kate spade new york campaigns bold, cheeky color!

On this rainy day, I can't help but feel happy looking at the newest Kate Spade color campaign, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, and featuring a vivid rainbow of cute candy-stripes and fabulously bold color (the opposite of what I'm looking at outside right now).  I'm seriously craving Spring....where is it?!  Love the bright yellow jacket and cute flats in the last couple of pictures...

All images courtesy of Kate Spade New York

Speaking of color, check out this quirky video the Kate Spade New York team made, featuring the unwrapping of a Surprise Ball!  How fun to make one of these with cute little trinkets for a cheeky birthday gift, or maybe in an egg shape full of fun Easter treats?

put some spring in your step with nudes + neons

This Spring, it's all about the pairing of soft neutrals with pops of bright neons.  For those who don't want to end up with a closet that glows from the inside, try utilizing this trend with fun flats. Ballets are always a great addition to your collection and the fun neons are a great way to add a pop of color without having to commit to an investment piece that may strain the eyes a few years from now (although I believe that you can never go wrong with bold, unexpected color!)...

The Inspiration:

Photo via Elle Tumblr Blog

Burberry Prorsum Spring 2011 via Choosy Syle

Donna Air in Burberry Prorsum via ST Cafe

   

Glowing Finds:

1. Topshop flats. 2-6. J. Crew flats.

Happy Weekending!

Happy Friday! Hoping this photo add a little warmth to your weekend...makes me want to just jet set off to Mexico, away from this not-so-fabulous February weather! xx

Photo courtesy of Australian Vogue/Photographer: Nicole Bentley [via Coco + Kelley].

Pretty in [Pulitzer] Pink!

On a recent trip to Puerto Rico for some much needed sun, I realized at the airport that I would need some good reads to get me through the four-hour flight.  I immediately snatched the new issue of House Beautiful after setting eyes on its fabulously pink cover with the headline, "The Power of Pink!"  What more could a girl want?  Anxious to read more about the terribly chic room featured on the cover, I was pleasantly surprised to find the much anticipated, new Lilly Pulitzer home line (for HRI Brands) featured inside. With vibrant, feel-good prints on sophisticated sofas and over-the-top ottomans, who needs to go in search of sun and sand? I knew a peek inside would be the perfect pre-vacay punch...and I was right. Absolute perfection (Palm Beach style, of course...).

For all those preppy-loving, pretty in pink Pulitzer girls out there - enjoy the eye candy, ladies!

House Beautiful 2011

House Beautiful 2011

Lilly in Palm Beach [so chic!] courtesy of Lilly Pulitzer

via The Preppy Princess

Photo courtesy of Patricia Sheridan

          Lilly home accessory via Home Accents Today

Lilly ottoman [amazing shoe storage!] via Sophie Pyle Style

I also love these great rooms from Lilly Pulitzer for Garnet Hill - they are from last May's collection, but as we all know, Lilly is timeless [as is the perfection of pink + green!]...

Lilly Pulitzer for Garnet Hill

Lilly Pulitzer for Garnet Hill

stripe hype [in b + w].

I came across this great picture of Natalie Wood in a scene from Sex and the Single Girl, and although she looks fabulous as always, it was her daring desk chair that really caught my eye.   I was immediately inspired to seek out modern uses of the classic black + white stripe, as used in current interiors.  A bold, yet very chic choice, the b + w stripe can be used through dramatic wall-coverings or as an eye-catching accessory [think pillows, throws or rugs].  Here are a few great uses of this timeless, yet audacious play on the age old theory that opposites really do attract...

Love Natalie's sophisticated look, but I would probably replace her mod chair with this fabulous modernized Louis XVI find...(if it were up to me)...

