Inspired Alphastructaesthetitologist

Oh these are gorgeous, aren't they?  Hailing most recently from a marine laden town with stories of mermaids and tritons and sailors from 'round the planet, I have a particular attachment to the intrigue and romance of these words.  If you subtract the beauty of the words, you are left with typeographical images so gorgeous and unique it is moving.  The combination...stunning.



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(above: to my sailor)*

These images are masterfully created by New York based and self-titled Alphastructaesthetitologist Jon Contino.  Please view his site for more intriguing design as well as information about custom design.  Wouldn't it be spectacular to commission a custom invitation or declaration by Mr. Contino?  Hats off - or anchors aweigh - to Jon Contino for making this world a more beautiful place by the stroke of his hand and imagination.

P.S. He has a blog, too. I am officially obsessed.

This Jacket, These Doors, This Hotel

Let's start with the jacket.  It's perfect.  What a good color.  Of course if we are going to talk details, it could fit a little tighter in order to avoid looking like a fuddy.  My Grandfather had a jacket like this except it was corduroy (genius) - and he had a matching one made for my Grandmother.  Why don't people dress like that anymore? 

This was taken at the main entrance of the Parker Palm Springs.  An incredibly styled hotel done by Jonathan Adler.  There are so many incredible ideas and detials in this space it's amazing and worth a stay over in Palm Springs...or just a cocktail at their green marble and mirrored lobby bar.  Yep.  Green marble + brass + mirrors.  Now THAT is where you drink a proper cocktail, at the proper hour, in this proper pink blazer.

I'm back with a Union Jack

It rhymed.  I'm guilty of corny titles. 

But this 1930s piece of luggage is A-MAAAA-ZZZING.

Available at Yale R. Burge in the frigid tundra that is NYC. Or comfortably from your own cozy home via the world wide web on 1st Dibs.

Genius.  And a worthy opening blog post to 2011. 

Happy New Year (does it still count if Puxatony Phil already made his appearance?)!!!

Urgent Message - The Aussie Domino is Born & You Can Read it Online!

We interrupt this dreadful winter season to bring you an announcement that there is a new Domino-style magazine in town.  Not really "in town", not even in this hemisphere.  BUT you can read it online!  It's brilliant. It's called Ivy & Piper...check it out ASAP for a winter blah pick me up.

Fantasy Christmas Gift Guide...(part one)

This gift guide is dedicated to the people who have to shop for the people who have everything, or the folks who enjoy a dash of whimsy, or just simply to rival the usually impressive Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog. I haven't even seen one this year. Is it as good as it used to be? If not, this posting will surely not disappoint.

This is the candy button bench from this absolutely fabulous company called Jellio. I highly encourage you to visit this site (after you read my blog).  I was obsessed with the design perfection of the candy buttons.
This bench!  $1,200
If you find yourself suddenly wanting some candy buttons, in a large glass jar maybe?, you can try Retro Candy.  A case of these would make an incredible gift, too.  Slightly less expensive and cumbersome.

You don't have to be a genius to solve these Rubik's Cube Tables, but you do have to be a genius to have the wherewithal to make these.  Also from Jellio! $600 each

Last but certainly not least in the Jellio family: the Ice Cream Sandwich bench.  Really.  $950



Call this fish Jonah, he's got a lot longer than three days to survive in the belly of this whale fishbowl.

Designed by Skitsch, available online for 280 Euro



usb typewriter...for the snobbish writer on your list who still wants to hear the click and hum of a proper typewriter. It is a cool idea.  Available on etsy.com $799 for this model or they offer adapter kits for your beloved dusty and unused typewriter.

That is a Seabob Cayago F7.  "Fastest one yet."  Who knew there were others? About $19 G's.

More to come...more to come...stay tuned.

A Sign of the Times

So this is what the world has come to... 



Bagel Bites at Nino's Pizza, St. Mark's Place

A few weeks ago I found myself at Nino's Pizza on the corner of St. Mark's in the Lower East Side.  This street alone, an icon within an iconic city, is a bastion of excess and wild style.  I hope that what I found at Nino's is not a symbol of the apathy that is quietly seeping into the corners of the Greatest City in the World. 

Because now, a relatively decent by-the-slice NY pizzeria, has slumped to buying, cooking, and selling 6-for-$4 Ore Ida brand Bagel Bites.  Yep.  I cannot make this up.  The rather proud red t-shirt wearing pizza jockey behind the glass touted "6-for-$4!" when I remarked about the mere presence of the Bagel Bites in the front row.  He even offered to smile widely and get into the picture.  It's not that he didn't admit they were Bagel Bites.  He did.  He thought they were a smart addition to the line up.

For his own pride, which he will lose at a later date when he realizes the offense he has committed, I have omitted him from the photo.  It is straight up NOT OK to sell Bagel Bites in a pizzeria, anywhere, especially New York.  People here are not supposed to kowtow and give up like this. 

If it's any sign of hope, the line at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn is still long and the pizza is still worth waiting for...



Filling a French Cuffed Void (How Civilized, and In Time for the Holidays)

I adore an intimate accessory and touch of whimsy that only I know is there.  It gives me a dash of confidence in knowing I have a secret, and sometimes only the most observant and deserving people will notice.  Maybe that's why I am so into details.  I love details and even rewatch movie scenes for hidden lines and background images (a favorite background image is one of the 80's high school dance attendees in the background of a Sixteen Candles scene...).

Cufflinks are a wonderful way for a man who is conscious of details already since he has even bothered to wear a French cuff shirt, to express his sense of comedy and style.  Take note of some of these amazing sets. 

