My little boy is four years old today. Four! Crazy how fast it goes yet most days we’re too busy to realize it. Speaking of busy, I’m frantically getting ready for tonight’s tiny birthday party. Here’s a preview of what’s coming!
*As usual, names and vital information changed.
Anthropologie is killing me right now. Killing. Me.
That gauzy mint maxi? Seriously? Do clothes even get more fun than that?
Next time I’m shopping for a fancy dress, I want one with a halter neckline! Like one of these from Alberta Ferretti, Proenza Schouler, Chado Ralph Rucci, and Amanda Wakeley:
Gorgeousss.
*All runway images from Elle.com.
I’m depressed. My closest friend moved back to Canada late last night. We hung out until the last possible minute (2:30 am) before she left for the airport, and I was left behind, standing in the street, a sobbing mess. And today I’m dragging around like a zombie. I don’t think anything could put me in a good mood right now.
Not even if I was wearing this Chris Benz dress:
Nor eating this grape and apple pie:
Nor watching Hart of Dixie. Nor buying clothes (which I haven’t done in three months, by the way). Not even winning the lottery would rid me of this melancholy (er, wait, I take that back. If I’m ever going to win the lottery I need to put positive thoughts out in the universe! Right?)!
But seriously. Goodbyes are so hard! I think I’ve had enough of them. The good thing is that, based on experience, I know that I’ll eventually stop hurting and zombifying and fill my time with other things (see above list).
In yesterday’s post I said I wasn’t really a Chinoiserie girl and then qualified it by saying I could be. Honestly, all it takes is the right pieces!
And actually—this comes as no surprise—I’ve always fantasized about living in an American Chinatown and pulling outside inspiration into my home. So I went ahead and created an inspiration board for a chic and sunny Chinatown abode. Check it:
The trick would be to avoid looking like my home belonged in a museum or theme park, so these pieces would need to be balanced with other styles—maybe modern lucite (yay), mirrored Art Deco, or Midcentury Modern furniture—though Asian influence would definitely dominate. I love how this home featured in Trad Home did just that, oh-so-subtly:
Lastly, if you love this look and want more ideas on how to get it, read this, History of Style: Chinoiserie, pulled from a past issue of Lonny (click to enlarge):
I don’t usually think of myself as a Chinoiserie girl, but I am very inspired by these photos of Shang Palace inside the Shangri-La Paris Hotel. It’s a good reminder that I can love just about anything if the lines are clean and overall design steeped in modernity.
I also love what Alexander Lobrano wrote about Shang Palace on his blog: “There’s simply no place like this in Paris, both in terms of the cooking and almost as importantly, the atmosphere, which so completely replicates the look, feel and tone of upmarket Chinese tables in major Asian cities that a meal here is completely transporting.”
This is the second year in a row that I’m wearing my mustard cardigan to Thanksgiving dinner! I guess I unofficially have a “Thanksgiving sweater.”
The difference is that, this year, I went a bit crazy with color; last year my look was much more autumnal. But I think I like this look. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Mustard Cardigan: H&M. Floral Top: Anthropologie. Braided Belt: TJ Maxx. Purple Jeans: TJ Maxx.
One of the most versatile home trends right now.
*All images from Lonny magazine.
A few weeks ago I waxed poetic (hardly) about my crush on stiletto-heeled ankle boots.
Unfortunately, stiletto heels aren’t practical for everyone—especially not for my pregnant friend, Lorenia. (And not really for me, since I’m always carrying or running after a child.) So Lorenia requested that I find some cute ankle boots with flat heels.
Consider it done!, I told her.
And then I realized that flat-heeled ankle boots, no matter how cute, exude a very different vibe than their stiletto-heeled counterparts. Once you can accept that fact, you can appreciate how great they are.
That said, I found these 15 adorable pairs. Click on the image for details.
When we visit my in-laws at Christmastime, we go to Christmas Eve services at their church and are, inevitably, under attack by holiday sweaters. It’s a Christmas-sweater mutiny, with sequins and felt appliqués on the front lines.
So I admit that this Net-A-Porter magazine spread, claiming that the holiday sweater is “officially back!” made me chuckle a little. I’m pretty sure that holiday sweater, the ones I saw in the church pews, are not back—and never will be. (Click image to enlarge.)
Anyway, all this thinking about holiday sweaters inspired me to design this cheeky Snow-Cone sweater. And then after I did it, I looked it up and realized it’s basically been done before. Sigh! Are there no more original ideas in my head?
I should mention that my almost-four-year-old seriously objects to this sweater design. Is it a snowman or an ice cream cone? He says it can’t be both.
