Seoul

I've sneaked a few minutes to add a quick post -- there's so much to do here, and so we're not sitting in the room terribly often! Seoul is an amazing place, and it's absolutely massive.

The first day we were here we took the subway for a bit and went to the National University, which is absolutely gorgeous. The campus is situated in the cradle of the mountains (which are green and always seem to have clouds hovering at the top).

Later the first day we went to a "music" district near another of the city's universities. There were people everywhere, even late into the night. The area was filled with lots of little bars, restaurants and jazz clubs. Street vendors are all over the place as well. My favorite thus far has been a stand where you could buy masks, and your options were: a horse head, a camel head, Osama bin Laden, and George Bush.

On day two, at night, we walked down to a really cool district where pretty much everything was covered in neon. Malls here are quite different from what they are in the states. Here the malls are in high-rises, so each floor has two or three restaurants/shops.

12 . days . and . counting...

Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for Seoul, South Korea and will be gone for the next 12 days. I'm terribly excited for the trip, and will try to post an update every now and then, but don't know how often I'll be at the computer.

So along with the wonderful.fabulous.always enjoyable blogs listed to the right, here are a few stories to keep you (hopefully) entertained:

♥ American Apparel seems doomed to continue churning out borderline pornographic ads that have little to do with what they sell

♥ Absolutely everything is worth reading/looking at/devouring at Oh Joy

♥ This site seems to only have one image, but it's fascinating

♥ I've always told my fiance that I would like to have an owl and name him Fox (though this is both strange and impractical). Oddly enough, this blog has a post on this woman's art that includes them side by side:


♥ Slate reviews a horror film about paper bags

♥ Al Gore wants your help

♥ Just Jared thinks the new 90210 series will be a "cult hit." Hmm...really?

and finally...

♥ I want to live in this hotel

Have a wonderful two weeks!!

nico

When I went to get my hair trimmed yesterday, I decided I wanted a change - but just a little change - so I got some fringy bangs cut. When I came home and asked my fiance what he thought, he said that he liked them and it reminded him of Nico. So since the reference came up, here's a little fashion post inspired by her (in her not-so-heroin-addicted phase):

she . hit . pause

She Hit Pause Studios, Inc. was created by
Matt Schwartz, photographer, and Kate Shawver, web designer/developer, in Spring of 2002." I've long been enamored with photographs that are taken TTVF -- the color (or lack of) and grainy texture of the images feels personal, as though there's a forgotten memory waiting to come out of each picture.

Matt Schwartz' photographs (though they're Polaroids, not TTVF) evoke a similar feeling, but one that's discernibly more visceral. The pictures are larger than just memories - they're complete stories. Really. Fascinating. Stories.





All images (and so many more) can be purchased on his website in different sizes, framed or unframed.

runway . review.

I do sometimes wonder if the pressure of having to create (at least) four collections per year - Fall/Winter, Resort, Spring/Summer, Pre-Fall - is a bit too much for fashion designers. Some seem to pull it off effortlessly, churning out beautiful and wearable garments season after season. Others fare not so well.

Earlier this year I raved about Erin Fetherston's dresses - they were glamorous and whimsical. This morning I peeked at her 2009 Resort collection hoping for a lighter version of her signature fairy-esque style.

But, no.

Look and judge for yourself, though my opinion remains firmly grounded in the, "Why did you put shiny wallpaper on the models?" category.




(My fingers are crossed that something a bit more inspiring will appear in her SS 09 collection.)

pretty . little . outdoor . spaces

I'm always completely enamored when I see photos of nicely decorated backyard spaces. This is particularly true of the outdoor living rooms that seem to be in abundance in California. Wouldn't it be perfectly lovely to relax on the sofa, cocktail in one hand, good book in the other, AND be outside? I so want that.

And then I remember that I live in Michigan, where we have four seasons: Rainy/Cold, God-awful Humidity, Rainy/Cold, and Winter.

