{style inspiration: blush, nude & champagne}

. . . having flirted shamelessly with irresistibly fun and tempestuous bolts of colour recently, this past weekend, in open-toed sandals {for the first time this spring} and toes newly enveloped in chanel's rose satin, have fallen always and again in love with shades of nude and blush and champagne, the pale and pretty hues insanely perfect for mid-spring afternoons . . .

......................................................................................................

marc by marc jacobs mimi silk-crepe dress | lido pearls mother of pearl flower necklace | carine gilson théme egérie silk crepe de chine bra | carine gilson théme egérie silk crepe de chine french briefs | aspinal of london vintage vanity case in nude deep shine italian patent calf | yves saint laurent rouge pure shine 26 in natural beige | giuseppe zanotti henry leather and metal t-bar sandals


{p.s.} more perfect neutrals: here & here & here

{playing fashion: paris}

jean paul gaultier


yves saint laurent


alexander mcqueen


christian dior


chloé

. . . at this moment, it's softly tousled and romantically upswept, a whisper of ruffles and white satin sashes, palest champagne intermingling with rambling florals, pretty pink pouts and a feeling of spring in the air . . .



{images: editorial: paris, photography by emma temptest for playing fashion march 2011; models: anais pouliot; stylist: verity parker; via noir façade}

{colour inspiration: cerise & hermès orange}

. . . a dash of perfect eyeliner and pale & pretty lips, and for the rest, spectacularly vibrant shades of cerise and hermès orange to take mid-winter afternoons from dreary to daydreams with silk scarves and satin heels, brilliantly bright bouquets and structured handbags, pink satin teacups and love is in the air . . .

leighton meester, instyle magazine | lipstick, yves saint laurent rouge volupte pearle, 102: coral sun | shoes, liam fahy london | scarf, hermès cheval de légende carré en twill de soie, roulotté à la main | mother of pearl inlaid trays, 1stdibs | love is in the air letterpress card, a previous post | bright bouquet, elle decor via a previous post | hermès clic H narrow bracelet in orange enamel | hermès tout simplement silk scarf tie in orange | panama birthday notes, smythson | pink satin cup and saucer, the teapot shoppe | essex scout demi bag, kate spade

{top image via designed to design, shoes via tumblr}

{holiday inspiration: warm winter white}

. . . rushing around today and very nearly & fashionably late, but first, a few favourite {winter white} things . . .

kate spade satin heels | heal's matt white pyramid bauble | morgane le fay feathered capelet | kelly wearstler brass kaleidoscopes | yves saint laurent ipad case | olympus e-p1

{p.s.} also:
* winter whites & cozy nights
* recent inspiration boards: one & two

{colour inspiration: scarlet, crimson & vermilion}

. . . have been known to wear red lipstick nearly everywhere -- on early morning walks with the dog, at the shops and in the rain, and sometimes even to the gym, but very rarely, if ever, decorate with or wear the colour red . . . and yet, somehow, and only next to gold {an all-time favourite}, shades of scarlet, crimson and vermilion, always elegant and wonderfully festive in the form of short and stylish party dresses, are perfectly and utterly irresistable at this time of year . . .




earrings by janis savitt via gilt | yves saint laurent rouge pur couture lipstick | valentino couture bow d'orsay pump | chanel no 5 | dorothy perkins red velvet bow clips | red wine via jaipur, inverness | chanel le vernis in dragon | kelly wearstler brass kaleidoscopes





{chanel no 5 via the inspiration board, red dress via a glamorous little side project; eniko mihalik by camilla akrans for vogue nippon, august 2010 via fashionising; marion cotillard by ellen von unwerth via a dustjacket attic}

{runway inspiration: derek lam, new york}

"I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes."

~ Yves Saint Laurent

. . . a little sad to gracefully decline so many new york fashion week invitations as we've only just returned, but still and always wonderfully exciting to pore over the spring 2011 ready-to-wear collections for new work by favourite designers such as derek lam . . . there were clean lines and floaty dresses, linen twill blazers and silk crepe blouses, but most of all, there was that wonderful seventies sophistication that am so adoring these days . . .

{p.s.} more sexy seventies style:
* blouses & blazers
* scarves & pencil skirts
* fedoras & leopard print
* stripes & secretary blouses
* turlenecks & tweed

{images: vogue}

{have a gorgeous summer weekend}

. . . another few leisurely days and it's away, away again, out of the city and to the countryside, guests from out of town and saturday morning flower markets, champagne and the last of the world cup matches, wild strawberries and late dinners in the garden, and a little shopping & sunday morning lattes . . .

wishing you an extraordinarily wonderful weekend, and hope it's beautiful where you are,
xo

{a few lovely links:}
* travel: london, paris, copenhagen and stockholm
* beautiful rebranding: petite alma
* for dessert: jeweled macarons
* sequins: shorts & ponytail
* for wood nymphs: amazing tree houses {via lynn}
* a countryside picnic: here & here
* lovely, lovely: music box ballerinas
* summer inspiration: lake house

{as always, a few things you may have missed:}
* room inspiration: always de gournay
* shoes, shoes, shoes: sergio rossi
* hello: & a few things
* storage inspiration: pretty jewelry display
* two lovely things: mirror, mirror
* wedding inspiration: little white dresses

{new for the weekend:}
* in the bedroom: summer whites
* colour inspiration: shades of citron

{one last thing:}
. . . in the event you're arriving here for the first time, this week's glamorous give-away: a herman miller eames chair!

