Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Lanvin...Another Favorite


"In Florence, Jeanne Lanvin gazed, transfixed, upon a Fra Angelico fresco. Its remarkably intense quattrocento Blue was to become her pet shade" ~Lanvin

 ~Lanvin 2011~

Jeanne Lanvin set up a Milliners boutique on the corner of rue Boissy D'Anglas and rue Du Faubourg St Honoré. She later opened her own House at the same location.

She began by making beautiful little fashions for her young daughter and muse, Marguerite Marie Blanche. These creations became so popular among the parents of her daughters friends, Jeanne created a Childrens department in 1908 and a year later became a full fledged fashion house.




~Lanvin Pearl and Grosgrain Necklace Via Harvey Nichols~

In 1911 Lanvin began creating wedding gowns and in 1926 she created Lanvin Fourrure and Lanvin Lingerie. The same year she was also named Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur.

In 1946 Jeanne Lanvin passed away after starting the perfume and Lanvin Decoration departments with great success (Santa left me a little vintage Lanvin present under the tree this year ~sigh~)

Today, Alber Elbaz is the art director for the House of Lanvin and he is pure genius! I look forward to every feminine collection and the details are always exquisite.



A bit of vintage Lanvin for you~ A Gold embroidered Lanvin-Castillo dress modeled in the Theatre of Louis the XV in Versailles.

Best Wishes to you all for a happy, joyful, and successful New Year~ Cheers!
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Celebrating Magic

Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays!

All Things Heart and Home

Hello! I have been enjoying every second of this beautiful holiday season and just wanted to pop in to say hello and I miss YOU!

Attik72 Window Decal

Our holidays are generally very busy (as I'm sure most are). My husbands birthday comes just after Thanksgiving and my Little Prince's birthday is actually Christmas day so we throw him a big party every year at the beginning of December to make sure he has his own special day. I can't believe my Precious is already turning Three!

The decorating has been done, the gifts have been carefully chosen, and now I have to wrap my heart out (Í chose a Kraft paper and muted toned ribbon with some glitz for the packaging) and bake, bake, bake! I've decided to attempt to make Croquembouche! I'll let you know how that goes...

The legendary Ceil Chapman ~ Vintage

So, I  am looking forward to the holiday parties, the cookie exchange with my friends, the traditional trip to see the Christmas lights, Caroling...and...a big surprise from my Best Friend...Dinner at the legendary Club 33 inside of the Disneyland park! I am so excited! The best part of the season is of course, spending time with the family and watching the little Prince play with his cousins and thoroughly experience the magic that is...Christmas.

Wishing you Magic this season!

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Colette

If I can't have too many truffles, I'll do without truffles.
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette


Bonjour mes amis, what a chaotic and busy time it has been. I love to grab a great book and a cup of tea to unwid a bit in the evenings when the baby is asleep and the husband has gone to bed. Lately, I have found myself immersed in novels by that racy and saucy author Colette (Best known for writing Gigi).

I just finished reading a number of the Claudine books,  I'm starting Chéri when I finish this post, and I can't wait to get my hands on La Naissance du Jour. I find myself getting lost in this Belle Epoque world she writes about so vividly and so wonderfully! It makes me even more excited to know that she wrote about personal experiences and the people around her so these amazing, larger than life characters could have at one point been living, breathing, people.

Her life was very racy and very interesting. Her marriages and lovers were often scandalous and salacious. A woman before her time and a wonderful writer.   

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Another Time...


I've been loving the series Boardwalk Empire on HBO. It makes me dream of another time and world. Here are some Etsy finds inspired by those fabulous roaring 20's!


The series Boardwalk Empire was inspired by a book based on a true story. It is set in Atlantic city at the dawn of the prohibition.

Maclancy on Etsy

The sets are incredible and the fashions are amazing! It's hard to believe that this story is bases on true events. It's riveting.

Piperewan on Etsy

You can catch it on Sunday nights on HBO. Have a great weekend mes amis!
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Friday, October 29, 2010

Spooktacular!



Wishing you a happy weekend and a spooktacular Halloween!

