friday faves: 3.11.11

friday again?  already??  i know that for nearly everyone, fridays are fantastic [*ahem* TGIF *ahem*].  but for me, fridays are sort of like my sundays.  sundays where you still have to work all day, and actually usually longer than most other days.  my store opens on the weekends, turning weekends into hot beds of stress, and fridays into anxiety-central.  i think that's why i do these "friday faves" posts -- to remind myself of beautiful, quirky, and clever things while i slave away at work, freaking out about the upcoming weekend.  

but enough about that.  here are this week's friday faves! ::

~ zooey deschanel on the cover of lucky ~

in my mind, no one is cuter than zooey.  going out to buy this issue ASAP! [image via]

~ another of my fave celebs ~

miss audrey, of course -- the epitome of grace, class, & natural beauty.

looooove this b&w picture of her.  [by philippe halsman, 1955; via]

~ lace tote ~

i'm a sucker for totes.  not so much expensive purses that should be in a museum and not on your arm... but totes? oh i love totes!  [even my fave marc jacobs purse is a fun little tote]  in high school i would buy a bunch of cheap canvas totes from the craft stores and then decorate them to match my fave outfits.

which is probably why i love this soft french lace tote so much :)

pretty without being stuffy, and would match most of what i own!

but...

~ this is possible the coolest tote ever! ~

this awesome bag, called the "teen genre tote," lists all the names of the most memorable 80's movie characters.  SWEET! 

  ~ simple & pretty amethyst ring ~

dainty but still sparkly.  and purple.  my kind of ring!

by etsy designer clementine - buy here

~ fave fish = penguin ~

totally remember this episode! and ALL boy meets world episodes for that matter.... [photo found here]

~ beautiful hand-made thank you card ~

 by the super craftsy tomiannie.  see more on her blog!

 

~ outerwear by burberry fall 2011 RTW ~

my two fave coats from an all-in-all incredible collection [images via]

~ stopping to smell the roses ~

this gorgeous photo comes from marie claire china, feb 2011.  [via]

~ happy models ~

love this pic of model laura bingle for the magazine oyster.  messy hair & happy face - great! [image via]

~ a post secret i can soo relate to ~

 i love postsecret.  and i love meeting new people and wondering what their post card would say...

~ chanel tiered dress ~

you may recognize this beauty of a dress from a post of mine last week, where tiiu kuik wore it in a marie claire france editorial.  this time it's so young kang for elle march 2011 [image via] either way, i'm still in love with this dress!

~ prettypretty floral dress ~

about as feminine as you can get!  completely love floral scene, color scheme, & the 1950's-style shape :)

[image via]

~ in case you missed it here @ pretty things ~

a couple of my fave posts over the past week--

~ this week's fave editorials: 1, 2, 3

~ office decor & home office design

~ a Q & A personal post

~ happy weekend to all your "normal" folk who have it off! ~

i want: hailee steinfeld's look @ virtuosos award tribute

obsessed with this look.  obsessed with her in it.  and i want her ENTIRE outfit, please...

yes, everything.

the feminine & flirty (but not sexy!) alberta ferretti white dress with the added full-on capped sleeves, and definitely the accessories o matching red pumps and clutch.  what a perfect POP of color!  oh, and i want her flawlessly simple makeup and hair.

it's official: this youngin' is a straight-up pro on the red carpet!

[image via]

fashion: oscar de la renta pre-fall 2011

ODLR pre-fall 2011 = a little bit of everything.  [everything awesome!!]

great tailored coats --

polished suits --

chic cocktail dresses --

    

incredible gowns:

& the ultimate LBD:

woah.  

oscar de la renta never ceases to amaze me.

photos from style.com [found here & here]

i want: sparkly tulle wrap dress

by diane von furstenberg

sparkly & feminine.  with a wrap waist to emphasize curves.  yup, i love this.

buy it here

link love: 11.28.10

design/decor:
- metallic wallpaper: it's jewelry for your walls!
- some lovely rooms where yellow is the name of the game
- rooms where red is rad ~ i think the first room is a little overwhelming, but the red-themed organization in the 4th is kinda awesome!
- tory burch stores [although i wish chicago's pretty little store had been included!]
- love this funny "he said, she said" about eclectic design

fashion:
- an ode to wide-brimmed hats.  i can't pull it off personally, but i still love the look.
- i've read a lot of negative feedback [e.g. kaiser over at celebitchy]to natalie portman in a strapless floral dress at the AFI fest 2010 "black swan" closing night gala, but i personally love it.  it's relaxed, fun, & feminine... & still super classy.  [i'm so glad my fave blog red carpet fashion awards agrees. click the link to see the dress] 
- an ode to ballet inspired fashion
- in case you were wondering... stars sans stylists: what it really means
- i LOVE the boho-fem look of isabella marant. as the blogger the runway romantique describes her clothing soo perfectly: "her collections are always light-hearted, perfectly blending a style that suits lovers of bohemian and french chic."  yesssss.
- it's a sad day for sophie at diary of a young designer.  forever 21 ripped off her pretty headband :(  join in the boycott & show your support for indie designers!

