christmas time in the city

hello lovelies!  goodness, i have been just terrible about blogging lately.  so so busy working away, but finally a few minutes of repose.  above is an image of rockefeller center's christmas display & iconic tree, which, luckily, stands just across from christie's.  christmas time in the city has been so lovely & festive, and i felt myself getting into the spirit even before thanksgiving.  lights & trees are all around & the most beautiful window displays.  and yesterday was the debut of elizabeth taylor's jewelry & couture collection, set to be auctioned beginning next week.  so happy to begin sharing christmas gift, cooking & decorating ideas!  bonne nuit, lovelies!  xx hillary

p.s. came across this recipe for barley salad with squash and broccoli today. what an amazing lunch!  

je t'aime brian atwood shoes & saks fifth avenue

saks fith avenue presents brian atwood via {here}

hello my darlings!  am so happy to report that i have just returned home from the most lovely event for the brian atwood shoe collection lauch at saks.  so many amazing fashion bloggers were present {as they have been all of fashion week in nyc! amazing}.  have you heard of brian atwood?  he is possibly the most gorgeous designer with amazingly parfait shoes for both day & evening.  i was so thrilled to try on his chunky animal print heels this evening & am lusting over his pony hair boots & charming heeled booties in every color, merging classic & statement.  oohhh je t'aime brian atwood.  it was also lovely sipping cocktails & nibbling hors d'oeuvres with fellow bloggers, representatives from the line, &, of course, saks employees.  shoes + party + blogging = bliss. do please enjoy! {and buy here.}  xx hillary

b brian atwood video campaign via {here}

 p.s. items referred to above (& image) via {here}

fur, lace, leopard, redvalentio & fashion's night out

pumps via {here}, furs via {here}, lace print dress via {here}

at fashion's night out yesterday in nyc, it was clear: fall 2011 is all about leopard print, fur & lace.  and i am over the moon.  the three, particularly when the leopard print is combined with soft-as-satin calf-hair, represent luxury, glamour, romance & femininity.  at the saks party last night, i also discovered my ideal line: red valentino.  full of bows & frills, this new line gives a modern twist & gorgeous embellishments to classic pieces.  a few phrases from their blog seem to evoke my ideal personal style: 

"romanticism with a girly yet feminine twist ... bows and tailoring"

"playful mix of lace, ribbons & prints: basic meets romantic"

"fairy military: from military to fairy tales.  victorian inspirations for an unusual mix of fairy like shapes & military hues and details"

"pure and clean silhouettes mix together with romantic and funny printed bows for a swinging bold attitude."

". . . the fairy tale continues . . ."

red valentino images via {here}

the brand seems to be focused on fun pop-up stores, on the french riviera, for example, but is also always available at saks.  & although the prices are still steep, they are nothing like true valentino couture & with some serious spending discipline, are within a fashionista's reach.  

so lovelies, did you attend any fashion's night out festivities?  my nyc fno was possibly not as enjoyable as last year's london experience, which included a vast quantity of free drinks & hors d'oeuvres, the best of which were at burberry for certain, but this year i was most impressed by the sheer quantity of people who turned out for the event {the streets were swarming!}, tiffany's 60's/70's inspired disco, including live models visible through a small opening in the storefront windows, dripping in gold & also the michael kors rockefeller center party, where my roommate & i found so so many things that we liked, including an affordable fur muff, a great dj & flutes of dry champagne. mmm bliss.  

i successfully completed my very first work week, as i have fridays off, but for the rest of you, weekend is only hours away.  the sun is finally shining on the northeast & i hope that your friday is just perfect. what are you up to tonight? bon week-end. xx hillary.  

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vintage glam: behind the scenes kate spade fall

: behind the scenes with bryce dallas howard for the ksny fall 2011 campiagn :

video via {katespadenewyork youtube}

bonjour mes amies!  i was so thrilled when kate spade tweeted this behind-the-scenes video from their fall photo shoot. the star is bryce dallas howard, who plays villainous hilly holbrook in the help {you've seen, yes?}.  i've heard that she is just about the opposite of her character in real life, but she is stunning in the 50's/60's inspired clothing nonetheless.  perfect for kate spade this season.  goodness do i wish mad men was returning to the air this fall.  but here, i am in love with the vintage glamour and the fun vibe {dance if you wanna}.  are beehives really back?  only time will tell!  i hope that your day is off to a perfect start.  weekend is coming coming. xx hillary 

p.s. kate spade's mantra this season is "understated is overrated." no wonder why i'm so enamored.