Check out Etsy.com for some incredible cufflinks, as well as local vintage and thrift stores.  The Missing Link on 25th Street in NYC is a mecca for cufflink collectors.  

Carved turquoise fish cufflinks wearing sunglasses...
(available on 1stDibs.com)



Gorgeous David Webb vintage leopard cufflinks. 
(available on 1stDibs.com)



You're right, these are BRILLIANT.  Rabbit In The Hat cufflinks made by some genius. 
(vintage and avalable somewhere on 1stDibs.com)



British Flag cufflinks.  Who doesn't love a Union Jack with a Jack on the Rocks on Union soil?
(available online at J Press)



Mermaids and Sequins...

Thom Browne Spring 2011
GREAT mermaid print.
Great sequin gingham.

interesting contrast can sometimes include trash

This is a gorgeous photo of a billowing red coat made more interesting by the contrast of green - that happens to be a trash bag.  What's interesting is that we would not knowingly include a dangling trash bag in the photo - we would consciously crop it out.  It is the heavily hanging bag that gives this photo some oomph, in my opinion, of course.

Perfection

Photograph by Elliott Erwitt. Truman Capote's famed 1966 Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel.

GORGEOUS. 

Candice Bergen with bunny ears at the infamous masked ball with only 540 of Capote's ideal guests. 

...this is a little picture of perfection, captured perfectly in...black and white...

Cool and Fuzzy

This Rick Owens shearling jacket is PERFECTION.  I covet most everything that he designs, especially his leather jackets.  And then he takes it one step further into shearling territory?  The picture is a little small, but there is gorgeous detail on the sleeves as well. 

Rick Owens' wife, Michelle Lamy, is his muse and collaborator.  They are just too cool.  I wonder how they celebrate anniversaries?  Are they popping corks of rose colored champagne? 

oooh, a PINK Rick Owens jacket would be amazing, and would also never ever happen.  I am sure you can see that this couple is not exactly pink-thinking. 

who needs thumbs?

I don't know if this dog really gets money out of the ATM for it's person, but regardless, it is pretty impressive.  Dixie (my yellow lab) has always tried to show me, usually without witnesses, that she does not need thumbs (to get into mischief). 

The above photo is what happens when you properly channel the intelligence and mischieviousness of an adorable friend.  Maybe donating to a Leader Dog foundation is a nice thing to do for the holidays?

a few of my favorite things...all in one room!

 Here are a few inspired interiors by Mary McDonald, based in West Hollywood. 

I love the pink foyer.  That is a pink foyer.  And it has zebra.  And blue and white vases.  Did I point out the gold bamboo mirror???  I almost forgot the tufted pink chairs. 

The room below needs no explination (neither does the pink foyer, really) - it has striped walls.  Not just any striped walls.  A picture says a thousand words...

Mary does many more gorgeous and colorful interiors, have a look at her website.  

How Can You Cross the Brooklyn Bridge Without Shoes?

Designer denim shark held captive in Brooklyn

I visited the new Barney's Co-op that opened on Atlantic Avenue the day it opened, October 14.  There were treats and a Pellegrino bar.  Delicious giant gauzy scarves, Marc by Marc bags, Alexander Wang and Opening Ceremony for miles, well yards and yards.  And no shoes. 

I was so excited about the idea of a Barney's on Atlantic!  Just four blocks from my house, and flanked by a massive Trader Joe's and a shop that sells curry, almonds, and improved How To Bellydance videos (I cannot make this up)... But no shoes?  I think this was a major oversight by Barney's. 

Maybe they will remove some of the massive quantities of denim from the basement and create a little shoe department.  Without shoes, this Co-op is a Designer 7-11.

Necklace or Breastplace?

This necklace is incredible. Vintage, of course. Tom Binns, you do nice pieces, but this thing is a real stunner.  Of course it is already sold to some lucky person. I hope she is wearing it with pride.  That's a nice trophy. 



Impractical, Just the Way We Like It

It is in fact: 1. sequined, 2. caftan, from 3. 1970s, 4. Halston.

This entry is dedicated to AHN, someone who would ride her bike in this getup.

To CVS. In Newport. In July. 

 Probably wearing some kind of amazing giant espadrilles. And fabulous sunglasses.

Thanks for inspiring me, Ali Belles.  xoxo

1970s Halston

pink, again

Pink Birkin.

Pink YSL dress.

Pink Scott Barrie Chiffon Dress, 1970s.

GIving birth to the 80s.
Givenchy.

Yes, that is a pink maribou jacket from the 1960s.
And I LOVE it.

For the Court Jester, a pink brocade jumpsuit with knickers.
Does this come with a gnome?

Mmm, the piece de resistance...pink sapphire and diamond ring.
ooh la la.

Rise and Shine

I would actually get up early if this gorgeous bit from the 70s was staring me in the face. 



Yes, that is an Hermes "H" alarm clock.
Circa 1970s.



Tennis Flashback

I love the entire concept (that has been going on for decades) of sportswear as daywear and how it drags costumely into eveningwear sometimes, too.  Of course there is no mistaking this kind of retro tennis getup as some kind of definitive time-machine style statement. 

Was there supposed to be a retro tennis party this past summer in
Newport? Does anyone know why that didn't happen?

I am clearly desperately missing summer although I really do adore Fall and all of it's coziness, leather, and tweed.

A Chair for Hermes, The God

Orange, I do believe that is haircalf?, Winged Chair*
In Paris quite obviously.
(*those are really swans but I do like the idea of
only wings so much better...)