Reading Material - Halloween Edition

Vineyard | North Fork, Long Island | Image: Laura Messersmith

Welcome to the all trick-or-treat edition of Reading Material in which I tip my pointy witch’s hat to Halloween. I thought this photo of the vineyards at dusk I took last weekend was appropriate to accompany the moody occasion, yes?

Hope you're all ready to go - treats acquired, costume elements collected, I have my black horn rimmed glasses all ready to go to fulfill my decades-long dream of doing a couple's Wayne & Garth costume when Mike and I attend an SNL-character themed party on Saturday night. What? Don’t tell me that Alice Cooper’s thoughtful discussion of Mil-ee-wau-kee isn’t one of the best scenes ever. Also, I personally prefer Tia Carrere's version of Ballroom Blitz - she wails!

Anywho, without further ado I give you some cool Internet links that celebrate tomorrow’s spooky and sweets-centric fun.

Reading Material:
All hail Chrissy Teigen for donning the scariest food-inspired Halloween costume evar. Hint: he has spiky blonde hair... (via Eater)

These food shots inspired by The Shining are hilariously macabre – who knew cupcakes could be so creepy? Yes, I have been saving this for today since I saw it oh, four months ago in The New York Times. Please don’t judge my commitment to sparkle motion.

Oh Pinterest. You are both a source of delight and heartbreak. I’m using that term loosely to describe these Halloween #pinterestfails, some of which are truly horrific. (via Buzzfeed)

I originally read about the fake restaurant/art installation Lura Café in Providence on Eater, but this piece at City Lab goes a little deeper. Quite a trick on the unsuspecting hipster population.

If you haven’t organized a costume yet Vogue has a great list of iconic and cult characters from TV and movies to help inspire you. Edward Scissorhands might be a triffle hard to pull off in 24 hrs, but I have faith in you!

Lastly, I came across this interesting piece from The Atlantic archives on how candy became synonymous with Halloween.

A Nancy Meyers Life

Somethings Gotta Give Living Room | Image: Architectural Digest

I came across this article from Lonny Magazine last week and the title made me laugh. A fait accompli, assumed to be true because who wouldn’t want to live in one of the homes created for a Nancy Meyers film? Most of them seem to be spacious, beautifully decorated, and located in picture-perfect locations.

Lonny and I are in good company when it comes to admiring them; Architectural Digest, Elle DÉCOR, and Traditional Home along with countless bloggers have done posts on Meyers’s design taste. Honestly, it seems like there’s more excitement about the set decoration than the plot of her upcoming movies, The Intern and Chelsea Hotel.

The seed must have been planted because this weekend I felt compelled to watch Something’s Gotta Give. Since then I’ve been thinking about why Nancy Meyers’s movies and their story-specific interiors are so appealing to me? Why are some of the earliest images I ever pinned stills of the interiors from It’s Complicated? What is it that makes so many people swoon for her decorating style?

Somethings Gotta Give Dining Room | Image: Architectural Digest

My theory has a few elements but the crux of the argument is that her ‘homes’ are the perfect balance of the ideal with the real. They seem attainable, earthy, and real. It’s easy to imagine re-creating that welcoming, casual vibe in our own homes with just some simple white paint, pale blue slipcovers, and sisal rugs.

At the same time, her movies and their gorgeous sets give us, the humble viewer, a mental vacation. She takes us to the aforementioned picture-perfect locations where linen pants never get wrinkled, pancakes are the go-to late night snack, and Keanu Reeves is an ER doctor who makes house calls. I think that’s what makes her movies and her sets so appealing – the simplicity of the good life distilled into two hours with just enough reality to keep us dreaming. 

Somethings Gotta Give Kitchen | Image: Architectural Digest