The Fashionista Diaries

We are in the process of moving, so I don’t know if I will be able to post until this weekend, but I wanted to mention one of my new favorite shows. The Fashionista Diaries comes on the Soap Network on Wednesday nights, but this Monday, on Labor Day, there will be a marathon. The show follows six fashion interns/assistants in New York City. I like the show because I was in similar situations last year when I interned in the city. The show has a lot of drama, but that is what life is like for people who want to make it in the fashion industry. We have to pay outrageous rents, live with people we hardly know in cramped apartments, work for no pay (literally), and impress our bosses and keep up with the New York City lifestyle. The show gives viewers an inside look into the life of a fashion hopeful and is entertaining to people in all industries.

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The Cloisters

Today is one of the most stressful of my life. We have packed boxes everywhere and there is still more to pack! The last few weeks, I have been trying to see as much of New York City as possible and I wanted to share my favorite place. The Cloisters is a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and is located on the upper westside of Manhattan (around 190th Street by Fory Tyron Park). The architecture of the buildings lets the works of art from the Middle Ages be on display in a setting that is similar to their orginal settings. There are architectural fragments from Europe that have been pieced together to create a medieval feel. There are several cloisters (which is a structure surrounded by open corridors with a courtyard in the middle) that are so pretty and peaceful, I wish I could visit them today. The museum is also famous for the Unicorn Tapestries. The park and the views are also so peaceful that you don’t even feel like you are in the city.

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ABC Carpet & Home

Since it is my last few days in the city, I had to visit my favorite store, ABC Carpet & Home, yesterday evening. I first found the store last summer when I interned near their store on Broadway and 19th Street. Every item, even if it doesn’t work with my tastes, is unusual and pretty. I never leave without having tons of ideas for my home.In 1897, an Austrian immigrant named Sam Weinrib sold used carpets and unusual fabrics from a pushcart in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. His son, Max, turned the business into a discount carpet store. In 1961, Max’s son Jerome moved the business to the current location and, along with his daughter Paulette, in the 1980s, created the world’s largest rug and carpet store. I love to browse the six floor emporium because it feels like you are in a bazaar of beautiful things. The mix of antiques with artist made accessories is enough to inspire anyone. I am always overtaken by the number of chandeliers that hang overhead and the stacks of decorative pillows. Shoppers can always find a small gift or buy themselves something, like a luxurious bedding set. The store never ceases to amaze me and I am sad that I will now only have the internet to satisfy my ABC fix at www.abchome.com (although they now have locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Harrods’ in London, and Delray Beach, Florida).

I took some photos of the entrance and store windows, which are shown above. Looks like I need to incorporate some orange into my life! Below are pictures from their site of the inside of the store. Besides selling beautiful things, the company is trying to make the world a better place with their ABC Home & Planet Foundation. I love this store and think that everything about it is perfect. They even have a showroom of the luxurious Hastens beds! You can shop, take a break by testing out the mattresses, and then grab some chocolate or a bite to eat.

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Becoming Jane

“Becoming Jane” is a movie (and book) that tells the love story of writer Jane Austen and lawyer Tom Lefroy, before Jane made a professional career of writing. The movie is set in 1795, when Jane was 20 years old. While watching the movie, you can see how the events in her life led to the ideas of her novels. Not much is known about Jane’s actual life, but this movie ties together evidence and creates an interesting story.

The movie, which was filmed in Dublin and used the city’s Georgian architecture, has beautiful scenery that features romantic scenes similar to other movie adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels, such as Sense and Sensibility, but also used other images of the time, such as a boxing club. The movie was made to be as real looking as possible. Eve Stewart, the production designer, read about Austen’s life and a wide range of literature from the 1790s Regency England period. Because the decorative styles of the period were mostly for function, whitewash and simple colors were used on the set, as well as wallpaper, was becoming more common to all levels of society. Furniture was mostly basic wooden pieces with a few upholstered pieces. Stewart found the perfect set for the Austen family home in County Meath. Higginsbrook House, built in 1747, shows the manner in which the Austen family lived. Other Gothic inspired historic homes were used in the movie, including Kilruddery and Charleville Forest, as well as a church and other historic buildings.

The clothing shows that fashion was in a transitional time, with the more simple Empire style becoming popular. Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh, the costume designer, explored Austen’s novels and letters for clues on colors and fabrics, as well as visited museums for inspiration. All of Jane’s clothing was made for the movie, so that the character of a strong, as well as pretty, girl could be conveyed. Men’s clothing was also realistic looking for the period, including showing the calves, which was considered sexy. The age and personality was considered for all characters.

I enjoyed every part of this movie, from the props, the story, and the actors. Visit becomingjane-themovie.com to watch a trailer of the film and learn more about the film (like I did!) through the special features.

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“Mad Men”

TV shows and movies are a great place to get inspiration for my clothing and decorating tastes. I love it when TV shows have good stylists, and with AMC’s original series “Mad Men”, the clothing and prop stylists deliver a show where every single detail is true to the time and setting. All objects, including the small details like ashtrays and towel racks, are given special attention. Most interesting to me was that to make the show as authentic as possible, each female character only has six dresses that are worn more than once in the season. Ruth La Ferla of The New York Times writes “Their mannerisms, and their sleek appurtenances, come with the turf: the steel-and-glass landscape of Madison Avenue in 1960, where burled wood and frosted-glass-panel interiors form a sumptuous backdrop against which the players stride about in sheaths and glen plaid suits.”

