Lay’n low

What a week it’s been. Fashion segment tv debut, first shopping event at the shops at 150 Worth Palm Beach, birthday bash for one of my closest friends at the recently opened W South Beach, and to top it off, shot the October fashion editorial for Palm Beach Illustrated magazine. All within the last 6 days. Needless to say, for the last 2 days… I’ve been lay’n low. It’s been so relaxing and well worth it. I’ve finally been able to sit down and watch an amazing documentary ordered months back, and sift through the ever-growing stack of magazines that have taken over my dining table. Here are some of the fabulous things that I’ve discovered during my downtime that have me inspired and ready to go. – KL

Yves Saint Laurent – 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris
This documentary showcases one of the most influential and brilliantly inspired designers of the past century, and illustrates his design process from initial sketch to show presentation. The film opens with an intimate scene of Catherine Deneuve having a private fitting in the famous French atelier, so amazingly chic. Since watching it I’ve found myself using Saint Laurent's fabulous verbiage…“ravishing, handsome” and “that’s a dream”

Yves Saint Laurent – His Life and Times/5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris
www.amazon.com

The high bun
I first witnessed this new hair trend when it was featured on the models that flaunted down the Louis Vuitton fall runway last March. Since then it appears to be popping up all over. I’m thinking of test-driving it to an event I have this eve. Will let you know if the outcome is trés chic or trés no.


Color blocking 101
Bright color is very trend-on (which I’m absolutely adoring) even the florescent hues have me taken. Not only will it add a brilliant pop to my wardrobe, I’m also envisioning it to brighten up my home décor and entertaining as well. Here are two inspirations that I recently came across that have me thinking audacious hues are the way to go.

Art Party Tablescape by Christopher Coleman and Angel Sanchez

House Beautiful August 2009
www.housebeautiful.com

Coleman and Sanchez for Dining by Design 2009
(detailed tablescape featured in above picture)
www.diffa.org

Colored Coded - Surface Magazine
www.surfacemag.com

W South Beach
I’m a big fan of W hotel properties, W Union Square topping my list thus far. So I was very excited when I received the invite to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday extravaganza at the recently opened South Beach location. What I loved most was the very open yet intimate lobby filled with places to meet and mingle, and sexy outdoor lounging vignettes complete with state-of-the-art design and dramatic spaces. Merci and joyeux anniversaire to Mademoiselle Alicia Grace for a lovely and inspiring weekend away.

Lobby of W South Beach
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/index.html

Get Studded
As I was flipping through the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar I came across the accessory feature: Most Wanted - Studded Sensations. I’ve never really shied away from too many style trends, yet have really never opted to go quite hardcore with my looks. I do have to say that I’m finding many of the haute-hardware accessories featured quite fabulous and am starting to warm to the idea of adding some studded edge into my fall ensembles.

Clutch, Bottega Veneta; bag, Roberto Cavalli; Sandal, Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci
www.harpersbazaar.com

As I was finishing up writing this post I received a phone call from one of my closest and dearest friends, and have decided to leave you with these wise words she inspired me with: "Follow your heart and instinct and do it in heels" Quite fabulous indeed!

Culturally Chic in Chicago!

Chicago really is my kind of town...next to Paris that is! After a very brief and action packed weekend visiting friends, I got a chance to take in some of the architectural and artistic sights of one of the most beautiful and friendly cities on the planet! While food and beverage are high on my list of priorities, so is architecture and design, and I was clamoring to see the new modern wing of the Art Institute of Chicago designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect, Renzo Piano.

North facade of modern wing, photographed by John Faier, 2008

The modern wing houses 20th and 21st century art such as modern European paintings and sculpture, photography, architecture and design, and contemporary art. I was particularly thrilled to see one of my favorite contemporary artists, Cy Twombly's exhibit, "The Natural World, Selected Works 2000-2007." His bold splashes of color and abstract interpretations of the sea, land and botanicals are truly unique and spectacular up close and personal.

Cy Twombly, Untitled Red Peonies, 2007

Not displayed in the modern wing but an exhibit I could not miss was, "Beyond Golden Clouds" featuring Japanese screens from the 16th century. While I am doing research for my upcoming trip to Tokyo, I am inspired by all things Japanese lately, thus found it inspiring rather than redundant to see the artistry of the hand-painted screens. I am sure I will get my fill of painted silks and papers while in Japan but to stumble upon the richness of these gold leafed panels was truly breathtaking and not to be forgotten!

