WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
As I begin organizing my 36,000+ iPhone photos
What catches my eye. What begs for a second look. From Paris, the Pacific Northwest, and everywhere in between. Welcome to THE STYLED LIFE.
I have 36 thousand photos on my phone, 36,656 photos to be exact. And tbh, this will most likely jump to 36,700 by tonight because my daughter’s puppy, George, is visiting.
To say the least, I am a very visual person. I have to see something before it makes sense to me. ‘In theory’ rarely works. I have to see how things feel first.
I find being so visually driven maddening and essential at the same time.
A few years ago, I had a bright idea that in order to tame my overexcited visual brain, I would take note of all the things that catch my eye by snapping photos - of e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. This seemed like a smart idea, except I never actually go back to sort through them. And my iPhone album just keeps multiplying.
So, today is the first official day of what I will call The Sort. I am starting from the most recent to, I do not know how far back. Albums are being created like - to read, to research, textile ideas, French tips, to cook, style ideas, travel ideas, ecetera.
Scrolling through just the last 2 months, the first thing I noticed is there are a lot of hairstyles that show up repeatedly. New cuts, new ways to style the new cuts. Could that be THE ONE, perhaps?
I am always on the hunt for the perfect cut and can’t ever seem to land on THE ONE. I actually thought I had THE ONE until my hairdresser recently gave me a 2-months-too-short haircut. I am so traumatized that the search continues.
A few contenders. I realize Ingrid Bergman’s hair is even shorter than mine but she is so chic!
Then there was the whole La princesse Lalla Meryem of Morocco wardrobe obsession. I saw images of her at the funeral of Bernadette Chirac and really went down a rabbit hole.
That silhouette. I wonder if you have to be La Principessa to wear it?
Moving along, a few weeks ago I met the designer, Lan Janeicke, in her atelier in San Francisco. I am mesmerized by her and her incredible collection of clothes. As we chatted, she told me about a tea she drinks every morning in place of coffee/caffeine. Because I have had issues with coffee since Covid, I am always looking for an early-morning drink to replace it. Not remembering exactly what she said (maybe because I was in a trance), I tested and retested the right ratio of dates, goji berries, and ginger until it tasted Lan-approved. If you know, please share.
Back home in Seattle last week, I was delivering an order of my Fleurie face oil at Susan Wheeler Home and fell in love with these vintage Chanel earrings. Do you know how many bottles of Fleurie I would need to sell to cover that transaction? They were spectacular and I just wish I had an event so that I HAD to talk myself into getting them.
However, this vintage Dominique DeTora Shaggy Dog brooch from the 1960’s was a great consolation prize. I quickly pinned it to my new favorite tote from Juniper by Laura Urbanati.
And then there are the books. Sooo many books. Here’s what stopped me recently:
Italian Textile Design by Vittorio Linfante
Dipping my toe back into textile design.
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
We’re going to Turkey this summer so why not read up on the myths 🤷♀️
Madoo : The Making of An American Garden
My dear friend, Christy Hobart, founder of Shoo for Good, recently recommended this in her newsletter.
And my new very favorite cookbook, Something From Nothing by Alison Roman
The Sort will require real dedication. I’m glad I started this project because what I realized is that each image I save, each object I'm drawn to, is a crumb on a path taking me somewhere.
x, Hardie
If you found your way here through A Year in Style, you might recognize something familiar. For eight years I helped women see themselves differently — through what they wore, how they lived, the choices they made. What I didn’t say often enough is that the seeing was always the point. Style was the doorway. This is what’s on the other side.
If you come up with any great sorting tips, let us know! Madoo! Xx