Les Etoiles

I also found this in my files today. It's a (very large) gift tag. I think it's so cute...xo

Inside My Inspiration File

In an effort to keep magazines and newspapers from taking over my house, yard and garage, I started clipping my favorite articles and pictures for an inspiration file about five years ago. Now, the file has grown to (at least) several boxes. I wanted to give you a little look inside.

Here are some of the things I pulled out randomly today: A story from the New York Times magazine on lipstick queen Poppy King; A photograph of colored shirts (Great Gatsby, anyone?) in Real Simple; My dream desk, flanked by books and Hermes boxes; There's an Elle magazine book page, which is always excellent. The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg is featured. (Bragg once asked me out on a date, many moons ago); There's a picture of Hayden Panettiere in the ultimate Burberry coat and an inspiration board featured in the April 2008 issue of Domino magazine (don't get me started on how much I already miss Domino); From Bazaar, there's a Fashionable Life profile of Isabel Toledo. And my favorite: A watercolor of a pink coat (from a review of "Drawing Fashion: The Art Kenneth Paul Block.") As usual my eye is drawn to anything pink.

If Anaïs Nin....

...had a Nikon D3 camera...

...Her photos might look a lot like Deborah Anderson's. Check out the website of the incomparable photographer, daughter of the legendary lead singer of the band Yes. Deborah's book "Paperthin" is a modern take on 1930s Parisian erotica. Sizzling.

By the way,
the second picture is of Deborah, taken by Dennis Hopper, a subject of hers.
Here's a story I did this week about her work.

Rainy Day in Malibu

My former Times colleague Veronique de Turenne blogs beautifully about Malibu and often takes photographs from her morning hike. There's a lot of wild nature left where Los Angeles meets the Pacific, and not all of it involves stars' parties. It was raining here today and Veronique's photo captures its impact on one of the world's most famous beaches. (More of her photos on Flickr).

Stairway to Heaven

Would you rather have a circular staircase built of iron and stone?


Or a staircase lit by windows?


Or a staircase lined with books? (Or all of the above!) Another beautiful dilemma.

Comment from the lovely Jonathan Gold: "As the custodian of a grand staircase lined with books, I can attest that it feels less like aesthetic triumph than it does like a major organizational failing - I wasn't sure how to react when a friend told me this afternoon how much the house reminded her of the Please Don't Eat the Daisies set, which I suppose makes me David Niven. It does photograph well, though."

(Photo credits: Urban Chill, Stewardesses and Abracadabra.)

Amelie

Here's the Amelie movie poster -- in mulit-languages. The dog wearing the cone around his head (over the bed) made me laugh. My favorite scene in the film: When Amelie finds the treasure box hidden behind a tile in the bathroom. Fantastic! It's a great date-night movie (at least on my idea of a date!)

UPDATE: The paintings in Amelie's apartment are by the German artist Michael Sowa. Thank you Clever Pup!

Did you see the movie? What's your favorite scene?

Time and Love

I love this photo (via Lolita). It says: "Time has been invented by people unable to love." (Even the taggers in Paris are romantic!)

What's the most interesting thing you've seen written on a wall? (For me: I saw "hang up" written on a stucco wall in Santa Monica, a nod to LA's cell phone addiction.)



From English Muse readers:

In the Second Street Tunnel in Los Angeles:
"The white lady on TV lies."

In a bathroom at Sarah Lawrence College in New York:
"Eve was framed."

And on a wall in Melbourne:
"/war"  between "< >"

Hearts

Hope your day is filled with everything (and everyone) you love.


(Photo credits: Here).

Valentine

You are a  jewel beyond price...Happy Valentine's Day.

(Photo credit: Here.)

The Last Domino

The last Domino magazine arrived today in the post. Very sad. 

(Photo credit: from the "Merge, Purge, Compromise" article.  Previous Domino photos here.)

Garance Doré

I'm completely addicted to Garance Doré's French fashion blog.  Her photos and illustrations  make me ache with longing. Ah, to be chic and  carefree in Paris.  Today I stumbled upon another treat:  a video (here) of Garance giving an interview outside the Paris ready-to-wear shows.  She's so funny and charming.  

Thursday Favorites

Hello everyone! I wanted to share with you some of my favorite images for this chily Thursday evening. I'm especially fond of the girls in tulle. (Top right, Kate Moss)  I love the ballet, but I can't dance. Alas.

(Photo credits: here.)

Beauty

Who is more beautiful... Monica Bellucci ?

Or Angelina Jolie?

They're both beautiful.  At the moment, though, I'm fascinated by Italian actress Bellucci.

She was mesmerizing in Malèna. (Reminds me to rent it again on Netflix.) 

What do you think?

My NYC Moleskine

I like to take a Moleskine city book with me everywhere I travel. This is my NYC book, which has made several trips with me to Manhattan.  I love staying at the Bryant Park Hotel (when I can afford it). There's a carousel in the park across the street that is magical. And the outdoor library cafe is heaven on a sunny spring day. A few doors up, there's a fantastic store packed with magazines from around the world. And down the street, there's a FedEX store to ship them home (along with all the laundry.)

I'm always searching for great thrift stores and flea markets. Chelsea has the best. Housing Works is beyond wonderful (and proceeds go to assisting people with AIDS.) I bought a gorgeous pair of Prada platform ankle boots there for a song.

I can never go to NYC without stopping in Barneys (and then walking a couple blocks up the street to Nello cafe). Then I catch a cab to Henri Bendel. I usually buy a Bendel doll to bring home to my daughter.  Pressed into my Moleskine is NYT writer Alex Kuczynski's Critical Shopper column on Henri Bendel's remake.  (I adore everything Alex writes.) She quotes Emile Zola's "Ladies' Paradise," which is like mind candy.  "At the far end of the hall, around one of the small cast-iron columns which supported the glass roof, material was streaming down like a bubbling sheet of water. Women pale with desire were leaning over as if to look at themselves. Faced with this wild cataract, they all remained standing there, filled with the secret fear of being caught in the overflow of all this luxury and with an irresistible desire to throw themselves in and be lost." Ah. Bliss. (By the way, the top photo of the NYC girl with the red bag is from The Sartorialist. I love all her contrasting patterns, plus the faux fur.)

I keep a card for the East Village Korean restaurant, Dok Suni on 1st Ave. in the back pocket of the book. The food is so delicious. And I have sentimental reasons for liking this restaurant: It's where I interviewed the sweet, amazing author Josh Swiller.

I also keep a little essay by David Hellerstein on the elegant way New Yorkers walk:  "New Yorkers walk sleekly, rapidly as surgeons on rounds. They dodge and shift, adjusting shoulders and briefcases to allow one another to pass with a minute precision...Each person is on an urgent mission, each must take the shortest path to their train or office or shrink; they cannot yield, but none collide. It is the essence of New York's grace." 

Indeed.

PS:  Hellerstein's essay is from "City Secrets: New York City."

What's your favorite place in NYC?

Botanical Prints

A modern twist on an old favorite:  Master printmaker Lindsay Ryan's contemporary botanicals on Etsy are so very pretty.  I'm especially fond of the thistle one.