living in nyc, i am about a 9 hour drive from most of my family in ohio, so i don’t get to go visit them for hoildays and things. sometimes i wish i could be there, but the boyfriend and i have begun our own thanksgiving tradition of heading out to montauk, renting a cottage, and enjoying miles of deserted beaches and forests.

i don’t think i could feel more happy anywhere else. 

this year we had a few unseasonably warm days around thanksgiving. usually by this time we are bundled up with coats and gloves, since it gets extra chilly near the ocean. i was so happy to be able to comfortably frolick around a grey beach wearing whatever the heck i want.

it is true you can comfortably go for days without seeing another human being in off-season montauk. and some might take that as an opportunity to wear sweat pants and slippers all day long. personally, i take it as a chance to look crazy and wear all the fantasy items in my closet that i don’t otherwise get to wear.

we make it a point to stop off in georgica pond, gawk at grey gardens, and skip along the beach where little edie used to swim. so it seems only fitting that i dress in a costume she might approve of.

in fact, while i was in montauk, i finally watched the new re-make of grey gardens. 

i wasn’t sure what to expect. when i first heard of it, i thought NO WAY would i see it, much less enjoy it. then after seeing the preview, where drew barrymore’s impression of little edie seemed spot-on, i thought maybe i’d give it a try. it wasn’t so bad. i loved jessica lange (how can you not??), and it was nice to see a back story to the years before the documentary was made. but now i wonder how much was made up or embellished for the movie. 

overall, it does not hold a candle to the original film, but it’s a nice enough movie by itself. a lot of people i’ve recommended grey gardens to over the years have hated it, and i think maybe the new movie will provide more of a context, so the documentaries will make more sense.

looking at this montage of photos from the beach, i miss being there so much. i hate coming back into the city after a vacation like this- i start feeling very nostalgic and don’t want to shake the last bits of sand out of my shoes. my ultimate dream is that one day i can live on a cold, deserted beach some place. i could dress in a costume every day, start a collection of sea glass, and maybe join one of those polar bear swimming clubs. i wish i wish i wish.

helmut lang dress, antique crinoline skirt, vintage fur vest, la perla cardigan sweater, urban outfitters lace scarf, vintage table runner worn as a scarf, rachel leigh earrings, elizabeth & james knuckle ring, various vintage rings, loeffler randall shoes