resort review....naeem khan

Naeem Khan's resort collection is fresh & new. With no shortage of bright colors & fabulous prints, the silhouettes are bold & inspiring!

nolan resort

As a big fan of Charles Nolan, I was excited to see what he had to offer with his Resort 2009 collection. Although the assortment didn't bring anything new to the table, I am still loving his nautical-inspired summer looks.

happy friday!

Jazz-Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, New York
The Sartorialist

must-have maxi

Noa Noa

In search of the perfect maxi....

The maxi dress is a must-have for summer, but I have yet to find the one for me. It's the ideal piece to throw on for day & easily dressed-up for night. I love all of the great prints and bold colors. A great choice for comfort and style. Plus, you can accessorize the hell out the maxi, which only adds to its fabulousness.
Where are you my maxi, where are you?

Patrizia Pepe Silk Owl Print Halter Maxi Dress

Patrizia Pepe Tie Dye Bandeau Maxi Dress

show-off

Missy Foo is such camera hog! She loves having her photo taken & poses for me until she gets bored & falls asleep. Here she is this afternoon lounging in the sun & being a ham...

Betty looks annoyed as she watches Missy show-off.

Mes amours!

the need to read

While on Holiday, I'm really enjoying the extra reading time. I finished Unaccustomed Earth, which was great, and next in the stack is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I haven't ever read Plath & am looking forward to diving in.

Know of a good book? Please share. I'd love to hear what your favorites are & add them to my Holiday reading list!

à l'amitié, avec l'amour

photo by issueless

Oh how I loved the Sex & the City movie! It was a pretty little package tied up with a bow - fabulous fashion, lots of laughter, lots of tears, and a happily ever after (predictable) ending. The clothes were to-die-for, but they came in second only to the reminder of the value of friendship.
Which is why I dedicate this post to friendship.
To my beautiful & cherished girlfriends (you know who you are), here's to you!

photo by joannamarieharris

photo by faceit

Thank you!
Merci pour votre belle amitie.

radical resort

The Resort 2009 collections contained some real jewels, bringing me back to spring & basking in the sunshine!

Pretty, pretty in Dior.
I'm loving the navy, lace, and orange jewels combo.

Dior
So very soft & feminine!

Zac Posen
Jumping for joy in all white!

Stella McCartney
Lovely nautical prints are carried on through to 2009. Good to know!

Valentino
Soft sophistication!

dreaming of....schoolboys

Because our minds are always focused on the next season & what our must-haves will be, I'm on to fall (my favoritist season) & dreaming, pinning, wishing for a Schoolboy Blazer.

I know, I know, the Schoolboy was big last year, but I still don't have one to call my own. So, come July (when the retailers start carrying the fall lines) I will be on a quest to find myself the perfect one. Well, maybe not the perfect one since perfect is the Balenciaga Schoolboy Blazer. But, I will be dreaming about a perfect Balenciaga while searching everywhere for a suitable substitute.

Balenciaga

Although it isn't as coveted as the Balenciaga, the L.A.M.B. Schoolboy is a good substitute & oh so cute.

The S.B. is a trend that fits right into my style & is a timeless piece. Even after the fashion world has moved on to the next big thing, I will still be walking hand & hand with a Schoolboy all year round.

i can't help myself....it's all about sjp

So, I'm finally going to see the Sex and the City movie tomorrow night & I can't hardly wait! I know we've all heard nonstop SATC gab leading up to the movie & now it's here & all of you fashionistas have probably already seen it by now.

So, I turn our attention away from the fashions of Carrie Bradshaw and the rest of the gals, to SJP in real life. We love her, right? Her style is impeccable and the risks she takes are splendid. Sure, her choices may not always be home runs, but that's what risks are all about.
Her choices are smart, confident, elegant, and bold, which gets her two gold stars in my book.

ysl...a remarkable legacy

YSL in 1963, Agence France-Presse

"It pains me physically to see a woman victimized, rendered pathetic, by fashion." - Yves Saint-Laurent

Of his infamous 1976 "rich peasant" collection....
"The clothes incorporated all my dreams, all my heroines in the novels, the operas, the paintings. It was my heart - everything I love I gave to this collection." - YSL

"My small job as a courtier is to make clothes that reflect our times. I'm convinced women want to wear pants." - YSL

Merci, Saint-Laurent. Merci.

lovely, lovely light

I discovered Flickr's Lovely Light Pool via For Me, For You & fell in love!
The light is captured beautifully in these photos & I long to be able to succeed at this with my own photos.
Capturing the natural light in a room from the sun or light from a candle or a bulb is so difficult to get just right. Doing this successfully results in an accomplished composition that captures the true mood/atmosphere of a scene.
A few of my favorites...

photo by 987319

photo by thomsonischi

photo by john kelso

holiday....le jour deux

Day two of my adventure.....
I feel much more relaxed today as I sit here with a glass of wine and a kitty on my lap. Not a bad way to spend the evening.

Missy Foo woke me up at 4:45am for breakfast, so my day started early.
I finished up the wedding invitation envelopes below for a bride & groom who are getting married in July. Font: Vivaldi, Ink: Chocolate

I also did some more calligraphy for a project for my mother-in-law. She is giving the album below to one of her friends/colleagues who is going to be receiving an Outstanding Faculty Award from a local college on Friday.

I checked out the new Sprouts Farmers Market in my neighborhood this afternoon & was thoroughly disappointed. Sure, they had some of the same veggie/organic stuff that Mother's or Whole Foods has, but I was hoping for a nice selection of fresh organic produce. No such luck! They didn't have ANY organic produce, which makes them even worse than a standard grocery (i.e. Ralph's) in that aspect. I left empty handed & vowed never to go back. I will stick with Trader Joe's and an occasional trip to Whole Foods.

For din-din, I made a delicious risotto from a recipe I found on Epicurious.
If anyone is into risotto, check out this recipe! It is so good & a new favorite at my house.

Now for a pumpkin muffin.....
Bon Soir!

photographer love

I came across photographer Cooper Carras while searching for wedding/event posts for my Lulu and the Bee blog. Although he is a wedding photographer, I had to share some of his photographs on here because they are so great!

His artistic style is very different than your standard wedding photographer & he also does fashion shoots.

I especially enjoy these...

Isn't this a fantastic engagement shoot? I love it!

This couple was my favorite. Their wedding photos were so fabulous & unique. She wore vintage & the event was highly stylized by the couple.

Various fashion shots....

Cooper Carras Photography

'holiday'....le jour l'un

It's Day One of what I will affectionately call my 'Holiday' (period between jobs).
I really have no idea what to do with myself, but so far my first day has gone well.
Here's how....
Wake-up & feel weird about the fact that I'm not leaving for work, shower, eat breakfast.
Decide to run the errands on my to-do list via bicycle (good for me & the environment).

The crisp morning air was so refreshing. The trees were in full bloom & the sidewalks were covered with pretty lavender petals.
My stops.....drop-off dry cleaning, bank, post office, and Trader Joe's (for eggs & cat treats).

A stop along the train tracks for some photos.

I made good use of the eggs I bought and made pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting. Yum yum!

Spent several hours on the laptop continuing the job search, while I watched The Girl in the Cafe.The movie was really good! Has anyone seen it?

Next on the agenda.....laundry, water the plants, and make vegan spaghetti for dinner.
Au revoir pour le moment!

totally tokyo

Merry Daily by Tokyo Bopper offers daily fashion inspiration & it's FANTASTIC!
Check out these cuties....