So Hollywood

Oh glorious Friday, you have arrived...let's toast to that, shall we?

I know I said I probably wouldn't be blogging today, but alas, I can't stay away. Especially when there is such decorating awesomeness to share with you guys!

I'm a self-admitted "girly girl", so you can imagine my elation when I saw this feature from House Beautiful about the West Hollywood rental apartment of up-and-coming interior designer, Melissa Warner. Love at first sight, I tell you.

Focusing on the Hollywood Regency style, Warner was able to create an ultra-feminine and clean space. The color palette is so soft and bright and the cool, ecclectic mix of antique elements (like the oversized jacks on the chest below) make this space totally unique.

Sleek, contemporary fixtures, like the pendant light above the desk, help to bring a bit of masculinity into the space.

My favorite room of this feature was definitely the master bedroom, a total nod to the 1950's design aesthetic of Hollywood Regency.

Ooohh-la-la-loving the curvacious headboard, Dorothy Draper bedside chest and carved, alabaster tulip lamps.

I wouldn't mind taking up residence here, would you?

Now go forth and conquer the weekend.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Photo credits: House Beautiful

Girl About Town

Greetings and happy Tuesday afternoon…such a late post! Do ya’ll ever have those days where you feel like you’re ten steps behind all day long? I literally got to work at 8:00 this morning and have not looked up from the computer.

It feels like it should be Friday already, haha.

Know what, though? Yesterday was actually a decent Monday. Crazy and busy? Yes, but far better than the majority of Mondays. A few things that made it lovely:

1. My PERFECT morning latte from the fine folks at Silver Joe’s. Nothing cures the leftover drowsiness from the weekend quite like a scorching hot, frothy vanilla latte from my fave local coffee joint. And the drive-thru attendant Judy is the sweetest lady ever.

2. Highlights! My blonde hair was all shiny and pretty this morning when I woke up all thanks to the magic of bleach and a good, professional styling session yesterday evening. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I simply LIVE for trips to the salon.

3. A full 8 hours of sleep. Now this is a feat for me, as I’m a horribly light sleeper and average (Mom, don’t read this part) probably only 5 hours on a good night. But last night, I went to bed around 10:30, fell right to sleep and slept until 6:30 a.m. this morning. Probably not a coincidence that I've been super-productive at work today either, huh?

4. Finally getting a chance to read through all of your nice comments and emails…you guys are too sweet. You make this blogger all warm and gooey and sentimental : ) I mean it when I say, I LOVE hearing from you girls (and a handful of daring guys!)

I’ll be out of pocket and running like the wind across the state for the next three or four days, so Trend Watch Wednesday and High Heel Mafia will return to its regular schedule next week.

I will, however, try to post on Thursday this week, so please stop by if you’re in the blog neighborhood.

In honor of my travels this week, I thought I'd share this GORGEOUS globe-trotting themed photo spread via FGR featuring Hana Soukupova and photographed by Arthur Elgort. Outfits, courtesy of Valentino, Dior and Chanel Haute Couture. All my favorite peeps.

Alright Blonde Ambitioners, I’m out. Talk to you Thursday!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Photo credits: fgr

Cravings Corner: {Ikat}

Ewww, is it really Monday? Gross. Just when Saturday and Sunday were starting to feel so good...Monday came a' calling. This weekend FLEW by, right? I mean, wow.

This weekend was one of the most fun I've had in a long time, seriously. I had not one, but TWO girls' nights out (Friday and Saturday) and it was so great to be able to laugh hysterically and be silly with friends. Oh, and this weekend also gave me a chance to debut some of my new summer clothes, which was super exciting.

And I got some new shoes. Blam.

One thing I noticed whilst out and about...ikat textiles and patterns were everywhere. Bags, shoes, scarves, the list goes on. I even took note of several storefront displays at some of the local home decor shops that featured ikat pieces.

So obviously, I became curious...have you guys been seeing a lot of ikat lately?

If you aren't familiar with ikat, here's a brief rundown:

-The exotic motif with ancient roots looks fresher than ever, energizing furnishings and accessories- even with this season's runway shows (which explains why we're seeing it more and more in mainstream department stores.)

*Collage courtesy of Design*Sponge

-Ikat is a method of weaving that creates artistic images on textiles, kind of like one of those paint-by-numbers things, but with thread instead of paint : )

-It was developed in Western Asia during the first millennium AD, which explains its cool tribal appeal.

I've seen it before, (maybe even last season), but it seems the ikat trend is gearing up once again for summer 2010.

I'm down for ikat. Will you be?

By the way, we do have a winner of the fabulous flat iron giveaway. Congrats to Kitchen Belleicious on her new toy and many thanks to all of you that participated! More fun giveaways to come VERY shortly ; ) Be excited.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Photo credits: Elle Decor, Design*Sponge

Project Runway Round-Up (HHM Style)

(all photos courtesy of Lifetime TV)

Hmm, what to talk about?....Let's see....oh.

SETH AARON WON PROJECT RUNWAY.

Angels in heaven burst into song last night when Heidi called his name as the Season 7 winner, I'm quite sure of it. Our little Project Runway watch party also burst into song, or rather squeals and screams, which I'm sure the guys that live below me totally appreciated, ha.

