{afternoon breezes & the first day of summer}

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

......................................................................................................

. . . and somehow, amidst everything -- days at the office and starlit weekends in the country, after the rains and the windswept petals, softly, beautifully, and at long last, it has arrived . . .

happy first day of summer! & hope it's beautiful where you are,
xo



{images: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve | thirteen | fourteen | fifteen | sixteen | seventeen | eighteen | nineteen | f. scott fitzgerald quote via that kind of woman}

{colour inspiration: scarlet, crimson & vermilion}

. . . have been known to wear red lipstick nearly everywhere -- on early morning walks with the dog, at the shops and in the rain, and sometimes even to the gym, but very rarely, if ever, decorate with or wear the colour red . . . and yet, somehow, and only next to gold {an all-time favourite}, shades of scarlet, crimson and vermilion, always elegant and wonderfully festive in the form of short and stylish party dresses, are perfectly and utterly irresistable at this time of year . . .




earrings by janis savitt via gilt | yves saint laurent rouge pur couture lipstick | valentino couture bow d'orsay pump | chanel no 5 | dorothy perkins red velvet bow clips | red wine via jaipur, inverness | chanel le vernis in dragon | kelly wearstler brass kaleidoscopes





{chanel no 5 via the inspiration board, red dress via a glamorous little side project; eniko mihalik by camilla akrans for vogue nippon, august 2010 via fashionising; marion cotillard by ellen von unwerth via a dustjacket attic}

{colour inspiration: petal pink + french grey}

. . . charming florals paired with elegant mirrored side tables and delicate lilac petals on bright windowsills, tea cups and cakestands and beribboned shoes; alongside marble and mother-of-pearl and bits of gold and whether in shades of champagne, taupe or tea rose, shall always and forever adore perfectly pretty pink . . .

{images: 1 - unstitched.; 2 - romantic homes; 3 - apartment therapy; 4 - rosie tupper via a glamorous little side project; 5 - sunday suppers; 6 - everything fabulous; 7 - a previous post; 8 - mitica illustrations; 9 - tumblr; 10 - stylist kate morris via 79 ideas; 11 - krisatomic; 12 - jamo associates for laura ashley; 13 - trouvais; 14 - a previous post; 15 - rachelle vance}

{chanel no. 5 + links}

{hope you had a beautiful weekend!}

. . . a few lovely links on this hazy monday:

* a wonderful way to tell a story
* really quite adorable!
* summer reading
* beautiful black diamonds
* send your troubles faraway
* sequins + gold
* a pretty cupboard
* pink butter cupcakes

{image: kristybee photography via captivate me, cropping by this is glamorous}