Summers Past

I'm feeling mighty sentimental about last summer...cooler temperatures, Michigan, longer hair, Torch Lake...

Anything you miss about last summer?...Don't forget to enter the Jojo's Retro & Vintage giveaway.

TGIF!

Yours,

Mellow Monday: Sunshine

One of the harder shots to get is capturing the sunlight in a soft and beautiful way. I haven't had as much luck capturing the sun like I would want. These photographers know how to do it right. Anyone have any tips to share on how to capture the light of the sun well?

Row 1: Rockie Nolan, K. Hurley
Row 2: SophieG, Irene Suchocki

See the entire Gallery HERE>>

I hope these photos start your week off right! :)

Valentino Resort 2012

I would love to add these pretty dresses to my summer wardrobe. I cant choose a favorite. Which one is yours?

Images from Style.com

Ruche, Sunlit Serenity

I'm a bit behind in posting this and many of you have probably already seen it, but it was too pretty not to just go ahead and post! Ruche always has the most dreamy look books and their newest, Sunlit Serenity, makes me wish I could click my heels and be transported. The 40s hair, delicate clothes and southern backdrop are enough to make me sigh with longing.








...Thanks so much for the warm welcome back!! I'm so glad you all like my new bicycle, Immy!!

Yours,

late summer sun + stunning details

As the summer winds down the light of the afternoon sun seems to cast a little bit softer light and the rays feels all the more sweet. These images capture that perfectly and it creates such a lovely backdrop to the unique and decorative chandelier of this attic space and the exquisite cutout detail of the Roberto Cavalli's dress.

(images scanned via French Home and Elle)

Summer-So-Far

And the worst blogger award goes to...
me.

There is absolutely no good excuse for my absence.
Mostly just laziness. I'm sorry readers.
I think when I made a goal to blog everyday
I got burned out. The break was nice but
I'm ready to come back (just not as much).

Update time!
So far, my summer has been filled with the following:

- Otter Pops by the dozen

- Anticipating a trip with my lovely friend Amy

- Stressing over an upcoming move...

- Work. Work. Work.

- Let downs, lessons, and joy

- TRYING reallllllly hard to get tan (big time fail)

- Ideas of redecorating my soon-to-be new bedroom,
I'm thinking this bedspread.

- Running to the new M.I.A album

- And lots of time with friends and the boy

Readers,
What have you been up to?

Its good to be back.



{PHOTO CREDITS }

: luxogram : {OOoozzZZ}: Kelty of Steep Street :
: La Bella Vita : Pacific Northwest Flowers :

Beautiful Afternoon

Don't you just love those lazy afternoons when all you can think of is how wonderful the hot sun is; read a good book or flip through a magazine and not care about anything that happens around you.. Oh, these are the best!

My dad got this beautiful book (on the photo above) for my mom. It has reproductions of Pierre-Joseph Redouté's rose paintings and I believe you can easily frame each page and hang it on the wall. Definitely a wonderful find!

I wish you all a beautiful day! xo

(Photo: Iva Yaneva)

Etsy Love

The Ardent Sparrow's new collection of Sunny greeting cards just screams Summer! And yes, I am thinking of sunny days, joy and happiness. Aren't you? :)

(Photo: The Ardent Sparrow)

{subtle} patriotic chic

Yes, I am already dreaming about the weekend and what to wear to celebrate the Fourth in style. I think all these pieces from the Thread Social Resort line would be perfect. I love that they are not the obvious red, white and blue choices but all have a subtle Americana vibe.

The Perfect Summer Outfit

To see where each product is from
click on it:
Dress
Shoes
Bag

Isn't this dress dreamy?
Love it.

I am back!

Hello, lovely people! I am finally done with my projects for uni and today I am applying for continuing my education in the Residential Buildings department (or your equivalent of applying for a master degree) so hooray for that! I have a few exams till the end of the month, but that's the easy part, right?

I'm not going to share anything too exciting today (I'll be blogging regularly from tomorrow on), it's just a bit of an off-topic post to talk about the things I plan on doing this summer and asking you guys what your plans are.

I feel I have so much energy that I am not quite sure what to do with it, but it's the best feeling, isn't it? I think I'll need some kind of a fun project that hasn't quite emerged in my mind, so if anyone wants to do something awesome or is looking for some help with a project or anything really, just let me know :) I feel I need to get to know a bit more the lovely people that inspire me every single day with their blogs and art and talents and it would be so wonderful to actually do something together, no?

