{this is glamorous}

{always chandeliers + fête nationale}

2009-07-14T12:59:00.007-04:00

One of the best things about entering a room is looking up, up to discover streams of reflected light from the crystals of a stunning chandelier -- instantly everything is transformed under a soft and elegant glow . . .

{p.s.}
* happy bastille day {fête nationale} to friends + family in paris xo
* fun french- inspired shopping

{1 - martha stewart weddings; 2 - irina via tfs; 3 - loulou de la falaise from a previous post; 4 - sfgirlbybay; 5- kate by mario testino; 6 - made by girl; 7 - coté sud from a previous post}

{runway: elie saab fall 2009 couture}

2009-07-14T12:24:00.002-04:00

Elie Saab's all-white fall Couture Collection: the level of detail is astounding and many comparisons have been made to Karl Lagerfeld's Spring 2009 Couture Collection for Chanel

{style.com + more here}

{soft greys + dreaming of the sea}

2009-07-13T23:03:00.000-04:00

happy monday! still lingering thoughts of the weekend . . . and soft, beachy greys and stripes, light-diffused in swaths of romantic netting and bright linens for afternoons spent dreaming of the sea . . .

{hope you had a lovely weekend}

{images: 1 - domino; 2 - vincente villarin; 3 - nathalie vingot mei via desire to inspire; 4 - photography by laura resen; 5 - domino via apartment therapy; 6 - melanie acevedo}

{inspiration: light-filled}

2009-07-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

current inspiration: light-filled, weathered wood, soft shades, mirrors, mantles, and always a chandelier . . .

{a little give-away news:}
* an agate bangle in provence
* a silk jumpsuit for saint tropez
* a makeover is underway...

{image: stylist tony hutchinson via desire to inspire; 2 - photography by melanie acevedo}

{all the time in the world}

2009-07-10T20:30:00.000-04:00

. . . for a few days, just the two of us and summer skies, talking until dawn, languid mornings and all the time in the world . . .

Have a beautiful, beautiful weekend!
xo

{a few lovely links:}
* lacy details
* isn't this sweet?
* summer love+ side project
* the making of
* backstage at phillip lim

{image: editorial - like a virgin}

{inspiration: green + white stripes}

2009-07-09T13:53:00.000-04:00

Return again and again to the fresh + summery combination of green and white -- always seem to fall in love with green at this time of year . . .

{p.s.} stripes seem to be everywhere lately:
* on the floor+ here
* nautical -- here+ here

{via duet weddings}

{a daring adventure}

2009-07-08T20:16:00.004-04:00

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
--Helen Keller

{images: 1 - vanidad july/august 2009 photography by anna wolf, with jenny may and tony a. via miss at la playa; 2 - dress design decor}

{forest princess + links}

2009-07-08T13:55:00.000-04:00

new + lovely things at the side project:
* wood nymph
* fun + feminine at alexis mabille
* 4th and bleeker
* white fringe
* glamorous galliano

{from the editorial forest princess}

{seaside daydreaming}

2009-07-06T18:20:00.000-04:00

. . . still-lingering thoughts of the weekend and always plans for seaside daydreaming, sand-covered thoughts and windswept reflections . . .

{images: 1 - martha stewart via mary ruffle; 2 - flickr via design lovely; 3 - via felicity, more of this editorial here}

{inspiration: two lovely things}

2009-07-06T13:48:00.009-04:00

. . . absolutely adore this bookcase {above} with sliding glass French doors, and this dark-stained herringbone floor {below}

{p.s.} if using blogger, you may wish to check the list of blogs you are following to be certain you have not been randomly unsubscribed from any blogs on your list

{images: hus & hem magazine via made by girl}

{photographer: anouck bertin}

2009-07-06T13:40:00.000-04:00

. . . fantastic photography by anouck bertin for siwy
{also love the styling - so french!}

{images: siwy -- more looks here}

{summer cabin + the winner is . . .}

2009-07-06T01:48:00.000-04:00

Must confess: more likely to find me in a lovely hotel in a city drowning in history than in a cabin in the woods, and yet, the idea seems undeniably romantic . . .

{p.s.} congratulations! to mélanie from the south of france, who has just added a new jet black silk jumpsuit to her summer wardrobe

{image: vanidad july/august 2009 photography by anna wolf, with jenny may and tony a. via miss at la playa}

{something i'd forgotten}

2009-07-02T16:50:00.003-04:00

"Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me. It was like remembering something I'd never known before or had always been waiting for, but I didn't know what. Maybe it was something I'd forgotten or something I've been missing all my life. All I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness. But not too much sadness, because I felt alive. Yes, alive. That was the moment I fell in love with Paris. And I felt it fall in love with me."