So until we either move someplace else, or global warming takes a stronger hold, I'll just have to settle for admiring others' pretty little spaces:





Photos from Domino Magazine

Miss . Maggie

This morning I saw pics of the cast of The Dark Knight at the European premiere of the film. Maggie Gyllenhaal (whom I adore) wore a full length black satin jumpsuit by Stella McCartney. I have to say that this is the first time that I've been convinced that full-length jumpers can work as anything but prison suits.



The shorts rompers are cute, and if they fit right, anyone can pull them off. However, the long pantsuit jumpers have never been able to shake that, "Wow, has that been in your closet since the 70s?" vibe.

Yet Ms. Gyllenhaal looks stunning and chic - not a hint of kitsch anywhere. The black satin drapes in a pretty way, and the cut is sexy not ironic. So, a look at jumpsuits/rompers that might just be wearable:

wide . awake . Monday

I've had dark circles under my eyes since before I can remember. Not really the "You look a smidge tired," dark circles, but the "Wow, you look like you haven't slept in months" dark circles. Until a few days ago, I assumed that there were two things that could be done about this: (1) Get a series of painful and expensive injections under my eyes to "plump" up the thin skin there, or (2) Find a good concealer.

(If you can't guess, I've stuck with option #2).

I never bought into the serums, creams, etc. that all claimed daily use would rid you of dark circles. If that's all it took, absolutely no one would sign up for the injections.

Then the other day, a sample of Chanel Sublimage Regenerating Eye Cream came with my nail polish.


I figured since it was already here, I might as well try it. After just a day and a half, I was so stunned that you could knock me over with a feather. This morning I woke up and (I kid you not) already looked like I had concealer on. My dark circles were much less visible and the skin around my eyes was brighter.

Now the downside of this - I've discovered - is that a full size order is prohibitively expensive. But hey, there's always the hope that my sample will last until I win the lottery, right?

oh . my . stars

When YSL's Spring/Summer 08 collection debuted, I fell madly.helplessly.deeply in love with their oversized star necklaces. I knew that I would have to have one.


And then I found out that they cost several thousand dollars. And I knew that I would not actually be able to have one.

So when I went to Express yesterday - looking for basics; tees and sweaters, etc. -- I was startled and surprised to see a pretty little star necklace hanging on their jewelry rack. While it isn't quite the necklace that YSL made, at $34.95, it was definitely coming home with me!

Zooey . Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel is one of my absolute favorite style icons. She always looks pretty, polished, and feminine. One of the most interesting things about her style choices, is that she can take pieces that might otherwise be considered "too young" or "too girly" and pair them with accessories that completely pull the outfits together, making them uncomparably chic. Even the way that she throws on a cropped, tailored blazer over a flouncy dress seems to transform the look.

stars

Sometimes I find that it's difficult to integrate design elements into a room without that room becoming too "themey." I.e., "the flag room," "the blue room," "the doll room," etc.

Yet if you can find the right piece, and the right room, a bold accessory can seem charming rather than cloying:




My favorite of the above is the star wallpaper on the ceiling in the last image - what should come off as kitsch seems instead well-matched with the minimal walls and bright accents in the room.

Photos from Domino Magazine

pretty . little . travel

Lately I've been obsessed with trying to put together the perfect travel outfit. It seems that no matter how I start out the flight, and no matter how much I like my outfit at the beginning of the day, I feel rumpled and perfectly unpolished by the time the plane has landed.

So there has to be an outfit out there that = looks great before, during, and after the flight.

While the two pairings below are quite different, both are composed of comfortable, yet stylish pieces (and some pretty little accessories, of course)!



What are your favorite stylish travel tips?

Chanel

A little parcel arrived in the mail today, and what better to find inside than Chanel!! Until last week I had been waitlisted for their limited edition Robertson Blvd. nail polish (yes, at Chanel, even nail polish has a waitlist). I ordered three of the four colors: Rodeo Drive (lilac), Melrose (pink), and L.A. Sunrise (pastel yellow).

The colors are even lovelier than I expected - the yellow and pink are perfect spring and summer colors! The lilac is quite a pretty shade, but it just isn't for me, and so onto eBay it goes (you can find it here)

pretty . little . silhouettes

Whenever I see silhouttes, they always remind me of grade school - where you sit between a light and a posterboard and a classmate traces you, and then: you have a silhouette of you.