Tim Walker photo

Dior Haute Couture’s handpainted and embroidered silk taffeta dress. John Rocha socks, Louis Vuitton shoes with Mokuba ribbons.
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Friday, October 22, 2010

Exquisite Finery

Blue Silk Ballgown and Red SIlk womens stockings, with Gold thread embroidery

Bonjour Mes Amis! Recently I wrote a post (here) about visiting the new Resnick Pavilion in Los Angeles for the opening weekend. I was in awe of all of the beauty and history surrounding me. It was a spectacular experience and I am so excited to share these pics with you. 

Edwardian Lace dress and kidskin gloves/A stunning uncut pattern on Silk

The first of the three exhibits that we visited was this amazing journey through time, "Fashioning Fashion" European dress through the ages. I cannot tell you just how incredible these items were in person.  

L. Blue Mademoiselles Giroux Dress c. 1880 made in LImoges France  made in the Princess Line, named after Princess Alexandria of Whales.

This stunning display exhibits European Dress from 1700~1915. All of the very most romantic eras are represented here and one could get lost in the glamour and the romance of it all.


I apologize for the hefty amout of photos in this post, I had a really hard time editing some out. I have loads more but decided to spare you! My best friend had my camera so I took these with my phone but you just can't hide the fact that the fashion was divine!


Fashion from some of the most famous and luxurious fashion houses and designers in history are on display: The House of Rouff, Émile Pingat, Giroux, and so many more. The above Pink gown is from the 1830's and is decorated with a sea of faux pearls that  would weigh down the sheer overlay and make a delightful clinking noise when the lucky wearer would move. The faux pearls are glass filled with a mixture of fish scales and glue. The story behind this is remarkable, I could do an entire post over the discovery of this process by a French rosary maker.


I wish I could write about each of these pieces, however, I think I would both bore you and take hours to write. Each piece has a truly remarkable history and the process of creating these works of art are incredible.

The contents of these Silk~Velvet lined boxes are amazing! The larger box contains jeweled buttons for a mens suit from the 1700's, the missing ones are on display on the suit next to this box. The smaller boxes contain jeweled shoe buckles! If I could only just hold one for a moment! Too beautiful!!!



I have been holding back writing that "this photo is my favorite"because it feels like they all are but I really do think this one is my favorite. Those bustles are fantastic and the colors! Oh my!

18th century Robe à la Française. Cream Silk with Handpainted details. The colorful florals are woven in to the fabric but the Green/Yellow leaves and bows are handpainted. Just amazing!



The thing that struck me most about everysingle piece I saw was the detail, the hadmade aspect of everything, the fact that every pleat, bead, ruffle, and delicious piece of golden passementerie, has been perfectly placed is mind blowing. Seeing gowns and suits worn at the most luxurious courts in Europe was a special and treasured treat. The true luxury of the textiles, lush trimmings, and artistry of each piece is intoxicating.

All of these pieces and so much more (a vest from the Revolution in France, children's clothing, capes lined in ostrich feathers, etc) are currently on display at LACMA in Los Angeles until March.

All Photos ~ Paris Atelier
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

My, Oh My!

Photo~SwankUnderpinnings on Etsy

Bonjour! Sending out wonderful wishes for a beautiful weekend to YOU all!

Image via Bubble Wrap My Heart

I plan on stealing away a moment to read a good book...

Image Via Tumblr

and kick off my shoes! Happy weekend!!!!

I have two exciting posts in the wings! Stay tuned!!!
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Wednesday, October 6, 2010

A Most Romantic Discovery

Getty Images


Can you just imagine turning the key in the keyhole of a beautiful old building in Paris to enter an apartment that for over 70 years lay untouched. With the rent faithfully paid, the doors locked, and an incredible treasure trove hiding inside, this apartment remained a secret. That is, until the apartments last occupant recently passed away at the age of 91. She shut the apartment up just before the outbreak of World War II to go live in the south of France and she never returned. The dust filled romantic rooms of treasure were discovered by  an auctioneer sent to inventory her belongings.


