incroyable!

i'm at a loss...how incredible are these images from laduree?


a few months ago, i came across this poster of macarons from laduree on rdujour.


then last week on besotted, i came across this image of a laduree truffle box with a little frenchie on it.

oh laduree, you are killing me! first the macarons, then the cute dogs. oh what is a francophile girl to do right now when she is nowhere near paris? le sigh!

new do

we had a birthday party in the park last weekend and lorenzo finally took a picture of me with my new hair. here i am with my baby girl lucie.

next week i have another hair appointment to cut it even shorter. i feel like it needs a little length off the back to make it less mushroomy and a little more edgy.

anyway, sorry it's taken me so long to get this posted. i don't really like to have my picture taken all that much. i'll try to get one up sooner than later after my next cut.

i hope you all have a great weekend. we are having a catherine deneuve film fest here in town so i hope to get out for some classic frenchie films!

and to all the momma's, have a very happy mother's day!

summer staples

we have now had a few nice days here in portland so i feel i can officially start planning my summer wardrobe staples now. i'm not going too crazy this year but i am stepping out a little (a very little) on my usual dress, especially since i don't really like shorts. i guess since we have had such an extremely wet winter, shorts may very well be in order this summer. and that brings me to staple number one...


yes, i will definitely be needing some bronzer, at least at the beginning of the summer. and while the lancome flash bronzer is not long lasting (i sweated it all off in bikram yoga last night), it does have a really natural look and is great if you need it for a special occasion. i swear by this one and have been using it for years.


while i am obsessed with vintage christian dior sunglasses, i have had a hard time finding just the right style for me so now i am considering some new chloe glasses. they have a retro look but are updated for today. i would take either one of these two pair.




lately i've really been wanting a pair of overalls but since they tend to be a little frumpy, i've decided overall shorts are the way to go, definitely a little more fitted than baggy, too.



and i really have turned my signature weekend look into wearing striped shirts, i love them and can dress them up or down. i would like both of these by petit bateau please!




these cute little cleo denim shorts are perfect too. i definitely will be needing some of these.


and i love the hasbeens for h&m clogs. i don't know if there are any left but i will for sure find some cute red clogs like these for the summer.


my converse sneakers are getting a little worn out so they may need replaced as well. i just can't decide on black or white. what do you think?

what are you all planning on wearing this summer?

coco + kate

i have been meaning to post these great vintage posters from the musical coco, starring katherine hepburn. i found them over on rdujour. don't you just love them? i thought they would look fabulous on my blog!


with the resurgence of all of the coco chanel inspired films that have come out recently, it would be great to see a classic like this, originally starring kate for a brief run before she bowed out of the production.

i guess if i won't be able to see the broadway production any time soon, i'll have to read the book by alan jay lerner.

gratuitous doggie shot...

just because she's so darn cute!

i die!

so i'm working on a set design and i really want to go with the john derian look. i'm googling photos of his designs and lo and behold, what do i see? a john derian and repetto collaboration! how is this the first that i have heard of such a brilliant mix?

being on the shorter side, i never used to favor flats because, well, the last thing i need is to look even shorter. but a few years ago i decided i really didn't care about that any more and i began collecting ballet flats. and i loooove them! they are just so comfortable and really look great with any spring and summer outfit and they are perfect for work, too.

i have been dying for a pair of brigitte bardot's signature ballet flat, by repetto, but the price is a little much for me to handle. but oh man, look at these babies.
oh yes, i die!

available at john derian 212.677.8408 $295.00

new york style

speaking of personal style. have you seen the bill cunningham documentary yet? i haven't seen it come through town yet but i really want to see it.


and believe it or not, yours truly has been featured in his street style article. i will forever be indebted to him because now anytime lorenzo doesn't like what i'm wearing (including the coat i was wearing in the article), i instantly have "street cred". thanks bill!

my personal style file

i'm loving this new book by amanda brooks about developing your own personal style.

as a child of the '80s, i could definitely use some help when it comes to fashion...in fact, this very day i am wearing a long sweater over black leggings, clearly not much has changed since then (my hair is smaller, though). so i'm always looking for any bits of advice i can get from the fashion front, and this one is really good.

