
2.28.2009
Black and White Wishes

2.27.2009
The Answer to Our Home Decorating Prayers



What can I say? There’s so much here for $4.99. Not just a magazine full of pictures of homes, but detailed accounts of exactly what to do and how to do it, with fresh ideas, interesting tidbits of information, and articles that are not only well thought-out, but written in an easy-to-understand fashion. I’m currently channeling my inner handyman, complete with paint-splattered Converse, distressed skinnies, and a worn-in boyfriend tee (hey, who says handymen – or women – can’t be fashionable?). It may be about DIY and affordable decorating, but it’s really a lifestyle magazine. It sets a tone for living life to the fullest by creating your own world. I can’t help myself, I love it. I’m hooked!

In actuality, it’s not just a magazine, it’s a reference guide. It’s the type of publication that you save all the back issues of, like a cherished set of Encyclopedias. Reasonably priced, fashionable, practical, and charming. There is only one way to describe all of this…wowie-zowie! Fresh Home magazine provides us with the tools to turn our personal living spaces into unique abodes that reflect our passions. Can we ask for anything more? In the words of Home Alone 2’s troublemaking Kevin McCallister, “I don’t think so.”
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Fresh Home, and Design With You In Mind for the pictures.
Raspberry Beret

"She wore a raspberry beret
The kind you find in a secondhand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear it much more"
Prince, "Raspberry Beret"
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Wet Seal for the picture.
2.25.2009
Secret Agent Girl
I’ve always wanted to be a spy. Or a detective. You can blame it on long, lazy adolescent summers spent lying in fields of daisies accompanied by Harriet the Spy, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden. It never happened though. Instead, I simply developed an infatuation with trench coats. There’s something so chic, yet completely mysterious about trench coats that makes you feel like you’re undercover, even if you’re just window shopping or schlepping a cart through a grocery store stocking up on canned goods. The funny part? I’ve never actually owned a trench coat of my own. Instead I’ve just admired them from afar. I think it’s time that changed.
I completely understand that if you’re trying for an incognito look – much like my beloved childhood pal, and Plaza Hotel resident Eloise – it’s probably not a good idea to opt for a trench coat that is the same cherry red color of the Corvette bought during the beginning throes of a midlife crisis; but I can’t help it. The Fendi Cotton Babydoll Trench is simply calling my name, and, I’m sorry to admit, I plan on answering.
When I think of a true detective trench coat, this Church & State Maine Trench Coat is exactly what comes to mind. The fact that the bib is removable and the button closure is reversible gives it a two-in-one appeal. But aside from those glorious features, I just want to see it tossed over a chic little spring dress and paired with ankle strap ballerina flats. I can’t help but feel that it would be an adorable pairing.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think I may slowly be falling in love with military styles. Case in point, this Burberry Empire Trench. The bodice alone is a full-on tribute to the military with a double breast that includes not three, not six, but ten (count them) ten chunky (and chic) horn buttons – and that’s not all. This adorable dove-colored offering also features pockets and buttoned cuffs. I know this may be wrong, but I’m not sure if I would treat this as a coat – it’s a complete outfit in itself!
I saw someone wearing this Lauren Jeans Co. Denim Belted Trench Coat just the other day. I fell in love with it then, and I’ve fallen in love with it all over again now. I love, love, love the contrasting stitching; but the fact that it’s denim – yet looks completely sleek, chic, and magnifique paired with black, white, or any other color imaginable – makes me need, need, need it.
I honestly don’t think it’s appropriate for any girl to go through life without a little lace in her closet. Therefore, this Rampage Lace-Trim Trench Coat is kind of a necessity in my book. The lace trim provides an otherwise oftentimes masculine look with a little dainty femininity that is sassy, sweet, and fierce all in one.
Which one is your favorite?
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Net-A-Porter, Frances May, Burberry, and Macy's for the pictures.




Which one is your favorite?
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Net-A-Porter, Frances May, Burberry, and Macy's for the pictures.
2.24.2009
Bicycle Love

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Fred Flare for the picture.
2.23.2009
Bubble Pop Electric

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Psycho Glitter for the picture.
2.22.2009
Cat Lady





2.21.2009
Let's Hang Out!
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Urban Outfitters for the picture.
2.20.2009
XOXO

