You can spot the flaws in humanity with a brief scan of the daily paper. Bombings, deceits, murders, lies, we have some pretty fatal tendencies. But if there was any doubt about our interest in the grotesque, Geoffrey Abbott’s Execution dispels it. The book covers the history of 70 different modes of execution, organized in alphabetical sections. As…Read More
Literature
What I’m Reading: King of Poisons
When I was reading The Romanov Sisters there was a lot of talk about medicating with arsenic injections. I knew a little about the drug but I was curious about the use of it in nineteenth century medicine. That led to John Parascandola’s book King of Poisons: A History of Arsenic. The book is a fascinating nonfiction…Read More
Founding Fathers
One of my favorite parts of fall is layering. Sweaters, flannels, button downs, it all goes together. I layered this sheer, lace, white button down with a tie under a burgundy sweater hoping to achieve a prep-school look. Ultimately it ended up going a little more John Hancock than Ralph Lauren but I still like…Read More
The Russian Lit Cheat Sheet
Despite the blog’s name I rarely ever discuss books on here. I get that people want the quick content, the pretty pictures and the outfit inspiration. I also get that almost no one wants to hear me gush about dense Russian novels. But it’s been four years and I think it’s high time we bring…Read More
Team Tolstoy
In case the name didn’t tip you off, this fashion girl is a book nerd. I’m the one you see trudging around with a volume that’s bigger than her, or searching for a new translation in the store. The girl that owns three different copies of the same book because they all have different cover…Read More
Lights, Camera, Action!
I wanted to start the new year off with something a little different. My photographer Jenni Heller has been taking video clips during our shoots, events, and excursions for the past six months. She compiled them together in a little promo video for Trends and Tolstoy. I might look polished at the end of a photoshoot…Read More