The Darling Buds of May

Just in time, it feels like summer. The bricks have begun the simmering oven cycle that will continue until the ides of September and, as evidenced by the swarms of people out and about, I know I am not alone in my relief. It seemed that it was just about time to bust out something chic and fun, to match the spirit of release that comes with long awaited sunshine.

Thursday Island cotton dress - $80 at Lady Pickwick's
Gold heart necklace - $80 at Lady Pickwick's
Beaten gold heart bracelet - $75 at Lady Pickwick's

I am besotted with this cute baby doll style dress from Thursday Island. It is 100% cotton, top and lining, so it feels beautiful against the skin and looks beautiful where it hits the open air. Cotton is the go-to for the humid summer months in a port city. It is most beloved among materials for a reason.

Hailing fictional cabs

I'm 6'4" in these heels.
Just sayin'.

I am loving this socks and heels trend- it's adorable and a little ironic. Use a patterned sock to separate yourself from the lace and frills twee movement. I love these new Davco socks. They are unbelievably soft and the patterns vary from classic to edgy. Not to mention, they're $6. That blows my mind.

Bumper Kitty-Cat Wedge Heels
$30 at Lady Pickwick's (I kid you not)

Annabel Ingall Cross-body in Saddle

$265 at Lady Pickwick's

The Pickwick's love affair with Annabel Ingall pieces continues. These crossbody bags are perfect for weightless strolling. This piece has three isolated compartments that you can attach or detach by snapping them on and off. Supple leather clutch or supple leather bag- your choice! I am a New England girl by birth and nature, so it's hard for me to let go of good neutrals. The honeyed tones in the saddle toned bag keep me from getting too beige and navy.

Lady Pickwick's is officially open, as you can see, and we have the sign to prove it! It's even more darling inside than this outfit and you have to come by. I look forward to seeing your sunburnt faces in person. Enjoy your long weekend! And an enormous, everlasting thank you to those who have sacrificed (and continue to sacrifice) so that our Memorial Day (and everyday) can be so free of worry and care.

Interview: Murchison-Hume

Silhouette fanatics stick together!
From "The Practical Aesthete"

Murchison-Hume is an impressive company. Started by a husband-wife team (formerly an engineer and fashion editor) as an alternative to toxic cleaning products, they make an attractive and effective line of household cleaners in keeping with the original goal: 

"to create safe and effective home keeping products that look and smell as beautiful as they work."

Featured in everything from Vogue to In Style to House & Garden, their meteoric rise reflects the modern consumer's desire for transparency, effectiveness, and simplicity. Their success has already moved them from Syndey to LA and the future looks bright (and clean)!

Max and Peter Kater
Founders

Thistle: It's so exciting to finally get to speak with you! As a domestic goddess in training, I've been particularly looking forward to this interview. We use Murchison-Hume product to clean our store and encourage customers to take home The Bag Butler when they purchase a handbag. But your product comes with punch and heart!

MK: Ah, we love a DG in Training. I will do my best to be lucid, although I have only just had my coffee this morning. Let's hope it kicks in...

Thistle: What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in starting Murchison-Hume?

MK: Well, like most "Momtrepreneurs," finding the time to dedicate to your work projects is always a huge challenge. We have to do everything that our male counterparts do, but we also have to keep everyone clothed, fed and going in the right direction. Tricky.

Bag Butler - $14 at Pickwick's Mercantile
Photo Credit: Murchison-Hume Website

Thistle: Moms are definitely warriors. You stick to a code of strict transparency, even to the point of including a list of your ingredients on your website. What do you think is the value of transparency and do you feel that companies have a responsibility to be upfront with their customers?

MK: Of course! People still advise us against listing our complete ingredients list and it's still not required by law. But I started this company because my son, Charlie was allergic to most common household cleaning products, so for me it was important to provide all of the information right from the start. We're actually redesigning our chic, artsy labels to include more information on them! I think people want to know what they're buying and our stuff is for real. We are proud of our ingredients and people should know that.

Sample of ingredient listing from Murchison-Hume site
http://murchison-hume.com/products/coat

Thistle: Your cleaning products are a neat-freak's dream- super effective and fresh- but let's talk design. We are crazy over your chic and simple aesthetic. What was the thinking behind the design of your "little brown bottles"?

MK: Oh that's easy. They are the love child of Kiehl's and Aesop (the cosmetics brands). I thought, if everything else for the home has had a makeover, why not cleaning products? I also have always collected old fashioned, apothecary bottles. Obsessed! So that's how I wanted my cleaning products to look. I think we succeeded.  

Kiehl's & Aesop's
Classic design inspiration behind M-H's "little brown bottles"

Thistle: We love The Practical Aesthete (read that HERE) ! What led to that jump into the blogosphere and what do you most hope people take away from reading?

MK: Thank you! I actually didn't intend to start a blog. I think my staff actually encouraged me to write it so I would stop ranting around the office. Welcome to my mind. 

