they . said . what?

Today I was reading through a small backlog of celeb fashion posts on AOL, all along the lines of "do or don't." When I came to a post of Sarah Jessica Parker at the MTV movies awards, I couldn't believe the caption that went with the photo:


"Sarah Jessica Parker repurposes her '80s movie wardrobe in a glittery brown L'Wren Scott mini and Christian Louboutin lace-up booties at the MTV Movie Awards. Note to SJP: girls might want to have fun, but ladies should dress their age."

What? Okay, this isn't my favorite outfit, but that aside, "ladies should dress their age"??? This sounds as though it's right out of a 1930s etiquette book. Now there are times when people dress innappropriately, but if at 43 I have legs and abs like SJP, I'll be wearing a mini skirt 24/7, thank you very much.

Pretty Little World sends a big thumbs down to AOL.

mad . men

As the second season of AMC's Mad Men will start this summer, today's looks are inspired by the show:

Alyssa . Ettinger

I usually don't care for rooms that have been done in all white - white walls, linens, decor, etc. But white accessories placed in a room with boldly colorful walls is a smashing combination.

My favorite white accessories come from the place where much of my money seems to go - ETSY. Alyssa Ettinger hand makes porcelain replicas of milk bottles and I love.adore.need them. This is the kind of perfect little accessory that you could stare at and simply never tire of.

The best part of these lovely confections is that they're tiny - at only 4" tall, of row of these would be the most perfect thing ever!!

hetty . rose

Today I found something wonderful in the way that most wonderful things are found: by stumbling across it when you aren't looking for it.

Hetty Rose is a shoe designer who hand makes shoes to order using vintage kimono fabrics. The shoes are brightly colored and vibrantly patterned and certainly not for the wallflower. But a pair of lively shoes is usually just the right way to spice up a so-so outfit.

And doesn't everyone feel just a little transformed when you put on a pair of really wonderful shoes?

You can find more at her site, Hetty Rose, but here are a few of my favorites:

Are . you . going . on . vacation?

I have to be upfront and admit that I have a love.adoration of oversized bags - structured, slouchy, adorned - they're statement pieces and pretty practical too, as they hold everything.

However, after seeing bags in the 2008 SS and Fall collections, even I have to wonder, when is a bag too big? Is there a point where it stops looking like a handbag and starts looking like carry-on luggage?




In their Fall 08 collection, Hermès showed oversized versions of the gorgeous Birkin bag, while this past Spring, Mulberry came out with a gigantic patent version of their Roxanne bag. (I saw the Roxanne when I was just in Las Vegas, and it really is that large - it's not just tiny models that make it seem that way.)

What do you think? Are handbag sizes getting out of hand?

look . of . the . day...{ethereal}

pretty . little . stripes

(1)Tory Burch dress; (2)from: Domino Magazine (3)Christian Louboutin Sing Sing wedge (4)from: Domino Magazine (5)www.yoonah.etsy.com

look . of . the . day...{bohemian rocker}

using . things . differently

I love.love.love to redecorate. It doesn't take me very long to get tired of something - after a year, I'm ready for a new bedspread, accent pillows, lamp shade, etc. But of course it's not always practical nor economical to just go out and buy new (esp. when there's nothing wrong with the old).

Which is why the design ideas below are perfect! They allow you to change the look of a room with items that you'll already have lying around the house:



(1) Grab some empty tea canisters (or coffee, biscuit tin, etc.) and use as a vase; (2) Use wooden clasp hangers (meant for skirts or slacks) as picture "frames"

look . of . the . day

New daily feature!! Thanks to the amazingly cool site - PolyVore.com - that allows you to easily select items from the coolest stores, Pretty Little World will have a "look of the day" feature from now on! Enjoy!


Dress: MyTheresa.com; Cropped Blazer: Urbanoutfitters.com; Sunglasses: Net-a-Porter.com; Leather bracelets: Interpunk.com; Shoes: RevolveClothing.com

iluchka

Iluchka is the label designed by Ilana Bronstein and is sold in her Tel Aviv boutique. She has three current Spring/Summer collections - Fairy Pale, Winterology, and Looking For Lola - and I want one of everything that she makes.

I've never seen such whimsical pieces that look so polished and grown-up before. Her shapes are flattering (think: full skirts with nipped waists and draped tanks), and she makes bold color choices.

My only gripe? That you can't order directly online (but then again, if you could, it's possible that I'd be broke by this point!)

pretty . little . home . design

Unless you're shopping at Pottery Barn or IKEA (where my pretty little slip-cover sofa is from), furniture is expensive - sometimes really expensive. So if you're paying an arm, leg, and first born for a new living room, it should be fabulous. Yet I often find myself looking at $5,000 pieces of furniture, and thinking, "Hmmm, really?"

And then I came across the site of Suzan Fellman, who designs luxury home furnishings. I'm not wowed by everything she has to offer (esp. the "handmade" items that I could find thrifting), but some pieces are astonishing in their capacity to be both rich and simple at the same time.

My personal favorite? A chair upholstered with vintage Chanel scarves:


Previews of all items available at: Suzan Fellman

Charlize . Theron's . premiere . style.

In my opinion, Charlize Theron always looks gorgeous and chic - even in jeans and a t-shirt, she manages to look stunning.

Though when you're dressed in couture frocks - as she has been in attendance at recent premieres for her new film Hancock - it's a bit easier ;)





(1) Dior (2) Christian Lacroix (3) Balenciaga (4) Giambattista Valli

Cartier . LOVE

There is apparently no end to the number of formal events there are for celebs to attend. Last night Cartier held a fab.glam.fancy launch party for their LOVECHARITY bracelet.