This little pink playhouse surrounded by all sorts of lovely shrubbery.
Luxurious polka dot sheets.
Realizing that even after reading 10 Reasons to Stop Drinking Coffee, I refuse to kick the habit - it gives me too much joy.
Barbie's debut at New York Fashion Week in honor of her 50th Birthday Celebration.
A cherry red Valentine Shoulder Bag perfect for year-round accessorizing.
Sweet little felt pouches with contrasting stitching.
A bow bracelet that will bring the Blair Waldorf out in everyone.
Silhouette cups that are too adorable to drink out of.
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Rodney Smith Photography for the picture.
The TomTom Club
When I was three-years-old I had a navy blue dress with white trim, and red bow detail that was sailor-inspired, and impossible to take off of me. I wore it with black mary-janes and white tights, and felt the most at ease when I was adorned in this getup. Perhaps that is why TomTom’s recently-debuted line of jewelry has so effortlessly captured my little nautical-loving, Moby Dick reading heart. Their Merchants and Marines Collection incorporates bronze, navy blue ribbons, plated brass, high-seas inspired buttons, and gunmetal chains into each offering, which makes it possible to channel your inner-seaman even if you’re sitting behind a desk in an office, or at the movies with imitation butter covering your fingertips. My most-wanted pieces include:
Three Sheets to the Wind, $205. If this isn't love, I don't know what is. The navy blue ribbon bows flanking each side of this necklace add such a preppy, classic, girly feel to this piece; while the gunmetal and copper plated brass offer a chic toughness that is irresistible. For some strange reason I'm overcome with the desire to pair this necklace with white, elbow-length gloves for a nouveau take on Jackie-O's style.
As much as I've always wanted to be a prep school girl, complete with crest-adorned blazer, knee-highs, and plaid skirt, I find myself giving in to my obsession with anchors, and opting for the Anchor Earrings, $55, as opposed to the Metal Crest Earrings, $55. Of course, either would most certainly bring a smile to my face. Just looking at these studly little gems makes me feel as if I'm aboard a cruise ship on my way to a tropical destination.
Which pieces are your favorite? Would you choose the anchors over the metal crests; or would you select something from TomTom's Lovely Heartache Collection instead? And is it just me, or are you also smitten with the TomTom name, which instantly invokes images of an exclusive, members-only gentleman’s club or a ragamuffin alley cat known to terrorize the neighborhood?
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to TomTom Jewelry for the pictures.


Which pieces are your favorite? Would you choose the anchors over the metal crests; or would you select something from TomTom's Lovely Heartache Collection instead? And is it just me, or are you also smitten with the TomTom name, which instantly invokes images of an exclusive, members-only gentleman’s club or a ragamuffin alley cat known to terrorize the neighborhood?
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to TomTom Jewelry for the pictures.
2.19.2009
Swing Fling
I think I’m in love. Not with a person, but with an object...porch swings. Porch swings are such an elegant, yet adorable addition to any home; but, even better, they seem to be a prime location for all types of milestones and events to take place – proposals, first kisses, even just spending time with the family or curling up with a good book. These are just a few of my favorites...
The Savannah Porch Swing from Grandin Road is truly what dreams are made of. The white provides such a beautiful, romantic finish; yet also presents a lovely canvas for creating different looks. The navy blue throw pillows shown here bring a nautical theme to life; red may invoke thoughts of a barbershop quartet; while purple could easily bring about a royal flavor. The opportunities are truly endless.
Yes, I realize that the Siesta Quest Recycled Plastic Porch Swing from PatioLivingPlus is plastic. But the fact that it is offered in over twenty colors - including berry red, seafoam, and pink lemonade - adds a sense of childlike playfulness to your front porch.
If I were able to, I can honestly say that I would banish myself to a private log cabin in the Adirondacks, and spend my days lazing in front of a fireplace, baking rich desserts, and taking long, languorous naps with my cats. Since that's out of the question, I feel that spending even just a small amount of time in this Cedar Log Porch Swing from SwingShowcase each day would do the trick. It has the power to bring a little cabin style to even a city atmosphere!
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Grandin Road and Swing Showcase for the pictures.
Yes, I realize that the Siesta Quest Recycled Plastic Porch Swing from PatioLivingPlus is plastic. But the fact that it is offered in over twenty colors - including berry red, seafoam, and pink lemonade - adds a sense of childlike playfulness to your front porch.

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Grandin Road and Swing Showcase for the pictures.
Hey There Cupcake!

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Neiman Marcus for the picture.
2.18.2009
An Umbrella Built for Two

Fashionably yours!
2.17.2009
The Perky Parisian

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to StyleSightings for the picture.
2.16.2009
Federal Fashion
Ah President’s Day, a chance to sleep in on Monday, enjoy a luxurious long weekend, and don fashions that our forefathers would most definitely approve of!

RED: June Button Front Mod Shift, Corey Lynn Calter, $147. Red on red on red, with a nice dosage of gold. It's sixties London, with a dash of military action thrown in via the four gold buttons down the front. And lets not forget the pockets. There is nothing I adore more than a dress with hidden pockets.

