J'adore: August

Over the course of the summer there have been a few lustworthy items that have truly caught my eye.

Though the iPad is an electronic, it’s also a functional, sleek accessory.  Just like a bag, shoes or jewelry, the case covering an iPad is a way for the owner to express themselves.  For something basic there’s Apple’s signature black cover, for a more fashionable option there’s Burberry’s leather metallic cover, for a classic look Smythson offers bright crocodile covers.  For iPad owners who want something with a bit of character, Twelve South has created a handmade, hardback case for the iPad that looks like a vintage, leather bound book.  At $69 it’s a bargain.

Handmade in Columbia with fine Spanish cotton, Salua Lingerie’s boyfriend nightshirt is a flattering and comfortable sleepwear option. Each season they offer a number of different designs including dresses, shirts and separates, and unlike men’s clothing, Salua’s designs are lightweight, soft and tailored for women. Whenever I wear this shirt I try to find a reason to stay at home and not change into normal clothes.

Me & Ro jewelry designer Robin Renzi operates her business out of her New York City workroom, and attracted celebrity clientele including Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow and Charlize Theron. The half-inch heart pendent is made of hand-carved fossilized ivory, and set in 18K gold. The necklace is on the pricey end, but be layered beautifully with other necklaces and is a piece that remains in a woman’s jewelry collection for life


An eye-catching t-shirt can easily transform a dull outfit into one that’s chic and interesting.  I’ve recently fallen in love with three different t-shirt designers, one from Argentina and two from France, each with very different aesthetics. French brand Maison Labiche pays tribute to music stars with line drawings of album covers on their t-shirts.  One of their more simple designs features the names of iconic figures in literature, like Gatsby and Holden Caufield, and movie characters like Luke Skywalker. Drug Money Art, is the creation of Argentine surfer Tin Ojeda. Each shirt is hand painted or screened, featuring sayings like, “Beauty is Boring,” photos of Great White sharks, or Ojeda’s drawings.  The young French street brand Quatre Cent Quinze offers a small selection of unisex shirts with eye-popping screen prints.

The small cross body bag has become rather popular over the past year, offering a less cumbersome option for those who like the small compact nature of a clutch, but prefer to have their hands free.  The Mini Miss Wu is Jason Wu’s new cross body bag.  The python purse is available in the three primary colors, but the cobalt is by far the most striking choice.  Diane Kruger was spotted earlier this month wearing the scarlet red mini bag.

Wedding china

In honor of Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton official wedding memorabilia is available for purchase.  I'm not entirely sure if anyone still collects commemorative plates, but if I did I would probably buy mine from KK Outlet.  See pictures of the other plates here.

P.S.- I made this...

When I used to have time outside of work, I used to love crafting.  Perhaps this is something that contributes to my “eternal lone gypsy” persona.  I was one of those people who learned how to crochet, but not one of those people who carried it around everywhere as a badge of honor.   I went through a serious decoupage phase.  And I still have necklaces that I made with supplies from AC Moore and an antique shop in town.

The other day I stumbled upon the blog P.S. - I made this… and it has some really fun ideas for do-it-yourself clothing, jewelry and homewares.  Apparently the author go a book deal out of the, and is a favorite of @bergdorfs on Twitter.  My favorites which are all homewares are showcased below.

The first are John Derian-inspired dishes, which can be used to decorate walls, or coffee tables.  They’re made by decoupaging maps onto tin trays, or old dinner dishes.  I think it would be interesting to try this same idea with old antique photos.

The second item I loved was the non-porcelain, porcelain pottery.  It only requires a container, puffy paint and matte spray paint.  It’s very Jonathan Adler.

Lastly there are the metallic luxe home accessories.  Thought the items are from the dollar store, they look so chic when they’re metallic and sitting on top of the coffee table books.

J'adore: Part Deux

Christmas is less than twenty days away, which means I have It’s a Wonderful Life and March of the Wooden Soldiers playing on a continuous loop.  The weather is getting colder and Santa’s on his way.  If you haven’t finalized your Christmas list, here are some fun stocking stuffer ideas:

Cire Trudon was founded in 1643 in Paris, and has made candles for royalty, world leaders, and the greatest fashion houses.  They have a vast selection of candles, including tapered candles of every color in the rainbow, and scented candles.  The most interesting are the busts of famous French figures.  My favorite is the Napoleon, which is available in a natural color, white or black wax.  There's also a tres chic Marie Antoinette bust available.

There was a time when going to the airport and flying to far off places was glamorous.  Now the TSA rifles through luggage and a woman’s unmentionables to make sure the skies are secure.  Most humiliating of all is enduring a body scan and/or a pat down in the security lines in front of strangers, all the while contracting some foot fungus from walking through the airport with bare feet.  Tory Burch must have shared these sentiments because she created a lovely pair of socks, with a travel case for fashion forward, health conscious jetsetters.

Jonathan Adler designs home accessories that can best be characterized as happy and loud.  It’s hard to choose one item from his collection that would make a great, but useful gift.  The first few items that caught my eye were his food jars.  The three jars are labeled, and filled accordingly with Carbs, Calories and Candy. 

 

Two other items that stood out were the Blackberry and iPod cases, which feature needlepoint of an antique phone and a phonograph on the front.

This holiday season's hottest nail colors are various metallics, and as always Chanel is the trendsetting, go to polish.  Their most popular shades this winter are Steel and Gold Lame, both limited editions.  Steel and Gold Lame can be found on the Chanel website.

Doesn’t every girl dream of meeting a handsome and rugged man, who’s a skilled outdoorsman that can fix any and all appliances in the house?  Portland General Store makes a great stocking stuffer for guy.  Their selection of men’s personal care products include scents called Tobacco, Wood, Whiskey and Professor.  Now, even guys who are afraid of spiders and mice can smell like they’ve just come from a bar fight or chopping down a tree.  

The last stocking stuffer idea is on the pricey side, but totally unique.  Any girl can go out and buy a David Yurman bracelet or a Tiffany necklace, but finding eye-catching jewelry with character is a challenge.  Gem Kingdom’s “Happy Baby” necklaces fit the bill.  Made in the Netherlands, the necklaces are sterling silver, with porcelain pendents.  Each Happy Baby is made differently, and can include mother of pearl or various gemstone charms.  My personal favorites are the Little Mozart and Little Viking.  The necklaces are available on Gem Kingdom's website, or on Fragments.

If you're trying to lose weight...

...do not eat these.

These Moravian Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Cookies are nothing short of amazing.  They're available at Williams-Sonoma for $18.00 a tin.  Delightfully delicious for after dinner, or dipped in hot chocolate.