Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Everyday Obsessions {10} - Vanessa Jackman, Photographer

vanessa jackman
In my humble opinion, street style photography is completely changing the face of fashion and providing inspiration for wardrobes everywhere.  My absolute favorite is Australian photog Vanessa Jackman - her eye for those girls who hit the right note of eclectic & stylish while making it look effortless is always dead on...so of course I wanted to know more about the girl behind the camera and her Everyday Obsessions...she has a lovely blog showcasing her gorgeous shots and is full of her warm and witty writing so head on over! 
vanessa clothing
In My Closet:
tee - I do like a good navy/black or red and white striped tee for Spring/Summer. They make me feel rather nautical despite the fact I live nowhere near the beach! I quite like this one by Carin Wester from Urban Outfitters  It looks really comfy: perfect for when I am out and about with my camera.
jeans - My current jeans are Earnest Sewn but I am intrigued by these SkinnyJeans. Do I want thigh-slimming, stomach-flattening, buttocks-shaping, legs-lengthening jeans? Why yes I do! If anyone has tried them, please let me know if they are worth investing in!
on my feet - Converse all the way. I have a yellow pair (ox low double tongue) at the moment but they are super dirty so I am trying to decide which colour I will buy next. Maybe these fluro pink and blue ones? . They are super comfy and great for running about town (and they don't require the "breaking in" that every other pair of shoes I buy seems to need).
accessory - My Chanel glasses so I can see things properly! Without them (or my contacts) I am lost- I can't see past a metre or so (not good for a photographer).
jewelry - My wedding ring
makeup
Beauty Secrets:
Skin - I have just started using Vaishaly products and they are exceptional (they smell beautiful as well- most important!)
makeup - Becca cosmetics
scent - I have lots of perfumes and each one reminds me of a period or event in my life. I like to buy a new perfume if we are visiting somewhere for the first time- that way when I put it on, it will conjure up beautiful memories of my trip. For winter I likeTom Ford 'Black Orchid' or Thierry Mugler 'Alien', for summer Prescriptives 'Calyx', Viktor & Rolf 'Flowerbomb' or Annick Goutal 'Mandragore'. I really want Byredo 'Pulp' perfume.....and, conveniently my birthday is coming up!


The Selby Is in Your Place


Home:
walls - Vintage posters that my husband and I have collected on our travels. One recent addition is a "Manhattan" poster by the artist Jim Datz from the very cool online shop ThreePotatoFour. We haven't yet got it framed: on my (very long) to-do list.
bedding - White duvet cover from Primark in the UK. Inside is a wonderful Australian wool doona (duvet).
flowers - Peonies are my favourite flower but I will settle for anything pretty.
favorite design source - Elle Decoration UK and The Selby (love his photographs).

bills foodTender: v. 1: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch

In My Kitchen:
cookbook - I am obsessed with collecting cookbooks, such that my husband has declared a moratorium on any further purchases. We have no more room for them in our tiny apartment! Plus, I tend to read them like novels rather than cook from them which is slightly weird. My favourite at the moment would be Nigel Slater "Tender" - he is such a gifted food writer and cook. I would recommend every one of his cookbooks (I own most of them!) to anyone interested in good, wholesome, home cooked food. I also really like Bill Granger's cookbooks (and he really does make the BEST scrambled eggs in Australia! You must go to Bills in Sydney if you visit Australia :))
gadget - Nespresso Citiz espresso machine. Perfect for early morning coffee cravings. We got this at Christmas as my only attempt in using our "proper" espresso machine resulted in hot coffee in my friend's eye as well as all over the floor and the wall (eek!). So my husband makes the coffee on the weekends and I make my coffee during the week in the Nespresso.
15 min easy recipe - I am yet to find a recipe (other than an omelette or scrambled eggs) that actually takes me only 15 mins. Every recipe which specifies that it will only take a certain amount of time always manages to take me at least twice as long.
can't live w/o ingredient - garlic. I can't get enough!