i already know how i want to look when i'm older, i have that all planned out, it's the in between years that i'm struggling with!

get your kicks

i just discovered this great band over on gretchen jones' blog. so perfect for today's mood.

nina

oh man, i am just dying to listen to some nina right now. don't you just love her? i really wish i had seen her while she was still alive. definitely one of the people i would have at my dead or living dream dinner!

hurry up 5 o'clock!

old blue hair

i am loving these images of the mary katrantzou spring 2011 lookbook found on rdujour.

while the blue hair is a bit much, these images are visually beautiful and interesting. it would have been a lot of fun styling these shots.






the clothing and the sets are incredible but i actually think that the photos would look better if the model just had black hair. what do you think?

last tango...

here is a little teaser for you.

i know i haven't followed up on my last post regarding my new short do. yes, i cut my hair, i love it, i just haven't had any pictures taken that are worthy of showing all of my blogging friends. as soon as i have lorenzo take some pics, i'll get them up here. i actually am loving it and want to go even shorter. weeee!

i have been working on a new project that i am really excited about so here is a little clue. as soon as i get it a little more curated, i'll let you all know. oh i can't wait!

hair affair follow up

tomorrow's the day i cut it all off! if i don't regret it after, i'll post a picture of my new look.

(this photo of me is by lorenzo and is a still of a video project we've been working on for a while. i like this one a lot).

dans la chambre

so i've been on a staycation here the last few days and my goal is to get some work done around the house...googling photos on-line is so much interesting though! i figure if i'm looking for photos that are house related, i'll get some motivation to do something creative.

after moving in with my boyfriend last july, we've been working to integrate all of our stuff together, the problem is, we both have a lot of things and we both like our things. our styles are similar but our collections are challenging to try to work in together. i have this weird frenchie/native american look going (i know, weird) and he tends a little more toward the asian and gothic look. so i'm left trying to put a room together of skulls, thai art, native american textiles and florals. so far i've managed to get the entry way done!

basically, what i am doing is one room at a time, taking everything off of the walls and coming up with a common theme, like in the entry, the theme was black and white stripes. then i went through the house and gathered up anything that had some form of black and white stripes in it. this plan actually worked out ok. i'll post a picture of the entry if the sun ever comes out here and i can take a decent one.

so that is my plan going throughout the house...to try to come up with a theme for each room and then rearranging our belongings together.

the bedroom needs a little work since this is where we hahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifng out the most. we have a pretty big house that is hard to heat so our room has become the place where we all hang out together. we have our bed, bookshelves, tv, stereo and computer in here so i would like to form a few little seating areas around these activities. i also would like to come up with a color scheme to go with my new bedding which is a bit brighter than my normal red, white and black. it has these colors but also with a little splash of fuchsia and bright blue. i love it!

so where i like to go for decorating inspiration is marie claire maison. i love that their rooms are not styled so perfectly but actually look like people live in them and have been collecting the items in the rooms throughout their lives.



in this photo, i really like the grouping of art and collectibles above the bed.


but this room looks more like our style. the colors in the bed and artwork are more similar to what i am working with. i love the collection of retro items, the cowhide on the floor and the funky art.


this one really looks like my style, too, though. i can't tell you how many times i've hung a tapestry above my bed and then hung artwork on it. these colors are so great together, too.


i think that this is my favorite room. i'm loving those hanging light pendants on each side of the bed and this bedding has a lot more pattern in it which is similar to mine.

ok, so i'm off to get some work done. i think i'll start with putting my laundry away!

hotty patotty!

that's right, i went to see pete yorn on sunday night. hullo!

no scarlett, wasn't there...bummer. pete still rocked without her, though. i was waiting for him to give me a call to sing her parts but he must have forgotten. ha ha!

more bomo...

one of my new readers kirsten m. asked me to feature a few photos from the book bohemian modern that i talked about a few months ago. i absolutely love this book and still can't wait to make a trip down to silver lake. i found this book in a great little, now defunt shop in portland but i'm sure you could find it on amazon or powell's if you are having a hard time finding it.

