palette picks: cinnamon

OK, I'm just gonna come out and say it: I think Marsala, Pantone's Color of 2015, is ugly. They're trying to play it up as a wine or burgundy color, but it's a brown. A weird, purple-ish brown, like a bruise on your leg that stubbornly refuses to fade. If they had asked my opinion on a brown for this year, I would have told them to ditch the purple tones and crank up the orange to create a gorgeous Cinnamon. This color is often associated with Autumn, but I think it works year round. It's a warm compliment to nearly all shades of blue or green and I love it as a contrast to white and black. It also looks fresh and vibrant when paired with what seems to be everyone's actual favorite color of the year: blush.

[All photos linked via my Pinterest Page]

palette picks: forest green

Lately, I've really been coming around to Forest Green. For a long time I didn't have great associations with the color: my childhood school uniform, the Ford Explorer everyone seemed to drive in the 90s (why must car colors always have that gross metallic sheen?). It's also really easy for it to look too Christmasy. Forest Green is undoubtably a very pretty color, but it can really change depending on what its paired with. I like it to brighten it up by combining it with bright, warm colors rather than the predictable navy or brown. This fall, I'm loving the fresh combination of Forest Green with peachy pink, goldenrod and rust:

[Top Palette photo by Susanna Vento. Collage photos Clockwise from Top Left:  Moroccan house via Through the French eye of Design, Peach Green Wallpaper by Lindsay Cowles,  Palm print via Alexandra Heide, Nail polish by Pointless Cafe, Tilda Swinton via fanpop, girl with bun via milk + honey, table and chairs via Architectural Digest, green skirt from Larmoni]

kinda inspired: block shop textiles

Block Shop is a textile company founded by sisters Hopie and Lily Stockman. They create colorful, modern scarves that are entirely handmade in Bagru, India. The sisters work with a cooperative of artists to dye and print their scarves using the traditional block printing methods that have been used for 350 years. The sisters strive to keep alive these textile traditions while ensuring they are environmentally sustainable as well. They use only natural and non-toxic dyes, and fund clean water and healthcare initiatives for the local community in Bagru.

I love the handmade look of block printing, and Block Shop has done a beautiful job of modernizing the art with their fresh color palettes and interesting geometric patterns. They just released their Fall collection and it is gorgeous! Here are my favorites:

Clockwise from top left: Zipper Peony, Mosiac Marigold, Sadleblanket Red Rock, and Temple Coffee 

You can read more about Block Shop in T Magazine and Remodelista. Shop their scarves on their website and follow along on their travel adventures on their Instagram feed.


[Top photo from T Magazine, Center photo and scarf photos from Block Shop]

metallic shoes: yea or nay?

Have you noticed metallic shoes everywhere this season? Shiny leathers that were once reserved for special occasion heels are now showing up in everyday oxfords, flats, boots and sneakers. I must say I'm on the fence about the trend. The part of me that is attracted to all things shiny is saying "yes! gold! gold everywhere!", but the more practical part of me is questioning how easy they are to wear. Plus, as someone with, ahem, not the *smallest* feet in the world, I'm wondering if I really want to draw so much attention to my feet. What about you? Will you be sporting any gold, silver, or bronze shoes this fall?

Clockwise from top right: Silver Anouck Loafer,  Tonk Booties with Gold Accents, Supra Gold/Black Skytops,
Pewter Mary Janes, Rose Gold Keds,  Bass Gold Loafer, DV Silver Slip-ons, and Pewter Ankle Boot

For even more metallic shoes, check out my Pinterest page.


[Top photo via The Shiny Squirrel]

saturday weekender bags

This summer I've got a few shorter weekend getaways planned rather than one big vacation, so obviously I need a new weekender bag, right? Though suitcases with wheels can be more practical for longer trips, a duffel bag seems right when you're just going for a night or two. Plus, maybe a smaller bag would help curb my chronic over-packing?

Kate Spade Saturday has totally sold me on their Weekender Bag with their super fun customization tool. You can choose between two sizes, customize the color placement, and even add a monogram! I must warn you though- the customization tool is totally addicting, I could literally spend all day coming up with new color combos. Here are a few of my favorites:

I would totally spring for the monogram feature. I love personalized embroidery, but I never actually get my initials on things. I think it's more fun to get a word or phrase instead. This bag only gives you space for three letters or numbers, but that still gives you some options. I might do "YES" or "EEK". Which would you choose?

P.S. I'm also in love with the Parker Weekender from Graf & Lantz, though I think its a little out of my price range...

