The Simply Luxurious Life®: June 2011  

June 30, 2011

Larry Crowne - A Movie To Enjoy

There are many movies on my list this summer that I am very anxious to see (Midnight in Paris, and Crazy, Stupid, Love just to name a few), but one that I am very confident that I will enjoy and should be able to invite almost anyone to watch it with me is the new movie that is produced, written, directed and stars Tom Hanks alongside one of my favorite actresses Julia Roberts – Larry Crowne.

When interviewed recently for the CBS Sunday Morning show, Hanks specifically makes sure his sets are fun. Period.  And I can only imagine with Julia’s infectious laugh and Tom Hanks running the show, that this wasn’t a problem in the least.

Out in theaters Friday, July 1st, if you’re not sure what to do this weekend, but want to thoroughly get your money’s worth – go watch Larry Crowne.

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Style Inspiration

Today I have a long list of style inspiration as some of you are traveling for the extended holiday weekend in the states, some of you are soaking in the sun, while others are beginning the winter season. What I love about so many of these images is that the women play with textures – a simple silk blouse with a chunky cardigan, or in the case of the image below, the pairing of dressy with utilitarian (my favorite). Have a look and enjoy.

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Images: (1)open-bibles (2) matchbookmag (3) Vogue and Coffee (4) Stylist Site – in Michael Kors dress (5) Streetstyle (6) Musings in Femininity (7) Musings in Femininity (8) Prada dress styled by Rachel Zoe – The Stylist Site (9) thebestofstreetstyle (10) Musings in Femininity (11) Streetstyle (12) The Glitter Guide (13) Streetstyle (14) Source (15) Streetstyle (16) The Glitter Guide (17) Street Style (18) Source (19) nickelcobalt (20) Streetstyle (21) Style Essentials

June 29, 2011

Why Not . . . Be Casually Elegant?

When the phrase casual elegance is uttered, a handful of names come to mind – Jennifer Aniston, Audrey Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ines de la Fressange. All of these women embody the combination of a carefree, relaxed attitude that allows them to appear just as pulled together and sophisticated in a pair of blue jeans as they do in a fresh off the runway designer gown. They don’t appear rushed or as if they are trying too hard.  They seem very comfortable in their own skin – almost a take-it-or-leave-it attitude without going overboard and still exuding a nearly indescribable quality that makes you just want to enjoy their company. A relaxed refinement or grace, I guess you could say.

So the question I’ve been trying to answer is how can we too carry off this casual elegant persona and welcome it into our lives creating a calmer, more relaxed environment that beckons a more playful, yet diligent and purposeful way of life? Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Having Manners & an Engaging Sense of Humor

Being elegant requires that you have manners and exhibit proper etiquette, but becoming too refined eliminates the ability to be relaxed because there is so much stress on behaving correctly that you are unable to just be. By finding the balance of being able to behave respectfully, but being comfortable enough to have a chuckle (for example, had the queen recently patted President Obama on the shoulder when he mistakenly began speaking through God Save the Queen as he tried to pay tribute to her, that would have lightened the mood ever so slightly), not only do you help put others at ease, but you also set the example of what is expected, as well as what is tolerated because people do make mistakes.

 

Comfortable in a Dress as Well as a Pair of Jeans

Now, I don’t have the endless opportunities to wear specially tailored designs down the red carpet like the talented Kate Winslet, but the idea here is to be able to be confident enough in your body to pull off a beautiful dress (as they are so much fun to wear and simpler too in my opinion), and turn around the next day and look smashing in a perfectly sized pair of jeans.

 

Able to Mix High & Low Fashions with Ease

Staying on the topic of fashion. Someone who is casually elegant isn’t about labels, but is instead aware of what looks best on their figure. Pairing Chloe flats with Levi denim jeans and a navy cashmere sweater reveals to onlookers that you clearly have taste, but are not bragging about how much money you have – in fact, the sweater may be a consignment find you discovered last week while perusing in the city but no one will ever know. In other words, you have style because you know what works well together and what looks best on you.