photography:
- fabulous photo shoot highlighting golden fashion & doutzen kroes' beauty [even with an afro!]
- love this photo of gold sequins in the desert with the sun setting in the background
- photographer moises gonzáles recreates some of gustav klint's most famous paintings
- vogue covers from around the world this november

etc:
 - an ode to burberry plaid
- the hierarchy of candy
- adorable little girl's art gallery party
- cute & clever tie-pography
- rustic glam wedding photo shoot that will make your heart melt.  beautiful.
- super cool vintage magazine covers, including vanity fair & vogue

wedding wednesday: kevan hall spring 2011

my top 3:

...but if i were getting married tomorrow, i would wear:

 short & ruffly & super feminine, of course!

i can be sooo predictable sometimes :)

kevanhalldesigns.com

celeb style: leighton meester in elie saab

if i ever begin to doubt my love for elie saab, i just have to look at this dress.  

elie saab has perfected the difficult-to-achieve look of being soft & feminine without being too "girly-girly." aka, the look i aspire to capture whenever i go out.

just look at leighton meester in this incredible blue dress:

up close shot to highlight the gorgeous sequins ~

soo lovely.

as fashion blogger jenna at couture snob said,  "This is the kind of dress that makes me say, 'I seriously need to go to events where I can wear things like this!'"  agreed.

oh, and hollywood seriously needs to rethink its obsession with plunging necklines & bursting-the-seams cleavage [*ahem* katy perry *ahem*] because this dress is proof that high necks can be s-e-x-y. 

*photos found on the fave, red carpet fashion awards*

wedding wednesday: the beauty of monique lhuillier

fall 2011 collection

the lovely bridal blog, the cinderella project, starts off the post on her fall 2k10 collection by stating: "When they speak of fairy tale dresses, they had Monique Lhuillier in mind." soooo true.

the collection is breathtaking.  

look:

my fave:

beaded corset bodice, soft & frilly skirt.  lovely.

...however, if i were getting married tomorrow, i would wear:

 ...because i love knee-length wedding dresses, corset-esque bodices that don't show everything, & bows.  the only thing i don't love about lhuillier?  the way her artistic & romantic designs make me want to get married just to wear one!

http://moniquelhuillier.com/

celeb style: sjp in marchesa

the lovely sarah jessica parker in a dreamy marchesa dress back in march:

marchesa can do no wrong in my book.  this unique & frilly take on the traditionally structured LBD is a breath of fresh air.  love, love, looooove marchesa.

sexy & feminine.  incredible.

image via

celeb style: blake lively & her [slightly] edgier side

my lovely blake took a fem & ruffly christian dior dress & toughed it up a bit by adding a cropped leather jacket.  my opinion?  LOVE. 

as a leg-conscious lady, i also love blake's addition of black tights -- it shows women everywhere that tights can be classy & fashionable.  [tights can also go incredibly, incredibly wrong, which is why i'm extra happy to see her show how they can look great!]

now, my fave blogger over at red carpet fashion awards [where i also obtained the pic] wasn't a fan of this look, so i understand it may be not be well-received by all.  either way, i'm on the "love it" side of the debate.

pretty pictures: most incredible gowns

by zuhair murad f/w 2010-2011:

lovely model + intricately incredible & feminine dresses + paris background =  

wow.

love.

 & now for my fave, the ultra fem, ultra extravagant, ultra glamorous pièce de résistance....

love the hi-low skirt, love the feathery frills, love the shoes, love the model's pose, love the corset bodice.

did i mention that i love this image/gown?!

yup.

thank you for the inspiration  & beauty, mr. murad.

& thank you for showing me this, sara klassen.

oh, & thank you for the images, mario sierra.

lots of thanks today :)

design: ruffley beds

i love, love, love frilly & feminine ruffles in fashion so it's only natural that i love ruffles in home decor as well!  & can you think of a better place for ruffles than on beds?  i can't!  here are just a few examples of ruffley bedding ~ ~

duvets/throws

incredible ruffle duvet by urban outfitters

the always fabulous blogger ish & chi bought this duvet in white for her bedroom revamp.  take a look:

another ruffle duvet from urban outfitters, this time mimicking a neapolitan ice cream bar:

dark purple throw

find more colors on overstock.com found first on purple punch


duvets

 by delias [found on everything turquoise]


pillows

john lewis [found on style & the city]

 rufflely rose pillows by angella eisman [found on the blue house]


ohhhh how i love ruffles!

-kait