I am visiting my parents today and going to see my insanely awesome baby nephew (who is turning 1/2 year today!) and I'll hopefully get to take lots and lots of photos! I am thinking of joining the FGR group on flickr this summer again. If you haven't heard of it, check it out - it is sooo much fun! I have tennis lessons (I used to play for a couple of years and I so need to refresh my skills and play again), learning more about a few programs that might be useful (like 3ds max, archicad, illustrator...), working on my Italian, taking some kind of a sport is all on my list. One of my teachers told me I could go paint during the summer if I had nothing better to do and I think I might do that as well. That reminds me they took all of my paintings (for an exhibition as far as we know) but I hope I'd be able to get them back after that, because there are quite a few that I didn't get the chance to scan and show them to you. On top of all that I'd be helping my dad with his work and of course, the awesome "secret" project I am working on (he-he).

I think this is officially the longest post I've written so just one last thing. Thanks to everyone for the support even when I wasn't able to communicate with you! You are all so awesome and I am really lucky to have met you guys! I'll be having a giveaway next week to celebrate it :)



Oh, and so that you know, this is officially the most awesome video ever!

p.s. If I haven't responded to an email or message you've sent me - I apologize! I'm not ignoring you, I'm just slowly catching up.

Hope your list of things to do this summer is even more exciting than mine! I'll see you tomorrow and until then - have an awesome day! xo

al fresco season

With Memorial Day comes the unofficial start to the summer entertaining season. This image from the book Perfect Porches currently tops the list of inspiration for al fresco entertaining. It is the perfect blend of casual style and sophistication. Just love the lanterns, loose and organic floral styling and can't stop thinking about the one turqouise beam!

What is your summer entertaining style?

fashioning interiors {breezy summer style}

The latest looks to arrive at Calypso all exude their signature simple, casual and playful look, making them all instant summer staples. The colors and style are wonderful inspiration for sophisticated and breezy interiors.

(rooms via pamplemousse design, canadian house and home, carrier and company and atelier am)
Hope you had a taste of summer this past weekend!

Balmain S/S 2010

If you can get over the ripped tees, over the glittery pants and the cavewoman-ish dresses, then you’ll be into Balmain next Summer too. Because there’s simply no way of going round this collection if you’re looking for a dance party costume. There’s a problem, though – even if the mid-high heels could help your dance routine, I highly dislike them. With me it’s either skyscraper heels or no heels at all. There’s no in-between. Medium heels go wonderfully with an office outfit. Nothing to do with the club or a smashing party.

Decarnin’s woman is a militant one. There’s almost no outfit without a bullet quelquepart, a war-reminder detail, something to warn us that we’re just camping, that there’s no rest for the fashwarriers, even if they party all night long. Balmain Spring Summer 2010 is a deconstructive, war-friendly DIY glittery collection for those who want to spend in the vicinity of $20,000 for a night’s outfit. (see photos of the entire collection here)

~Chloé (Editor)

Spring/Summer 2010

I know I'm quite late but rather late than never?!

So this is just going to be a sum up of all the trends and from there on I'll go on to talk about my favourite collections for this season as usual.

The start of the Spring / Summer 2010 season means it's time to refresh your wardrobe. And what a time it is: the first new season for 2010, and the first since the affects of the global financial crisis have begun the wane. Take this as an opportunity to not only splurge, but to set a course for how you'll dress for not just Spring / Summer, but beyond into 2010. So here my dear friends...*drumroll* are all the trends for the S/S season!

Hot pants and boy shorts

If ever there was a time to hit the gym, it's this Spring. Hemlines have crept up to shorter than short; in fact reaching the negative. Hot pants, boy shorts, and tap pants are all variations on this shorter-than-short style, which in many cases reveal more than just one's legs.

Knee high & over the knee socks

Knee high socks - as well as over-the-knee and thigh high socks - are back as a trend, and the options on how to wear them are many. From the sporty to the sparkly, to layerings of socks over tights; a great pair of socks can add volumes to an outfit.

Future warrior

The military and tribal trends collide to become this fierce fashion trend. Ancient civilisations come to life in leather tunics, metal plating, and war paint. Unequivocally fearless and with room for endless creativity, the main criteria for the modern warrior is confidence.