WHITE: Roxbury Ankle Jean, Paige Denim, $195. The perfect length to show off our beautiful ballerina flats, chic cutout pumps, glamorous gladiators, or enticing espadrilles. The perfect color for the spring and summer. The perfect fit. The perfect...everything.

BLUE: Noued D'Amour Bag, Valentino, $1,095. First it was the red bow hairband for Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf, now it's a blue bow bag absolutely perfect for your tiny essentials - lip gloss, cell phone, credit card. Valentino can do no wrong.

RED, WHITE, and BLUE: Star Strap Sandal, Marc by Marc Jacobs, $485. Words cannot describe the beauty of these pumps. It's as if they were crafted especially for proudly displaying your patriotism. And the best part is that they pair well with just about any of your spring and summer frocks, so you can rock them for more than one season.
Happy President's Day everyone!
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Corey Lynn Calter, Shopbop, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Net-A-Porter for the pictures.
RED: June Button Front Mod Shift, Corey Lynn Calter, $147. Red on red on red, with a nice dosage of gold. It's sixties London, with a dash of military action thrown in via the four gold buttons down the front. And lets not forget the pockets. There is nothing I adore more than a dress with hidden pockets.

WHITE: Roxbury Ankle Jean, Paige Denim, $195. The perfect length to show off our beautiful ballerina flats, chic cutout pumps, glamorous gladiators, or enticing espadrilles. The perfect color for the spring and summer. The perfect fit. The perfect...everything.

BLUE: Noued D'Amour Bag, Valentino, $1,095. First it was the red bow hairband for Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf, now it's a blue bow bag absolutely perfect for your tiny essentials - lip gloss, cell phone, credit card. Valentino can do no wrong.

RED, WHITE, and BLUE: Star Strap Sandal, Marc by Marc Jacobs, $485. Words cannot describe the beauty of these pumps. It's as if they were crafted especially for proudly displaying your patriotism. And the best part is that they pair well with just about any of your spring and summer frocks, so you can rock them for more than one season.
Happy President's Day everyone!
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Corey Lynn Calter, Shopbop, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Net-A-Porter for the pictures.
A Bicycle Built for Two

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Etsy for the picture.
2.15.2009
Good Books and Cozy Nooks
I am one of those people who can’t enjoy a good book without being situated in a cozy nook; and after Monday's post I came to the conclusion that, perhaps, I’m not the only one. Which is where this idea came from...

A cowboy hat-adorned bust, the contrasting blue walls and acid green chaise, the cumbersome chandelier, it’s just kitschy enough to pair with the tale of a girl who has an assortment of plastic ponies hidden under the kitchen sink of her New York City apartment a la Sloane Crosley in I Was Told There’d Be Cake.

There’s something so Holly Golightly about those pillow eyes. I can’t imagine curling up with anything but Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s in this bedroom.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle always brings to mind cozy sitting rooms, warm fireplaces, hot coffee, and yummy pastries. This room manages to invoke the same images. Toss in some rain, a little thunder and lightning, and it will be the perfect place to read about Sherlock Holmes’ and Watson’s adventures in The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Even though it covered more of the eighties and nineties than anything else, I can’t help but feel that Jancee Dunn’s But Enough About Me deserves to be read in an offbeat room that is sparsely furnished, but accessorized with seventies-esque seating arrangements – much like the one featured here. It’s just as trippy as her adolescence was!

Whenever I think of Dorothy Parker I see two colors: red and blue. This is the perfect place to indulge in Parker’s dry wit via The Portable Dorothy Parker as it embraces both of these colors just enough to make me channel my inner Dot.
What are some of your most-adored books, and where are your favorite places to read them?
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Domino for the pictures.





2.14.2009
Happy Valentine's Day!

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Absolutely Beautiful Things for the picture.
2.13.2009
F Is for Friday

-Despite the fact that I am, in the words of my allergist, “Deathly allergic to dust,” I decided to take my chances and embark on a hunt for treasure in my very own garage on Sunday afternoon. While the sneezing left me somewhat worn out, the fact that I discovered a few vintage Moppets paintings from the 1960’s (including this - and this - among others) more than made up for it.
-A bedroom that anyone would be proud to wake-up in.
-DinerCity which has given me a virtual listing of cute, vintage diners to visit all over the United States, as well as Canada!
-Realizing that this 2003 cartoon from The New Yorker perfectly sums up why I am a vegetarian.
-This Floral Lace Headwrap which conjures up visions of The Great Gatsby’s Daisy Buchanan.
-Discovering that my newest addiction – Sloane Crosley’s I Was Told There’d Be Cake – may be coming to HBO.
-The retro/vintage vibe of this video.
-This adorable candy-infused centerpiece.
-The prospect of a three-day weekend.
What got you through the week? Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Unruly-Things for the picture.
The "Anti" Girl

