off to the races!

Tomorrow I'll be attending the Virginia Gold Cup Races at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA.  I'm looking forward to wearing my new coral sundress from Anthropologie and slipping on my current footwear obsession, Cynthia Vincent for Target Gladiator Wedges.  The day is sure to be packed with good friends, sunshine (fingers crossed), bourbon-laced cocktails, and of course, horse racing!

On Sunday, I'll be heading to the Georgetown Flea Market for the first time this spring.  If I find any great deals, I'll be sure to share them here- so stay tuned.  Hope you all have a fantastic weekend.  

kelly wearstler in t magazine

The New York Times's T-Magazine has a new Kelly Wearstler interactive web feature up on their website.  The feature includes images of Wearstler, her sons, her office and samples of her work.  Wearstler fans will recognize most of the images, and those of you who aren't yet familiar with her work are in for a huge visual treat.  Enjoy!

all images via New York Times website

the $76 million woman

You may have already picked up on the fact that I have a growing obsession with the luxury retailer, Net-a-Porter.com (pronounced net-a-portier).  The seed of my obsession was planted a few years ago when I stumbled on a profile of Net-a-Porter founder and CEO Natalie Massenet in Vogue magazine.   I've been hooked ever since.  Massenet, a former fashion journalist and stylist, made headlines a few weeks ago for selling her Net-a-Porter shares for a cool $76 million to the Richemont Group (owners of  luxury brands like Chloe and Cartier).  Massenet will stay on as the CEO.

The news of the deal sparked a fair amount of online media attention from news sources all over the world.  My favorite feature is Fast Company's Crib Sheet interview in which Massenet shares a few of the secrets to her success.  Her tips include: disregard your doubters, believe in your product, believe in yourself, innovate, service, service, service, know your market, hire talent, and finally, see the future.  Fast Company also included a YouTube video of a panel discussion she participated in at Zeitgeist Europe 2007.  If you have an extra fifteen minutes to kill today, I highly recommend it.

Vogue Daily's Sarah Mower asked possibly the most important question any woman can only dream of asking herself, "What do I wear the day I make $76 million?"  For Massenet, the answer was her favorite uniform: a white shirt from the Brooks Brothers boys department, a Marc Jacobs black skirt, black Wofford 100-denier tights, Chloe biker boots, Alexander Wang's Rocco bag and a black, belted Carven coat by Guillaume Henry. It just goes to show, you can never go wrong with the classic black and white combination.

What would you wear the day you made $76 million?  Feel free to share in the comments section!  

photos via Fast Company | Vogue.com

the selby's jack purcell campaign

As I was catching up on my favorite blogs yesterday when I came across the new spring/summer Jack Purcell ad campaign on Todd Selby's hipster blog, The Selby.

From the activity on his blog, it looks like Todd's a busy man these days.  His book, The Selby Is in Your Place was released earlier this month.  As I was scanning his blog yesterday, I noticed that he has also teamed up with Louis Vuitton for an interactive web series called, The Journey of a Man's Wardrobe.  The series begins in Paris and over the next four weeks will take us to Shanghai, Tokyo,  New York, and London.

But for now, take a look at Converse/The Selby's new ad campaign.

all images via The Selby 

casual friday

My casual Friday wardrobe inspiration courtesy of the May issue of Vogue.  Have a great weekend!

Ralph Lauren blazer and oxford shirt |  Anlo jeans | Fendi bag  
photographed by Mario Testino

taylor gourmet's sustainable design

In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to share my favorite model of sustainable design in the District, Taylor Gourmet.  It just so happens the Philadelphia-inspired deli is a short walk from my house and the perfect spot to grab a quick lunch, dinner or late night snack.

I didn't know much about the design behind Taylor until I read a feature in the September '09 issue of Dwell magazine.  The three-story brick building is located in the heart of H Street Northeast's emerging Atlas District.  The building houses the Taylor Gourmet deli, market and business office on the first floor and apartments of owners David Mazza and Casey Patten on the second and third floors.

It seems eco-friendliness and budget were the top two considerations when choosing materials for both the deli and apartments. All of the paints used were low-VOC (low-VOC paints are widely available at your local, specialty paint store and big-box home improvement stores).  Recycled shipping pallets cover the walls and counters in the deli creating an earthy and fresh atmosphere.  Chain-link fence poles were used to build shelving units for the market in the back of the deli.  Saving the best for last,  the light fixture in the back of the store (pictured below and my favorite design element) was handmade by Patten using light bulbs and vacuum tubes.  I love the Taylor guys' creativity!

Mazza and Patten also enlisted help to make their eco-vision a reality.  Grupo7 architects helped create the sleek, modern and sustainable deli space.  DC-based Green Living Consulting (GLC) put together a cost-efficient green strategy for the business.  According to the Taylor Gourmet website, both companies continue to help as the business expands.

For the apartments above the deli, Mazza and Patten bought kitchen cabinets and countertops from Ikea and scored discount tile on eBay for the kitchen backsplash and bathroom showers.  

I have to end this post with a personal plug for Taylor's yummy food.  Their hoagies are made on fresh Italian bread brought in daily from Sarcone's bakery in Philadelphia.  Their menu includes hoagies (each named after a Philly street), salads (each named after a Philly park) and heavenly fried delights like toasted raviolis and arancini.  My favorites are the Oregon Avenue grilled chicken sandwich, Fairmount Park salad and Ridge Ave ravioli.

