♥ design your life!

i don't work in the interior design world anymore-

but that doesn't mean i can't appreciate a new collection of

colorful, luxurious fabrics every now and then.

like this new collaboration between my favorite designer,

diane von furstenberg and one of the best fabric houses in the

 business- kravet. don't you just want to wrap yourself

in those window treatments? LOVE!!!

♥ hustle & flow.

tonight, nick and i began watching american hustle (2013),

and while i knew next to nothing about the film- i was pleasantly

surprised by all of the dvf wrap dresses i recognized amy adams wearing

 throughout the film! OBSESSED!!!!

according to the costume designer, michael wilkinson,

" i love the clean lines of the wrap dress- they really exemplify the new spirit

of the clothes for american women in the late 1970's. it was a time when women

were enjoying new freedoms in fashions-less underpinnings, less structure and

bold, streamlined shapes. the natural shape of a woman's body was celebrated."

♥ wrap it up.

the 40th anniversary of dvf's legendary wrap dress

is being celebrated in high style with the opening of her
exhibition, journey of a dress, in LA this weekend.

i want to go to there. 

♥

in yet another astounding post on jezebel, the numbers from new york fashion week 

were crunched to reveal the terribly skewed racial lines in the world of fashion.

"of the 142 shows out of the 184 that showed at mercedes benz fashion 

week for spring/summer 2014*, there were 4637 looks.

 of those close to 5,000 looks, around 80 percent 

were modeled by white women."

it is shocking to think that it is 2013 and some designers  are still

choosing to give such a limited view of who their "ideal" customer is. 

when the world is so diverse and colorful, why just rely on

 one type of look? 

a designer who has been applauded for the diversity of her shows

is my personal favorite, diane von furstenberg, who seeks always to 

glorify women- of all colors. 

yet another reason why she's the best.

♥ " i don't have to wear vintage. i AM vintage." ~DVF

(spotted on honestly WTF)

lucky blogger  natalie joos and a handful of models were granted

the privilege of visiting cloudwalk- diane von furstenberg's connecticut estate,

and allowed access to her archives and latest collections for an all day photo shoot.

 i am in love with the playful mixture of prints and the 

relaxed backdrop of her eclectic living space. 

i heart dvf.

♥ every woman wants to be glamorous and rock 'n' roll.

it has been a few years since i have fallen head over heels in love

with one of my favorite designer- diane von furstenberg's- runway shows.

like, really in love.

yes, i am quite capable of loving everything she puts her name on, but over the past
few years, she has turned away from the feminine, curve-hugging pieces that i originally
adored her for and replaced them with boxy/color-blocked/non-wrap dresses that are not
 exactly my cup of tea. 

BUT her latest fall 2013 collection, aptly called "glam rock" was smashing. 

very seventies, very feminine, very print-heavy. very old DVF. 

heart palpitations abound.

and why this sudden fabulous transformation? 

creative director yvan mispelaere has left the company.
(on good terms, i hear. to pursue other projects, no doubt.)

so now, darling diane will resume her throne. alone and amazing.
and what a better way to ring in the new with a look back at the old?

welcome back, lady!

♥ have a glittering new year!

while tonight is, in fact, new year's eve- it also happens to be 

the 66th birthday my favorite designer on earth-- diane von furstenberg.

 so, in her honor, here are a few sparkling pieces from her site that one 

could wear to celebrate the birth of an idol--

 or the birth of a brand new year.

nothing says, "let's party!" like a comfy ( yet sparkly)  dress.

...or an eye-catching eyelash sequin clutch.

except maybe a golden peplum top.

or a confetti-covered scarf.

but this metallic lips clutch is a quirky reminder to kiss the old year goodbye-

and welcome a new one with a big smooch! ♥

happy 2013, everyone!!!

♥ see it to believe it.

image via VB

leave it to legendary designer (& my personal favorite), diane von furstenberg

to be one of the first to bring the technology of the future to the runway 

in a single, fashionable sweep.

 her spring 2013 collection featured richly colored caftans, trousers & dresses 

of all shapes, sizes and patterns, pulled together with wide metallic belts, 

embellished sandals, geometric handbags, and the most futuristic accessory

 of them all: google glasses.

earlier this spring google released the plans for project glass,

 a pair of spectacular spectacles that offers augmented reality-

all of the features you expect from your smart phone,

in the blink of an eye.

images via style.com

in the days leading up to fashion week, dvf herself, as well as a slew of models, 

stylists & sergey brin, (the computer scientist who introduced google glasses to

 the designer), wore the glasses and recorded their comings and goings

in the veritable frenzy that is a dvf fashion show. in the video (below)

you can see dvf check herself out in a mirror, walk the runway,

and tape a lucky coin into the bottom of her shoe-

i am obsessed. she should have her own

reality show for 24/7 inspiration!

♥ health is beauty: FAIL.

image via the boston globe.

on monday evening i attended the 15th annual public forum on healthy and the fashion industry,

hosted by the harris center at mass general hospital. the health is beauty:defining ourselves, 

panel was made up of the highly esteemed arianna huffington of the huffington post, 

vogue italia editor in chief, franca sozzani and super model doutzen krous.

similarly to diane von furstenberg's discussion last year, ariana opened the panel

with a personal story of her own experience with eating disorders- mainly that her daughter,

isabella had suffered from one at a young age, and that the best advice she could offer 

was to start with yourself: learn healthy eating habits, change your mindset to one which 

values healthy body images over all else, to start a dollar jar for any comments made negatively/positively about weight, and be open for healthy discussion 

about health whenever possible.

franca followed up by stating that the fashion industry has become flat- all of the models look

the same, which is her way of explaining why there is very little diversity in the pages of fashion magazines, and with fashion becoming more democratic, this process has trickled down to the laypeople who can afford knock off pieces which also allows them to look just like everyone

else as well. on the one hand, i agree with her. on the other, i felt that it was a pretty lame 

excuse to explain why vogue has to single out specific "black" and a "curvy" issues, 

rather than just include black and curvy models in their editorials 

ALL OF THE TIME. duh!!!

but the worst of all was when model doutzen krous had her chance to speak.

here is what i can remember of her terrible foot-in-the mouth failure of a monologue..

what the pages of a magazine and victoria's secret sell is a fantasy.

 people want to buy into a fantasy. most people know they are not going to look like the 

women in the ads, but studies show that larger people don't sell as much products, 

which is why they use models. models are thinner and have longer limbs. 

if everyone did- i would be out of a job.

 sitting there in the audience, i was reminded of this famous scene

 from the film billy madison (1995). FAIL!