That is only part of the romantic story of the apartment of the granddaughter of Marthe de Florian, a beautiful actress of the early screen. When this lucky auctioneer entered the dust-covered Parisian apartment to take inventory of the possessions, he was quoted saying that he "had the impression of creeping into Sleeping Beauty’s castle where time had stood still". In the beautiful decaying apartment he came across a painting, which had hung in the living room, of an actress of exceptional beauty who went by the name of Marthe de Florian, enshrouded in a pale pink mousseline evening dress. The real story here is that this portrait was painted by one of 19-century Paris’ most prized portrait artists, Italian Giovanni Boldini.

Image via Yahoo news

The auctioneer had a hunch that this painting was made by the famous Boldini but could not find any record of the painting, it was not in any reference books and it had never been exhibited. After extensive research he found  one of Boldini’s calling cards in the apartment with a love message by the painter written to de Florian. Knowing this was the link, he continued his search and found proof that this painting was indeed a Boldini after finding mention of it in a book belonging to the painters widow.


Amazing Stuffed Ostrich via Telegraph.co.uk

Marthe de Florian had hosted her many admirers in the apartment where “she kept letters from her lovers in little packages wrapped up with ribbons of different colors,” according to one of the people who worked on the inventory. The calling cards of senior statesmen from the period were found tucked away in drawers.


This week, the painting, painted in 1898 when de Florian was 24 years old, went up for auction in Paris. Ten bidders fought to own the piece, the final price came to an astonishing €2.1 million, the highest price of any Boldini piece. "It was a magic moment. One could see that the buyer loved the painting; he paid the price of passion,” art specialist Marc Ottavi was quoted by The Telegraph
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Art, Fashion, and The Resnick

"As our lives become even more virtual and fleeting, it's imperative that we have art as an anchor, and after the daily electronic recounting of the real-time horrors of people doing terrible things to one another, we can renew our faith in mankind while viewing man's highest achievements on display at a museum like LACMA." ~Lynda Resnick




Image via Sarahreports.com

The much anticipated and much talked about Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion opens to the public on Oct. 2. It is the second gallery building on the LACMA campus and designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, one of the world's most sought-after museum architects. Funded by billionaire philanthropists Lynda and Stewart  Resnick (they own POM juice drink and Fiji Water), this $54 million exhibiion hall will serve as a stunning place to showcase rotating and traveling art exhibits.



Image from the NY Times

The grand opening will feature three exhibits: Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico, Eye for the Sensual: Selections from the Resnick Collection, and Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915.

I am, of course, most excited to see Eye for the Sensual which includes eighty-five European paintings and sculptures from the personal collection of Stewart and Lynda Resnick (I could dedicate an entire post to this amazing woman, she is fabulous and so remarkable). I am so anxious to see its important eighteenth-century French paintings—including works by François Boucher, Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Lebrun (she has the portrait of Marie~Antoinette with the Rose, Versailles houses a later version of this portrait), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (my fave), Nicolas Lancret, and Hubert Robert. I am also looking forward to seeing the fashion exhibit.


"The exhibition will tell the story of fashion's aesthetic and technical development from the Age of Enlightenment to World War I. It will examine the sweeping changes that occurred in fashionable dress spanning a period of over two hundred years, with a fascinating look at the details of luxurious textiles, exacting tailoring techniques, and lush trimmings. Highlights will include an eighteenth-century man's vest intricately embroidered with powerful symbolic messages relevant to the French Revolution; an evening mantle with silk embroidery, glass beads, and ostrich feathers designed by French couturier Émile Pingat (active 1860-96); and spectacular three-piece suits and gowns worn at the royal courts of Europe." LACMA

I feel so honored and lucky to have aquired tickets to the opening weekend andI am so looking forward to going and being part of a historic moment for art in Los Angeles. My husband and I are taking the little Prince and the countdown begins!

If you are interested in going LACMA is hosting community days where you can get free tickets online.





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Friday, September 24, 2010

Weekend Love

Wishing you a happy and carefree weekend!



I'm so excited to be back in the swing of posting and listing on Etsy. Most of all, I'm excited to reconnect with YOU!

