Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Alice and Olivia Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection

I have been a long time fan of Stacey Bendet and her girly-with-an-edge collection, Alice and Olivia. She somehow manages to make glamorous party dresses that are sexy and a little rocker at the same time. Any of her dresses would look perfect topped with a leather jacket - let's just put it that way.

Her fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection showed at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC a couple weeks ago, and usual with her collections, I am completely smitten. There are plenty of sequins - my favorite - and chunky knits, a relatively new thing for an Alice and Olivia collection. Some of the dresses have a wonderful flapper-girl vibe, and there are some wild prints that would be fun to play with as well. Check out all of the gorgeous-ness, below...

All images courtesy of www.style.com
I am already imagining wearing that sequined silver long sleeved dress for Christmas Eve, and I love the juxtaposition of the ladylike Chanel-style tweed pencil skirt with a sexy little bustier top.





I love the way this lookbook was styled - I would never think to put those prints and textures together on the left - but they look fabulous as an ensemble. And the coat and boots? As Rachel Zoe would say, I DIE.


What a fun flouncy little skirt - a bit short for me, but love that its paired with a conservative look on top - a great little jacket and pearls. And speaking of pearls, check out that perfect flapper dress.


Yes, please to both of the above dresses. The gold sequin dress reminds me of an Oscar statue, definitely a winner. And the tulle overlay on the dress on the right is reminiscent of the ballet trend we've seen already this year. Sweet and lovely.


Great looking winter options - a chunky knit, a fun fur stole, and of course, more sequins. Oh Alice and Olivia, how I adore you.

xoxo

Friday, February 18, 2011

Pretty in Pink


I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I don't care how uncool it might be - I am a grown lady and I love pink. All shades and tones of pink. It gets a bad rap, but it can be done tastefully and not make you look like a five-year old headed to a princess party. Recently, I fell in love with the pinks in two designer collections, and just had to share!

The first "pretty in pink" round-up comes from the British line, Asprey. They make more than fine jewelry - their accessories collection is to-die-for.

All images courtesy of www.asprey.com
I am especially in love with the Hepburn vanity case. How chic is that? I have always wanted a fancy vanity case to carry with me when I travel. Especially if I was going to be traveling by train. Also at the top of my list - the pink legal pads and mini Oxford dictionary. Perfect for the girly writer such as myself. 

The second round-up comes from Ms. Kate Spade, the Queen of classic ladylike style. I've long admired her fun chic costume jewelry, but there is also a good amount of pink - in the color of the moment, honeysuckle - in her new collection for spring.

All images courtesy of www.katespade.com
The necklace and bracelet are dreamy, as are the cute coin pouch and lovely little kitten-heels. Love, love, love it all! Now that I've proven pink is really quite fabulous (as if you needed more proof, with Honeysuckle being chosen as the color of spring) feel free to run out and get something in pink to brighten up your life.
xoxo

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Wellesbourne

While perusing my usual daily round-up of blogs, I stumbled across this little gem of a bar that recently opened in Los Angeles. If I had a dream bar, this would be it - perfectly cozy and a little nerdy. Ladies and gents, welcome to The Wellesbourne...


I love that is looks a little like an old library, a little bit like a study in some grand old manor house in the English countryside. In fact, it IS named after a small village near Stratford-Upon-Avon, in England, and features 19th century English styling complete with a stone fireplace, cottage-style windows, coffered ceilings, a library seating area and paintings of scenes like fox hunting and dinner parties.


Its like the ideal bar for an English or History major! Such as myself.


If I lived in L.A., I would definitely check this place out and grab a pint while catching up on an old-fashioned classic novel. Loves!

xoxo

Quote of the Day


Good advice and something to try and remember.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

And now, a little Valentine's Day inspiration. Love you all! xoxo

Source Unknown         



From www.anabundanceof.blogspot.com 

From www.pinkamby.tumblr.com

Source Unknown

From www.gallery.me.com

From www.coxandcox.com

From www.nadjaseale.com

From diamondsfordessert.blogspot.com

Source Unknown

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Stripes, Stripes, Stripes!

One of the biggest trends for spring this year is stripes, and I could not be more excited. I have a long-time love affair with stripes. Seriously, they call to me - I spot a striped shirt from across the store and I will make a bee-line for it. There are some to-die-for fashion options with stripes about to hit the shelves - take a look!

All images courtesy of www.net-a-porter.com. From left to right: Bracelet from Kate Spade, hat from Eugenia Kim, tank-top by A.L.C., shoe from Brian Atwood, top from Marcus Lupfer.
First of all, I DIE for these shoes. They are so perfectly nautical with a high-style edge to them. Paired with a white knee-length pleated skirt, they would be perfect for sailing on a yacht come summer! Also loving the sailor-take on the fedora from Eugenia Kim. 

Images courtesy of www.net-a-porter.com, from Left to right: Rebecca Taylor, Oscar De La Renta and J.Crew.

