{mid-week musings & plans for paris}

. . . a classic trench with skinny jeans and open-toed sandals, or a belted blazer and café au lait on the terrace . . . there so many lovely things to look forward to . . .

{p.s.} travel plans to new york to attend a previous engagement tonight were thwarted by weather conditions, but all is not lost, as there are now new and beautiful plans for a return to paris before month's end . . .

{images: tumblr; dead fleurette; tba; matchbook}

{runway inspiration: burberry prorsum, london}

. . . have begun the momentous task of spring cleaning the closet {a little late, it's true, but where has the time gone?}, in hopes of finding a mysteriously missing pair of favourite summer wedges, but hopelessly sidetracked by christopher bailey's resort 2011 collection, with its trademark ruching and always elegant details, beautifully paired with clean lines and cinched waists and a perfect mix of rock and refined . . .

{images: style.com; via [design] relevant, more of this collection at the side project}

If April showers brought super powers...an ode to the Space Age silver Wellington

I've had some wonderful wellies in my day.

A pair of Burberry novachecks dating from 2003 loyally saw me through my entire undergraduate education:

(Where's Waldo in Murf's dorm room?)

I made my first venture into the *GENIUS* of short Wellies with my Tretorns.
Honestly, if it rains in the summer (as it did throughout June 2009), the less un-breathable rubber encompassing your legs the better.
I'm never returning to knee-highs again.

Sadly, these boots recently died a tragic death (they were literally coming apart at the seams).

So as I began to consider replacements, I thought of combining the English tradition of Burberry with the ideal short-ness of the Tretorns, and adding an unusual twist...et voila!
The short, metallic silver HUNTER:

Astronaut?
Superhero?
I'll take either distinction, because it's my perfect rainboot;
classic and functional, but bucks convention a bit.
They would complement the quirkier outfits I wear, but also add spunk (in a terrifically chic way) to the veiled-behind-sunglasses-head-to-toe-black ensembles I don when I'm not draped in Lilly Pulitzer.

The catch?
Only available in kids' sizes!
(Murphy's Law strikes again.)

I'm tempted to venture into hipster territory and get some No6 clog boots, as seen on the fabulous feet of Michelle Williams, SJP, Julianne Moore, and many super glamorous girls who the 6 train with me.


No6's collection consists of a limited number of exceptional designs (quality over quantity, people!), many of which are SHORT and WEATHERPROOF or, rather, "GREAT FOR FOUL WEATHER" as the copywriting so adorably describes.

And a little side note for those of you pining for the days when J.Crew cornered the clog market (I'm looking at you, MissMindless!), No6's offerings turn those distant memories into a present reality:


I would happily romp around in these during all seasons:

Moral(s) of the story:
1) Short Wellies are the best bang for your buck if you're a city girl romping around in every weather condition throughout each season of the year (esp. Spring and Summer).
2) If you see adult-sized silver metallic Hunters, LET ME KNOW ASAP.
3) Clogs are back. Embrace it. And wear it well.

Cxx.

{packaging design: access agency}

{just for fun:} access agency takes packaging design to a new level and mixes up the things we know by combining fast food + fashion . . .

{images: the cool hunter via inspiração inesperada}

{holiday gift ideas: your special someone}

. . . he has sat through countless romantic comedies and doesn't mind it when you wake him up just to tell him you can't sleep, takes beautiful photographs and makes every day feel like an adventure:

{a few fun gift ideas for your special someone:}
1 - to keep him warm: the always classic duffel coat -- this one is from band of outsiders
2 - to capture your favourite moments together: a beautifully designed camera - this one is the new m9 from leica
3 - to keep him on time: an ultra-cool watch - this one is the christopher bailey for burberry triple wrap leather watch
4 - to keep his things: a leather briefcase - this one is from barbour and has a wonderful tartan lining

{mostly london + a little new york}

. . . ending London Fashion Week with softly falling metallic confetti, Burberry Prorsum's reinvention of the trench coat in shades of camel and nude was luxurious, short, and draped loveliness . . .



