Smitten.

There is no way to accurately describe my delight as I previewed the Society Social magalog a week shy of the release of Roxy from My Cup of Te's new furniture / home accents line.  I.Want.Everything. - & not in an obligatory "I should support a fellow blogger" way - but in a "I am SWOONING over these chairs / barcarts / tables / colors / designs / aesthetics". Roxy is equal parts genius, bold, & creative - a true entrepreneuress (at a young age too!). I was even more pleased to see Melanie Duncan's (The Iconic Blog) line of Luxury Monograms (formerly blogged about here) making a cameo in the spread.  A Society Social chippendale chair with a Luxury Monogram pillow is major.  Here's a preview below, & for the rest please head to Society Social

images via Society Social

Did anyone else grow up reading books by Shel Silverstein?  My sister & I would each get one of his books at Christmas & I can so vividly remember reading them over...& over...& over. I found one of his poems again & fell in love.  I'm now wondering where all of my Shel Silverstein books are...

A Closet Full of Shoes

Party shoes with frills & bows,
Workin’ shoes with steel toes,
Sneakers, flip-flops. & galoshes,
Brogans, oxfords, satin pumps,
Dancin’ taps & wooden clumps,
Shoes for climbin’ shoes for hikes,
Football cleats and baseball spikes,
Shoes of shiny patent leather,
Woolly shoes for winter weather,
Loafers, rough-outs, sandals, spats,
High heels, low heels, platforms, flats,
Moccasins and fins and flippers,
Shower clogs ballet slippers…
A zillion shoes & just one missin’--
That’s the one that matches this’n

Christian Siriano + Brad Walsh

I meant to blog about C.Siriano & B.Walsh's Chelsea apartment a long long time ago. A dance studio - turned apartment possessing vast amounts of charm & natural light made me ridiculously jealous. My office borders Chelsea in NYC - & there is so much to love about the neighborhood. I was not surpised to hear Christian & his beau chose this neighborhood for their new pad, & even more hopeful the stars would align & I would randomly run into them (sadly yet to happen). Christian's interview with Refinery29 was as comical as his on-camera time in Project Runway.  Epically fierce.

Love the prescence of all the birdcages & birdcage chairs!

More birdcages...

"I got this mannequin years ago from a department store when it was closing, and now she hangs out in the corner. Sometimes she wears some jewelry but mostly she just lets it all sit on display. She's got guts." I hope they named this lil'lady Sasha Fierce.

Such a serene master bedroom

Grown Ups Only

Love this idea for grown-up dessert at a summer soiree. Mixed fruit popsicles + chilled prosecco. Does anything sound better?  Maybe I'm a little biased as I've been eating 2-3 Trader Joe's popsicles a day.

image via Southern Living

Fin-a-lly. It's what the women of Wall Street & advertising firms alike have been waiting for.  A chic (genuine leather) laptop bag that doesn't look like a laptop bag, & is offered in a variety of colors.  I must see at least one hundred Louis Vuitton totes on the shoulders of women all over NYC toting their laptops.  Newsflash, that thing doesn't have a zipper & will offer zero protection to your computer when you dump your venti soy latte on top of it or get stuck in one of NY's frequent torrential downpours. Alesya Bags finally satisfy the needs of women all over.  Fashion & functionality the cat's meow my friends, now there is no excuse for me to be lugging my Credit Suisse messenger bag all over the place.

images via Aleysa Bags

Not-so-frugal purchases..

I will shamelessly admit, I am coveting a pair of Stubbs & Wootton monogrammed loafers.  I know I know, we're on the verge of another economic crisis & purchasing $600 loafers would not fall into the "frugal" bucket - but a girl can dream right? There must be other fine purveyors of customizable velvet loafers on the world wide web, but alas I am unable to find them.  Until then, I'll wear my orange toms around NYC & pretend they have my initials on them.

images via Stubbs & Wooton

Amsale

Wedding season is in full blown force.  I have seen some gorgeous wedding attire, & a few not-so-chic bridesmaid dresses.  The age old question still exists, how to choose dresses that are current & fashionable, but won't make you cringe 20 years down the road?  I was blown away by Amsale's latest bridesmaid dress collection, please note - I am not (I repeat), not in favor of the makeup.

photos via Amsale

Timeless silhouettes in bold colors, I love! Find the rest of the collection at Amsale