Sending wonderful thoughts your way this weekend.
xoxo
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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Beautiful Kodak 1922 Kodachrome Film Test



This Film Test is so neat! I just love the rich, beautiful colors and the fashion! I am loving that fabulous hat with the hanging accents. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Theurel & Thomas

Bonjour Friends, or should I say Hola!?! I wanted to share this little decadent treat with you today. Theurel & Thomas is a beautiful and visually stunning little French macaron shop in Mexico! That's right, Mexicos first macaron shop is located in the ritzy suburb of San Pedro.
I'm not quite sure if my mouth is watering over the decor or the little pastries...it must be both.


All of the interiors and branding were done by Anagrama. I love the stark White decor that contrasts and showcases the macarons.  


Just gorgeous!


I could find some bliss in an office like this one...again, not sure if it's the decor or the macarons...


I am tempted to start filling lovely White vessels with macarons and adding them as decorative accents in my home, everywhere in my home!

Enjoy your week!

All images via Anagrama

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Keys To The Fleas: Paris

Hello Friends! I am so excited to write this post today. Today on my Facebook I saw the most wonderful post from the legendary Claudia from The Paris Apartment. She has just launched the most delicious and incredible App on iTunes!!! The app, Keys To The Fleas: Paris showcases Claudia's years of research and passion for all things Brocante and Paris Flea Market. This exciting app is just dreamy and includes amazing illustrations by Elaine Biss.

This fabulous new App is available for iTunes, iPhone, and iPad. I just spent the last few minutes browsing through it and I am literally swooning over the photo gallery and the illustrations. I can't wait to plan my next trip to Paris with this handy tool in hand. Even if a trip to Paris is not in your immediate future this app makes you feel like you just had a whirlwind trip throught the heart of the Paris fleas. Congratulations Claudia!!!


Claudia is celebrating with a giveaway so head on over to The Paris Apartment to enter for your chance at a free Keys To The Fleas: Paris app. If you can't wait for the contest, you can have it right now! Head on over to iTunes right here to download the app 


and her fabulous book that has become a Decorating/Lifestyle bible for so many!


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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Little Edie...

Image from the Grey Garden's Collection

Bonjour Mes Amis! Sorry for another book post, however, I am just so excited for this special little book to come out!

The Diary of little Edie Beale written everyday for the year 1928 when she was just 11 years old is being published and comes out on August 1st.

From the Everette Collection


I can just imagine the glitz, glamour, and exclusive lifestyle she led at that age. Very excited!

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Monday, June 28, 2010

The Perfect Summer Day...

Bonjour Mes Amis! I'm a California girl and I love this beautiful, warm, Summer weather. It's been just gorgeous over here and I just spent the perfect Summer Sunday with my boys. What is my idea of a perfect Summer day you ask? A warm sunny day, my amazing husband and beautiful son, the pool, a bowl of fruit, a glass of champagne, and a good book (all of this after watching my Argentina play in the World Cup of course). That's exactly how I spent the day and I couldn't be happier.



The book I read today was so good! The perfect light, fun, Summer reading. I really enjoyed it and just couldn't put it down. Summer at Tiffany, a memoir by Marjorie Hart is a book right up my alley!

Imagine New York City circa 1945.Two young girls Marjorie and her best friend, Marty, arrive in New York to find summer positions as shopgirls. These lucky girls find jobs as pages at Tiffany & Co. and become the first women to ever work on the sales floor! A fun book filled with tales of a diamond-filled job that includes Tiffany blue shirtwaist dresses from Bonwit Teller's. What an experience, what a time period, what a story! I just loved it.

Happy Summer days to you! I can't wait for the weekend again!
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Sunday, May 23, 2010

~To Catch A Thief~

Last week in Paris a thief is believed to have carried out one of the largest and most brazen art heists in history. The thief broke into The Musuem of Modern Art through a window that had a faulty alarm system and was awaiting repair.