 

Neutral Decor with Cozy Elements

I always think of casual elegance as the blending of English traditional and French country decor. By understanding that a keep-it-simple approach is best for big ticket items – walls, sofas, floors, etc, a homeowner can then have fun with the accessories and create a home that is welcoming to everyone, but home sweet home to its inhabitants.

 

Able to Converse with a Prince & a Pauper

Casual elegance can quickly be displayed in a person’s behavior, but it also reveals itself in the words and conversations each person involves themselves in. Elegance is having a depth of knowledge to enable you to discuss concepts, ideas and be informed of history and current events, while being casual allows you to recognize when to take it down a notch and make sure whoever you are talking with is comfortable.

 

A Quiet Self-Confidence

A person possessing self-confidence isn’t arrogant, but calm, neither are they boisterous, but even-tempered. Having casual elegance in this case is not needing an audience, but attracting one more often than not because of a winsome, honest and non-threatening quality that piques others’ interest.

 

Ability to be Spontaneous without Losing Control

The term casual elegance is itself a balancing act of two somewhat opposing ideas, and so is this last point. Being elegant suggests that almost everything must be planned and adhered to, while casual reflects a more lackadaisical attitude. I believe that the two ideas when melded together create a healthy balance that if anyone stuck to they would find themselves taking chances that lead to great discovery and moments of unexpected delight. By being spontaneous for those moments that capture your attention and curiosity, but at the same time being able to notice the difference when the idea is just absurd, you are striking a balance that is the essence of being casually elegant.

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Images: (1) Style Essentials (2) Vogue 1994 – The Glitter Guide (3) Oh Fashion Model (5) Heartbeatoz (6) Vogue and Coffee (7) Belle of the Ball (8) Vogue and Coffee

June 28, 2011

The Rachel Zoe Project – Season 4

Beginning on Tuesday, August 2 at 9pm For the second time this summer, Bravo has pushed back the premiere date of the fourth season of The Rachel Zoe Project. Now set to premiere on Tuesday, September 6th, I have a feeling this date will stick. It is my belief that they are debuting just two days prior to Fashion’s Night Out and the beginning of Fashion Week in New York as they know they’ll have their audience’s attention as those who love fashion will have the bug bad by that point (just a guess thought). Since last fall, fans have been eagerly anticipating this season as it ushers in rather significant changes – namely, no more Brad Goreski (although his new show is in the works – stay tuned) and the newest addition of the Zoe-Berman family - Skyler Morrison Berman (a baby boy born on March 23rd).

In this season, everything is expanding as Rachel Zoe debuts her new clothing line (view her fall RTW and purchase items in the two week only pre-sale at Neiman Marcus beginning today and view my favorite collection – the resort line), new assistants are hired and her family literally increases. Kim Kardashian is expected to be in the premiere episode, but many celebrities, brouhahas and a trip down the red carpet at the Oscars will be included into what looks to be a great season.  Click here to view trailer which makes all the more excited.

 

Image: (1) Source (2) Source (3) Source (4) Source (5) Source

Find Your Inspiration

Last week a reader asked how I go about organizing the images and ideas that catch my attention and jump start my creative juices, so today I’d like to show you what works for me.

The best part of the inspiration and creative process is that potential to be inspired is everywhere. Literally everywhere. Whether I am going on a walk and consciously being an active observer of all that is going on around me, flipping through the latest issue of Vogue, The New Yorker or The Economist, listening intently to a local speech or gathering of members in my community, or watching a television program, I always catch myself grabbing onto new ideas, new information and new ways of thinking about common things.

So what to do with it all? Here are a few things that work for me.

1. The best advice I have been given over the years, and I must confess it took me awhile to heed it, was to write an idea down immediately, as you will forget it (even though you say to yourself in that moment that there is no way you would ever forget). Trust me, you will forget it, and you will kick yourself for not writing it down (or maybe this has just been my experience).

2. For the past three or four years I have carried with me a small unlined Moleskine journal where I write down quotes I hear, ideas I come across, recipes to try, wine to stock my wine cellar, statistics that shock me, simple luxuries that I don’t ever want to forget and any thing else that piques my interest at the moment. I also make sure to date it when I begin and when I fill the last page, as I tuck it away for reference if I want to use it later.