Judging by their rapid expansion it seems the residents of DC are enjoying Taylor's food and design as much as I am.  They opened a second shop in the neighborhood just north of Chinatown in the CityVista building and plan to open a third shop in Bethesda (slated for mid-July).  Pop in the next time you're in DC.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

images via Dwell and Taylor Gourmet

in case you missed it: jenna lyons on oprah

J. Crew's Executive Creative Director Jenna Lyons appeared on Oprah today to chat about having her dream job. She invited an Oprah camera crew to follow her around for a day.  Check out the video below.

My favorite Jenna-related item on the blogosphere is the  Huffington Post's sneak peak into her office (including an awesome "j" crown I could put to use).  Check it out.  

Finally, I guess this would be a good time to admit to you all that I have a mild addiction to J. Crew.  My addiction got so bad, I gave up shopping at J. Crew as my 2009 New Year's resolution.  I made to late September before I broke down and bought two sweaters :)

critical exposure

I've decided to dedicate at least one blog post per month to a worthwhile charitable cause to encourage, you, my readers to join me in supporting these wonderful organizations.  

This month, I'm featuring Critical Exposure, a nonprofit organization started in 2004 to encourage young people to use photography as a way to advocate for educational and social change in their community.


Tomorrow evening, I will be attending the reception for their exhibit, "5 Years, 5,000 Images."  If you're in DC tomorrow evening and free between 6-8:30pm, please stop by to say hello, grab a cocktail and check out the amazing images and stories from young people across the country.


The suggested donation to attend the event is $35, which exhibits one student's photograph at an art gallery or coffee shop.  Follow this link to register for the reception or to learn more about other giving levels to support this great cause.  Even if you can't attend the reception tomorrow evening, I encourage you to take a look at the wonderful work Critical Exposure is doing in the lives of young people in the District and across the country and consider making a donation to help them expand their efforts.  


I've included a sample of Critical Exposure's photographs and hope to see you tomorrow evening!

P.S.  I can't let this post go to print without one final appeal.  Please open your wallet right now and click here to make a generous donation of $10, $35, $50 or more to Critical Exposure.  Thank you for your support! 


Images via Critical Exposure

tastemaker april picks

Spring has sprung in the District.  The cherry blossoms have bloomed, tourists are EVERYWHERE, and winter coats have gone to the back of my closet until November.  

I thought I'd share a few of my April picks with you....

Nautical Striped Shirts

(Gap)

(Tommy Hilfiger)

 White Jeans

(J. Crew)

Chunky gold jewelry

(Stella McCartney)

(Tory Burch)

A tan handbag

(Miu Miu)

Bright lipstick

(I picked up MAC's Russian Red and Lickable, a fuchsia color)

(Moschino Cheap and Chic via Harper's Bazaar)

Le Crueset Caisis cookware

(Sur la Table)

Tulips

UPDATE: What are your picks for April?  Feel free to share in the comments section!

iconic tastemaker: grace kelly

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past couple days.  My day job's getting in the way of blogging :)

But, I promise I'm back with some really good stuff for you today.  Stories about the late Grace Kelly (style icon, oscar-winning actress, classic beauty, oh AND princess) are making the rounds in print, on the internet and in museum exhibits around the world this month.

London's Victoria and Albert Museum has opened a new exhibit called, Grace Kelly: Style Icon featuring dresses worn by Grace Kelly in a number of her films, and the gown she wore to the Oscar ceremony where she won the Best Actress award in 1955.  If you know anyone caught up in the volcano mess and grounded in London, it looks like this exhibit would be worth checking out.

The Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco is featuring two pieces out of Grace Kelly's jewelry collection in their Cartier and America exhibit.  I've read her engagement ring and the necklace from this portrait are included in the collection.  My good friend from college, Petra, has been to the exhibit, not once, but THREE times.  She says it's fabulous, so I encourage you to check it out before it closes on May 8th.

If London and San Francisco aren't part of your travel plans, you can head over to netaporter.com for Grace Kelly-inspired clothing in the new edition of their online magazine.  

If you're like me, and you can only afford to "window shop" at Net-a-Porter, you might find that the coffee table book, Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures is a more budget-friendly buy.

Or, if you're looking for a freebie, take a look at these stunning photos of the stylish icon.

Finally, I just can't let a Grace Kelly post go to print without mentioning the timeless epitome of fine handbag taste, the Hermes Kelly bag.  I have read that Grace Kelly popularized the bag by carrying them everywhere to conceal her first pregnancy.  I keep a mental list of handbags I'd like to add to my own collection and the Kelly bag is at the top of the list! 

So, if you're looking for a Grace Kelly fix this fine sunny Tuesday here are a few links to peruse:

1. Vanity Fair's May cover profile by Laura Jacobs 

2. Vanity Fair's "Eternal Style of Grace Kelly" slide show

3. Inside London's Victoria and Albert Museum's "Grace Kelly:Style Icon" exhibit 

4. The Victoria and Albert Museum's Grace Kelly online shop (stunning prints for sale)

5. San Francisco's Legion of Honor museum's "Cartier and America" exhibit 

6. Net-a-porter's online magazine, "Amazing Grace"

7. Grace Kelly books on Amazon.com

images via Vanity Fair | net-a-porter | amazon.com | classic forever