autumn inspiration: russian ballet & j.crew

images via {j.crew blog}

combining my loves for j.crew & ballet & an exotic destination was simply not fair.  and this ballet is not avant-garde ballet russe, but classicist, perfection swan lake & romeo + juliet {swoon. now.} how am i possibly supposed to resist the urge to buy everything in the new j.crew catalog, which greeted me upon returning home {along with the new bon appetit, joy!} today was in boston, chatting & long lunch {bin 26 in beacon hill} & frozen yogurt & paper source for new marigold thank-you notes & a petite present {could this day get any better?} with friend & former co-worker & mastermind of halcyon style, so wrapped up in chatter that we failed to notice the east-coast earthquake.

but how striking & delicate these photos are.  for me, the ballet infuses j.crew's new season with elegance & grace & romance, and the st. petersburg location dons an old world exoticism that is simultaneously fresh & clean & open.  i do long to jet off to st. petersburg, for the winter palace & a glimpse into the world of fused european & eastern extravagance.  the photos also make me strangely excited to bring my turtleneck sweaters & leather boots & wool skirts & my perfect belted trench out of storage. perhaps i can translate this russian glamour & suffuse lighting to my very own autumn in new york.  any thoughts on j.crew fall?  xx hillary 

p.s. j.crew used real ballerinas from the st. petersburg ballet for studio models. lucky lucky.  

images via {j.crew blog}

p.p.s. merci beaucoup & enchantée to lots of new readers aujourd'hui!

autumn aura: new essie hues

clockwise from top left : carry on : case study : power clutch : glamour purse : very structured : lady like
images via {here + purchase too}

hello lovelies!  what a lovely day i had today.  a {very close to} teary-eyed quick visit back to my alma mater for a dissertation text, browsing bloomingdales with mom, a perfectly portioned lunch {and fro-yo} at their restaurant, 40 carrots & a relaxing mani-pedi at my most favorite ever nail spa, miniluxe.  it's a cross between the local nail salon & a day spa, and the result is just brilliant.  so clean & fresh & girly & with options for extended massage, oh and such fun retail things, the miniluxe experience is positively uplifting.  i had truly missed it!  and although today i chose a summer hue {orangey-red geranium by essie}, i also got a sneak peak at the essie fall collection, which is just divine, inspired by glam travel bags.  which is your favorite?  i am loving loving wine-y carry on, grey-green power clutch & burnt siena-ish very structured & the slightly muted glamour purse, case study & lady like would be parfait for weekday workday.  perhaps i should buy all six. goodness i do love essie.  the early evening air is getting cooler and its mum season.  autumn is on its cusp.  & if its nail colors are any indication, it is bound to be perfectly magical.  xx hillary  

oh & c'est absolument official.  hello christie's september. 

charming trend: rose gold

hello lovelies!  while in new york, i was struck by the ubiquitous use of rose gold in designer jewelry.  introduced to rose gold a few months ago via the {this is glamorous} blog, i recently acquired my first piece, the kate spade women for women bangle that i discussed here.  smitten by it's pinkish hue, i was immediately enchanted by the way the metal looked against my tannish summer skin, and developed a curiosity regarding its origin.

as many of you may know, gold is quite a soft metal, and is generally combined with an alloy to create the harder substance out of which jewelry is crafted, the percentage of pure gold in the metal indicated by karats {i.e. 14 karat, 18 karat, 22 karat}, and in its pure state at 24 karats.  pure gold is generally mixed with equal amounts of silver and copper to achieve a yellow tone {for 14 karat gold, 14 parts gold : 5 parts silver : 5 parts copper}, white gold made by adding more silver, and our rose gold by adding more copper, commonly 75% gold to 21% copper to 4% silver for a lovely pink color.

due to its popularity in the region, rose gold was known as russian gold in the nineteenth century, and although a 'red gold' is fashioned by a ratio of 1:1 gold to copper, 'crown gold,' or highest quality rose gold, combines 22 parts gold to 2 parts copper.  interestingly, highest-quality flutes are often fashioned out of solid rose gold.

