Saturday, January 26, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Day One…..
RidingPretty a place where you will find delightful and endearing photos and comments...
All meant to inspire you to be as stylish and chic as you ever dreamt of being while riding your bicycle.
You can finally now discover ways to wear your bicycle helmet to match your outfits.
(I actually started blogging about all things bicycle, fashion ect in 2007, but relaunched and renamed to RidingPretty - January 2008. :) that previous name of my blog was so awful... Believe me RidingPretty as a name was so much better!)
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Welcome to a time machine!
Every year I continue to do this blog I will return to this opening page. I am choosing the time machine to be set during the first week of each new year... a time frame to return here and write a little...
2009 looking back at 2008.
Noteworthy...
2. April 17th 2008.... LondonCycleChic posted my Jackie O Helmet Cover on her blog the day after I timidly posted it here myself . I cringed. I still was not ready for prime time! But it certainly got the ball rolling!
Here's what she had to say;
"Loving this Jackie O inspired helmet cover from the creator of Californian cycle chic blog Riding Pretty . Not entirely sure how practical it is but quite frankly who cares... decadent and divine!"
3. Aug.13th 2008... EcoMetro finds me and includes me as an eco crafter;
"Each Thursday we'll bring you our favorite gems picked out from scouring local craft markets, Etsy, Lov.li, and local craft sites. We'll also give highlights from our other EcoMetro cities. Materials must meet our environmental criteria, which include recycled/reclaimed materials and eco fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp, and soy fabrics and yarns."
(RidingPretty) "A head scarf and shades have long been a symbol of a weekend drive in style. These custom bonnets bring the fashion to a new form of transportation--bikes. Made to fit over a bike helmet, with a visor and chin tie, this is our pick of the week for crafty fashion statement."
4. Momentum Magazine Issue #36...I have a photo of my mine published on page 15. And I have been added as a contributor to Momentum Magazine My photography is getting appreciated and published! I was recruited by Amy the editor who had very encouraging words to say to me in an email. Amy, if you ever happen upon this I hope you don't mind I've quoted you!.
"Beautiful photos! I'd love it if you were to send us a regular style photo - just like the sartorialist - only on bikes."
5. November 4th 2008...CycleChic Fashion Show in Cork Ireland. My first fashion runway show with the video and also the pics!!!!!
"RidingPretty is the young Californian Shelly Schroeder's initiative dedicated to all those girls in the world who want to look pretty while riding their bicycle. Shelly has designed helmet covers with style as the foremost reason in mind...a way to cover up your bicycle helmet, stay cosy and warm in winter, cool and sun protected in summer. Be and look fabulous in your bicycle helmet!"
That's a wrap for 2008!
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Another visit to the time machine!
Goodbye 2009 Hello 2010
It's been another wonderful year of blogging.
I've decided not to do a retrospective of all the many key touchstones for 2009, there were just sooo many!!- even dare I say too too many to give a fair summary of - SO what it all adds up to, what I really want to say is it just keeps getting better and better. Pick any month from 2009 and you will find it's true!
Probably what I'm most glad I did blogging wise in 2009 is to set up a separate blog dedicated to RidingPretty Designs. It's where I can blog to my hearts content, and be my arty and fashion crazy self. Originally when I started the blog you are presently reading I thought I'd be doing a lot, lot more fashion/design exploratory creative lab for my helmet covers. Within a month I realized a different direction was shaping up, and this blog (you are reading) was taking on a life of it's own.
Come to think of it the other spontaneous thing that happened here on this blog was The Tweed Report. I keep getting sent these wonderful Tweed Ride invitations for the various Tweed Rides plus accumulating a lot of dates and such. So Cheers Dears! And that's how that happened!
{happy weekend + robbie burns day}
Ever since coming across the image of the black and white tartan-covered staircase in Globe-Trotter's London shop (below), I've been completely won over by tartan/plaid flooring.
The drawing room of Rachel Riley's home in Loire (above, from Vogue Living Houses Gardens People), while beautiful in its own right, owes its manor-born appeal to the little corner of red and turquoise plaid, the element that pulls everything together and gives the room a certain British refinement.
I've always loved the history present in tartans and plaids and am fond of the idea of incorporating their beautiful patterns and rich colours into everyday living.
{Beautiful black and white tartan broadloom at Globe-Trotter's London shop}
{A Brief History of Robbie Burns}
Born in Alloway, Ayrshire, in 1759 to William Burness, a poor tenant farmer, and Agnes Broun, Robert Burns was the eldest of seven. He spent his youth working his father's farm, but in spite of his poverty he was extremely well read, at the insistence of his father, who employed a tutor for Robert and his younger brother Gilbert.
