{style inspiration: carefree colour}

. . . perhaps it is the thought of april showers, but lately have been adoring bold stripes and bright florals, rich greens and royal blues, saffron-hued lips and perfect bands of colour . . .

{p.s.} fuchsia lips & sexy brights

{images: zara april 2011 lookbook via fgr}

{a new week & at the office with elie saab}

. . . saturday afternoon was coffee & coral lipstick, shrimp dumplings & snow pea leaves, and a trip to the flower markets; sunday was a luxuriously late start, a frothy misto & a languid brunch, and, most of all, a hopelessly lovely entire day, alone together . . . and now, monday, monday and back to work with new and beautiful things to to see and plan and do, and many more moments of happy inspiration . . .

hope you had a wonderful weekend, and that your week is off to a perfect start,
xo

{p.s.} & of course, elie saab after work: here & here



{images: elie saab fall 2011 rtw collection via style.com}

{runway inspiration: gianfranco ferré, milan}

. . . with sheer organdy blouses and elegant pencil skirts, structural jackets, and an intriguing mix of textures such as satin, flannel and cashmere, embellished with beading and bands of silver crystals, tommaso aquilano and roberto rimondi's most recent collection for gianfranco ferré made the runways of milan a beautiful study in "decorated minimalism", which, as far as minimalism goes, is the very best kind . . .

{images: gianfranco ferré fall 2011 rtw collection via style.com}

{runway inspiration: philosophy, new york}

. . . elegantly tailored a-line princess coats perfectly paired with matching lace-trimmed satin, crocheted mohair, and appliquéd floral lace, and best of all, in irresistible shades of pale & pretty pastels . . .

{alberta di ferretti for philosophy fall ready-to-wear 2011 via style.com & fgr}

{spring collection: alexander berardi}

. . . sleek and sexy side ponytails, stripes and sequins and belted trenches, shades of blush and champagne intermingling with nautical navy, polka dots and floaty florals -- if ever there was a moment for spring fever, it's now . . .

{alexander berardi spring rtw via elle}

{lookbook: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2011}

. . . buttercream-coloured wrap dresses and light linen blazers, pretty pantsuits and delicate sheer trenches -- spring's elegant neutrals go from an early start at the office to a late lunch or a dashing dinner date with ultra-stylish and perfect ease . . .

{p.s.} can hardly wait for bare legs again

{3.1 phillip lim spring 2011 lookbook via rdujour}

{style inspiration: perfectly polished}

. . . beautiful styling inspiration from the new zara lookbook, perfect for business lunches and 5:00pm holiday cocktails . . .

{images: via fashionising}

{lookbook: elizabeth and james}

. . . and long before it has even begun and despite the romance of softly falling snow, sometimes winter is best weathered from a distance, and few things more romantic than a mid-winter escape to a balmy and breezy and perhaps exotic location -- and whether madrid, the greek isles, or fiji, a little time away for dreaming of the return of warmer days always brightens long winter months . . . and so, striped blouses with bows and pleated chelsey pants, elegant linen blazers and tailored city shorts, and most of all, sexy heels and billowy dresses for just the occasion . . .

{lookbook: spring 2011 collection by elizabeth and james, designed by mary-kate & ashley olsen, via a glamorous little side project}

{fashion inspiration: the pantsuit}

. . . while most often in skinny jeans and tall leather boots by day and dresses sprinkled with sequins by night, always secretly loved the formal days of dressing up in trouser suits or pantsuits for meetings & appointments, especially if they are influenced in part by the sophisticated seventies, or a modern interpretation of the sexiest pantsuit of all, yves saint laurent's le smoking . . .

{p.s.} more work wear & a three-piece

{images: jacquelyn jablonski by victor demarchelier for harper's Bazaar US, november 2010 via oh fashion models}