While I could spend hours touring the museum, something else was beckoning me in the distance. As I walked onto Monroe Street, the lovely Millenium Garden was just the right introduction to the massive structure peering out amidst the flora and fauna. While my eyes saw wonderment, my ears heard beautiful sounds of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Pritzker Pavilion designed by my favorite architect, Frank Gehry, was the perfect design antidote on the horizon! The twisted, torn curls of sheet metal and sweeping trellis formation spanning the grassy knoll was in sharp contrast to the straight, cautious lines of Piano's metal and glass facade of the museum. Architectural diatribes aside, I was only thinking about being amidst creative genius and in a state of cultural bliss!

Grassy knoll of Pritzker Pavilion

To conclude my weekend, I took the architectural boat tour along the Chicago River. While it wouldn't be fair to show you all the sights and ruin the experience...here are a few of my favorite buildings. Pardon my memory as I don't recall the significance of all the structures. I just know they stood out significantly in my mind as being architectural masterpieces! -B.H.

The Willis Tower- formerly the Sears Tower

Amazing glass building with concrete balconies. What texture!

Reminiscent of an art nouveau building (windows especially) you'd see by Antonio Gaudi

Sizzling Summer Retro Cocktail!

The sun is sizzling hot, the breezes are few and far between and there's no question, we are in the middle of a Florida summer! Cooling off on a steamy summer day, be it poolside, on the terrace or mixing and mingling with an alcohol-induced beat beckons a tasty, liquid libation like a rose wine, mojito, or better yet...a Tom Collins! Sipping this gin-based concoction was inspired early on by my WASP-y Grosse Pointe pals of 'ol, which, once retro is now experiencing a redux! A perennial favorite of mine...the recipe for a tried and true Tom Collins! Happy mixing!- B.H.

2 oz. Dry Gin

1 tsp fine sugar (or simple syrup)

1 oz. Lemon juice

3 oz. Club soda

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice.

Infinite Variety

Marchesa Luisa Casati
“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety” - Shakespeare

I’ve always thought how fabulous it would have been to live in Paris or Venice during the early decades of the 1900s. Chic soirées to attend with the avant-garde set of artists and poets, palazzo life on the Grand Canal, designer salons, being best cohorts with Marchesa Casati, Peggy Guggenheim and Mademoiselle Chanel, oh what a brilliant life. A girl can always daydream. I mention this because as of late I keep coming across collections and fashion-forward pieces that seem to have been inspired by this very same notion of life that evokes romance and emotion. In today’s world of mass market and social media it’s quite lovely to see beautiful pieces that inspire individuality and unique thought. And if I can’t live amongst the émigré chic social set of times past, at least I can be inspired by and pretend to with these modern examples of an exotically luxe life full of infinite variety. – KL

Posters from Ballet Russe - 1911

I've fallen in love with Monique Lhuillier's Fall 2009 collection. The designer, known for her red carpet stunners and bridal beauties, themed her latest ready-to-wear collection Modern Ballet Russes, influenced by the famed ballet company that preformed between 1909-1929. The Ballet Russes’ productions, which combined new dance, art and music, created a huge sensation around the world, altering the course of musical history, bringing many significant visual artists into the public eye, and completely reinvigorating the art of performing dance. And such visionaries like Chanel, Picasso, and Henri Matisse collaborated with the company on art, sets and costumes for many productions during that time. Lhuillier's collection is full of beautiful gowns equally as poetic as the famed dance troupe.

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2009 - www.moniquelhuillier.com

One of the many fabulous things I get access to as a Fashion Director is having the accessibility to see collections before they are available. Its always much fun when it’s the time of year when new collection look books start arriving at my door. One of my favorites is always from Christian Louboutin. This shoe guru visually displays some of his key statement makers for the season in these amazing little vignettes, which really prevails a red soled stiletto to have a life all its own. I love how these two scenes, from the fall 09 collection, evoke an Edwardian world of style and grandeur.

AMAZING must-have shoe of the season, j'adore.

Fall's thigh-high statement boot
Christian Louboutin - Fall 2009 - www.christianlouboutin.com

Coco Chanel and Dmitri Pavlovich

Nothing screams luxe and chic to me like a quilted Chanel handbag. Added embellishments = added chicness. This little darling of a gem is from the current pre-fall collection, richly named Paris–Moscou, paying homage to Coco’s escapades with the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and Russian inspirations; the Ballets Russes, Constructivism, Byzantine jewelry, and Slavic folklore. True czar brilliance.

