empire state of mind

Dress: Lanvin via The RealReal; Bag: Chanel; Sunglasses: Celine; Bracelet: Miansai; Earings: Yvel (similar style here); Lips: Marc Jacobs "Amazing"

One of my favorite books of all time would have to be The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, but the trouble is, I always struggle answering with one single reason as to why it's my favorite. Mainly because Rand's ability to both create larger than life characters and personify inanimate objects like a building or a city usually leave me breathless. It's perfect. But it's hard to pinpoint. It's both romantic drama/fiction and philosophical essay.

In a short and rudimentary summary, the book follows an up and coming architect named Howard Roark, whose talent is unrivaled but is met by a society whose standards value tradition and collectivism, as opposed to modernity and individuality. But he refuses to compromise. And from there, each character who crosses Roark's path represents an extreme on the spectrum of progress and status quo. 

Where am I going with all of this? There's a beautiful quote in the book that goes a little something like this:

"I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York's skyline. Particularly when one can't see the details. Just the shapes. The shapes and the thought that made them. The sky over New York and the will of man made visible."

Every time I look at New York's skyline, especially from up above like Lydia and I were when shooting these photos at the Empire State Building, I'm reminded of this quote. And what it took for a single person to dream up a part of such an iconic skyline.   

Have you read the book or any of other Rand's work? My other favorite is Atlas Shrugged, but let's save that for another day (perhaps best suited for a train travel post). 

And in case you're left still wondering about this dress (because let's face it, those bows!), here are a few other favorites from my go-to holiday party stop this season, The RealReal. Enjoy! Just make sure if your holiday party takes you to the top of a skyscraper this year, bring a warm coat. ;)

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

This post was in collaboration with The RealReal. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!