{favourite five: rent the runway}

It's almost wedding season and aside from new beginnings and catching bouquets, there is just one thing on everybody's mind: what to wear? Jennifer Hyman and Jenny Fleiss have the most delightful solution, and it involves a mountain of haute couture and never having to wear the same gown twice.

Jennifer and Jenny, who met at Harvard, realized they were not the only ones who adored high-end fashion, whether for black-tie affairs or casual first dates, used their backgrounds in business and entrepreneurial spirit to launch, Rent the Runway, a membership-only designer rental company where women can rent dresses and accessories from over 100 of the most luxurious labels including Herve Leger, Proenza Schouler, Missoni and Badgley Mischka for only 10 percent of the retail price, making shopping in Carrie Bradshaw's closet no longer something in our dreams . . .



. . . and since Jennifer and Jenny's mission is to assist modern-day Cinderellas find the perfect dress to whisk away Prince Charming, we naturally wanted to know which dresses were the most sought after, so we sat down with them this week to find out:

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

{the top five most coveted dresses}

5. Jenny Fleiss: "All Herve Leger dresses do incredibly well on Rent the Runway. It’s such an iconic brand. The Berry Ombre Dress is a top rental as customers have really been drawn to one shoulder dresses the past several months."

4. Jennifer Hyman: "The teal Yigal Azrouel dress is also a top pick -- again, one shoulder dresses are really on trend right now. "

3. Jenny Fleiss: "For any girl looking for a classic mini dress, the Robert Rodriguez Black Label Sequin Insert Mini is a popular choice. Black is flattering on every body type and what girl doesn’t love sequins!"

2. Jennifer Hyman: "The Badgley Mischka Screen Siren Gown is arguably the Rent the Runway dress that makes the biggest statement. For any girl attending prom, a formal wedding, or red carpet event, this is the dress that is most sought after."

1. Jennifer Hyman: "The Key Hole Goddess Gown by Nicole Miller has been an all time hit -- it looks great on every skin tone and is especially popular this time of year with prom and spring weddings approaching."

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

{p.s.} previous favourite fives:
* designer: rachel ashwell
* actress & fashion muse: chloë sevigny
* floral stylist: denise porcaro

~ laily


{images: painting by susan calloway via elements of style; mali sabatasso green turquoise ring; backstage at balmain; giuseppe zanotti design diamante sandals; mona johannesson in plaza magazine via a glamorous little side project; champagne & macarons from a previous post}

Branching Out

 branch montage fine art print ~ a wild goose chase

I'm not sure if it's the bare trees all around my yard, or the feeling of scaling down and wanting to declutter and destress, but these branchy pics I've had saved in my files for some times have really struck a cord today.

branch headboard white bedroom ~ lisa madigan

decor8

branch chandy ~ sfgirlby bay's bedroom

*lots of beautiful and subtle branch decor ideas in white space here*

Homefront: Easy and Inexpensive Ephemera Collage Art

This little art project takes about 15 minutes and costs about $15. It takes up a nice little piece of wall space too. If you were to get 4 canvases and put them in a square shape, it could make a nice headboard as well.

First, I got a pack of 2 stretched canvas for $9.99 and some corsage pins for .87 cents. You need 4 pins per main paper, and one pin for the middle paper. So, 5 pins per piece of canvas.

I had a pack of ephemera I got from dodipc, mixed with some papers I had been collecting. Ephemera is essentially vintage papers, maps, patterns, photographs, text, bookplates, receipts, postcards, love letters, ledger papers, music sheets, flash cards, ticket stubs, advertisements... Very easy to collect at antique malls and packs can be found on Etsy or Ebay. You probably have something right now you could use. Or, visit The Graphics Fairy and print some free vintage images. Try tea staining some current papers for a similar effect, lots of methods explained here.

There is something so romantic about ledger paper. The crisp, black ink, and the nearly perfect fonts of the handwriting transports me to a time when men were gentlemen and took such care in the way records were presented. Each capital letter is curled beautifully, and the words form on the lines in straight perfection.

 I didn't paint the canvases, but any craft acrylic paint will do if you wish to paint. If you do, remember to paint the sides of the canvas as well. I was going to tape the ledger paper directly on the canvas, but tape doesn't stick, so I used the corsage pins instead. You could also glue the paper down, but I prefer to change things at random, and have a hard time gluing down certain vintage papers, so I kept it as reversible as possible.

I taped the pins down on the back of the canvas to help keep them in position, though a stronger tape would probably be best. Or, you could always embroider the paper down instead of pin it. I love the elongated pearly tips and angled them to emphasize the corner of the papers. Vintage hat pins would work as well.

This project is so quick and easy, with minimal clean up after wards. The papers you choose is limitless, and they don't have to match perfectly either. You could even use a photograph of your children as the center piece. Or glue the back paper on, and change the front paper depending on the season. You can frame them as well if you want, but I just wanted a quick and simple piece of art for this wall space.

Linked to: Simply Designing Linky Party, Finding Fabulous Frugalicious Friday, Tater Tots and Jello DIY Linky, The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday

Simple and True

!Rachew! clipboard inspiration wall

Sometimes, a linear (or not)  montage can bring clarity, organization and inspiration to a tired old wall, as well as create a lovely and cohesive look to litle treasures that may otherwise be forgotten in a shoe box under the bed. I would love to challenge you all to create a simple piece with images and collage bits of  flowers, family, fashion, food, feathers, frippery, foolhardy haberdashery, what ever type of ephemera suits your fancy.

hayley carmo award ribbon collage

Geninne photo line

 

Elizabeth Demos feature and site

{inspirational workspace}

Lovely little work area, part of a collage at {record the day} by Lobster & Swan.

{more lovely collages here}