. . . and for a last look at New York, more draping at Reem Acra, mixed with soft, floaty silks and satins and handfuls of princess jewels . . .

{images: style.com}

{eternally chic: the classic trench coat}

One of my favourite things about Spring is running out the door in a light trench -- whether paired with a favourite pair of jeans or a cocktail dress, it is one item that always makes me feel hopelessly stylish and effortlessly put together . . .

{top: françoise hardy; above: kate moss}

In 1879, a young former draper's assistant, Thomas Burberry, invented gabardine, a comfortable yet durable tightly-woven, water-resistant fabric. This fabric was a stunning success, with orders flooding in, and the first major client being the British Army.

Using his own designs for officers' coats made 13 years earlier for the War Office, Burberry added shoulder straps and metal rings to his gabardine coat, and the trench coat was created. Today the Burberry trench coat remains one of fashion's most coveted pieces.

{above: jackie, audrey, kate}

Lightweight, weather resistant and eternally chic, the classic trench is as stylish today as it was when Audrey Hepburn wore one in Breakfast At Tiffany's.

{united bamboo trench with current / elliott 70's style bell-bottoms in distressed denim at la garçonne}

{cotton A.P.C. trench paired with paul smith striped shirt and just cavalli wide-legged jeans from harrods for an elegantly cool british look}

{a gryphon trench paired with acne skinnies and a proenza schouler striped tee for a perfect parisian vibe}

{images: 1 - françoise hardy via ms. muse; 2 - kate moss by ellen von unwerth; 3 - magnolias by alicia bock; 4 - via popartpistol; 6 - glamour uk august 2008; 7 - closet couture in vogue us may 2009}

{heart-shaped}

A pretty, pretty chiffon camisole in the softest hue and heart-shaped cookies . . . While not everyone may be fussed about Valentine's Day, I quite adore it . . .

{beauty sleep}

Buried under work and engagements, an impressive 'to-do' list, and running seriously low on beauty sleep.

Hope to emerge soon, looking as fabulous as Christina Ricci in ruffled Burberry for Elle UK . . .

{styling by Anne-Marie Curtis; photography by Matthew Vriens; via coco's tea party}

{history of tartan & plaid}

Couldn't very well return from a beautiful trip to Scotland without writing about tartan and plaid . . .

Tartan is associated the world over with the kilt, the national dress of Scotland, and the history of both goes hand in hand.

Tartan is a material that can be woven from many colours and was originally a sort of uniform for distinguishing the many clans in the Highlands and islands of Scotland and can be traced as far back as the middle of the 5th Century to Ireland, where the Scots originated.

The very first form of tartan is nothing like its modern day counterpart, being a type of shirt that ended just above the knee, known as léine in Irish Gaelic. It is generally accepted that it was made of linen, and although the earliest references to this garment describe it as light-coloured, it may have been of a darker yellow shade which led to the English describing it as a saffron shirt.

In later times, coloured stripes were incorporated into the léine to indicate the rank of the wearer--the first attempts at what is now known as tartan. For instance, a High King wore seven stripes, one of these being purple, the colour of royalty.

With the new abundance of a growing number of sheep herds in the land, the plaid grew from being little better than a rug to a long piece of material between 12 and 15 feet in length, which the Highlanders would pleat round their waists in folds and pull over their heads like a hood and use as a blanket at night.

By 1730 the patterns had evolved from simple stripes and patterns into what today would be called tartan, from the French word tartaine.

After the defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden, the English Army routed the Highlands, destroying the Highlanders' way of life, banning clan tartans and destroying cloth-making equipment, including sett-sticks. Yet even at their lowest ebb, the Highlanders rebelled, wearing trousers of their tartan, subtly woven.

Football (soccer) teams, even countries have commissioned their own tartan, emphasising the importance and emotion that the people of Scotland attach to tartan and the sense of kinship that has been an integral part of Scottish culture.

{images: 1+2: Holt's Women's Fall 2007; rest: Dolche & Gabbana Fall 2008 RTW via Style.com; bottom, Burrberry; copy: special thanks to the BBC}