Lions And Tigers And Bears (Oh My!)

Oh, Hedi Slimane, you slay me with your brilliance. Go check out his diary, it's awesome.

Tomorrow I am embarking on my very own Wizard of Oz-like experience. I've packed up my worldly possessions and will be driving back to Sydney (yep, that's 12 hours in the car), ready to start fashion school (finally, after all my hype)! Actually, classes officially start the following week but there's going to be an industrial sewing skills bridging course (how fancy) and orientation for us newbies starting on Monday. I'm super excited!!! In fact, there aren't enough exclamation points to show my excitement!!! If you're interested (yes? no?), I'll try to share bits and pieces of what it's like to be a fashion student. :)

See you on the other side of the weekend! xo, i.d.

Photo credits: http://www.hedislimane.com/diary/

Fourth In Line

The lovely Nicki of The Cherry Blog tagged me to play this game:

• Go to the fourth folder on your computer where you keep your photographs.
• Choose the fourth picture.
• Explain it.
• Tag four other people.

This is what I pulled out of the proverbial hat:

Readers of this blog will have deduced by now that I have a not-so-slight obsession with all things French. Having never been to Paris, I have Carrie Bradshaw-esque dreams about what it would be like to run away to the City of Lights. (Namely, it would be full of cafes and pastries and Chanel and French Vogue and stripey shirts and boys on bikes and the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.) This photo comes from a folder of the pretty pictures of Paris I keep to fuel these fantasies.

And now I'd like to tag:

• Life In Fashion
• Notebook Doodles
• Neon Stilettos
• They Wanted To Capture The Youth

Ready? Set? Go! xo, i.d.

 

Photo credits: http://genpink.tumblr.com/

First Family In Isabel Toledo

One week ago today...

P.S. Sorry for the short posts this week - things have been hectic, for reasons which will become apparent...not to be mysterious or anything. :) 

Photo credits: http://genpink.tumblr.com/

Free Encouragement

I love these quotes from Free Encouragement. I'm all about positive thinking!

Photo credits: http://www.booooooom.com/2008/12/22/project-5-submissions-part-11/

Supermarket HQ To The Rescue

SupermarketHQ is my new favorite destination for charming and quirky home decor. Singled out in the latest issue of Lucky, the Brooklyn-based website lets you shop the wares of more than 300 talented designers. Here are some of my favorites!

Teacup hookmaker, Design Glut, US$30

Home sweet home wall graphic, Elly Nelly, US$55

Wall-hanging cuckoo clock, Dayab, US$28

Photo credits: http://www.supermarkethq.com

A Product Of My Environment

Photo credits: http://www.2c.com.au/artist.cfm?ArtistID=85

Upside Down Town

What a quintessential New York apartment. I've fallen head over heels for the upside down love heart print!

Photo credits: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/the-next-at-book-call-for-submissions-074586

...And Burberry Boys

I couldn't help but post this! I love the plaid scarves and dark blazers, all in a row. Happy weekend! And Happy Australia Day for Monday! xo, i.d.

Photo credits: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/fashion/shows/19milan.html

I Heart Harajuku Girls...

Have you guys heard of Dropsnap.jp? It's a Japanese street style blog that swings the spotlight onto the fashionable ladies of the Harajuku district in Tokyo. (Big kudos to The Clothes Horse for the endorsement.) Below are a few of my favorites - and they are TAME. You ain't seen nothing until you check out the blog, crammed full of crazily kaleidoscopic, outrageously thematic and almost intergalactically strange ensembles - each girl is truly a walking billboard for her own unique style!

This made me wonder how people would really dress if there was no fear of judgment (because as much as we like to think that we wear what we want, our wardrobes are subconsciously dictated by social norms). So I ask you to share - what one item of clothing would you wear if you really, truly didn't care what other people thought? Use your imagination! (Don't laugh, but I would love to own an Amelia Earhart-style pilot cap! No reason why.)

Photo credits: http://www.dropsnap.jp/

A Girl's BFF

Diamonds! (Duh.)

But you can be your own best friend by:

• applying red lipstick (a.k.a. confidence in a tube) just to go grocery shopping;
• wearing sequins in the daytime and watching with glee as the sunlight creates a disco ball-like effect on the sidewalk;
• spending a day constructing new outfits out of your existing wardrobe to the tune of ABBA;
• whipping up a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries for yourself;
• forgoing a night out on the town for a night in bed with Gossip Girl and/or The City (my two not-so-secret shames).

Show and tell: what nice things do you treat yourself to?

Photo credits: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1860363,00.html

Miniskirts Galore

I'm all for the miniskirt - they're sexy and sweet and so easy to wear. That's why I was super-excited to find this website packed with page after page of photos from the 60s and 70s of girls showing off their lovely gams! Check it out - I think you'll enjoy the nostalgia.

Photo credits: http://digilander.libero.it/guido_1953/pics/miniskirts/miniskirts-girls.htm

Apartment Wishlist

I haven't done an Apartment Wishlist in a looong time. To me, the ultimate luxury would be a fabulous dressing room and walk-in closet (OK, and a fabulous wardrobe to match, please).

P.S. Make sure you check out Apartment Therapy - they are conducting a poll to see if you can guess which decade this picture comes from!

Sidenote: Is anyone having trouble posting comments? If so, I'd be much obliged if you could shoot me an email and let me know. Seems like Blogger has been acting up lately...Thanks!

Photo credits: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/inspiration/guess-the-decade-dressing-room-074394

On Originality

Click to enlarge


One of the reasons why I resisted returning to my creative roots is this persistent fear that I'm not creative enough. I mentioned this to an artist friend and he said, "It's not about plucking inspiration out of nowhere; it's about developing and refining an idea." It was good advice but the huge expectations on designers to come up with something "new" all the time still scare me. Any thoughts?

