A special dress for a special day

Yesterday was my birthday. This is what I wore.

Indian necklace purchased from yard sale. Bastar necklace purchased in India. Vintage amber beads I've had for decades. Vintage silver and bead necklace, present from A. 1970s maxi purchased from Rasberry Beret, Cambridge, MA. Fleur boots from Vegetarian Shoes, Brighton, UK.I purchased this dress recently and was looking for a special day on which to wear it, and yesterday was the day. I love this dress so much that I plan to do another post about it later.

A and I had a low-key celebration at one of my favorite restaurants in London. An Italian veggie restaurant, Amico Bio has lots of vegan options, fresh homemade food, a warm ambiance, and friendly staff.

These homemade grissini with roasted courgettes and aubergines made an impressive starter. I LOVE artichokes, here with quinoaMy boyfriend called ahead and asked if they could make a vegan dessert and serve it with a lit candle. They said they could. Well, as much as I love this restaurant, I have to say that the dessert was so bad as to be laughable.

They had simply covered three rice cakes (or pieces of Styrofoam, I'm not sure which) with chocolate and then served them layered with jam and bits of fruit. The chocolate and fruit were fine, but, in my view, rice cakes should not be classified as food. Frankly, I think the restaurant just threw together something from ingredients they had on hand and didn’t put any thought into actually making a dessert. At least A and I enjoyed a nice dinner and had a good laugh. I’ll still go back there; I just won’t be requesting any birthday cakes from them.

A had already given me a fabulous present – he funded my shopping expedition in Birmingham with Vix and Annie (although, I’m a pretty cheap date and spent less on four vintage dresses, two scarves, and a hat than most women spend on a new dress purchased retail).

He surprised me by also giving me the catalogue to the exhibition 'Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde' that we saw at the Tate Britain. Now, I get to paw over all those luscious color plates at my leisure.

I’m bummed that I’ll miss the lectures, ‘The Fabric of Art: Legacy of the Pre-Raphaelites in contemporary fashion’ on December 13 and ‘Why the Pre-Raphaelites are modern’ on January 7 at the Tate Britain.

Speaking of the Pre-Raphaelites, after my visit to the Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum, I had posted that I was obsessed with John William Waterhouse’s painting, The Lady of Shalott when I was in college.

This painting, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem that it is based on, come to life in a newly released short film by WAG Screen. You can watch it here:

Enjoy!

These boots were made for walking

Given that it has been cold and rainy in what is supposed to be summer here in the U.K., I was able to wear my new red boots straight away -- walking for about 6-7 hours -- and they were very comfortable.

Top half too awful to show. Cotton patchwork wrap skirt sold by a non-profit that trained former sex workers to sew, bought at a fair trade bazaar ages ago, $15; purple tights from Sainsbury’s supermarket in the U.K. at a price far cheaper than I could get them in the U.S.; bag made by me.The boots first day out included a visit to the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch.  The building was originally an almshouse in the 18th century and now houses decorative arts in period room settings. It was a nice day so we spent more time in the walled herb garden behind the museum than in the museum.

Sweet woodruff, Galium odoratumLamb's ear, Stachys byzantinaSheep and lambs rescued by Farm Sanctuary Funhouse NYC stretch ultra suede dress, $6.99, Goodwill; Cha Cha Vente shirred sleeve and waist blouse, $4.49, Goodwill; Fleur boots, Vegetarian Shoes, gift.And worn again the next day, when A. and I had dinner at the veggie, organic, Italian restaurant, Amico Bio near the old Smithfield Meat Market.

Ironically, there are two of my favourite London veggie restaurants a stone’s throw from the old Smithfield Meat Market. In addition to Amico Bio, there’s The Smithfield Tavern, a pub with a veggie menu.

Harkening back to its meaty days, the exterior has golden cow heads on either side of the sign. The interior has the dark and cosy ambiance with deep red walls and vintage photos and prints. Animal-friendly sentiments are written on chalkboards throughout. In a 6 week period, A. and I ate there 4 times. 

The first time we had the Portobello burgers (with the arms of my 1970s yellow floral Adrienne Vittadini t-shirt in the background).

Then we had the lunch buffet (all-you-can-eat for £6.95) special featured for National Vegetarian week.

Gee, this post sort of meandered. Feel free to leave comments on anything from red boots (do you have some, want some?) to your favorite veggie restaurant (anywhere, as who knows where I'll travel to).