loving: tory burch

Tory Burch has been really knocking it out of the park for me fashion-wise.  I came across this pic on my Facebook feed the other day and it inspired me to buy this blouse from Banana Republic (I had a 35% off code- it was fate!).  

I also logged on Vogue.com last night (multi-tasking while watching the State of the Union) and was greeted by this lovely pic from her London store opening.  

TB is so chic! I love her style and I am endlessly inspired by her blog and Facebook presence. (Kudos to the TB web team!  I'm inspired to be a better blogger because of their hard work.)  Also, I'm especially obsessed with her new city guides.  Wonder when she'll come out with a DC guide?  Maybe I can help her write one.  Tory, if you're reading this,  have your people call my people.  

images via tory burch facebook | vogue.com

winter white

I've been totally drooling over Filipa Fino's Five Days, Five Looks, One Girl feature on Vogue.com.  

I think this winter white outfit is total perfection (especially her Gucci coat!).  I wish I looked this chic every day in the office!

The feathery Louboutin booties are pretty fab too.  

images via vogue.com

hello fall...

Here are a few inspiration photos for you to celebrate the unofficial beginning of the fall season!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day weekend.  Now it's back to work....

images via domino | this is glamorous | net-a-porter | vogue | bergdorf goodman

trend watch: silk shorts

(lauren santo domingo)

I've been avoiding the "evening shorts" trend for at least two years, but I may have to reconsider my ban after seeing the silk shorts on Vogue's blog.  

(elizabeth charles)

(j. crew)

(elizabeth and james)

(sea)

images via Vogue.com

ready for the weekend

I've got a long list of weekend projects to tackle over the next few days and I'm ready to get going.  My backyard needs a little sprucing up to get ready for warm-weather BBQs.  I've also got to get my dining room in shape now that I have a new table and plans to paint the walls a bright blue.  Finally, I've been inspired by my Wednesday post to inject a little turquoise into my office by painting the base of my lamp and re-covering my inspiration board.  I'll be sure to take pictures for my upcoming post on office spaces.  Hope you have a fun weekend planned!

P.S.  I've been meaning to post a link to this, but in case you missed the opportunity to gawk at the amazing gowns worn at the annual Costume Institute Gala held at the Met this week, Vogue has complete coverage on their website.  Red carpet photos can be found here.  A behind-the-scenes video of the event can be found here.  The video about what goes into planning the Met gala can be found here (it also includes a sneak peak at the Met's new exhibit, American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity).  Guy Trebay's New York Times article covering the event can be found here.  

image j.crew via MA Belle 

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

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

sjp on the may cover of vogue

Looks like Sarah Jessica Parker is gracing the May cover of Vogue! It's nicely timed with the release of Sex and the City 2 on May 27th.  The last time SJP appeared in Vogue was to promote the first SATC movie two years ago.  Links to the lovely Mario Testino photo spread and excerpt of the article can be found here.     


photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue

lifestyle tastemaker: vera wang

Move over Ina Garten, when I die I want to come back as Vera Wang.  

I've decided that Vera Wang is living one of the most fabulous lives imaginable.  Not only is she a wildly successful businesswoman, but she's celebrating milestone birthdays in style.  

Vera wrote a small piece for the April issue of Vogue about her recent trip to France.   She and a group of close friends celebrated her 60th birthday with a trip to Paris and the South of France for a "moveable feast." Their tour of the Cote d' Azur brought them to the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc in Antibes.  I have to say, the hotel is stunningly beautiful and the setting is straight out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.  I've made a mental note to visit the next time I'm in the region. (How GOOPy of me!)  

The hotel has a long history of catering to the rich and famous, and even lists celebrity guests alphabetically on their website. (A garish move for a five-star hotel if you ask me, but I digress....)

Vera says packing was a cinch: boyish t-shirts, shorts, and Eres swimsuits were all that were needed.  She spent her days, "relaxing and reading, eating, sleeping, and meandering the grounds." Sounds pretty amazing to me!

She describes eight straight days of:

Breakfast on the terrace...

Lunch by the pool overlooking the yachts...

Swimming...

...and apertifs before going out to dinner.

In other Vera news, Gilt Groupe featured her Vera Wang Collection line as one of their sales yesterday.  These were my favorite pieces from the sale.  

P.S. How perfect is that sapphire blue dress for sipping apertifs at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc?

hotel images can be found here 
vera wang collection images via Gilt Groupe