I plan on catching up on all of the episodes of “Mad Men” this weekend. You can find the times and see previews and more on www.amctv.com. Realistic sets like this one are interesting to people like me, who weren’t born yet, and to people who can remember all of the details.

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Window Shop At Home

I was feeling a little blue about moving away from all of the unique home boutiques New York City has to offer, so I was so excited to find out that New York Magazine has an online catalog called Shop-A-Matic. The editors went shopping for us and took lots of pictures in the store of items they knew we would want. Items are divided into categories (right now there are ten ranging from sofas to lamps, but it will soon expand to include accessories and fashion), which makes it easy for you to window shop from your home (or at work). The items are a good representation of the one-of-a-kind-boutique looks that I love most about New York. Just look at this chair (which is available at the shop Roche-Bobois) and this Chinese daybed (available at Lars Bolander). If the items are available online,there is a link to purchase them. At first I wished that you could shop with this feature, but then I remembered that whenever I window shop, I never really buy anything (I have to over-analyze my purchases before I make them). So, this site is going to be one of my new favorites because I can see the overall style and vibe of NYC stores while being miles away!

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Timeless Beauty

Today I am casting for a photo-shoot, so I haven’t had too much time to post, but I wanted to share this picture of Marilyn Monroe that I saw yesterday while browsing. All of the models today have looked as fabulous as she does!

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Cover Your Windows In Style

 

Our new place is going to have a lot of windows compared to the two windows we currently have, so I was so excited to see Delia Shades on New York Magazine’s website. The mesh shades roll down and offer unique patterns that make the shades seem more like architectural pieces than traditional window coverings. You can choose from various designs, my favorites being the Chinese inspired “Wave Lattice” pictured on top, the “Moorish Arch Dark” below that, and the “Regency” style drapes below. Look on the Delia Shades website for more styles including Indian Jali and French wrought iron.  You can also send them a picture of your window for suggestions on how to cover your window in style.

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Kartell 07 Catalog

I have yet to figure out all the techniques of blogging, but I have noticed several people have found my blog by searching for information on the Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chairs. One in particular was searching for dining tables to go with the chairs, and since I just visited the Kartell store on Greene Street last week and picked up a catalog, I was already looking for an excuse to share some of the pictures.

I like the look of woods mixed with the contempary plastic chairs, like Kartell used for their cover shot, which was originally photographed by Francois Halard for the October 2005 issue of House & Garden.

The photo Kartell shows of their Victoria Ghost chair also shows how great the clear goes with wood.

Another Philippe Starck option that would look great at a kitchen island, or in a bathroom as pictured, is the Charles Ghost stool. It comes in the same assortment of colors as the Louis Ghost and Victoria Ghost, as well as three heights.

If you want to match the modern look of the chairs, you can use a table from Kartell, such as these, which are designed by Philippe Starck with Eugeni Quitllet.

I love these chairs because they are surprisingly versatile and can go with any decor. Visit Kartell’s website for even more options.

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Living Green

We are moving in just over a week! I’ve been having mixed emotions about it, so last night, my boyfriend and I had a “date night”. I finally got to dine at Waverly Inn (it is right around the corner from us, but we never made reservations) and enjoyed the chicken pot pie. It was the perfect night because the weather has been chilly and rainy, which fits in great with the look of the restaurant. Afterwards, we watched Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth“. I had seen him on Oprah, so I knew most of the facts, but watching the DVD made me wonder how I could incorporate greener living into our lives. Since I am about to move, I feel like I have the opportunity to have a fresh start to living a green lifestyle, but these changes can be made at any time. Many magazines have green issues and there is a ton of information on the internet that helps us all make green living a part of our everyday lives.

I was excited when I found the company EarthFriendlyMoving; however, they currently only operate in Orange County and Long Beach, CA. They plan to be nation wide within the next three years, which I think will be outstanding. EarthFriendlyMoving is a DIY packing company that offers zero waste moving solutions. Everyone should check out their site to see their process (pictured above). They eliminate the use of cardboard boxes by renting out RecoPacks, which were made from hard-to-recycle plastics. The amazing part is that they produce eco-friendly packaging materials, as well as deliver and pick-up the RecoPacks in vegetable oil powered trucks. The service costs only about a dollar per box for one week, which is less expensive than buying a cardboard version.

At the end of the movie, there are some tips and one is to see if your power company offers green power, which is electricity produced from natural sources. This month’s issue of Domino magazine suggests visiting the U.S. Department of Energy’s website to see what is available in your state.

Some of Al’s other suggestions from the Oprah show include switching to Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs, set your thermostat with a timer so that air is not wasted when you aren’t home, change the filter on your air conditioner regularly, and wrap your hot water heater in a special blanket that you can pick up at a hardware store.

You can visit a site such as www.carbonfootprint.com to calculate the annual carbon emissions that you are responsible for. The goal is to lower your emissions and then to offset the rest by doing things such as help to plant trees, so that you become neutral.

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