At the age of 15, Robert was the principal worker on the farm, prompting him to begin writing, in an attempt to find "some kind of counterpoise for his circumstances." It was at this tender age that Burns penned his first verse, "My Handsome Nell", which was an ode to the other subjects that dominated his life, namely scotch and women.
When his father died in 1784, Robert and his brother became partners in the farm. However, Robert was more interested in the romantic nature of poetry than the arduous graft of ploughing and, having had some misadventures with the ladies (resulting in several illegitimate children, including twins to the woman who would become his wife, Jean Armour), he planned to escape to the safer, sunnier climes of the West Indies.
However, at the point of abandoning farming, his first collection, "Poems- Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect - Kilmarnock Edition" (a set of poems essentially based on a broken love affair), was published to much critical acclaim. This, together with pride of parenthood, made him stay in Scotland. He moved around the country, eventually arriving in Edinburgh, where he mingled in the illustrious circles of the artists and writers who were enthralled by the "Ploughman Poet."
In a matter of weeks, he was transformed from a local hero to a national celebrity, fussed over by the Edinburgh literati of the day, and Jean Armour's father allowed her to marry him, now that he was no longer a lowly wordsmith. Unfortunately, the trappings of fame did not bring fortune and he took up a job as an exciseman (tax collector) to supplement the meagre income. While collecting taxes, he continued to write, contributing songs to the likes of James Johnston's "Scot's Musical Museum" and George Thomson's "Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs." In all, more than 400 of Burns' songs are still in existence.
{Black tartan broadloom via Living etc.}
The last years of Burns' life were devoted to penning great poetic masterpieces such as The Lea Rig, Tam O'Shanter and a Red, Red Rose. He died at the age of 37 of heart disease exacerbated by the hard manual work he undertook when he was young. His death occurred on the same day as his wife Jean gave birth to their last son, Maxwell.
On the day of his burial more than 10,000 people came to pay their respects, and his popularity has reached incredible heights since.
On the anniversary of his birth, Scots both at home and all over the world, celebrate Robert Burns with a supper, where they address the haggis, the ladies and whisky, a celebration befitting Scotland's favourite son.
{Preppy and perfect green and blue plaid flooring as seen in Domino's December 2007 issue}
{credits: rabbie-burns.com, Vogue Living Houses Gardens People, Domino Magazine}
The drawing room of Rachel Riley's home in Loire (above, from Vogue Living Houses Gardens People), while beautiful in its own right, owes its manor-born appeal to the little corner of red and turquoise plaid, the element that pulls everything together and gives the room a certain British refinement.
I've always loved the history present in tartans and plaids and am fond of the idea of incorporating their beautiful patterns and rich colours into everyday living.
{Beautiful black and white tartan broadloom at Globe-Trotter's London shop}{A Brief History of Robbie Burns}
Born in Alloway, Ayrshire, in 1759 to William Burness, a poor tenant farmer, and Agnes Broun, Robert Burns was the eldest of seven. He spent his youth working his father's farm, but in spite of his poverty he was extremely well read, at the insistence of his father, who employed a tutor for Robert and his younger brother Gilbert.
At the age of 15, Robert was the principal worker on the farm, prompting him to begin writing, in an attempt to find "some kind of counterpoise for his circumstances." It was at this tender age that Burns penned his first verse, "My Handsome Nell", which was an ode to the other subjects that dominated his life, namely scotch and women.
When his father died in 1784, Robert and his brother became partners in the farm. However, Robert was more interested in the romantic nature of poetry than the arduous graft of ploughing and, having had some misadventures with the ladies (resulting in several illegitimate children, including twins to the woman who would become his wife, Jean Armour), he planned to escape to the safer, sunnier climes of the West Indies.
However, at the point of abandoning farming, his first collection, "Poems- Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect - Kilmarnock Edition" (a set of poems essentially based on a broken love affair), was published to much critical acclaim. This, together with pride of parenthood, made him stay in Scotland. He moved around the country, eventually arriving in Edinburgh, where he mingled in the illustrious circles of the artists and writers who were enthralled by the "Ploughman Poet."
In a matter of weeks, he was transformed from a local hero to a national celebrity, fussed over by the Edinburgh literati of the day, and Jean Armour's father allowed her to marry him, now that he was no longer a lowly wordsmith. Unfortunately, the trappings of fame did not bring fortune and he took up a job as an exciseman (tax collector) to supplement the meagre income. While collecting taxes, he continued to write, contributing songs to the likes of James Johnston's "Scot's Musical Museum" and George Thomson's "Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs." In all, more than 400 of Burns' songs are still in existence.
