Sunday, 29 November 2009

alice's wonderland



The world of the incredibly sucessful British fashion designer Alice Temperley is really something else. Her little empire now encompasses a bridal wear line in addition to her ready-to-wear collection, and according to the Temperley website soon to come will be homeware, travel accessories, childrenswear and menswear. Though her garments are indeed lovely, the company seemingly owes a lot of its sucess to simply marketing itself on her own enviable lifestyle. A country girl at heart- her family home is in Somerset where her father owns and runs a sucessful cider making business, her life appears to be a social whirlwind of glamorous parties and friends in London, luxury safari's in Kenya and then escaping to the family farm to run through the orchard, camp under the stars and pick wild strawberries.



Alice's studio

Temperley is about selling a dream. If we all buy her fabulous, feminine dresses then maybe we too are in with a chance of snagging an invite to her legendary fancy dress parties held on the farm every year, full of beautiful, interesting people, where the dancing goes on until dawn . Her stunning 1920's themed wedding was also held at her family home, (her husband Lars manages the busines side of the label). Their home in London is a loft above her shop in Notting Hill- the top half of a nineteenth century converted barn, to be specific- and it is a glorious, luxe, mismatched Aladdin's cave of all things beautiful, sparkly, antique and quirky.



A scene from one of the annual summer parties in Somerset



Inside Alice & Lars' loft in Notting Hill

So great is the appeal of everything Alice, she has even designed an exclusive, uber tipi for a luxury resort in Mauritius which boasts a glass chandalier, custom wood flooring and golden fabric draped through the interior. There's no doubt that she works incredibly hard but it would seem she manages to play hard too. Her life must be even busier now due to the birth of her son Fox last year. Alice may have a pretty near-perfect life but one would presume she too still has bad hair days, and times where she feels like sitting down and crying for no reason at all (every womans right). Nevertheless, would I like a little slice of the Alice Temperley lifestyle? Heck yes! It's just a shame I can't even afford one of her dresses :)



Alice's collection of jewellery




The lady herself at home



The Temperley Tipi

Friday, 27 November 2009

magical moments



I've recently made an awesome discovery...the photostream of Owlgardens on flickr. How unbelievably beautifully she manges to capture light in all her photographs. I am also very taken with the way she documents such enchanting little moments, each one is so full of emotion. Oh and the colours....the stunning colours.











And finally, this might just be the dearest thing I've ever seen...



All images by owlgardens.

Thursday, 26 November 2009

a feast for the eyes



Randi Brookman-Harris is a prop stylist and creative director based in New York. She has worked extensively for Martha Steward Weddings and Living magazines and also for Kate Spade. Her work is so beautiful, she obviously has such a fantastic eye and talent for gathering together and arranging gorgeous things. I just want to crawl inside these images and live in them please.








Friday, 20 November 2009

caravan




Caravan
is probably the one of the very best shops I've ever been too. Hidden away down an unassuming street in East London, it contains simply the loveliest interior accessories, decorative trinkets and generally beautiful objects. It gains even more brownie points because everything in there isn't hideously exprensive. Though there are some things priced at the higher end of the spectrum, there are also some lovely bits and pieces for as little as £7.

It is owned by the interior stylist Emily Chalmers, which would explain the unique, artfully arranged and beautifully styled interior. She is also the author of what looks to be an excellent interiors book called 'Flea Market Style' (mental note- add to Christmas list), which neatly sums up the aesthetic of Caravan. If you like to gather pretty, unusual items to make your home characterful then get to this place by any means possible! (No they didn't pay me to write this. I wish!) I just like it. A lot. Even their website is a sheer joy to behold).

All images from the Caravan website



Thursday, 19 November 2009

modern muses: sofia coppola



Hello! Sorry for the lack of posts so far this week, I honestly don't know where the days have got to, how on earth is it already Wednesday evening. Anyway, onto the second installment in my 'Modern Muses' series...

Hmm, where shall I start. As the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola (director of The Godfather films), maybe it was inevitable that Sofia would follow in his footsteps. Making her first foray into the world of the big screen by appearing in one of her fathers films at the at the age of two, today she is the acclaimed, award-winning film director of three cult indie films turned blockbusters. The Virgin Suicides was her directorial debut, followed by Lost in Translation and most recently the sumptuous Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst.