[all photos from Kate Spade Saturday, larger bags customized by yours truly]

monday links

Happy Monday! Have you finished your taxes yet? Better get on it, procrastinators! If you're in need of a little break this afternoon, watch this silly video featuring Superheroes as the Golden Girls.

Who wants to see Only Lovers Left Alive, Jim Jarmusch's new movie starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as hipster vampires? I'm intrigued by the idea of vampires using their hundreds of years of immortality to read and listen to music rather than being scary ghouls (or sparkly permanent highschoolers, I'm looking at you Twilight). It actually makes the idea of being a vampire sound kind of appealing- imagine having all the time in the world to read every great book there ever was!
Check out the NY Times review, and an interesting interview with Tilda Swinton.

Have you seen Coral & Tusk's new line of embroidered fabric? The first collection features three whimsical prints on upholstery weight linen. It's only available to the trade (arg), but if anyone wants to send me one of these pillows, I'll happily accept.

I recently came across GUDRUN SJÖDÉN, a Swedish brand of clothing and home textiles. They have some really fun floral prints for Spring. A lot of their clothes are a little too older hippie lady for me (think flowing tunics layered over skirts over pants), but there are some gems to be found- like these printed sneakers, asymmetrical jacket,  and boatneck dress.  They just opened their first US store in NY, but I think their next shop should probably open in Berkeley (the ladies of 4th street would be all over this). They also have gorgeous prints for the home- I love everything in the Gökotta print.


[Super Golden Friends photo from L7World, Only Lovers Left Alive photo from Sony Pictures Classics via Buzzfeed, Coral & Tusk photo by Geoffrey Sokol via Daily AD, Girl in garden photo from GUDRUN SJÖDÉN]

monday links

It's my husband's birthday today, so I made him a batch of his favorite lemon bars- but made with key limes for a new twist. I always use this recipe for the Ultimate Lemon Butter Bar. It's a fairly involved recipe, but it yields the most delicious bars with a serious punch of tart citrus. Consider yourself warned: I brought these to a bake sale at work years ago, and two older ladies in my office literally begged me every day until I agreed to bring in more! This recipe doesn't make a lot, so I usually double it and make them in a 9x13" pan. Well, more specifically, I double the shortbread base and triple the lemon curd topping. If you want to try them with lime juice, I recommend using 2/3 lime juice and 1/3 lemon juice so they still end up nice and tart.

The Selby featured a home tour of John Derian's NYC apartment, and (not surprisingly) it's filled with an amazing assortment of unique and lovely things. If you're not familiar with John Derian's decoupage, visit his website and prepare to empty your bank account. 

Have you ever ordered from Golden Tote? It's a fun concept: you fill out a questionnaire about your style, pick out one or two pieces you like, and then they surprise you with up to five other items in your tote. My friend Kait is obsessed with it, and has got me thinking about giving it a try. The tote for April was released today, and some pieces are already sold out, but I've got my eye on this sundress for summer.


[Lemon bar photo by Carl Tremblay via Leite's Culinaria, John Derian home photo by The Selby,  sundress photo from Golden Tote]

trendspotting: florals on black

Floral prints have been big for some time now, but lately I've been noticing floral prints with black backgrounds cropping up everywhere. From clothing to art and accessories, the bright flowers really pop against the dark background. These prints seem great for this early spring time of year- the black background means you can still pair them with your darker cold weather clothes, but the flowers give you a punch of springy color. 

Here are some of my favorites:

Clockwise from top left: photo from fashionsalade, tie, phone case, hat, photo by Justina Blakeney, dress, pants

This trend seems to be part of the resurgence of 90's grungy style- taking Grandma's floral prints and toughening them up to make them more current. The florals can range from classic cottage garden floral prints to more modern photo-realistic florals. These prints are showing up in menswear as well (remember when I said men were wearing florals?).

Clockwise from top left: girls photo via Genny Wilson, phone case, journal, Doc Martens, jacket,

 Susan Farrington Print,  dress, heels

As a devoted lover of all things flowery, I'm liking this new take on floral prints. What do you think?
For even more floral prints on black backgrounds, check out my Pinterest board.

[Top photo via Where Did U Get That]

land's end

Psst... has anyone else noticed that Land's End is suddenly kinda... cool?! Maybe I'm just getting really old, but there's quite a few things I like in their latest catalog. It was shot in Palm Springs and they're rocking a bright, colorful, J.Crew kinda vibe. 

See what I mean? Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of chinos and fleece to sort through, but there are some gems to be found. I've got my eye on this striped blouse, these slouchy seersucker pants, and maybe this longer-length skirt - which I think would look cute with these wedge sandals. 

