Happy Halloween! Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays for obvious reasons (candy and sick costumes), but I haven't done anything noteworthy for the last few years. This year, my friend Vicky suggested we go to the Soho House's Tim Burton-themed party. Only, she failed to tell our crew what the dress code was- so everyone else besides Vic and her friend Scott wore normal costumes. She, on the other hand, looked fab as the Queen of Hearts, and Scott rocked it as The White Rabbit. Gab went as Penny Lane and I went as Aphrodite:
The party was pretty epic. There were 3 floors of dancing and drinks, and one floor even had a 7 person band playing. Needless to say, my feet are killing me. We had a great time, and luckily didn't run in to any of these bros:
I've been inhabiting my new studio apartment for almost 5 months now, and still haven't done too much in the way of decorating. I did finally decide on my shade and curtain materials and purchased a small bistro table and chairs. The chairs I plan to recover in a small printed fabric, and I'm toying with the idea of making a skirt for my table. I told myself I wasn't going to go so "feminine" this decorating go-round, but I can't help it-- old lady decorating vibes are my favorite. The one element I'm still trying to figure out is a makeshift desk of sorts. Since I'm limited on space, a fold-down secretary that could also provide storage sounds appealing:
I need a space to work on my laptop because lying in bed with it just makes me fall asleep! Tackling this desk situation is next on my decor to-do list. Below are a few small desks I adore.
I get asked by a lot of friends and aquaintances about inexpensive art sources. Art is a tricky decor element, because not only do you want to find pieces that work within your overall scheme- but you also want to invest in pieces that speak to you personally. It's hard to know why I might be drawn to a particular painting, but someone else might hate or even feel indifferent towards the same piece. We all have individual internal biases that cause us to react differently to art. That's why when you're in the market for new art, it's worth your time to look through several sources and choose the pieces that you love the absolute most. Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite sources for relatively inexpensive artwork and photography. I also shared a few pieces I love from each - but be sure to scour through each site's collection to find what you love.
2.) Minted - they also have an exclusive collection with West Elm here. Minted is a tried and true source for me- I always start my art search here, because they make it so easy. They offer about 6 different frame style options when purchasing, which makes the dreaded framing step seamless.
3.) Uprise Art - I love that they have a whole section of art under $800. This site always introduces me to new artists whom I end up following for their latest offerings. In addition to paintings and photography, they also sell sculpture and mixed media (dying for this piece).
4.) 20 x 200 - A great source for affordable art and photography, with the option to frame any piece you purchase. Most of the pieces are available in multiple sizes, which is nice.
Every Outdoor Basketball Court in New York, Jenny Odell, $60-1,200:
1.) The best street style from Paris Fashion Week- especially loving this girl's frilly number. - Man Repeller 2.) Digging the color mix on these cocktail napkins. - Furbish Studio 3.) Speaking of color, Tory Burch's Mini Chelsea Faux Fur Handbag is the perfect shade of chartreuse. - Tory Burch 4.) A python catch-all for q-tips, pencils, makeup brushes, etc! - Furbish Studio 5.) Needing wanting LOVING these leopard Olana heels. - Meg Biram
6.) Molly Gochman's New York apartment bookshelf is the perfect mix. - domino
I am counting down the days til my big 3-0 on November 30th! I somehow convinced 7 of my best friends to fly to Palm Springs with me for that weekend to celebrate the occasion. I can't wait to have all my favorites together in one of my favorite cities. I've already begun planning my packing list, and here's what I've got my eye on:
Shop this Post:
1.) "Hungover" Straw Hat $110/2.) Gabriela Stud Tassel Earrings $48/3. Vix Birds Printed Swimsuit Top $105 & Vix Birds Printed Swimsuit Bottom $90/4.) Floral Ruffle Trim Dress $20/ 5.) Ruched Off Shoulder Dress $36/6.) Red Ruffle Heels $30/7.) Dorchester Ace Sunglasses $220/ 8.) Sophie Anderson Mini Pom Pom Tote $175/9.) Whitney Cuff Bracelet $44/ We'll be staying at an Air BnB and have a brunch resie at Norma's, and we'll likely also hit up the Ace Hotel. Any other fun restaurants or spots we need to check out? Let me know! XOXO, Sam
This past Sunday, my friend Laura and I went to see the MoMa's new exhibit, "Is Fashion Modern?" curated by Paola Antonelli. The MoMa hasn't had an exhibition dedicated solely to fashion since 1944, so admittedly Laura and I had very high expectations for what we were about to see. The exhibition idea started when senior design and architecture coordinator Paola Antonelli began scribbling down on post-it notes the articles of clothing that have undoubtedly changed the world. Soon, she began working with a team of curators to turn her notes in to an edited list of 111 items that have been identified as fashion's "most important game changers." While there are plenty of luxury items selected (like the Birkin bag and the Cartier love bracelet), many are everyday pieces we've all donned- like the white t-shirt, the hoodie, and yoga pants.
