{style inspiration: pretty polka dots}

. . . the boldest colour ever worn was perhaps an iridescent turquoise raw silk blouse with pretty sleeves; and with that exception, nearly always classic black, crisp white and every shade of pale & pretty neutral imaginable, from fluttery nude to blush and champagne -- that is, before happening upon navy and polka dots, with a dash of perfect red for that elegant and effortless parisian je ne sais quoi . . .


{images: sandro spring/summer 2011 lookbook, discovered via eclecchic, images from sunrainey}

{favourite five: denise porcaro}

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

~Claude Monet

. . . to enter the world of denise porcaro is to be swept away into an enchanting realm you only thought possible in the secret garden . . .

denise, the founder and owner of the alluring flower girl in nyc, has taken floral design to new heights with her exquisite eye for beauty and ethereal arrangements -- a delicate bundle she creates with dainty garden roses, ravishing wild flowers, or lavish peonies wrapped with the prettiest of ribbons will whisk you away into the romance of a bygone era

with a client list that includes stella mccartney, chanel and the illustrious plaza hotel of manhattan {and a blooming career that has graced the pages of vogue, instyle and elle} we will definitely be paying close attention to denise's:

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

{five favourite pieces of advice for running a business}

1. dedication is key: know that if you're going to go for something, it should envelope your whole life; you're married to your business in a way, and you should know that going into it

2. have a business plan: you don't need a big business plan -- it can even be written on the back of a bar napkin -- you just need to write down your goals and visualize them happening

3. do what you love: if you're doing what you love, it is that much easier; it cuts all the work in half when it is your passion

4. read your client: cater to your client's unique taste; listen to them, their budget, their likes and dislikes -- that's what we do at flower girl -- we don't give our clients “package a” or “package b”, but really sit with them and figure out exactly what they want and do our best to give them exactly that

5. don’t sweat the small stuff: this is much easier said than done; when you're a perfectionist and you're doing this sort of work, it's hard not to sweat the small stuff, but you have to keep perspective and remember the big picture

~ laily



{images: vogue, february 2010, dress by jason wu, boots by dolce & gabbana; inset, vogue, may 2008}

{coming up roses}

. . . once the glitter of the holidays and the sparkle of new year's has faded {just a little}, sometimes january's overcast skies can be a little gloomy, calling for extra bouquets of coral-coloured blooms scattered about, or better yet, flirty & foral sweaters strewn with roses . . .

{p.s.} poppies in the french countryside

{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: lanvin, paris}

. . . elegant leather detailing, glamorous jeweled embellishments, and form-fitting bodices perfectly complemented with luxurious and fluttery fabrics on the runways of paris . . .

{style.com}

{a stunning combination}

. . . would have never thought to pair the palest champagne with vibrant vermillion, and yet, in delicate sheers and pretty pleats, the combination is both striking and perfectly stunning . . .

{image: no. 21 style.com via wildfox}

{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 . . .

{christmas time in the city}

Shades of blue, white, gold and pink may have replaced the traditional red & green of Christmases past, and yet . . . there's still nothing quite like the sheer vibrancy of this festively saturated hue that celebrates the holiday spirit quite like red . . .

{images: 1 - cachemire & soie; 2 - martha stewart; 3 - gemma ward, vogue spain february 2007; 3 - tumblr; 4 - gemma ward; 5 - flickr; 6 gemma ward for valentino FW2006; all flickr links above via design is mine}

{glamour on the side:}
* vibrant party dresses
* all-out festive fun {via vanessa}