(click for larger pics)

pretty . little . favorites...{las vegas}

Okay, I'm back from vacation, and it was fabulous! We spent a whole week in Las Vegas, and here are my favorites (though it's not easy to choose when there's so much wonderful shopping!):

(1) Chloe Suede booties (but in slate gray):


I about died when I first saw pics of these, but in person these booties from the pre-fall collection are even better - and perhaps the most comfortable shoes that I've ever had on!!

(2) Tod's Media Messenger in Python, $3900.00 regularly, marked 40% off:


Though I was tempted, I didn't end up buying this bag - the python makes it oh so lux, but just not practical. You could only use this every now and then because python doesn't wear very well.

(3) 3.1 Phillip Lim Ruffled Mini dress:


As I'm sure you know from previous posts, Lim is one of my favorite designers - it's difficult to imagine that he could do any wrong. This particular dress is lovely in person, and actually fairly versatile - it can be worn as a dress or layered over skinny jeans. The version shown above is silk, but my pick was the cotton jersey version in white (it also comes in navy blue).

(4) Chanel Jumbo Classic Flap, black, $2650.00:


Before this trip, I didn't really think of myself as a Chanel person. I have some clothing, but the bags never really appealed to me. Then I tried out this lovely.lovely bag and have absolutely fallen in love. The high price means that I have to save a bit for it, but it will definitely come home with me one of these days!!

And last, but not least...

(5) Louis Vuitton Mono Musette GM:



One thing that I really wanted was a bag that I take to Seoul later this summer; something light, easy to carry, and with a long strap. And this bag is perfect! It's roomy enough for everything I'll need to carry and it can be worn as a shoulder bag or a sling.

leaving . on . a . jet . plane

Tomorrow morning I'm leaving on my first real vacation in two years!! Yay!!


Have a pretty little week!!

(I would run right out and sign up to be a stewardess if that we're my uniform!...and then probably quit in short order, or, in other words, as soon as those boots started to cause blisters!)

pretty . little . artchitecture

When I was little, for a brief period, I wanted to be an architect. Unfortunately my drawing skills stop somewhere near "advanced stick figure" and so my design hopes were dashed.

So rather than becoming an architect myself, I'm happy to read about/look at interesting architecture (no drawing skill required).

A friend introduced me to the designs of two very unusual "architects" (artists/architects/poets) - Arakawa and Madeline Gins. Right off of the bat I'll say that some of what they've written to explain their architectual designs is more than a bit pompous. But if you can get past that, the raw ideas are amazing.

What they're attempting to do with architecture is difficult to explain in a tiny blog post, but the gist of it is that if we can rid ourselves of any preconceived ideas (about everything) through living in spaces that defy all ideas about how a "house" should be, we can live forever. Etc.

This sounds a little crazy until you see some of what they've built:



To read more, check out their website at: Reversible Destiny

"what becomes of the broken-hearted? they buy shoes."

Well, it's finally that wonderful time of year when nearly all of the the SS 08 accessories collections go on sale! So while even the sale prices for some of these pretty little things might not be cheap, doesn't every girl deserve a shiny new pair once a year?


Top, from left: Missoni, Chloe, Oscar de la Renta, Alberta Ferretti
Bottom, from left: Chloe, Chloe, Miu Miu, Fendi

All from Net-a-Porter

runway . review

The speed at which the fashion world moves amazes me. It's not even technically the start of summer here, and yet designers are currently debuting their Resort 2009 collections.

I'm also a tad surprised at the designer whose collection I've found the most impressive so far: Michael Kors. I'm usually not a fan of Kors' collections. Not because the clothes aren't beautiful or well-made, they just aren't me. They always feel a bit "old" and the one word that constantly comes to mind is "khaki."

Yet his Resort 09 looks are youthful, pretty, easy to wear, and absolutely the girliest, most colorful pieces:

unconventional . wedding

After getting engaged over the past Christmas holiday, people seem to imagine that I could now only ever possibly think about wedding things. With the exception of a few close friends, the first question out of everyone's mouth is: so, how is the wedding planning coming?

This is always followed by looks of disappointment as I tell them that, "I haven't really thought about it yet."

I was, quite simply, not born with "the wedding gene." Thinking about table settings, menus, guest lists, etc. - doesn't really interest me. It's a bit off-putting that all women are expected to have certain ideas/plans when it comes to weddings, and people are actually disappointed - even sorry?? - when we don't.

I would much rather scoop up a handful (four, at the most) of close friends, go someplace warm and islandy for a week, have a great time, and at some point during that week, get married.

So for my somewhat unconventional wedding, I've scoped out a few unconventional wedding dress ideas...

Dolce & Gabbana:


Roberto Cavalli:


Chanel:

hello . kitty

Yesterday I drove upstate to visit my dearest friend Jessie and her four month old daughter, Berlin (quite easily the cutest baby ever). When I got there she gave me the loveliest reusable bag - so lovely and adorable that I giggled like a little girl when I saw it!





The bag comes from Blue Q who has an array of charming products, including more designs of this reusable shopper:

"Happy Camper"

"Make Friends"

Going green and helping out the planet has never been this chic!

The proof?

On my way home last night I had to stop and pick up a few things from the grocery store, and had my new lovely "Adopt a Kitty" shopper to tote them around! When I was leaving the checkout, the group of girls in the lane next to me were staring not at my Louis Vuitton Cabas Alto - they were ALL making jealous eyes at my kitty shopper!!