Chanel handbag from the Paris-Moscou collection
www.chanel.com

Solid Green

I’ve been inspired by Brandie’s recent post Green With Complementary Red Envy, and have decided to go green… literally! Not only does this fresh shade seem to be sprouting up in interiors and throughout the latest fashion collections, it’s also making a major future statement in beauty as well. I’m currently loving all shades green in the form of nail lacquer, especially deep dark hues which is an updated take on my go to standard black. A fresh pedi on my toes currently resides OPI’s Dark Room, which is a brilliant forest green shade rich and full of earthy delight. And thus far, this new almost-black green has complimented all my looks since Tuesday. Hope it looks just as chic in South Beach this weekend. –KL

Sephora by OPI – Dark Room - An intensely dark and sexy shade that channels film-noir drama. http://www.sephora.com/

Next up, Chanel’s latest coveted and cult fave beauty brilliance, Jade (as seen on the Parisian runway back in March). Unfortunately this limited edition nail lacquer isn't available until October. Better get on a waiting list now my friends… I’m hoping my favorite “beauty fairy” might surprise me with a bottle of this mint green delight, fingers crossed.

Photo: Monica Feudi & Gianni Pucci - Courtesy of http://www.style.com/

Le Vernis Nail Colour in Jade - available in October. http://www.chanel.com/

Art Deco Whimsy!

We oftentimes refer to Art Deco as a style prevalent in Miami as that's what we are used to seeing as defining that look. Miami, predominantly South Beach has a lot of buildings steeped in the Art Deco vernacular, but it's not to say that everything Art Deco resides in Miami, I must clarify. The origin of the aesthetic derived from the Wiener Werkstatte in Vienna and French Moderne Movement. Basically, in 1910 at the Bruxelles Exposition Universelle, the French were showing Art Nouveau interiors while the German designers were showing something completely new and different. The French, being floored by the positive response that the Germans were getting for their restraint, austerity and editing of interiors and art,they felt they needed to hang on to their title as being leaders of design in the world. Once they realized Art Nouveau was out and that they were being challenged by the Germans, they planned an international exhibition that would showcase their (the French) effort to modernize French interior design, and, architecture would soon follow. After the Paris exhibition in 1925, the term Art Deco Style was coined (though invented in Paris in 1910).

I see a resurgence of Art Deco inspired furnishings and finishes creeping into interiors quite soon. Art Deco jewelry such as brooches, rings, earrings and the like are highly coveted items next season and watch the look further inspire designers over the next few months. As with fashion, interiors ride the same wave simulataneously. Characteristics of Art Deco were influenced by the machine age, abstraction and the result of two wars. Art Deco design is a confluence of geometric shapes, whimsical patterns, rectilinear motifs, stair-stepped patterns, ocean liners, exotic and sumptuous materials, and creating an overall harmony of different styles in a decorative sense. We can use this influence and incorporate it into our own lives, literally or metaphorically based on what is happening in the world today. The wallcovering shown below are some historically accurate reproduction Art Deco prints from Adelphi Paper Hangings. I've chosen some alternate colorways to display as well as one you'd actually see during the Art Deco period. These would be great in an entry vestibule, powder room or even bolder yet, behind a headboard in a bedroom as an accent wall. -B.H.

L'Oiseau Moderne
French circa 1925-1930
Bird in flight and other flourishes, yellow/black/gold metallic - true historical colorway

Sunflowers

French circa 1930

Unknown designer

Sharp diagonal lines, flower motif, inspired by Cubism

Starfish

French circa 1910-1920
Marine life designs were popular and mass produced motifs in Paris

Spiral Willow
French circa 1920
Designer: Rene Crevel
Organic, geometric, and whimsical designs interpret natural forms in this Art Deco rendition

For more information on where to buy other reproduction wallcovering:

www.adelphipaperhangings.com
info@adelphipaperhangings.com

Swim Week

This past weekend I jaunted down south to attend Swim Fashion Week sponsored by Mercedes-Benz held at the Raleigh Hotel South Beach. This venture was my first time covering the swim collections presented in Miami every July. It’s always great to have the opportunity to see a collection in person, always inspiring, and getting the chance to mix & mingle amongst industry insiders. I was happy to see some familiar faces in attendance, as well as having the opportunity to meet many new, some finally just getting to place a face with a name. Two of my favorite swim collections previewed were Tibi and Eres, both happened to showcase color in very big ways, and both tossed in a little 80s kick through collection inspiration and silhouette. Even though these are the 2010 collections, it’s always good to plan ahead accordingly, and how very apropos that both the au courant trends of punchy color and the endlessly chic maillot are here to stay. Here are a few of my favorite looks from both collections. – KL

Tibi 2010
Designer Amy Smilovic’s Tibi collections are well known for the bright and playful prints she hand designs each season, and with this collection she definitely didn’t disappoint. www.tibi.com

Printed maillot in the chic color combo of pale peach and lilac.

Must-have suit. I would wear this gold cut-out one-shoulder frolicking in the surf or sunbathing off coast of St. Tropez.

The perfect cover-up for beachside to aprés-sunbathing cocktails poolside.

Bright color and bold print, signature design statements from Tibi. I love how each look was styled with double gold cuffs, a great and easy way to take your swim look to whole new level.