Thistle: Trust me, I understand completely. I'm purchasing Counter Safe surface cleaner for my mother and the Ladies Bathroom Cleaner for myself, to cap off the spring cleaning season! But it was so hard to choose! If you could only purchase one of your products, which would it be?

MK: Ooh, that's a Sophie's Choice moment. If I could only have ONE, I'd go for the Counter Safe. It's the closest thing to an All-Purpose Surface Cleaner. I would, of course try and sneak a bottle of Furniture Cleaner in there somewhere. It's like a little housekeeper in a bottle.

Velvet Glove Hand Cream & Superlative Hand Soap
$14 at Pickwick's Mercantile

Thistle: For parting words, do you have any advice for our readers on living with "practicality, responsibility, durability, and style" (the core values of Murchison-Hume)?

MK: Tons (see The Practical Aesthete). But to sum it up in a sentence: "Buy fewer, but better things. Make sure that everything you buy ticks at least two boxes: beautiful AND practical. And no more Happy Meals. Ever."

~~

We so enjoyed speaking with Max and Peter Kater! Thank you again! If you have started to love Murchison-Hume like we do, you can follow along with their exciting enterprise at their website, blog, pinterest, and twitter. They keep it fresh. And, of course, come in to Pickwick's Mercantile and we'll set you up with a starter kit to keep your home beautiful, responsible, and cleaner than ever!

~~

Can't come in for yourself? 

 Send me an e-mail at thistlejones@gmail.com

and we will make sure your goodies come to your doorstep!

Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh

Credit: Jasmin Hunter Photography

Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh is at the Player's Ring until May 25th!

More information/tickets HERE. 

After having a photo-shoot andinterview with the cast and director of Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh, last week, I believed myself prepared. I arrived on opening night to a transformed Player's Ring, the familiar black box now accommodates a country painting studio and an opulent chamber at Versailles, respectively. The first volley of scandalous talk was no surprise- I was prepared for a "confection", a scandalous story of court intrigue, love and betrayal. But from that point forward, I was unprepared.

Joel Gross's play on the intimate and complex relationships between a ladder-climbing painter, the innocent queen, and the fiery philanderer that first forms the bond between them, is so much more than tabloid indulgence. While certainly dripping with the language of flirtation, all giggling aside, these advances are always flavored with a dark undercurrent of consequence. There is weight to every decision made, no moonlight liaison is without its repercussions in the dangerous world of intrigue at court. As the characters age and the marzipan facade of Versailles becomes consumed at the edges, the outside world boils over into the lives of even the most privileged and the lifelong machinations of every player in the game are torn to shreds in the oncoming storm of

revolution.

This play rests on the impressive shoulders of its three players. The sheer number of lines memorized to bring this forgotten sort of tete-a-tete to the stage is staggering, but the leads handled the task with fortitude and success. They thoroughly melted into their parts, completing the picture begun by the talented set designer. Danica Carlson, as the conniving Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, carefully avoids the tropes of the fallen and grasping woman. Without being shrill, she demonstrates vulnerability. Her steady hand and dedication to her character is a constant reminder that there are no villains in this piece, only human beings, long-suffering and often wrong. We see her ambition, her capacity for great love, and her fear. Most compelling is her relationship with the queen, a thing of such stark moving power that I am affected even now, as I write this.

The philandering Count Alexis de Ligne, played by Spotlight Award winner Knate Higgins is a familiar person. Swept up in the conviction of youth, he leaps into conflicts with half-informed ideas, feeling himself alone aware of the injustices of class at work in the darkness of Paris. There are not so many liberal arts students out there who cannot relate to that fire and sureness. Higgins convinces us that there is depth yet to Alexis and his transformation from a boy who believes there are horrors to a man who knows them personally is sensitive and believable.

Finally, Jennifer Henry brings us the portrait of Marie Antoinette that inspires the love and dedication of Le Brun and de Ligne with the passage of time. Her performance drives the veracity of all of the relationships that follow, moving from an innocent playing at royalty to a true Queen in a dank cell with great dexterity. She revives Marie Antoinette and gives her a second chance in the court of public opinion, a fitting homage to a young woman who was remarkably misunderstood, as she was never given any opportunities to understand.

Time passed so quickly inside the theatre, I was astonished first when intermission came and then again when it was the end. Through the complete dedication of the players and crew, I was absorbed into this world and exposed to its underbelly. Far more than confection, Back Alley Production's "Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh" is food for thought. This piece is sumptuously set, beautifully acted, and produced with sensitivity and love. Go to be entertained, but also challenged and deeply effected.

Mother's Day Gift Set

I often tell people that if I end up half the woman my mother is, then I will have accomplished something worthy of taking great pride in. And, while many will bemoan the rise of the Hallmark holiday, I cannot help but feel that taking the time to dedicate a full day to the appreciation of the women who raised us, is a celebration long overdue. Here, I have created a small gift guide, inspired by Mama Thistle and all of the other brave souls that have given so much of themselves to see us succeed.