God of Small Things


Pop Culture Extra Credit:
on my nightstand -
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Incredibly beautiful and indescribably moving.
on my tivo - Um, I don't even know what that is?! I am completely useless with technology.
in my ipod - Lots of embarrassing 1980's and 1990's music to get me through my morning stagger around the park!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

In The Shop - Lina Rennell

Lina Rennell on the way to the shop...hand printed, organic fabrics, made in California...Gorgeous!!

lina rennell triangle

Monday, March 29, 2010

In Bloom...

in bloom
A new print I just purchased from THE WILD UNKNOWN...I have a couple of their calendars and they are gorgeous!! (thanks design*sponge for the heads up!);  My next J Crew purchase - Rose vines blazer - $168;  lovely Deena & Ozzy Spectator Oxfords, $48;  a great romper for Lila at Little Bean - Karen Playsuit, an inspiring collection at Oysho , and gorgeous shades by Thierry Lasry x Sretsis...yeah Spring!

Monday Mom - I'm a Big Girl Now...

Friday night we had a very informal "Big Girl" party for Miss L...I'd love to show you a beautiful tablescape a la Martha S and a gorgeous decorated cake...but, unfortunately, I don't roll like that...sometimes ordering pizzas and letting your little one dump copious amounts of sprinkles on homemade cupcakes is far more satisfying and much less stressful...(but if you'd like to drool over some delectable & stylish feasts check out the sumptous Sunday Suppers - swoon!)

So, you're wondering "what's a Big Girl party?" well, here's where I somewhat embarrasingly confess that up until Friday I was still nursing Miss L, yes, and she's 2 1/2 now...I never in a million years imagined that I would be breastfeeding quite this long but underneath my fashionista front beats the heart of a laissez faire hippie mom - I really wanted it to be her decision to be done...but, my hubby was getting a little annoyed and I had tried the slow wean, etc, nothing was deterring this kid from her "mommy milk"... so to soften the blow we dreamed up a party...a graduation if you will...to Big Girlhood...a place where you are too old for nursing...

she scored an awesome new easel that she's been loving and wore her favorite dress...

So far, so good...she's a little sad, I'm a little sad but we'll survive...
What are your parenting challenges these days?

on a side note - I love India Tree's sanding sugars and they have a line that uses natural colorants...L wore a Pink Chicken dress I splurged on last year - now it's a tunic and next year a shirt, so money well spent ;) Here are some similar ones at Little Bean...I think they make a cute alternative to an Easter dress and you can wear them well beyond fancy occasions

 

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Archive Sale - 50% Off


Making room for lots of new spring goodies...all Archive Jewelry is now 50% off...

Random Awesomeness

the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain...


Pandas in Paris
(both via my little day a really gorgeous French blog found via Papier Mache)


April showers...
Nikole has more cloud cookie cutters for sale and a tutorial...

Friday, March 26, 2010

Inspired by...Sofia Coppola

sofia
Sofia Coppola has long been my personal style icon...who doesn't love a girl who interned with Chanel at 15, collaborated on a clothing line with Kim Gordon, directed some of my all time favorite movies, has a sparkling wine named after her, wears flats to film premieres, designs handbags for Louis Vuitton and is expecting her second baby with Phoenix front man Thomas Mars...


ma shepherdess
I've recently been reading Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser who also wrote the excellent Marie Antionette so I'm jonesing to rewatch Sofia's film version which I loved...I especially adored the scenes when Marie was in her shepherdess phase and have been searching for a romantic gauzy white dress ever since...wouldn't this one from Loup Charmant be perfect?
(on a side note, one of my favorite artists Maia Chavez Larkin designed paper dolls inspired by Loup Charmant's spring collection - LOVE!)
coupe
Doesn't drinking Champagne out of coupes seem so decadent? a little bubbly goes with anything in my book!




and who didn't want a pair of those see-through undies after watching Lost in Translation?  I lived in Japan as a kid and I think she perfectly captured the weird disconnect of being in a foreign country for an extended period of time.... 

I hear Sofia's working on a movie set in my favorite hotel the Chateau Marmont and is being considered for Twilight's Breaking Dawn movie...wouldn't that be dreamy?  I'm so team Edward but those movies have been just dreadful!
So, who's your style icon?
xoxo