erin gates style inspiration

our new studio mate, erin gates, of elements of style fame, has fantastic personal style. each day when she glides into work, i am all over her look..trying to analyze every detai..because..girl..she has it going on. From head to toe..she is DONE. And what is fun about Erin is the fact that she has a new style message every day. It's not that she is confused about who she is..it is more of a vibe for different flavors.Kind of like the way i am about food , today Thai tomorrow Tempeh! I decided that we should take her photo every day (well at least one day a week) and she could post it on her blog for all her fans to check out her very varied looks. She had other great outfits on this week, but this was our first photo op together. Her killer cuff chain bracelet was from Ann Taylor, and I told her it was genius. The shoes were great too, so next time i will be sure to get them in the shot.

Porter Airlines

Last weekend my husband took a flight up to Toronto, his old home town, on Porter Airlines, and he could not stop talking about it. He said that from the minute you arrive (which by the way is only an hour before your international flight!) you feel like something special is going on. To me it sounded like the whole thing is an intentional throwback to an era when flying was special, and one got DRESSED to fly into the beautiful blue. The one thing that stands out in my mind aside from the super fun graphics, and the groovy attendant's uniforms, is their generosity of spirit. How many times can you say that about an airlines these days..i mean who offers a lovely lounge with free snacks and drinks while you wait? Hmmmm??

Oilily

When my daughter was a baby, there was no place in Boston that made me happier than our local Oilily shop. I just loved everything about going in there, and without a doubt my visit would provide me with if not some precious garment for Thea, a giant dose of inspiration. Now that Oilily is no longer I feel that there is sadly nothing to fill the void.

Style Carrot: Marni Katz

I am so excited because tonight, Boston's own Marni Katz who is NBC's new city editor, will be speaking at Mohr And Mcpherson in the S.End all about getting good buzz on your design biz. It should be a fun and glittery event, as Marni is one very smart cookie!

here are some of her Palm Beach styling pix from her fabulous blog Style Carrot.

Zero Motorcycles

I don't know about you, but I have been waiting since the beginning of time for a car that would get me 80 miles to the gallon. Where is that car? Yesterday, I got a little lift listening to Neil Saiki talk about his company Zero Motorcycles. He was saying that the military developed these tiny powerful batteries that could now be applied to vehicles for the general public. Hence, this bike rides for about a penny a mile, is lightweight, makes virtually no noise, plugs into a 110 outlet, and goes up 67MPH!! OK, I say..bring me the car. Nein motorcyclen for moi.

My 15 minutes

Yesterday at our glamorous local CVS, I picked up the May Issue of In Style and what should grace my jaded eyes, a lovely pic of our Exeter Links vases in a story about bringing your garden inside the house. Wunderbahr!

Grace Coddington

I just loved watching The September Issue last night which was a fascinating look inside the machinations that make Vogue magazine happen. It would be easy to poo poo the entire fashion industry as silly and lightweight, but as we all learned in The Devil Wears Prada so much ($$) gets determined by fashion, and much of fashion it seems is determined by Queen Anna. The real treat of the movie was getting a peak at Grace Coddington's process, and learning that it is she who is the genius behind much of what goes in the magazine. Nevertheless, one realizes watching this biblical struggle in which the two women are enslaved, that neither one really could do it with out the other..the artiste and her cruel critic.
grace as a young MODELE!
way julianne moore-ish..maybe she will play her in the film version.
a moment of inspiration..grace turns the camera on TSI cameraman Bob ...Anna's comment was that Bob needed to get to the gym, and that they would need to airbrush Bob's paunch out! Grace fought to keep the paunch!

project runway finalists

Mila's amazing sparkly dress
emilio sosa's gown
seth aaron's prep/punk coat

I have been watching this season of project runway with a bit of the bittersweet because although i do love the show, these have not been my favorite designers. I am kind of missing "Mr. Fierce" Christian Siriano, despite the fact that the j'adorable southern charmer Anthony Williams has been adding a major dose of hilarity. Now that I have seen some of the finalists collections in this online sneak peak I continue to be underwhelmed. Oh well. I still love you PR.

Brownie Lust

I know this may sound nutty, but when we have brownies in the house, as we did this weekend, it is literally as though the darn things are yelling at me from the kitchen. "Can't you see us? We're right in here. C'mon..who's it going to hurt? Maybe just a little bite?" Oh the agony. I realize that eating one is not going to hurt anyone. But that's not it. No, not at all. The thing is..I want to eat the whole plate. And then when they're gone, I will be sad.

yellow fever

This week it seems that I keep noticing yellow outfits, either as a complete look, or just as the wow factor used in an accessory like the giant yellow patent leather hobo that came right at me on summer street yesterday. Then I watched the first glee episode on hulu (fabulous) and i saw emma pillsbury in an outfit that just screamed yellow, and i was smitten.