Mother's Day Gift Set

1. At Last: White Petal & Rice Flower Handcream by Lollia $25 at Lady Pickwick's

Lollia has so many lovely scented creams, but Mama Thistle loves yellow, so it felt right to pick At Last. The packaging is gorgeous, but it is really only a compliment for the quality of the moisturizer, not a substitute. I have been using these sweet creams through the week and they work well and smell delightful and fresh!

2. Rosa Wax Tablets by Santa Maria Novella

$34 at Pickwick's Mercantile

I've gushed about Santa Maria Novella before and you can read some of that HERE, but I'll make a long story short. These wax tablets are hand-made by monks in Florence, Italy, in the same way that they have been made for over 400 years. Not only is their scent delicate and delicious, it can last decades! Come in and we will write out the story of the monastery and its products in a fine hand, so that you can include it with your gift.  

3. The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook

$25 at Pickwick's Mercantile

I feel comfortable recommending this cookbook because my family is eagerly cooking its way through it. I gave this as a Christmas gift to Mama Thistle and everything from these fun pages has been delicious so far. Want to sweeten the deal? Tuck a paper certificate between the pages that guarantees an evening of your time to cook something from the book with your mother. That's really all they truly want, isn't it? Some time.

4. Lavender Bath Salts by Hand-in-Hand

$25 at Pickwick's Mercantile

As all mamas know, relaxation is a rare and necessary thing, and as your mother has spent her life advocating for you, why not gift her with a something from a company that stands up for others? These lavender bath salts look and smell beautiful and come in a great quantity for the price. They are also made completely in the United States, but what I am most impressed by is that for each bottle you purchase, Hand-in-Hand donates one bar of soap to a child in a developing nation and purchases 50 square feet of rain forest! 

5. Pearls of Wisdom collection by Lucky Feather

$15 at Pickwick's Mercantile

Pearls of wisdom seems a fitting theme for a mother's day gift. Jewelry is a sweet gift because it offers up a reminder each time it is put on, and necklaces are even better for mother's day as they are something she can wear close to the heart.

I hope that you are all getting much needed downtime with the lovely lady in your life. May your mother/daughter - mother/son relationship look more like a friendship with the passage of time.

--

Can't come in? 

 Send me an e-mail at thistlejones@gmail.com

and we will make sure your goodies come to your doorstep (or mum's)!

Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh (Coming Soon!)

Photo Credit: Christopher D'Amore

Pickwick's loves to get involved with the vibrant arts scene in Portsmouth and when the lovely Joi Smith, director of the upcoming show of Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh, revealed the famous subject of her most recent production, we did not jump, but leapt at the opportunity to assist. On Wednesday, I went down to snap some shots of the already sumptuous affair and to chat with the cast as they prepare for the challenge and exhilaration of performing Joel Gross's scandalous drama.

Click to enlarge

The story follows the delicate machinations of the beautiful and conniving Madame Le Brun as she manipulates her paramour, Count Alexis de Ligne, into seducing the queen so that the distance between them is diminished. In this way, she hopes to gain a commission to paint the beautiful young queen. But even Le Brun's blind ambition and Alexi's philandering ways cannot prepare or protect them from the authentic love they begin to feel for Marie. Beyond the walls of this claustrophobic game of social chess, the storm of the Revolution gains momentum, and soon, the petty heartache and drama of the French court will be swept away by the gathering tide of history.

Sitting in the warm round of The Player's Ring, over pizza and cake, I spoke with the cast and director. Their excitement is positively contagious and I was thrilled to be invited into their preparations (and their dinner break). Listen to our little chat below and please excuse some of the bumps and bruises in the audio. It's time for this shop-girl to get a big kid recorder:

I was excited about the show before, but now I am literally counting down the days. It's been a while since I've been so very excited for a trip to the theater.

As a bit of a collaboration, we've compiled a few Pickwickian delights to further immerse the city in the unfolding world of Versailles.

From Marie Antoinette's Garden: $35 at Lady Pickwick's
Royal Apothic Hair Powder: $14 at Pickwick's Mercantile
A Day at Versailles: $40 at Lady Pickwick's
Gracie Bone China Box Tea Cup Set: $28 (!) at Lady Pickwick's
La Chasse Aux Papillons: $165 at Pickwick's Mercantile

I can't get over that Gracie Bone China tea set in the hot pink. We also carry it in yellow and orange and blue and goodness, you're just going to have to come down to Lady Pickwick's and see! Did I mention that we're officially open for business? They remind me so much of Sofia Coppola's sumptuous Marie Antoinette, with all of its wild colors and breathtaking visuals. As for La Chasse? It's a French perfume, but more than that binds it to Marie- its blend of warm tuberose, orange blossom, and spices makes for a chase indeed as snapping freshness pursues an indolent sweetness and warmth around the garden. 

I will be at Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh on opening night and I hope to see some of you lovely readers there! Prepare for an evening that has stepped out of time!

Purchase your tickets HERE.

Want more Marie? Jasmin Hunter took gorgeous shots for the show- see HERE.

Our photographer was the talented Christopher D'Amore. See his portfolio HERE.

--

Can't come in for yourself? 

 Send me an e-mail at thistlejones@gmail.com

and we will make sure your goodies come to your doorstep!