Wine diary:

My dearest,

You should try this wine - inexpensive and good.

Love always,

Moi.

SPRING 2010

Patterns +/- color are making me yearn for Spring (well, that and the mini snow storm we had this morning)....some looks I like:

Free People, Shopbop

Gucci, Dries Van Noten, Ohne Titel, Balenciaga via elle.com

Tibi, Shopbop

Adam, Shopbop

(love these)

Day dreaming...

of warmth. All I can think about is how badly I want it to be Spring/Summer. It being so sunny yet cold outside really isn't helping the matter. Sooo, I'm choosing to day dream about teleporting to Coqui Coqui Coba, Papolchac Spa (that's a mouthful). This tiny hotel and spa is located in Tulum, Mexico which is about 2 hours from Cancun. The hotel only has 6 rooms and seems like a cool alternative to the luxury resorts you would find in Cancun or popular tourist attractions. The rooms are candlelit after dark and all the spa treatments are completely natural (the owners look cool). Check it out...

Images (and further information) via elle.com and Coqui Coqui website

A picture can say a thousand words

I remember seeing this painting in Molly Sims's house in InStyle from forever ago.

I forgot about it until I just stumbled upon the artist Matthew Heller and his cool music and poetry paintings:

It will be hard for me to resist DIY-ing this....

Bathroom for bath lovers

Favorite bathroom design of recent. I keep seeing those teak bath mats all over the place. Design by Shon Parker in Atlanta. Image from Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles.

Outfit breakdown

So, I liked the ladies' outfits from my post yesterday so much, that I decided to try and build some versions on my own.

Girl on the far right...

Cynthia Rowley Leather Gloves (Shopbop), Banana Republic Toggle Coat, Ray Ban glasses (Saks), Burberry Brit Pants (Saks), Frye Carson Pull On, Cashmere wrap (Nordstrom's)

Love Quotes Scarf (Saks), Ray Ban glasses (Saks), Gap Wool Blend Cape, Prada Gloves (Saks), Burberry Brit pants (Saks), Very Volatile Boots (Piperlime)

and onto the lady on the far left:

St. John pants (Saks), Anthropologie Reveille Jacket, Anthropologie Present Paper Cardigan, Dior flats (Saks)

BCBG Studded Skimmers (Saks), St. Johns Pants (Saks), Free People Military Ruffle Jacket (Shopbop), Anthropologie Basic Tee, Bounkit Bracelet (Saks)

Cool.

These ladies are cool. No other way to put it.

Image from The Satorialist

New designer

I'm not sure how I got to this website, but just found the The Iron Gate in Franklin, TN (of all places). Wasn't expecting much but so surprised by the simple, almost Belgian country interiors.

Golden Globes 2010

Thought I'd share some of my favorite dresses from this year's Golden Globes...notice a trend? I like classic colors, i.e black, navy, white. I say when going with a long dress its best to just go simple and classic...that might just be because beading reminds me of all my prom dresses (which I would prefer to keep out of sight/out of mind).

Jennifer Aniston in Valentino

(Can I please have her legs/face/arms/body at 40- or now?)

Penelope Cruz in Georgio Armani Prive

Kate Hudson in Marchesa

(Less classic, but I love the structure of this dress. The shoes, not so much)

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta

Carey Mulligan in Nina Ricci

Last...while I like Diane Kruger, this is not my fav. It brings back memories of Magnolia or Old South...Thoughts?

All pictures courtesy People.com

Thought I'd catch up on 2010 RTW... didn't want to get left in the dust this Spring. I especially loved Zero + Maria Cornejo, or as Style.com called it, "real fashion for intelligent women." Sounds good to me. Maria Cornejo also looks pretty great at the show (last image).

Friday day dreaming

DIY Project

So I really like the look of multiple matching prints in a room....

Many designers do this look, but using authentic prints can be super pricey. Just a few prints can cost thousands, and I like the look of many more than just a few. Soooo.... I've discovered the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. It is a database of literally thousands of historical images like artwork, photographs, old postcards, illustrations from books and so on.

My advice is to search an image you like (I searched "botanical print") and scan the images to find a group of matching looks. I loved these monochromatic botanical sketches from 1906. Then, head to your local print shop and have them printed on high quality paper. You'll be so surprised at the quality of the prints!!

Oh, and one final tip: get cheap frames from Target or wherever, and then paint the frame, even if the paint is the same color as the original frame. The hand-painted brushstrokes make the frames look much more high end!