being chic.

14 July 2010

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet

It's Bastille Day and there is no denying that I have an irrevocable love for all things French.

For me, France is a visual euphoria. And there is no better day than the 14th July to display some of the things I love about Paris and France the most.

I can never get enough of the Eiffel Tower, I love photographs with a hint of the tower in the background, or a sparkling shot of it all lit up...I love french fashion houses like Dior, Sonia Rykiel, Balmain, Vuitton, & always Chanel.

The beautiful facades of hotels, cafes, bistros and boutique shops.

I love Carine Roitfeld and the man who created the stiletto Roger Vivier, Rene Caovilla's whimsical shoes & Laduree's sugary macarons in a multitude of sinful shades.

I love that chic men in business suits ride bicycles through the busy Parisian streets and that a wonderful shade of blue tints the sky of Paris at dusk.

Celebrating France one day a year is simply not enough....♥

IMAGES: google search, flikr.

12 July 2010

Home Sweet Home♥

I dream of having a home that looks both stylish and lived in. As much as I am an advocate for modernity and all that it entails. I don't think a minimalist or too modern a home is appealing. I feel uncomfortable in homes that have sharp edges and museum like surroundings. As much as I love and appreciate the look of a Le Corbusier chair...they just don't look comfortable. Don't get me wrong -I LOVE THEM, THEY ARE SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL- I would buy one and happily have it in a prime position of my living room BUT- I would considering it art & NOT furniture that you 'use'...would you sit on a Picasso?

I want people to walk into my home and feel every weight on their shoulders lift as they sit on my couch... fluffy cushions and a plush lounge...

I love homes that reflect an individuals style, characteristics, hobbies, passions etc...a personalised home.

I love seeing art on the walls, books on floor to ceiling shelves, a vase of significance or some antiques or souvenirs bought through travel...

What's interesting about a home that could belong to anyone?...it's all in the details as far as I'm concerned!

I have come across the most beautiful homes online...I love the warmth, comfort and luxury that they all exude. As highly styled as they may be they still look comfortable and lived in...

Such a striking colour palate...but don't tell me that those dining chairs and lounge doesn't look like you could sink in it! I love that it's so bold and yet so warm...

The purple elements...♥

The fluffy couch, zebra stool, black and white photos, coffee table books a sparkling chandelier...this has to be one of my favourite shots of a living room...heavenly...

A lovely spacious open plan home opening on to a sunny courtyard...perfection for summer BBQ's... the real estate agent in me is being completely exposed ...but seriously......I would hope to have a home like these to call my own one day...one day...♥

IMAGES: desiretoinspire.com, les petits plaisirs.

06 July 2010

POWER COUPLE Part 1: Garance Dore ♥

Garance Dore is the epitome of a chic street style blogger. Her work is fabulous. She is fabulous. And more often than not her subjects too- are fabulous. She is fashion photographer, stylist, illustrator and more commonly a blogger. Updating her blog daily with fresh faced and chic individuals and items that cross her path while roaming the globe. Her quirky translations make for ever better reading with posts filled with funny and sweet anecdotes of her day to day inspirations in fashion and life.

I check what Garance is up to on a daily basis, I really look forward to seeing where she is-Paris, Rio, the US or Japan. I am always floored by her flawless & sharp photography & the strange feeling that I get that I could almost be standing right next to the subject. It really is odd. You feel the warmth of the sun in her images and the chill of the snow. She transports you into the glitz of Parisian fashion shows, onto a beach in Brazil and into the wardrobes of strangers around the world. Snapping & illustrating wonderful images of fabulous people in fabulous clothes.

Needless to say, she is always rubbing backs with her fashionable friends, magazine editors, designers & stylists (Anna Dello Russo & Giovanna Battaglia) and is always in the right places (Paris Fashion Week) .

But it is the unfamiliar faces that grab my attention. The girl with the striking black hair and wonderful shoes or the lady with an stunning coat or suit. It's always the small stuff really...

One of my favourite posts was a frenchman she met in NY who caught her attention due to her love of denim shirts. He would soon lift he's pocket to reveal a red heart he's wife had embroidered. The little things...♥

And today she posted this simply beautiful girl in what looks like Missoni knit wear..heavenly....

...and so many more....

How beautiful is Chanel...such a cute winter cardigan...and the pearls...dont talk to me about Chanel pearls..they are my biggest lust after item...ONE DAY...one day...

....and to age this gracefully makes me speechless...what a beautiful woman....this has to be one of my all time favourite photos...ever...

Now this is what I mean about warmth...

& to think that Scott Schuman better known as The Sartorialist is her boyfriend...forget Brad and Angelina, and WHO exactly are the Beckham's? ...More on the other half of the power couple ...♥

IMAGES: GARANCEDORE.FR/EN/

POWER COUPLE Part 2: Scott Schuman- The Sartorialist

I cant express my love for what Scott Schuman "The Sartorialist" does quite enough.

It may even be part love/part envy but nevertheless completely, 100%, every day of the year inspiring.

I have an undying love for style & photography especially the kind that not only combines both but gives you a sense of real life. Chic women walking to work, business men in crisp shirts and sharp suits. But, it's the fact that these 'real' people have something special- and it's that, that grabs Scott Schuman's (SS) attention in the first place.

I love an attention to detail in all measures of life and most definitely in fashion. But SS has a talent for picking it up in unassuming ways like the textures of different fabrics someone may wear in the same shade of grey. The combination, composition, the length of a shirt sleeve in relation to a suit jacket, a safety pin being used as a tie clip. SS has a keen eye for detail.

Of course he has an immense following and an array of elite fashion friends just like he's girlfriend does- yet so many of he's subjects are people he has come across walking down the streets of fashion friendly cities. People whose style has caught he's attention, people who express themselves, devote themselves and enjoy themselves through fashion.

I love that he sometimes plans to meet and photograph people who have caught he's attention years before like a gentlemen in Milan (the lovely bearded man on the bicycle below) or like this fantastic representation directly below of a man whose style has so dramatically changed you would hardly recognise him. This is what I love about fashion & it's frivolity & flexibility.... and especially the way in which SS documents it on a day to day basis. Some of my favourites below....♥

Two years later....

Someone worth recapturing again and again...

..And how could he not photograph someone as stylish as he's girlfriend Garance above...♥

IMAGES: thesartorialist.blogspot.com

01 July 2010

Divine Diane...♥

I don't like using the phrase 'style icon'...basically because I think it is completely over used! BUT, if I HAD to choose one, I would say (or scream) DIANE KRUGER!!

She never gets it wrong-in my opinion anyway. Not only is she heart breakingly beautiful but her taste never fails. She does chic, old Hollywood, cutting edge & fashion forward seamlessly, effortlessly and interchangeably.