*** click here *** to enter xo

{image: a previous post}

{give-away: cable & heart bracelet}

today's give-away is an impossibly romantic cable and heart bracelet from chicago-based jess lc jewelry, who is celebrating a brand new site re-design, just in time for spring

a wonderful infusion of tough & sweet, it's perfect for late lunches on breezy terraces and candle-lit dinners on sultry summer nights:

to enter, {click here} to visit the brand new jess lc website, or {here} to view the fun new lookbook, then leave a comment below

{bonne chance!/good luck!}

* choice between all gold, or gold heart with silver chain; one winner will be randomly selected and contacted by e-mail after wednesday, april 14, 2010; if you do not have a blog or contact e-mail on your blog, please include it with your comment for notification; open to all readers; top image: viviana volpicella by tommy ton of jak & jil for style.com via definitely golden; yves saint laurent large leather clutch

{fashion inspiration: yves saint laurent}

. . . the holiday decorations have been taken down, and there's nothing left to do but dream of open-toed shoes, and especially silver ysl cage heels with navy velvet ribbons . . .

{p.s.} more spring things:
* the garden collection
* pretty pastels

{via the cherry blossom girl}

The Pilgrimage of Yves Saint Laurent

Alrighty, last but definitely not least, in my painted journey through Paris Fashion Week,
we come to Yves Saint Laurent!
Ok, so i've seen a lot of shoulder pads, but i have to say, these were surprisingly awesome!
They are really fun looking!
Since we in the US are closing in on Thanksgiving, I thought this painting was quite fitting,
cause the shoulders kind of reminded me of the collars of the Pilgrims! haha
Well, i hope you're having a great week.
I hope you liked my series for Sundance Channel.
If you haven't checked out their fashion site, "Full Fontal Fashion" please do.
The site's content is amazing!
How's your week going?

{holiday inspiration: black glass + crystal}

. . . really quite taken with this yves saint laurent black glass bead and crystal necklace, and especially with the golden clasp . . .

{happy weekend!}

. . . this weekend is windswept hair and toes in the sand, picnics on the beach and the city behind us . . . ahead: the last golden days of summer . . .

Have a beautiful, beautiful weekend, everyone!
xo

{p.s.} a few lovely links:
* fun, fun, fun {via here}
* seeing hearts
* rock 'n roll chic fall collection
* back to school
* video: friends forever

{interviews + guestposts:}
* summer musings at automatism
* question & answer with sesame magazine

{images: 1 - Chloè Spring Summer 2007; model: Trish Goff; photographer: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin; 2 - Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris duplex on the Rue de Babylone; YSL original logo hand-lettered by graphic artist Cassandre, 1961; photography by Pascal Chevallier, Vanity Fair}

{ysl + the winner is . . .}

Running a little late and on the way out for a lunch date, but wanted to stop in to extend a warm congratulations to Vicki A. from Saint Remy de Provence, France, winner of the purple agate bangle give-away!

* Congratultions, Vicki!

{p.s.}
* still working through e-mails . . .
* still crazy about the YSL sweater

{image: editorial - neoclassiques photographed by mert alas & marcus piggott, styled by carine roitfeld; model - lara stone via teamsugar & tfs}

{happy weekend!}

{thoughts for the weekend}
* take lovely photographs
* daydream
* wear red lipstick

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!
xo

{p.s.}
* cluster necklace give-away continues below
* fun new give-away on Monday!

{image: karolina kurkova at home in yves st. laurent scanned by helenika via starbucks and jane austen}

{couture candy}

Fun logo lollipops from photographer 's Massimo Gammacurta's portfolio: YSL caramel, Gucci juicy pomegranate, Chanel green apple & Louis Vuitton watermelon slice.

{home again + farewell YSL}

{Editorial: Model & Supermodel; Magazine: Vogue US; Issue: September 2004; Model: Natalia Vodianova; Photographer: Steven Meisel}

Home again, beautifully exhausted and happily jet-lagged . . . things still in suitcases, passports and foreign currency strewn on the bureau . . .

Will take a few days to settle in to everyday life again and to stop ordering things en français . . .

Also: Extremely moving to be in Paris when the news broke of Yves Saint Laurent's passing last Sunday. . .

Above: Yves on the balcony at Place Vauban in 1963. The photographer, Archie Parker, was accompanied by his wife, Una Mary, who acted as an assistant. She remembered Yves as being ‘beautiful, slender and very elegant; but so timid, he barely uttered a word’.

Pierre Berge, Yves Saint Laurent's life-long companion weeps as he leaves the Saint-Roch church with France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy after funeral services.

Carla Bruni wears a YSL dress inspired by the French painter Braque

{image 2 - flickr; image 4 - flickr}