no rules-ball gowns in unexpected places

isn't she lovely

i think i'm going to tape this up to my vanity, i absolutely adore this!

stop, relax, just do it

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these past few weeks have been some of the busiest in my entire life. i've been on the go for almost 21 days straight and i haven't had a spare moment of free time. and now i've gotten so used to it, it's almost like a fitful forward moving energy inside of me that is out of my control and won't go away. i need to just stop, and be. to just have some me time, some quiet time, time to do the things that i enjoy, to nourish my mental health. is this what adult life is like? i hope not. i'm longing for liberation.

a list that sound so nice right about now:

1. going to the local library, wandering the aisles, and checking out some of the books that have been on my to-read list all summer long
2. having a classics movie night, maybe themed with a decade, the 50's, 70's, or 80's will do. or if i'm feeling extra cheesy, the 90's
3. taking a stroll on the beach, barefoot, at sunset or sunrise. actually just being at the beach and swimming would even suffice
4. ordering in chinese food, and lots of it
5. sitting on a grass knoll and writing in my journal, sketching, or reading. preferably at the getty museum
6. putting on frank sinatra or some other old school musician and waltzing around with a glass of wine, in jammies
7. putting on sweatpants and socks straight out of the dryer so they're still warm and make you feel all cozy

ms. herrera

image: kristybee photography

this is carolina herrera's daughter's bath/dressing room. it's the ultimate girl room, uber feminine and fun, i love that you can fill up the tub with bubbles, put on some relaxing music, and peruse your closet choices while taking a bath. can i be adopted please?

au revoir simone

my newest indie rock favorite, au revoir simone, makes soothing, sweet-tempered music that's perfect for sunlit afternoons when all you want to do is lounge around. enjoying the simplistic beauty of their music videos:

fallen snow


the lucky one


sad song

pink+black, a louis vuitton romance

and he does it again! i'm completely charmed by louis vuitton's fall 2009 collection. it's whimsical, hopelessly romantic, with a dash of rocker chic to keep things interesting. i'll take ruffles, bows, and a classic neutral rose anyday.







marc jacobs on why women are still drawn to louis vuitton:

“I think there’s a desire for something special, for something that tugs at the heart against all logic, that one piece you can’t resist”

a little dose of sunshine

mellow yellow is a feel good color that never ceases to make me smile

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black&white done right

timeless and classic, the contrast of black and white will always be my favorite color combination...

from the runway:

balenciaga

bottega veneta

marc jacobs

chloe

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to the streets:

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to inside your home:

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tea fit for a queen

when i was in london for the better part of last december, i had the pleasure of attending high tea at the dorchestor. it everything i've always imagined and more. i'm a big fan of tea as it is, all kinds, and i loved it that much more when it was served by a highly trained professional in a spiffy tuxedo from gorgeous china. it was the most heavenly, fragrant tropical green tea i've ever tasted with hints of coconut. we sat in these plush, velvety loveseats trimmed in gold paint, and what topped it all off were the finger sandwiches that came with the tea. there were 5 different types of sandwiches and they were so original and delicious, combinations of things you have never heard of in sandwiches. i tried to remember them all so i could replicate them but sadly my memory fails me yet again. nevertheless, it was an exquisite experience.

"On the surface, Los Angeles wouldn't seem the most hospitable location for upholding English customs- our weather is too pleasant, our teeth are too impeccable. But imports we do- from Charlie Chaplin to Bentleys, polo grounds to soccer pubs. Even the Playboy Mansion is mock Tudor..."

and now you can have the same thing in the city of angels! while perusing Los Angeles Magazine, i found an article about afternoon tea and just about squealed in delight.

1. Montage Beverly Hills (225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-860-7800)

highlights: handpainted china, dainties on a 3-tiered caddy with seasonal menus, homemade jam, and a 7-page tea selection

decor: Lobby lounge, lush and luxuriant in shades of gold

recommendation: Montage blend, with pomegranate, rose, orange ppel, and more, its sweet enough on it's own

price: daily 2:30-5:30, $28

2. Royal/T (8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310-559-6300)

highlights: quiche and miso-marinated chicken sandwiches, tea stays piping hot in clear plastic double walled teapots, also offered iced with shots of peach syrup (yum!)

decor: gallery and playful homage to the eccentricities of Tokyo's "maid cafes", waitresses in chocolate maid uniforms, eclectic art collection

recommendation: the Royal/T- infusions of black tea, rose petals, vanilla, and fruit, brewed with soy milk

price: Tues-Sun $19.50

3. Scarlet Tea Room (18 W. Green St., Pasadena, 626-577-0051)

highlights: 5 course tea- begins with seed-flecked strawberry sorbet, continues with exotic sandwiches (chopped mushroom and citrus, fig and goat cheese), lemon curd and jam accompany the scones

decor: colorful chandeliers and beige fabric-covered walls

recommendation: the scarlet cream

price: Tues-Sun, $32

4. Patisserie at the SLS Hotel (The Bazaar, 465 S. La Cienega Blvd, L.A., 310-246-5555)

highlights: chef Jose Andres and pastry chef Michael Gillet's creations, including but not limited to, cones of salmon roe are suspended in plexiglas

decor: Alice in Wonderland- meets disco- meets hunting lodge

recommendation: foie gras sandwiches and beet meringues filled with whipped goat chese are presented on black slate with other dollhouse marvels

price: Fri-Sun, $26

5. Jin Patisserie (1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, 310-399-8801)

highlights: homemade chocolates and delightful desserts, marscapone, passion fruit, and fresh mango all on one teeny cake! teas from the french (j'adore) teahouse Theodor are listed in a dense booklet

decor: outdoors! the pebble fountain flanked by succulents that gurgles in the courtyard, New Age music, a zen-like state

recommendation: ask the staff what's popular with the patrons

price: Tue-Sun, $19

helpful hint: locals crowd the place on weekends and don't dress up, so blend in accordingly!