Photo credits: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/inspiration/how-do-you-keep-things-original-074336

Viva Americana

I am totally mesmerized by this look at the moment. The best part? You could easily throw it together from the staple pieces in your wardrobe (t-shirt + leather jacket + jeans). I just might have to take it for a test drive this weekend.

Photo credits: http://community.livejournal.com/foto_decadent/1909746.html#cutid1

Red, White And Ruled

Happy Inauguration Day!!! I woke up at 3am to watch it live - feeling sleepy now...

Photo credits: http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/2009/01/08/rules/

Pantone Predictions

Awhile ago, Pantone, the undeniable authority on all things concerned with color, looked into its crystal ball and forecast the future of fashion for Spring/Summer 2009. The verdict:

What I found most interesting was the designers' take on the color trends - a lot of them seemed to gravitate towards rose dust and fuschia red.


Will you pick up on Pantone's predicted pallette? Personally, I don't pay much attention to seasonal variations in color. I like to stick to what I know works for me: black, cream, gray and the occasional jewel tone. It makes coordinating outfits a whole lot easier! But I guess it wouldn't hurt to dabble in a bit of pink and purple...

Photo credits: http://www.pantone.com/downloads/articles/pdfs/PANTONE-FCR-sp2009.pdf

Ver-Sigh

For 25 years, Robert Polidori has been snapping shots of interiors under restoration in the 18th century palace in Versailles. Amazing, huh?

Polidori’s pictures are as much an exercise in still life photography as a comment on the notion of restoration. Exquisite and opulent subject matter, photographed in painstaking detail, makes you wonder if restoration is anything more than maquillage of a contemporary culture, rather than the preservation of the past: ‘historical revisionism and present society’s superego’ as Polidori suggests.

Photo credits: http://www.wallpaper.com/interiors/robert-polidori-versailles/2821

Which Kiss?

I couldn't decide which photo was more iconic - you'd literally be asking me to choose between New York and Paris, which is an impossible task, I'm afraid. Therefore, I give you both. Can you guys tell that I'm a sucker for romance?

Alfred Eisenstaedt’s image of a sailor kissing a nurse

in Times Square on V-J Day in 1945.

“The Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville,” taken in Paris in 1950.

Photo credits: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/that-times-square-smooch-right-to-the-kisser/

Raindrops On Roses

Hello, Monday. Wouldn't it have been nice to wake up to a vintage teacup stuffed with pink roses on your bedside table?

Photo credits: http://www.peoniesandpolaroids.com/2008/12/tea-and-roses.html

Paris Would Be Pretty This Time Of Year

Don't you think? (Illustration by Sarah Hankinson.)

P.S. Make sure you check out Time magazine's 10 questions with Vivienne Westwood. She is such a powerful, inventive, rebellious force in fashion. A snippet:

What is the essence of true beauty?
I'm always attracted to people who interest me. They've got to be people who are really true to themselves somehow, and who are always trying to do something that makes their life more interesting, or better, or something for somebody else. They're interested in people.

Have a fabulous weekend! xo, i.d.

Photo credits: http://www.sarahhankinson.com; http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1871537,00.html

Rock A Bye, Baby

Rachel Griffin is into some pretty awesome experimental industrial design - like swing skirts and bling bowls (I like the alliteration too). Check out this groovy aluminium knit rocking chair:

Photo credits: http://www.rachelgriffin.net/work.html

Tomboy Glam

This kind of reminds me of the movies, where you have a couple at some sort of soiree and the girl gets cold so the guy gives her his tuxedo jacket. To the fellas - this is always a smooth move!

Photo credits: http://www.lagarconne.com/store/lookbook20081030.htm

Coco Avant Chanel

This movie can't come out soon enough! How perfect is the casting of Audrey Tatou as Coco Chanel? I'm feeling giddy just thinking about how good it'll be...

Photo credits: http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/31048281.html?page=3#comments

I Heart Weddings

First, let me say that I don't plan on getting married anytime soon...but I do love weddings. I love unfolding invitations on thick letter-pressed stationary. I love any excuse to get dolled up in a floaty frock and bejeweled heels. I love the solemnity of the ceremonies and watching relatives get teary. I love sitting at a table full of rambunctious friends at the reception. I love eating course after course of mouth-watering food. And I love living it up on the dance floor next to the groom's cousin's second-favorite great-step-aunt.

There's no doubt that Vera Wang is the queen of high fashion weddings. The Sex And The City movie paid tribute to her fit-for-a-princess gowns, and the new Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway movie Bride Wars culminates in a celebration of Vera Wang-designed tulle and duchess satin. I recently discovered that her wedding website not only offers brides-to-be a beautiful guide to planning the perfect day - but also some lovely black and white photography that really captures the romance and celebration of marriage....Break out the tissues, ladies.

Photo credits: http://www.verawangonweddings.com/inspiration/Inspiration.aspx

Love Actually

Currently loving: Word-of-the-day. Vintage markets. Converse sneakers. Sunshiney days. Poladroid. Finishing your sentences. Snail mail. Rediscovering my closet. Sleeping in. Skype. Lavender. Photo booths. Road trips. The calm before the storm. Tim Walker photography. Random moments. The Kooks. Scones with jam. Dinner plans. Letting go.

P.S. Feeling warm and fuzzy after hearing all your kind words...thanks muchly! xo, i.d.

Photo credits: http://mypolaroidblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/all-you-need.html; http://www.yenmag.net/; http://thedrifterandthegypsy.blogspot.com/