{snow & mistletoe}

. . . at this moment, red lipstick and a long sweep of silk taffeta, and excitement uncontained for a few days away . . . and there will be lingering soirées and champagne, laughter by firelight and snow and mistletoe . . . but first, hello & farewell and thank you so very much for reading all this time, for wonderfully thoughtful comments and beautifully written emails {& all the lovely holiday cards!} and for spending a part of your mornings & days caught up in the thoughts & musings here . . . wishing you holidays enveloped in warmth & laughter, family & friends, and most of all, love, love, love and arms to hold you tight on these late december nights . . .

a very merry christmas to you & the most happiest of holidays,
~ roséline xo

{images: thesteward; sofia; alina gozin'a via desire to inspire; kurt geiger shoes via selina lake; kate spade via inside the loop; thesteward, photo-editing by this is glamorous}

{in my closet: tartan hooded paddington}

. . . had been planning to debut this fun new feature earlier in the week, but it's the holidays and things are already a beautiful whirlwind of festivities, and so, today, wonderfully excited to announce a brand new series: in my closet, a glimpse of some of the things that am currently wearing & adore, beginning with this ultra-stylish and perfectly preppy tartan hooded coat . . .






. . . always a certain fondness for all things classic & a little preppy, and especially for tartan, and while have always adored lauren moffat's vintage-chic style, absolutely adore the fall 2010 collection, with its cashmere cardigans and silk charmeuse tops, but especially the tartan pieces, and most of all, this tartan coat, perfect with jeans and tall leather boots {and opera gloves if it's chilly} for traipsing about on early december afternoons, or belted and paired with socks and heels for an evening at a new gallery exhibition, or lattes for two beneath the chandeliers of a quaint café . . .

{photography by p for this is glamorous, styling by roséline for this is glamorous, and a very special thank you to my sister xo}

{have a wildly romantic weekend + links}

"who knows where this path will take us but let's go forth hand in hand and promise not to let go because it may lead us somewhere vast & amazing"

*****

. . . trench coats and tartan skirts, kitten heels and argyle sweaters, another autumn weekend is here again, and everywhere, leaves are falling, falling to the last fading rays of golden light, and there are deep coral sunsets and charming pubs with velvet benches to look forward to, apple orchards in the late afternoon and evenings spent lingering by the fireplace, deep in conversation well past midnight . . .

à bientôt / see you soon -- hope you're having a stunningly lovely weekend & that it's beautiful where you are,
~ roséline xo

{a few lovely links:}
* falling for fall: orange velvet
* at home: five uses for wallpaper
* fun: model metamorphosis
* autumn inspiration: pumpkin recipes
* reading: a parisian treasure trove {via pia on twitter}
* packaging: penhaligon's sartorial
* a glimpse: interior designer andrea wilson

{as always, a few things you may have missed:}
* style inspiration: bits of gold & chic chignons
* at the shops: rothschild & bickers
* runway: valentino, paris
* perfect pairs: palest pink & leopard print
* runway: chloé, paris
* style inspiration: sofia coppola & louis vuitton
* runway: lanvin, paris
* shoes, shoes, shoes: all aglitter
* at the shops: mrs. press
* travel: tinos, greece

{images: editorial - an education, angelica bogatyrova & alex s. by chloe mallett for marie claire UK october 2010; styling by arabella greenhill; via vintage guide, photo-editing by this is glamorous; quote via design is mine}

{two lovely things: october mornings}

. . . rich italian coffee and wool tartan dresses, soft caramel-coloured suede and chilly hardwood floors -- these are the dreams october mornings are made of . . .

{images: asos via park & cube, originally discovered via haute design}

{stripes, sequins & tartan}

. . . falling leaves and chilly nights, stripes and sequins -- and always -- a little tartan, and it's beginning to feel like autumn . . .

{images: 1 & 2 - peta rudd via absolutely beautiful things & felicity - thank you!; 3 - inspiration board; 4 - brintons carpets via vt interiors}

{fashion inspiration: lauren moffat}

. . . socks with heels and soft leather satchels, paired with a boyfriend blazer or cinched at the waist, soon, there will be autumn mornings of hot coffee and impossibly chic tartan . . .

{images: lauren moffat}

{two lovely things: lonny + tartan}

{two lovely things:} the brand new issue of Lonny, with a lovely feature on grace of design*sponge, and vivienne westward for cole & son's tartan wallpaper . . .

{happy weekend!}

Another wonderful Fall week has come and gone . . . Will be certain to stay away from work {at least for a bit} and dance the night away in impossibly high heels . . .

Have a lovely, lovely weekend everyone! xo

{some posts you may have missed and a few extra links:}
> from 10 to 60 years old: one model & plenty of make-up
> a great place to hang your sexy tartan ties
> really adorable photobooth puppies
> designers go green
> lovely, lacy doilies
> the latest happenings at {this is glamorous}
> and finally, would love for you to join me for a series of guest posts at design*sponge next week

{p.s.}
wonderful {i love you} dishware discovered by summer at mudpuppy

{tartan + flowers}

{Stam, tartan and Autumn flowers -- a spectacularly beautiful combination}

Have an extravagantly lovely weekend, everyone!
xo

{p.s.}
> all in a day's work: The Sartorialist casually shoots Natalia in Rio . . .
> for those of you who have never seen snow . . .

{shot by Solve Sundsbø for Vogue Italia; via notcot and trendland}

{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}

{history of tartan & plaid}

Couldn't very well return from a beautiful trip to Scotland without writing about tartan and plaid . . .

Tartan is associated the world over with the kilt, the national dress of Scotland, and the history of both goes hand in hand.

Tartan is a material that can be woven from many colours and was originally a sort of uniform for distinguishing the many clans in the Highlands and islands of Scotland and can be traced as far back as the middle of the 5th Century to Ireland, where the Scots originated.

The very first form of tartan is nothing like its modern day counterpart, being a type of shirt that ended just above the knee, known as léine in Irish Gaelic. It is generally accepted that it was made of linen, and although the earliest references to this garment describe it as light-coloured, it may have been of a darker yellow shade which led to the English describing it as a saffron shirt.

In later times, coloured stripes were incorporated into the léine to indicate the rank of the wearer--the first attempts at what is now known as tartan. For instance, a High King wore seven stripes, one of these being purple, the colour of royalty.

With the new abundance of a growing number of sheep herds in the land, the plaid grew from being little better than a rug to a long piece of material between 12 and 15 feet in length, which the Highlanders would pleat round their waists in folds and pull over their heads like a hood and use as a blanket at night.

By 1730 the patterns had evolved from simple stripes and patterns into what today would be called tartan, from the French word tartaine.

After the defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden, the English Army routed the Highlands, destroying the Highlanders' way of life, banning clan tartans and destroying cloth-making equipment, including sett-sticks. Yet even at their lowest ebb, the Highlanders rebelled, wearing trousers of their tartan, subtly woven.

Football (soccer) teams, even countries have commissioned their own tartan, emphasising the importance and emotion that the people of Scotland attach to tartan and the sense of kinship that has been an integral part of Scottish culture.

{images: 1+2: Holt's Women's Fall 2007; rest: Dolche & Gabbana Fall 2008 RTW via Style.com; bottom, Burrberry; copy: special thanks to the BBC}