French Barn

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I really enjoy urban design, Paris apartments, NY lofts, etc. But since we're all thinking about ranches and "rurality," I thought I'd post this really sweet barn in rural France. I think I love exactly everything about it. I love the blues, the white walls, all the overhead bookshelves...




The navy ticking stripes...


It's all very haphazard and cozy...

I still don't have any dishes...perhaps I'll just start a collection like this. Just picking up a few mismatched vintage pieces, a few at a time!


Look at all the Cafe au Lait bowls...delightful!




Again with the books...they are the only ornamentation of the room.



I think the blue floors are divine.





Okay, I'm not going to say anything else about the books :)


The End...

My Grey Apartment

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My Grey Apartment

Remember back to my “Palette” blog when I said that I used color because I don’t have an architecturally significant apartment? I would love to do this sort of thing someday when I have a “real” apartment...I already have the sheepskin!



I love the way this stylist is able to take the monochromatic scheme and make it feminine, mix traditional and Lucite, and keep it all really clean. Love the floors, love the white sheets with a big coal blanket just to keep things balanced.





She even used one of these vintage typewriters that I keep wanting
everytime Whit and I go junking...

Granted, this shoot was to sell the furniture collection so that’s why it’s all matchy, but I think she did a terrific job. Of course, I might just like her because her name is
Emma D’inverno...Inverno is Italian for “Winter...”



Someday, my friends, someday...

Le Goyard

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I haven't made a handbag purchase in over two years. I don't plan on buying one until I can afford my dream bag...a white Goyard GM Saint Louis tote.


It may seem strange for someone who cuts out all the labels in her clothing to covet a bag with monograms. It may also seem strange to be willing to drop a significant amount of cash on a very plain bag.


But I want it.


Goyard is one of the most venerable French malleliers, older than Louis Vuitton, and has occupied the same address, 233 Rue de Honore, at the Place Vendome near the Ritz in Paris since forever. Even though the monogram pattern is original to the 1850s, it satisfies my strange sixties retro-glam obsession and the simple stlying of the Saint Louis tote, a revamp of the 1960s pattern, makes it both lightweight enough for everyday use and perfect for my wash-and-wear, scooter-friendly beach attire. I've always wanted a Goyard, but for years I couldn't decide on a color. The Saint Louis comes in ten powerful colors like burgundy, hunter, goldenrod, navy, and none of them ever made sense to me.

Goyard does not allow any of their bags to be sold online. And until recently, they weren't available on the West Coast. Now they have a boutique at Union Square in San Francisco and they are sold at Barney's and Neiman's in California. When they made the jump to California, they decided to add one color, exclusive to the state, to the palette...white. When I discovered the white bag with the light grey monogram, the final gear clicked into play and I fell in lust and have been on handbag hiatus until my 30th birthday when I can justify purchasing a luxury item.

The final thing to do when I finally can order my bag is to have Goyard paint a stripe and monogram on your bag. Whit's post about Jane Birkin's birkin reminded me so much of what I love about "my" Goyard. A classic bag, made casual with a bit of paint, filled for everyday use, slung over your arm...effortless style.

Mid-Week Musings...

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I just wanted to see if I had scooped Whit...she promised to invite me over to do a project and watch the 1975 film, Grey Gardens...

But apparently at the end of the month, we'll be able to watch the new Grey Gardens with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKwKvgqRL4w

Here's a little peak!

But of course, Whit reads all the mags and blogs so I'm sure this is old news! Invite me over to watch the old one and then we can watch the new one together :)


Mrs. Emily Robinson?

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I'm not sure why, but Mrs. Robinson has come up a lot this week...Mrs. Robinson from the movie The Graduate.






I rarely wear leopard print, but I wore a leopard scarf this week...and someone called me Mrs. Robinson.

I was a dinner party on Sunday and my sister told the story of how our friend, Ukulele phenom Jake Shimabukuro came to a party at my house and annouced that he would play a special song that he had been working on just for me ..."Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkle. I was (well, flattered isn't exactly the right word), but I appreciated the thought. Unfortunately, he never recorded that song so I can't post it, but here is the special song he played for my sister, Jessie. She eventually inspired him to record it and it is the title track of his last album.


I was at UCSB yesterday as a participant in a survey on Virtual Reality conducted by graduate students in the Computer Science Department, my good friend Marcus being one of them. I guess that we were supposed to be anonymous because he listed me as "Mrs. Robinson."


Today while I was at Aqua having my toes done, I picked up the new Harper's Bazaar only to find an editorial on yep, you guessed it, Mrs. Robinson as played by Helena Christiansen. Note how the leopard motif emerges on the heel of her pump...

I just can't escape from Mrs. Robinson! Not that I really want to, Anne Bancroft was a fascinating woman.






The following photo I think I took from one of Whit's blog posts. I keep this photo in my inspiration file. It is both glamorous and poignant, which is an unusual and thought-provoking combination.






And I have been known to channel a little bit of Mrs. Robinson for Halloween every now and again!


...and I do have her hair!

Less than extrordinary...

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This week I have been a tad...exhausted. Monday came up awful fast. So I'm going to bypass my typical decor theme and blog a few randoms:


Want Versus Need:


I am currently trying to balance what I want vs. what I need...

The heels from Pour La Victoire (above)

and Pierre Hardy (below) perfectly illustrate my dilemma:

I am slightly excited and exasperated to see this Alexander Wang silk hoodie...I sewed my own in high school and always wished I still had it.

This last photo is my late Valentine for Whit. It is a heart-shaped vintage hatbox in the window of Geminola. Posing beside it is my glass travel frog (the frog story is a whole posting in itself!). NY is covered in snow right now but I know we both wish we were in West Village finding treasures in our favorite stores. Love you much, Whit! Magnolia cupcakes tomorrow, I PROMISE.