An apartment in Paris, abandoned before World War II, and untouched for 70 years.The article is here.
... View the Post
Capsule wardrobes inspired by art and nature
An apartment in Paris, abandoned before World War II, and untouched for 70 years.The article is here.
... View the Post
May 2, 2013
As soon as I saw this available for sale, I knew it was going to go onto the Style Shelf. Aside from the fact that I'm terribly tired of book covers in hot pink (every "chic lit" novel in Ireland had either a pink or a lavender cover, I swear...), this is an interesting addition to the wee library.So here, in my less than expert translation, is what the authors have to say about cleaning out closets:
ARRANGE YOUR WARDROBE
"We have a tendency to choose the first clothes that are on top of the pile. It's easy, one does not waste time, and takes no risks, and one gets dressed automatically. What a pity for all of those treasures which have been sleeping for years, and upon which you lavished such care ... View the Post
Another hard-to-find, but really fascinating book. The author guides one step by step in a process of identifying favorite color palettes. The book has a definite Japanese feel, and once in a while you'll run into a word used in a way you wouldn't have expected (I would guess because it's been translated), but overall it's an eye-opening new way to think about colors. I'll post more from Colorist, because it is out of print and rather expensive to purchase. But if you really like to be challenged in your ways of looking at the world, I recommend this book highly.
Below is the 2nd exercise in the book. You could of course get all deconstructionist about this and start debating what he means when he ... View the Post
Released in 1993, published by Express (yes, the clothing store), and a fund-raiser for DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation for AIDS). Full of... interesting... tidbits, like the table below. More to follow - this book is very hard to find, and just too much fun to pass by!
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Of COURSE we shopped. It would require super-human discipline for belovedest and I to stay out of stores in Paris. Partly, of course, shops in Paris are a great opportunity to get some insights into the French aesthetic - the way the stores are arranged, the way the merchandise is displayed - it's just NOT like shopping in Chicago.And then, there are some stores that just don't exist in Chicago - specifically Agnes B. (who had a store here which closed a few years ago), Muji, and French Trotters. If I were absolutely forced to purchase all of my clothing from one store, it would be Agnes B.; her designs appeal to me completely. And Muji is just cool - streamlined products of every possible sort. French Trotters ... View the Post
Women of all ages were still wearing white jeans, without seeming to even consider that they might be "out of season". Except for avoiding slush and puddles, why NOT wear white jeans all year 'round? The ban on white is sort of archaic, isn't it?
Jeans – J Brand, plaid shirt – Patagonia, loafers – Vaneli, sweater – Sheinside, pink loafers - Valentino
Jeans – J Brand, sweater – Elizabeth and James, oxfords – Mel, flowered sweater – Dolce & Gabbana, kitten-heel pumps – Stuart Weitzman
Jeans – J Brand, blouse – Equipment, white leather jacket – Blk Dnm, purple flats – Puma, chambray shirt – Madewell, cardigan – Zadig & Voltaire, pink flats - Modcloth
Jeans – J ... View the Post
Our hotel was perfect. It's rare that anybody can say that with complete sincerity, but in this case, there was absolutely nothing we would have changed.
The Pavillon des Lettres is a 26-room hotel, designed around the theme of authors. Rather than numbering the rooms, they assign each of them a letter (hence the 26 works our very well). Each room is then dedicated to an author who's last name begins with the letter of the room.
We stayed in Ibsen. It was very small by the American standard of "one must be able to square-dance in one's hotel room" (yet another reason to pack lightly!), but exquisitely designed, quiet, and comfortable.
Anybody who believe that Parisians are rude has never stayed at this hotel ... View the Post
October 8, 2012
I'm back! And I have a LOT to share! Today, one of the more ubiquitous style ideas I saw - wearing a summer dress in cooler weather. Ingenious, efficient, and very cute...
love,
Janice ... View the Post
She's pretty, she's charming, she's a whirlwind of a manager, and she was the Chic Sighting at brunch yesterday!
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Black tee – Dorothy Perkins, denim shorts – Awear, sandals – Jimmy Choo, black asymmetrical top – Rag & Bone, capris – Patagonia, flats - Toms
Black tank – Splendid, rose print trousers – Topshop, flats – Charlotte Russe, off the shoulder top – Red Valentino, floral print pants – J. Crew, sandals – Jil Sander
Black camisole – BKE, linen pants – CP Shades, tennies – Converse Chuck Taylor, black polo – Barbour, chiffon pants – 3.1 Phillip Lim, wedge sandals – John Lewis
Black blouse – Fever Millie, print skirt – Rebecca Taylor, sneakers – Keds, tank – Forever New, lace skirt – L’Agence, black pumps – Jimmy Choo
Black sheer blouse – H&M, denim skirt – Industry of ... View the Post
Although it might seem reckless to wear white in the city, lots of us do it all the time. New York was full of women using white as a base for a wide variety of very personal looks... Flowered tank – Tillys, denim capris – True Religion, purple sandals – Debenhams, dotted top – Giambattista Valli, capris – Dorothy Perkins, sandals – Jil Sander
Sleeveless top – Romwe, denim shorts – True Religion, sandals – Bottega Veneta, striped tee shirt – Mango, Bermuda shorts – Vince, espadrilles - Debenhams
Tee shirt – Kain Classic, linen pants – CP Shades, espadrilles – Missoni, red sleeveless top – Raoul, cotton pants – Moschino, loafers – Nicholas Kirkwood
Tank – Malene Birger, ruffled skirt – ... View the Post
July 24, 2012
Way back when, the original French Chic book listed seven garments, and then a dozen ways to combine them and accessorize them. I've chosen to visualize this potential in a non-black color (and in some "not quite solid" pieces), and in some younger and less conservative iterations...
And please note that your clothes don't have to all be out of the identical dye lot; a bit of blending is quite alright.
love,
Janice ... View the Post