Eres 2010
One of my all-time go-to suits is an Eres, forever en vogue and always chic no matter what part of the world you might be sunning in. With the Eres spirit of iconic style and know-how, one can never go wrong with the wide offerings of sophisticated silhouettes. The 2010 collection was inspired by the iconic Yves Saint Laurent bow dress from the 1980s, as well as the vivid hues from South American Carnival. www.eres.fr

Iconic YSL dress from 1980's, inspiration for the Eres 2010 Collection.

Vivid jewel-like colors make a splash. Pink mixed with sunny yellow and bold blue tossed with turquoise are just a few of the eye catching offerings.

This band-like maillot is perfect and slimming for many body types (available in various combo color ways). And the wrap-around bow is removable so you can style it multiple ways making this one suit have many looks.

Turquoise and carnation red, two of the hot colors represented throughout the collection.

Color blocking takes on the feel of South America. Great for lazy afternoons and early evenings filled with sun and joie de vivre.

Cover Girl

Our favorite West Coast interior designer and style muse has shot a new cover for her book, Hue which will be available this fall. Whether this cover or the previous selection make it to the bookstands, we know Wearstler can do no wrong when it comes to waving her wand and coloring her rooms beautifully!-B.H.

Green With Complementary Red Envy

Photo taken by me during recent trip to NYC

I never know when inspiration will strike...Oftentimes I am pleasantly caught off guard in the case above with the photo of the striking lipstick red tudor style doors juxtaposed with the slightly worn green grass peeking through the honeycomb stone pavers. I didn't know exactly why I was drawn to this building as I peered through the iron gate...but more than likely, it was because of the exciting contrast between two colors: red and green. The hues, red and green are complementary colors, meaning they are positioned across from each other on the color wheel and when mixed together (as in pigments), they make gray. Enough Color & Light education! Complementary colors like red/green, blue/orange, and purple/yellow create such a marvelous tension because of the contrast and excitement they exude. Red and green typically illicit thoughts of Christmas decor, tartan plaids, stodgy hunt clubs, or dated tawdry interiors. One of the most difficult color pairings to wear without looking like an elf (in my humble opinion) is that of red and green. However, red and green combine beautifully in nature and can be just as successfully created at home in an interior or wardrobe ensemble with the training of a skilled eye, an open mind, and a red hot passionate heart that loves making others green with envy.-BH

Succulent plants have some extraordinary colors ranging from burgundies, reds, pinks and greens, to plums and dusty gray tones. The range of colors is breathtaking and inspiring.

I love the mix of this Strawberry-Basil Bubble Tea w/tapioca pearls on bottom. It's sounds just as delicious as it looks!

Elf? I see no elf here! I see a lithe model in a Hugo Boss red and white one-piece bathing suit, lime green silk skirt by Danielle Scutt and fierce tasseled armpieces by Mark Fast. Candy striped cotton canvas boots by Bruno Fissoni add to the camp and circumstance of this pairing!

Speaking of tassels and tiebacks - interior design and fashion do mimic one another from time to time especially in these unique color combinations.

This room works not just because of the photography and lighting, but because the hues of the sofa, walls and rug are in the same value as the handpainted green Chinese wedding cabinet.

Regardless of Rainbow Brite's magical stairway, the purity of the green painted floor and ceiling in contrast the to bright red framed art along with the scale of the red and green floral wallpaper harmonize this space and make it electric.

Hot pink trim gets cozy with the lime green door and floral wallpaper. Colors that vibrate so intensely as those above need a dose of white as in the mirror frame and the background of the wallpaper to rest the eye.

Minty greens, pale pinks and tomato reds create a color palette that would make Dorothy Draper proud! The varying saturations (how pale, weak, pure or stong) of the colors make this bedroom not garish but glorious and surprisingly calm.

The washed-out painted red with the avocado green checkerboard floor serve as a timeless color composition.

Finally, the crimson headdress is the focal point on a subdued olive green paneled wall. The sophisticated green tames the intensity of the ornamental headdress.

Image Credits:

From top - succulent plant, "Hardy Succulents" by Gwen Moore Kelaidis, Photography by Saxon Holt; drinks - Veranda Magazine,July/ August 2009 "Beyond the Potomac" story photographed by Howard Lee Puckett and recipe by Chef Patrick O'Connell ; model - Harper's Bazaar UK July 2009, "Miami Heat" story photographed by Mari Sarai; tassels, Interior Design Magazine, April 2009; chinese cab/sofa, rainbow steps, and pink and green door - The World of Interiors Magazine, July 2009, "Blind To Beige"story photographed by Eric Boman; bedroom - House Beautiful August 2009,pg. 76, Interior Design by Joe Nye, Photography by Roger Davies; last two images from www.jjlocations.co.uk and www.shootfactory.co.uk, respectively.