new fave blog: i want to be her

One of my favorite pieces of Lucky Magazine - which I've discussed before! - was (since she's left the building!) co-founder & editor Andrea Linett's page with a watercolor sketch and lots of beautiful things.  It reminds me of my friend Lauren's blog, My Closet in Sketches (mentioned here).

So imagine my delight now that I can see a new Andrea Linett sketch, not monthly with each new issue of Lucky, but on her very own website, I want to be her!  (How perfect is that name, by the way?)  I imagine Ms. Linett has more creative license on her own website now, and ZOMG why didn't they let her do this with Lucky because these are amazing. 

My favorites so far are:

Sharon, painter & stylist from Columbus, Ohio.  That ostrich feather collar, sequin clutch and wedge boots combination is very nice.

and

Flea Market Girl: for her killer outfit, obviously; but also because I always see a girl I want to be when I go flea marketing and think, why can't I look that cool?  It's probably because I am not brave enough to wear red pants or a leopard jacket, let alone at ONE TIME.

alyson fox + verabel lockets

some of you may have seen this collaboration already but I can't help but write another post: I love these lockets, and I hope they restock this pretty one soon

but, if they don't, I'm very close to pulling the trigger on this beauty

....to wrap nicely and place under the chrismukkah tree this holiday season.

via cup of jo via lola is beauty.  alyson fox + verabel

quite possibly the smartest thing Albert Einstein ever said!

Everybody is a genius.  But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.
                                        -Albert Einstein

via most beautiful darling, via cup of jo - found after seeing this lovely photo

i want that!

to the owner of this gorgeous victorian moonstone ring from erie basin: if you ever change your mind, I WANT THAT!  and may make it my life's work to find one of these and make it mine.  surely there was another lady romping around 1890s with its twin.... no?

14k gold, big round stone, asymmetry predating art noveau?  LOVE.  i am having a greed attack.

E Jean's 25 things women should know

Elle Magazine just celebrated it's 25th anniversary (happy birthday, Elle!) and their advice columnist, E. Jean, posted the 25 things every woman should know.  I am a sucker for those kinds of lists, and I love E. Jean's snarkiness, so naturally I am in love with this list, and plan to take it to heart.


Below are some of my favorites....  read the full list on Elle.com!


#3: If you don't question what you believe in, you end up making the same mistakes over and over.  When we find ourselves in a romantic quagmire or struggling for an eternally denied promotion at work and our old ideas aren't working, we must, must, must ask ourselves two questions:

a) Is this idea I'm acting on even effing true?  (e.g., am I so irresistible this time that he really is going to leave his wife?)

b) What would happen if everyone in the world believed this idea and behaved as I'm behaving now? (this is our old friend Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative--view every action you take as universal law.  Meaning, if you're considering lying to your boss to save your job, imagine a universal law that says everyone must lie to his or her boss.)


#11: go play with your dog.  Your dog is the one creature on earth you can make insanely happy by playing 'hide the cookie' in the living room.  If you have neither cat nor dog nor bird nor fish, it's not essential, but if you want to lead a more enjoyable life....why not?


#15: When you're in college, don't worry too much about grades.  Other than getting into a decent grad school and associating with the cream of your generation, getting straight A's means diddly squat in the real world, where it's all about hustle, determination, focus, dressing right, sucking up, and who you know.


Some of these are harsh but true-- and you know what?  I appreciate E. Jean's honesty.  

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go hustle and show determination and focus at work before going home to play with my dog.  And I can check "dressing right" and "sucking up" to my "accomplished tasks" list for today, obvs.

help me pick out a holiday card!

I won a Minted holiday card giveaway from one of my most favorite bloggers, Joslyn from Simple Lovely.  If you don't know about her blog yet, you are in for a big treat.  It's one of my favorites.  She is one stylish and smart woman, and a dedicated mama bear.  


I adore her blog and hope my family life is as beautiful as hers is when I have a family -- she makes having kids and maintaining a healthy loving marriage, and a beautifully decorated home look easy and charming, simple and lovely.  Just as the name implies.  


I feel a little silly sending out cards because my "family" includes myself, a young dog and a boyfriend, but I always loved the idea of sending out a little holiday card with a photo.  I love receiving them from others and I'm excited to give it a go this year.  


So I'm enlisting your help, friends: which card to choose?  Here are a few of my favorites:

all images via Minted

game changer: Ralph Lauren

This 4D video is incredible, and I am in awe of the work Ralph Lauren is doing to stay ahead of the curve technologically.  Fashion and design in the past has been a little behind the times on adopting new media and technology trends, but this is a great step forward, it increases accessibility-- which is never a bad thing artistically and from a business perspective. 


I can't wait to see everyone else catch up.  This is awesome!  The lights and camera work is amazing.  I wish I could see the behind the scenes on how they actually did this.



The Official Ralph Lauren 4D Experience - London from Ralph Lauren on Vimeo.


(thanks to the friend who posted about this on facebook!)

Can Andy Spade save Lucky Magazine? I vote yes.

One of the brands I am continually impressed with is kate spade.  They're phoenixlike-- even after all the fake bags in the past 15 years, their brand is still alive.  Lately I'd even say it's booming, thanks to Deborah Lloyd. 

The company expanded slowly and took care to make sure their aesthetic was really communicated all the new items they rolled out, so the clothes really do look like the same company as the bags, the shoes, the jewlery, down to the wallpaper in the shops.  It's well done across the board-- from (in my opinion) the design end of it to the business end-- they are great.

On Saturday I was reading my Lucky Magazine thinking about how downhill they've gone.  I used to read it cover-to-cover the day it arrived in my mailbox but I got bored, and this November issue seemed like it had equal parts ads & actual magazine content, and it was just not compelling.  Like, if it didn't come to my house, probably I wouldn't buy it in the checkout line.  And I am a pretty big impulse magazine purchaser.  Then yesterday I read that Andy Spade is coming in to help revive and rebrand Lucky Magazine, and you know what?  If anyone can do this, it's Andy Spade.  They picked the exact right person!  I'm so excited to see what happens.

I hope they start with revamping the website, and then bringing back Cat Marnell from the Beauty Dept because she was (is? where is she now?!) hilarious and had awesome reviews, and then start putting together editorials where I will actually consider wearing something, because I cannot remember the last time I looked at a Lucky editorial and said i want that.  It has been since probably 2008 and in magazine-time that is a hundred years.

(photo credit: kate spade)