The Rich and Boring Need Not Apply...

Great article on the rise of Todd Selby in the NYTIMES.

...Mr. Selby’s online gallery is also indicative of a trend toward a rawer, more photojournalistic approach to interiors, a movement typified by indie design magazines like Apartamento or the interiors blog Homebodies, which are less interested in the faux perfection of shelter magazines than in the effluvia of everyday life. The spaces actually look lived in because they are.

The Wedding Sheet

I came across the concept of the wedding sheet in Josephine Ryan's French Home last night. I'm getting married in the Fall, and I'd never heard of this tradition, so I did a little bit of research.

It is referenced as both a French and Italian tradition, where the bride is given an ornately embroidered wedding sheet in "fil de lin" linen as part of her trousseau. On the morning after the couple's first night, the tradition states that the couple will hang the sheet out a window to show their family and nosy neighbors that the bride was indeed a virgin.

My guess is that if they are still being given on the occasion of a wedding, the second, more public part of the tradition has fallen in favor.

I came across this site, Fleur d'Andeol, which sells impeccable antique wedding sheets and other fine linens. Worth bookmarking for sure.

At Home with Joan Parker...

I am mainly posting this so you can see dear Joan's incredible powder room. Picture 8 out of 9 in the slideshow. Deco, with a touch of industrial. And the cool green on the walls and ceiling, the cream trim. I'm in love.

The Little Black Bikini

The little black bikini should be a staple of every woman’s wardrobe, just like the little black dress. It works well for the same reasons - it’s slimming, it looks good when you’re tan or when you’re pale, it doesn’t show stains, it looks timeless in photographs...the list goes on.

Wish list: Emilio Pucci Neoprene zigzag swimsuit: $500 at net-a-porter.com

Wattage

Who knew vintage light bulbs could be a political issue? Love them, energy efficient or not. NYTIMES.

Love this shot...

Found it on an old friend's blog.



www.julieabaumgardner.com

Eye Candy

How fabulous is this room? It incorporates my two favorite colors, too: tomato red and celadon-green.



See the whole house at NYTIMES.

Shopping Seattle

I just returned from a trip to Seattle, my first time there. Yes it rained everyday, but otherwise, I was incredibly impressed with the place.

Some say that Seattle is a few years behind when it comes to style, catching onto the East Coast's trends late in the game. In my opinion, that's an irrelevant analysis. People in Seattle seem to have a style all their own, distinctly different in ways from other cities that we consider to be "style capitals". The difference I think is in the lifestyle of the typical Seattle resident. They incorporate a lot more outdoor gear into their wardrobe - hiking boots, hiking pants, parkas, things you generally find at REI. And they bike, A LOT. So they have really athletic looking messenger bags. I found myself getting into the fashion of the outdoor lifestyle, as much as the outdoor lifestyle itself.

A couple of boutiques really caught my eye that I thought I would recommend in case anyone heads there in the near future. You absolutely have to go to the REI mega store if you are there, but for the feminine additions, check out:

ALHAMBRA
Downtown, 1st Avenue and Pine St.

This shop was pretty high in price range, but each piece they carry is incredibly unique. I had never heard of Gary Graham, but they carry a lot of his things - simple and provencial dresses, but in luxurious fabrics - as well as Tucker's new line of blouses. The decor at the store is in itself worth the visit - lots of functional rusted iron sculpture. In general, a very wordly and travel inspired collection.




Baby & Co.
Downtown, 1st Avenue and Virginia St.

Baby & Co. is extremely parisienne. Jill Donnelly has had the store since 1973 and travels to Paris every year to buy most everything for the store. Great scarves, great European alternatives to Keds, lots of architectural dresses and trenches. And there is a sweet little Bulldog that hangs out at the front door :)

Jill's business card reads "Baby & Co., Seattle. Mars." which seems a leftover "far out" branding effort from the 70's, but her clothes are nothing if not down to earth and wearable.



Jill is hip. Check out her shoes.

Meryl's Oscar Evolution

Full slideshow at the Daily Beast...

Lisa Yuskavage

I'm not sure what the connection is here. But I was feeling sort of down-and-out this morning and I googled Lisa Yuskavage, one of my favorite painters. It made me feel better.

There isn't time in the day to learn and accomplish all of the things I want to do, but Lisa's paintings make me want to put my Spanish books aside (let's be real, I haven't pulled them off the shelf in 6 months) and pick up a paint brush. Normally her work is very vibrant and colorful - my original favorite of hers is below - but I was drawn to this gray one above this morning.

Parisian Love

I'm going to have to agree with my friend Rich at Redsquare: Super Bowl ads were largely under-impressive, except for this one...



Romantic and SO SMART. A reminder that Google plays a much larger role in our lives than we even realize...

My article in Coastal Living...

Hi! I'm super excited about my article in this month's issue of Coastal Living magazine. I had no idea until I discovered it at the checkout at my local Publix that my story got the cover photo. Cheers to Meg Braff, the fabulous designer of this house, for making my job so easy!

Nu Shooz

Kind of freaking out about this (re)discovery.

Victorian Collage

OH. MY. GOD. I am so unexplicably excited by this article/discovery that I can hardly stand it. Weekend project: collage.

Muted Candy Stripe Bed Linens

These are really nice.