Source Unknown


He made off with works by Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani. The stolen masterpieces (including 'Le Pigeon aux petit pois' by Picasso, Henri Matisse’s "Pastoral," Georges Braque’s "Olive Tree Near Estaque," Fernand Léger’s "Still Life With Chandeliers,'' and Amedeo Modigliani’s ''Woman With Fan').

Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe confirmed that the raid was the most costly in the history of French art and called it ‘an intolerable attack on Paris’s universal cultural heritage’.  According to The Art Loss Register, only 12-15% of stolen art is ever recovered. They also state that Picasso is the most stolen artist in the world with 660 (including the most recent one stolen in Paris) missing works of art by the artist.


GarenT Photography

Art thieves have struck again in France this weekend by stealing five pictures from the home of an art collector in Marseille only a day after the major heist in Paris, the stolen pictures include a Picasso lithograph.
French police said Saturday the owner was beaten up at his home in southern France on Friday and the art stolen.



Cary Grant in To Catch A Thief

~Biggest Art Heists in History~
May 2010: A lone thief stole five paintings possibly worth hundreds of millions of euros, including works by Picasso and Matisse, in a brazen overnight heist at a Paris modern art museum.

February 2008: Armed robbers stole four paintings by Cezanne, Degas, van Gogh and Monet worth $163.2 million from the E.G. Buehrle Collection, a private museum in Zurich, Switzerland. The van Gogh and Monet paintings were recovered.

December 2007: A painting by Pablo Picasso valued at about $50 million, along with one by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari valued at $5 million to $6 million, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art in Brazil, by three burglars using a crowbar and a car jack. The paintings were later found.

February 2007: Two Picasso paintings, worth nearly $66 million, and a drawing were stolen from the Paris, France home of the artist's granddaughter in an overnight robbery. Police later recovered the art when the thieves tried to sell it.

February 2006: Around 300 museum-grade artifacts worth an estimated $142 million, including paintings, clocks and silver, were stolen from a 17th-century manor house at Ramsbury in southern England, the largest property theft in British history, according to reports.

February 2006: Four works of art and other objects, including paintings by Matisse, Picasso, Monet and Salvador Dali, were stolen from the Museu Chacara do Ceu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by four armed men during a Carnival parade. Local media estimated the paintings' worth at around $50 million.

August 2004: Two paintings by Edvard Munch, The Scream and Madonna, insured for $141 million, were stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway by three men in a daylight raid. The paintings were recovered nearly two years later.

August 2003: A $65 million Leonardo da Vinci painting was stolen from Drumlanrig Castle in southern Scotland after two men joined a public tour and overpowered a guide. It was recovered four years later.

May 2003: A 16th-century gold-plated Saliera, or salt cellar, by Florentine master Benvenuto Cellini, valued at $69.3 million, was stolen from Vienna's Art History Museum by a single thief when guards discounted a burglar alarm. The figurine was later recovered.

December 2002: Two thieves broke in through the roof of the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and stole two paintings by Van Gogh valued at $30 million. Dutch police convicted two men in December 2003, but did not recover the paintings.

December 2000: Hooded thieves stole a self-portrait by Rembrandt and two Renoir paintings worth an estimated $36 million from Stockholm's waterfront National Museum, using a motorboat in their escape. All paintings were recovered.

October 1994: Seven Picasso paintings worth an estimated $44 million were stolen from a gallery in Zurich, Switzerland. They were recovered in 2000.

April 1991: Two masked armed men took 20 paintings - worth at least $10 million each at the time - from Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum. The paintings were found in the getaway car less than an hour later.

March 1990: In the biggest art theft in U.S. history, $300 million in art, including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Manet, was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, by two men in police uniforms.

December 1988: Thieves stole three paintings by van Gogh, with an estimated value of $72 million to $90 million, from the Kroeller-Mueller Museum in a remote section of the Netherlands. Police later recovered all three paintings.

May 1986: A Vermeer painting, Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, is among 18 paintings worth $40 million stolen from Russborough House in Blessington, Ireland. Some of the paintings are later recovered.

August 1911: Perhaps the most famous case of art theft occurred when the Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by employee Vinczo Peruggia, who was caught two years later.

~Art Heist History, The Daily Mail-UK
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