/or feature on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.