Jennifer Lawerence in Red Sparrow

Although Red Sparrow has been on my "to-watch list" for some time, I didn't get around to seeing it until I was on a flight back from Austin to NY last weekend.  The movie stars Jennifer Lawerence as Dominika, a Russian ballerina who suffers an injury and then must find an alternative source of income for her family.  Her uncle sends her to "Sparrow School," where she learns to work as a government spy, often requiring her to use her body to manipulate and seduce her targets.  Many of the scenes are extremely hard to watch, and I can't say I was captivated by the story- but what I was captivated by was Lawerence's wardrobe in the film.  I already have a rather massive girl crush on J Law (it started with this role, I think), and the costumes her character wears throughout the film were just perfect.  My favorites were the all-black ensembles.

Exhibit A:

Making an entrance in a 20s-era black silk gown paired with black mary jane pumps.

Black dress, only $99:

Parker Monarch Gown, $594:

Carolina Constas Maris Lace Panel Gown (love this one too), $795:

Gucci Mary Jane Pumps, $695:

Exhibit B:

Wrapped up in a black suede coat and cashmere scarf.

Slick Wool-Blend Wrap Coat, $267.30:

J. Crew Belted Wrap Coat, $145:

Rebecca Minkoff Black Scarf, $58:

Nordstrom Cashmere-Lined Touchscreen Leather Gloves, $99:

Exhibit C:

A racy cut-out one-piece.

The swimsuit she is donning here is the Noir Split One Piece, $232:

Alternatives to love...

Becca Crochet One-Piece, $124:

Cami NYC Luka Ruched One Piece, $58.50:

Exhibit D:

A chic beret and trench coat pairing.

Black Beret, $17:

And a cute option in white, $25:

The timeless Burberry trench, $790:

Or, a less expensive option from BB Dakota:

Last note:  Dominika's platinum blonde in the film is my dream hair hue:

The costume designer for Red Sparrow was Trish Sommerville, who has worked on The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and is clearly well-versed on dressing strong female characters.  You can read more about her inspiration for the clothing in Red Sparrow here.

A Charming Palm Beach Home by Ellen Kavanaugh

The cover of House Beautiful's October issue really spoke to me.  Rich lilac and amethyst hues, a cheeky chinoiserie wallcovering, a hint of a channeled bench upholstered in a playful pattern, a shirred lampshade trimmed in pink: I had to find out the story behind  this stunning room that contained so many things to love!

Designer Ellen Kavanaugh is based in Palm Beach, Florida, and was taxed with renovating and styling a classic Mediterranean home in to a more fresh, livable space.  The construction and renovation process had to be completed in a very short time span, as is typically the case.  Ellen was careful to maintain much of the beautiful interior and exterior architecture, like the columns throughout the rooms, while making the home feel fresh with the furnishings and decor.

In my opinion, the most delightful part of decorating is getting to design custom, dreamy lampshades.  I love that Ellen paired a light blush glass lamp with a lilac shirred fabric shade in the living room (similar options to buy here).  And the channeled bench reupholstered in an ikat is very bohemian chic:

I always appreciate a good mix of high and low- like these wicker Serena & Lily chairs with a trestle dining table (and how great is that wallpaper?):

Moroccan-inspired tiles line the kitchen walls, with a Greek Key border following the perimeter of the window:

Ellen's take of the design direction for this house is summarized in the story:

“The client, who’s a former art teacher, wanted the quirkiness and retro-nostalgic pastels of a Wes Anderson movie…what’s cool about his cinematography is how it nods to childhood the way it’s remembered, not the way it was lived, so the visual style is singular and very fun,” Kavanaugh shared with House Beautiful. “It’s the same with these rooms. They are elegant and playful and don’t take themselves too seriously.”