The Photodiarist

Doors and Arches

Florence, Italy

Inspiration: Through a door, under an arch, and yet another, into the light.

Man Repeller: Leandra Medine

Paris: Jardin des Tuileries

Inspiration: Leandra Medine of Man Repeller looking . . . well, hardly man repellant. 

Elena Perminova

Paris: Jardins des Tuileries

Inspiration: Along with Miroslava Duma and Ulyana Sergeenko, Elena Perminova is one of the most photographed people during Fashion Month.  Loving this graphic print, proportions and layers.

Stylish Pair

Paris: On My Way to Jardins des Tuileries

Inspiration: As I made my way from the Miu Miu show to Jardins des Tuileries, I spotted this stylish pair ahead of me.  What really struck me was the way in which the gentleman carried himself and his brilliant hat as well as the fit of his suit.  By the way, I wish more men wore hats. . . like the Mad Men days.  

In other news, New York and New Jersey are facing another big storm today. We were told to expect high winds and more flooding. Mios Dio.

The Aftermath of the Hurricane, Pt. II

New York: Stuyvesant Town apartments near FDR 

Inspiration: "Look. . . it's a swimming pool where the street used to be."

The Aftermath of The Hurricane

New York: Gramercy Park (first photo and third photo); Near the FDR (second photo); Stuyvesant Town (fourth photo)

Inspiration: Sandy rocked the foundations of New York and New Jersey, literally and figuratively. These photos show so very little of the damage. Trees downed, homes devastated, people lost, electricity, gas and steam lines severed, garbage and dead rodents everywhere, stores closed, and the normal functions of the most populous city in the U.S. halted. We became a city halved at 39th street by the lack of electricity and most means of communication. Every night I made my way to my downtown home from "normal" uptown, walking beyond 40th street felt as though I was entering a black hole from which I could not be reached and I could reach no one. There was no one on the streets except a few dog walkers, cops and the few residents who remained. It was surreal.  That said, I fared better than most.  Yes - I lost electricity from Monday night through Friday night - but for some reason, I still had hot water, allowing me to take long showers by flashlight as there was precious little else to do.  I must say, checking the items off my Mom's list (see last post where I joked about this) left me in decent place to weather the storm and its aftermath. But for many others, nothing that they did pre-storm could have possibly helped them protect themselves and families from such a horrible aftermath . . . and this just devastates me.