Louis XVI Medallion chair from the James Duncan Collection

And now for some ultra chic uses of the stripe...[love, love, love!]

via Plush Palate

Carleton Varney via House Beautiful

Mary Macdonald via House Beautiful

J.Crew bathroom via Lonny Magazine

via Habitually Chic

via Brabourne Farm

Kate Spade guest bathroom via Habitually Chic

via From the Right Bank

Nate Berkus via Decor Pad

via House Beautiful









flirty finds for valentine's

Hey there, Valentine! Looking for that finishing touch to glam up your V-Day?  Opt for a flirty headband courtesy of one of my favorite sites, ban.do.  With fabulous 'french poufs', glitzy shoe clips and bows that scream drama, ban.do takes accessorizing to a new level with a bit of tongue-in-cheek glamour.  Keep all eyes on you (including his) with a fabulous hot pink find like the Pop Flower pin or the Two Tone Satin Sash headband.  Whatever you choose to "be yours," you'll certainly have more than one secret admirer after a prance in a ban.do pretty!

All photos courtesy of ban.do.

chic reads.

A unique assortment of coffee table books is one of my favorite things about someone's home.  Accessories and decor say a lot, but there's something about the books that a person openly displays (and usually only a few at a time) that really sum up true, individual style.  These over-sized, over-the-top reads exude a lifestyle essence that they seem to bestow on their owners once they are stacked nonchalantly atop one another. Here are a few of my favorites that are not only artistic displays of beautiful content, but timeless finds that I could flip through over and over again...all designed and written, of course, in very good taste.  

 

Have a favorite "chic read?" Share by leaving a comment below!

We could all use another gorgeous book or two...xx

sparkling words of wisdom...

I came across this beautiful note with a quote from the one-and-only Roald Dahl on on of my favorite blogs, {this is glamorous}. Aside from the gorgeous blog that it came from, I thought it was such a special piece of wisdom to share...

clink! clink! cheers to retro revelry

Thanks to Mad Men, I think its safe to say that the traditional cocktail hour is back in style.  Grab your pearls and champagne coupe and start clinking to the good life.  Vintage cocktail glasses aren't just unique, I think they make for great home accessories as well.  Search for great Culver finds, glistening with grapic gold prints, or opt for some whimsical rocks glasses with bold stripes. Place on a pretty cocktail tray and, voila!, the perfect side table accessory. Retro chic is all about bold patterns and bright colors, so take some risks and have some fun.  Try mixing and matching for a quirky happy hour full of style!

For a little inspiration...

 

All "Mad Men"photos courtesy of AMCTV.com. Vintage glassware [top right] via the BorrowedAbode blog. Champagne and vintage glassware from Lonny Magazine. Gold Bamboo glasses from the Sleepy Poet via Matters of Style blog. Purple vintage bar set: ebay.com

Gimlets, Manhattans, and Old Fashioneds, Oh My!  Click here and cheers to the good life!

 

All "Mad Men"photos courtesy of AMCTV.com. Pink cocktail glasses: The Hour Cocktail Collection. Culver glasses on red backdrop: Ruby Lane.com. Culver gold trim bar glasses: ebay.com. Green-striped rocks glasses: esty.com 

For those in the mid-Atlantic area, The Hour cocktail shop in Alexandria, Virginia is an amazing little spot brimming with chic bar accessories and fabulous vintage cocktail finds - including retro artwork and jewelry (because every girl needs that perfect cocktail ring to partner with her punch!).  Here are a few samples of their fun inventory...

All photos and images courtesy of The Hour Cocktail Shop (Alexandria, VA)

coming soon: vintage happy hour!

Hellooo there, Don Draper...

After coming across these great shots of the dapper Jon Hamm, I just had to do a 1960s-inspired cocktail party, a la Mad Men. I'm convinced there's nothing better than vintage glamor - and nothing pairs better with an A-line dress than a retro rocks glass for that perfect punch of panache.

Stay tuned for HAPPY HOUR on Monday...

In the meantime, feel free to start drooling over this little montage of Don Draper eye candy...

HAPPY FRIDAY, LADIES!

Photos courtesy of Best Life Magazine via The Neotraditionalist