{Black tartan broadloom via Living etc.}The last years of Burns' life were devoted to penning great poetic masterpieces such as The Lea Rig, Tam O'Shanter and a Red, Red Rose. He died at the age of 37 of heart disease exacerbated by the hard manual work he undertook when he was young. His death occurred on the same day as his wife Jean gave birth to their last son, Maxwell.
On the day of his burial more than 10,000 people came to pay their respects, and his popularity has reached incredible heights since.
On the anniversary of his birth, Scots both at home and all over the world, celebrate Robert Burns with a supper, where they address the haggis, the ladies and whisky, a celebration befitting Scotland's favourite son.
{Preppy and perfect green and blue plaid flooring as seen in Domino's December 2007 issue}{credits: rabbie-burns.com, Vogue Living Houses Gardens People, Domino Magazine}
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
{bon soir, valentino, and farewell}
Have been waiting {for what feels like an eternity} for the unveiling of Valentino’s last ever couture collection, held today in Paris. The historical event, ending his brilliant 45-year career, took place before 700+ invited guests in the graciously refined surroundings of the Museum Rodin on the Left Bank.
"I don't want to be ridiculous and I don't want to be emotional," says Valentino. "I must be happy. I have had a fantastic career and I don't regret one moment of it.”
"I want to give my adieu in all the most beautiful colors of spring. And I want to prove what I am capable of in haute couture."
"Even as a young boy, my passion was to design, and I have been very lucky to be able to do what I have loved all my life. There can be few greater gifts than that."
"I am especially grateful that I have been able to keep my own style over the decades, in spite of the many changes that have taken place in the world of fashion and in its business."
The king of couture learned his craft in France, at the École des Beaux Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, before becoming an apprentice to French designer Guy Laroche. But it was in Rome that he opened his first fashion house in 1959. While he may have caused a stir from the beginning, it was with his celebrated White Collection in 1968, that everyone took notice, including Jackie Kennedy, who would one day become his muse.
His successor, Alessandra Facchinetti, former artistic director at Gucci (appointed by the British-based private equity fund Permira, who purchased the fashion house for $3.8 billion), makes her debut in March with her first collection of women's ready-to-wear.
The fashion maestro made his way down the high-gloss herringbone runway between a sea of begowned models, all perfectly groomed in the designer's signature Valentino red.
The 75-year-old designer will also be presented with the Grand Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, an honour that will make him an honorary citizen of the city where he has shown since 1989, honouring his lifetime achievement and the Italian's longstanding love affair with Paris.
{Valentino's final bow.}"All I ever wanted was beauty — to make women beautiful."
And that, he did.
{credits: Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune, camilla @ fashioninsanity, Joelle Diderich, Associated Press, Chris Moore/Karl Prouse}
Monday, January 21, 2008
{kara ross}
I have posted Kara Ross' work before, and am still crazy about her bold, sophisticated, yet light-hearted designs, two of my favourites being this White Quartz Link Necklace (above) and these seriously sexy Ebony Hinged Cuffs (below).
{and the winner is . . .}
Those of you who have been around for a while will remember the post introducing Swank Lighting and their incredible collection of Murano glass lamps, as well as the draw they were holding for a pair of Barovier & Toso lamps, valued at $3,400, to celebrate the opening of their Dallas showroom and the launch of their website.
Ed describes the lamps as ". . . among the crown jewels of the cache we found in the warehouse at E.P.Paul Company. They are a rich, deep raspberry at the bottom with a creamy white at the top, and loads of 24 kt. gold dust sprinkled throughout. The solid wood bases have been gold leafed. "
The draw was held last Friday morning (1/18/2008) at Debris Antiques in Dallas, and the lucky winner is none other than talented interior designer Patricia Gray! Please stop by her blog to congratulate her, and read more about the draw on Ed and Doug's blog here or here.
Ed describes the lamps as ". . . among the crown jewels of the cache we found in the warehouse at E.P.Paul Company. They are a rich, deep raspberry at the bottom with a creamy white at the top, and loads of 24 kt. gold dust sprinkled throughout. The solid wood bases have been gold leafed. "
The draw was held last Friday morning (1/18/2008) at Debris Antiques in Dallas, and the lucky winner is none other than talented interior designer Patricia Gray! Please stop by her blog to congratulate her, and read more about the draw on Ed and Doug's blog here or here.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
