If you can't find it, make it!

Last week, I received a beautiful pair of vintage Dingo boots I found on etsy, and immediately 'created' some spare time to work on the little project I had planned for them which I thought I'd share with you. I had wanted a nice, comfortable pair of ankle boots with a little heel for some time: a few years ago, I had gotten my dream pair of black ankle cowboy boots only to realise the left one was too tight (thank you years of dancing ballet...), and impossible to save no matter what my cobbler did. I thus decided to take the matter in my own hands after years of unfruitful search.
They arrived like this:

And I made them look like this:

I gasped when I cut all that fringe off, but I don't think I could have pulled it off on a daily basis (I kept it, I might make a removable insert like this). I dyed them with olive oil, and asked my favourite cobbler to hem them. Voilà! The leg openings are a little wider than I expected, so I'm currently trying to think of the best way to taper them; I'll post more photos when I'll have that figured out.

What about you, have you ever ended up taking the matter into your own hands when it comes to clothing/accessories? I would very much like to hear your stories!

Nothing but blue skies do I see

Well well well, Spring is on its way, and so is my free time hehe! (That was not supposed to rhyme, but oh well) I'm currently writing a mix of mid-terms and finals (will be done in less than a month) so please bear with my unusually un-wordy posting. I have a few rolls of film and other projects coming along that I'm looking forward to share with you, but until then, songs and videos will have to do. See you on the other side of essay mountain : )!

Photos: 1 (Lina Scheynius ), 2 (Bobby Doherty), 3.

Don't Look Back

One of my favourite parts of the Bob Dylan documentary, Don't Look Back. The tension between Dylan & Baez is noticeable since they were towards the end of their relationship when this was filmed, but I still think a beautiful moment is captured here, a natural, unpolished interaction.

I really wish there was a recording of Joan Baez singing Percy's Song (the first song she sings), it's beautiful.

P.S. Did you notice Marianne Faithfull's brief appearance?

Ways of Seeing

Again, found via Miette, a blog I recently discovered through Winesburg, Ohio. Both are favourites of mine, you should go have a look at them!

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À nouveau, trouvé via Miette, un blog que j'ai découvert récemment à-travers Winesburg, Ohio. Tous deux sont parmis mes préférés, vous devriez aller leur jeter un coup d'oeil!

Le film à venir

Le film à venir by Raùl Ruìz, that I just discovered; do you know him? It makes me want to explore all of his work...

Also, might the first scenes of this movie have inspired Jean-Pierre Jeunet?

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Le film à venir, de Raùl Ruìz, que je viens tout juste de découvrir, vous connaissez? Ça me donne bien envie d'explorer toute son oeuvre...

Aussi, les premières scènes de ce film auraient-elles inspiré Jean-Pierre Jeunet?

via Miette

Just like Josephine!

I was having a look at photos from fashion month earlier today and was struck by this amazing Prada banana mini skirt sported by both Giovanna Battaglia and Julia Sarr-Jamois:
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Plus tôt aujourd'hui, comme je jetais un coup d'oeil aux du mois de la mode, j'ai été frappée par cette fantastique mini jupe banane de Prada portée par Giovanna Battaglia et Julia Sarr-Jamois:

Still, it reminded me of something I had already seen...
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Tout de même, ça me faisait penser à quelque chose que j'avais déjà vu...

...Don't you think it should be renamed the "Josephine skirt"?
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...Ne pensez-vous pas qu'elle devrait être renommée la "jupe Joséphine"?

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Happy Birthday Parentheses!

Yesterday marked one full year of existence of this blog, so Happy Birthday Parentheses! I was planning on writing a special post for the occasion, but it'll have to wait as I am stuck with tons of papers to write... Still, here's the essential: I would like to thank all of you who read this blog, put up with my irregular (let's call it 'surprise frequency' hehe!) posting, and take the time to share your thoughts!

Love,
Camille
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Hier a marqué un an complet d'existence de ce blogue, donc Joyeux anniversaire Parenthèses! J'avais planifié d'écrire un billet spécial pour l'occasion, mais ça devra attendre comme je suis prise avec une tonne de dissertations à écrire... Tout de même, voici l'essentiel: je voudrais remercier tous ceux qui lisent ce blogue, endurent l'irrégularité (appelons-la 'fréquence surprise' héhé!) de mes billets, et prennent le temps de partager leurs pensées!

Bisous,
Camille

Photos: 1?, 2?, 3?. (Tell me if you know!/Dites-moi si vous savez!)

Literary Style II

Time for another installation of Literary Style!

I first read Djuna Barnes' Nightwood as part of one of my first literature classes at university, and it left a great impression on me. I cannot pretend I understand it fully yet, but I would like to read it again a few more times; it's one of those books that does not unfold itself to you after one reading, or even after having a few classes on it. Still, I think that it is very much worth spending time on: it is beautiful and terrible, charming and ugly all at once.

This description of Robin Vote comes back to me very often. Many different things I appreciate are encompassed within this description, not only because of the images it directly presents, but also because of the feeling that surrounds it.

Nightwood by UBOParentheses

"Her clothes were of a period that he could not quite place. She wore feathers of the kind his mother had worn, flattened sharply to the face. Her skirts were moulded to her hips and fell downward and out, wider and longer than those of other women, heavy silks that made her seem newly ancient. One day he learned the secret. Pricing a small tapestry in an antique shop facing the Seine, he saw Robin reflected in a door mirror of a back room, dressed in heavy brocaded gown which time had stained in places, in others split, yet which was so voluminous that there were yards enough to refashion." -Djuna Barnes, Nightwood p. 46

Coming next: Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, as kindly suggested by Lin.
Feel free to tell me of any character or book you would like to see here! I will finally have time to read books that aren't school-related in about a month, and I would be glad to receive your suggestions!