And they haven't forgotten the men folk either. Their Canvas line seems aimed at a younger, hipper, more character-in-a-Wes-Anderson-movie kind of customer than their core line. Just look at those dapper models! They have some great plaids in interesting color combos- like this pretty teal madras and bright red flannel.  I bought my husband this plaid flannel for Christmas and it's become his new favorite shirt. 

Check out all my picks on my Pinterest page.

Their pricing is already pretty reasonable, but it's even better right now with their Friends and Family sale. Through Feb 25th, they're offering 25% off and free shipping with code FRIENDLY and pin 2025.

[All photos from Land's End]

summer 1927

This month, my book club is reading Bill Bryson's latest book: One Summer: America, 1927. I'm only about half-way through, but so far it's been fascinating. That summer, Charles Lindberg made the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic from New York to Paris, Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs, and Al Jolson's "The Jazz Singer" was released as the first "talking picture". If you're a fan of the show Boardwalk Empire, you may already be familiar with the flappers, gangsters and bootleggers of the era (season 4 was supposed to take place in 1924), but as I've been reading, I've found myself wondering what everyday life looked like for most Americans. A little internet sleuthing turned up a treasure trove of great photos.

Read on for lots of fun photos from 1927:

reconsidering animal

For years I have been staunchly anti-animal print, but lately I've begun to have a change of heart. Don't get me wrong, it can easily be gaudy and overdone (case in point), but I think a small amount can add a great pop of pattern to an outfit.

Here are my tips for keeping animal print out of Snooki territory:

florals for men

From top left: beige hat, lt blue hat, navy hat, chambray shirt, floral jacket

I have often thought I would die of boredom if I had to wear men's clothes, but things do seem to be getting a little more exciting over in the men's section lately. Menswear designers are embracing color and patten- even florals! Hawaiian prints seem to surface every summer, but these florals are a new take on traditional floral and ditsy prints. They've been modernized with a darker, more muted color palette to keep them from looking too grandmotherly.

From left: paisley tank, button-up shirt, cream socks, olive socks

I'm all for men adding some flowers to their wardrobe. It seems only fair that they get to have some fun, especially with the color and print mixing free-for-all going on now in women's fashion. I think this trend is most successful when guys keep the rest of their outfit more casual and rugged to toughen up the florals a bit (side note: since when does Nordstrom use models with mustaches and sleeve tattoos??).

For more of my floral picks, check out my Pinterest page.

What do you think- are men ready to embrace floral prints?

cutoffs

It's summer, and that means I pretty much want to live in cutoffs. I've been on the hunt for a new pair after my trusty old favorites finally bit the dust. I was eyeing a pair at Madewell, but I just can't justify paying big bucks for something that is so easy to make yourself. Unfortunately, I didn't have any old jeans I could just cut (why can't my jeans ever get holes in the knees instead of the inseam??), so I decided to hit up my local thrift store. 

sea of neon

 

On a recent trip to the Steinhart Aquarium, I couldn't help but notice how on-trend all the colors in the fish tanks were. The coral reefs were full of pretty shades of beige and blush accented by pops of bright neons. Perhaps designers have found color inspiration in coral reefs- or maybe the fashionable fish only allow the most trendy coral to flourish??

Here's a few of my favorite neutral and neon pieces from around the web paired up with their aquarium counterparts:

stacking rings

I never used to wear rings, but once I finally got used to wearing my engagement ring, it was like a beast was let out of its cage. Now I just want to pile on more and more rings! I love the look of stacking delicate, thin bands together. And with the recent trend of first knuckle rings, I can literally stack them to the top of my fingers!

First knuckle rings, also called tea rings, midi rings, or memory rings, are meant to be worn above the knuckle. The name "memory ring" refers to a clever trick: move a pinky ring above the knuckle of another finger to remind you to do something. 

Lest you think this trend was invented in Brooklyn, a recent article from The Daily Beast revealed that these rings actually date back to the Renaissance. Apparently, wealthy women wore them to brag that they didn't have to work with their hands in the fields. Nowadays, you can just use them to signify your love of jewelry, or to accent your new manicure. 

The jewelry store Catbird was one of the first to popularize this trend, as still has the best selection of first knuckle and stacking rings. Their ever-changing How We Wear It gallery is a great source of inspiration for creative stacks of rings. I have their Classic and Mignon memory rings, which I wear on the top of my middle and ring fingers. I've also got my eye on their Pinky Club Ring and maybe a stack of Alphabet Rings with my initials.

For more inexpensive options, Etsy has a ton of jewelers using less precious materials. I like the simple stacking rings from Modern Chromatic and this dainty Knot Ring.

[images from top: Catbird First Knuckle Rings, Refinery29 layered rings, and Catbird Anatomy of a Stack]