{gauzy party dresses + the winner is . . .}

. . . one last thing -- a little {fashionably} late to announce the winner of the lovely, lovely champagne satin clutch by emma gordon london -- and the winner is: kirsten from idaho!

{congratulations, kirsten!}

{stunning dresses by roberta furlanetto via lace & tea}

{style inspiration: sofia coppola + louis vuitton}

. . . have always been besotted with sofia coppola's collaboration with louis vuitton, especially the black velvet clutch with gold clasp, but love most the ad campaigns, that have an upscale, almost selby-esque quality to them, and best of all, include beautiful glimpses into sofia's new york apartment, featuring the elegant blue george smith sofa, framed photographs, busy workspaces and stacks of books . . .

{p.s.} sofia's paris apartment

{images: sofia coppola for louis vuitton via rdujour & habitually chic}

{give-away: champagne satin clutch}

Today's give-away is a stunningly lovely Georgia clutch in champagne satin by Emma Gordon London!

As perfect with jeans by day as it is with sequins by night, the Georgia clutch is entirely handmade by Emma in her home studio in London:

Incredibly, Emma still hand makes every order herself from start to finish and offers a special made-to-order service for weddings or parties or even to custom match your favourite outfits . . .

To enter, {click here} to visit Emma Gordon London, or {here} to visit Emma's Etsy shop, then leave a comment below.

{bonne chance!/good luck!}

* one winner will be randomly selected and contacted by e-mail after Wednesday, October 7, 2009; give-away open to all countries; image 1 - via a glamorous little side project

{at the shops: billy bride jewelry, australia}

. . . having quite a love affair with all things australian lately, with katie and natasha, and now these incredibly beautiful rings by billy bride, handcrafted from naturally occurring materials such as citrine, lapis lazuli, quartz, and the stunning, champagne aura, a metaphysical stone created when quartz is bonded with vaporized gold . . .

{p.s.}
* more minerals: carly waito, oil on masonite
* previous at the shops: satomi kawakita, new york

{images: billy bride via the shiny squirrel}

{new feature - in the post: fun things by mail}

. . . happiness is receiving fun packages in the mail and {these} arrived today: sterling silver, a little larger than expected, and completely rock 'n roll chic

{at the shops: satomi kawakita, new york}

. . . could spend hours browsing the rings and things at satomi kawakita jewelry, with its wonderfully organic sense of beauty -- there are tiny gold flowers, intricate & lacy details and delicate bangles, and most of all, exotic and startling beautiful gray diamonds . . .

{p.s.} previous at the shops:
* the society inc.
* crucial trading

{images: satomi kawakita jewelry via wit & delight}

{shoes, shoes, shoes}

. . . thursday again and a late lunch with my sister, and while there's a fondness for sun-dappled terraces and luxurious suede shoes, the gently falling rain means there will be neither and on the way out the door, leaving you with these beautifully elegant pink suede platform pumps adorned with perfectly ladylike bows and embellished with glittering little stones, perfect for thursday afternoon lunches, when the rain has subsided and the late-summer sun shines again . . .

{p.s.} previously:
valentino | mugnai | chanel | lanvin
louboutin | sergio rossi | bruno frisoni

{image: julia}

{fashion inspiration: feather clutch}

. . . one of my very favourite shots is a detail of viviana volpicella, {assistant fashion editor, vogue nippon}, wearing a champagne-coloured silk blouse and holding a large leather clutch by yves saint laurent, photographed by tommy ton of jak & jil for style.com -- there is just something about it that draws you in -- the play of light and shadow, and all the little details that say so much . . . and now this soft and dusky image has become a new favourite -- a swish of tulle, a feather clutch, and an utterly romantic glimpse of an enchanting moment caught in time . . .

{p.s.} silver shoes & feathers and pretty, pretty things

{photography by marianne taylor for the cherry blossom girl via a glamorous little side project & the inspiration board}

{have a wonderful weekend + links}

. . . late saturday afternoon and after last weekend's whirlwind trip to nyc, slowing things down just a little and happily spending much-needed time at home . . . there are no cases to pack or flights to catch, only long and leisurely conversations over dinners in favourite restaurants, late mornings sipping coffee and flipping through glossy magazines and warm nights under falling stars . . .

hope you're having a perfectly wonderful weekend and that it's beautiful where you are,
xo

{a few lovely links:}
* utterly fascinating: the caddis worm {via cabin on the water}
* architecture: office treehouse, germany
* fun: sneaky décor
* design inspiration: diamonds
* on the terrace: more lovely wicker
* summer inspiration: beautiful gardens
* before & after: a place for everything
* pretty, pretty: a four-tiered cake
* interior inspiration: bare plaster

{as always, a few things you may have missed:}
* hello & back from nyc
* at home with: rachel ashwell
* fashion inspiration: antonio berardi, london
* scrapbook: a countryside picnic

{new for the weekend:}
* décor inspiration: endless summer

{& a few thank you's:}
* melisa for this post & rachel for the daily & loveliest comments
* lynn & 2pompitas for the fun parcels in the post
* shelter pop for the link-love & style bistro for the wonderful mention

{images: adriana lima, alessandra ambrosio and rosie huntington whiteley for the loewe autumn/winter 2010/2011 campaign via fashionising}

{style inspiration: woven straw + hermès}

. . . have always favoured soft leather handbags, and more so as the days fall silently shorter each day . . .



. . . but this summer, inspired by the runways and the south of france, have been carrying around a charming straw handbag {above} from a local wicker shop tied with a silk hèrmes scarft and traipsing around town picking up pretty things here and there and bouquets of pale pink roses and whatever the desires of the afternoon, feeling as if every day were a picnic . . .

{images: bottega veneta via a glamorous little side project; straw handbag and hermès silk scarf by p. & this is glamorous with an iphone}

{monday, monday . . .}

. . . hello again! . . . a little {fashionably} late today, it's true, but another beautiful summer weekend, and so much so, decided to stay for another night, returning only moments ago . . . and after the starlit nights and warm evening breezes, the late-morning coffees and walks along the river, and most of all, the first countryside picnic of the summer, it's back to business with lingering memories and a few lovely photographs of the weekend . . .

happy, happy monday! and hope your week is off to a perfect start,
xo

{p.s.} ever since this collection by chloé, have been a little obsessed with sexy 70's styling, also seen here & here

{images: a glamorous little side project}

{hello + a few things}

. . . dashing out the door -- sexy tousled hair, a light linen summer dress, suede heels and coral lips -- but first, a quick hello and two new & lovely things:

* summertime: a dreamy & languid light
* two lovely things: bits of green

{p.s.} isn't the miu miu bow satchel in palest pink the loveliest thing?

{image: the cherry blossom girl via beautiful things to share}