At some point in time we are all The "Anti" Girl. Anti Prom. Anti Valentine's Day. Anti Cheerleading. Anti anything. This photograph embodies The "Anti" Girl to a T. The tiara. The cigarette. The teased, yet perfectly chic, coif. The cigarette. The posture. The champagne bottle. The backdrop of a bathroom, signifying that the torture is too much to handle, and seeking solace in a locked bathroom where a party for one can be had is preferred over hobnobbing with the so-called jocks and prom queens. It's all just so...perfect. This is my style inspiration of the day. You just can't go wrong with The "Anti" Girl - especially on the Eve of Valentine's Day.
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Marie Claire for the picture.
2.12.2009
Domino's Dead; Now What?

"Domino’s demise does not, in the end, sound a death knell for the girly aesthetic it promoted. It leaves a vacuum in the print media, to be sure, but on the Web, Ms. Angelotta, Ms. Meares, Ms. Royalty and their sisters all contribute to what Ms. Salzman, the trend spotter, would describe as a ‘granular’ portfolio of ideas, ‘you know, something by, for and about them, friend-to-friend stuff,’ she said. In other words, the blogs." – "Domino Magazine’s Fans Mourn It’s Demise," The New York Times.
I’ve known about Domino’s demise for more than two weeks now, but it’s as if the harsh reality of never seeing the magazine grace newsstands again didn’t sink in until I read the aforementioned article.. It raises such an amazing point...if only we could have protested to keep the magazine alive and kicking – would it have been to no avail? It still seems unfair. As much as I love the blogs (I’m a blogger myself, so why wouldn’t I?), the world wide web is so much different than a glossy you can hold in your hands and read while lying in bed. I guess I’m in the same boat as Sandee Royalty.
“She explained a pastime she calls ‘magazining’ — sitting on the couch with her friends and ‘traveling’ through the pages of Domino. ‘Like shopping, but we don’t spend any money,’ she said. As much as she uses and likes them, the design blogs aren’t a satisfying substitute. ‘I need something I can archive, something I can ‘magazine’ with my friends,’ Ms. Royalty said.”
Such a fantastic pastime; but we will no longer have Domino to fulfill that need – either in print or Online. So what are you going to do now that Domino is no more? It’s a given that nothing can replace Domino, but what magazines will you be perusing to fill the empty hole it has left behind in the magazine world? Will you turn to Martha Stewart Living? Seek solace in Romantic Homes? Explore the pages of the extremely-chic Elle Décor? Titles please; I need titles!
Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Typophile for the picture.
2.11.2009
Nine Ways to Say I Love You

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Bags Blog for the picture.
The pen is mightier than the sword, but a well-aimed typewriter packs good punch too!
Every now and then I get tired of modern conveniences and begin daydreaming about the items of yesteryear. Today my focus is on typewriters.
When I was seven-years-old, already bitten by the writing bug and not yet the proud owner of a speedy computer, I found an old typewriter in the garage and promptly lugged it into the warm comforts of our home. It was then and there that I began to bang out my very own newsletters, newspapers, articles, short stories, and how-tos which circulated around my family, friends, and close-knit neighborhood. Even now I get giddy at the sight of an antique typewriter. To think what type of masterpieces have been written upon them, and whose fingers have flown across the keys (Dorothy Parker? F. Scott Fitzgerald? P.G. Wodehouse? Truman Capote?); it's almost too much to fathom. The history that each one holds is amazing. One day I plan on having a room devoted entirely to vintage typewriters. For now, I'll pay tribute to them here.





Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Dirty-Paper, Anne Ruthmann Photography, Domino, Roadside Scholar, and Altruism in the Morning for the pictures.
When I was seven-years-old, already bitten by the writing bug and not yet the proud owner of a speedy computer, I found an old typewriter in the garage and promptly lugged it into the warm comforts of our home. It was then and there that I began to bang out my very own newsletters, newspapers, articles, short stories, and how-tos which circulated around my family, friends, and close-knit neighborhood. Even now I get giddy at the sight of an antique typewriter. To think what type of masterpieces have been written upon them, and whose fingers have flown across the keys (Dorothy Parker? F. Scott Fitzgerald? P.G. Wodehouse? Truman Capote?); it's almost too much to fathom. The history that each one holds is amazing. One day I plan on having a room devoted entirely to vintage typewriters. For now, I'll pay tribute to them here.





Fashionably yours!
Thanks to Dirty-Paper, Anne Ruthmann Photography, Domino, Roadside Scholar, and Altruism in the Morning for the pictures.
2.10.2009
Black and White and Blue All Over

Fashionably yours!
Thanks to StyleSightings for the picture.
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