Each of these films is a visual feast for the eyes, from the eerie but beautiful, dreamlike cinematography of The Virgin Suicides to the gorgeously lavish, overtly feminine costumes and sets of Marie Antoinette. She is also a style icon- she has understated chic down to a fine art, and is a long time friend and muse of designer Marc Jacobs. Not to mention mother to 3 year old daughter Romy (her partner is Thomas Mars, the lead singer with the French rock band Phoenix). Wow. Oh and she lives in Paris, a city she has cited as a major inspiration to her. So, anyone else just a teeny bit jealous here...




Images via the New York Times

Saturday, 14 November 2009

little pixie







The small, loud person in her new winter hat.

Thursday, 12 November 2009

100th post!


Image by La Mechante.

Just realised that I've reached my 100th post (well actually my last one was, but I failed to notice at the time) so this is a little celebration post to mark the occasion. I try to blog as often as I can but I know I can be a bit rubbish at posting regularly sometimes. Thanks so much for bearing with me and for reading. And of course for the lovely comments that never fail to brighten up my day (even though I know I am equally rubbish at reciprocating, but I'm going to work on this. Really, I am!)

So now I'm going to share a few things that I am coveting at the moment...

All images via the always inspiring and awesome Audrey Hepburn Complex.


Image by Le Portillon

A vintage typewriter.


Image by Alex Dram

A pretty kitty! Ideally a black one. Our family cat which we aquired when I was age two sadly passed away a few years ago and I miss him dearly.


Original image source unknown

A braid that looks like this! My own attempts pale in comparison.


Original image source unknown

Beautiful shoes in beautiful colours. Ideally without a gravity defying heel.


Image by Una Obession

A bike. A lovely vintage style one (I'm the first to admit I certainly lack the time and dedication to match it to my outfit on any given day but my, how striking and elegant...)

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

shop update



Just updated my etsy shop with two new headbands (more designs to come in the next few days). These are a different style to the ones that are already in there- a narrow suede cord which you simply tie at the back to secure, and they are embellished with fabric flowers, various beads and millinery flowers.

Very similar designs were debuted by the bridesmaids at my wedding, and I've made a couple for friends as presents. They've been very enthusiastically recieved so far (yay!) and I think they work well with more casual or dressy outfits, and add a dreamy, feminine vibe to any look. The beauty of the simple tie fastening is that you can wear them in many different ways- low across the forehead or on top of your hair (more like an alice band). I'm excited to make more and experiment with some new colour schemes.






Sunday, 8 November 2009

luphia



I've just discovered the online fashion boutique Luphia, which has some very lovely things indeed. It specialises in Korean fashion, all at very pleasingly affordable prices. Their clothes are largely chic, pretty and girly but there are also some more edgy pieces there too. They even do a little shoot of a girl wearing each item to show different ways to wear it. Cute. Here are some of my favourites...






Saturday, 7 November 2009

the globe trotting days


...The Wild Coast, South Africa

This time four years ago, I was a month into a round the world trip with two very good friends. How things have changed! I was away for nearly a year and in that time I did so many things, saw so many incredible places, met so many people it takes my breath away to think of it now. The freedom, the recklessness, the adventure, the comradeship, the moments of elation and those of fear. It was quite simply a mind blowing experience. I was just reliving the memories and playing around with some of the images captured from my travels so thought I'd share a few.

Though life now feels a lot more suburban, I'd like to think my days of globe trotting are far from over. There's still so many places I want to see, though any future travels will no doubt be with the husband and child in tow! One things for sure, as long as my feet will carry me, I will strive to wander. Which neatly leads me to round off this post with one of my all time favourite quotes from literature...

"Not all who wander are lost..."
-JRR Tolkein


...Times Square, New York...


...Light effect in the sky on the road from Cairns, Australia...


...Ship wreck on Fraser Island, Australia...


...Robben Island (the prison where Nelson Mandela was held captive), South Africa...

Thursday, 5 November 2009

feathers, jewels & flowers


Image via Getty Images.

I'm currently busy working on some new hair decorations for my Talking to Unicorns range (after a set back yesterday when I was suffering from a nasty bout of food poisoning. Note to self- must re-heat cooked pasta in the microwave so it is sufficiently more than just lukewarm. Oops).

Whenever I need some inspiration for new designs my favourite things to do is look at vintage photographs, usually from the 1920's, when it was de rigueur to walk around with fabulous creations made from feathers, flowers and jewels atop your head. Amazing. We need to bring this back people! Take a look at these beauties...



Image via Getty Images


Image via Silver Screen Sirens on Flickr


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