High dress splits

How to pull off the ultimate in sexy without reaching for the micro-mini? Add a long dress with a high split to your Spring wardrobe. From Versace's knock-out gowns to Lanvin's elegantly draping numbers, we look at numerous ways to rock a high dress split.

Sportswear: sporty clothing

Sportswear takes on a whole new level of cool when it hits trend status in 2010. Football inspirations turn tomboy chic to sexy yet effortless looks; while Bond girl scuba inspired clothing is the pinnacle of sporty bombshell. Dance and 20s inspired tennis looks also feature in our comprehensive look at sporty clothing in 2010.

Sci-fi and Futurism

The dawn of a new decade brings forward-projecting thoughts which reflect in many a designer's work in 2010. From the dark depths of dystopia to the possibilities of evolution, sci-fi finds its way into fashion in various forms, as do re-interpretations of traditional futurist concepts.

Jumpsuits & playsuits

Every so often, one-piece styles of clothing have a revival. What started with bodysuits and leotards is now becoming a fully-fledged trend towards jumpsuits, playsuits, and rompers. As a unique style for Spring 2010, they won't be for everyone, but they will offer more options than you'd think. Click to read more about the

Military fashion

If you've kept a keen on on past year's fashion trends military fashion will be nothing new to you. Yet, after two years of being the dominant fashion trend fashionable military clothing is evolving. Gone are the ostentatious reproductions of 18th and 19th century military uniforms. What replaces them though?

Patterned & printed pants

No longer must we stick to boring block colours on our lower half, for all varieties of printed pants have made their way onto the Spring runways. Whether floral, striped, abstract, bold or subdued... patterns on pants are giving us new bold wardrobe options for the warmer months.

See-through and sheer fabric trend

In Spring and Summer fashion tends to get a little more revealing; we blame it on the heat, and one's desire to show off. So in 2009 turn to the sheer / see-through trend to keep you cool yet sexy. 2009/2010's sheer pieces are a mixture of the soft and feminine, to the opposite extremes of the hardcore sex-kitten.

Boyfriend blazers

Continuing to be a wardrobe staple for Spring/Summer 2010, the "boyfriend" blazer is a simple way to look chic whether on a fresh Spring day or mild a Summer's night. A slightly oversized jacket or blazer, sleeves rolled up, is the pinnacle of relaxed cool.

Women's Accessory Trends for Spring 2010

Two accessory trends have caught our eye for Spring 2010: the latter is more suited to print (and the more confident fashioniser) while the former is the toned down version perfect for everyday wear.

Bow headbands

Oversized and attention grabbing, bows in 2010 come in many styles and forms. They can be cutesy or pretty, without a doubt - but there's also room for attitude and quirkiness too. Marc by Marc Jacobs, Luella, and Temperley all sported bows on their Spring 2010 runways.

Bunny ears

Headbands take a quirky turn with this unique micro-trend. Bunny ears, Mickey Mouse ears, and oversized bows are all styles which fit this vintage-sex-kitten meets sugar sweet girl-next-door look. This trend is a definite favourite for editorials and shoots; but that doesn't mean it can't work on the streets.

Women's Swimwear Trends for Spring 2010010 bikinis and swimwear

Find out what swimwear you'll be wearing when you hit the beach this Summer with our Bikinis 2009/2010 trends guide. Which monikinis should you be wearing? And what style of bikinis? And which designer is making the sexiest, must-have pieces? Women's Denim Jean Fashion Trends for Spring/Summer 2010

Ripped jeans and torn denim trend

Just when you thought they would never return... ripped jeans are back. Starting in 2008 with a horde of sexed-up editorial shoots and celebrity sightings, those torn denim shorts and shredded jeans are hitting the streets.Ripped denim in 2009 is certainly sexy and revealing - possibly more than ever. Click here to read more on the 2009 take on ripped denim.

Patched jeans

We've seen jeans go from ripped to torn to downright shredded; so what can you possibly do next? Patch them of course! It's not for everyone, but its an option that's gaining traction. Patched jeans work well as skinnies, or try patched denim flares for a revival of 70s chic. Click to read more about the patched jeans trend.

Thats all for now, I'll keep you posted.

~Chloé (Editor)