Ohmygoodness.

I know I've already posted today, but I stumbled across a home that literally leaves me breathless...the ornate surroundings contrasted by the owners modern furniture make this a perfect blend of design. Not only that, but the owner's name is Sabrina (Bignami). The home is called "Casa Orlandi" is an 18th century palazzo near Florence, Italy and has a guest house you can rent (yes please!).





Images from Yatzer.

For more images of this stunning home, go here.

Another color perfect for fall.

From The Sartorialist.

I love this gorgeous chartreuse dress. Love it. Want it. I think it goes perfectly with the gray, navy, plum, brown palate I'm planning my fall wardrobe around. It puts a jolt of color into some otherwise dark tints.

My feathers are ruffled.

I LOVE ruffles. It takes normal items of clothing and steps up the romance, drama and femininity. I would wear ruffles on skirts, blouses coats, dressed (not all at the same time, of course). So I was thrilled when I opened Daily Candy this morning and learned about Caroline Hedaya.

Ruffles are used in almost all of her pieces, but only in moderation, to add a touch of something extra to an otherwise simple silhouette.

Here are some of my favorite looks from her Fall 2008 collection:




Check out her adorable Spring 2009 looks at her website, or purchase her clothes at Lisa Kline.

All for Bread?

If you've seen this post, you know that I appreciate a good commercial.

When I saw this one in my VSL email today, I had to share it. I love how some commercials can be like a short film...they show so much in just a few moments.

I Caved...

...and finally signed up for Polyvore. I avoided it for a long time because I was too overhwelmed with all the possibilities! I decided to look online to find some pieces that I own (or some that look similar) and mix them with pieces I'd love to have.




In case you're curious, my dream piece from this look is the gorgeous bootie featured at the bottom. Those are the Jeffrey Campbell Victor Booties and I want them with every fiber of my being. They are $178 and available exclusively at Urban Outfitters' site, for now (see more here). Unfortunately, I don't have an extra $178, and each time I go onliine to look at them I notice that another size has sold out. They still have size 7s in stock, so if a generous benefactor feels the overwhelming need to purchase these for me, I will gladly give you my mailing address. Otherwise, they will probably be gone before I scrape together $178 for those beauties.

Anyway, the outfit is my dream kind of look for cool weather. I like the mix of the floral headpiece with the military-style jacket.

Does anyone else have Polyvore that will share their creations? I'm still getting the hang of it.

Autumn

"Autumn Leaves" by John Everett Millais, from Wikipedia.

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core

~John Keats


Yesterday we finally turned off the air conditioning and slept with the windows open. We get to take a break from the recycled air until November or December, when we have to turn the heat on. There's something so refreshing about lying in bed with crisp breezes moving through the house. Poets often write about Autumn as a time of melancholy, but I think it's invigorating. It's a time of transition, of cool air and earlier dark nights after months of thick heat and bright light. The mosquitoes leave and nights on the porch (with a bottle of wine or cup of tea) become vital to ending a long day. Everywhere, we're embraced by every shade of yellow, orange, red and purple. (Can you tell that I'm excited about the season?) The feeling of transition kind of gets into my bones and makes me feel the overwhelming need to do something, whether it's a crafy project, or just hopping in the car and going to the mountains for the weekend.

I love the transitional seasons. I love its flurry of change and newness before winter settles around us.

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Late-Night Thinking

Since I was little, I've done most of my best (and weirdest) thinking late at night, when I should have been sleeping. I spent a lot of time imagining my life if I had to live on an uninhabited island, like the Swiss Family Robinsons. I think I had an interest in decorating even back then, because I remember wanting to have a bed that hung from ropes attached to the ceiling, so the tropical breezes could rock you while you slept, but it would be more comfortable than a hammock. I still want one of those, actually. I also had extensive plans on turning a waterfall into a an operational shower/waterslide combo, which I think would probably work better in my imagination than reality. (Waterfalls are normally more steep and bumpy than they originally appear.)


I also have heard that it's a fantastic idea to leave a journal by your bed, in case you come up with any good ideas in your sleep. It's something I've always meant to do, but haven't put into practice until recently. After staying up late, despite exhaustion, I put some rambling ideas (complete with pictures) into my journal. While some of them are non-sensical and can safely be crossed off the "ideas with potential" list, others are actually quite good. Even though I may not put any of the ideas into practice, I actually enjoy going back and reading some of my late-night rambles.



Anyone else have any solid tricks for inspiration?

The Selby

I know that possibly everyone on earth has talked about The Selby already, but now it's my turn.

The Selby is essentially the "where's where" of hipster apartments/homes, from NY to LA. Some are way too kitsch (Leslie Arfin) and some are too stark for my taste (Alexander Wang) but some are just right, like the home of Matthew Eikelberger, a boutique owner from the Silverlake neighborhood of LA:



See the rest of his place here.


Sigh...I love being inspired.

Happy Birthday, William Carlos Williams

"A Love Song"

What have I to say to you
When we shall meet?
Yet—
I lie here thinking of you.

