Stephanie LaCava Shares Her Extraordinary Theory of Objects With Us

Christina Perez — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:38:38 PST

Rare birds of fashion do exist, but rarer still are those that live in that pretty place between substance and style. Stephanie LaCava is one such creature, but if her well-documented personal aesthetic and journalistic work are not already proof enough, her upcoming literary debut, An Extraordinary Theory of Objects, certainly is. A little book big on heart, it feels dreamy, personal, and utterly relatable all at once, and it draws the reader in with a strange sort of charm - much like LaCava herself.

"It's a narrative about my childhood growing up in Paris in the '90s, told in sort of fragmented essays and extended footnotes," the writer says. Seemingly random objects appear in the story and are explained via detailed historical asides. "But it's not meant to be a conventional story told in objects; the objects are just a way of showing how I would use things to distract myself from my own thinking - the footnotes distract from the narrative the same way I would use the objects, places, research, or obsessions to escape."

But if objects offer distraction, they also offer a point of connection - and it's precisely this sensibility that makes LaCava's book so appealing. "When you find those objects somewhere else, it's a bit of a comfort, and that's what the objects are about too. I think objects and people who share love of them have that in a way that's kind of unspoken. It's a way to relate, it's a taste, it's an aesthetic thing. It's not really the objects themselves that are important - it's the thought process."

Lately, LaCava has found new ways to explore that thought process. "I have so much fun with Instagram just because I can share that same kind of crazy sensibility. Whenever I find something that sort of has my spirit, I can register it right there and then. It's a way to convey that same sensibility without saying words; just having the spirit, having the aura."

In honor of that spirit - and the release of An Extraordinary Theory of Objects on Dec. 4 - LaCava takes us through some of her current object fixations and favorite snapshots. See them here, then contribute your own with #strangebeauty on Instagram.

Above photo by Fashionologie; all other photos courtesy Stephanie LaCava

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Stephanie LaCava Shares Her Extraordinary Theory of Objects With Us