Luminence

That famous soft golden light of Provence that inspired so many artists. Sweet lavender air. Softy chirping cicadas. And a view towards an ancient chateau.

I spent one week in heaven just outside the small village of Ansouis. We stayed in a little farmhouse paradise called Ferme de La Platane, nestled in the valleys of the Luberon mountains, surrounded by vineyards.

Our 18th century stone mas was absolutely perfect with our own terrace that looked onto the chateau, full kitchen and the use of the BBQ, boules pitch, and of course a sparkling pool. The hosts Rosemary and Peter were extremely helpful and generous, making bookings to local restaurants and attending to our needs. One night we even did a communal BBQ with another couple (hello Catrin and Andy!) and shared our feast of goodies we had each gathered earlier that day from the local market. Marinated herb chicken, mixed sausages of pork and lapin (sorry bunnies), ratatouille, mashed potatoes, goat cheese salad, fresh baguettes, more cheese to finish. We ate and drank in merriment until Van Gogh's starry night came to life.

You can just see the chateau off to the right of hubby from the terrace. Magnificent.

Wearing:
Printed maxi dress picked up from a Provencal town
Crochet sandals, Elizabeth and James
Custom sunnies by Fox Optical

I Think I Know What's On Your Mind

A quickie post to show you some pics of my new hair and dinner at a local French bistro. I'm having fun playing around with my hair - some days I've slicked it back (think Victoria Beckham), others I've pushed it forwards messily and finished with my favourite surf spray. I've glammed it up with pretty, tulle and pearl adorned handbands, or if I'm feeling a more grungy vibe, I reach for my braided suede headband. There's a style to suit my chameleon moods. NOTE: Please ignore the horribly tacky sign - I didn't realize it was in the picture and we were in a hurry to get inside the restaurant for our table.

I've used a variety of products to style my hair and I've found a few that I like:

1. Best Gel for a slicked back pixie: I tried Bumble and Bumble BB Gel and Oribe Gel Serum (thanks to BeautyMark for giving me both samples) and by far I liked Oribe for a firm hold to last all day but wasn't sticky or too stiff. The BB Gel is nice for light hold but I can't trust it'll stay all day.

2. Best Surf Spray: John Masters Organics Sea Mist hands down gives you that straight-out-of-the-surf look. I prefer it to Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray which is a bit heavy and sticky. Plus, Sea Mist has a sweet lavender scent so you don't smell like a kelpy seawitch =D.

3. Best Hair Spray: I will go with Bumble and Bumble's Does It All Spray because it provides an airy and flexible hold that highlights the piecey-ness.


Now onto the food...Pied-a-Terre is a fave of mine because of how low-key it is and the food I've had there on numerous occasion has always been good. I just love simple, classic food, and this French bistro has it down.

We started with a French Onion Tarte with Bacon Frisse Salad.

Hubby ordered the Lamb Duo special with braised and roast lamb. Served with green beans and some pastry.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Fish Special which was pan roasted sole with morels and peas in a chive herby cream sauce. Served with asparagus, mashed potatoes and a roasted tomato.

We had no room for dessert but that was probably a good thing because I can never decide between their Creme Brulee, Chocolate Tarte, or Lemon Tarte.

Outfit:
Asymetric White Tee by Ambient (the back is longer than the front and I love it)
Distressed Jean Shorts by Ambient
Grey Coverup - from Gateau Lingerie
Fleur de Lis necklace - Pyrrah
Tulle Headband - Blue Ruby
Sandals - Elizabeth and James
Black Mini Hobo - Hugo Boss
Sunglasses - Rayban Clubmasters

Can a piece of coral...

...really inspire a whole outfit?

In this case, the answer is overwhelmingly, YES.

Ever since I got this remade vintage coral ring from my momma, I can't stop crushing on all things coral. The ring is even extra special because the coral was originally one half of an earring mom wore on her wedding day. My sister-in-law has the other half, made into an identical ring surrounded by white and yellow tiny diamonds.

I wore this same dress earlier in the week to JK Model's Anniversary Party held at the upscale LEONE boutique. It was a fun night hanging out with some local bloggers, including Kelsey of The Anthology, Nicole of Le Mode Du Jour, Aces, Nikki of A Haute Mess, Olivia of Stylestruck, Lisa of Solo Lisa, Raul of Hummingbird604, and Erin of Haus of Hybrid.

Wearing:
Strapless dress with diamond back cut-out, by Elizabeth and James
Brown leather jacket, by Blues Heroes
Gypsy macrame thong sandals, by Elizabeth and James (available at ShopBop.com)
Remade vintage coral ring, gift from mom
Silver seahorse pendent, custom
White bone carved flower pendant, Simply Sublime
Mother of pearl cuff bracelet, from Knysna, South Africa
Bronze cuff, from Morocco
Floppy hat, American Apparel

MK&Ashley Olsen on Fashion Television

Fantastic interview by Jeanne Beker of Fashion Television with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. They talk about style inspirations, their clothing lines, and growing up in the spotlight.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Nearly Nude

They've arrived - my Elizabeth and James strappy pumps. They came, along with the other goodies in my Shopbop shipment. This is my first Elizabeth and James purchase, and I was nervous that the shoes wouldn't fit. The colour was described as "bone" but I find they are more like a nude beige. I absolutely love them!! They must be the highest heels that I own, as they make my other stilettos feel like ballet flats. My Marc by Marc Jacobs cashmere cardi also arrived, and at $139 (discounted from $300 plus), it was a steal.

The box from the shoes was gorgeous...I love the ink blot design and the black ribbon tab.




Wearing:
Sky blue tie-die raceback tank, Urban Outfitters
Tallula white beater tank, Aritzia
Turquoise trim cashmere cardigan, Marc by Marc Jacbos
Leopard high-waisted bubble skirt, Urban Outfitters
Nude strappy pumps, Elizabeth and James
Chunky beaded necklace, from street market in Hong Kong
Star necklace, Aritzia, cira early 90's
Grey Watch, Casio Baby G Shock

Elizabeth James Pre-Fall Shoes

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have launched the pre-order for their new Pre-Fall shoe line. Available at Nordstroms ranging from $270 to $325.

What do you think? I was a little bit underwhelmed, but nonetheless could see myself sporting some of these styles, in particular the grey-blue wedge sling-ons.  The pewter gladiator heel sandal too, could find a home in my closet.  Both would definitely add some height to my miniaturesque stature!

(image of Ashley Olsen from Olsens Anonymous)

Social networking for fashionistas

Just when I thought I was tapped out for social networks (facebook. linked in, myspace), I stumble across a most brilliant idea for the fashion obsessed girl. Enter Polyvore, a social application which brings together the intersection of fashion, design, social networking and e-commerce monetization. Community members can create their own "sets" (various images as selected by the person) and display and share with others. Each set has a tag which identifies what the item is and no doubt a link to the store for purchase. How brilliant is that? From a community member perspective, this allows me to find inspiration from other people's sets, to connect with those with similar tastes and interests, and connects me directly with the retailer to close the loop. From a brand point of view, there can be no harm in participating in this. After all, isn't word of mouth and viral pass along any marketer's dream?

I just created a profile (user name is beautiful_life) and a set (Femme Fatale - gucci ankle boots, tight black skinnies, marc jacobs clutch, elizabeth and james snake ring) to test it out. No doubt over the next few weeks I will be playing around with this. Anyone else out there playing with this? I would love to hear your thoughts and join your network. I'm also keen to find out whether they have a facebook app for this to show off my totally awesome sets.

Very stoked about this. More to come!