pretty pretty princesses

so apparently dressing over-the-top girly is my new thing. bailey texted me after seeing my instagrams from last thursday night's anniversary party that i looked like a pretty pretty princess (my post-margarita haze triggered images of my little pony instead of the game pretty pretty princess but i took it as a compliment anyway. after all i was donning a bright pink dress and sparkly bows galore)–and apparently it's just the style i'm into these days! all three of my favorite looks from last night's oscars were variations of ball gowns in uber feminine colors and fabrics. well done amy adams, jennifer lawrence, and jennifer aniston! exactly as it should be on the oscar red carpet. who wore your favorite look last night?

i also finally saw silver linings playbook yesterday–so good. all of the acting, and of course the story, was really brilliant. nice seeing bradley cooper in such a different role!

on a final note–the everygirl anniversary party at west elm was a huge success! over 300 guests came out–the gift bags were gone in the first 5 minutes! haha a lot more details and photos will be on the everygirl later this week so stay tuned!

how was your weekend?

words worth reading, illustrated by photographs of Jay and BK

poignant thoughts on love and marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert as portrayed by the almost ridiculous sweetness that is Sean (Jay-Z) Carter's and his wife Beyonce Knowles Carter's relationship

“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow—this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.”

“People always fall in love with the most perfect aspects of each other’s personalities. Who wouldn’t? Anybody can love the most wonderful parts of another person. But that’s not the clever trick. The really clever trick is this: Can you accept the flaws? Can you look at your partner’s faults honestly and say, ‘I can work around that. I can make something out of it.’? Because the good stuff is always going to be there, and it’s always going to pretty and sparkly, but the crap underneath can ruin you.”

“Marriage is those two thousand indistinguishable conversations, chatted over two thousand indistuinguishable breakfasts, where intimacy turns like a slow wheel. How do you measure the worth of becoming that familiar to somebody—so utterly well known and so thoroughly ever-present that you become an almost invisible necessity, like air?”

"This is intimacy: the trading of stories in the dark. The act of quiet nighttime talking, illustrates for me more than anything else the curious alchemy of companionship."

all words by Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage

photos via I Am Beyonce

Better with Age

Have you all seen Gwyneth in this month's Harper's Bazaar cover shoot? I mean, wow. So this is why people do yoga and Tracy Anderson videos. It all makes sense. She's 39 and is hands-down the hottest she's ever been. And no Botox, either. Although I guess periodic 12-week detoxes sans gluten, sugar, and dairy aren't hurting. (Granted I'm having trouble figuring out what food that leaves for her to eat.) Either way, rock on, G.

As for the rest of you... have a fabulous weekend! I'll be in worker bee mode from now until the launch. Maybe I'll find some time to sneak a power yoga class in there somewhere. Followed by a glass of vino. Cheers!

Thoughts on Men's Fashion: part deux

Considering 97% of my readers are female, I was floored by the positive response to the post on men's fashion I wrote a couple weeks ago. Maybe it was the title, "Always dress like you're going to run into your ex" that people liked. Maybe it was the abundance of eye candy. Maybe it was the glimmer of hope that your husbands, boyfriends, and brothers could and would one day buy a cowl-neck sweater or a cardigan instead of the navy crewneck from Costco. Either way, I'm taking another stab at it! You only have yourselves to thank (or blame).

Have any of you seen Friends with Benefits? My roommate and I watched it a few days ago, and despite the plethora of scenes with a shirtless and toned Timberlake, I was more drawn to the scenes when he was fully clothed running around Manhattan with his obnoxiously cool co-star. And it all comes down to one little accessory. The tie clip. The man wears one in almost every scene, and I looooove a good tie clip.

It really wasn't much of a surprise since his character was the new art director of GQ, and you can't open an issue of that magazine without seeing at least one male celeb sporting the tiny accessory.

You can literally put a guy in a white shirt and any color tie, add a tie clip and bam. He is automatically a fashionable dude. It's like Hogwarts magic that something so small can make such a big impact.

Or you can take an already stylish gent who knows to pair his plaid shirt with a herringbone sportcoat, adds a textured tie and a sterling silver clip, and then we're reeeeally talking. But that takes time. Baby steps. For now, let's just start by getting the men in your life a clip. After all, Valentine's Day is coming up! On second thought, you might want to throw something lacy into that gift box, as well...

Jenna Lyons Home for Sale

It's no secret J.Crew's top lady Jenna Lyons, a fashion and career icon to style bloggers and fashionistas everywhere, is going through a supposedly messy divorce from her husband. One fallout of the separation is that their gorgeous 1880s townhome in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood is already on the market. Selling for 3.75 million, the four-story, fully restored home has 7 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and a fully landscaped backyard with terrace off the master bedroom.

Though Jenna's home has been photographed and featured in magazines over the past few years, it is nice getting to see some of the other highlights and angles. I am particularly intrigued by the 360-degree view of the living and dining room, as it offers details I have not seen elsewhere. A few items of note: the pair of crystal chandeliers centered in the two rooms, the wall of antlers accenting the soft grey wall, and the original crown molding and arched doorways framing the chic space. Getting a peek at the outdoor spaces, media room, and front facade also rounds out the more complete view of this at one-time happy home.

Source

words worth reading

a few of my favorite excerpts from Bossypants by Tina Fey:

“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”

“MAKE STATEMENTS also applies to us women: Speak in statements instead of apologetic questions. No one wants to go to a doctor who says, “I’m going to be your surgeon? I’m here to talk to you about your procedure? I was first in my class at Johns Hopkins, so?” Make statements, with your actions and your voice.”

“So, my unsolicited advice to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism, or ageism, or lookism, or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question: “Is this person in between me and what I want to do?” If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way. Then, when you’re in charge, don’t hire the people who were jerky to you.”

“But I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom—Beyoncé brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All Beyonce and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”

For your entertainment.

Happy Weekend!

So Long, Hermione Granger

*** NOTE THE HOLY HELL UPDATE BELOW ***

Yesterday, Emma Watson arrived at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 in a jaw-dropping Bottega Veneta gown. It's made quite an impression with people either loving or hating it, and I must admit, I fall into the former category. Between the corseted canvas top and dramatically draped satin skirt, I think this gown is equal-parts sexy and unique. I also love how the pewter tones accenting the gold sheen of the skirt add even more movement to an already flowing gown. And when it comes to the styling, the slicked-back pixie cut and dramatic "Black Swan-esque" make-up launch the now 21-year-old even farther from brainiac Hermione Granger towards the fashionable A-lister she's become.

What are your thoughts on the less conventional red carpet gown?

***HOLY HELL UPDATE! 
I was wondering who the tall, dark handsome man on the far right of the group photo was... who is that random with all the movie's main stars?... I thought. Oh. I don't know! It's only actor Matthew Lewis. AKA pudgy, awkward Neville Longbottom! And who doesn't love Neville? This young gentleman has blossomed quite nicely, if I do say so myself... pretty sure we'll be seeing more of his dapper face in the near future. Well done, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. Well done.

"I'm Hermione Granger. And... you are?"
"Um, Ron Weasley."
"Pleasure."

Hah! Gets me every time.

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Three Things I'll Always Love

 

1. bentwood chairs around a tulip table

2. a perfectly styled floral frock

3. and him.

Because some things are too good to tire of.