here are just a few photos that i found on-line and when i get home, i will scan some from the book.

and a big hello to kirsten! thank you so much for stopping by.




wouldn't a back yard like this be amazing? i would love to hang out here on nice evenings.


in the book, this first home was absolutely stripped to the bones and re-built. i really like the creative way of locating the windows. what a nice porch on the second home.


the book features art by the author and it is so cute. this is my favorite type of drawing. it reminds me of the velvet posters we would get as kids that we could color in with magic markers.

i'm on vacation for the next few days so i'll try get get more pics up soon. i'm taking a little staycation and i hope to get some more work done on our house. i have managed to get the entry painted and next are the stairs and bathroom so hopefully i'll get some of that accomplished.

happy spring! i just wish someone would let mother nature know that we are still waiting for it in portland!

images found on sb garden design and captain kk

style file

have you heard that elle magazine has a book out called the ellements of style? i'm dying to get my hands on a copy! i imagine it is going to be a celebrity version of one of my favorite books the selby. we'll get to voyeurize the homes of our favorite fashionable celebs such as my girl charlotte.


here is charlotte's spread from the book that was featured on rdujour a few weeks ago.

i wonder who else's homes we will get to see?

the perfect saturday...

i saw this picture over on rdujour the other day and it reminded me of a perfect saturday afternoon. all you need is a great magazine, some chanel nail polish, a cool skull tee, some leopard ballet flats and great music in the background. i'd probably be listening to charlotte gainsbourg (i know, what a surprise?) or au revoir simone.

and oh yeah, a big pot of french press coffee, mais oui!

what's your idea of a perfect lazy saturday?

chelsea girl

after college, when i was still living in albuquerque and doing social work, i had a really great group of friends. there were artists, architects, bar and shop owners and of course, my little collective of fellow social workers.

there wasn't much going on in albuquerque at the time but occasionally, we would get great bands coming through town (i have since learned that many bands hate playing albuquerque as it is some sort of weird vortex). one such band that i fell in love with was pavement. remember them? oh how dreamy and broody stephen malkmus was! i went to their show every time they came through town.

when i began planning my escape from new mexico, one of the things that drew me to portland was the fact that stephen malkmus had taken up residence here. what more convincing did i need? after moving here, i did find myself in a little circle that was "friends" with stephen and i even waited on him once when still working in the bar business. i think i still have his grocery receipt that he left on the table. he was very sweet and gracious no matter what his reputation may be.

i harbored my love for pavement for many years until i saw a movie that used the velvet underground for its soundtrack and i immediately went out to buy their album. on the one hand, i was so excited to discover an amazing band (i'm a bit of a late bloomer), and on the other, i was a little bummed that pavement sounded sooo much like them. i don't know if it was intentional but it certainly sounded so to me. sadly, i rarely pull out my pavement cds anymore.

i am still loving the velvet underground's greatest hits, though. namely chelsea girl with nico. if ever there was a song that my past life relates to, this is it. and wasn't nico just so cool? i love her fashion sense, hair and dark voice. seems to fit our rainy days here in portland.

paradis theatre

there is a beautiful article today on rdujour about mrs. johnny depp, the photographs are incredible.

i first fell in love with vanessa when she was hanging out with lenny kravitz. oh how my friend raney and i were so jealous! but after seeing her around a bit, i grew to love her simple french beauty. she really won me over in the film, girl on the bridge. that gap between her teeth and short wavy haircut should go down in the fashion files for sure.








i remember hanging out in an irish pub in montmartre one afternoon and the bartender told me that vanessa and johnny lived right across the street. can you imagine? what if they had popped in? no such luck!

if you love fashion as much as i do, be sure to check out rdujour. it's my daily fashion news, but i suppose i shouldn't give away all of my secrets!

and as to my hair affair question, i am still undecided about cutting it. as soon as you make a big complaint about your hair, it miraculously starts behaving itself knowing it's days are numbered. i have recently received so many compliments on how great it looks that i may wait it out a while :)

and to my friends in japan, you are in my thoughts and prayers right now. xoxoxo