i absolutely adore my rose gold bangle, and am very much open to acquiring some other rose gold pieces, such as another michael kors watch {perhaps this one with contrasting navy blue}, but would be apprehensive to purchase a more expensive or important piece in the metal, for example, an engagement ring.  what are your thoughts on rose gold?  do you think it is simply a current fashion trend or worthy of enduring admiration?  during my search for jewelry i also fell in love with the general rose gold palette.  what do you think?  i would love to know your thoughts!  xx hillary

images via pinterest

le week-end: at the museum

hello lovelies!  en route to nyc at the moment, just to let you know, in case you can squeeze it in {and i happen to know that there's a chance of rain in boston for sunday}, that two amazing exhibitions, one in nyc and one in boston, are in their very last days this weekend: it's your last chance to experience their magic ...

first in nyc is alexander mcqueen: savage beauty at the met.  the exhibition features clothing and accessories from throughout mcqueen's prolific nineteen year career, including many of his most iconic creations.  all centers around the notion of mcqueen as an absolute romantic, many of his designs deriving from exaggerated silouettes of the nineteenth century, with the victorian gothic vibe {think frankenstein and edgar allen poe}.  alexander mcqueen, despite the brevity of his life, may prove to be one of the most influential designers of all time, and if you have the opportunity, please do take a peak!  the show will be open until midnight tomorrow and sunday {august 6 and 7}, and i {cross my fingers} will attend tomorrow.  although his savage creations from the early nineties may not be my ideal, his genius is undeniable, and, of course, we hopeless romantics must stick together ..

also in it's final days is the to-die-for chihuly: through the looking glass exhibition at the museum of fine arts, boston.  a practitioner of the magic art of glass making, the mfa has here showcased works from a span of forty years of dale chihuly's career, a strong proportion of which was spent at RISD, as student, and later, as a member of the faculty, known as the most influential american glass maker since that of my own glass box, louis comfort tiffany.  described as a 'glass menagerie' and 'fairy-tale fantasies,' his works are as brightly colored silks transposed into glass.  i first was introduced to his work via the enormous lime-green chandelier hanging in the entrance atrium of the victoria&albert museum in london, and was struck by its whimsical elegance, his work broadly full of such whimsy and creativity, achieving such feats in glass that you simply would not have thought possible.  struck with awe and challenging all former notions of the possible, you may just feel as if you have fallen, as alice, down the rabbit hole and into wonderland.  please please do go, and let me know how you like it, as i am heart-broken that i will not be able to attend.

dale chihuly at the v&a
image via pinterest

images via {here}

image via pinterest

bon week-end to you! cannot wait to spend time with my girlfriends in new york! xx hillary 

summer style: flowing neutrals

hello darlings!  is it just me {this very well could be the case} or can you not get away from silky dresses in neutral tones this summer?  my wardrobe seems to have been taken over by soft frocks, a hint of lace here, or ruffle there, which require only a belt and a bangle to achieve that easy-chic so synonymous with summer.  my tan and off-white dresses pair perfectly with the currently oh-so-fashionable nude shoes, in flat, wedge, or heels, and go from day-time casual to elegant evening simply with a change of jewelry, bag, and hair.  my suitcase for nyc this weekend will include at least six of these neutrals {not at all necessary, but they weigh but an ounce!}: camel with black dots and gathered waste, flowing camel with brown belt, palest pink with ruffled neckline and shoulders, a grecian-inspired number with bubble skirt in cream, off-white, draped, with lace shoulders, and this {above}, most recent purchased for only $58 at 344.  

beautifully detailed in swirling flowers, with thousands of little chiffon petals, the body hits just above the knee and cinches at the waist, matching sheer fabric creating an alluring but conservative top, gathered together in the reverse by a sweet bow.  add sky-high nude heels, a clutch in the same, long pearls, and a rose-gold bangle, contrasted by chestnut brown locks and bright red lipstick, and say hello to saturday night in new york. {others will be parfait for journey down, friday evening drinks, wandering the met, picnic in the park, and farewell brunch.}  although not farewell for long because i start in the city in just over a month!  but what if i were heading to the coast instead?  strappy sandals in gold, of course, and a basket-style bag in straw large enough to hold my sweater, prepared for the evening's cool beach breeze.  oh and swap the necklace for more dramatic earrings. 

more neutral beauties:

 wherever you're heading, a neutral frock will keep you cool & comfortable, with elegant composure, and a touch of romance this weekend.  {oh, and pair with a boyish blazer, and the look will last you long into september.} what are your weekend plans?  it is nearly here ...  for now, enjoying sun on my skin & perfect weather by the pool.  xx hillary

oh and one more {for good luck}

images via pinterest