-- from paris, je t'aime

{lovely little bikini from bonpoint via follow studio and simple+pretty; more swimsuit inspiration here}

{for love or art}

2009-06-30T10:54:00.005-04:00

Feels wonderfully like a summer cottage -- the rustic ceiling, the fresh and breezy palette, the laid-back summery vibe, and most of all, the hopelessly romantic artwork . . .

{images: 1 - purple area; 2 - apartment therapy; artwork available here}

{seashell chandeliers}

2009-06-30T06:19:00.000-04:00

Forever drawn to the intoxicating lure of the ocean -- the salty air, the rise and fall of crashing waves, seaglass, scallop shells and starfish, and these intricately beautiful grotto shell chandeliers that have such a magical, underwater allure . . .

{images: 1 - Costal Living via follow studio; 2 - Metropolitan Home; 3 - shelter}

{happy monday + a give-away!}

2009-06-29T09:14:00.009-04:00

Good morning! After a weekend of dinner dates, sunlit walks along the waterfront and a little champagne, ready for a fun and busy week -- hope your weekend was lovely!

Crazy excited about today's give-away: an ultra-chic and summer-perfect jet black charmeuse jumpsuit from chickdowntown!

Wile away balmy summer nights in this sexy strapless jumpsuit of the softest shimmer of silk by ABS by Allen B. Schwartz, whose collections are worn by New York and L.A. fashionistas like Jennifer Hudson, Natalie Portman and Mischa Barton . . .

To enter, {click here} to visit the chickdowntown website, then leave a comment below.

{bonne chance!/good luck!}

{p.s.} facebook + twitter {+ tig twitter}

* a winner will be randomly selected after Monday, July 6, 2009; if you do not have a blog or contact e-mail on your blog, please include it with your comment for notification -- contest open to readers including international

{happy weekend + long summer days}

2009-06-26T20:27:00.023-04:00

An eventful week for certain -- happy to have a little time to slow things down -- there are no cases to pack or flights to catch this weekend, just endless time in summer's long and hazy days . . .

Have a beautiful, beautiful weekend, everyone!
xo

{p.s.} a few links:
* if you're an aspiring model, here's your chance
* a fun cabin-chic look
* shall always love pretty blue toile
* a perfect time to stock up on summer dresses
* wood + resin legs and a disco ball lamp!
* lovely emma watson

{p.s.} exciting new give-away on Monday!

{images: 1 - flickr; 2 - melanie acevedo via delight by design}

{inspiration: handmade}

2009-06-25T17:31:00.003-04:00

Lately have been a little obsessed with notebook and scrapbook layouts, such as on the ever-inspiring French blog, Boubou Teatime, and these lovely water-stained, handwritten photographs . . .

{p.s.} this spring collection elevates eco-chic to a whole new level

{images: mr. larkin via a very lovely reader}

{flight of fancy}

2009-06-25T17:21:00.000-04:00

. . . quite taken with the idea of a glass staircase -- as with lucite, glass is light and airy, with a little dash of fairytale glamour . . .

{image: october 2007 issue of Livingetc; via dress design decor; similar staircases available at bisca}

{bella italia}

2009-06-25T07:47:00.000-04:00

Garance Doré's shots from Italy are incredibly beautiful as always, and have me dreaming of wearing only nautical stripes and perfect little summer dresses forever . . .

{a parisian countryside wedding}

2009-06-24T15:38:00.002-04:00

Swept away by this romantic wedding in the French countryside just outside of Paris, that included, among a myriad of magical things, accents of green & gold and a stunning bouquet of butterflies and feathers intermingled with ferns and orchids . . .

{p.s.} an oceanside wedding

{images: photography by Mallory Samson for Veranda via The Paris Hotel Boutique Journal}

{moonwalk}

2009-06-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

So much sadness today -- first Farrah Fawcett, then The King of Pop. Had posted this fantastic link to the complete video library on twitter, but for those who may have missed it:

* farewell MJ

{p.s.} some things:
* nate's apartment with the iconic farah poster
* a perfectly compiled tribute

{image: lover}

{bicycle chic}

2009-06-23T06:47:00.000-04:00

. . . a fun little bicycle necklace

* also a tennis necklace, perfect for Wimbledon

{via refinery29}

{inspiration: cloak & dagger}

2009-06-23T00:06:00.016-04:00

The Cloak & Dagger Spring Collection is a fun mix of sleek silouhettes + full skirts, sexy little black dresses + pretty patterned tops . . .

{via mer mag}

{chevrons + chandeliers}

2009-06-22T23:55:00.000-04:00

Attended the opening of a friend's new British gastropub on Monday evening and fell into a beautiful space with two floors, the first of which, along with an undeniably glamorous chandelier that glittered in the candlelight, also had a stunning original herringbone floor . . .

While the ones pictured are chevron, the effect is quite similar. Things that Inspire has a lovely post on the difference between the two . . .

{images: 1 - styling by Lili Diallo for domino magaine via apartment therapy; 2 - desire to inspire}