3. As a young girl, I would watch my mother go through her garden, clothing and other magazines, tearing out pages, making lists and organizing it either in boxes on her clipboard or in a notebook.  I have since followed in her footsteps and continue to tear out pages of wardrobe ideas, well-written, inspiring articles and anything else that catches my eye and file each one into specific folders – labeled decor, fashion, beauty, inspiration, fitness, etc - and place them in a portable file carrier (click here to see one similar to what I use). I still have articles from issues of fashion magazines that were published in the early 90s, and it is always fun and nostalgic to go back through every once and awhile to see what inspired me, noticing how it has changed based on my interests, but also realizing that much of what draws my attention, then and now, (at the core of it) hasn’t changed.

4. As a way to create a wall of decor and design a place to put my inspiration, I have a five foot by four foot corkboard that is framed with a old wooden picture frame. It is hoisted up in my office and full of old newspaper articles, nostalgic items, inspirational quotes and photos that I want to make sure I don’t forget. The pictures rotate gradually depending upon what is going on, but it is a constant reminder of what I find beautiful, inspiring and thought-provoking.

5. For very specific goals that I am currently in the process of trying to achieve, I create a inspiration notebook. I tend to use a Mead Composition notebook for their sturdy covers and unique size, and within them I paste images, phrases that address what I am trying to attain, along with specifically written goals and deadlines.  Not only is this a way to be clear about what you are trying to achieve, but it is fun and can easily take a half a day as you peruse through your favorite magazines cutting out images. After I’m finished, I place it on my desk, open it to a certain page as a daily reminder of what I want to spend my time focusing on.

Here are a few other ways that find inspiration:

1. Step outside your social circle

2. Say yes to an invitation that allows you to try something you’ve never experienced

3. Spend time alone

4. Read different genres, authors, newspapers, and magazines

5. Be willing to listen (it doesn’t mean you have to agree, but just listen)

6. Travel

7. Walk or bike instead of drive

8. Go to a cafe, a pub, an airport, a community event, a tourist attraction and just people watch

9. Go some place where silence is required or expected – library, courtroom, Japanese garden

10. See the world through a camera’s perspective

The good news is we are never lacking when it comes to finding inspiration, it is just a matter of taking the time to slow down and notice what is already around us on any given day.  Often times we become so engrained in our routines that we don’t notice the slight changes or beauties that wish to greet us. Today and from now on, make a conscious decision to be more aware in your day to day life. Trust me, your life will immediately become more full and amazing simply by expanding your perspective.

{Receive additional simply luxurious ideas and inspiration by subscribing to the weekly newsletter. Click here to view a past issue and simply sign up by entering your first name and email address in the middle column to the right on the homepage of The Simply Luxurious Life blog. Each issue arrives promptly in your inbox early Friday morning or late Thursday evening depending on where you live.}

{Have a Twitter account and want inspiration throughout the day as well as being notified of the most recent posts on The Simply Luxurious Life? Follow me here @simplyluxurious. }

Images: (1) doublebubbletoilandtrouble (2) The Glitter Guide (3) Southern Sophisticate (4) Source (5) Source (6) Musings in Femininity (7) Source

June 27, 2011

Mad Men & Banana Republic

Beginning in August, Banana Republic’s capsule Mad Men collection will be available for purchase in stores and online.  Originally created to coincide with the season premiere of Mad Men that has had their fans more than patiently waiting, despite the announcement that the show’s premiere won’t begin until next year, Banana Republic decided to launch their clothing collection as scheduled.

Mad Men’s costume designer Janie Bryant worked with Banana Republic’s creative director Simon Kneen on the collection which includes pieces that came directly from the show, both new and vintage. 

The 65 piece collection looks to capitalize on the fame and trend toward highlighting the feminine silhouette all the while keeping a bit of mystery.  Here is a look at what you will see in stores and online in August.

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All images via New York Magazine