Seema Krish Textiles

Nothing gets my motor running quite like gorgeous textiles, and those from my friend,Seema Krish put me into overdrive! Seema dropped by our studio this afternoon and showed me her latest collection, and in a word..it is stun-wa! What makes her work so unique are the layers of pattern and texture applied to the surface. Seema uses both printing, embroidery, and applique in her pieces giving them a very custom feel (Barneys), but psst I hear her prices are reasonable (Bloomies.)

Carrie is back

thanks to erin of elements of style i got to watch this over the weekend..i have to admit when i saw the ugly poster of the movie at the theatre i was so underwhelmed..but after this trailer i have giggled myself sick. how do we love thee, carrie, samantha, charlotte, and cynthia nixon!? and now with them dropping the aidan bomb..fantastique! michael patrick king really is a genius. and don’t you just love the fact that a great marriage dies in just 2 years! Fashion and Forever..means one day you’re in and the next you’re out!

Silver Palate Lives!

I know I am so old school with a lot of things, but my devotion to the Silver Palate as my "go to" cookbook of choice has to take the cake. I realize that the barefoot contessa, nigella, and giada are the goddesses of the kitchen these days, but the other night when I had to feed a crowd of fifteen, my daughter insisted on SP chili..and to be honest the thing is easy to make and is supremely de-lish.so there!
beaten to a pulp, but it still works.
the post party le crueset viewing..not much leftovers there boy.

studio movie

My daughter made this on her own when she visited our studio on friday..very cute!

Myers and Chang

A couple of weeks ago I was hanging out with Christopher Myers (the man behind some great boston hot spots like Radius and Via Matta) and I asked him about his place over on Washington St. in the S. End. Though I drive by it all the time, I have always assumed it was very fancy, sit down, and dressed up. Despite my being intrigued by the combo of Monsieur Myers style and Mme.Chang's delicious food..I had never darkened their door. He mentioned that I had it all wrong about M+C, and that on the contrary, it was yummy, casual, and super kid friendly with easy on the wallet prices. So on friday with the rain pouring down, Lawrence and I hightailed it over to Myers + Chang with our kids for a giant treat! What do you know..we adored everything! Though the place was hopping with pretty young things, what with its super groovy decor vibe, we had an amazing meal..loving everything we ate. The waitstaff was so helpful, despite it being wall to wall people, and I cannot wait to go back!
These mussels were the bomb. I wanted to drink the sauce.
loved the crispy tofu.
always a favorite with the youngsters..these dumplings went down instantly.

Hudson on Shawmut

This week I dropped off an order of Links accessory pieces, and 2 pairs of really cute lamps at the South End shop Hudson, owned by interior designer extraordinaire Jill Goldberg. What a wonderful spot to shop for everything home. I was loving her whole design aesthetic, and just knew that my work was going to fit right in over there.

Loving Frances Palmer

What's better than porcelain..particularly porcelain handmade by master potterer Frances Palmer. She gives me major clay envy! Mme. Palmer makes things that look like jewelry from one of the toughest materials around. Kudos girl.

J Hill Design

Jennifer Hill and I met for lunch a few years ago thanks to my being intrigued by her beautiful work. Today, we are friends and studio mates at 369 Congress St. (lucky me). I got these fantastic images in the mail today, and so i thought that i would post about her wonderful new series, "a toast to.." that focuses on geographical shapes and patterns. Her work and personality are always beautiful and inspiring..a toast to you jhill!

How To Make It In America

What is better than a great HBO show on sunday night? Recently, I started watching this very fun new show about 2 young guys trying to hustle groovy fashion in NYC. They are just starting out, and it seems every couple of steps they take forward, they end up having to take a giant step back. The show most certainly has a great vibe, naturally as it was brought to you by Mr.Marky Mark. Ooo..and one other fun tidbit is Martha Plimpton resurfacing as Edie, a blowsy, pushy NY decorater..i just love her.
Luis Guzman trying to make it in a legitimate biz selling "Rasta Monsta"..we'll see.
Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk, as Ben and Cam our two cute main characters taking their premium denim to a pattern maker.

Roni Horn at the ICA

My kids and I wandered over to the ICA the other day, and got a rare treat when we stumbled upon a retrospective of the work of Roni Horn. She works in a multiple of media..photo, sculpture, and painting. Much of it was really gorgeous, and stayed with me for days after, particularly the wall of photos of her mesmerizing neice. (above) Treat yourself to an afternoon of AARRT! You're worth it.

new links rug

i just received these pix from the PR department of Surya who is my rug manufacturer..i am loving this new links pattern in the chocolate..how fun!