{glamorous detail: flowers at the waist}

Adore the layered shades of paprika, saffron and apricot in the Rochas Spring 2010 collection in Paris, but most of all, flowers at the waist . . .

{p.s.} a fun quote:
"Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves, and of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys, they'd just walk around naked . . ."

-- Betsey Johnson

{images: style.com, more of this collection at a glamorous little side project; quote via boubou teatime + twitter}

{travel inspiration: paris, london, italy, new york}

orvieto

"the world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page"

~ saint augustine

. . . a wonderful wednesday afternoon and thoughts are drifting, drifting to far off places -- to romantic canals and glass museums, tiny boulangeries and grand archways, a sweet nostalgia for all the places we have been, and all of the places still in our dreams . . .

{p.s.} unbelievably, all of these beautiful photographs were taken by natasha, a lawyer from sydney, australia







paris



london







new york





florence



assisi







rome











venice

{all photography by .natasha. on flickr, quote via destined to design; special thanks to felicity for always sending along the most lovely things}

{runway inspiration: monique lhuillier, new york}

. . . and as promised, another glimpse of monique lhuillier's perfect collection, resplendent with paillettes and drapes and flows, a dusting of sequins and magnolias hand-painted on organza and woven into jacquard and most of all, the promise of magical evenings, the ballet or dinner for two, or just hanging out looking gorgeous . . .

{p.s.} and to p, reminds me of you:
"If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life."

~ Oscar Wilde

{also:} more of this collection

{style.com}

{runway inspiration: derek lam, new york}

"I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes."

~ Yves Saint Laurent

. . . a little sad to gracefully decline so many new york fashion week invitations as we've only just returned, but still and always wonderfully exciting to pore over the spring 2011 ready-to-wear collections for new work by favourite designers such as derek lam . . . there were clean lines and floaty dresses, linen twill blazers and silk crepe blouses, but most of all, there was that wonderful seventies sophistication that am so adoring these days . . .

{p.s.} more sexy seventies style:
* blouses & blazers
* scarves & pencil skirts
* fedoras & leopard print
* stripes & secretary blouses
* turlenecks & tweed

{images: vogue}

{colour inspiration: late-summer pink}

. . . the last day of august and how it has arrived so quickly is a mystery, and while the early morning air has become a little cooler, the sun still shines warmly and whether it's ribbons or tulle, stripes on a chair or a soft cashmere sweater, whether in shades of monticello or azalea, somehow, the last days of summer always feels like pink . . .

{p.s.} today is also p's birthday and we're off to lose ourselves in beautiful things . . . à bientôt & hope your week is off to a perfect start xo

{images: photography by jose villa via follow studio; absolutely beautiful things; t.i.g. scan, martha stewart weddings; peonies: photography by sarah tucker via ada & darcy; t.i.g. scan, photography by tom leighton, styling by ali brown and kate french for homes & gardens july 2010; t.i.g. scan, j.crew august 2009}

{thoughts on love}

{via paper schmaper + mary ruffle}

{happy monday + thoughts for a new week}

. . . another summer weekend may have come and gone, but it was filled with french bread and escargots, nights in silk dresses and upswept hair, and a lingering of early morning breezes laden with a beautiful excitement . . . and over morning cups of coffee, reminded of a favourite winston churchill quote:

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

. . . a wonderful thought for a brand new week, and hope yours is off to a perfect start,
xo

{p.s.} late august, which means a wildly sporadic posting schedule and never quite seem to get into the week until it's nearly over, and so -- many new & wonderful things you may have missed at week's end:
* weekend romance & lovely links
* in the bedroom: only sweet dreams
* photographer: camilla akrans & autumn blossoms
* in the bedroom: crisp linens & scalloped edges

{my wonderworld}

{scrapbook: a countryside picnic}

. . . spending most of our summer weekends away in the countryside, markets and antique shops on saturday mornings, leisurely dinners that last until nightfall and, most wonderfully, a summer picnic on a perfect july afternoon, deep green leaves flickering in sunlight, intermingling with battenburg lace and the scent of sweetheart roses, champagne and the glimmer of vintage cut crystal, fine floral print china and fresh strawberry tarts, and most of all, the air filled with a dreamy and magical light . . .

{p.s.} our last picnic

{images: photography by p & this is glamorous © august 2010, image five - excerpt from a quote by henry wadsworth longfellow, also used here}