Maybe it started with watching Mary Poppins over and over again as a child. Or maybe it was all those old black and white photos of people in New York City that I love happening upon. Or maybe it was Paris. I don’t know. When I found wooden-handled umbrellas for sale, though, I bought them without hesitation, because there is certainly something timeless about a black umbrella with a curved wooden handle. And when it’s paired with my all-time favorite trench coat, I can’t help but feeling like I belong walking the streets of some big city, where everything is in gray scale and the men wear fedoras, the ladies don red lipstick and the children carry tin lunch boxes.

I found my trench coat on sale at Express when I was 16- it was hanging on the clearance rack, only $50, down from $145- DONE. I had no idea why I wanted it at the time, I just knew I had my most recent paycheck burning a hole in my pocket so I grabbed it and bought it right away. In hindsight, I know I loved it because it’s an instant classic, though my 16-year-old-self couldn’t have articulated it at the time.

Funnily enough, I’ve almost given it a way a few times but found myself hesitating for this reason or that, and now I’m so glad I held onto it! Once I found the black, curved wooden handled umbrella at Target this past Spring, I felt like my vision of grayscale fedoras and lunch boxes came to life.

I love that coat so much I wore it for our anniversary session last year!

First three images by Rebekah Hoyt, last image by J&M.