czech this out

labor day- the end?

sweet summer

please

don't fly away

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matrimonial bliss

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in a world where divorce seems more commonplace than a happily ever after, when statistics and numbers are proving the thought of everlasting love to be an idealistic, naive notion that we indulge children in, it's difficult to have faith in the institution of marriage. but maybe what those glass-half-empty viewers fail to realize is that marriage is not magic, it requires a lot of work. and what may be amounting to the 51% of divorce may simply be an unwillingness to put in the effort, a lack of give and take. born into a generation where the premium is put onto instant gratification, where technology is changing at lightening speed and with each turn making our lives easier and easier, where nothing is shocking and "no" is seldom heard, i can see why people have given up on the idea of finding the one true person to spend the rest of your life with. and in all honesty, it is a daunting task.

but i refuse to believe it is impossible or even less than likely. maybe it was watching too many disney fairy tales growing up. maybe it was being blessed to have parents who still kiss, laugh, touch, and play. maybe it's needing to believe more than actually believing in kismet, fate, soulmates or whatever you want to call it. that's a lot of maybes but in the end i think everyone should strive to mean it when they say forever.

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in this essay, craig nova, an award winning author, pens a checklist to his daughter on the day of her wedding. i thought it inspiring and lovely, a father passing on his knowledge of love and happiness to his little girl:

"First, I have found that one of the most important things in a good marriage is ordinary, garden variety politeness, the please and thank you, minor formality, etc. The point of this politeness is not only that it is good in itself, and makes life a little easier and a touch sweeter, but that it mitigates against the greatest danger in marriage, which is that familiarity can breed contempt, or at least can led to impertinence. A little politeness, especially in trying circumstances, goes a long ways, and then, too, politeness in public makes sure that no domestic dissonance ever leaves the confines of the house. It is humiliation, no matter how minor, that one can’t forgive, or that one forgives uneasily and only over great amounts of time.

Never assume that one of you knows what the other is going to say, since while it is often true that you do know, there are times when something unusual will be said, and making this possible is to keep the magic of matrimony alive.

Don’t fight it. One of the odd things about matrimony, on a long term basis, is that you don’t become two people so much as three, that is you, your husband, and then this other creature who is part wife and part husband. This third, combined creature grows larger and larger as the other two shrink. After a while there is only the third creature, and it can’t even remember what happened to the other two. You will know that the third creature is taking over when you can’t make a decision without consulting with your spouse (of course, it begins with big items, such as “Should we buy this house?” but it seeps downward from there so you find yourself wanting to consult about the quality of the basil for the marinara sauce).

The time to show largeness of spirit or generosity is just after having won an argument.

Small, considerate gifts, on a regular basis, are appreciated. These show that not only have you been thinking about your partner on a regular basis, you are willing to do something about it..."

sugarplums

somehow purple never fails to make it into the fall palette, other colors may come and go but designers always link variant shades of purple to their idea of autumn. it's like capturing that rare stage of leaves changing from green to red, there's always glimpse of purple no matter how fleeting it may be.

a little paint can go a long way

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YSL's Chateau Gabriel near Deauville, France. How many gorgeous homes can one have? The extravagant interiors were inspired by Monet, my favorite painter!

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the tiered chiffon is so dreamy, but the black accessories toughen up her look
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i love this idea! you rarely ever see ceilings that are anything other than the standard white, and this splash of color makes the room

natalie portman

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natalie portman is one of the few actresses that have maintained her artistic integrity over the course of her entire career, which at this point has spanned two decades. still at 28 years old, she has kept her privacy in her posession and has had admirable achievements (a harvard degree, humanitarian work in underprivileged countries...no big deal) that make her seem invincible. she's dripping in intellect and i find her to be completely fascinating, her killer style helps too. in a recent interview with jake gyllenhall for interview magazine she gave an optimistic view on the recession that i found to be uplifting after a year of doomsday talk:

in lavin at cannes

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"But actually, as far as the more general state of things right now, I think it’s kind of an exciting time. I mean, everyone is cutting back. It’s happening in every industry—including our own. But I think that’s going to translate into a situation where people aren’t motivated by money as much as they have been in the recent past. A lot of my friends from college went into fields like banking for financial reasons—obviously people have school loans and things to pay off.

And now, all of a sudden, they’re doing jobs that they hate and they’re not making as much money as they thought they would or they’ve lost their jobs entirely. So I’ve started to see people looking more toward their own passions and what really excites them. Obviously it’s much easier to say that you’re going to follow your passions when you’re financially secure, but at least we can take solace in the fact that we now have the time to pursue the things that we really want to pursue because now the option of doing things just for the money isn’t necessarily there."

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since i've been grappling with looming graduation and what i should do with my life now that i'm being forced to be an actual adult, i needed this little bit of inspiration. oh natalie portman, how i love thee.