A few options on dressing stripes up or down. Add a pop of color to the navy stripes and pant combo, or a jean jacket and flouncy skirt to make the stripes a little more girly.

Images courtesy of www.net-a-porter.com, from Left to Right: dress from Vivienne Westwood, scarf from Tara Matthews, bag from Diane von Furstenberg, bracelet from Kate Spade.
Although I am a little partial to navy and white stripes, colored stripes make for a playful outfit. Love the spring-y, candy-colored brightness of the Tara Matthews scarf and Kate Spade bracelet, and wouldn't the Diane von Furstenberg tote make a perfect beach bag?

Images courtesy of www.net-a-porter.com, Left to Right: Joseph, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Crumpet.

More lovely and casual striped options for spring! A crisp white pant looks so fabulous with tall heels and bright red stripes. So much stripe-inspiration - time to get to shopping and outfit planning for spring! xoxo

Sunday, February 6, 2011

A Love for Lucite


I have recently discovered a love for lucite - specifically, the lucite Ghost Chairs designed by Philipe Starck. I love that their design is decidedly old-fashioned, but done in a modern material. Combined with the right interior design elements, these chairs make any room like sophisticated and glamorous.


They come in different shades, but my favorite remains the plain clear ones. They are a little pricey, but someday I dream of having one in my home office - from which I will write dozens of fabulous articles for magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair. An office like this one, preferably...


How girly, romantic and stylish is this little work area? I love the pink accents. Mirrored glass and silver mercury finishes (like the one on the vase of flowers) are a great way to compliment a Ghost Chair.


Another lovely example of a work space with a Ghost Chair. Funny, Tiffany Blue also seems to go well with those chairs. Doesn't the mirrored desk give the whole simple set-up, a glam feeling?


They even look great as dining room chairs. I like the polished concrete floors here, combined with the chairs and chandelier, they make the whole room look like part of a luxe Miami hotel or something.

Finally, I know I am a grown woman, but is it so wrong to love these Barbie designed versions of the Ghost Chair? They would be adorable in a walk-in closet/dressing room - and they even have a little tiny one for kids. I have a serious crush on these chairs.


Cheers! xoxo


Thursday, February 3, 2011

New Styles from Ban.do!

Image courtesy of www.shopbando.com
I have been a long time fan of ban.do and their fun, stylish accessories. In fact, I pride myself on having found them before they were on every blog and stylist's radar. They recently added some new designs to their collection - some of them perfect for Valentine's Day - and I adore them! They may be a little over the top for some, but I love that about them! Colorful, bright, whimsical - the perfect addition to add a little flair to any outfit.

Images courtesy of www.shopbando.com
How fun would the chiffon poof on the right be for bridesmaids in a spring or summer wedding? And the purple ribbons would be a great way to accessorize a little black dress for an event.

Images courtesy of www.shopbando.com
I have a crush on the big red bow. Its going on the top of my Wish List for spring. I also happen to really like the styling of this new collection - the photos are fresh and the makeup is so bright and lovely. Right on trend with the lipstick trends for next season! Not to mention, I am a sucker for anything with confetti and glitter - makes for a perfectly styled photo shoot in my opinion.

Images courtesy of www.shopbando.com
This sequined heart headband would be such a fun choice for a Valentine's Day date. As for the flowers, I wish I had an excuse to wear something like this in my hair every day of the year!

Images courtesy of www.shopbando.com
One of my favorite accessories from ban.do is their sequined heart pins. Pin them on a shirt, in your hair, anywhere - another great choice for Valentine's Day.

Images courtesy of www.shopbando.com
Last but not least, ban.do recently branched out into shoe clips - a brilliant way to keep your shoe collection feeling new and up-to-date. Clip them on any pair of heels or flats and its like having bought an entirely new and different pair of shoes. Plus, they come in sequins and rhinestones - and truthfully, a little sparkle never hurt anyone.

Which ones would you pick? xoxo

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Elie Saab Spring 2011 Couture Collection

Elie Saab's 2011 Spring collection debuted recently, and I think I'm in love. It was a parade of tulle, organza, shimmer, flowers and grosgrain ribbon in the trendiest shades of the season - nudes, pale creams and whites, lavender and rose gold. Its rare that I see an entire couture collection and love nearly every piece that is sent down the runway, but Elie Saab definitely created something magical with this group of red-carpet worthy dresses.

All images from www.style.com

Have you ever seen such lovely, feminine designs that manage to be ultra-girly but sexy at the same time? In the words of the incomparable Rachel Zoe, I. Die.

All images from www.style.com
I dream of someday having an event where I could wear a dress like one of these. The man is a genius, I tell you!

All images from www.style.com
The lavender dress literally sends shivers down my spine. I will take one of each of these dresses, please. Totally appropriate to wear to work on my laptop at Starbucks in the middle of the week - right? xoxo

Quote of the Day


This is the perfect expression about what is so amazing about reading and why it is one of my favorite things to do.