Lust of the day

Preen by designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi is one of Britain's hippest labels right now. Started with a bijoux boutique on London's Portobello Road, Preen has swept me away with their structured, ladylike dresses and clean, classic lines reminiscent of the old fashion houses. The larger shapes make women's frames look tres petite, while the accents aren't overstated to the point of unwearable runway designs. The small details make a huge difference and the simplicity juxtaposed with complex geometrics is to die for. There's something very Jackie O about these pieces with hints of Twiggy and Edie, what could be better?

je ne sais quoi

The literal translation of je ne said quoi is "I know not what". What I have in mind is the certain something French women possess that enables them to look impossibly together and chic at all times. Today, I took Bella to the park for a romp wearing a casual outfit suited for running with the pup while she chased geese and dangling my legs over the bridge in cool water. I looked a mess. Hair piled on top of the head, cut-off shorts and bug bites from the Cape abound. While I was in Paris and for about a month after I cultivated my look, my bangs were mysterious and fringed over my eyelashes, petite sun dresses and perfectly manicured hands in the palest of pink. But now I am back in the "real world" where errands are messy, outings are sweaty and the heavy, humid air makes my hair think erratic waviness is necessary. How can I maintain this dazzling Parisian allure in the sticky air of a New Jersey summer? A new chic must be created, I deem it 'errand chic'!

Missing him

I'm listening to L'autre Bout Du Monde by Emily Loizeau. It means 'The other side of the world.' Denmark feels a million miles away tonight.

The Duchess

Few movies inspire me to words in such a welling up of emotion, but this was truly a tale of the tragedy women faced for centuries before me. I have never cried more during a movie purely for the injustice placed upon a women's shoulders as her destiny in this life. I suppose I am having a bout of Anglophilia recently between Georgiana Cavendish and Constance Chatterly. I can't imagine a life in which one was bound to a man she resented when love burned in her heart for another. To be so limited from choosing one's own fate, to be forced to hide true feelings and put on airs for the aristocratic pettiness and desires of selfish men. I am so grateful for the ability to choose what I want to do with my career as a woman, that I have forgotten or maybe never truly understood, the limits to being a woman in the past. Georgiana was a woman full of intelligence, creativity, passion and dreams; yet she married an insolent, selfish Duke who cared for his mistresses more than his wife from the beginning. When she birthed daughters, she was made to feel ashamed, when she fell in love she was forced to choose between her children and her true soul mate, and she was forced to live with her husband and his lover for all of her days starting at a very young age. I cannot imagine this reality, this stark, bitter life she was forced to endure. I vow to never stray from where my heart leads, for we are unaware of how far women have come to be able to freely love whom we please.

Swooning over Mellors...

Excuse me while I turn up my fan a few notches. I just finished reading "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence. And the masses thought "Madame Bovary" was scandalous? Oh my, I truly haven't read anything these tantalizingly naughty and beautifully sensual, well, ever. Besides the in depth descriptions of the Lady's orgasms in the groundskeeper's cottage, the book has a very strong theme of the ruination of society due to industrialization. As England was at the forefront of the industrial revolution, the two characters share more than their sexual appetites and lust for each other, they share a world view. The view being that the burgeoning industrialization has led English society to a love of money above all else; no longer satisfied by the small things, the English youth have become a sorry lot and the view from Wragby is grim. I have been saying for a while now that this is the exact point when life changed. When material items began being produced en masse, forcing the masses into excessive consumerism, blind ambition for material goods and a dissatisfaction in the simplicity of life's little wonders. This has led to globalization, which in theory and in all of my political science courses, has been touted as the greatest progress since the steam engine. Well I think the steam engine, globalization and even the printing press served as catalysts on the slippery slope we now find ourselves tumbling down. When in another country, one can find all the creature comforts: H & M, Starbucks, McDonalds, and what a TRAGEDY this is! When Mellors and Connie wanted to escape somewhere to avoid the bureaucratic insanity of an early 20th century English divorce from their prior spouses and go live in a hut in India or some other colonial fantasy, the Lady realized a sad fact: the ends of the earth are no longer foreign. This was pre WWI. Now, it is only more so. Lawrence's prophetic views of the ills of industrialization and homogenization of society have only propelled forward in my lifetime. Is anywhere safe from capitalist greed? At least one can hope to find a lover to sit with in front of the fire, a simple lad and lass in a cabin, with good treats to eat and a warm bed, it's good enough for Lady Chatterley and sounds wonderful to me.

My perfect summer meal

After a long day at the beach I was craving lemony, Mediterranean flavors, fresh vegetables and color on my plate.

Grilled vegetables (serves 7)

8 portobello mushroom caps

1 red pepper

1 orange pepper

1 green pepper

2 yellow onions quartered

2 green zucchinis

3 lemons halved horizontally

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

Fresh dill, chopped

Brush or toss with olive oil

Sprinkle on sea salt and pepper

Squeeze one whole lemon over

Add garlic

Place vegetables on grill till sightly charred but firm

Remove from grill, sprinkle dill and serve

Sicilian grilled chicken (serves 7)

Mediterranean Drizzle

1 large garlic clove, pressed

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Chicken

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 skinless chicken breasts

4 chicken thighs

Mediterranean Drizzle

Mash garlic and 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt in small bowl with back of spoon or pestle until paste forms. Whisk in lemon juice, then oil. Cover and chill. Bring to room temp before serving, can be done a day ahead.

Chicken Instructions

Whisk lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Place chicken thighs and breasts resealable plastic bags. Divide marinade between bags. Seal the bags, releasing excess air. Turn to coat chicken with marinade. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 1 day, turning the bag occasionally. Remove chicken from bags and grill.

Slice 3-4 lemons in half horizontally. Place face down on the grill for 2 minutes or until slightly charred.

Spoon Mediterranean drizzle over chicken and grilled vegetables and serve.

Cape Cod

With the windows down, the salty, warm air filled the car as we got turned off the highway into East Falmouth. There is something magical about Cape Cod, all of it's northeast New England charm, oceans and bays, cranberry bogs, lakes and ponds, and a laid back atmosphere that invites you to canoe on a lake or go crabbing. Despite some less than perfect weather, I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Cape. Fresh fish, salty shores, quaint weathered Victorians and an old fashioned simplicity make me wish I could spend all summer exploring the Cape.