Do you think we were too loud, Dee?

Too loud? No, I don't think we were too loud. Too nerdy? Maybe.

Anyway, our boy Seth Aaron blew Emilio and icky Mila right off the Bryant Park runway...

That's right he did!

Seriously! His collection might have been my favorite of PR finale history. Gushing, I am.

So in case you guys missed it, here are a few of Seth Aaron's brilliant looks from last night's show:






Donna's got love for SA, don't ya Dee?

Um, Seth Aaron was my favorite on the first episode (and yes, I developed a bit of a crush) so I'll admit, I was holding my breath until the end. I thought his whole collection was awesome, but my absolute favorite was the black and white dress.


Agreed. That dress killed.

To be fair though, Emilio did turn out a couple of really impressive pieces, like this one:


...and this one:


And Mila, well, there really is no need to post pics or recap her hot mess of a collection. Just imagine a really badly color-blocked flour sack, paired with the cheapest looking trench coat you could find and, well, there you have it.

Oh and one word. Mohair. Seriously?

No kidding. Nothing says modern comfort like an entire outfit made completely of mohair. Makes me need a Benedryl just thinking about it...

So anyway, Seth Aaron was amazing, Emilio was lukewarm and Mila was just bad. And there you have HHM's very eloquently written summary of the Project Runway finale.

Now, since we are total PR nerds, of course we had to tune in to the Reunion Show that aired after the finale. This whole segment was a hoot because Mr. Anthony himself was there to provide some very quote-worthy commentary. Everything that comes from the "Mouth of the South" is golden.


Oh Anthony! I will miss you most of all! Leslie and I talked about how much fun it would be to hang out with him for a night. I think he should write a book of all his funny quotes and bits of wisdom. From dubbing Mila as “sketchy” to calling out Emilio for taking a “mid-price jab” instead of a cheap jab, Anthony kept me laughing and wondering what he would say next.


He was a breath of fresh air this season, always managing to slice through all the pretentious poo-poo of the workroom.

Well, there you have it. What more shall we say? Can we say? Need we say?

Seth Aaron dominated and all is right in the world this morning.

Hey Leslie, since our boy won, this calls for a celebration at some point. Did I hear the words lemon drop martini?

You did. And yes, let the celebrating commence.

Until next week,

Be blessed, lovelies-

HHM

P.S.- Don't forget to sign up for the Missiko flat iron giveaway before 10 p.m. CST tonight. I'm shutting it down after that and trust me ladies, you want to win this.

*UPDATE- Kitchen Belleicious was the fabulous winner of the flat iron! Congrats to her and thanks to everyone who entered!!

Ruche

Two things that should make you a very happy camper today:

1) It's Thursday

2) Project Runway finale is tonight!

I am a Seth Aaron supporter all the way. That Vancouver boy better take the grand prize or I'm totally boycotting this show. Well, those are harsh words and we all know I could never stop watching PR completely, but I will be ten kinds of mad if Mila wins. Emilio? Eh. I'm half-way.

Game plan for tonight? It's girls' night at my casa for the PR finale, then we're all heading to Fayetteville to celebrate Seth Aaron's big win. Or mourn his heart-breaking loss. However the cookie crumbles.

We'll dissect every detail of tonight's show on tomorrow's High Heel Mafia post, so be sure to stop by for some Project Runway chat stew, k?

Ruche. Been there? Know about it? Oh girls, it's grand....

Funny story how I found it actually. So yesterday I decided to Google my name (do you guys ever do that just for kicks or am I the only weirdo?) and the search results returned, upon many other interesting results, this. Apparently there is a shirt named after moi! Exciting? I think so.

I proceeded to look at some of their other items and, before I knew it, I had added this and these to my bag and found a little gem of an online retailer. I will be a repeat customer, for sure.

Ruche has everything from dresses to tops to accessories, even an entire section dedicated to eco-friendly apparel. Nifty, huh?

Well, that's all I've got. Now go out and do something eco-friendly and constructive with your day.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Photo credits: Ruche

Trend Watch Wednesday: Tied and Dyed

Ok, am I having total flashbacks to my 80's childhood or is tie dye coming back from the, um, dead?

Pun intended. I couldn't resist.

Various reliable trend-watchy sources said months ago that lovely tie dye would be making itself quite the comeback this summer.

Designers like Tory Burch and Proenza Schouler featured tie dye items in their spring/summer 2010 collections and fashion critics responded favorably.

Here are some tips on wearing "the print" of summer:

-Avoid the full-on rainbow effect. Choose pieces with only one to three colors.

-Wear only one tie dye item at a time. More than that could cause serious eye damage to innocent bystanders.

-A tie dye maxi dress? No ma'am.

-Look for interesting detailing and tailoring along with cool, modern shapes to keep this trend looking more current and less Grateful Dead.

I'm so game to try a tie dye accessory or two. What do you think? Will you give this trend a go or sit it out? Speak to me, ladies.

Be blessed, lovelies-

Photo credits: Tory Burch, Proenza Schouler via Glamour, Roxy, Forever 21 , Shop Bop