{ stretch it out }

{ stretch it out }

as i mentioned yesterday (and also in this post, and this video!), i'm really embracing fashion's sudden, frenzied return to PANTS! i realize that sounds a bit ridiculous, because pants never went extinct, but we're unquestionably experiencing a return to vogue of long, lean, trouser-ized silhouettes this season.

the new york times likened the look to 1970's advertisements for revlon's 'charlie' perfume...

...and printed a fun guide on how to wear the new look, with suggestions including:

• keep the tops slim and tucked in.
  
• as with cocktails, it doesn’t pay to mix. staying in the same color range is ideal, as it helps lengthen the line.
  
• look for jackets with a narrow cut — and coats that are cropped or knee-length. you want any bulk to end at a slim part of the body. and my favorite:
  
• always smile at everyone!

{ can't get enough } DIY ideas for the home

{ can't get enough } DIY ideas for the home

because i've long since grown out of dollhouses, i'm dreaming of new ways to use all the miniature chairs i still love...
{ speacking of, have you seen this genius jewelry stand?! }

...as well as the full-size chairs i also adore, but have no place for (their storage becomes storage (becomes storage)):

can anyone else envision the football atop this task lamp being replaced with a handbag, or dashing hat? seems completely feasible to me:

and now that i've repainted all my old furniture and frames, how about adding some subtle, unexpected stenciling:

or, for a far less understated effect, perhaps i could cover a mirror (or table top or toilet seat cover!) with an iced topping of beautiful bijoux:

{ image credits: 1/ unknown 2/ apartment therapy 3/ wary myers 4/ design sponge 5/ moodboard }

{ inspiration abloom }

{ inspiration abloom }

these images have been pinned to the moodboard in my studio for ages. the anemone (it looks like the drunken cousin of a gerbera daisy) has long been my favorite flower, and i love how chanel worked them as a theme into their spring 2010 collection:

in this post, you saw a sneaky peeky of how this inspiration made its way into my work. as the anemone symbolizes anticipation, it seems appropo to let you know that my interpretation of this idea will debut in full bloom tomorrow!

{ model / hunt }

{ model / hunt }

much as i love the look of an elegantly airy abode, i've always liked stuff too dearly to ever live in one. hard as i try to simplify, things seem to accumulate around me. this is one of the many reasons i've always had an affection for artist + collector hunt slonem, who sees beautiful objects as friends and muses. the more he has around, the more he is inspired.

there have been written almost as many articles on his homes as there are rooms in them ~ but a recent POP editorial { entitled 'the model tenenbaums' } was the first fashion piece i've seen shot in his spaces. though the story was inspired by wes anderson's film oeuvre, slonem's spirit steals the show. i recognized the art before i even noticed the clothes! below, photos of the master and his house are followed by mirroring scenes from the famed fashion mag:

{ interior shots via nymag / editorial scans via pop }
such a sublime stroke of location scouting! to learn more about hunt slonem's manhattan home, click here. additional scans from the pop ed here.

{ dolce & gabblamourai }

{ dolce & gabblamourai }

{ runway photos via style.com }
i love that sunday's dolce + gabbana collection was accessorized with my very own rose-gold eskuche headphones! i've always thought of them more as a piece of jewelry than a practicality. if you too like your surround sound to sparkle, they're currently available here.

{ interpreting inspiration }

{ interpreting inspiration }

this morning, i had an exciting appointment with fred allard, the dashing creative director of nine west. after previewing their fabulous fall line (more on that to come!), i finagled my way into his team's trend room ~ where walls are covered floor to ceiling in inspiration, and box after box is filled to the brim with vintage belts, hats, prints, clutches, shoe lasts, bits of antique beading, and other assorted day dreameries. entering a room like that is akin to stepping inside the creative mind ~ made three dimensional.

whenever you have multiple people collaborating on any one collection or thing, it is important to create this sort of concrete code to define your direction. a designer like mr. allard travels the world to cull references for his vision; putting them together in one place both metabolizes his message and broadens the visual vocabulary of his team as a whole.

recently, vogue.com made similar studio visits around new york city in anticipation of fashion week. below are their photos of three different designers' mood boards, followed by images of the resulting collections that i felt best reflected the imagined intentions. in any art, the process is always at least as interesting as the outcome.

mr. de la renta described this season's energy as: "polished and elegant ~ a celebration of modern femininity." more specifically, he's translated art deco references and a cinnamon and pumpkin palette into beautiful beadwork, chic cocktails and indulgent daywear.


for phillip lim, "fall is the tension between disco and punk, a classic wardrobe worn by a girl who would cut her dress." with shades of debbie harry and halston, this became an incontrovertibly covetable collection.


the designers of rag & bone looked to "england in all its colonial glory, in contrast with the people of the himalayas." this collection brilliantly illustrates how a little styling can go a long way toward evoking an inspiration, so that the clothes themselves don't get too costumey.

{ moodboards via vogue.com / runway photos via style.com }

{ mademoiselle } en jeans

{ mademoiselle } en jeans

these vogue spain scans of vanessa paradis wearing ripe white tops and embellished tweed jackets, incongruously combined with dilapidated dungarees...


...inspired me to recently wear this jacket with a favorite bowtie top and too-big, moth-eaten jeans:

what do you think, is it a fitting tribute??

{ tom ford anouk sunnies, elie tahari for neiman marcus jacket (recently seen HERE), jean paul gaultier top, men's calvin klein jeans, kenzo for wolford stockings, prada shoes (i've had 'em forever, but just rediscovered them in my studio last week!) }