These silhouettes -- lets be honest -- were not the most chic. So until today, I always thought silhouette art seemed a little, well, silly.

Then I came across this collage on Flickr and it completely changed my mind. Not only does the collage itself look polished, and so terribly interesting, but the individual pieces are all quite charming.


Collage by Bella Seven

pretty . little . sale

SIZZLING (middle of July) SUMMER SALE at Pretty Little World!!!!!

From 7/13-7/17: BUY TWO, GET ONE FREE!!! (on all items $75.00 or less)

Here's how it works: Buy three items together, make your purchase through ETSY and then pay through PayPal. Then I'll refund the cost of the least expensive item, so you'll get it

FREE FREE FREE!!!

Please just send me a convo with any questions, and HAPPY SUMMER SHOPPING!!

Pretty Little World

strawberry . shortcake

I had loads of these cute little Strawberry Shortcake figures when I was little (they're likely still tucked away in my parents' attic somewhere). My favorite thing about them was the way that they all smelled so lovely - even now, I can still remember the strawberry aroma that accompanied Ms. Shortcake herself!

These cute little vintage dolls can be picked on ETSY from Trunk of Prettys":

punky . sophisticate

long . time . no . see...

I'm sorry for the huge lag between posts...sadly my computer has hit the skids :( I turn it on, it freezes. I restart it, it works for a minute, then freezes...and so on and so on.

I can hijack my fiance's computer every now and then, but the posts will be a bit scarce until I can either fix or find a new computer!!

Until then (and if you haven't already) check out some of the fabulous blogs linked on the right!!

Have a great weekend!!

pretty . little . greenhouse

This past weekend has been spent in Ohio with a slew of family and (new) friends. When we got to Ohio on Friday, the biggest news was that everyone had spent the day putting together a new little greenhouse...and I'm completely enamored with it. (though this could be enhanced because I didn't have to do any of the work.)

The greenhouse came in several boxes, and from what I gather, all you have to do is: dig out a shallow foundation; put the pieces together; fill the foundation with loose stone/gravel/etc.; add plants.



The greenhouse will stay ventilated in warm weather and warm in cold weather, so it's perfect for helping you to keep that green thumb all year long.

Vintage . of . the . Week

This 1950s Black Cotton Eyelet Wiggle Dress from Pretty Little World is a lovely find - classic style in amazing condition:


This next vintage dress I love for the photo/style just as much as the dress - it completely reminds me of the girl crossing the Mekong Delta on the ferry at the beginning of Marguerite Duras' The Lover (from Oh, Leo Luca):


This Abstract Art Tent Dress is super cute and cool for summer - the pattern is fun and the simple cleans lines make it so chic (from Luv Lee Dayzs):

pretty . little . day

My day today...

*woke up...late
*had coffee and read blogs
*went to the gym
*took new pics for the store
*sat around in the icky icky humidity
*took parcels to the post office
*became obsessed with these lovely Tom Ford sunnies:


*came to the coffee shop to add new items to the store
*realized I forgot to upload the pics and didn't bring my camera
*blog post
*going to See Wanted
*late dinner (tomato and chick pea soup over rice)
*watch another episode of Burn Notice on dvd. (this is a clever.funny show with Jeffrey Donovan - who's absolutely delicious! - and Bruce Campbell - who I got to meet this past winter!!)

pretty . little . pail . pals

One thing that my mother has that I don't is "the crafty gene." I can do some things - crochet, sew a bit, glue things, etc. - but I wouldn't consider myself a "crafter." Instead, I got the "fashion," "design," and "I-unfortunately-like-a-lot-of-things-that-I-can't-afford" genes.

My mother is an excellent crafter, but it took LOTS of prodding to be able to get her to open up her own ETSY store. Lots. But after some time, she finally did, and her first listings are cute.cute.cute.



These little Pail Pals are great for holding, well, whatever needs holding! Flowers, Pencils (thanks Joanna!), etc.