{A Gift Guide for Ladies & Gentlemen}

'Tis the lovliest time of year... Because although the days darken early, the nights illuminate with twinkle lights strung along the cities' avenues. Electric snowflakes float in the air, while buildings wrapped with red bows beckon shoppers forward to their glittering and elaborately decorated storefront windows (a future post in the making). Marking this season's shopping adventure is today – Cyber Monday, the more civilized and cultivated cousin of the notorious Black Friday. And with that in mind, I’d like to offer you a little helpful gift guide for the special ladies and gentlemen in your life.

Ladies

Faux Fur Pullover @ Kate Spade – Very old hollywood, and so warm for those chilly winter nights!

Penguin's classic hardcover novels @ amazon – I love the refined covers of these classic and heartfelt stories!

Artist’s Attache Case @ Anthropologie – Such an elegant confection for the aspiring creative.

Crystal Brulee Bracelet @ J.Crew – The perfect amount of sparkle in a great neutral dusty rose color!

Claus Porto Soaps @ Santa Maria Novella in NYC and London – The scents and packaging are so lovely!

Gentlemen

Country Tweed Sport Jacket @ Barbour – So perfectly English prep!

Vintage Bison Stamp Cuff Links @ Brooks Brothers – Evokes a certain sense of history and quirkiness.

USB Typwriter @ etsy.com – This looks amazing!  I kind of want one too!

How to Be a Gentleman @ amazon – Who couldn't use a few tips of the trade!

Library Decanter @ Pottery Barn – So very James Bond!  Fill it with his favourite spirit.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

{It Takes A Giant To Wear Pink}

October has long been dubbed Breast Cancer Awareness Month (both in the U.S. and in the U.K.) and has generated great awareness as well as huge proceeds towards research for its treatment and elimination.  Each year, walkers take to the streets for The Cure, while fashion retailers promote their prettiest pink merchandise, with portions of their proceeds benefitting the cause – noble efforts made for better lives.

This Sunday, while watching American football via my slingbox, I noticed that the New York Giants donned a different hue.  Along with their royal blue jerseys and helmets, they ran, rushed, and tackled with determination wearing shockingly hot pink knee socks, gloves, armbands, and ribbons.  Along with The American Cancer Society, the NFL is promoting A Crucial Catch – a campaign encouraging annual breast cancer screenings, by wearing pink during games in October.  The NFL’s and Giants’ whole-hearted efforts in advocating for prevention tickled me pink as breast cancer is an issue that transcends gender groups and affects all people.  Go teams!

{Fall Fever}

“Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies.”

~Tom Hanks, as Joe Fox in You’ve Got Mail

Around my neighborhood, the leaves are just beginning to turn from green to yellow.  Children, wearing navy, woolen blazers with matching brimmed hats, re-inhabit the local red double-decker buses.  My local wine store has switched out their window display from roses to reds.  Fall is in the air!  And with that there is the prospect of stepping into a “new year,” which I suppose is due to all those years of conditioning for going back to school.  Despite London’s current weather, a record high of 80 degrees, I feel that fall excitement – maybe even more so since I am once again entering the world of academia as a student at “uni.”  Infected with that fall bug, here are a few academic essentials that I am toting with me to that eminent first day of class…

1.  Longchamp Le pliage bag – the perfect size for a few notebooks and a small laptop.  And it's water resistant.

2.  Super slim mid-year calendar book – a calendar that starts in August instead of January – how brilliant! 

3.  Retro multi-colored pen and Stabilo Boss highlighter – at the risk of looking like Elle Woods, I couldn’t resist these ones in pink and purple.

4.  Smythson mini jotter – a bespoke, pocket-sized notebook, perfect for taking down notes on the go – or in a museum.  I just love the array of colors and fun titles, like "OMG!" and "Tickled Pink".

5.  Stylish thermos – perfect for that needed AM caffeine kick-start. (I found this one at a local camping shop.)

{J.Crew Goes Abroad}

As an American expat living in London, I am often asked “What do I miss most from the states?”  To this, I always answer, “Aside from my family and friends… bagels, Bud Light, and J.Crew.”  While I am able to curb my carb and beer cravings with chips and Guinness, my longing for J.Crew has steadily persisted.  The label is available at net-a-porter.com, but its stock is sparse, leaving me continuously unrequited – that is until now…

I am pleased to announce that as of August 2011, J. Crew is finally offering international shipping to the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan – whoop whoop!  Now, in my fleeting moments of homesickness, when the autumn rain beats down upon my window and I remain sequestered in my flat, I can take comfort in being able to order myself a cozy Dream knit cardigan that I can cuddle up into, in 4-8 business days. 

Here are my top 10 most coveted J.Crew Fall 2011 finds. 

1.  Dream ribbed yoga cardigan – I love pieces that layer well and this looks so comfy.

2. Memo dress in Super 120s – This dress reminds me of Mad Men and I am mad about it, especially in the color peacock feather!

3. Biella patent loafers – Loafers are so practical yet so elegant, especially when they are shiny.

4. + 5. Herringbone vest and Farrow trouser – I love men’s inspired clothes – so very Marlene Dietrich!

6. No. 2 pencil skirt in vintage tweed – I adore how demure yet sexy pencil skirts can be.

7. Maisie dress in waterfloral – This pattern is so feminine and can be paired with almost anything.

8. Resin and crystal link necklace – The chucky chain design in a classic tortoise color is such a great contradiction piece.

9. Cowlneck poncho – I love the subtlety chic quality that the cowlneck lends this poncho.

10. Featherknit shirred henley tee – I can't have enough soft, drapey tees!

Check out j.crew.com for more fall fashions, prices and shipping rates.

{Richard Avedon: Shooting Star(s)}

The talent of a photographer lies in the capturing of truth.  In our current world of celebrity photography we are inundated with images of celebrities taking out their garbage, eating burgers, or bagging their own groceries.  Recently, I ventured to the Nassau County Museum of Art in New York where the exhibit Richard Avedon: Photographer of Influence is on display.  There I discovered a revitalized meaning of celebrity photography. 

Richard Avedon, (b.1923- d.2004), a commercial fashion photographer turned artist, is legendary for his ability to capture movement and emotion.  Avedon’s approach to fashion photography was dynamic in that he created scenes around designers’ products, selling a lifestyle.  His models became actors, rather than figures.  He used cities as backdrops.  Ultimately, he created emotional advertising.

As an artist, his portraiture was progressive because of its intimacy.  In contrast to many of today’s celebrity “photographers”, who sneak up on their subjects, Avedon preferred to work in a studio, creating a white canvas.  His subjects were able to escape into the solidarity of his safe space, thus allowing their inner essence to be photographed, affording viewers glances into their psyches.  Armed with his camera, Avedon captured the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly.

The museum’s exhibition houses over 50 photographs ranging from high-fashion advertisements to various portraits of prominent celebrities, including Audrey Hepburn, Bob Dylan, Dorothy Parker and The Duke and Duchess of Windsor.  Richard Avedon: Photographer of Influence is on display until Sept. 4, 2011 and if you are in the New York area, I highly encourage you to visit the museum for a chance to see what truths photography can tell. 

Here is a link to the museum’s exhibition site. http://nassaumuseum.com/exhibits_special_richard_avedon.php



"Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, August 1955," Photography by Richard Avedon © The Richard Avedon Foundation




"Marilyn Monroe, actor, New York, May 6, 1957," Photography by Richard Avedon

© The Richard Avedon Foundation

These photos are displayed for educational purposes only.

For more stunning examples of his work, check out The Richard Avedon Foundation’s archive.
http://www.richardavedon.com/