{runway inspiration: elie saab, paris}

. . . elie saab never fails to be utterly breathtaking, and when you finally catch your breath, you will scarcely be prepared for the utter beauty of the latest spring couture collection, a flourish of mousseline and sheer décolleté, of tulle and organza, and flowers piled at the shoulder and tied with grosgrain at the waist, and all in glittery, fairytale shades of silver and champagne . . .









{p.s.} more of this collection

{images: elie saab spring couture 2011 collection via tsf}

{hello + a few things}

. . . hello! a sunny summer tuesday and had been planning to announce an impossibly exciting give-away today, but blogger has been having technical difficulties with comment moderation and so, perhaps it shall have to wait a little longer . . . out the door for a bit and it's a silk partydress and sky-high summer wedges kind of day and leaving you with the intricately stunning appliqués, shades of gold and champagne encrusted with paillettes and clusters of crystals & pearls, cascades of dégradé feathers, and flows of duchesse satin and chantially lace of riccardo tisci's fall 2010 couture collection for givenchy . . .

à bientôt / see you soon! & hope your week is off to a perfect start,
xo

{p.s.} also adore the romantic gilded walls and chevron floors

{also new this week:}
* two lovely things: mirror, mirror
* storage inspiration: pretty jewelry display
* wedding inspiration: little white dresses
* room inspiration: always de gournay
* shoes, shoes, shoes: sergio rossi

{& one last thing:} many thanks for this lovely post

{images: style.com via a glamorous little side project}

Halloween Costumes part 2

sing a song of sixpence... - girl meets craft

In part 1, I talked about the pros of commercial costumes. Lots of pros. But, if you prefer to support handmade artists, and get something truly unique, then you can always turn to online sites like Etsy, Trendy Indie, Art Fire... Here is Etsy's Halloween costume suggested guide, and then you can go and narrow down your search more by entering more search options.

candy corn dress by i'm your present (love her!)

Here are some goodies I came up with. You can spend a pretty penny on a lot of these and others are more affordable. You can purchase full costumes and provide your own accessories, or you can make your own costume and buy accessories. Use your creativity and have fun! As you can see, I prefer unscary things... but there are plenty of scary stuff too, besides anything with a bit of bruise and bloody make-up can be a zombie.

 snow white corset with collar - damsel in this dress

 

 hot pink yarn monster dress - deviant weaver

 

 my little pony dress - deviant weaver

 

 monster hat - fairly enchanted

 

woodland toddler gnome - wild olive kids

 

 puck imp horns - che4u

 

 ascot - gentleman's jabot (would like my hubs in this... meow!)

 

bo peep lolita - j.chan designs

 

peter pan or robin hood - knees up

 

 rainbow lollipop tutu - lily jill bowtique

 

 marie antionette - threads and lace

  

 max from where the wild things are - handpicked necklaces

 

wild thing monster from where the wild things are - munsters and cupcakes

 

 metallic leather ballgown - toxic vision

 

 queen of hearts - magical attic

 

 steampunk harness - velvetmechanism (love this style, could do a whole post on it)

 

 unicorn leather mask - tom banwell

 

 black feather wings - up from the ashes

 

pink tricorn couture hat - topsy turvy design

Ethereal Whimsy

magnoliajaDRESS - shop is full of lacy textile collars, accessories, and dresses

I am supposed to be revealing my new hair piece collection today, but I had to charge my camera battery instead. So, I bring you a few pieces I love for the moment. The styling, and photography, all have a whimsical yet beautiful, dreamy and ethereal touch. {all of my favorite synonyms}

photo and styling by the wife of an artist (and the artist, chris)

dandy dress by kate towers - her shop is full of ruffles, capelets and dresses

MAC suite array color palate fall 2008 line

yellow - fine art photography erin tyner

Beauty is Because

 

Because over 300 of my brand new revamp photos of my shop were deleted before I had a chance to use them, because I wish I had spent more time behind the camera on photo shoots, because I wish I knew how to sew gorgeous clothing, because I wish I spent more time on stage when I had the chance... and because I love fashion, historic costuming, gowns, dancing, drama, theatre, tulle, silk, feathers, men in knickers, passionately angry females, art, photography, young romance, beautifully staged upset, powdered wigs, choreography and muted yet lively and lush colors in whites, creams and golds... this photoshoot just had to be posted today. Yet~ does there really need to be a reason?

 

  

  

  

  

  

"För Sverige i Tiden"

Photos: Jimmy Backius for Elle Sweden

Styling: Cia Jansson, Lisa Lindqwister Jenny Fredriksson

{runway: elie saab fall 2009 couture}

Elie Saab's all-white fall Couture Collection: the level of detail is astounding and many comparisons have been made to Karl Lagerfeld's Spring 2009 Couture Collection for Chanel

{style.com + more here}