♥ the dance of fall.

images via we heart it.

red and yellow

green and brown

all the leaves fall over the town.

round and round,

on the ground,

twirly green

how many have you seen?

summer come

now its gone

leaving falling

a blooming crown

of yellow and brown

red and orange

beautiful colors all around

swirling,

twirling,

reaching heaven

the dance of fall.

( my mom & i when i was in 3rd grade)

♥ gotta love that afro hairdo.

louis vuitton spring 2010

ever since i saw this collection,

i can't get afros out of my head.

i was very tempted to wear one for halloween,

but at the risk of looking like a circassian woman,

i decided against it.

in the early 19th century,

circassian women were believed to be

the purest form of white beauty.

their images would appear on makeup ads and

they would sell like hot cakes.

legend has it that they were victims of sexual enslavement

and that they escaped their harem life in turkey

to live free in america.

p.t barnum took this myth and gave it life

producing his very own versian of circassian beauty,

{one which he took complete liberty to fabricate}

these sideshow women were known also as "moss haired girls"

who would tease their hair into afro like puffs,

and hold it in place using beer of all products!

when their exotic oriental look lost its luster,

these women turned to snake charming

and sword swallowing.

on second thought,

maybe i should be one of them for halloween!

♥ those who do not want to imitate anything produce nothing.

image via we heart it

my boyfriend and i watch alot of movies. ALOT.

so what better way to spend a drizzly wednesday evening

than cozied up with my boy, a bottle of wine and

brand new woody allen comedy,

whatever works (2009)?

i can't say more wonderful things about this witty little comedy,

it is charming and heart warming and very well cast.

in typical woody allen fashion, the characters are

self deprecating, hilarious and brilliant,

and (as films like annie hall (1977) and

vicky cristina barcelona(2008) would tell you,)

rife with personal style.

i was smitten with the stylish looks worn by the

overly religious, overprotective southern belle–

turned threesome–loving artist, marietta,

played by the exquisite actress, patricia clarkson.

in nina garcia's fashion tome,

the little black book of style, the fashion editor asserts;

"there are countless scenes throughout the history of film,

scenes that stick in our minds and inspire us to emulate these women,

or their style at least."

i wholeheartedly concur.

here are a few shots from the film that better illustrate my point:

southern belle:

city gal:

my favorite part of the whole bohemian/artist look

is the perfectly wrapped head scarf.

it reminds me of a few of my other favorite

headscarf moments on film:

annette bening in running with scissors (2006)

cate blanchett in the curious case of benjamin button (2008).

and of course, no one can wear a trend better than

sjp in sex and the city.

want to look as cute as j.lo in your head scarf?

here are some cute instructions to try for yourself,

and remember,

"when imitation goes over big,

it isn't an imitation.

it's a trend."

♥ art is only art when it is synonymous with living.

help!

if any of you lovely readers knows anyone

who happens to own a time machine,

please let them know that i would

love, love, love

to go back in time to the '60's

not only to bear witness to

the beauty of women's fashion

but also to experience the

colorful, whimsical folk–inspired majesty

that is the work of architect/designer

alexander girard.

renowned for his bold and playful textiles created

for modern furniture manufacturer, herman miller,

alexander girard also had a hand in designing

everything from menus to matchbooks for

manhattan restaurant, la fonda del sol,

and was instrumental in the redesign of

braniff international airways,

which included everything from the colors

and font at the end of the plane

to the lounges, sugar packets and stationery

and created a cohesive look that literally went

above and beyond.

since time travel doesn't appear to be

an option at the moment,

i am thankful that websites like

máXimo and house industries as well as

electra bike and even urban outfitters

offer a wide variety charming art, textiles and objects

that will make any home a happy one.

here are a few must haves:

amsterdam girard "madonna" bike

heart pillow by alexander girard

alexander girard international love heart bearbrick

paper dolls wall art

marilyn neuhart dolls

alexander girard 72 piece memory game

alexander girard nativity set

alexander girard notecards

♥ the way we were.

i don't know about you guys, but every now and again

i love to take a stroll down the old memory lane

and look through piles and piles of

family photographs.

it doesn't matter if the pictures are of relatives

and acquaintances that i have barely met,

i just love to get an idea of what my parents

were wearing and what they did for fun

back in the day.

so you can imagine my

surprise and delight

when my boyfriend stumbled upon

this lovely blog, oh so appropriately named:

my parents were awesome.

now, in my spare time i can

peruse pictures of other people's parents

{say that five times fast!}

and get even more of a perspective on

maintaining a timeless style.

here are a few fashionable

family shots that are sure to inspire you

to someday look half as awesome

as your parents

once looked.

love the oversized sunglasses, head scarf, cuffed jeans & knee boots.

love the long sleeved mini dress & bouffant hairstyle.

love the high waisted shorts and ruffled top.

love the effortless european summer vacation look.

love the curly hair & excessive chest hair.

love the cut of the dresses, the lace and the headpieces.

love the very coordinated plaid swim suits.

love the dark eyeliner, bangs and ruffles.

love the shades in the shade.

love the easeful button down shirts.

love the prints, big glasses and bangles.

love the unabashed wedding dress, wine & cigarette.

love the bohemian beach look.

ps. my parents just celebrated their

twenty six year wedding anniversary this weekend :)

here are a few snaps of the when they were my age!

my mom had purple hair and my

dad was an urban cowboy.

remember, in fashion,

one must always look back

in order to look forward.