The exhibition opens with designer Rudi Gernreich's 1970 interpretations of what fashion would look like in the year 2000- he envisioned we'd be wearing knit jumpsuits. "Women will wear pants and men will wear skirts interchangeably..." he predicted to Time Magazine:
While we haven't seen skirts become mainstream for men quite yet, Rudi wasn't too far off with the jumpsuit idea, especially after you examine the 2017 Paris fashion week runways.
The next phase of the exhibit explores the many iterations of the "little black dress" over the last century. On the far left we see Coco Chanel's silk chiffon and glass-beaded evening dress designed in 1925, then a Charles Creed rayon crepe dress from 1942, and in the middle is Christian Dior's two-piece silk taffeta dress from 1950:
My favorite LBDs to view were the funky styles from the 80s and 90s, like this Versace number (1994):
A few other pieces I love that were part of the exhibition:
Diane Von Furstenberg's wrap dress, originally designed in 1974, is constructed of cotton-rayon, allowing the garment to conform to multiple body types. It was originally marketed as a dress for the "busy, professional woman":
The caftan, originally designed in 1970 by Thea Porter:
Cable knit sweater:
The "Breton" shirt (mariniere in French) shown below was part of the historical uniform of the French Navy, and was adopted by European sailors and fisherman as early as the mid 1600s. It's stripes were useful at sea, as they were more visible from a distance than plain colors. However, the most famous champion of the mariniere is Pablo Picasso:
Christian Loubatin patent black pumps:
Levis 501 Jeans- In 1873 Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss and
Nevada tailor Jacob W Davis patented a process for using copper rivets to
strengthen the corners of the pockets of denim pants. The jeans were glamourized by Hollywood cowboy
movies of the 1930s. In 2016, an
estimated 1,240,000,000 pairs of jeans were sold worldwide:
Head wraps of all kinds:
The modern hoodie was born in 1930 when
sportswear manufacturer Champion designed the hooded sweatshirt to keep
athletes warm before and after training.
In the 1950s, it became a quintessential college wardrobe item. In the 1970s, the hoodie became a form of
armor for graffiti artists to pull up their hood while practicing their art. And who could forget when the Wu Tang Clan
wore hoodies on the cover of their 1993 classic album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)? The hoodie has now became a symbol of
measured defiance against established business dress codes thanks to Mark
Zuckerberg:
My main thought as I was perusing the exhibit was how many of the 111 enduring pieces are the perfect building blocks for a capsule wardrobe. This collection shows us that that a classic well-constructed knit sweater, a good pair of jeans, a DVF wrap dress, and an LBD will always be in style.
Shop "Is Fashion Modern?" Inspiration Pieces:
1.) Striped Wrap Hat $145/2.) J. Crew Boatneck Top $119/3.) Leather Ballet Flats $40/
7.) Christian Louboutin Leather Pump $675/8.) Cartier Love Bracelet $6,300/ 9.) Panama Straw Safari Hat $185/ 10.) Crewneck Sweater $99/ 11.) Hermes Birkin Bag $28,500/ 12.) Halton Heritage Slip Dress $295/ 13.) Ex-Boyfriend Crop Jeans $135/14.) DVF Wrap Dress $428/15.) Rayban Aviator Sunglasses $168/
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The "Is Fashion Modern?" exhibit runs through January 28th, 2018 at the MoMa, and is a must see! Tickets are $25 for adults, $14 for students, and $18 for seniors.
Admittedly, one of my favorite spaces to design for a client is the nursery or their child's room. There's something so special and fun about designing and preparing a room for a little one- plus, you can typically be a little more liberal with color and whimsical pattern. Even though there's more design freedom in a child's room in terms of selections, it is one room that you have to consider how it will transition over time. You want the room to be able to grow and change as the kids get older and grow and change themselves- not always an easy task. Before I can ever present a nursery design to a client, I've had to think about how I see the room changing and transitioning over the next 3-5 years. Today I wanted to share a few elements I love incorporating in to children's rooms, and how they function over time.
1.) Twin Beds
Placing 2 twin beds in a room is ideal for families where 2 kids need to share a room but the space available is minimal. I've built twin beds before with built-in storage drawers underneath (hidden by a bedskirt) that helps to store toys, games, and clothes. I've also incorporated pull-out trundles underneath twin beds to accommodate slumber parties and overnight guests:
Another great piece to incorporate in to a kid's room is a daybed because of it's versatility. During the day, it works as a sofa and can be a great place for friends to hang out and lounge. Then, at night, it works as a great twin bed. We've made these for many clients over the years- it's especially handy to build in a pull-out trundle at the base of the bed for overnight guests!
Another favorite nursery/kid's room element I love is a spindle wood crib or bed. Jenny Lind makes an affordable crib option that comes in a variety of colors. There's something so charming and whimsical to me about the spindle design to me. While spindle furniture doesn't necessarily serve any "functional" purpose, it is timeless and definitely isn't ever going out of style- so it's a good buy in that regard!