The stain of love
Is upon the world.
Yellow, yellow, yellow,
It eats into the leaves,
Smears with saffron
The horned branches that lean
Heavily
Against a smooth purple sky.

There is no light—
Only a honey-thick stain
That drips from leaf to leaf
And limb to limb
Spoiling the colours
Of the whole world.

I am alone.
The weight of love
Has buoyed me up
Till my head
Knocks against the sky.

See me!
My hair is dripping with nectar—
Starlings carry it
On their black wings.
See, at last
My arms and my hands
Are lying idle.

How can I tell
If I shall ever love you again
As I do now?

First published in Poems 1919.


Also, this famous painting,"The Figure Five in Gold" was done by Charles Demuth in 1928 as an homage to William Carlos William's poem, "The Great Figure." You can see in the painting that the artist put "W.C.W." at the bottom of the painting, as well as "Bill" at the top, to reference Williams.

"The Great Figure"

Among the rain
and lights
I saw the figure 5
in gold
on a red
fire truck
moving
tense
unheeded
to gong clangs
siren howls
and wheels rumbling
through the dark city

A Gift from Me to You.

[Just a note...the random intro is about 50 seconds long...so scroll to that for the good stuff.]

This song always makes me think of autumn--driving around the Blue Ridge Parkway, watching oranges, reds and purples blending into each other with every twist and turn of the car. Rolling down the windows, you'd smell campfires and feel perfectly comfortable in a sweater, with just enough crispness in the air to turn your nose a light pink.

I thought this was a suitable gift because autumn is only a few weeks away (though it's hard to believe for those of us still living in Charleston's 80-90 degree temperatures).

Let's pack in our last few weeks at the beach, then put away our bathing suits and stock up on hot cocoa, cardigans, and any article of plum-colored clothing.

Loves It.

Red, White and Blue

I've always liked the preppy crispness of red, white and blue. I think those colors can be worn in so many different ways, and are flattering on everyone.


I love the simplicity of this young woman's outfit, captured by The Sartorialist--so effortless, but chic.

Does anyone know what the navy dress is that she's wearing?

Also, I bet I could do a rip-off of her necklace as well.

Lazy Daze

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen. You haven't heard from me these past two days because I have an affliction: laziness and lack of inspiration.

However, all that's changed. I'm going to give you a sneak preview of my Love item for October's edition of skirt!:



A friend/co-worker and I were discussion the construction of this necklace (essentially strings of beads sewn to ribbon and...that's about it.) and we've decided we'll probably start a side business of ripping off designer accessories and charging a fraction of the price (the above necklace originally retailed for $285).

I thought I'd follow along the lines of this season (5) of Project Runway contestants who essentially rip off runway designs and are awarded with praise for being original.

Illustrations:

Kenley's winning design in episode 3:


Balenciaga Spring 2008:


Suede's design in episode 4:


Miu Miu, Spring/Summer 2008:


On the note of rip-offs and the above Miu Miu dress, one of my favorite Swedish bloggers, Sandra, had her seamstress make a custom version of it. I think I like hers better than the original!


So, on the theme of rip-offs, has anyone spotted any good ones, on Project Runway or otherwise? If you could create a rip-off of a design, what would you do?

If I had...

...This:

Vanilla Bicycles' (Completely Customized) Commuter Bike -- $1,500

...or This:

Vespa GTV 250 Scooter -- $6,899

or This:

Toyota Highlander Hybrid -- $40,000

Basically, my 11 year-old Toyota Camry is starting to show some signs of age. I am just thinking about my alternative dream options in case my car doesn't wake up one day.

P.S. Is anyone an expert on changing alternators? I'd like to learn how. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to need this knowledge very soon.

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Fashion Designer

I usually love American Express commercials anyway (kudos to their Marketing Dept.), and when I saw this one, I was absolutely in love. Having her as the guest judge on Project Runway last night was awesome, because they played this commercial on every break and I still didn't get tired of it.



I love how they take away the corporate feel that seems to be so tightly bound to fashion these days...they make it seem more like the dreamy, inspired ideal that you dream about when you're little.

Who wants to buy me the gorgeous black and white gown the model wears around the end of the ad?

Edit: The dress is pictured below.



What do you want to be when YOU grow up?

The Girl Effect

Watch this. Really.





GirlEffect.org

I'm Back!

I put a hold on my daily blogging to prepare for the "Chandler's Birthday Celebration/ Labor Day Weekend Extravaganza."

We had a group of friends over to the house for a long weekend filled with dance parties, cookouts, shopping and beach days.

However, along with the usual cleaning and organizing that comes with an impending visit, Chandler thought up the idea of making goody bags, reminiscent of the ones you used to get after a childhood birthday party. These were updated with a Le Creuset spatula and ramekin, a little notepad, a bag of grits (an homage to Charleston, of course) and a great vintage mix CD. Chandler picked out the hits and I designed the CD cases.

Here's what they looked like:



And of course, Happy 24th Birthday to this handsome fellow!