on a beam of light + genius fall fashion

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, pictures by Vladimir Radunsky.

 

I loved Jennifer Berne‘s first book about an extraordinary person, Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau. And this most recent one, about Albert Einstein, is just as good.

 

 

 

It takes us from Albert’s birth and childhood, during which he “hardly said a word at all” to the day his father gave him an object that sparked his curiosity: a compass. It takes us through school and young Albert’s questions and differentness and fascination with mysteries. To the time he rode his bicycle in sunlight and wondered about riding on one of those beams. All the way to the person we think of as Albert Einstein. The genius one. The atoms one. The speed of light and space and universe one. The E = mc squared one.

 

 

But what I like most about it is how the book shows Einstein’s personality. The other stuff that defined him. His sailboat. His violin-playing. His love of ice cream. His wardrobe. Yes, his famous lack of socks. His “comfy, old saggy-baggy sweaters and pants.” Even the illustrations have a raw, disheveled quality that capture him perfectly.

 

 Thanks to Chronicle Books for the images.

 

+

Einstein was really on to something, don’t you think?  With joie de vivre. With his ever-questioning mind. And with that comfy yet fashionable wardrobe. I mean, I love a short, slouchy pant and sweater pairing for fall (and winter and spring).

Einstein inspiration

That adorable Einstein Doll in the top left corner? It’s by scootscootxtine on etsy.

 

These Albert Einstein wardrobe pieces are all at J. Crew (or perhaps some similar are already in your closet). I like these Einstein ensembles for everyday, but one could be a clever Halloween costume with a nice white shock of hair and mustache!

men’s: sweater and pants; boy’s sweater and pants; girl’s sweater and pants.

The following are sweater/pant combos that aren’t strictly Einsteinian, but they’re contemporary counterparts for women. And they’re pretty, cozy things to covet, no?

 

top one: Chinti and Parker triangle sweater; bottom one: Black Crane in mustard; top two: Rotterdam Porcelain sweater by Babasouk; bottom two: Match Suite pants by Just Female.

 

These kids’ sweaters all have a little Einstein wink factor which I quite like.

clockwise: 1. Christopher Fisher ice cream cone sweater; 2. sailing boat t-shirt jumper by internaht on etsy; 3. Oscar et Valentine Einstein Sweater; 4. vintage boys bicycle sweater on etsy @ fuzzymama. 

 

And of course, we can’t forget Einstein’s accessories. Oxfords with no socks!

men: oxfords by Deer Stags; ladies: oxfords by Seychelles; girls: oxfords by Venettini; boys: oxfords by Cole Haan.